"You'd have 'offhand' fed it too?"
Yuuki Asuna couldn't make sense of a single word Hōjō Yoru had just said. Even now, she still couldn't fully believe what she'd witnessed with her own eyes.
A boy who looked about the same age as her… had destroyed a Devil that easily?
Devils were supernatural monsters that had appeared in this world about half a year ago. No one knew why they had emerged, nor where they originally came from. The officially released information at this stage amounted to only a few points:
The more frightening the concept, the stronger the Devil born from it.
Devils did not truly die. Even if one was killed, as long as the corresponding concept hadn't disappeared from the world, that Devil would eventually descend again. And aside from those Devils that were weak to the point of being negligible, most of them harbored a violent, twisted malice toward humanity.
In other words, they would use any means necessary to kill humans.
"Um… excuse me, but who exactly are you—"
Asuna was just about to ask when hurried footsteps pounded in from afar, followed by a tense, forceful warning.
"Don't move! Hands over your head!"
A fully armed mobile unit advanced in a cautious line, guns already raised, forming a tightening encirclement. Asuna's expression immediately stiffened.
She shot an anxious glance at Hōjō Yoru. How was he going to explain what had just happened?
No matter how you looked at it, he'd acted to save her—and because of her, he hadn't been able to leave the scene in time.
Asuna tried desperately to think of a way out, but she was only a first-year high school student. What could she possibly do right now?
Call her father?
Her father was the CEO of a major electronics manufacturer… but this was a case involving Devils. Could he really do anything about something that serious?
In the end, Asuna clenched her resolve anyway. No matter what, she'd beg her father to try—because that boy was her lifesaver…
"Relax, everyone."
As she was thinking that, Hōjō Yoru spoke with an easy smile in his voice. For some reason, just watching him stand there stirred an indescribable feeling in her chest.
He didn't look nervous at all beneath the muzzles of their guns—almost as if he believed firearms simply couldn't hurt him.
"The Devil has been neutralized by me. I'm a Devil Hunter with the Anti-Demon Special Operations Division. Here's my identification."
As he spoke, he reached into his coat pocket and produced a dark crimson credential booklet.
Several members of the unit crept closer, accepted the ID, and flipped it open. Across it, the words were printed clearly:
[Anti-Demon Special Operations Division — Devil Hunter: Hōjō Yoru]
The commanding officer immediately signaled for his men to lower their weapons. His tone turned markedly polite—bordering on respectful to the point of fear.
"Our apologies, Mr. Hōjō. We're only being cautious. I hope you can understand."
"It's fine."
Hōjō Yoru waved it off without a second thought, then shifted his gaze to Asuna, who was still sitting on the ground.
"What are you doing? Let's go. You getting addicted to sitting there? Cosplaying a Buddha statue?"
"Huh? O-oh, right…!"
Asuna scrambled to her feet and followed beside him toward the station exit.
Only after the two of them had walked away—until their backs disappeared completely from view—did the unit commander finally exhale. Beneath his tactical suit, he could feel cold sweat soaking his body.
"Sir, why did you just let those two leave? We should've made them stay put and cooperate with the investigation. Only after clearing suspicion—"
"Enough."
The commander cut him off sharply, brow furrowing as he reprimanded his subordinate.
"Is this your first time dealing with a Devil Hunter? Those people might look human, but they're monsters who've signed contracts with Devils by sacrificing parts of themselves. They can wield Devil power. After confirming his identity, you still wanted to antagonize him—are you trying to get us killed?"
At those words, the members of the unit looked around at the scene—littered with chunks of flesh and shattered remains—and a chill crept up their spines.
A Devil that could slaughter that many people was a monster.
And the Devil Hunter who erased it without a scratch—without even a speck of dirt on his clothes…
He was a monster among monsters.
...
Meanwhile, on the street outside the station, Asuna walked along, stealing glances at Hōjō Yoru from the corner of her eye.
Now that the immediate terror had passed—and now that everything wasn't happening at breakneck speed—she finally noticed something that had escaped her before.
He was… really handsome.
Asuna, at 163 centimeters, wasn't especially tall, but among high school girls she certainly wasn't short either. Still, beside Hōjō Yoru—who stood at roughly 183 centimeters—she looked almost petite.
It wasn't just that he was clearly athletic, giving off a sense of strength without being bulky. His proportions were long and balanced, and his face was flawless.
Messy only in a way that looked intentional, his black hair fell in choppy strands that added a rebellious edge. His black eyes always seemed to carry a relaxed hint of amusement—inviting, the kind that made people lower their guard.
This wasn't the typical "if you look closely, he's kind of handsome" light-novel protagonist.
This was the kind of face that, even in a bustling crowd, your eyes would lock onto instantly—a top-tier model dropped into real life.
Asuna pressed her lips together. Carefully, as if testing thin ice, she started to speak.
"Um…"
"I'm Hōjō Yoru."
"O-oh… Hōjō-kun. About earlier—"
"To save time, I'll keep it short."
She didn't even need to gather her courage and ask. Hōjō Yoru lowered his voice and explained directly.
"Based on its shape, that metal object you were talking to was likely a Devil tied to the concept of 'swords'—or something similar. It wanted to form a contract with you. A contract means you pay a price, and in exchange you gain the right to use its power. What you said back there was dangerous: 'No matter what price.' That doesn't just mean your life. It could take your soul… even the traces that prove you ever existed in this world."
"I see…"
Asuna nodded obediently. She didn't know internal details about the Anti-Demon Special Operations Division, but plenty of stories mentioned it: once you made a deal with a Devil, you rarely ended well.
Then she suddenly froze.
Worry surfaced in her hazel eyes, complicated and heavy. She stopped walking and looked up at Hōjō Yoru.
"Then… Hōjō-kun, when you saved me just now… did you also pay some kind of price?"
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 80)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 80)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 80)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter50)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter50)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter50)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter50)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 10
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 10
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