"Where's the corpse?"
"The body is gone?"
"The body..."
The farmer, his wife, and Denji all said it at the same time. A massive devil corpse had vanished in less than a minute. More unbelievable than a David Copperfield trick.
"The corpse went where it needed to go. Don't worry about it. And people with too much curiosity tend to become corpses themselves."
With that warning already on the table, Denji didn't ask any more questions. He turned around, picked up Pochita, and got ready to leave.
"Who should I pay?" the farmer suddenly asked.
"Give it to him."
"To me?" Denji stopped walking and looked back. "I didn't really do anything. You killed the devil. The money should go to you."
"No. I said from the start I don't want any money for this job. I meant it."
"Well, if you're forcing me to take it, I won't say no."
Denji scratched the back of his head and grinned.
That's when the farmer's wife walked over holding a black briefcase.
"Thank you for saving me. Here's 500,000 yen."
"500,000?!"
Denji froze like he'd been turned to stone. He'd never gotten that much money in his entire life. The most he'd ever had at once was a few thousand yen. Now 500,000 was right in front of him, and he couldn't even bring himself to reach for it.
"Take it. It's the commission you earned."
"Thank you."
He quickly thanked her and took the 500,000 yen. His hands were shaking.
Then Arata punched him in the head.
"What was that for?!" Denji snapped back to reality.
"Don't say thank you. We saved their lives."
"Either way, I still want to thank them."
"Don't thank us. You saved my wife. This is exactly what you Hunters deserve." The farmer said it quickly, clearly afraid of Arata.
"Let's go. I need to take a shower."
"Thank you both. We really appreciate it."
As the two of them walked away, the farmer and his wife kept bowing and thanking them from behind.
"Get in. I'll drive you back."
"You can't just keep driving a yakuza's car. That's asking for trouble. I think you should park it back where Ino was."
"What yakuza car? It's in my hands now, so it's my car."
Arata got in first and glanced at Denji standing by the road. Without a word, he started the engine.
But then Denji yanked open the back door and jumped in.
"I thought you were going to run back again."
"I was going to. But since I'm carrying this much cash, getting a ride is safer." Denji patted the briefcase and grinned.
Arata didn't say anything. He just hit the gas and drove back the way they came.
When they passed Ino, Denji wanted to give him a ride. But Arata floored it instead.
Neither of them spoke on the drive. Not until they were almost back at Denji's shack.
"So? Being a hero feels pretty good, doesn't it?"
"Yeah, actually. Getting worshipped and getting paid this much money. I doubt anyone would say no to being a hero."
"Good. Just remember you wanted this. Don't come at me later saying I forced you."
The car stopped in front of Denji's door. He got out with Pochita, and Pochita got out with the briefcase.
"Hey... what about Ino?"
"Do whatever you want."
Arata reversed, turned, and drove off in one smooth motion, disappearing from sight.
"What a weird and terrifying guy."
Denji mumbled to himself and went back inside the shack with Pochita. Then the two of them started figuring out what to do with the 500,000 yen. Most of it would go to paying off his debt. The rest could cover daily expenses. He was already dreaming about what life would be like once the debt was gone.
Meanwhile, Arata pulled up to a car dealership.
A silver Honda with a specific license plate rolled to a stop. The dealer came out grinning, ready to greet the customer.
"Boss..."
"Boss what?"
"Who are you? Why are you driving my boss's car?"
"This car belongs to your boss?"
"Yeah." The man's tone got cockier by the second.
"I didn't know you recognized it. Since you know the owner, I'll just sell it somewhere else."
"Hold on. You think you can just leave without explaining yourself?"
The man grabbed Arata's arm, sensing something was off. He whistled.
At the signal, a bunch of tattooed men with bats and knives came out of the building.
"No matter whose car it is, how much do you want for it?"
"Why would I sell it to you? Do you even know whose car you stole?"
"If you don't want to buy it, then let go. Don't waste my time."
"Are you blind? Take a look around you."
The tattooed men tightened their circle, each stopping just close enough to hit Arata with their weapons.
"I think you're the blind ones. You can't see who's standing right in front of you."
Arata let out a cold laugh. His normally gentle face suddenly changed. It twisted, becoming something unnatural.
At the same time, everyone around him started changing too.
"What... what is this?"
"Devil! A devil!"
"Run!"
Clatter!!
As the bats hit the ground, everyone scattered in different directions. But the next second, they all collapsed at once.
Seeing his men taken out in an instant, the cocky dealer dropped to his knees.
"Mercy. I didn't recognize you. I didn't know you were a noble devil. If you want, I'll make a contract with you. You can have any part of my body."
"I wouldn't make a contract with a filthy dog. And I don't want any part of your body. I just want money." Arata's voice got heavier.
"Right away. I'll get it for you right away."
The man pissed his pants on the spot. Hearing that Arata only wanted money was like grabbing a lifeline.
"Hurry up. I don't like waiting."
"Yes, yes."
The man walked back inside on trembling legs. A few minutes later, he came back out with a silver suitcase.
"There's 2.5 million yen here. Everything we have saved up."
He set the suitcase at Arata's feet and stayed on the ground.
Arata crouched down and opened it. Stacks of bills, packed tight. He pulled one single bill from the pile and dropped it on the ground. Then he closed the case, stood up, and took it.
"I'm not taking this for nothing. Consider it me selling you this car for 2.5 million yen."
He walked away without looking back.
The man waited a long time before daring to lift his head. He looked around. Arata was gone. Only then did he let out a long breath.
He picked up the bill from the ground and stood up. He had no idea why Arata had pulled out one single bill and left it behind. Some kind of contract? A mark?
He didn't dwell on it. He went back inside and called the yakuza boss.
On the other end of the line, the boss didn't sound scared when he heard a devil had targeted him. He sounded excited.
"Where is he now?"
"Already gone. But he left one paper bill behind."
"Keep that bill safe. It might be related to a contract."
"But boss, he took 2.5 million from us."
"2.5 million is nothing. If he makes a contract with me and gives me power, making 2.5 million will take no time at all."
"Got it."
After hanging up, the man found a safe place and carefully put the bill away.