Ding-a-ling~
Early in the morning, the door to the cafe pushed open. Arata walked in with Denji once again.
"Denji-kun, Arata-senpai, you're here!!"
Seeing familiar faces, Reze's face instantly lit up. She set down her book and ran to the counter to brew coffee. Arata sat at their usual spot, Table 4, while Denji snuck a peek at the book Reze had been reading. He couldn't recognize a single word on the pages.
"How's it going, Denji-kun? Can you understand it?" Reze giggled.
"Not at all."
"How about I teach you?"
"You? Teach me? Sure! If Reze is the one teaching, I'll definitely listen carefully."
"It's a promise, then. Let's set a time another day for lessons."
"Deal!" Denji agreed enthusiastically.
"But Arata-senpai, you're here earlier than usual today." Reze said, placing the coffee in front of them. As Denji took the cup, a yawn followed.
"Denji-kun, you must not have slept well last night?"
"He was up all night thinking about you, so I brought him here early to see you," Arata joked.
"That's not true! Master, stop talking nonsense. I didn't sleep because a Peeping Devil broke into our house and kept me up for three hours!" Denji muttered, resting his chin on the table.
"Drink your coffee. You'll wake up instantly."
"No thanks. It wakes me up, alright, but my tongue suffers for it."
"Denji-kun, I added extra sugar just for you. It won't be bitter this time," Reze smiled sweetly.
"Are you sure?" Denji frowned at the cup. Once bitten, twice shy—he wasn't keen on another gamble.
"Denji-kun, trust me just this once." Reze leaned in, her scent drifting toward him.
"Th... then I'll trust you one more time." Denji brought the cup to his nose, sniffing it tentatively. He prepared to gulp it down, but Reze stopped him. "Denji-kun, you have to sip coffee slowly. It's best not to swallow it all at once."
"I haven't even started yet, and you're already acting like a teacher, Reze," Denji chuckled, sipping slowly. This time, the taste was entirely different.
"How is it, Denji-kun? Is it good?"
"Yeah, the 'ditch water' taste is gone," Denji said bluntly.
"Hahaha~ Denji-kun, you're really something." Reze tapped his arm. This gesture convinced Denji that she was definitely in love with him. If they studied together alone at night, who knows what would happen?
Ding~
The door chimed, interrupting Denji's fantasy. Three figures in Public Safety uniforms stepped in—two men and a woman—locking their eyes on Denji immediately.
"Which one is Denji?"
"Me," Arata raised his hand.
"You're Denji?"
"That's right. What do you want with me?"
"Don't kid around. He's clearly the one who is Denji," one of the men, Kuroi, noted.
"Since you already know, why bother asking?"
"We're from the Kyoto Special Division. We have a special mission and need to take Denji with us." Kuroi flashed his credentials.
"Where are you taking me?"
"Somewhere you'll be better protected."
"No need. My apprentice is safer by my side than anywhere else."
"This is an order from our superiors. As devil hunters, you must comply."
"Don't try to pressure me with 'superiors.' It doesn't work on me," Arata said, sipping his coffee calmly.
"You... you're defying an order?" Kuroi demanded, his eyes wide.
"Yes. You can take it that way."
Seeing Arata refuse to let them take Denji, the trio whispered among themselves.
"Then at least let us take him to meet our superior; that would count as completing our mission."
"We'll send him back."
"If you're worried, you can come with us."
They were relentless. But Arata knew these three were seniors who had trained Aki. Why would they suddenly show up at a cafe to demand Denji?
"Fine. I'll go with you." Arata stood up.
"Good. The car is outside. Let's move."
"Wait." Just as they turned, Arata rested a hand on Kuroi's shoulder.
"What now? Still have questions?"
"A genuine question, actually: why don't you three sleep?"
"Sleep? What are you talking about?"
"You three haven't contracted any devils. The sleep-inducing hex I use on ordinary people didn't work on you—which means you're impostors."
Before they could react, Arata's blade-claws swept across their necks. Three heads landed neatly on the floor as the bodies crumpled behind them.
"Master, you killed Public Safety Devil Hunters!" Denji gasped, wide awake.
"Arata-senpai, why did you do that?" Reze asked, feigning shock.
"Look at their heads."
Reminded by Arata, they looked at the heads and realized they looked completely different from the men who had just walked in.
"What's going on? Their faces changed!"
"They were independent devil hunters from the US, known as the 'Undying Brothers.' They contracted the Skin Devil; whoever they touch, they can assume that person's appearance."
"The Skin Devil!"
"The 'Undying Brothers' title is a lie. One slash, and the whole trio was wiped out." Arata sheathed his claws. "Reze, do you have a large trash bag?"
"I do. I'll go get one for you." Reze scurried to the back.
"Denji, go with her."
"Oh, okay."
As soon as they left, Arata swiftly cleared the scene. By the time they returned, the corpses and bloodstains were completely gone.
"Where are the bodies?" Reze stood there holding the trash bag, stunned.
"I summoned a devil to eat them. Flies and mosquitoes finished off the blood. I didn't want to scare you, so I sent you away." Arata returned to Table 4.
"Arata-senpai, you really are mysterious."
"That's just how my Master is. Every time there's a corpse, he makes me cover my eyes."
"First, let's get two servings of curry rice."
"Sure, just a moment." While Reze went to cook, Arata's phone rang. It was Himeno. No one else called him this often.
"What's up, Himeno-senpai? Any news?"
"Why aren't you guys at work?"
"Just finished dealing with three devils. Eating breakfast now."
"Come back quickly. Kobeni is missing."
"Kobeni's missing? What happened?"
"Kobeni asked for a day off yesterday. She called me this morning, but I missed the call. When I called back, no one answered. I felt something was off, so I asked her family, and they said she hasn't been home since she left this morning."
"So, no one's been able to reach her since that call this morning."
"Right. I'm afraid she's been harmed." Himeno sounded desperate. She was pinning all her hopes on Arata—the man who kept performing miracles and had solved cases in an afternoon that Division 3 couldn't crack in weeks.
"Understood. I'm on my way."
Arata hung up and grabbed Denji.
"Reze, eat the curry yourself. Denji and I have urgent business."
"Master, what happened?"
"Kobeni is missing. We don't know if she's dead or alive."
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