On the road, everyone except Arata shared the ride with the pigs. The pigs weren't exactly well-behaved, either; they kept bumping into Denji and the others. By the time they reached the city limits, Himeno couldn't take the harassment anymore and shouted for the driver to pull over. Arata thanked the driver of the pig truck, and the group hailed a taxi.
However, the taxi only had room for four. After some deliberation, they decided to shove Kobeni into the trunk.
They hadn't driven far before the driver picked up a foul stench coming from the back. At first, he didn't complain, merely glancing in the rearview mirror and slowly rolling down his window, hoping to air it out. But the stench didn't dissipate. As time passed, the smell became unbearable.
"I'm telling you, the passengers in the back need to stop farting!" the driver snapped.
"Don't frame us! We aren't the kind of people who fart in cabs!" Arai protested.
"Then what's that reeking smell?"
"Sorry, it's me—I stepped in pig shit," Denji admitted.
"AH! You stepped in pig shit and you got into my car?!"
"You didn't have a 'No Pig Shit' sign on your door!"
"That... that goes without saying!! Did you clean it off your soles?!"
"I rubbed my shoes on the ground for ages before getting in. There's no debris, just the smell."
"Get out. This smell is going to ruin my next fare," the driver said mercilessly.
"How much do you make in a day? I'll pay your entire daily fare," Arata offered.
"Forget it, it's too foul. Besides, no one person could smell that bad just from stepping in pig shit."
Stung by the driver's words, the three in the back felt embarrassed. "We were sitting in a pig transport cage earlier, so our clothes absorbed some of the scent. Rest assured, we didn't actually step in any droppings," Himeno explained.
"Why on earth were you sitting in a pig cage?"
"Just drive! I'll pay you extra for the cleaning fee," Arata said, losing his patience.
"No way, I can't stand it. Get out at the next stop, and you owe me double the fare." The driver pulled over to the side of the road, determined to kick them out.
Himeno and the others had worked so hard to hail a cab; getting out now wouldn't just waste time, but it would look terrible for the reputation of the Special Division. They couldn't afford to be known as "the smelly hunters."
"We are Public Safety Devil Hunters. We smell like this because we were fighting devils. Take us to the headquarters, and I'll pay you triple the fare," Arata compromised.
"I don't care who you are! You only deal with devils; you aren't my boss. Pay up and get out!" The driver was clearly at his limit.
"I see. So, you're not giving me any face." Arata smiled.
No sooner had the words left his lips than the driver's door swung open by itself. The driver was baffled, but as he reached out to shut it, Arata kicked him right out of the car. The moment the driver hit the pavement, the taxi switched into autopilot and zoomed off, leaving him in the dust.
"Arata, we could have just gotten out! You're going to get reported for that!"
"It doesn't matter. He doesn't know who we are. When we arrive, I'll have the taxi find its way back to him."
"Wait, what's going on with this car? It's driving itself!" Himeno asked, startled. The driver's seat was empty, yet the car handled the road with ease.
"This taxi is more reliable than the driver. It doesn't discriminate against Public Safety hunters."
"Tell me, Arata, was this your doing?"
"Himeno-senpai, who else in the car do you think has this kind of talent?"
"Arata-senpai... did you contract the Car Devil?" Arai asked. He had fought the Car Devil before, so he knew about self-driving cars better than anyone else.
"You could say that." Arata just smiled. He didn't offer a full explanation, but after spending so much time together, it wouldn't be long before the whole Division found out his secret—Arata never bothered to restrain himself when using the powers of other devils for convenience.
The taxi approached a red light and stopped perfectly within the lines, behaving like a model citizen. A black Audi A8 pulled up alongside them. The man in the passenger seat leaned his arm out the window, immediately caught a whiff of the stench from the taxi, and glared at them with utter disdain.
"What is that smell!!"
"Must be some hick coming into the city, bringing the trash smell with him." The man in the driver's seat of the Audi sneered. Their eyes made it clear: they looked down on taxi drivers and anyone riding in one.
"Why is there no one in the taxi's driver seat?"
"Probably because those hicks smell so bad the driver abandoned the car."
"Hahaha, that must be it!"
Listening to them, Arai instantly transformed into his Minotaur form, poked his head into the driver's side of the taxi, and glared at them. The two men met the gaze of a bull-headed devil and froze in sheer terror. Forgetting the red light, the man slammed his foot on the gas and bolted.
Two seconds later, the light turned green. The autonomous taxi smoothly caught up to the Audi. When the Audi drivers realized the taxi wasn't "abandoned" but driving itself, they panicked and swerved right into a storefront window.
"Hahahaha! I'm dying!" Himeno laughed, unable to hold it in as she watched the Audi's wreck.
"Some people just live too comfortably. Another guy looking down on Public Safety hunters," Arata quipped. Had the Audi not crashed itself into the shop, Arata would have made them experience the sensation of spinning endlessly in place.
Before long, the taxi reached Public Safety HQ. Arata tapped the trunk, and the taxi drove off to return to its original owner. Himeno and the others scrambled out, reeking, and bolted toward the building.
Aki Hayakawa was standing at the entrance, smoking. He watched them charge toward him.
"Himeno-senpai, what happened?"
"Aki, take Kobeni. Send her to the medical wing." Arai handed the unconscious girl to Aki, and the trio sprinted toward the communal showers.
"WHAT IS THAT SMELL!!" Aki recoiled as they passed. Carrying Kobeni, he couldn't even pinch his nose.
"It's the smell of pigs. Kobeni was in a car accident. Get her to the infirmary first." Arata, who also reeked thanks to Denji and the others, headed for the showers as well.
Poor Kobeni was left in the infirmary—reeking, utterly alone, and unable to wash herself.
[Patreon Just got updated dropped chapters till 150 there]
Want to read more??
Checkout my patreon https://www.patreon.com/cw/AfrikaanPolarBear Here you can read 50 chapters ahead everyone and also support this fic. Consider subscribing as it'll motivate me and also help this fic.
: )
Thanks you!!!