"That's great, Arai." "You can be a man again," Himeno was the first to offer her congratulations. "Thank you, Arata-senpai. I will deeply cherish the gift you have given me," Arai said, bowing deeply to Arata. "No need to thank me for this great favor. I've already opened the door for you. Hurry up and get in there so you can attach it while it's still warm."
Arata summoned a Mirror Door. Arai, full of anticipation, stepped through it and entered the operating room. The rest of Division 4 stood at the doorway, watching Arai lie on the operating table. They prepared to collectively witness the birth of a man. They even made sure to take photos and record videos to commemorate the occasion.
... The next day. With Asmodeus's curtain call, Arata's name once again echoed throughout the island nation. First, he stopped a massive devil from destroying Osaka and frantically eating people. Then, he saved Tokyo and averted an extinction-level crisis.
This overwhelming strength and influence were enough to catch the attention of the island nation's Prime Minister. Therefore, everyone in Division 4 was set to head to the Prime Minister's Official Residence for a meeting and to receive medals symbolizing the highest honor for a Devil Hunter.
On that day, everyone dressed in new clothes, looking radiant. Power's idea of dressing up, however, was entirely different from a normal person's. She had secretly prepared a hammer and hemp rope. If she just kidnapped the Prime Minister, she'd at least score a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Arata, on the other hand, couldn't care less about the Prime Minister's invitation. He didn't even show up at the Public Safety headquarters that day. He just gave Himeno a call in the morning and casually made up an excuse to decline the meeting. Hearing Arata's words, Himeno felt helpless but had no choice but to go along with it.
Sometime later, the cars sent by the Prime Minister arrived at the entrance of the Tokyo Public Safety Headquarters. Everyone except Arata got in. As the cars approached the gates of the Prime Minister's Residence, both sides of the road were packed with men, women, and children holding flowers. Some were even holding giant headshots of Arata and signs with his name on them.
"Looks like they're all here for Arata," Himeno said, looking at the fans lining the street through the car window. When the cars stopped, several bodyguards stepped forward to open the doors for them. Immediately after, fans rushed up to hand flowers to everyone getting out.
Once all of Division 4 had stepped out, the crowd kept staring into the cars with expectant eyes. It wasn't until Aki Hayakawa shut the car doors that everyone began to look confused. "Excuse me, where is Arata from your Division 4?" a middle-aged man in a suit stepped forward to ask. His tone was polite, and his expression was quite friendly. "Arata was injured, so it's inconvenient for him to attend."
"So you're saying Arata didn't come?" the middle-aged man demanded, his tone no longer friendly. "Right, he didn't come," Himeno smiled awkwardly. "If he didn't come, then what are the rest of you doing here!" After spitting that out, the middle-aged man whipped his head around and stormed off, completely putting on bureaucratic airs.
Just then, another young man in a suit walked up and greeted them, "Please come with me. The Prime Minister is waiting for you inside." The group then followed the male assistant into the Prime Minister's Residence. They saw the Prime Minister flanked by bodyguards, along with several unfamiliar officials.
Facing the Prime Minister, everyone in Division 4 was deeply respectful. They were even more serious than when they faced Makima. The Prime Minister scanned the members of Division 4 and quickly noticed something was off, asking, "Arata isn't here?" Himeno hurriedly replied with the exact same excuse.
The officials nearby were instantly displeased upon hearing this. For a lowly civil servant to dare disrespect the Prime Minister was unacceptable. They insisted on sending someone to drag Arata here no matter what. However, they were thoroughly chewed out by the Prime Minister in front of everyone until they couldn't even lift their heads.
When the crisis hit Osaka, they had only cared about packing their bags and running for their lives. When the crisis hit Tokyo, not a single official was anywhere to be seen. Compared to Arata, these officials who threw their weight around on normal days were completely useless the moment danger struck.
Listening to the Prime Minister reprimand them, everyone in Division 4 felt a warmth in their hearts. Compared to the former Prime Minister who was assassinated by the Shotgun Devil, the current Prime Minister was much more approachable. Perhaps he was afraid of another devil attack happening, which was why he held a highly formidable Devil Hunter like Arata in such high esteem.
After exchanging a few simple pleasantries, the Prime Minister took his leave. With Arata absent, he was at least somewhat displeased, though he didn't show it on the surface. If Arata had come, the Prime Minister absolutely would have given them a personal tour. But since the main protagonist was a no-show, the Prime Minister merely dispatched his assistant to show the Division 4 members around the residence, and to relay a very important matter to them while they were at it.
The real reason for suddenly inviting Division 4 was nothing more than using the award ceremony as a gimmick to ask for Arata's help again. Himeno and the others hadn't anticipated that the Prime Minister would actually need a favor from Arata. They had genuinely thought they were just there to receive an award.
Now it seemed Arata's decision was incredibly wise. Still, since they were already there, they naturally had to listen to what the assistant had to say. But when they heard which devil needed to be eliminated, Himeno drew in a sharp breath of cold air. No wonder even the Prime Minister was wary. Just hearing its name was enough to make everyone in Division 4 feel the pressure.
After having lunch, the members of Division 4 returned to the Tokyo Public Safety Headquarters. Himeno, Aki Hayakawa, Power, and Denji headed home, leaving the rest at the headquarters to await orders. When they arrived at Aki's place and opened the door, they found the living room completely packed with all sorts of young women.
Himeno and Aki had seen a scene like this once before. Last time, it was because Arata wanted to shoot a movie, which led to a bunch of strangers crowding their home. Just then, a girl wearing short shorts walked out of Aki's room, wiping her mouth.
A voice from inside shouted, "Next!!" Immediately, another girl walked into the room. "Aki-kun, what is going on here?" "This has to be Arata messing around again." "So many women... what the hell is Master up to?!" "Aki, is there any steak left in the fridge? This great one didn't eat enough."
The three of them entered Aki's room full of confusion, while Power rummaged through the fridge, equally full of confusion. Arata was currently sitting in a chair in the room, watching the girl who had just walked in show off her talents. "Why did you guys come home? Weren't you supposed to stay at the Public Safety Headquarters for the afternoon?" Seeing the four of them return, Arata asked the girl to wait a moment.
"We came back because we wanted to tell you two things." "You, step out for a bit," Arata dismissed the woman in the room. "Arata, don't tell me you're shooting another movie?" Himeno asked in passing. "That's right. I'm casting supporting actresses for A Nightmare on Elm Street 2." "Why did you pick so many women this time?" "Because the second A Nightmare on Elm Street takes place in a women's university, so I have to pick a lot of young, pretty women."
"Alright, but let me finish telling you those two things first." "First, the Prime Minister has promoted you. You're going to be the Director of the Tokyo Public Safety Headquarters, taking over from Makima to manage all of Tokyo Public Safety." "Now that's news I like hearing."
"Second, the Fire Devil that originally appeared in the United States has arrived in our island nation. Back in the US, it killed numerous high-ranking officials and various mafia syndicates, and even burned down the Pentagon. Its arrival here is bound to be anything but simple. So, the Prime Minister hopes you can stop it. If you succeed, he will grant any request you make."
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