Chapter 14: The chūnibyō Delinquent
Once the commission was accepted, the detailed intelligence was handed over. The location was a long-abandoned residential building in Nerima Ward; the devil was hiding in the basement of the derelict house.
"Alright, let's start with some introductions. It's best if everyone reveals their contracted devil; knowing each other's abilities makes cooperation much easier," the middle-aged man with the buzz cut spoke up first. He seemed to be the leader of the trio.
"I am Hayakawa Aki." Aki only gave his name, having no intention of revealing his contracted devil.
"Otonashi Chiya. Nice to meet you." Chiya followed suit.
A devil hunter's contract is a vital secret that shouldn't be casually shared with strangers. These three were merely temporary partners—hardly different from outsiders. Furthermore, there was always the risk of a "bait and switch," where they might trick Chiya and Aki into revealing their secrets while staying silent themselves.
"Bastards! What's that supposed to mean?" The blonde delinquent with the perm was immediately annoyed.
The high school girl beside him looked flustered; she hadn't expected the team atmosphere to sour within two minutes of forming.
The buzz-cut man quickly held the delinquent back, speaking with an unruffled expression. "It's normal for them not to want to say. Let's not ruin the team's harmony."
Though he looked calm on the surface, Chiya used his Mangekyo Sharingan to catch a fleeting, barely perceptible glint of coldness in the man's eyes. It wasn't just simple dissatisfaction; that coldness felt malicious. Chiya made a mental note to keep an eye on him.
Next, the trio introduced themselves.
"Nomura Shiro! Remember that name!" the delinquent shouted.
"Takeda Yusuke. I hope we have a pleasant collaboration," the buzz-cut man added.
"Ah, it's my turn... My name is Kinoshita Tsuki. My contracted devil is... well, I'll just describe the ability. I can help heal injuries sustained during combat." The high school girl seemed shy and socially anxious, but she was honest enough to reveal her role. Essentially, she was the team's "healer."
The five of them then set off on foot toward the mission site.
Along the way, Aki remained silent. Chiya, however, engaged in some casual small talk with the trio, though he kept it surface-level. Despite Nomura Shiro's initial outburst, the boy didn't seem to hold a grudge and actually chatted quite a bit with Chiya.
"You don't look very old. Are you a student like Kinoshita?"
"No, I'm more of a full-time civilian devil hunter," Chiya replied evenly.
"Same as me then! I dropped out of school to become a devil hunter," Nomura said, resting his hands behind his head.
"Why drop out? Isn't school better?" Chiya asked out of boredom.
"What's good about school? Hunting those bastard devils is way cooler!" Nomura snorted at the idea of education.
"I see..." Chiya smiled but said nothing more.
It seemed this kid was just a delinquent suffering from a severe case of chūnibyō (eighth-grade syndrome). He clearly didn't understand the sheer lethality of the devil hunter profession. Between Public Safety and civilian hunters, there were thousands in Tokyo, and their average lifespan was terrifyingly low.
One is either killed by a devil, or pays so much in contract costs that they are forced into an early retirement by their thirties or forties, riddled with injuries and chronic illness. Someone like Kishibe, still active in his fifties, is extremely rare—there is a reason he is called the strongest. But even Kishibe has to face the reality of aging; with nothing left on his body to exchange for contracts, his combat power has taken a significant hit compared to his youthful peak.
About half an hour later, they arrived at a remote spot in Nerima Ward. A self-built house stood a short distance ahead.
"This should be the place," the buzz-cut middle-aged man, Takeda Yusuke, spoke up.
Without a word, Hayakawa Aki walked toward it, seemingly intending to head straight inside. Otonashi Chiya followed suit without hesitation.
Seeing this, Kinoshita Tsuki said nervously, "Um, shouldn't we observe the surroundings first?"
"No need. I've already checked; there are no signs of devils nearby," Chiya said plainly without looking back.
"Alright..." Kinoshita remained cautious, watching the perimeter for any movement as she walked.
Nomura Shiro was also feeling anxious, but he didn't want anyone to see him flinch. He immediately took large strides to keep up. Takeda Yusuke remained silent, following closely behind.
Aki kicked the door open, his hand already resting on the hilt of his katana, ready to draw at a moment's notice.
"Kyaa!"
Before a devil even appeared, Kinoshita—who was looking left and right—was startled by the loud thud of the door and let out a scream.
"So cowardly, jumping at every little noise," Nomura muttered. It sounded like a sneer, but his tone was mostly one of complaint; Kinoshita's scream had actually startled him, and he had nearly lost his cool.
"I can't help it..." Kinoshita said, sounding a bit aggrieved.
"Quiet."
Takeda Yusuke, having had enough, barked a cold reprimand. Nomura and Kinoshita immediately shut their mouths, seemingly quite afraid of him.
Chiya and Aki had already entered the house and were searching for the basement entrance. Soon, they found a large, jagged hole in one of the rooms. It looked like the original entrance had been violently torn open by a devil.
Seeing the two of them descend without the slightest hesitation, Kinoshita felt a wave of frustration at her own cowardice. Luckily, there were lights on in the basement; otherwise, she wouldn't have dared go down at all.
Chiya and Aki led the way while Takeda Yusuke stayed at the rear as they moved down the stairs. Suddenly, Chiya saw a massive, long, dark-green tongue shooting up from the bottom!
Realizing instantly it was an attack, he shouted a warning: "Get down! Something's coming up!"
The dark-green tongue moved with incredible speed; it only looked slow to Chiya's eyes. An ordinary person would likely have had no time to react. Although Aki only caught a vague glimpse of something below, he trusted Chiya's eyes implicitly and dropped immediately upon hearing the warning.
Nomura and Kinoshita, however, were not as quick.
"Huh?" Kinoshita let out a confused sound.
Nomura stood dazed. "What?"
By the time they tried to drop, it was too late. The massive tongue wrapped around their bodies. It was covered in dense, bumpy nodules that increased friction, making it impossible for them to break free.
Chiya had already predicted these two wouldn't dodge in time. He drew his katana with lightning speed and severed the dark-green giant tongue.