After accepting the commission, they received the specific details.
The location was in a long-abandoned private house in Nerima Ward, where the devil was hiding in the basement.
"Let's start by introducing ourselves. It'd be best if we could share which devil we've contracted with. Knowing each other's abilities will make cooperation easier."
At this point, the middle-aged man with the buzz cut spoke up.
He seemed to be the leader of the three-person team.
"My name is Hayakawa Aki."
Aki only introduced his name and had no intention of revealing which devil he had contracted with.
"My name is Otonashi Chiya. Nice to meet you."
Chiya did the same.
The devil one contracted with was an important secret for a devil hunter and couldn't be casually revealed to outsiders. These three people were just temporary teammates, no different from strangers.
Moreover, there was a chance the other party might try to cheat—tricking them into revealing their contracted devil while keeping their own a secret.
"Bastards! What's the meaning of this?"
The blonde delinquent with the pompadour immediately became displeased.
The high school girl panicked, not expecting the team to clash within just two minutes of forming.
The buzz-cut man quickly stopped the delinquent and said with a calm expression, "It's normal for them not to want to share. Let's not ruin the team's harmony."
Although he appeared calm, Chiya, with his Mangekyō Sharingan, noticed a faint trace of coldness in the man's eyes.
If it was just dissatisfaction, that would be one thing, but this coldness was different.
This made Chiya keep an eye on the buzz-cut man…
Next, the three of them introduced themselves one by one.
"Nomura Kojirou! Remember my name!"
The delinquent shouted arrogantly.
"Takeda Yusuke. I hope we can cooperate well."
The buzz-cut man said.
"Ah, it's my turn… My name is Kinoshita Tsuki. The devil I contracted with is… well, I'll just say my ability. I can heal the injuries you sustain during battles."
The high school girl seemed shy and introverted, but she honestly revealed her ability.
In short, she was a "healer."
Afterward, the five of them walked together to the commission's location.
Along the way, Hayakawa Aki remained silent, while Chiya chatted casually with the other three, but nothing more.
Although the delinquent named Nomura Kojirou had caused some tension earlier, he didn't hold a grudge and was able to chat with Chiya.
"You don't look very old. Are you a student like Kinoshita Tsuki?"
"No, I'm more of a full-time civilian devil hunter."
Chiya replied calmly.
"Same here. I dropped out of school to become a devil hunter."
Nomura Kojirou said casually, his hands behind his head.
"Why drop out? Wouldn't it be better to stay in school?"
Chiya asked out of boredom.
"What's so great about school? Hunting those damn devils as a devil hunter is way cooler!"
Nomura Kojirou scoffed at the idea of school.
"I see…"
Chiya smiled without saying more.
It seemed this guy was just a delinquent suffering from middle school syndrome, completely unaware of the dangers of being a devil hunter.
There were thousands of Public Safety and civilian devil hunters in Tokyo combined, and their average lifespan was terrifyingly short.
Either they were killed by devils,
or they paid too high a price for their contracts, retiring in their thirties or forties with a body full of injuries.
Very few could keep going into their fifties like Kishibe, which was why he was considered the strongest devil hunter.
But even Kishibe had to admit he was getting old. With nothing left to contract with devils, his combat power had significantly declined, nowhere near his peak in his younger days.
...
About half an hour later, they arrived at a remote area in Nerima Ward.
Not far ahead was a private house.
"This should be the place."
The buzz-cut man, Takeda Yusuke, said.
Aki walked toward it without a word, seemingly planning to go straight in.
Chiya also didn't linger outside.
Seeing this, Kinoshita Tsuki nervously said, "Um, shouldn't we check the surroundings first?"
"No need. I've already checked. There are no signs of devils around."
Chiya didn't look back as he spoke calmly.
"Okay…"
Kinoshita Tsuki still looked cautious, constantly checking her surroundings as she walked.
Although Nomura Kojirou was also feeling nervous, he didn't want others to see him scared, so he quickly followed with big strides.
Takeda Yusuke remained silent, closely following them.
Hayakawa Aki kicked the door open, his hand already on the hilt of the katana at his waist, ready to draw it at any moment to deal with the devil.
"Ah!"
Before the devil even appeared, Kinoshita Tsuki, who had been looking around nervously, was startled by the loud "bang" and let out a scream.
"So timid, jumping at every little thing."
Nomura Kojirou's words sounded like mockery, but his tone carried more annoyance.
He had been startled by Kinoshita Tsuki's scream and almost lost his composure.
"I can't help it…"
Kinoshita Tsuki said, feeling a bit wronged.
"Quiet."
At this point, Takeda Yusuke had had enough and coldly scolded them.
Nomura Kojirou and Kinoshita Tsuki immediately fell silent, seemingly both afraid of Takeda Yusuke.
Meanwhile, Chiya and Aki had already entered the house and were searching for the basement entrance.
Soon, they found a large hole in one of the rooms, which seemed to be the entrance to the basement. The original entrance had likely been destroyed by the devil.
Seeing these two head down without hesitation, Kinoshita Tsuki couldn't help but feel frustrated at how timid she was.
Thankfully, there were lights in the basement, or she would have been even more reluctant to go down.
Chiya and Aki led the way, while Takeda Yusuke stayed at the back. They descended the stairs.
At that moment, Chiya saw a large, long, dark green tongue shooting up from below!
He immediately realized it was an attack from the devil and shouted, "Get down! Something's coming up!"
The dark green tongue moved incredibly fast, though it seemed slow to his eyes. An ordinary person would likely have no time to react to such an attack.
Aki only vaguely saw something coming from below, but he trusted Chiya's eyes. As soon as he heard the warning, he immediately complied.
However, Nomura Kojirou and Kinoshita Tsuki weren't as quick to react.
Kinoshita Tsuki let out a confused "Huh?"
Nomura Kojirou also froze, "What?"
By the time they realized they needed to duck, it was too late. The massive tongue wrapped around their bodies, its surface covered in a densely packed bumps that increased friction, making it impossible for them to break free.
Chiya had already predicted that these two wouldn't be able to dodge in time. He drew his katana and, with swift precision, severed the dark green tongue!