Prelude

"Hey, Shizuka, wake up. We're here."

"Mmm… five more minutes…"

She remained far too comfortable leaning on Desmon to even consider getting up.

Desmon didn't mind the situation, but since he had to meet a client, he decided to handle things quickly.

"Huh?"

Half-asleep, Shizuka suddenly felt her body lose its support, as if she were falling into a void. The sensation lasted only a fraction of a second, but it was enough to jolt her awake.

"It's morning already."

"Why are you carrying me?"

The first thing she noticed upon opening her eyes was that Desmon was holding her in a princess carry.

"I made Kurox disappear, but letting you fall would've been too much, so I caught you. Genius move, right?" He said smugly.

Passersby glanced at the cheerful pair, smiling at the sight.

"Can you put me down?"

The situation was enough to shake off Shizuka's sleepiness, returning her to her usual demeanor.

"If you say so…"

"But don't drop me!"

"Tch."

"Were you planning to let me fall again?"

This wasn't the first time something like this had happened. When they first met, Desmon had intentionally dropped her.

"No…"

She let out a sigh, realizing Desmon was still the same as always.

"Hiratsuka-sensei, what are you doing?"

The voice of a third party caught their attention; it was none other than Yuigahama Yui.

-What should I say…

An unusual situation: Shizuka being carried like a princess by Desmon. As a teacher, she needed to respond carefully to avoid any misunderstandings.

"Shizuka enjoys being carried like a princess." Desmon replied.

"I didn't know Hiratsuka-sensei had that kind of hobby…"

Before Shizuka could respond, Desmon answered nonchalantly.

"I don't have such hobbies!" She protested, struggling to free herself from Desmon's firm grip.

"I'll drop you if you keep squirming." He teased with a smirk.

"I'll punch you if you do!"

"You two get along so well!"

-I'm glad it was Yuigahama who found us…

It was either a compliment or an acknowledgment of her student's lack of perceptiveness.

"Don't you have somewhere else to be?"

Mentally exhausted, Shizuka decided she'd had enough of Desmon for the day.

"I've got plenty of time… probably."

"Just go already!"

"Alright, alright."

Noticing she was irritated, Desmon carefully set her down.

"Going out to have fun again, Desmon-san?"

Yuigahama vaguely recalled accompanying Desmon the previous night, supposedly to have fun. In reality, they had just walked around until she got tired, at which point Desmon carried her. She fell asleep and woke up the next morning in her hotel room.

"I wish, but I've got work to do."

"Do you have a job here in Kyoto?" She tilted her head like a curious little animal.

"It's in another city since my jobs are on-site. But if you've got the money, you can hire me for a modest fee. And since it's you, I'll even give you a discount."

"What kind of work do you do?"

"I'm a hunter of..."

"He's a bargain hunter."

Shizuka reacted quickly, covering Desmon's mouth as she answered for him.

"Bargain hunter?"

"Hey, I'm not…" Desmon tried to protest, but Shizuka stopped him.

"Desmon shops for people and delivers their groceries to their homes, making the most of discounts on products."

"Ohhh, I see!"

Being so cheerful and naive, she completely believed her teacher's words.

"Since when am I a bargain hunter?"

"Since today. And I'll make you work as one if you keep running your mouth."

"Alright, alright, I get it. You're so extreme..."

They whispered back and forth.

With the situation resolved, it was time for him to leave.

"Don't come back too late, Desmon."

"I'll try, but no promises."

With nothing more to do, Desmon summoned Kurox, ready to leave, but there was a small problem.

-I forgot about Yui... Oh well, I'll think of a good excuse later.

"How did you do that?!"

To the innocent girl, it looked like Desmon merely waved his hand, and a black motorcycle materialized out of thin air.

-This guy's a total idiot...

All of Shizuka's efforts went down the drain thanks to Desmon's stunt.

"My second job is being an illusionist. If you have more questions, ask Shizuka! I'm out!"

Sensing an impending scolding, he quickly hopped on Kurox and sped off.

"Hiratsuka-sensei, is your nephew really an illusionist too?!" She exclaimed, full of excitement and wonder.

"Well... I... I'm not sure..."

Faced with her student's expectant gaze, Shizuka grew flustered, unable to answer.

-You'll pay for this when you get back. Mark my words! She thought, silently cursing the boy she lived with.

...

-I feel like I'm forgetting something...

Now cruising down the highway leading out of Kyoto, a relaxed Desmon seemed lost in thought.

-Am I missing something?

Without paying much attention to his driving, Desmon stood up on Kurox, double-checking that he had everything with him.

-Mmmm, looks like I've got everything. So why...

"Oh!"

Kurox came to an abrupt stop; a move that should've sent Desmon flying since he was standing, but he didn't budge an inch.

"Let's go back for Alastor!"

Kurox made a sharp U-turn and headed back to the site of the previous day's battle.

After a short ride, the devil arm came to a halt at the scene.

During the fight with the two demons, Desmon had left Alastor stuck in the ground. But after the devastating attack, the sword had also been sent flying.

"It should be around here…"

Desmon began searching the spots he remembered, but came up empty.

-Clearing every piece of rubble is such a waste of time.

"Hey, Kurox, clean up a bit."

Responding to the order, Kurox sped up and slammed into the debris, spinning wildly and kicking up dirt and dust all around.

-I guess that's another use I can give you. Sure would be nice if you could turn into a weapon…

Kurox was extremely tough; a benefit that was too situational to fully exploit.

"Why'd you stop?"

Kurox had suddenly halted, almost as if it heard Desmon's thoughts.

"Let me tell you, you're pretty useful. You save me a ton of money…"

-Wait, can this thing hear my thoughts?

Desmon approached Kurox, ready to apologize if necessary, since he needed it to reach his new employer. But to his surprise, he spotted the familiar hilt of a sword sticking out from the rubble.

"As I was saying, you're the most useful devil arm I've got."

After praising Kurox, Desmon grabbed Alastor by the hilt and pulled it free.

Unlike the strange connection he felt with Kurox, there was nothing like that with Alastor; if there had been, he would've found it right away.

-I've got to admit, this sword is tough.

Despite the conditions it was found in, Alastor was flawless; not a single scratch, just covered in dust.

"My shirt's clean, and I'd rather make a good first impression."

With a horizontal slash, Desmon used Alastor to clear off all the dust.

"Much better."

Now that he had retrieved what he came for, Desmon secured Alastor on his back.

"I really don't understand how this stuff works…"

The first time Desmon got Alastor, he was worried about how to carry it around all the time. He consulted Dante, who simply told him to put it on his back, and as if it were the most natural thing in the world, the sword stayed in place.

When Desmon asked about the logic behind it, Dante, in his usual laid-back manner, replied:

"Logic? I've got no clue, man. But if it works, why overthink it? Some things are just like that."

"I see." Desmon punched his palm. "You're an idiot!"

"An idiot? Maybe. But at least I'm not the guy stressing over how to carry a sword, right?"

Those simple words hit Desmon's ego like a hammer. He'd always been quick to win verbal exchanges, but with Dante, it was impossible. His carefree attitude made him unbeatable.

A brief memory that crossed Desmon's mind.

-I wonder what that guy's doing in hell. Would it make for a good tourist spot?

Pondering what hotels in hell might be like, Desmon hopped onto Kurox and headed for his original destination.

''According to Lady's message, I'm supposed to meet Mr. Nakano at his house.''

Knowing Desmon could be an idiot at times, Lady made sure to send him the exact address.

"I wonder what kind of trouble involves quintuplets…"

Imagining what five identical girls might look like, a police patrol suddenly began chasing him.

"Again? This is the third time."

The distance between Kyoto and Tokyo was huge, so along the way, the police had chased Desmon multiple times; for speeding, not wearing a helmet, lacking a license plate, and now, a new one: openly carrying a weapon.

After several minutes, the police patrols would give up, retreating in defeat after failing to catch him.

However, the current patrol chasing him showed no signs of giving up, even starting to close the distance.

"Isn't she the woman I usually compete against?"

Inside the police car was a young woman with blue hair.

Her name was Asako Kusakabe, a police officer who had once been part of a special military unit. However, due to her conduct and some mistakes, she was demoted and reassigned as an ordinary officer.

The truth, was that she had been digging too deep into the military high command, leading them to set her up and strip her of her position.

Killing her would've been too much trouble, so they chose to demote her and transfer her to another city. Of course, she still had her connections and occasionally visited an old friend.

Since that moment, Asako's life had become far more boring. Going from the action of the battlefield to filing paperwork and handing out tickets was the worst. Even the criminals she arrested were low-level thugs, nothing out of the ordinary.

But everything changed one day while she was working on the highway. She encountered a motorcyclist she couldn't stop; a huge blow to her ego. How could a young guy on a bike outrun her?

Since then, she had failed every time to catch this offender.

"Hey, guy, you'd better stop so I can cuff you and throw you in jail. And why the hell are you carrying a sword?" Asako's voice came through the patrol car's loudspeaker.

Any upstanding Japanese citizen would've stopped and accepted their guilt, but Desmon, being a foreigner, simply flipped her off and flashed a mocking grin.

"Oh, so that's how it is, huh? Fine, you asked for it."

Asako floored the accelerator, matching Kurox's speed; something only possible because she'd used her savings to modify her car.

How do they expect to catch Desmon with outdated vehicles and terrible engines?

Of course, installing a sports car engine and making massive modifications isn't exactly legal either, is it?

"You're on fire today." Desmon said, locking eyes with Asako. "Looks like you've got some competition, Kurox."

The Devil Arm, as if understanding his words, began to speed up, staying just ahead of the patrol car.

"Is he doing this on purpose to mock me!?" A vein throbbed on her forehead.

Asako had brought down dangerous criminals and untouchable elites, earning plenty of merit and recognition. Yet now, she couldn't catch what seemed to be a teenager on a motorcycle.

"You'd better give up! This time, you're not getting away!"

Slamming the pedal to the floor, her car roared forward, matching Kurox's pace once more.

"Looks like this is..."

Before Desmon could finish speaking, his phone rang. He answered without much enthusiasm.

"What do you want, Lady?"

"Where the hell are you?!"

Desmon winced as Lady's shout assaulted his eardrums.

"I'm on my way to—"

"You're five minutes late! Every minute you waste costs me money, and that means I'll charge you even more!"

"That's inhumane..." Desmon muttered, a shiver running down his spine.

"Funny, since you're not even human! Now move your ass! You've got ten minutes! If you're any later, you won't want to find out what happens next."

With a chilling tone, Lady hung up.

Her affection for Desmon is obvious, isn't it?

"What kind of women does Dante even hang out with...?"

Cursing his father's taste for troublesome women, Desmon checked the distance to his destination. Judging by his expression, it wasn't good news.

"At this speed, I won't make it in ten minutes. Oh well..." He smiled.

Focusing his demonic energy into Kurox, the devil arm roared with excitement.

"Hey, blue-hair! Racing you is fun, but today, I'm taking the win again! See ya!" Desmon waved goodbye.

Asako barely caught his words over the rush of the wind.

"What does he mean...?"

Before her eyes, she watched as the boy and his motorcycle accelerated unnaturally, vanishing from her sight in seconds.

"How the hell does he do that...?" She let out a long sigh.

Realizing it was impossible to catch him now, Asako eased off the accelerator. Another failure added to her record.

But giving up didn't suit her attitude. With a fresh smile on her face, she she filled herself with resolve.

"Do I still have credit in the bank?"

As she mentally mapped out upgrades for her car to catch the culprit, she turned around, ready to keep doing her job.