Hayakawa Aki tentatively called out Dio's name, her voice already soft and weak. She hadn't even realized when she had stopped chopping. Her hands had gone limp, her body weakened, and her legs trembled uncontrollably, swaying so much she could barely remain standing.
Dio was so close that the scent of masculine hormones radiating from him surged straight to Hayakawa Aki's head.
Feeling her physical response, Dio couldn't help himself. "Let me help you. After all, you're injured—it'll be easier with my help."
With that, Dio gently grasped Hayakawa Aki's small hand as she instinctively tried to retreat into her embrace.
[Ding~ Detected Hayakawa Aki's flustered emotion. System rewards: 20 points.]
[Ding~ Detected Hayakawa Aki's shy emotion. System rewards: 20 points.]
"Don't be afraid, Aki."
Then, Dio slowly guided her hand to the kitchen knife on the cutting board. Feeling the warmth of his body pressed against her back, Hayakawa Aki's heartbeat grew more erratic, her breathing faster. She began to overthink, and her eyes even started to roll in their sockets.
On Dio's side, things were going extremely well—the familiar ding-ding-ding of the system echoed in his mind, and he decided to press further.
His other hand slowly encircled Hayakawa Aki's slender waist. He rested his chin lightly on her shoulder, exhaling rhythmic warm breaths into her ear, stimulating her nerves with each breath.
But just a few seconds in, Dio suddenly frowned. Something felt off.
Through the uniform of the Public Safety Devil Extermination Special Division, he could feel bandages wrapped tightly around her abdomen—and it wasn't a small area. Adding her abdomen to the bandaged wrists and neck, that made at least three injuries. These weren't "minor injuries" like she had claimed. They had definitely reached the level of serious wounds.
Dio suddenly suspected that Hayakawa Aki had snuck out of the hospital. With injuries this severe, no ethical doctor would allow her out of bed, let alone into a kitchen.
So what was she doing here? What if she accidentally reopened her wounds?
Thinking this, Dio quickly pulled away. He released her, took a few steps back.
Hayakawa Aki felt the warmth behind her suddenly disappear and unconsciously relaxed—finally able to catch her breath.
But along with the relief came an unmistakable sense of loss. Her heart twisted, caught between emotions.
"Why… did you stop?" She turned around to look at Dio, her eyes soft, pitiful.
Dio didn't answer. Instead, he gently pushed her toward the bed. Without giving her a chance to resist, he made her lie down and pulled a blanket over her, not even letting her sit up.
"You just lie there. Don't move. I'll cook for you."
Hayakawa Aki opened her mouth to protest, but seeing the seriousness in Dio's face, she stopped. After a moment of hesitation, she nodded.
Only then did Dio feel at ease. He returned to the kitchen, picked up where she had left off with the ingredients, and began to cook.
Some time passed.
[Ding~ Detected Hayakawa Aki's "going to heaven" emotion! System rewards: 50 points!]
The system notification suddenly rang out in Dio's mind—louder than usual—and this time, the reward was 50 points!
Dio froze. He put the lid on the pot and glanced over at the bed with a puzzled expression.
Hayakawa Aki had wrapped herself tightly in the blanket. Her body was curled up, trembling ever so slightly… seemingly engaged in something unclear.
After a brief moment of thought, Dio decided not to ask. Let her be.
Finally, everything was ready. He brought the dishes over to the kotatsu and called her to eat.
Hayakawa Aki obediently came over. But Dio noticed her face was flushed—like a ripe apple—radiating warmth, and her gaze seemed dazed. He couldn't help but wonder what she had just been doing on his bed.
Neither of them spoke during the meal. They ate in silence. In the latter half, Hayakawa Aki seemed to recover from her strange state. Aside from her face still being a bit red, there was nothing particularly unusual.
"Ah I'm full I'm full~ This is the first time I've had Kobe beef since coming here. Thank you, Hayakawa Aki." Dio leaned back, patting his satisfied stomach with a joyful expression.
Hayakawa Aki looked at him, hesitant for a moment before speaking.
"Um, Dio, I… actually had something really important I wanted to ask you during this visit."
"Hm? What is it?"
"Our direct superior at the Public Safety Devil Extermination Special Division… she assigned me an important mission yesterday. Tomorrow, I'm supposed to go handle a Zombie Devil that's been lurking in a certain area.
"But with today's incident—the Bat Devil at the mall—and the injuries I've sustained, I'm worried something might go wrong on the mission.
"So… I wanted to ask you to accompany me as a mercenary. Of course, I'll pay a proper fee. This is the down payment."
As she finished speaking, Hayakawa Aki took a bank card from her pocket and placed it on the kotatsu.
"There's 200,000 yen in here. I'm truly sorry—this is all I can manage for the down payment right now."
Only then did Dio remember telling Hayakawa Aki that he was a mercenary. He had only blurted it out back then to show off, without thinking much of it.
"I told you, if you're injured, you should be lying in the hospital. The Bat Devil incident wasn't your fault. It's a work-related injury—you can explain everything to Makima. She'll definitely approve your medical leave."
Hayakawa Aki looked surprised. "You know Miss Makima?"
Dio simply smiled. "I read the newspaper sometimes."
He hadn't actually slipped up. The Public Safety Devil Extermination Special Division was a government organization. Names and headshots of key members like Makima often appeared in the news.
Hayakawa Aki lowered her head, her face dimming. "I… I really look up to Miss Makima. She's the person I respect the most. I don't want to let her down. You're strong, and you're a mercenary, so I thought…"
Her voice gradually softened until it was barely a whisper.
Dio looked at her and sighed.
"Alright, I'll help you. Just tell me the location."
Hayakawa Aki's eyes lit up.
"Thank you, Dio!"
[Ding~ Detected Hayakawa Aki's grateful emotion. System rewards: 5 points.]
With that, the matter was settled. They agreed that Hayakawa Aki would come find Dio the next afternoon, and the two would go together to deal with the Zombie Devil.
They continued chatting, shifting to everyday topics. Hayakawa Aki burst into laughter again and again at Dio's offhanded jokes, her earlier stress momentarily forgotten.
Later, as night fell, Hayakawa Aki finally left.
Dio saw her off for a while. When he returned and lay down on his bed, he began thinking seriously about the next day.
"The Zombie Devil…"
Clenching his empty hands, Dio decided he needed a weapon for self-defense.
He opened the system panel to check his personal points. After all the "skin-to-skin" interaction with Hayakawa Aki, he had accumulated a total of 632 points.
"More than I expected."
He tapped over to the shop menu and searched for the name Sasaki Kojiro.
Playable Character: Sasaki Kojiro
Class Abilities:
Presence Concealment
(All character skill weapons automatically unlock after purchase.)
Inherent Skills:
Eye of the Mind (Fake): 100 points
Clairvoyance: 300 points
Insight: 500 points
Weapon:
Laundry Pole: 50 points
Noble Phantasm:
Swallow Reversal: 5,000 points
Total Points: 5,950