The woman laughed so hard she nearly choked as Denji swallowed the cigarette whole.
In the back seat sat an elderly woman, hunched and wrinkled, glaring coldly at Denji through cloudy eyes.
Denji noticed her.
"Your foster mother still hasn't paid back our debt. Don't forget — if another devil shows up, I'll call on you again. Try to run, and I'll feed you to the pigs."
She tossed 100 yen at Denji and drove off.
Denji didn't care about the threat. Once the car disappeared into the distance, she spat the cigarette back out from her throat.
Then, face lighting up with joy, she picked up her odd dog companion and spun around in circles.
"Pochita! We're saved! With this 100 yen, we'll be able to eat for three days!"
"Woof!" barked Pochita, licking Denji's red, cold cheeks.
That night, though rain poured like waterfalls and pounded the broken roof above, Denji slept soundly in her collapsing shack, cuddling Pochita.
"I wish… I could touch a man's abs…" she mumbled in her sleep.
To pay her debts, Denji had sold one eye — and her uterus. On cold nights like this, her belly always throbbed in pain. But she had long gotten used to this kind of life. At least she could sleep.
—KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!—
—KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!—
…
—KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!—
Suddenly, loud knocking rang out.
Arthur yawned, groggily sat up, rubbed his eyes, and peeked outside.
It was pouring rain. Thunder rumbled.
"Wha… What's going on? Ugh… is it just thunder?"
He checked his phone — it was only 5 a.m. He rolled over to go back to sleep.
But the knocking returned.
Only then did Arthur realize someone was knocking on his door — not the sound of thunder.
"Arthur-senpai! Arthur! Emergency! A zombie devil's appeared at an abandoned factory near town!"
Arthur jumped up, dressed quickly, and opened the door to find Aki's anxious face. She was pale, eyes wide with panic.
[Ding~ Detected Hayakawa Aki's anxious emotion. System rewards 5 points.]
"Come with me," Aki said sharply and turned away without waiting.
They rushed downstairs, got into the Public Safety car. Aki drove, headlights blazing, and sped off like a rocket.
Arthur sat beside her. "Is it just the two of us?"
Aki sighed. "Yes. Only the Special Division can fight devils, but we've always been understaffed — fewer than 15 members. Everyone else is on assignment in other cities."
Arthur nodded. He wasn't worried. He was just curious — in stories, squads usually had lots of people.
The rain blurred the world outside. After thirty minutes, they arrived near an abandoned factory.
Aki handed Arthur an umbrella. They stood in the rain, staring at the factory ahead.
"There have been multiple zombie sightings. The zombie devil is likely inside."
Arthur nodded and glanced around curiously — Tokyo's countryside didn't seem all that different from his own.
Cornfields stretched around them. The rain slapped the leaves loudly.
"You're not nervous?" Aki asked, noticing his relaxed demeanor.
[Ding~ Detected Hayakawa Aki's curious emotion. System rewards 5 points.]
Arthur turned to her. But before he could reply—
Rustle.
The cornfield beside him stirred. A grotesque head emerged — eyes dangling like springs, crawling with maggots, lips rotting, jaws snapping toward Arthur's neck!
In that instant, Aki's eyes widened in horror. She reached for her blade. Her lips parted to warn him—
Arthur raised his hand, summoned Monohoshizao, and with a simple flick —
Slice.
The zombie's head flew off, bounced once, then the body crashed into the mud.
[Ding~ Detected Hayakawa Aki's shocked emotion. System rewards 10 points.]
Unbothered, Arthur's clothes began to shift.
[System Confirmed: Initiating Cosplay Transformation.]
[Ding~ Cosplay System Activated.]
[Current Character: Fate's Assassin – Sasaki Kojirō]
[Weapon: Monohoshizao]
[Skill: Zonge's Insight]
His hair lengthened, turning deep blue. A long ponytail swayed behind him, fastened with a pale violet ribbon. Strands fell to his collarbone, adding a delicate elegance.
His outfit transformed into a deep violet sleeveless vest, a matching kimono underneath, purple bracers, and straw sandals — a true wandering swordsman.
"Hm? What did you say, Aki?"
Aki stared, stunned. She glanced at the zombie's body in the mud and forced a bitter smile.
"N-Nothing…"
Jeez… Why was I even worried? He's a mercenary. And this strong?
She thought back to the bat devil — this was the same all over again.
Wait… Arthur's power… what kind of devil had he contracted?
Could it be… a Costume Devil?