"Oh. I see."
Hōjō Yoru simply nodded noncommittally at Yuuki Asuna's words. When he didn't tease her in the same joking tone as before, Asuna froze for a second and couldn't help pressing him.
"Huh? That's it? You're not going to stop me?"
"Why would I stop you?"
Yoru tossed the question back, then explained in a relaxed voice with a hint of amusement.
"Your personality's decent, you're a cute and well-put-together girl, and I do need a trustworthy companion. There's no reason for me to stop you."
He paused, then added:
"Besides, I'm not your parent. If you've already made up your mind, nothing I say is going to change it. In that case, instead of letting you take risks in secret trying to get power, it's better if I guide you and help you obtain it. Right?"
"…Yeah. Thank you."
Asuna thanked him softly. Her smooth flaxen hair swayed gently in the breeze, and a complicated look flickered in her bright hazel eyes.
She couldn't forget what she'd seen that morning at the train station.
A Devil—something that, to her, had only existed in the news—had appeared right in front of her and slaughtered people like livestock. Against a monster that terrifying, an ordinary person couldn't mount any meaningful resistance.
Just like she had back then—trembling in fear and despair, like a lamb about to be eaten.
If it were anyone else, they wouldn't be calmly attending school after something like that. They would've already broken down, left with a lifelong shadow, suffering severe post-traumatic stress.
But Yuuki Asuna wasn't like that.
Even now, recalling the scene still filled her with fear—yet it was precisely that fear, born from helpless weakness, that forged something else inside her: a refusal to surrender, a stubborn resolve bordering on anger.
She wanted to become stronger.
She wanted power—power that could save innocent people, and power that would ensure she'd never again feel that small and powerless.
"Let me be clear," Yoru said.
He set his half-eaten bento aside, stood up, and walked to Asuna. His tone was flat.
"Becoming a Devil Hunter isn't some easy thing. Don't come crying and begging me later."
Asuna snorted, lifting her chin to meet his gaze without backing down.
"Hmph. Don't underestimate me. I'm not going to cry and beg—"
She didn't get to finish.
Yoru did something completely outside her expectations.
He reached out, placed both hands under her, and with the casual ease of lifting a baby, he hoisted her entire body up into the air.
"Eh? E—eh…?!"
Asuna's brain stalled.
Should she be shocked that his core strength was absurd enough to lift her—someone fairly tall for a girl—so cleanly and directly?
Or should she be shocked by the sheer lack of hesitation in that intimate physical contact?
What happened next was even more ridiculous.
"Go on."
The moment the words left his mouth, Yoru tossed her—like she weighed no more than a plush toy—straight off the rooftop.
Only when all she could see was the clear, endless blue sky, and her body plunged into weightlessness, did Asuna finally understand what was happening. Her pupils shrank in panic, her heartbeat slamming faster and faster.
I'm going to die.
She'd survived being hunted by the Bat Devil… only to die from a fall?
A tidal wave of terror crashed over her.
"Do you want to live?"
At that instant, the metal mass—like hundreds of swords melted and forged into a single shape—appeared in midair again, whispering with a seductive softness.
"Will you make a contract—"
Before it could finish, the metal object shuddered violently, letting out a sound that was part ringing steel, part panicked screech.
It vanished.
And in the same breath, a massive black serpent patterned with pale gold markings burst into existence, caught Asuna's falling body, and carried her back up to the rooftop before slipping into the void and disappearing without a trace.
"Just as I thought."
Hearing Yoru's voice, Asuna—legs too weak to support her—collapsed against the railing and slid down to the ground. She tried to steady her ragged breathing and forced out the question.
"Hah… hah… what… what do you mean, 'just as you thought'…?"
Yoru waved a hand, cutting her off.
"Enough. Stop talking like you're about to die. Catch your breath first."
Asuna tried to regulate her breathing, glaring at him in silent protest.
But the way she sat there—cheeks tight, eyes fierce—looked like a kitten making tiny, indignant whimpers. It had no intimidation value at all. It was just… adorably trying to bare its claws.
When she finally recovered enough to speak, she asked immediately.
"What did you mean? You predicted that metal thing would show up? Does it appear every time my life is in danger? Is that what this is?"
"Close," Yoru said. "But wrong."
He walked over and sat beside her, speaking evenly.
"Devils can show up anywhere—sure—but that mostly applies to when they first entered this world. Most Devils don't have instantaneous teleportation, and they definitely can't 'sense' that you're in mortal danger and rush over. I checked internal records in the Anti-Devil Special Operations Division. There's no file on that metal Devil at all."
Asuna frowned, thinking.
"Then… it isn't a Devil?"
"It's probably a Devil," Yoru replied. "At minimum, its scent is very close to one."
That casual line instantly brought back the image from the station—of the black-and-gold serpent swallowing the Bat Devil's flesh.
Asuna's expression turned complicated.
And yet, in her chest, something else stirred: a strange, undeniable satisfaction.
The Bat Devil had treated humans as food.
And in the end, it became food itself.
Served it right.
"Based on what we know so far…"
Yoru looked at Asuna and, in a tone as light as if he were discussing the weather, said something that hit her like a shock.
"It's not that it appears when you're in danger. It's that only when you're emotionally overwhelmed do you unconsciously summon it."
He paused—then delivered the conclusion.
"In other words, you're the one holding the initiative."
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 80)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 80)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 80)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter50)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter50)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter50)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter50)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 10
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 10
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