Chapter 37: Higashiyama Kobeni
At the same time, most students were obediently hiding in their classrooms, and those caught outside had fled as far as possible from the soccer field. However, since the school buildings weren't far from the field, many students could see the devil through their classroom windows.
The creature looked like a soccer ball—except it was several meters tall and possessed a pair of arms and legs that looked like mummified human limbs. Based on its appearance, it was likely the Soccer Devil.
"This is bad! There's a girl still out there! The devil seems to have targeted her!"
"What do we do?! Someone save her!"
Many students noticed a girl had been singled out by the Soccer Devil and began to panic. But they didn't dare go down to help; they could only watch in desperate anxiety.
The Soccer Devil retracted its limbs and began to roll its spherical body rapidly, hurtling toward the human girl.
"Once you've tasted a human child, you never forget it. I'm definitely having another taste today!" In an instant, the Soccer Devil rolled up to the girl, reaching out with its hands to snatch her up and devour her.
The girl's legs seemed to have turned to jelly from fear. She tripped after only a few steps and collapsed, tears streaming down her face in terror.
"Uuuu... No, please don't eat me!"
Just then, Otonashi Chiya arrived in the nick of time.
In a single blur of motion, the Soccer Devil's arms and legs were severed by his katana. He followed up immediately with a finishing blow, slicing the Soccer Devil clean in half. Intestines and a massive spray of blood splattered across the field.
[Ding! Host has successfully hunted the "Soccer Devil." Attribute Points gained: 6!]
This Soccer Devil was one of the weaker varieties, killed by Chiya in seconds. Against a devil like this, there was no need to use his Kamui ocular powers or the Wrath Devil's strength; doing so would have been a total waste.
"Are you alright?" Chiya asked, finally turning his gaze toward the girl.
Upon looking closer, he saw a very familiar face.
"I-I'm okay..." the girl stammered, wiping her tears, though her legs were shaking so violently she couldn't stand up.
[Ding! Host has activated the achievement "First Encounter with Higashiyama Kobeni." Attribute Points gained: 1!]
That's right—the girl before him was Higashiyama Kobeni. She had a cute face, brown hair, and brown eyes. She was petite and dressed in the high school division uniform, her tear-stained face flushed with a faint blush.
A flicker of surprise flashed in Chiya's eyes. He hadn't expected to run into Kobeni here. However, moving the timeline back four years from the original story, it made sense that she would currently be a high school student.
So Kobeni goes to school here...
Seeing her struggle to stand while her legs continued to tremble, Chiya reached out to support her. "Don't force yourself."
"I'm sorry, my legs are like jelly..." Kobeni said, her voice filled with embarrassment.
Meanwhile, back in the school buildings, many students were staring in awe.
"That guy is so strong! And he's so handsome... Is he a student at our school too?"
"Probably not. He's wearing what looks like a Tokyo Public Safety uniform. I've seen Public Safety hunters before; they're all really impressive older brothers and sisters!"
"Not necessarily. I heard some high schoolers like us work as part-time devil hunters, though almost all of them are in the private sector."
"..."
The students were discussing the event so enthusiastically that they didn't even notice the alarm had already stopped.
"Otonashi, the devil has been dealt with, I take it?"
At that moment, Hayakawa Aki arrived. He and Himeno-senpai had confirmed that no other students or teachers were left in the vicinity, except for the girl with Otonashi. Seeing the corpse of the Soccer Devil, he knew Chiya would have handled it with ease.
"Yeah. There shouldn't be any other devils in the school. The crisis is over," Chiya nodded slightly.
"Looks like this girl is fine, too." Himeno observed Kobeni for any injuries. "Poor thing, she must have been terrified. Almost getting eaten by a devil... it's only natural for her legs to give out."
"Indeed..." Chiya responded out loud, though privately he was thinking that even if he hadn't arrived in time, Kobeni might not have been in trouble—it might have been the Soccer Devil who ended up in a bad spot.
Don't let her timid, crybaby act fool you; when she got serious, Kobeni was incredibly strong. She was one of the few who survived until the very end of the original story, and the devil she contracted with remained an unsolved mystery. However, he wasn't sure if the current high-school-aged Kobeni had already signed a contract, so he only thought of it as a possibility.
"Feeling any better?" Chiya asked Kobeni in a gentle tone.
"A little." Kobeni could now manage to stand on her own. She looked at Chiya with gratitude. "Thank you so much!"
However, when her eyes met Chiya's, she shyly looked away. He was standing very close, and he was just so strikingly handsome.
Chiya was mindful of etiquette and avoided any inappropriate physical contact; once he was sure she was steady, he let go of her arm. He turned to Aki and Himeno. "Let's go. Back to patrol."
"Leaving just like that? I thought Otonashi-kun might take advantage of the situation. A girl is at her most vulnerable after a scare like that—it's the perfect time to make a move~" Himeno whispered in his ear after they had walked a few paces.
"What kind of person do you take me for..." Chiya said, somewhat speechless.
"Hahaha! But seriously, that girl was quite cute and pretty. I thought she might be your type?" Himeno teased.
"Type or not, she's a student and I'm a Public Safety devil hunter. Thinking about such things is pointless," Chiya replied calmly.
"I suppose so. You're very responsible, Otonashi-kun." Himeno suddenly grew a bit melancholy. She remembered a former partner who was supposed to marry her fiancé, only to be killed in action the very next day.
Public Safety devil hunters were indeed not very suited for relationships with ordinary people.
The day's patrol ended, and Chiya returned home.
But as he neared his front door, he spotted Higashiyama Kobeni in the hallway outside his apartment. She was talking to herself, her expression nervous, appearing to be practicing something in advance.
"You..."
As soon as Chiya spoke, Kobeni jumped, visibly startled. When she recognized his face, her eyes widened even further, and she became completely incoherent.
"Eh?! H-h-how... why are you...?"