Chapter 52: Mocked by the System
"The Gun Devil again, huh..."
Himeno exhaled a cloud of smoke, her voice tinged with deep emotion. "There are so many Public Safety hunters just like you, Aki-kun, wanting revenge on that Gun bastard. You can find them by the dozen in our Tokyo headquarters. But most of them are either killed in action shortly after starting or they can't handle the pressure and quit. You need to think this through carefully."
"I have long been prepared to die," Aki said, his voice firm and unwavering.
"That won't do."
Himeno's expression suddenly turned serious as she looked Aki straight in the eye. "Aki-kun, you are not allowed to die. I'm tired of seeing my partners die in front of me."
"..." Seeing Himeno-senpai like this, Aki fell into a sudden silence. The atmosphere grew momentarily awkward.
"Alright, let's not talk about such heavy topics," Chiya spoke up, breaking the tension.
"You're right. Oops~ I got a little carried away there," Himeno said, instantly reverting to her usual, casual self.
Nothing happened for the rest of the day. They patrolled until evening without encountering a single devil to hunt.
[Ding! Host has activated the achievement: 'The host worked all day only to return empty-handed.' Reward: 1 Attribute Point!]
Hearing the system's voice, Chiya's face darkened. This system was actually mocking him... Mockery aside, only awarding a single point was practically an insult.
However, he remembered he had a few points saved up that he hadn't allocated yet.
[Available Attribute Points: 23]
[Ding! Allocation complete: Vitality +15, Strength +4, Speed +4!]
[Strength: 50]
[Speed: 50]
[Vitality: 165]
When he got off work and arrived home at 5:00 PM, Higashiyama Kobeni happened to arrive as well.
"Good afternoon, Otonashi-kun," she greeted him immediately, though her expression was still a bit stiff.
"I bought a lot of snacks and fruit and left them in the house. Help yourself. If nobody eats them, they'll just go bad," Chiya said casually.
"Understood! Thank you very much, I won't be modest then!" Kobeni said with great solemnity.
She ate a few snacks and some fruit to satisfy her cravings and prepared to leave, as she would be scolded if she didn't get home in time for dinner.
"Um..." Kobeni started, her tone pleading. "Could I take a little bit back to share with my sisters?"
"Of course. You can take as much as you want," Chiya said generously.
It wasn't even about being generous; these things barely cost anything. Hunting a single devil could buy enough snacks and fruit to last a lifetime.
Kobeni gave a joyful smile, packed two bags of snacks and two apples into her schoolbag, and headed out. She didn't dare take too much at once; if her bag looked too bulging, her parents would notice. If they found out, she'd not only have the items confiscated but would get a scolding to boot.
Over the course of the entire day, Chiya had only gained 1 attribute point—and even that felt like a pity handout from the system.
After this "lesson," he decided to actually make use of his paid leave. Over the next few days, he wouldn't go on patrol unless a sudden subjugation mission popped up. He could use this time to spend more time at home with Denji and Pochita.
Just then, Denji, who was lying on the sofa reading a manga, suddenly spoke up. "By the way, Chiya-nii, remember how you said you'd grant me one wish? I've been doing all the homework Teacher Higashiyama assigns me."
"Mhm, I remember. Have you decided what you want?" Chiya nodded.
"I have. When you're free, I want to take Pochita and go out to play with you. That place where you work—they give you days off, right?" Denji asked, suddenly worried. Come to think of it, today was Saturday, yet Chiya-nii had still gone to work.
"They do. I'm actually on leave right now. So, have you thought about where you want to go?" Chiya asked.
To be fair, Tokyo Public Safety didn't have a fixed "weekend" system. The profession was too unique; they were responsible for maintaining order and safety for all of Tokyo. At most, one group would work while another rested. They could never have a collective weekend off—devils don't care about your Saturday plans. However, the frequent paid leave was no worse than a standard weekend, especially since it was, well, "paid."
"That's good! But I haven't thought of where to go yet. You decide, Chiya-nii. Anywhere is fine." Before meeting Chiya, Denji's life was a struggle just to get one meal a day, let alone "going out to play." Her mind was a complete blank when it came to recreation. But as long as she was with Chiya-nii, she'd be happy anywhere.
Chiya thought for a moment. "...How about this: tomorrow, I'll take you and Pochita out for the whole day, and we'll visit as many places as we can."
"The whole day? Yay!" Denji was thrilled, nearly jumping off the sofa in excitement.
That evening, when Kobeni arrived for the tutoring session, Denji intentionally said to her, "Teacher Higashiyama, I'm going out to play with Chiya-nii all day tomorrow."
Her tone was tinged with a hint of boasting, as if declaring "I have the upper hand" to a rival.
"Eh?" Kobeni, however, completely missed the deeper meaning. She smiled and said, "Going out on the weekend is nice; it's a good way to relax."
In her mind, Denji was simply Otonashi-kun's younger sister. A brother taking his sister out on a Sunday was perfectly normal. She hadn't realized at all why Denji's attitude toward her had always been slightly... off.
Denji was respectful as a student and behaved well enough, but there was always that lingering sense of weirdness.
"?" Denji's proud, cute expression faltered.
Why? Why is Teacher Higashiyama's reaction totally different from what I imagined? Shouldn't she be anxious? Or does this mean... she doesn't even see me as a threat?!
...Crap! Denji suddenly felt like she was the one being made a fool of.