In the crushing crowd of a busy street, a young man of average height with black hair and a small scruffy beard walked slowly, his eyes fixed on the ground, his features exhausted.
Is all of this worth it?
he asked himself, lifting both hands to his face and covering it, as if to hide his expressions
Each step felt heavier than the last, loaded with fear, doubt, and regret.
Is this worth it?
the question kept echoing in his head—until a sharp, female voice cut through his thoughts like a blade.
"Is all of this worth it?!"
He stopped abruptly, sank to his knees, clutching his head in burning pain.
"I'm sorry… my love, I'm really sorry…" he muttered in a rough voice, tears running down his face as he remembered her last cries a month ago—her pleading that he not throw his life away and join the Devil Hunters for money.
" why Would you throw your life away for some cash? Would you let your child grow up without a father? Please, I know other ways—please! I'll take out a loan… my love, please—please don't go."
His voice trembled as he whispered into the empty air, "No… I don't want to go!"but that was too late they were both gone his wife and child killed like lambs in some alleys near the trash while he was pretending to be a hero, the only thing he can do now is to keep moving and he knew it
He shook himself out of the reverie and forced his trembling legs to keep moving.
By the time he reached a small roadside restaurant, he paused at the door and glanced around. Before he could move further a familiar feminine voice called him out:
"Tanaka! Over here, over here!"
Tanaka turned to see two of his squadmates—one girl waving enthusiastically and a man at the table calmly scanning the menu.
Tanaka walked toward their table, moving slowly, then sat down in front of them. " what's good" he said quietly.
The girl looked up with bright, excited eyes. "Tanaka, Tanaka! Have you heard the news?"
"News? What news?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.
"Yes—" she began, but a gruff voice interrupted her.
"Excuse me!" the man beside her called toward the waitress. "I'll have the boiled eggs—put a little pepper on them... and there is that orange sauce i forgot its name i want you to add that too" He set the menu down and turned to Tanaka with a smile. "Ah, Tanaka! I didn't notice you—how are you?"
Tanaka opened his mouth to answer, but the man barked again without giving him a chance: "And don't forget the milk tea—yes, with milk!" Then he shifted his gaze back to Tanaka.
"Sorry, Tanaka— I just can't help myself when it comes to my breakfast. If I don't have a proper breakfast, it will distracts me all day and could mess up my performance. Anyway… are you okay? You look paler than usual " he added.
Tanaka exhaled and replied in a flat tone, "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks." He looked to the girl. "So—this about the division being reassigned to us? What's got you so excited?"
The girl's eyes widened. "You don't know? The division coming to join us isn't just any unit— it's Division One! The strongest division in Devil Hunters history!"
Tanaka raised an eyebrow without much interest and pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, putting one in his mouth. "Really? When'll they arrive? We start the mission in a few minutes, so I guess they won't be here today?"
The girl checked her watch hesitantly. "Hmm… maybe the rest will arrive in four minutes? I got a message from one of their members—said they'll be here in five."
Tanaka paused, the cigarette dangling from his lips. "Wait—wait… the rest? So someone's already here?"
The girl blinked at him, puzzled. "Tanaka? What are you talking about? He's sitting right next to you."
Slowly, Tanaka turned his head toward where she'd pointed. There was a man evident by his broad shoulders, sitting by the window with his hand supporting his chin, staring outside as if he didnt care about they're existence, he had shoulder-length hair.somehow tanaka didnt notice him at all even when he sat down near him
"Whaaa!" Tanaka yelped and toppled from his chair to the floor in shock.
The man at the table murmured, leaning apologetically toward the waitress, "Please—keep it down, Tanaka. This is a public restaurant."
"Wh-when did that man—" Tanaka stammered, still pointing, trying to make sense of it.
The girl sighed with concern. "Are you really okay? He's been here the whole time."
The man finally turned his head toward the prone Tanaka
Now that Tanaka could see him properly, he noticed the man's wax-pale face and the deep black of his eyes. What caught his attention most, though, were the twin moles at the tips of the man's ears. "Uh - a lynx?" Tanaka blurted without thinking.
The man scowled
. Trying to recover, Tanaka laughed awkwardly: "Ah, sorry—I didn't mean to comment on your looks… haha. I'm Tanaka, by the way...whats yours" At that his two companions facepalmed in frustration while the man simply stared at Tanaka with an unreadable look.
"It's Rem," said a female voice from the doorway
Everyone turned to see a tall woman with short hair stepping in, wearing the familiar Devil Hunter suit. "I'm Himeno. I'm looking forward to working with you," she said with a wide smile.
The long-eyed blonde with thick brows gave a delighted little squeal and leapt up. "Oh my God, you're so beautiful!" she gushed, grasping Himeno's hand. "I'm Yurino Hiromi—so nice to meet you!"
Tanaka raised a hand in a sardonic wave. "I'm Kida Tanaka… pleased to meet you, senpai," he said with an arrogant smirk that faded into unease when he noticed that Rem's still looking at him
Hiromi rolled her eyes and turned back to Himeno. "Don't mind him, senpai—Tanaka's an idiot. Oh, and this is Bento Nanami," she added, nodding toward the man at the table who was eating his eggs with detached disinterest his entire focus was on the orange looking boiled egg in the plate infront of him
"Wait—wait hol on a second… you said his name is Rem?" Tanaka pointed at him incredulously.
Himeno nodded.
"Pffft…" Tanaka pressed a hand to his mouth, trying to stifle a laugh. "Sorry—didn't mean—"
Himeno's expression darkened. She covered Tanaka's mouth with her hand, stopping him from spouting more words that would make the situation worse. "Ah—senpai he didn't mean to laugh—"
Rem cut her off in a cold voice "I'm not stupid, Himeno. I can see he's laughing at my name… anyway—where's Kishibe?"
Himeno hesitated. "He—"
"Never mind. I don't want to know." Rem shrugged and rose from the table. "He's probably wasting in a bar as usual. Anyways I'm going home to masturbate. You guys enjoy yourselves—whether it's hunting devils or an orgy, I don't care." With that he walked out of the restaurant leaving the three looking at his back in shock
" he'll come back right? " tanaka asked himeno as he pointed at him