"Heh heh heh... I won't be showing any mercy. First, I'll squeeze you dry, then gnaw on every last bit of you."
The Bat Devil laughed maniacally as it reached out with its grotesquely long arm and snatched Hitori off the second-floor walkway.
His grip was brutal. Hitori had no strength to resist. She could feel the pain coursing through her body, the absolute lack of regard this devil had for human life.
And yet, through her trembling lips, Hitori spoke.
"You're... the Bat Devil, right?"
"Oh? This little human actually remembered my name," the Bat Devil grinned. "But it won't save you. If anything, I'll eat you whole. That'll make it hurt a little less."
Hitori didn't respond to that. She just kept talking softly to herself.
"When I was running earlier... I had a lot of time to think."
"I don't really understand what devils are, but I know this much. Humans and devils are enemies, right?"
"I wanted to run. I was scared. I didn't want to face a monster like you... but no matter what I did, I couldn't escape your grasp."
"It's not just me. Everyone would be scared of you. And you'd hurt more people, wouldn't you?"
"That's why... I finally made up my mind."
"If I can't run... then I'll just have to kill you instead."
"What?" the Bat Devil growled, eyes narrowing in fury. "What kind of nonsense are you spewing, human? Are you mocking me?"
"That fall I took earlier... I did it on purpose."
"You did what"
Ignoring the devil's confusion, Hitori tilted her head back and shouted toward the ceiling.
"Pochita!"
Vrrrmmmmmm!!!
A rumble like a chainsaw engine roared to life above.
The Bat Devil's eyes widened. Sweat instantly beaded across his face. He looked up just in time to see a backpack dangling from the walkway.
That exact spot... was where Hitori had fallen earlier.
Thinking back, it made sense. After that fall, she hadn't been carrying her bag anymore. She'd gotten up and kept running with Seika, empty-handed.
She had left her backpack hanging there, during that fall.
The Bat Devil's dim mind finally caught up.
He'd been tricked.
Rip!
In the next instant, the backpack tore open, and out came a small, spinning chainsaw demon Pochita, plummeting from above.
How was a devil hiding inside a bag?
Because Pochita was too small, too weak, his scent was barely noticeable. The Bat Devil hadn't even realized he was there.
The spinning blade cleaved through the Bat Devil's face, from forehead to chin, then down his neck and straight through his torso.
His entire body split cleanly in half.
Hitori, who had been clenched in the devil's hand, landed on the ground safely. The massive palm cushioned her fall, so she came out unscathed.
The only issue was that the devil's hand had stiffened in death, still locked tight.
It took Hitori a while to wiggle herself free.
"Woof woof!"
Pochita stood triumphantly between the two halves of the corpse, wagging his tail and looking up at her as if asking for praise.
"Pochita, you're amazing!"
Hitori scooped him into her arms, careful not to touch the spinning saw on his head, and nuzzled her cheek against his.
Pochita looked thoroughly pleased.
Now that the danger had passed, Hitori could finally relax.
Alright... so next problem...
I can't exactly go home soaked in blood, can I? I should find some water nearby and wash off somewhere quiet.
And my backpack's toast. I'd better grab a new one while the shops are still open.
Ugh... what a pain.
She gave a last glance of mild disgust at the split corpse, then turned and walked away with Pochita in her arms.
Who knew what would happen once someone else found that body.
...
Clack.
Some time later, the warehouse door creaked open.
A woman in a fitted black suit stepped inside, followed closely by a tall bodyguard.
The woman's vivid rose-red hair was tied back in a braided ponytail. Her sharp golden eyes gleamed with depth, like rings in an ancient tree.
Her gaze immediately fell upon the bisected corpse of the Bat Devil.
"So it really was a devil... After all these years, they're showing up in the human world again?"
The bodyguard didn't speak, standing silently behind her.
But she hadn't been talking to him anyway. Her words were more to herself.
She stepped forward and knelt beside the remains.
As her eyes traced the clean cut through the body, her pupils narrowed slightly.
"A chainsaw..."
There was no mistaking it. This kind of wound could only be made by a chainsaw-type weapon.
Her voice held a curious undertone as she whispered.
"Makima-sama, we found a witness," came a voice from outside the warehouse.
The woman Makima stood and turned toward the sound.
Another Public Safety officer stepped inside, escorting a blonde woman.
"I found her about two blocks away," the agent explained. "She was acting strange, like she was hiding from something. When I asked, she mentioned a monster, so I figured she must've witnessed the devil. I brought her here for you to question personally."
Makima gave a small nod and stepped closer.
Sensing the woman's fear, she softened her tone.
"Don't worry. We're with Public Safety. Can you tell me exactly what happened?"
Makima's voice was soothing, almost hypnotic.
The woman, who had been shaking just moments ago, quickly calmed down and began to speak.
"My name is Seika Ijichi. I run a small live house nearby called STARRY."
"Hitori works there part-time. She's a student. I was just walking her part of the way home... and then out of nowhere, this monster appeared..."
"Hitori... she saved me. She... she must've been killed by that thing... sob..."
"Don't worry," Makima said gently. "We haven't found a human corpse."
"Really? Are you sure?"
"Yes. So it's very likely this Hitori is still alive."
"Th-that's a relief..."
But Makima's thoughts were far more complex.
No human corpse. Which meant only two possibilities.
Either she'd already been eaten and digested...
Or she was the one who killed the devil.
And thinking back to that chainsaw wound, Makima's interest was piqued.
"Miss Ijichi, the existence of devils is still classified from the general public. I hope you'll keep this to yourself."
"I understand... I won't tell anyone..."
"Could you tell me more about this Hitori?"
"Yes, of course," Seika replied. "Her full name is Hitori Gotoh. She's a high school student. Most of us call her Bocchi-chan..."