On the tatami floor, a voluptuous woman lay unconscious. Go Fujiwara sat beside her.
"How much did you use?"
"Just the small dose marked on the bottle," Fujiwara said. "She'll wake up in about fifteen minutes at most. If you hadn't shown up, I was going to up the dose."
"Don't bother. We'll wait."
Hoshino paused, then asked casually, "Where exactly did you part ways with Naoto Kobayashi?"
"West side of the plaza. At a bar called Ōkura Sakaba."
Fifteen minutes later, the woman being "watched over" became a new puppet—just as expected.
"So it's the Authority of Aging," Hoshino said curiously. "How much of the Aging Devil's power did you borrow? What's the price?"
"Ten percent. Five years."
"…Then why did Futoshi Hoshino pay seventy years?" Hoshino rubbed his temples.
Becoming the Silkworm Devil hadn't truly solved anything.
After molting five times came the cocoon stage, then the moth. And a moth's life lasted only fifteen days. If he wanted to keep living longer, he'd have to repeat the cycle again.
He could never escape the same, humiliating pattern—
[Find a woman to give birth to him.]
And it wasn't a one-time deal; he had to do it every year.
How the hell was that sustainable?
"Let's skip the Contract talk. Tell me about yourself." Hoshino wanted to find what kind of connection drew this woman in.
The woman spoke softly.
Her name was Yuka Nakamura, from Hokkaido. Not exactly a bad person, but—
She liked men. Any kind of man. She was obsessed. Her experience outstripped most adult video actresses.
In just a year on the team, she'd slept with every human around.
She'd even tried hitting on Devils, though none had accepted her.
Beyond that, she had no real hobbies. She just did whatever sounded exciting.
Her Contract, joining the organization—both were impulsive decisions born of boredom.
Hoshino rubbed his chin, thinking it through. A thought slowly took shape.
"Can you invite the white-haired boy out for a drink?" he asked, testing her.
"No."
"…What?"
He'd thought it would work as long as the logic made sense—if it didn't connect directly to their mission.
"Can you invite the big clean-cut guy then?" he pressed.
"Yes."
Hoshino's eyes brightened. He went down the list of other Contractors.
"The guy in his fifties with the hooked nose?"
"Yes."
"The Black guy with dreadlocks?"
"Yes."
…
He asked about each Contractor. The only one she couldn't lure out was the white-haired boy.
He checked the clock—11 p.m.
Three left. To play it safe, they'd handle them one by one.
They couldn't use Yukimi-sou—something was supposed to happen there tonight, and an unnatural calm would raise suspicion.
They chose a different hot spring hotel a kilometer away—Tsutaya Inn.
No living humans remained there, only mirror-born ice replicas.
After some hesitation, Hoshino decided to bring Kobeni along. Go Fujiwara would stay behind at Yukimi-sou.
Room 301, Tsutaya Inn.
Nice room. The cabinet stood close to the central table.
Hoshino dragged the futon closer to the cabinet and told Yuka to start baiting their first victim.
"Yuto-kun~ Yuka's getting all warm and lonely."
Yuka wasted no time, her voice dripping with syrupy sweetness.
Even Hoshino's face flushed red, and poor Kobeni beside him yanked up her collar, hiding her head inside like a startled turtle.
"Hmm? Where's itchy? Hehe, in my heart, obviously! Idiot Yuto-kun, saying all that nonsense."
"Where am I? Eh—? Like I'd tell you. Yuka's at Tsutaya Inn, room 301. Not like she misses you or anything."
"Come over? No."
"You've got something to tell Yuka? Say it over the phone!"
"You have to whisper it? Ugh, you know Yuka's ears are the most sensitive…"
"Fine. But if you don't make Yuka happy, she won't talk to you for the rest of her life—well, for a day~ Hehe, bye~"
Beep. Beep. Beep.
"…"
Hoshino pinched his nose. "She's like a high school gyaru in her final form."
"How strange!" Yuka turned toward him. "You're surprisingly good at reading people, Hoshino-kun."
"Oh?"
"One line and you exposed your whole kink." She touched her lip with a manicured finger, pretending to think. "So, Hoshino-kun—do you like high school girl or gyarus? Or both?"
"…"
Middle-aged succubus incarnate, Hoshino thought helplessly. Truth was, both. But he couldn't just admit that.
"Heh, I—" He stopped mid-sentence and glanced sideways.
Sure enough, someone was sneaking peeks at him—Kobeni, looking faintly reproachful.
He caught her gaze, and she immediately ducked down again like a frightened sparrow.
"Are you the faceless giant or something?" Hoshino muttered with a smile, giving up on bantering with Yuka.
---
He judged that the target should be arriving soon. He opened the cabinet door and nudged Kobeni inside.
Clack.
Hoshino covered his face dramatically.
"What wicked men and women, meeting in secret at this hour!"
He slid his pinky down, revealing his glittering left eye.
"The Muscle Devil won't let this go unpunished! Justice must be served!"
He dove into the cabinet himself and shut the door behind him.
The narrow space pressed them tight together, boy and girl chest to chest.
Thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump.
In the pitch-dark cabinet, the only sound was Kobeni's frantic heartbeat.
"Kobeni."
"Ah! Y-yes?"
"Are you trying to die with me?"
"Eh? What? No! I—I don't wanna die yet!"
"Your heart's racing. You're using up all the oxygen. If we suffocate in here, that's a lovers' suicide, you know?"
"Slow your heartbeat," he ordered. "Unless you want to die with me."
"Ah! Okay okay!"
In the dark, Kobeni puffed up her cheeks and clutched her chest, trying desperately to calm herself.
Thump thump thump—thump thump thump.
It only got faster.
"Oh? So you do like me."
"Ah—huh?" she stammered like a short-circuiting robot.
"Can't stop thinking about me, huh?" His tone suddenly sharpened. "Thinking about what, exactly? Huh? Something dirty? Answer me!"
"Ah! Ahhh—n-no, I—uh—"
"Heh, kidding. Just trying to break the tension."
Silence.
"Kobeni?"
"Kobeni-san?"
"Kobeni-chan?"
No response. Hoshino blinked, then groped in the dark and pinched her cheek.
"…"
She'd fainted from embarrassment.
Now it was just him alone in the dark.
"…"
Tap tap tap. His fingers drummed on the cabinet wall—solid, dry wood, no damp or mold like old inns usually had. Probably recently renovated.
The seams were tight. Not a hint of light seeped through. Even with his pupils wide, everything stayed a blur.
Outside, a pair of lonely lovers were about to meet in secret.
Beside him, the faint scent of a cute, unconscious girl lingered.
And he was at that age—young, impulsive, overflowing with hormones.
All those elements together filled Hoshino with a dangerous thrill.
The power of the scene… really is terrifying.
He pressed his lips tight, forcing himself to stay focused.
---
After about five minutes—
Knock knock.
The door slid open.
Pushing, hands smoothing down fabric, sucking, saliva exchanged. breathy noises.
Then—
"Wait, wait, hold on, Yuto-kun~ The drinks, I got the drinks ready."
"Alright, haha, I know! Yuka-chan, you said it yourself—"
The man's voice was thin, probably under thirty.
"The ultimate way to keep things passionate and satisfying forever… is at least twenty minutes of foreplay, right?"
"Yuto-kun, your memory's amazing~"
"I only remember what Yuka-chan says."
"Hehehe~ Stop it, you're making me blush saying things like that!"
They sat down.
"Cheers."
The clink of porcelain cups.
Gulp.
The liquid slid down their throats.
They flirted, joked, said a few R-rated things. Then Yuka suddenly asked, "So, Yuto-kun, what did you want to tell Yuka?"
Someone stood up.
"Hey, don't come over there—stay where you are~"
"Didn't you say you wanted me to whisper?"
"No."
"Really?"
"Really. I mean it."
"…Alright."
The man sat back down.
Then—
"Eh???" Yuka's tone was different this time, startled.
"Yuka-chan… will you marry me?"
Inside the cabinet, Hoshino's eyes went wide.
Oh no. The trainee's about to drive off in the instructor's car!
Silence stretched. The wind outside suddenly howled.
Then—
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Yuka burst out laughing.
"W-what's so funny?"
"Haha, Yuto-kun, you're too cute! Too funny! What a joke, hahaha!"
"I'm serious, Yuka!"
"Haha—then tell me," she giggled, "why do you want to marry Yuka?"
He scratched his head, stammering.
"'Cause… you're cute?" she prompted.
"Y-yeah, very cute," he said quickly. Then added, "But not just that! You're also…"
"Good in bed?"
"Ah—uh, yeah. Very."
"Practice makes perfect."
"…"
"Let's see… since I started, hmm, maybe eight thousand different partners so far."
"…"
"That doesn't matter! The past is the past. I really love you, Yuka. I want to marry you."
He went on, "You always said you wanted to travel everywhere, right? After this mission, we'll get the two million, quit the organization, and see the world together!"
"Hehe~ Yuto-kun, even if I married you, I'd still sleep around. I've got to hit ten thousand, after all~"
"Eh?!"
"Take your ring back."
"Why? I know you're a good person, Yuka. You can't even bring yourself to kill the weak."
"Hahaha, Yuto-kun! That's exactly what doesn't matter at all!"
Yuka laughed, covering her mouth, twirling a strand of hair between manicured fingers.
"I never wanted to be a 'good woman,' or a 'good student,' or a 'good daughter,' or a 'good mother.' I don't care what anyone says. I just want to be Yuka."
"Yuka, I really, really—love you. Please… give… me… a… chan—"
Thud.
The man collapsed, drug taking hold.
Hoshino slid open the cabinet and stepped out. He looked down at the man.
"Change of plans. I'm killing you now."
He drove his hand through the man's throat.
---
Outside, the blizzard roared, snow pelting the windows like bullets.
One minute earlier, Go Fujiwara had died. His Contract vanished.
The situation at Yukimi-sou was exposed.
The sacrifices hadn't shown up at the designated time or place. Of course the enemy would react.
Expected—just faster than he'd hoped.
"…" Yuka said nothing as Hoshino twisted her neck from behind.
[Current Boost: 21%]
He dragged Kobeni toward the front door, just like that day they'd left the hospital.
The storm outside swallowed the night whole—everything a blinding white.
"Get on!"
"Y-yeah…"
The battle had started early.
With the Mirror Devil gone, the enemy was clearly resorting to brute force to capture sacrifices.
Even if Hoshino could hide, the other Devil Hunters couldn't—especially the official ones.
"Found them."
At a hospital miles away, a rat crawled out of a crack in the floor. In its black, glossy eyes swirled faint spirals—reflecting seven figures.
They charged into the blizzard and vanished.
One of them was the three-person squad's captain—Himeno.
"Let's go meet up with them," Hoshino said, running headfirst into the storm.