Kobeni dreamed she was suffocating.
Her eyes snapped open to find her male colleague, whom she'd only met yesterday, brazenly clamping a hand over her mouth and nose, cutting off her air.
"Mmph… mmmph!"
"No time for sleeping. I'm leaving."
Hoshino upended his backpack, its contents clattering to the floor. "Wait here for me. Don't you dare go outside."
He turned and ran for the cave entrance. Just before vanishing into the swirling snow, he called back:
"I'll get you out of here."
---
Starfall Room.
The TV was broadcasting the weather report for March 2nd.
The spokesperson, in a crisp suit, spoke with unwavering confidence, "Current sea surface temperature in the Western Pacific is 26.8°C, slightly above the 26.5°C typhoon formation threshold. However, vertical wind shear is 15m/s, which inhibits disturbance development. The probability of a typhoon occurring in March is a mere 1.2%. The public can rest assured."
Just then, a knock came at the door.
Hoshino slid the paper screen door open to either side.
On the viewing deck stood three figures against the setting sun, its light pooling on their uniforms. Their gazes fell upon the room inside.
"Where are the others?" Hoshino asked.
"Too many people would attract attention, so we left some at the hospital," Himeno explained, already peering over Hoshino's shoulder into the room. "Kobeni? Where's my Kobeni? You didn't find her?!"
"I didn't bring her. She's too clumsy. I stashed her somewhere safe."
"Really?"
"Of course."
Himeno let out a sigh of relief, then immediately jumped to Kobeni's defense. "Kobeni's just a little timid, that's all! She's actually very capable!"
"Fine, fine, capable, capable," Hoshino brushed her off, stepping aside. "Get in here."
Himeno happily stepped into the tatami room. "By the way, Hoshino-kun, how did you find us?"
"Animals can be my eyes."
"What did you do with the doctor?"
Hayato Yamamoto, the one contracted with the Curse Devil—last loop's trump card who got taken out first—explained, "There are a lot of enemies. It would be troublesome if we were discovered."
"He'll forget everything after he notifies you."
"What Devil's power is that? That's insane." Himeno's eyes went wide. She unceremoniously grabbed the chilled barley tea next to the private onsen and poured herself a cup.
Hoshino snatched the cup from her and downed it in one gulp. "Secret."
"Hey! Pour your own!" Himeno yelled, scurrying to the corner of the room. She turned her back to everyone and quickly drank two cups herself before returning to the center, satisfied.
Hirofumi Yoshida, also a college guy contracted with the Octopus Devil, remained silent, his eyes fixed on Hoshino the entire time.
Then, Hoshino repeated the spiel he'd given in the third loop.
After Yamamoto finished sharing the intel they had, his eyes drifted to the midday weather replay on TV. "You like watching the weather news too?"
"It's alright," Hoshino said flatly.
"My mother loves it. A habit she picked up after decades working in a cherry orchard."
Himeno blinked. "Decades? That's a lifetime! Is she management?"
Yamamoto smiled and shook his head. "She's very ordinary… and also great." He continued, "You might laugh, but my sisters and I never knew our father. Mother stole cherries to raise us. If not for us, she would've been promoted long ago. The current orchard manager basically lets her steal as much as she wants, as long as she doesn't uproot the trees."
Himeno was quiet for a moment. "Does your mother know what you do?"
"She knows." Yamamoto nodded. "She said everyone loses their freedom after they grow up, especially when they become parents. But she told me to be careful."
"You have a kid?"
"Yeah, four years old. I'm quitting after this year."
Yamamoto changed the subject. "The target's been dealt with?"
Hoshino nodded.
Himeno flopped onto the soft tatami, splaying out like a starfish. "Hoshino-kun looks so cute, but you're actually so ruthless underneath."
Seeing Hoshino look at her, she grinned. "Just kidding! In our line of work, you won't survive if you're not a little ruthless. I think you did good, Hoshino-kun. No, you did great!"
Hoshino didn't acknowledge the praise.
"What do you think we should do next?" Yoshida suddenly spoke up.
"There are two people in a room on the other side of the hallway. I plan to lure them over one by one and take them out," Hoshino said, unhurried. "You all just stay here, eat, drink, and build up your energy. The main event is at midnight."
"You don't need any help?" Yamamoto asked, looking concerned.
Hoshino shook his head. "No."
"Hoshino-kun, so reliable!" Himeno grinned, giving a thumbs-up. "I'm all for eating, drinking, and not having to think about anything! Heheh, oh! Can I have some sake?"
"No."
"Ehhh—"
"Small talk's over." Hoshino stood up. "I only paid for two meals. Someone come with me to the cafeteria."
His gaze swept over the three of them, finally settling on Yoshida.
"How about you—"
"I'll go, I'll go! I want to pick my own food!"
Himeno jumped up instantly. Her radiant smile was less that of a Devil Hunter on a mission and more like a corporate drone finally using their paid time off after being worked to the bone.
Then again, maybe there wasn't much difference.
Hoshino turned. "Let's go."
Twenty minutes later, the two returned to the Starfall Room with enough food for four people. Hoshino glanced up at the clock.
"You eat. I'm heading out."
"Wait!"
Himeno stuffed a daifuku into her mouth, mumbling around it, "Eat first! There's an old saying, 'Man is iron, rice is steel'! Hoshino-kun, you're still growing. You should take better care of your body!"
Hoshino shot her an annoyed look. "You took forever picking and choosing! If not for that, I'd have time to eat!"
"Complaining that a girl is slow? Hoshino-kun is a boy, you should have some gentlemanly manners!"
"None of your damn business!"
Himeno glared. "I'm your senpai!"
"Like I give a damn!"
In front of a room on the other side of the hallway, Hoshino turned the knob and walked in.
Ten minutes later.
Fujiwara Go returned to his room. He'd only taken two steps when he stepped on something.
In the pitch black, it felt vaguely like a round mirror.
His heart skipped a beat. He reached out and switched on the overhead light.
Sure enough, it was a round mirror.
A goddamn round mirror, possessed of a goddamn allure that made him want to pick it up and play with it, even as his instincts screamed it was dangerous.
After an internal struggle, he pushed open the door to the inner bath.
"I'll take a bath first."
"I said, take a bath."
A grey fist hooked under Fujiwara's chin. His body went rigid instantly, followed by a storm of blows.
After the standard procedure was complete, under Hoshino's direction, Fujiwara picked up the phone and called their target, 'Man-Slayer' Yuka Nakamura, the middle-aged gyaru.
She happened to be nearby. Less than five minutes after the call ended, she arrived.
She hopped happily into the tatami room, only to be greeted by a massive arm locking around her throat.
Once the procedure was mechanically repeated, Hoshino stepped out onto the viewing deck, leaning on the railing to gaze into the distance.
Though the mountains were still tinged with red, the sky was already shrouded in night. The bamboo forest below was veiled in grey. The wind slammed through the bamboo stalks, their shadows wavering, rustling like the weeping of ghosts.
He closed his eyes, letting the cool wind wash over him for a while. When he opened them again, the sky was as black as his pupils.
"About time."
He turned and walked back to the Starfall Room. He pressed his ear to the door for a moment before sliding it open.
The mingled aroma of various foods washed over him.
Himeno and the other two were slumped over the low table, unconscious.
Hoshino glanced up at the wall clock, then approached without hurry. "The drug should last another fifteen minutes."
Just as he was less than a meter from the table, Yoshida suddenly erupted into motion. A massive octopus tentacle shot from outside the viewing deck straight at Hoshino.
Hoshino's left arm withered. His right hand drew a gun. BANG.
A huge hole was blown clean through the tentacle, revealing the grey-black mountains beyond.
"Makima's dog… your thought process really is screwed up!" Yoshida closed the distance rapidly. As a Devil Hunter famous in Tokyo despite his youth, he had full confidence in his combat strategies and fighting skills.
Hoshino swung the gun barrel. "Left leg."
Yoshida immediately retreated.
"Just kidding." Hoshino lowered his hand.
Yoshida's expression didn't change as he launched another attack, but his body suddenly froze.
"…"
He looked down. His pupils dilated instantly.
A shard of metal jutted from the center of his chest, impaling a mess of blood and torn flesh.
Behind him, Himeno's eyes were vacant. She raised a hand, directing the Ghost Devil to plunge a dinner knife clean through Yoshida's back and out his heart.
"…Why…?" Yoshida vomited a mouthful of blood.
Hoshino didn't answer. He walked over slowly, pinched the tip of the knife, and twisted it.
Yoshida's heart ruptured completely. His head slumped forward, lifeless.
His eyes cold, Hoshino yanked the knife out, reversed his grip, turned, and drove it deep into Yamamoto's nape. With a sharp pull, blood sprayed out, painting a crimson streak across the tatami like a slash from a sword.