"Eaten it too while you were at it…?"
Yuuki Asuna repeated the words under her breath, still struggling to process them. Even now, her mind refused to fully accept what her eyes had witnessed.
This boy, who looked to be roughly the same age as her, had eliminated a Devil so effortlessly?
Devils had erupted into the world about half a year ago, monstrous embodiments of humanity's deepest fears.
No one knew exactly why or from where they originated.
The official government briefings released so far boiled down to a few chilling facts:
The stronger the fear tied to a concept, the more powerful the Devil born from it became.
Devils never truly died. Even when "killed," as long as the underlying fear persisted in human hearts, they would eventually reincarnate—stronger, hungrier, more twisted.
Most harbored an unrelenting, sadistic malice toward humanity. In short: they existed to slaughter people.
"Um… may I ask who you truly are…?"
Asuna finally found her voice, but before she could finish, urgent footsteps echoed from the far end of the platform. Sharp commands cut through the lingering metallic scent of blood.
"Don't move! Hands behind your heads—now!"
A squad of fully armed mobile unit officers advanced in tight formation, rifles trained, forming a cautious semicircle. Their visors reflected the carnage: scattered limbs, crimson pools, the acrid smoke from the grenade blast.
Asuna's heart lurched. She shot a worried glance at Gojo Yoru, wondering how he planned to explain any of this.
He'd saved her life. Because of her, he hadn't slipped away before the authorities arrived.
Her mind raced for options. She was just a first-year high schooler—barely unpacked in her new apartment. What could she possibly do?
Call her father? He was the CEO of a major electronics conglomerate, influential in certain circles… but could even he pull strings in a Devil incident this bloody?
No matter what, she resolved silently: she'd beg him to help. This boy was her savior. She owed him everything.
"Don't be nervous, everyone."
Gojo Yoru's voice broke through her spiraling thoughts—casual, almost playful. Asuna looked up at him standing beside her, and an inexplicable warmth bloomed in her chest despite the tension.
Facing a ring of gun barrels, he showed zero fear. It was as if he genuinely believed bullets couldn't touch him.
"The Devil's been taken care of. By me. I'm a Devil Hunter with the Anti-Devil Special Operations Division. Here's my ID."
He reached into his jacket pocket with deliberate slowness and produced a dark red card.
A few officers edged forward, accepted it gingerly, and flipped it open.
[Anti-Devil Special Operations Division – Devil Hunter: Gojo Yoru]
The squad leader's posture shifted instantly. He raised a gloved hand, signaling his team to lower weapons.
"Apologies, Mr. Gojo. Standard protocol—we were just being cautious. I hope you'll understand."
"Nah, it's fine."
Gojo Yoru gave a lazy wave, then turned his attention to Asuna, who was still sitting numbly on the blood-streaked tiles.
"What are you doing? Let's go. Planning to sit there all day? Cosplaying as the come, come cat or something?"
"Eh? Oh—right!"
Asuna scrambled to her feet, cheeks flushing, and hurried after him toward the nearest exit.
The two figures receded down the corridor until they vanished around the corner.
Only then did the squad leader exhale shakily. Beneath his heavy tactical gear, his back was soaked in cold sweat.
"Why'd you let them walk? We should've detained them for questioning, cleared any suspicion first—"
"Shut up."
The commander cut his subordinate off sharply, brow furrowed in irritation.
"First time dealing with a Devil Hunter? They might look human, but the ones who sign contracts… they're monsters wearing human skin. They sacrifice pieces of themselves to borrow Devil power. You really want to hassle him after he's flashed credentials? Got a death wish?"
The rest of the squad glanced around at the slaughterhouse scene—mutilated corpses, the lingering stink of gunpowder and charred flesh—and a collective shiver ran through them.
A Devil capable of butchering dozens in minutes was already a nightmare.
But the Devil Hunter who'd erased it without a scratch, without even dirtying his uniform…
He was something far worse. A monster among monsters.
…
Outside the station, sunlight filtered through Tokyo's skyline, almost mockingly bright after the underground horror.
Yuuki Asuna walked beside Gojo Yoru down the bustling sidewalk, stealing glances at his profile whenever she thought he wasn't looking.
The chaos earlier had been too frantic, too overwhelming. Only now, in the relative calm, did it truly hit her.
He's… really handsome.
At 163 cm, Asuna wasn't especially short for a high school girl, but next to his roughly 183 cm frame, she felt surprisingly small—almost delicate.
His build was lean and perfectly proportioned: clearly someone who trained regularly, yet without any unnecessary bulk. Strength coiled beneath the surface, effortless and understated.
His black hair fell in artfully messy strands with a small bun, giving off a rebellious edge without looking sloppy. Those dark eyes always seemed to hold a faint, relaxed smile—even now, after everything—making the people around him unconsciously lower their guards.
This wasn't the subtle "actually quite handsome if you pay attention" charm of a light novel lead. This was top-tier protagonist material: the kind of face that turned heads in any crowd, no effort required.
Asuna bit her lip, voice tentative.
"Um…"
"Gojo Yoru. That's my name."
"Oh… Gojo-san. About earlier…"
"To save time, I'll cut to the chase."
Before she could build up more courage, he spoke in that same soft, matter-of-fact tone.
"That metallic thing talking to you—it was a Devil embodying the concept of 'swords.' It wanted a contract. You give something up, you get to borrow its power. What you said back there—'no matter what price'—that's dangerously open-ended. It's not just your life on the table. Your soul, your memories, every trace of your existence in this world… all of it could be claimed."
"I… see."
Asuna nodded slowly, obediently. Even without insider knowledge from the Anti-Devil Division, she'd heard the horror stories: contract users almost always met tragic ends. The price was never fair.
A sudden thought struck her. She stopped walking.
Her hazel eyes filled with worry as she turned to face him fully.
"Then… Gojo-san… did you also pay some kind of price just now? To save me?"