"Good morning, Miss Makima."
Himeno and Aki Hayakawa were different from the first two. Upon seeing Makima, they immediately greeted her politely.
"Good morning, Himeno, Aki-kun."
"You must be Himeno, right? I've heard Kishibe mention you," the woman in the hospital gown said with a smile, her eyes quickly sizing Himeno up.
"You are?" Himeno didn't recognize the woman wearing a hospital gown in the office.
But the fact that she could mention Kishibe's name meant she definitely knew Himeno's master.
"My name is Kiko Natsume."
"Kiko Natsume? Are you our new colleague?"
"What new colleague? She is the Captain of our Special Division 3."
Tsurugi's voice came from outside the door. The Division 3 trio stepped into the office at that moment.
"Captain of Division 3! My apologies for the mistake." Himeno hurriedly switched to a respectful tone fitting for a junior.
"Our Captain is usually busy doing big things and is rarely seen around, so it's normal not to recognize her," Tsurugi provided a convenient excuse to bail Himeno out.
He walked over to Kiko Natsume and whispered a few words. It was unclear what they talked about, but Kiko just smiled and shook her head.
At that moment, her body swayed slightly as she stood, looking as if she could collapse at any moment.
"Master, look where Power is!!" Denji reminded him, pointing a finger at her location.
Seeing the four of them observing Power, Kiko Natsume smiled. "She's fine. She's just sleeping. Once she wakes up, the curse will be lifted."
"Captain, you used that move again!!"
"That's right. But it's fine. I just need to go back, get plenty of sleep, and eat some nutritious meals."
"Cough, cough..."
Just as she finished speaking, Kiko Natsume suddenly coughed violently a few times.
"What's going on?"
Only the members of Division 4 were completely confused.
"Lifting curses... don't tell me you contracted the Disease Devil?" Arata asked.
"That's right. Who are you to be able to tell what devil I contracted at a single glance?" Kiko Natsume looked slightly surprised.
"His name is Arata, a rookie in Division 4," Tsurugi chimed in.
"Not simple at all. I get the feeling you can surpass the vast majority of Devil Hunters."
"He is indeed incredibly strong. He has easily defeated every devil we've encountered so far," Himeno didn't miss the chance to praise Arata.
"Without my master, I wouldn't even be here. He really is amazing."
"What are the Disease Devil's abilities?" Aki Hayakawa didn't join the other two in praising Arata; instead, he asked about the Disease Devil.
"The Disease Devil controls all known diseases. It has its pros and cons. It can cure all negative conditions in someone's body, but it can also inflict any single or multiple diseases on a person. It can both cure illnesses and create them."
"That's so strong! You can just casually make people sick." Hearing this, Denji hurriedly backed away from Kiko Natsume to keep a safe distance.
"Don't worry. I actually only contracted a portion of the Disease Devil's power. I can only cure diseases; I can't inflict them."
"What's the price?" Aki Hayakawa asked.
"The price is my health. Every time I heal someone, my constitution deteriorates severely. I might even fall ill for months. And the worst part is, I can't use the devil's power to heal myself."
"Going by this, Miss Makima didn't actually want to kill Power. She found someone to save her."
Denji was completely dumbfounded as he looked at Makima again. His previous prejudice against her vanished into thin air in an instant.
"Denji-kun, am I really that bad in your eyes? I just wanted to see your reaction to the prospect of losing a friend."
"And also, to fulfill Aki-kun's request."
That single sentence made both men instantly blush.
"Aki's request... don't tell me..." Himeno immediately caught on to something and turned to look at Aki Hayakawa.
Aki Hayakawa, however, maintained a calm expression, not feeling the slightest bit noble. Instead, he was surprised that Makima gave him so much face.
Calling someone in first thing in the morning specifically to cure Power—this would only make Aki Hayakawa even more obedient to Makima in the future.
"No, Miss Makima gave me a job and comrades. Without you, I might still be in the countryside working as a civilian Devil Hunter with my master. So I will never view Miss Makima as a bad woman." Denji laughed awkwardly.
"Cough, cough..."
"Captain, are you alright?" The members of Division 3 gathered around Kiko Natsume, with Tsurugi supporting her and constantly checking on her well-being. "Miss Makima, I need to go back and rest now."
"Thank you for your hard work, Kiko. Weren't you looking for backup when you came to me this time? You can take anyone you want from Division 4."
"I think Arata over there is pretty good. He can come with us shortly."
"What!!"
Hearing that Division 3 wanted to take Arata away, the two veterans of Division 4 were instantly unwilling.
"Take Denji. He should be more suitable for you guys," Aki Hayakawa was the first to speak.
"Right, Denji can transform into the Chainsaw Devil. He's very strong." It was the first time Himeno had ever praised Denji.
"What do you two mean by that?!" Denji roared. Sending him away meant saying goodbye to Arata and separating from Makima. There was absolutely no way Denji was going to agree to such a deal.
"It means you belong to Division 3 from now on," Aki said.
"I'm not going!!" Denji puffed his cheeks and rolled around on the floor in protest.
For a moment, the office was filled with bursts of laughter.
"Cough, cough..."
"Our Captain isn't in good health, please don't make her laugh, okay?"
"You misunderstand. I'm just borrowing him for a while. Once the devil is dealt with, you can come back. Though, if you want to stay at that point, that wouldn't be impossible either," Kiko Natsume quickly explained.
After her explanation, the members of Division 4 let out a long sigh of relief.
"Buy one, get one free. I assume there's no problem if I bring Denji along too?"
"Sure. The more, the merrier," Tsurugi immediately replied.
"Arata, just let Denji go by himself. Tsurugi is also very strong." Himeno hugged Arata's arm, deeply reluctant to let him go.
"They only wanted my Master! I'm just a freebie!" Denji roared, trying to make Himeno face reality.
"It's not just because of the devil. If it were just a devil, we wouldn't need any backup."
"The higher-ups have already been pressuring us about this bizarre disappearance case of the wealthy heiress, so we have no choice but to call for help," Kiko Natsume said.
She had originally come to Makima seeking reinforcements. Curing Power was simply an unexpected side event.
"Alright then, Arata should go help Division 3. After all, they helped us save Power."
After saying her piece openly, Himeno leaned close to Arata's ear and whispered something. It seemed she was offering Arata some kind of reward.
But Arata's expression was one of absolute disgust.
"Relax, Himeno-senpai. There's no need to use unnecessary temptations. I will definitely come back."
"Then let's set out. Back to Nara Prefecture."
After Kiko Natsume spoke, everyone left the office together and arrived at the entrance of the Public Safety Headquarters.
A minibus was parked outside. The group boarded one by one. Himeno, Aki Hayakawa, and Makima stood by the road to see them off.
"Arata, remember to call me every night!" Himeno shouted at Arata through the window.
"I'll be very busy once I get there, Himeno-senpai. I won't have time to make phone calls."
"How busy can dealing with a devil be? You're going to fight for a whole day and night?"
"Fight devils during the day, and help Tenten cure her insomnia at night. I really won't have time to call."
"You... you'd better not get any ideas about the girls in Division 3! Otherwise, I'll absolutely go to Nara and drag you back," Himeno joked.
Meanwhile, from another window, Denji's gaze was firmly locked onto Makima's chest. He was taking full advantage of the time before the bus departed to take a few extra looks, ensuring he wouldn't forget.