"Good work, everyone."
"Let's wrap it up for today. Get the blood bags ready for the climax of the movie tomorrow."
After sending the film crew away, the house finally became quiet. Aki Hayakawa dragged his exhausted body to his room, intending to get some sleep. But the moment he opened the door, the sight before him stunned him again: Σ(⊙▽⊙"a
"What... what happened to my room?!"
The originally neat and clean room was now stuffed with various movie props and costumes. As for Aki's personal belongings, they had all been carelessly shoved into a large cardboard box and left to collect dust.
"Sorry, Aki. I had to use your room. Once the movie is finished, I'll hire professional cleaners to give it a deep clean and even help you replace the furniture with a new set." Arata poked his head out from behind, smiling shamelessly.
"Forget it. At least you didn't dismantle the bed. I just want to get some good sleep."
Aki no longer had the energy to care about the props. He just wanted to collapse on his bed.
As soon as Aki started to lay down, Arata yelled, "Aki, wait!"
But before he could finish, a loud scream erupted from the room:
"WHAT... WHAT IS THIS!!!"
Looking at Aki, who had instantly become a "blood man," Arata sighed helplessly: "These are the props for tomorrow's big scene. The bed is covered in special blood bags. Once the female lead lies down, her whole body will be covered in blood."
"My god!! Aki-kun!" Himeno was shocked by Aki's appearance. He was covered in red from head to toe.
"Hahahaha! You look so funny like that! I can't take it, I'm going to the bathroom to laugh for a while." Power covered her mouth and ran into the bathroom, letting her suppressed laughter ring out.
"Aki, hurry up and go take a shower."
"Forget it, I'm sleeping like this." Aki closed his eyes in frustration and collapsed on the bed.
"No worries, I'll have the flies help him clean up."
Arata took a deep breath, puffing out his cheeks like a frog. When he let go, a massive swarm of black flies buzzed out of his mouth.
Under Arata's command, the swarm of flies covered Aki's clothes and skin, efficiently devouring all the blood plasma. They were even considerate enough to flip Aki over to clean his back. Only when all the sticky blood was gone did Arata stop.
"Arata, what's with these flies? When did you learn to spit out flies?" Himeno stared in shock.
"While you were out training, I contracted the Fly Devil."
"Uh..." Himeno was speechless -_-||. She wisely chose not to continue the topic.
The fly swarm, having finished their job as cleaners, flew into the toilet bowl, ending their short lives.
Ding-dong!!
The doorbell rang.
"Aki-senpai, are you home?"
"Who is at the door?"
"It's Arai and Kobeni. I told them to come over today." Himeno explained.
"Denji, go open the door."
"By the way, how have Kobeni and Arai been training this past month?"
"Arai got lucky and contracted a new devil. As for Kobeni, she didn't want to pay the price most devils demanded, so she just focused on footwork and cold weapons. Her short-blade skills are quite impressive now."
"Nice."
"Arata-senpai, Himeno-senpai!"
As the door opened, Arai walked in carrying a basket of fruit. Kobeni followed timidly, holding a fish.
"You guys got here fast. Aki was just about to get some sleep." Himeno greeted them warmly.
"We had nothing to do on our day off, so we came over. Besides, we really wanted to see Arata-senpai. If not for his help, Kobeni and I would have been fired long ago."
"Arai, don't be so polite. But if I need a favor later, don't you dare refuse."
"Just say the word, Arata-senpai! I won't say a single word of protest." Arai thumped his chest enthusiastically.
"What devil did you contract?"
"The Ox Devil." Arai puffed out his chest proudly.
"Aha, the birth of the Ox Warrior! Tomorrow I'll have the prop department make you an Ox Warrior mask." Arata teased.
"Arai, what are the Ox Devil's abilities and the price?" Himeno asked.
"It makes my body incredibly robust, and my strength and explosive power have increased. The price is... every time I use the ability, it eats some of the hair on my body."
"Your hair doesn't look any thinner, it's still quite thick." Himeno scrutinized Arai's head suspiciously.
"Uh... Himeno-senpai, don't ask, it's really not convenient to talk about!" Arai's face turned bright red, and he desperately tried to change the subject.
"Kobeni, I heard your short-blade skills are amazing. Why don't you give us a demonstration?"
"Uh... I only brought a fish today, I didn't bring any blades." Kobeni shook her head. She had deliberately left her weapons behind, hating the feeling of being the center of attention.
"Use these." Denji rummaged through the kitchen and found two fruit knives.
"That works. Come on, Kobeni."
Himeno took the knives and shoved them into Kobeni's hands.
"Give me the fish first, I'll hold it." Arai helpfully took the fish.
With everyone staring at her, Kobeni was forced to perform. However, the moment her hands touched the knife handles, her aura changed. The fruit knives spun at high speed between her fingers, moving like shadows. She performed various moves with fluidity and precision.
"Kobeni is really amazing! From now on, I have a whole new level of respect for you."
Himeno wrapped her arms around Kobeni's waist affectionately.
At this moment, Aki finally walked out of his room, looking exhausted.
"Aki-senpai." Arai called out.
"Aki, why are you up? Didn't you say you were tired?"
"You guys are making too much noise, I can't sleep. I'll make dinner for you all, and then I'll sleep."
"Aki-kun, you're just too good!" Himeno beamed.
"Aki, I want salmon! Cut it thin, less than 0.5cm per slice!" Power shouted.
Aki gave her a cold, murderous glare, staying silent.
"Salmon is too expensive... I only bought a mackerel." Kobeni pointed weakly to the fish.
"Mackerel is cheap. Didn't you just get your salary? Are you trying to make the Great Me eat the cheapest fish?!" Power stared her down.
Kobeni cried: "My salary... my parents took it all. They said my brother needed living expenses for college, and they had to buy clothes for my siblings... the money for this fish is what I earned working a part-time job..."
"Kobeni, you gave your whole salary away again?!" Arai stomped his feet in frustration.
"I have no choice, they hold my salary card... I can't get it back."
"Don't let your parents hold your salary card forever. Go report it lost and get a new one, then you can control your own money." Arai suggested.
"It's useless... they'd just come to Public Safety and make a scene, or starve themselves until I'm kicked out..." Kobeni cried even harder.
"Kobeni, you're a Devil Hunter now. Don't let your vampire-like parents push you around. Your brother is in college, can't he work for his own expenses instead of living off a sister who risks her life every day?" Aki complained while filleting the fish.
"Don't worry everyone, I'll handle Kobeni's family situation after dinner." Himeno said coldly.
"Himeno-senpai, bring me along! I'll make sure they understand what physical communication is." Denji grinned.
"Bring me too! I want to go to her house and eat the salmon they're hiding!"
"I... I really don't have salmon at home."
"No salmon? Then forget it, what bad luck." Power sat back down, annoyed.
"Alright, everyone get ready to eat. I'll handle things with Kobeni later with Arai." Himeno pulled Kobeni to the table.
After that, Aki called out from the kitchen, and Denji and Arai went to help serve the food. Although Power was sitting there like a boss, she knew she couldn't escape the chore of washing the dishes later.
As for Arata, who was sitting comfortably on the sofa... no one dared, nor had the guts, to ask him to do even the smallest chore.
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