[Ding! Host has unlocked the achievement "First Encounter with Himeno" and gained 1 attribute point!]
Seeing Himeno and her companion approaching, Chiya deliberately feigned a slightly surprised expression.
Then, as if asking out of curiosity, he said, "Are you two devil hunters from Tokyo Public Safety?"
He certainly couldn't reveal that he already knew Himeno, as this was supposed to be their first meeting.
"Yep, yep~ We saw you fighting that Potato Chip Devil just now. Pretty impressive skills you've got there."
Himeno walked up to Chiya and casually raised her hand, aiming to pat his right shoulder.
His pupils instinctively flicked downward. The moment Himeno lifted her hand, he had already tracked her movement path and almost dodged her touch on reflex.
Himeno noticed this strange detail in his pupils—her hand hadn't even landed yet, but his eyes had already precisely locked onto her intended target.
The corners of her mouth lifted slightly, but she didn't mention it. Instead, she pretended nothing had happened and patted his shoulder as intended.
"You're too kind."
Chiya responded humbly.
At the same time, he realized that Himeno had noticed something unusual about his eyes. But it didn't matter—sooner or later, it would come to light. He could just attribute it to some demonic ability as an explanation.
"Why so modest? Keep up the good work. I think you'll do well in the civilian hunter."
After exchanging just a few words, Himeno planned to leave.
Although she had sensed that this young man was quite powerful, she had no intention of inviting him to join Tokyo Public Safety.
After everything she had been through in Public Safety, she no longer wanted to bring anyone in. She had witnessed too many rookies die within a year or two of joining—some of them were even her previous partners.
Besides, the young man in front of her was clearly still a teenager. She hoped he would stay in the civilian sector, where, as long as he didn't act recklessly, he would be much safer.
At that moment, Aki arrived on the scene.
He had been out and about when he heard reports of a devil appearing nearby, so he rushed over. But now, it seemed like Chiya had already dealt with it.
"Otonashi, you already killed the devil? By the way, who are these two?"
Aki noticed that the two people standing in front of Chiya were wearing Public Safety uniforms, which immediately caught his attention.
Chiya shook his head slightly. "I don't know them either. I just know they're Public Safety officers."
"Oh? Is this your friend? Seems like another civilian devil hunter?"
Himeno studied Aki. "Another teenager, huh? The civilian sector keeps getting younger and younger."
Aki remained as cold as ever. Even if the people in front of him might be his future colleagues, he never considered building relationships. To him, nothing mattered except avenging himself against the Gun Devil.
"Yes, he's planning to apply to join Tokyo Public Safety."
Chiya deliberately mentioned it.
Since his arrival in this world, he had already started causing butterfly effects. Aki had completed the high-difficulty Gun Devil flesh retrieval mission earlier than expected and had met Himeno ahead of schedule. Now, he would also be joining Public Safety sooner than in the original timeline.
Meeting Himeno early was a good thing for Aki, so Chiya wanted to use this opportunity to help them interact more.
"Oh? Then we'll be colleagues in the future. What's your name?"
Himeno was surprised before asking Aki directly.
"Aki Hayakawa."
Aki replied expressionlessly.
"Pretty cold, huh? But are you sure about this? Do you really want to join Public Safety?"
Himeno cautioned him, "Public Safety devil hunters are much more dangerous than civilians. In the past four years, I've had four partners—all of them died. I haven't found my next one yet, but chances are, they won't last two years either."
Himeno spoke lightly about the deaths of her partners, but in truth, her cheerful demeanor was just a facade. No one knew how much pain she carried inside.
Chiya thought to himself that Himeno was pretty spot on—her next partner wouldn't last two years. In fact, in the original story, he didn't even make it a year.
Aki was originally supposed to be Himeno's next partner in Public Safety, but in this altered timeline, that would happen a few months earlier. At this point, she still hadn't found a new partner yet.
"I know."
Aki was firm. No amount of persuasion would change his mind—if he wanted revenge on the Gun Devil, he had to join Public Safety. He had long since accepted the possibility of his own death.
Watching Aki and Himeno together, Chiya felt a sense of relief. Seeing Himeno die in the original story had been incredibly painful for him.
If it weren't for Makima's interference, Aki might have remained obsessed with revenge against the Gun Devil, but at least he and Himeno wouldn't have died so soon or in such a terrible way.
At that moment, Chiya quietly left, leaving Aki to continue talking with Himeno. Meanwhile, Denji was still waiting for him nearby.
Denji was very obedient, staying in the exact spot he had been told to, without moving a single step.
Chiya smiled helplessly. He had told Denji not to wander around, but he didn't mean for him to be completely frozen in place.
"Let's go."
...
Aki soon realized that Chiya was gone, but by then, he and Denji were already far away.
"Since you're determined to join Public Safety, I can only wish you luck."
Himeno smiled and said, "How about this—why don't you become my next partner? What do you think?"
At their first meeting, she had already taken a liking to Aki Hayakawa.
But it wasn't just about looks. What intrigued her most was his cold, serious demeanor. She had an urge to break through that serious exterior—make him smoke, drink, and see if he could still act so proper.
"No."
Aki refused without hesitation.
He had already decided that he would partner with Chiya.
Himeno's expression froze for a moment—she hadn't expected such a blunt rejection. "What? You don't like me? Or have you already chosen a partner?"
"Something like that. The guy from earlier will be applying to Public Safety with me."
After saying that, Aki lost interest in continuing the conversation and prepared to leave.
"You mean that kid from before?"
Himeno suddenly thought of something and asked in surprise, "Wait! You're not gay, are you?"
"..."
A vein twitched on Aki's forehead, as if he was genuinely annoyed.
Himeno quickly laughed, "Hahaha, just kidding, just kidding! No need to take it so seriously~"