All members of the Extermination Division 1 were thoroughly convinced of Vice Captain Otonashi's abilities.
They believed that in terms of pure physical combat, no one in Tokyo Public Security—except for Captain Kishibe—could match Vice Captain Otonashi.
If they factored in devil power, however, they weren't so sure, as they had no idea what kind of devil Otonashi had contracted with.
It wasn't until past 9 PM that Chiya finally left the training facility.
Back home, as he looked at Denji, something suddenly came to mind. "Denji, I won't force you to go to school, but learning is still important. How about I find a tutor for you?"
Denji wasn't too thrilled about the idea, feeling that studying was incredibly boring. But she didn't want her Chiya-nii chan to think she was disobedient, so she nodded. "Alright."
"Good girl." Chiya patted Denji's head.
Denji immediately grinned, feeling happy to be praised.
---
The next day.
Chiya was once again patrolling with Aki and Himeno. Their assignment for the entire week was to patrol the same district.
As they passed by a middle school, Chiya suddenly stopped in his tracks.
"What's wrong, Otonashi-kun?"
Himeno asked. "By the way, you don't go to school, do you? Don't tell me you're feeling nostalgic about student life?"
"No, I was just thinking about finding a tutor for my little sister. She's never been to school."
Chiya explained.
While he could look into specialized tutoring institutions, he felt that a current student would be a better fit—as long as they were a top student. There was no way he'd hire an average student to teach Denji.
"Oh, you're looking for a tutor? Just post a job listing on the school's bulletin board."
Himeno suggested. "Though, I don't think outsiders can put up advertisements here. We should talk to the principal first."
Aki slightly parted his lips, about to remind them that they were still on patrol, but after some thought, he decided to hold his tongue.
He considered Otonashi's feelings.
Himeno walked toward the school gate, with Chiya and Aki following behind.
As long as they weren't outright slacking off, there wouldn't be any issues—no one was monitoring them, and Tokyo Public Security wasn't overly strict about these things.
The security guard at the gate noticed their uniforms and immediately asked, "Are you… Public Security Devil Hunters?"
"Yes, we need to speak with the principal about something." Himeno responded first.
After verifying their identification, the security guard directed them to the principal's office.
As the three of them entered, the guard couldn't help but feel uneasy.
Not only had three Public Security Devil Hunters suddenly arrived, but one of them was even a deputy captain. Could there be a devil lurking in the school?
Soon, Chiya and the others reached the administrative building and found the principal's office.
"Hello, Principal. We'd like to request permission to post a job listing on the school's bulletin board." Himeno got straight to the point.
"What kind of job listing? It's not related to Devil Hunting, is it?"
The principal immediately looked concerned.
If that were the case, even if they were from Tokyo Public Security, he would be reluctant to agree.
Whether they were middle school or high school students, the majority of the school's population were minors. There was no way he could allow them to be recruited for such a dangerous job.
Himeno quickly shook her head. "No, no. We wouldn't be heartless enough to recruit students as Devil Hunters. Otonashi-kun, you explain."
"I'm Otonashi Chiya, Vice Captain of Extermination Division 1. I just want to hire a tutor for my little sister." Chiya briefly explained the situation.
"I see. That's no problem at all. Just give me the job listing once you've prepared it."
The principal readily agreed.
Since the request wasn't anything unreasonable, he had no reason to refuse a favor for Tokyo Public Security's Devil Hunters.
Chiya didn't waste time and wrote the job listing on the spot.
Starting pay: 2,000 yen per hour. One to two hours per day. One-month probation period. Requirements: Must be a high school student ranked in the top ten academically. Interviews required.
A 2,000 yen hourly wage was exceptionally high for a student part-time job. The average hourly wage in Tokyo was around 1,000 yen, and he was offering double to attract the best candidates.
After all, money wasn't an issue for him.
"Alright, I'll have my secretary post this on the bulletin board shortly." The principal said.
Just then, a sudden and deafening alarm blared throughout the school.
Chiya immediately tensed. What kind of alarm was this? Could a devil have appeared?
"No way… The moment we arrive, a devil shows up?"
Himeno's words confirmed Chiya's suspicion.
"Let's go!"
Aki immediately dashed out of the principal's office.
He was well aware that schools in Japan conducted regular anti-devil drills, but the drill alarms were much milder than this. This alarm meant there was a real devil in the school.
Chiya and Himeno swiftly followed.
The principal didn't stand idly by either—he activated the school's intercom system to instruct students to stay inside their classrooms. Unless the devil approached their room, they were not to wander around.
Most students had no idea where the devil was, but the school's security personnel would soon locate and contain it. If students ran around in panic, they risked stampedes—or worse, directly running into the devil.
Besides, the principal had high hopes for the three Tokyo Public Security Devil Hunters.
The school's security force could at best delay the devil; in normal circumstances, they would have to wait for civilian Devil Hunters to arrive, and if they couldn't handle it, Public Security would intervene.
But this time, Public Security was already here.
Soon, another announcement echoed through the speakers.
"The devil is at the soccer field! Repeat, the devil is at the soccer field! All students and faculty near the field must evacuate immediately! Repeat, evacuate the soccer field immediately!"
The urgent broadcast was loud and clear, and Chiya heard it perfectly.
Without hesitation, he sprinted toward the soccer field. Earlier, when standing outside the principal's office, he had already memorized the school's layout—including the location of the soccer field.
Aki and Himeno couldn't keep up with his speed and soon lagged behind.
Himeno sighed. "Otonashi-kun is insanely fast! But that's good. If he arrives first, he can minimize student casualties."
"Let's change our focus. Otonashi can handle the devil. We should check if there are still students or teachers who haven't evacuated yet."
Aki had full confidence in Otonashi's abilities.