A few minutes later, a truck arrived.
This was the vehicle Aki had called to transport the devil's corpse. After all, they couldn't possibly drag such a heavy devil carcass away by hand.
Chiya did have a method—he could use the right eye's Kamui to absorb the devil's corpse into the Kamui dimension (a separate space) and then transfer it out once they reached the civilian outpost.
But there was no need for that. The side effects of using "Kamui" were too severe, and using it for something as trivial as transporting a devil's corpse would be a waste.
Along with the truck came two police cars to handle the scene. If the large amount of blood in the tunnel were discovered by unsuspecting people, it would definitely cause trouble.
They brought the truck driver and two police officers into the tunnel. With the help of flashlights and headlamps, they got a full view of the devil's corpse.
The truck driver exclaimed in awe, "Wow… Hayakawa, this devil you hunted is no ordinary one. Impressive!"
He had been doing this job for many years, specializing in transporting devil corpses for devil hunters. As a result, he had seen plenty of devils and wasn't afraid of their corpses. Even the two police officers beside him weren't as calm.
Just by looking at the devil's hard exoskeleton and massive claws, he knew it was a tough opponent. He hadn't expected Aki to be capable of hunting such a devil.
"No, he's the one who killed it. I didn't do much."
Aki shook his head and told the truth.
He knew very well that he hadn't contributed much during the fight. It was mostly Otonashi who had faced the Crayfish Devil head-on.
Although he could have killed it too, it would have required using the power of the Curse Devil…
"He…?"
The truck driver turned to look at Chiya, who was standing beside Aki, with surprise.
At first glance, the boy seemed unfamiliar, and he had assumed he was a rookie who had just become a civilian devil hunter. Aside from his unusual eyes, the boy's innocent smile gave off a harmless vibe. His first impression had been that this was someone gentle, not a fierce fighter.
Who would have thought this boy was so formidable?
The two police officers also looked at Chiya with astonishment, silently noting that there seemed to be more and more underage devil hunters these days.
Although they themselves weren't willing to pay the price to make contracts with devils, they didn't hold any prejudice against devil hunters. After all, only devil hunters could hunt devils and protect people from their harm.
Chiya remained silent, not one to boast about himself.
Soon, the truck driver called over several people, and together they used tools to load the devil's corpse onto the truck. Special measures were taken to minimize the smell emanating from the corpse, ensuring it wouldn't disturb passersby during transport.
Chiya and Aki rode in a police car, which took them back to the civilian outpost.
The truck transporting the devil's corpse arrived at the outpost's underground garage at roughly the same time. The garage made it convenient to hand over the corpse to the outpost.
The outpost would take custody of the Crayfish Devil's corpse, as the client who had issued the commission wanted the devil's body.
At that moment, Chiya and Aki were sitting on chairs at the outpost's front desk.
"Gentlemen, we've received the devil's corpse. Please wait patiently while we inspect it. Once we confirm everything is in order, we'll settle the commission's reward."
The female staff member at the front desk smiled warmly at them.
Aki remained silent.
Chiya nodded slightly, "Alright."
"By the way, is that young man beside you Aki-kun's…?"
The female staff member continued.
She seemed quite familiar with Aki, addressing him by his first name.
However, before she could finish her sentence, Aki responded coldly, "Just a temporary partner."
Chiya could tell at a glance that this young woman had some feelings for Aki. But at this point in his life, Aki was burdened with the deep-seated desire for revenge after his family was killed. He had no interest in romance.
"Huh? I thought Aki-kun had finally made a friend, and a handsome one at that."
Even though Aki's attitude was cold, the young woman didn't seem the least bit displeased.
She wasn't exaggerating—Chiya's appearance was indeed quite striking.
His handsome features, paired with a gentle and innocent smile, gave off a friendly vibe. The unique pattern of his Mangekyō Sharingan added a touch of mystery to his presence.
Aki simply refused to respond further. At this point, he didn't want to get too close to anyone. His heart was consumed by thoughts of revenge.
A short while later, the outpost confirmed that the Crayfish Devil's corpse was in good condition.
They handed over 400,000 yen in cash to Chiya and Aki—this was the reward for the commission.
The largest denomination of Japanese yen is 10,000 yen, so 400,000 yen was just 40 bills.
The client had spent so much money on this commission because there was profit to be made. For example, selling the devil's corpse on the black market could fetch anywhere from several hundred thousand to over a million yen. In the case of the Crayfish Devil, it could probably sell for around 500,000 to 600,000 yen.
The client was profiting from the price difference, providing information about devils and hiring devil hunters to do the work.
"Oh? So Hayakawa Aki and that strange boy are back. Looks like they completed the commission?"
"Must be. I remember the reward was 400,000 yen. A target at that level definitely wasn't weak. Hayakawa Aki really is strong, huh?"
"…"
People in the outpost began to gossip again.
At that moment, Chiya and Aki were dividing the reward. Chiya suggested splitting it evenly and handed 200,000 yen to Aki.
But Aki immediately refused, "No, I didn't contribute much. You should take it all."
"Why bother being so precise about killing a devil? Just take it."
Chiya wasn't one to argue over such things. He forcefully shoved the 200,000 yen into Aki's hands.
He had never been one to nitpick over these matters, and he had always admired Aki as a character.
If they really wanted to calculate it properly, they'd have to figure out the exact percentage of contribution each had made and divide the reward accordingly. That was too much trouble, and he couldn't be bothered.
"…"
Aki had no choice but to accept.
At the same time, he made a mental note of Chiya.
"This was a good collaboration. Let's work together again if the opportunity arises."
Chiya understood Aki's mindset—he only wanted a temporary partnership. By saying this, he made it clear that Aki wouldn't feel pressured.
"Mm." Aki nodded, thinking that this arrangement was fine.
Hearing the conversation between Chiya and Aki, many people in the outpost were shocked.
They had all assumed that Aki had completed the commission through sheer strength. Who would have thought it was the opposite—that the boy who seemed like a rookie was actually stronger than Aki?
And now that the boy wasn't continuing his partnership with Aki, some people began to consider inviting him to join their teams.