At this moment, all the students were obediently hiding in their classrooms. Those who weren't in the classrooms had also distanced themselves from the soccer field as much as possible.
However, the teaching building was not far from the soccer field, so many students in the classrooms could see the demon on the field through the windows.
The devil resembled a soccer ball—except it was several meters tall and had human-like arms and legs, though they appeared shriveled like mummified limbs.
Judging by its appearance, it was likely a Soccer Devil.
"This is bad! There's still a girl out there, and the demon seems to have locked onto her!"
"What do we do?! Someone, please save her!"
Many students noticed that a girl had caught the demon's attention, and they became extremely anxious. But none of them dared to go down, so they could only watch helplessly.
The Soccer Devil retracted its arms and legs, relying on its spherical body to roll forward at an alarming speed, hurtling straight toward the girl.
"The taste of human children is unforgettable after just one bite. Today, I must have another taste!"
In no time, the Soccer Devil rolled right in front of the girl, reaching out with its hands to grab and devour her.
However, the girl's legs had seemingly gone weak with fear. After barely taking a couple of steps, she stumbled and fell to the ground, tears streaming down her face in terror.
"Sob… No, please don't eat me!"
Just then, Chiya arrived in time.
With a single swift strike, he severed all of the Soccer Devil's limbs using his katana.
Immediately after, he delivered the final blow, slicing the Soccer Devil in two. Its intestines and a massive amount of blood splattered everywhere.
[Ding! The host has successfully hunted the 'Soccer Devil' and received 6 attribute points!]
This particular Soccer Devil was relatively weak and was instantly killed by Chiya.
For dealing with such a devil, he saw no need to use his "Kamui" eye technique or the power of the Wrath Devil—it would have been a complete waste.
"Are you alright?"
Only now did Chiya turn his gaze toward the girl and ask.
The moment he saw her face, he found it unexpectedly familiar.
"I-I'm fine…"
The girl wiped away her tears, but her legs were still too weak to stand.
[Ding! The host has activated the achievement 'First Encounter with Higashiyama Kobeni' and received 1 attribute point!]
That's right—the girl in front of him was none other than Higashiyama Kobeni.
With a cute face, brown hair, and brown eyes, she had a petite figure and wore a high school uniform. Her tear-streaked face carried a hint of blush.
A flash of surprise appeared in Chiya's eyes—he hadn't expected to meet Higashiyama Kobeni here.
However, considering the current timeline had moved forward by four years, she was indeed supposed to be a high school student at this point.
So, Kobeni attended this school…
Seeing her struggling to stand, her legs trembling, Chiya immediately reached out to support her.
"Don't push yourself too hard."
"Sorry, my legs gave out…" Kobeni said in an embarrassed tone.
Meanwhile, many students in the teaching building had been watching in awe.
"That guy is amazing! And he's really handsome too. Is he a student at our school?"
"I don't think so. He's wearing a uniform that looks like it belongs to Tokyo Public Safety. I've seen Public Safety Devil Hunters before—they're all super strong!"
"Not necessarily. I heard some high schoolers also work as Devil Hunters, but most of them are from the civilian sector."
The students were excitedly discussing among themselves, not even noticing that the alarm had been lifted.
"Chiya, the demon has been dealt with, right?"
At that moment, Aki arrived.
He and Himeno had confirmed that all students and teachers had either evacuated or been accounted for—except for the girl with Chiya.
Seeing the corpse of the Soccer Devil, he knew that Chiya must have handled it with ease.
"Yeah, there shouldn't be any more demons in the school. The crisis is over," Chiya said with a slight nod.
"It looks like the girl is fine, too."
Himeno examined Kobeni for any injuries. "Poor kid, she almost got eaten by a devil. It's only natural that her legs gave out."
"Yeah…"
Chiya responded, but inwardly, he thought that even if he hadn't arrived in time, Kobeni might have been fine. Instead, the Soccer Devil could have been the one in danger.
Despite appearing timid and easily frightened, Higashiyama Kobeni was actually quite powerful when she needed to be. She was one of the few characters in the original story who survived until the end, and the devil she had contracted with remained an unsolved mystery.
However, he wasn't sure whether she had already made a contract with a devil at this point in time, so he could only speculate.
"Feeling better?" Chiya asked her gently.
"A little."
Kobeni managed to stand up with difficulty and gratefully said, "Thank you so much!"
But when her eyes met Chiya's, she shyly looked away. Being so close to someone so handsome made her feel flustered.
Chiya was mindful of propriety, making no unnecessary physical contact. Once he confirmed she could stand, he let go of her.
He then turned to Aki and Himeno. "Let's go. We need to continue our patrol."
"You're leaving already? I thought you'd take advantage of the moment—girls are most vulnerable at times like these, you know," Himeno teased as they walked away.
"What kind of person do you take me for…?" Chiya was speechless.
"Haha, but that girl was really cute and had a nice face. I thought you might like her." Himeno grinned.
"It doesn't matter whether I like her or not. She's a student, and I'm a Public Safety Devil Hunter. Thinking about such things is pointless." Chiya replied calmly.
"That's true. You're quite responsible, Chiya."
Himeno suddenly became melancholic.
She recalled a former partner of hers—he was about to get married, but the day before his wedding, he was killed during a mission.
Public Safety Devil Hunters weren't exactly suited for ordinary relationships.
…
After finishing his patrol duties for the day, Chiya returned home.
Just as he was about to reach his doorstep, he saw Kobeni standing outside his house's corridor, nervously muttering to herself, as if practicing something.
"You…"
As soon as Chiya spoke, Kobeni flinched, visibly startled.
When she saw his face, her eyes widened in shock, and she stammered, "Ehh?! W-W-Why…?!"