It's worth noting that the Coffee Devil and the Grill Devil weren't weak at all—most independent devil hunters would struggle against even one of them, let alone both appearing together.
So, if Chiya hadn't intervened, they wouldn't have been able to defeat the devils in the first place. There was no question of someone "stealing their prey."
Afterward, Chiya contacted Tokyo's Public Safety Bureau and the police, then left the scene without another word.
"Wait, did he just say he's the Deputy Captain of Exterminate Division 1? I just heard this afternoon that the deputy captain of Division 1 is that rising S-Class rookie everyone's been talking about!"
"No wonder he's S-Class… I wonder what kind of devil he's contracted with. His powers are insane!"
"The devil that we were risking our lives to fight got crushed in a second… makes us feel useless!"
The civilian devil hunters sighed in awe.
At that moment, Chiya glanced down the street at the various shops.
Under everyone's gaze, he casually walked toward a distant barbecue shop that hadn't been affected by the devil fight. The onlookers couldn't help but wonder—what was he planning to do over there?
The barbecue shop owner was just as stunned.
What happened next left everyone slack-jawed—Chiya started picking out ingredients from the shop.
Was he… just planning to eat barbecue?
"Boss, I'll take these. Pack them up for takeout."
Chiya picked out some sausages, meatballs, chicken wings, drumsticks—things Denji liked to eat.
He hadn't forgotten to bring Denji something to eat. Freshly grilled barbecue was definitely better than the cold leftovers from a restaurant.
The owner blinked in a daze before nodding repeatedly. "Y-Yes, of course…"
The owner grilled everything with utmost care, not daring to undercook a single skewer. He was terrified of disappointing this man.
After all, Chiya had just taken down devils in an instant—he had essentially saved the man's livelihood. If the devils had rampaged further, the barbecue shop might've been destroyed. To the owner, the shop was even more important than his own life.
Chiya waited about ten minutes. By then, Aki had arrived, helping Himeno along after sensing that the devils had been defeated.
"Otonashi, you're still eating?"
Seeing Chiya waiting for barbecue, Aki couldn't help but ask.
"I'm full. I just want to bring Denji some food."
Chiya replied, "Speaking of which, do you want a couple of skewers? My treat."
"No thanks. I couldn't eat anything right now." Aki shook his head.
Once the owner had everything packed up, Chiya asked, "How much do I owe you?"
But the owner frantically waved his hands. "No need, no need! You're my lifesaver—I could never charge you!"
"Let's not mix things up."
Chiya didn't want to take advantage of him. He placed several thousand yen on the counter and walked off without waiting for change.
He flagged down a taxi, and he and Aki took Himeno home.
"Himeno-senpai, we're at your place. Wake up." At the doorstep, Aki tried to wake her.
But Himeno was fast asleep. He had to shake her a few times before she stirred.
Still half-asleep, she mumbled, "Mm… what…?"
"We're home. Where's your key?" Aki repeated gently.
"Mmm… In my pocket…"
Moving sluggishly, Himeno fumbled out a set of keys from her pants pocket and shoved them into Aki's hand.
Aki used the keys to unlock the door and helped her onto the living room sofa.
Himeno immediately collapsed onto it, ready to sleep again.
"Wake up a little. This isn't your bedroom."
Aki frowned at her and couldn't help but say something.
Chiya didn't follow them inside. He waited by the door—he figured he wouldn't be much help, and his presence might only slow things down.
Just then, Aki noticed a jar of honey on the table and went to prepare a glass of honey water for Himeno.
When he placed the cup on the coffee table, the clink made Himeno slowly open her eyes.
"Aki-kun, you're so sweet~"
She teased him with a drunken smirk.
"I just didn't want to see you pass out in the living room without even showering."
Aki replied dryly, "Drink this, sober up, and go shower before bed."
"Yes~ sir~"
Himeno sat up slowly and downed the honey water in one go.
After a while, she did seem more awake and looked a little better.
Seeing her in better condition, Aki said, "Well then, Otonashi and I will head out."
"Wait~!"
Himeno grabbed his sleeve. "Why are you in such a rush? Can't you stay and keep me company?"
"..."
Aki was silent for a moment before replying, "I should go home and shower too."
"Tch~~"
Himeno pouted in a mock-whiny tone. "Aki-kun, you're always so uptight."
"..."
Aki was silent again, clearly done with the conversation. He turned and started walking toward the door.
"Aki-kun! Take this!"
As he turned, he saw something flying toward him—a set of keys. He instinctively reached out and caught them.
"Wait… aren't these your keys?"
Aki asked, puzzled.
"No worries, that's the spare set. I've still got my original."
With that, Himeno flopped back down on the sofa. "Next time you bring me home, don't bother waking me up~"
Aki stared at the spare keys in his hand for a while… and eventually decided to keep them.
He stepped outside, gently closed the door, and called out, "Himeno-senpai, don't forget to lock the door!"
"Got it~!"
She called back.
But hearing her groggy voice, Aki still felt a bit uneasy. He couldn't very well lock the door for her from outside.
"You could just stay and lock the door for her."
At that moment, Chiya suddenly spoke up.
"No. It's just Himeno-senpai at home—it's not appropriate for me to stay."
Aki replied seriously.
"Why not? It's not like you'd do anything to her. Right?"
Chiya smiled and added, "What if she forgets to lock the door and falls asleep? What if someone breaks in?"
"..."
Aki hesitated. He was worried about that too. Chiya's words made him second-guess himself.
"She gave you the spare keys—clearly she trusts you. There's nothing inappropriate about it."
Chiya continued calmly.
"…Fine."
Aki finally relented. He decided to stay the night at Himeno's place, just in case.
Once Himeno went to bed, he'd just sleep on the living room sofa.
Chiya's outrageous "assist" had actually worked.
Watching Aki head back into Himeno's cozy little house, Chiya strolled off on his own, quite pleased with himself.