I sat up as I opened my eyes.

And immediately groaned as I felt the soreness and bruises ache from my movement.

A breath to calm myself led to me wincing from more unexpected pain.

I forcibly let myself relax in order to reduce the sudden pain. I closed my eyes in an attempt to help facilitate relaxation. Seconds passed before I felt sufficiently fine enough to open my eyes back up as I looked around my surroundings.

A plain white room with an attached desk on the end of the bed I'm currently resting on. There was a window to my left, a tv in front, and a drawn curtain at my right.

I'm in a hospital.

Why am I here? Again?

Did I somehow end up getting hit by Yukinoshita's limousine again? That would be both an amusing coincidence and a sad situation to have happened again. Well, I'm sure her driver would totally appreciate me ruining the paint job of their vehicle a second time in a span of two out of the three years of my high school career.

Maybe I could even get a deep discount for the hospital bills for how many times I'm in here.

Ah. Wait. It's coming back to me now.

Oh yeah, demons happened.

There was that Lamia, then… the gigolo, and then the Leviathan….

Images of blood, rushing water, and an enticing darkness threatening to envelop me appeared in my mind's eye. After that, I remembered the Leviathan forcing me to leave by almost drowning me which is when I soon broke through a portal.

I made it out alive only after almost dying multiple times.

I have the conflicting urge to either scream frustrated obscenities or cheer loudly.

I'll shelve those trauma filled feelings and thoughts for now since there are other patients within the building. They likely would find me being loud, unproductive towards them recovering. I'll just settle with sighing with the relief that I'm not dead.

I heard the door open. Soon after, the curtain at my right was pushed to the side, revealing a doctor with glasses approaching me.

"Ah, Hikigaya-san. You're awake," the doctor moved to the side of my bed as he picked up a clipboard that was placed on a desk, "Any outstanding pain? Do you have trouble breathing?"

"Uh, no there isn't anything I would consider 'outstanding'. Although I do have some slight issues with breathing."

The doctor nodded as he began to physically examine me.

More questions and tests later, the doctor seemed to be reaching the end of what needed to be checked.

"Hm, we're basically done now. There aren't any issues that have come from you drowning. You have superficial bruises that should heal with no issues. A bite mark that pierced skin, luckily there seems to be no sign of infection. Lastly, there's a bruised rib that doesn't seem too serious. However, if you have even more trouble breathing or increased pain, inform me or another doctor immediately."

"Um thanks. Yeah, I'll make sure to do that."

Seriously… hearing all of that at once makes me feel like I got off lightly considering I was fighting against otherworldly beings that had zero qualms about killing me. That list of injuries given by the doctor may sound like a lot but it doesn't seem that serious compared to what could easily have ended up with my death. That's also not even counting the wounds that I had healed before passing out. There were more bruises, some minor injury on my arm where my gauntlet had protected me, both legs injured to a degree I wasn't sure about, one of my shoulder's being pierced with needles, a broken nose, and a strangled throat.

If I still had all of my wounds, it would tell a much more serious and worrying story than just bruised ribs and a self-inflicted bite after nearly drowning.

That also reminds me that I'm out of life stones… Where exactly am I supposed to find more of those things? Those would be very much appreciated considering my current aches.

Jack Frost would be another option for healing but that gigolo ended up killing him along with Harpy.

I may not be fond of demons but Jack Frost was definitely an exception towards those feelings. He saved me during my first encounter with that Kobold and was sincere in his goal of saving others. Even if he was acting annoyingly like a chuuni while doing so.

I may not have known him for long but I will always be grateful towards him for how much he had helped me in such a short amount of time.

I felt a pang of… something as I thought of that chubby looking snowman more.

Okay, I'm actually feeling sad at the thought of Jack Frost being gone. I shouldn't try to bullshit myself into thinking otherwise.

Hm? Did someone just ask how I feel about Harpy kicking the bucket? Ah, well, it's a shame I guess (lol).

It's not like I had much of a connection towards her, and she wasn't exactly helping with my inner bias against demons considering what little I've seen from her was tinged with cruelty and there was her compendium entry that didn't paint in the best light either.

The doctor nodded, "You're going to need to spend an extra day with the hospital for observation to make sure there aren't any other complications and after that you'll be free to go," he turned and motioned his head towards the door, "You have some guests visiting, I'll make sure to inform them that you're awake."

Guests? As in multiple people? Komachi is the only one that comes to mind right now. I guess Yukinoshita and Yuigahama? Actually, what time is it right now? And which hospital am I in? Either option could be an impediment towards Komachi actually being here to visit considering school hours and the fact that Kyoto is not Chiba.

The doctor let a large group of people inside the room as they began shouting my name.

"Hikigaya-kun!"

"Hikki!"

"Hachiman! Are you okay?"

"Hikitani-kun."

"Ah! I see that my fellow comrade has awoken from the result of his intense struggle against the forces of evil!"

"Thank you so much aniki!"

Their loud voices boosted the volume of each other to a grating amount. Thankfully not everyone participated or else the hospital would have needed to bill me about my eardrums too.

I appreciate your generosity in not adding towards the noise, kawa-something, Miura, Ebina, and uh, what's his name… Ooka!

Yukinoshita and Yuigahama, your enthusiasm is appreciated but I'm awake so you don't have to try to wake me up by calling my name so loudly.

Totsuka, your voice is an refreshing sound amongst a sea of abrasive noises. I'm glad your angelic presence is helping even in large groups like these. Everyone else can stop talking, and Totsuka could be the main speaker for the rest of you people. I would certainly appreciate it more.

Hayama, the contrast between the previous voice and yours is so great that I would have preferred you to not have bothered to speak, let alone say my name incorrectly again.

Zaimokuza, please stop. Your wild delusions are edging towards actually being reality for once and the very idea is making me wish the world would swallow me whole. Seriously, what has become of my life if the chuunibyou generic bullshit that's ripped straight from the work of multiple authors spewing out of his mouth is actually applicable to me.

And finally, Tobe… Why the hell are you calling me 'aniki'? I assure you, there's only one person who can call me some sort of variation of big bro and it's certainly not you! Also I have no idea what you're thanking me for but the payment for this apparent good deed I did is for you to never call me your 'aniki' ever again.

The doctor stepped in at the high volume, "Okay now. I get you're glad to see your friend but this is still a hospital so quiet down."

Once the group had visibly called to a reasonable level the doctor said, "I'll be leaving the room now. Make sure to not shout once I'm gone. Oh and Hikigaya-kun, if there are any issues make sure to call for a doctor or nurse. There's a button right next to you that would call for one."

Once his piece was said, the man left. And the room once again was endowed with noise, albeit with a moderate level. Questions of what happened and if I was alright being prominent.

A group of people were clearly separating themselves from the others as they got my attention.

Hayama's clique were the ones who stepped forward and they spoke with multiple variations of the same statement. The complete meaning of what the whole group conveyed is, "Thank you for saving Yamato," with Tobe and Ooke giving me an especially deep bow at the same time.

The others in the room quieted down at this.

…Well this feels extremely awkward.

In fact, I'm also deeply uncomfortable. How are people who work in jobs that help people like firefighters and paramedics supposed to deal with gratitude like this? I don't exactly have any frame of reference for this kind of situation. Actually maybe not those jobs, it feels weird to compare myself to people who save lives daily. It's another extra thing that would be piled on everything else I'm feeling so I would rather have a different comparison.

Now that Yamato has been mentioned, I'm wondering what exactly he has told other people about what happened to him. Trying to explain demons with no evidence is a fool's errand so did he only just give the broad strokes or did he make something up? I kind of need to know so that I don't end up contradicting something that would bring attention to a dangerous situation for others to get into.

But it's good to hear that I had actually saved him and that he didn't die from his injuries after I passed out. It's… a relief I guess. No one would ever want someone to die after just rescuing them after all.

It's likely Yamato's account of the event that had them thank me like this. Otherwise, all they would have to go off of would be the two of us together unconscious on the ground outside. Not exactly a clear indication of what occurred.

Wait a second. Someone needed to have found me in order to have brought me to the hospital.

When I would have had all of my combat gear on me.

I was carrying a sharp blade and a firearm.

How am I not arrested right now?

Either that or being put under surveillance and in a less lackadaisical place in terms of security. There didn't seem to be anything preventing me from leaving and I had a surplus of guests. Not exactly indications that I'm under suspicion for anything.

Did the person who found me take them off of me? Why would they do that if someone did actually find me?

What other possibility could there be though? Is it incompetence somewhere in the system that ended up with me not being charged with illegal possession of weapons and a suspect involvement with a kidnapping situation?

I don't have my COMP on me either. Was it grouped together with the other items taken away because it looks like armor? Actually, that's almost certainly the case. It's unlikely for anyone who had seen the gauntlet to assume it's something else other than a protective piece of equipment.

It's useless for further speculation on a topic that I can't confirm details on. Especially when I'm supposed to be focused on how to respond to people expressing gratitude.

What exactly am I supposed to say again?

"You're welcome. But it's because of Tobe asking me about Yamato in the first place that led me to actually finding him."

Yeah that works. I should have just decided to keep it simple and deflect their thanks earlier in my thought process before I went on a tangent regarding my equipment that's making me worried! Thank Tobe instead! Stop looking at me!

"It was still because of you that Yamato is here right now."

"Yeah, Hayato's right aniki! He's still here because you saved him! If you ever need anything just tell me and I'll have your back."

Okay, okay. I get it. I don't need your assurance regarding my own actions.

"I'll consider the offer," I won't, "But I'm sure that Yamato would like that sort of sentiment more than I would."

You get the implication don't you? Go bother him instead of me! He's the one with actual serious injuries that would impact him in the long term.

Hayama's group grew noticeably more somber and serious at the mention of their friend.

In contrast to the normal dynamics of the group, Tobe took the lead in the conversation with an uncharacteristically focused tone, "Aniki, I'm serious. I will have your back no matter what. Just like how I'll help Yamato too. I won't abandon him because of something like this."

Huh, that's a stark contrast between the early attitudes Tobe and the other two used to have with each other. There was that chain mail nonsense that spread malicious rumors of each other with a possible suspect in each of the three. Hell, it could have been Hayama who spread the chain mail if only to create an excuse to find someone to help fix their group dynamic. The three of them were only friends of Hayama and not of each other. Once he left, the others didn't talk to each other. Eventually the situation had gotten resolved, Tobe, Ooke, and Yamato had become proper friends with each other.

I didn't expect such deep commitment when they weren't exactly friends that long ago.

I nodded, "You do what you think is right."

Tobe smiled, "You betcha."

With their piece finished, Hayama's clique left to go visit Yamato again.

Their looks of respect are especially prevalent on certain members of the group because of the sheer contrast from their earlier impressions of me. It felt jarring from someone like Mirua even if recently she showed some begrudging understanding of the way I did things.

Ebina herself also seemed to be generally happy about how the situation had resolved but it seems that she might me slightly conflicted if I'm reading her right. I'm guessing because of her previous request regarding making a situation that Tobe wouldn't want to confess in?

Well I assure you that I did not intentionally put Yamato in danger in order to fake a situation where it would be inappropriate for Tobe to confess to you. Putting aside the morality of such a decision, it's also just stupid for me to do so I'm assuming that isn't what you're thinking specifically.

Is it more that she feels like she's benefiting from a tragic incident even if tangentially? Much more likely the case. Well, people take advantage of tragedies in order to put themselves ahead all the time. It's nothing groundbreaking or particularly newsworthy, the difference is that Ebina didn't purposely do so or orchestrate the situation in the first place.

Once the room became less crowded, I left out a sigh of relief while ignoring the pain from my bruised ribs while doing so. There's still quite a few people in here but I don't feel quite so suffocated now. Additionally their gratitude was difficult to deal with too, making for a two part combo.

"Hikigaya-kun… What exactly happened for you to get hurt to this degree?"

That is a difficult question to answer. Thank you Yukinoshita for reminding me that I still have to cover up the details of what had happened. I almost believed that after everything with Tobe and the others, talking with everyone else would be smooth sailing in comparison.

I need something suitably general enough that it wouldn't contradict what Yamato had said but still offer enough details to be satisfying enough of an explanation. The worry is if he had ended up making something completely up that I wouldn't have any possible way of knowing, causing me to have inconsistencies with the pre-established story. I still have concerns over being possibly suspected by the authorities regarding an incident that involved kidnapping and maiming.

"...I just happened to spot something suspicious when I was looking out a window," I looked off towards the window of this room as if reminiscing about the events that lead up towards this moment when I was actually brainstorming on how to lie my way into a plausible explanation with no contradictions, "I thought I spotted someone getting carried off all while being covered in blood. Tobe recently told me about how he couldn't find Yamato so this made me more wary and aware of the situation. They were about to leave my field of view which led to a split decision that had me following them for an indeterminate amount of time, all while trying to find an opening to get the apparent hostage," I looked back at the others as I gestured my arms towards myself, "As you can see, a confrontation occurred."

There we go, a statement that's satisfactory and probably won't contradict what Yamato has said since he wasn't aware of me until the end. It still is lacking in the more gruesome details, as well as the exclusion of the supernatural aspects, and no mention that I was deliberately looking for trouble.

A perfectly fine explanation that I don't think would be questioned unless I missed some–-

"...I don't think you're telling us everything."

How the hell can you tell that!? Am I that easy to read?! What gave me away? Abort! Abort! Do something you fish-eyed bastard!

"What? You're seriously pushing for more information out of an injured and traumatized victim here?"

Yukinoshita very noticeably flinched at my spur of the moment attempt at deflection.

Shit, I went too far with that.

"Hachiman, it's okay. We're just worried. We won't push if you really don't want to answer."

Totsuka…

I know, I know. I just can't let certain things slip. It's easier to dissuade someone from asking rather than dancing around a topic. But despite that approach, I should not have said something like that so antagonistically towards them.

"Sorry for how I responded. I didn't consider how that may have sounded until the words were already out."

"Ah, no. I should have taken into account how the situation affected you."

You seriously don't have to. It makes me feel guilty considering that isn't even the actual reason why I'm trying to hide the details.

"We know something was off considering what we had to shake out of your friend over there," Kawa-something said. Actually no, Kawasaki. I'm not going to pretend to not know her name even in my own head when it's something as serious as this.

But first off… who is this friend you speak of? Because the only person you're gesturing towards is the tubby bastard that doesn't seem to be able to keep his mouth shut.

Zaimokuza. What exactly did you tell them? And what could have given my story away?

"Ahaha, Hachiman! I had simply informed them of the club task that you embarked on while carrying your supplies. If I had known you were venturing into the dark pits of evil to take Yamato from the clutches of your sacred enemy, I would have joined to support you in your endeavors."

You piece of lard! Why did you go out of your way to tell the others about why I was going out?

Yukinoshita interjected before he could go on a rant and before I could actually properly curse him out in my head, "I clearly do not remember such a request being given to the Service Club. It serves as a suggestion that you used your club status for some sort of other goal. Perhaps even, that you knew something about Yamato's situation."

An implication that I seeked out trouble in order to rescue him. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it would seem suspicious that I didn't inform the authorities if I had an idea of where he was.

"But seriously, when you were missing in the morning there was a lot of worry of what could have happened to you. So we looked for Zaimokuza to ask about where he last saw you," Yuigahama said.

Damn it. I shouldn't have banked on Zaimokuza not being approached by the others, especially in an event such as this where the last person to have seen me was him.

"Hikki," Yuigahama's voice was shaky as she said, "Please. We just don't want you to get into dangerous situations like this. This is different from the other times you had gotten hurt."

…Yeah. This is definitely different than the social suicides I did. Usually I would just get my reputation destroyed in order to solve a certain problem which at most results in being roughed up a bit. But what I'm currently dealing with is not at the level of 'roughing me up', it's now a matter of life and death for me.

Because of that, I know I can't tell the full truth. I don't want the others here involved if I can help it.

"...As you may have heard me mention earlier, Tobe requested some help in finding Yamato so I just extended that request for during this trip too. And considering the previous night there was an injured woman found near our hotel, I was getting some suspicions over what I may find near our location."

"There was another injured victim? With such a short timeframe and near exact location, there's a decent possibility for a connection between the two incidents. I'm assuming that was the reasoning that the teachers had to become even stricter the previous day," Yukinoshita mused on the new information.

Seems like the school staff did end up hiding the the fact that anything happened from the students. I wasn't sure if that was actually the case or not because of how disconnected I am from general gossip.

"I was looking into the situation for any possible correlation between Yamato and the recent victim. I'll spare you some of the details since I don't feel comfortable sharing but eventually I ended up with a hypothesis regarding his whereabouts and what may have occurred."

Totsuka reassured me that I don't need to answer if I don't want to so I'm taking that privilege in order to not discuss the details. I could have just not elaborated on anything if I really wanted to but If I outright deny to talk about anything though, it may give what I feel to be an undesirable impression about me. Such as being too traumatized from what happened to properly discuss it. That would color how they would talk and treat me, most likely as if I was fragile, not exactly ideal.

"Hikki, why didn't you tell someone else about this? Like Hiratsuka-sensei or the police? You got into such a dangerous situation…"

"I didn't have proper proof. And I didn't want to wait for others to try to verify what I found when that could have ended up getting Yamato killed because they waited too long. But don't worry, it's unlikely for me to get into another situation like this again." Yeah, I doubt I'll end up getting hospitalized if I pass out while in the other dimension.

I'll try to lessen the chance for me to end up in the hospital when I'm not stuck on the other side, but I have a feeling that further injuries is enevitable.

"My fated partner! You truly are deserving to be named after the great war god Hachiman!" Don't remind me that I might have to contend with the actual god that I share my namesake with! "When I found you upon that ground unmoving along with your vassal, I had feared the worse!"

You found me…? Does that mean that he saw what I carried with me?

At the minimum, my sword would have been rather obvious to see.

I stared directly at Zaimokuza, "Oh? Does that mean you called the ambulance for me?"

"Well reasoned my compatriot. I had feared for your health and unfortunately my compacity for war far outstrips that of my own medical expertise."

"I have a question. I actually passed out not long after making it to where I was. Was there anything unusual that you had seen?"

"Unusual? Hm. I do not believe I observed anything erroneous."

I don't trust that answer. If he was the one to find me first he had to have seen my weapons or my gauntlet. But there hasn't been any questions or suggestions that they're aware of them.

If no one else knows, then that just means he either truly didn't see them or he didn't share the information to others for some reason. I need to corner Zaimokuza to interrogate him later.

The conversation moved on as I reassured everyone that I was okay.

I discovered that it was nearing the evening and that I was found in the early morning. I was unconscious for essentially half the day.

In addition students were being kept here a little past the original return date because of what happened.

"Police have cordoned off the area you were found and are investigating. As a result they have held off from letting us go home just to make sure it was safe to do so, considering the close proximity of the incidents with the hotel we're staying in."

Thank you for the information Yukipedia. I'll make sure to make a donation of a hundred yen for your services.

Eventually everyone began leaving since it was getting late and visitor hours were starting to end soon.

Thank god for that. All that talking was bad for my heart.

Once I thought everything was finally done and no one else was going to bother me anytime soon, Hiratsuka-sensei walked into the room along with someone else. An older man.

My heart started pumping at who the other person was. The stress already being on par with the previous conversations today.

The man wore a hat over his gray hair that shadowed the fierce glare on his face marked with stress lines. That made the rest of the sharp features he had all the more intimidating.

A cold sweat started to form as I took in the uniform the man was wearing.

A police officer.

"Hikigaya! I'm glad to see that you're alright," Hiratsuka-sensei gave a warm and relieved smile, "I would have liked to speak to you about the whole situation but I'm sure you're already tired of everyone else asking about it."

"Ah, yeah," I said as I feigned calmness while raising an eyebrow, "Hiratsuka-sensei, who's the officer next to you? I hope this isn't leading to an interrogation right after your own reassurance."

Yeah, this isn't exactly good for my heart right now. I'm going to keep repeating that just to hammer home how much it's thumping right now.

The uniformed man spoke up, "Don't worry, I'm only here to give my thanks for how you dealt with the situation and an offer."

An offer? What is this offer you speak of? Because with not enough details I'm liable to believe the least favorable interpretation of such words. I'm too paranoid and wound up right now to be optimistic regarding what you said, ya know~.

So what will it be? Let's see, it could be a way to put me off guard before arresting me for suspected kidnapping. Or the offer could be about giving me a plea deal if I confessed to everything. So many possible options that screw me over…

"Officer Kurosawa here says that he was impressed with your sense of justice and wanted to extend a proposal for an internship at the police department," Hiratsuka-sensei said while giving me a knowing look.

Are you implying something about my future prospects with that look you gave me? I'll have you know that my dream job of being a house husband is perfectly reasonable and shouldn't be looked at with such skepticism! If young girls can have such aspirations then it stands to reason that it's perfectly natural that a decent young man such as myself would have similar opinions. You should already know about my reasoning from my Perspective Workplace Tour Survey sensei!

I'll even provide examples of being suitable for the job within my own head. First off, I can cook a rather good curry if I do say so myself. And everything else like cleaning and other house chores? …Well technically I do have some experience before Komachi started taking over all of the chores, but I'm sure I'll have the situation in hand when it comes down to it. I'm adaptable like that.

But an internship to work as an officer of the law, eh? Can't say I've ever thought about doing something like that. The interactions that would come about from handling criminals and colleagues already sounds like a pain. Ugh, I can already tell I'll have a hard time dealing with the daily idiocy of people breaking the law. I already have too much trouble with the law-abiding youth-filled students in my school, so that sounds like too much of a huge step up in comparison.

But why the offer? Were my 'supposed' actions rescuing Yamato, that they haven't even confirmed with me yet, incredible enough for them to ask me to join the force? Even if in an internship role, it's still a position that uses up resources to train and teach someone.

Hiratsuka-sensei gestured her hand towards Officer Kurosawa, "I'll leave you guys alone to talk more about this opportunity you've been given," she stressed some of her words while looking me directly in the eye.

I can feel the judgement regarding my dream job. You really want me to work as a police officer that much? Or is it that any job that isn't being a stay at home husband fine in your eyes?

She left the room while giving me a wave. Leaving only the officer and myself inside the room.

There was an awkward pause as we just stared at each other, with neither side engaging first.

Are you going to say something? It's not like there's any other patients in here either.

Something finally happened when I saw movement from the corner of my eye and repressed the urge to flinch or do anything possibly incriminating. Like panicking and running away. That would definitely make me very suspicious.

It was a bag that I hadn't noticed since I focused too much on the possibility that I could get arrested if I brought too much attention on some potential illegal aspects that I've been recently involved in.

Wait a second, it actually looks like my own bag. The one filled with questionable items, like ammunition for my gun…

Officer Kurosawa lifted my bag up and passed it to me, "Here, most of your gear is in here except for your sword. It's too long to hide in your bag."

What.

"Wha– I mean, I-I think you have the wrong person?"

Genius deflection, I'm a paragon of speech. Making it sound like a question was undoubtedly the correct decision. I should have joined a Debate Club before I got dragged into the Service Club because of the showing I had just given. I'm sure I would have risen to be number one if I had done so. Maybe I'm actually the next coming of Phoenix Wright and becoming a defense attorney is my destiny.

But what the hell is going on?

Officer Kurosawa slightly smiled, "No, I'm sure you're the owner of these items. After all, I'm looking for the Demon Summoner who saved the life of Yamato."

He knows about demons?

"...Who are you really?"

"A Police Officer who's a semi-retired Demon Summoner and as of recently is now an arms dealer for people who fight against demons like you."

"So a Demon Summoner Officer Arms Dealer?"

"...When you say it like that, it sounds like a rather unwieldy title."

Well, you're the one who is working three jobs at once.

To work is to lose, and clearly this officer is losing in life considering the amount of labor required and the danger making it possible to lose his actual life too.

"Why are you here anyway?"

Officer Kurosawa raised an eyebrow, "Didn't I already say the reason? It's to offer you an internship."

…Huh?

"You're serious?"

"Of course I am. There are numerous benefits to joining, such as proper training and giving an actual reason for meeting if you need to purchase weapons or ammunition from me."

Training huh? Can't exactly deny needing it. My moves are amateurish and clunky. With mistakes costing me injuries that could have been avoided. If I had instruction it would reduce injuries, mistakes, and be able to increase the efficiency in how many demons I take down. Those are tempting aspects to that sort of deal.

Ammunition is an even bigger concern for me, I don't have a current supplier so it's inevitable for me to run out unless I either take the internship or somehow find someone else willing to sell ammo to a minor. Not to mention that the chance of that happening decreases even more considering that basically all guns are banned in Japan if you're not a hunter, soldier, or officer.

No ammo means fighting with only melee weapons or skills. There's the lack of range from the former and the energy required to use the latter. With a gun, both of those issues becomes a moot point.

There's still the tempting thought of having even more weapons for back up. I can't count how many times I've already been disarmed in just a few days of fighting demons.

But I'm skeptical of such an offer, "Why do you want to help me?"

I can't trust someone willing to help out of the goodness of their heart like that. If I took something like this at face value everytime something good happens, I would end up stabbed, robbed, betrayed, or a number of other bad ends.

Kurosawa stared, and took a small breath, "Because I've seen people die. Both as an Officer of the law and a Demon Summoner. Victims at the wrong place at the wrong time, rookies not being careful enough in times of danger, a veteran's overconfidence in their own skills, or just being plain unlucky. And so I fight and train others, so that they may live," he shook his head, "But ultimately, I'm only doing what I think is right. Nothing more."

I see. So he's motivated by his sense of right and the desire to see less people dead.

He seems sincere in his reasoning. And I suppose there isn't much more I can do to verify it.

"Fine, I'll take the internship. So long as I'm able to leave it if I really want to." I don't want to be held down by a job I didn't even want to do in the first place.

"Sure. It's still considered a normal job that you would be able to quit after all."

Oh? If that's the case is this internship a paid or unpaid one?

Officer Kurosawa answered the question that I didn't even verbalize yet, "You also get paid an hourly rate as long as you occasionally seem like you're working on non supernatural tasks."

To work is to lose, however, money is money. It's the key to happiness. Or just the key to not being miserable, so I'll take it.

A/N

Word Count: 6014

Date Posted: August 9, 2024

A new chapter posted in slightly less than a month. I haven't done that since the early days. And with this many words too.

The reason for the early post was that I was trying to finish by August 8 for Hachiman's birthday but that didn't exactly pan out.

Writing for this many characters at once was certainly a pain though. I kept forgetting that there were other characters at the trip so I constantly had to keep adding more people. So there was a reason for some of them to speak so little or none at all. That and I find dialogue like this difficult compared to internal monologues and fight scenes.

And there's Officer Kurosawa from Persona 3. Despite adding him to the story, don't expect actual main characters from other series to join. The focus is still supposed to be an oregairu and SMT crossover.

Next chapter is either this story or my Persona 3 and Worm crossover. It depends on how much I can push past my current struggle with the lack of Worm knowledge.