Chapter Ten

"… …"

Aki was lost in thought, his mind consumed by a jumble of worries and daydreams. But as the taxi driver expertly navigated the vehicle to the side of the road, Aki's attention went back to his current surroundings.

This was Tokyo, the Eastern City… Or at least, that was its title for over the last centuries before the sudden epithet change.

Now it's Tokyo; the Maõ's City.

Today marks the 5th year since the black dome—or rather Devil Dome—incident that affected an entire region.

To this day, the government has not released any official statement on what truly transpired, but anyone with a living brain-cell can tell that it probably has something to do with a Devil.

The casualties of that grim incident were no laughing matter: over 3000 people were confirmed dead due to heart problems, accidents, and mania attacks. Adding a 0 to the officially deceased number and dividing it by 2 would approximate the numbers of the ONLY fatally injured… Excluding the other numerable losses.

It had taken almost an entire year before the people of Tokyo could regain their bearings and go back to living their lives. Even then, as Aki beheld the occasional monuments and depilated buildings, he could still see that the city's wounds hadn't been fully healed.

The scar will always remain.

He clicked his tongue in irritation.

'Damn Devils.'

It was minutes past, as the young man was still taking in the familiar sights, when the sudden stop of the vehicle put an end to his dazed spell.

"We're finally here."

The Taxi Driver gestured at the large building by the side.

"The National Civil Devil Hunters Academy… I'd always thought it was too catchy, but then again, I'm not the one going out there and killing Devils."

Aki pinched the edge of his eyes as if to get rid of the numbness and turned to pay the driver.

"Here's your money…"

"Thank you, sir… And good luck with the Academy!"

"Hmm."

The Trainee merely nodded and came out of the car with a small luggage in hand, and without another word, began his trek towards the institution.

'Looks like it's no different from the pamphlets.'

At least it wasn't a scam.

Arriving at the gate, he showed the stoic security his ID and other personal effects before being allowed into the campus proper.

At first glance, it looked just like any other university… Eh, then again, Aki could be wrong as he hadn't been to any tertiary institution; he dived straight to Devil Hunting upon finishing high school.

Nevertheless, he's watched enough soap operas to count for something… Right?

The front yard was spacious enough, as expected, with plenty of pasture and trees, meaning lots of resting spots.

What made the purpose of this place apparent were the pole flags; one was the Hinomaru, and the other bore the Devil Hunter's emblem.

There was also the eccentric fountain in the courtyard, which had a tall horned humanoid Devil with a gaping hole in its chest. Interesting enough, the statue had water drizzling out from its… Private parts.

'Somehow I feel like there's a joke to this, but… To each their own, I guess.' Aki surmised with a shiver and carried on.

Of course, it goes without saying that everyone was dressed in prim suits, which were the mandatory uniform of all Civil Officers—Aki was secretly happy about.

'At least, THAT still makes sense.'

"Hey, you there! Hey…!"

A voice called behind, but Aki ignored it and carried on.

It would be awkward turning to answer only to find out that it wasn't him who was being addressed. Besides, Aki didn't know anyone at the Academy, which made it less likely that he was the one being called at right now.

"Hey… Hey, you with the man bun!"

Aki stopped with a flinch.

"… …"

What did she just call him?

"Eh, what did you say? Pony tail? But how does that look like a ponytail? That's a… Ugh, eh, screw it. Hey, you with the ponytail! I'm talking you!"

"… …"

Aki raised a hand to feel his hair, scowled, exhaled, and moved on.

"Hah! How rude! Is it because I called you a man bun? Ugh, alright, alright. Quit with the nagging, Madoka! It makes you look old. Hey, sorry about that ponytail. But you could turn around to see whose talking, eh?"

"Hah… I will not punch anyone today." Aki said to himself in a mantra.

He supposed it wouldn't hurt to see why they were calling him… Even though he won't forget that she had called his ponytail a man-bun.

'Breath. Just breathe… You are calm. You ARE calm.'

Sighing, Aki turned to see a small group of people; unlike the ones strutting around, these individuals had luggage of different sizes on their hands. Just like himself.

'Fellow newcomers, then…' Aki concluded as the group arrived.

"Talk about playing hard to get."

The woman who called him back then commented with a smile, as if she hadn't been hollering moments ago.

"I don't know why men think women are attracted to that kind of stereotype. Maybe it's because of the Shoujo manga. Unfortunately, this is a Shounen manga. Doing that crappy shit only makes you look like a jerk."

"Nawa…"

The man beside her sighed while the woman who addressed him blew him a raspberry.

"Oh, shush, Madoka. It's not like our ace here can't take a little criticism or two…"

"… Alright then, explain why he's now walking away, right now."

"Huh? Walking away—eh! Wa—wait…! Man-bun, I mean pony tail! Hold up for a sec, will you?"

'I'm starting to regret this already.'

Aki turned to regard the people behind him.

They were a group of four: a delinquent-looking woman—Nawa—who had been talking to him, a bespectacled man—Madoka—who seemed like her exact opposite, a frivolous-looking man, and a stoic man.

Sighing, Aki turned to the woman and said, "So, what do you want with me?"

"Me? Nothing. I just wanted see the Rumored One who'd aced the practical entrance exams this year."

Now that got the other two's attention.

"Wait, Nawa." The frivolous man pointed at Aki, "You're saying he's the one our proctors been hollering at our ears about…"

"Yep, didn't you check the exam scores? This year came with the images."

"I did. Threw it as soon as I confirmed that I'd passed. But still, eh~" The frivolous man regarded Aki with interest in his eyes. "So you're our top scorer, huh."

Aki narrowed his eyes. "And what if I am?"

"Whoa, no need to bite. I mean no harm by that." The man raised his hands in surrender. "I just thought that was pretty impressive. Anyways, I'm Fushi Dazai, a fellow student. Nice to meet you."

"Juuzo Yutaro," The stoic man slightly bowing, "Nice to meet you."

"And I'm—"

The delinquent began only for Aki to cut her off.

"Nawa-san and Madoka-san, right?" Aki dryly said, "I heard you both earlier… I'm Aki Hayakawa."

"Urk…" Nawa flinched. "Suddenly, I've missed my chance to make a good impression. What do I do, Madoka?"

"You did ruin your chances to begin with when you called him a man-bun."

"Is that supposed to comfort me?"

"No, just stating the facts."

"Ahem…"Aki coughed, interrupting the ongoing skit, "If that's all you need of me, then I'll be on my way."

"Hold up, Top Scorer. Just wanted to ask if you wanna come join us as we go to assembly hall for our induction."

"Assembly hall?"

"Huh? Don't tell me you didn't check the slip that came with your acceptance letter?"

The look on Aki's face must have clued Nawa in, as her expression turned impish.

"Eh~ I see. So our ace can make mistakes too."

Aki's brow twitched. "Well, I never claimed to be perfect."

"That's fair," Nawa acquiesced. "Anyway, all trainees are to assemble at the hall upon entry. Failure to do so before 9:30 am would result to an instant expulsion, and—"

"Oh shit… Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit…!"

"Oh, come on, Fushi! What's with the yapping?"

Nawa snapped at the, well, currently panicking young man.

"Uh…"

Fushi raised his watch with a horrified look.

"Is it me, or is the time looking a little bit strange right now?"

The group quiet down in a hush as everyone—including Aki—took out or raised their phones and watches.

"… …"

Nawa's face turned pale like alabaster.

"… …"

Madoka's expression was one of resignation.

"… …"

Juuzo looked like he had been shocked stiff.

"… …"

As for Aki… Well, he looked like a Devil crawled up his ass.

It was two seconds later did lights returned to their vacant eyes as blood-curdling screams shattered the silence.

"OH FUCK, WE'RE FUCKING LATE…!"

ᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥ

"I call for a vote; say 'Aye' and we place the blame on our Top Scorer here for our tardiness." Nawa motioned.

"Aye…!"

Everyone quickly agreed.

"How about a 'Nay' and a screw you all!" Aki barked as his face twitched in irritation.

"Hahaha… Lighten up, Ace. I'm messing around." Nawa dropped a hand around our shoulders.

"Despite all the odds, we still made it to the hall in time…"

"… Right."

It was only because of their panicked running and a helpful senior who had shown them where the hall was. If not, they would all be singing a whole other tune with the ones barred from entering.

Aki tugged his collar, forcing away the urge to pull his suit off like some of the others around him; it wouldn't feel professional, and besides, there was no use complaining about the heat when he would be moving a lot in clothes like this when killing Devils.

Sighing, he threw off Nawa's arm, ignoring her indignant squawk, and observed the very big hall; it was almost like his high school's—merely larger and that this was no basketball court.

Going from how jam-packed the hall was, Aki could see that the Academy had attracted all kinds of prospects from all over the country. Well, it's no surprise, considering the perks one would gain upon graduation.

Still, Aki didn't care about that…

In truth, he didn't care about any of this to begin with. It was only the benefits the Academy provides in terms of clearance levels in Devil Hunting that enticed him into coming to this place, and considering his case, this was a small price to pay.

He would do anything… ANYTHING to achieve his goal.

'No matter what it takes.'

"Look at all these people who are gonna be our classmates for a year and a half." Nawa huffed as she looked around. "Sure feels kinda ominous considering the pitiful amount of people that graduate from this place…"

"Maybe they couldn't keep up with the training and stuff. Till today, the public still aren't in the know of WHAT they teach here, and the ones that do aren't allowed to say much." Fushi said in a serious tone, "Well, all except for one thing: that this place is hardcore."

"Straight from the lips of your girlfriend, right?"

"I'll punch your mouth, Nawa."

"Urk, I guess Akemi-chan's a no go with you, huh."Nawa hid behind her spectacled friend, "Madoka-kun, protect me from this brute~"

"Between me and you, who needs the protecting here?"

"Oi," Nawa's tone changed from girly to thuggish, "This is the part where you hug me and say, ' Don't worry, my princess, I'll protect you with every fiber of my being no matter what it takes…"

"Too wordy, and besides, you're the one who said this is a Shonen manga and not a Shoujo one."

And that put a halt to Nawa's fire.

"Hmm… You've got a point there. Still, since our ship has already been set in stone, why don't we skip the filler stuff and get to the relationship proper?"

"There you go with that strange quirk of yours…"

"That's why you love me, right Madoka?"

"… …"

Madoka stood still for a second and slowly turned his face away.

"I won't deign to answer that."

Meanwhile, Aki internally cringed at their display.

'As if they couldn't be more obvious.'

Still, it wasn't his problem, so he tuned them out and waited for the inductions to commence.

It was minutes after did someone walked up the podium: a middle-aged man in his 30s, well-defined body and dressed in a white suit. His silver hair and fierce look made him seem like someone from the Yakuza.

The man looked around the rowdy mob, took a deep breath, and—

'Oh shit.'

Something cool passed through Aki's spine as he tensed for what was about to happen.

"QUIET DOWN…!"

If Aki hadn't readied himself in time, he was sure to be among the ones currently on their knees or the floor, groaning in pain.

"Ugh, why am I seeing double?" Fushi cradled his head with a groan.

"Only double?" Nawa shook her head, "I'm seeing are both double and weird colors."

"Wha-what the hell happened?"

Madoka asked, to which Juuzo pointed at the podium with gritted teeth.

"He happened."

Aki looked around, noting the lack of speakers close by, apart from the expensive one hanging overhead. Still, even that couldn't explain how such a loud shout had been produced.

Well, there was one possibility…

But that could mean …

'You've got to be kidding me…" Aki gulped. "He did THAT using only his lungs.'

The man looked around with a calm expression, but his next words were anything but calm.

"Looks like I have your meat bags' attention. I'm gonna begin by informing you all that for the duration of this talk, any attempt to intentionally make a scene will have you escorted out of these premises… By myself if necessary…"

His words turned the hushed halls into a graveyard as everyone stifled their breaths, struggling not to breathe loudly in the man's presence.

"… Good, now that you're all quiet, I'll start by introducing myself. I go by many names, but you all may call me Tessaiga. I am to be your 'quote-unquote' prospective Combat Instructor for the duration of your stay in this Academy."

Now, Aki may not have gotten an A in English, but he understood that simple words could have deeper meanings and that the fierce man hinted at something based on what he said and how he said it.

Thankfully, Tessaiga didn't keep them in suspense.

"Hah…! I can see some of you steaming in confusion- Nice. That shows you aren't idiots. But for the lug-heads who didn't get the memo, here's the gist; you all may have passed the admission exams—first or last, I don't fucking care—that still doesn't make you apprentices of this prestigious Academy as there's still one more test left… And with that, I'll leave the stage for a more fitting person to continue. Oh, and a word of warning…"

Tessaiga's eyes took on an inhumane gleam as his expression turned murderous.

"See, the worst I will do if you fuck with me is break a few bones… Make sure you never work again. But HIM, hah… Well, let's just say there's a reason we had you sign those NDAs before being allowed in this Academy."

What followed soon after were collective gulps and whimpering.

Aki didn't blame them for their actions. He couldn't even see himself standing on a higher ground as if it weren't for him biting his tongue, he was sure to be among their sniveling numbers as well.

Still…

'There's something about this Tessaiga. Something that feels… Inhuman.'

Trying to put that feeling into words feels like a fruitless exercise, and so with a sigh, the apprentice wrote it off as the man's intense presence.

'After all…'

A certain image of a knife-wielding Devil Hunter came to mind.

'This isn't the first time I'm meeting a human with a presence that powerful.'

As quietly as he came up the stage, the thuggish brawny man smoothly stepped down as the sounds of sandals came clanking right after.

The man who came up was unnaturally tall. He was dressed in a black yukata, covered by a haori of a similar color, with a green shitagi peeking underneath. His shoulder-length black hair and dark glasses made him seem like a man of authority…

…

Of course, that was what Aki would have loved to say but… If Tessaiga looks like a head-honcho, then this one looks like a Yakuza Oyabun.

'Urgh…' Aki cradled his head. 'Am I in a Devil Hunting Academy, or am I being initiated into some gang.'

"I was gonna start with a light joke and all, but it seems no one's in a mood for a good laugh. So how about everyone just try to relax." The man began with a chuckle.

"Clay—I mean that 'assistant' of mine can be a little overzealous with his job, so he may come off as a bit threatening to some. But chillax—he's all bark and no bite… Or maybe 70% bite and 30% bark. I really can't tell these days now that he isn't hacking people apart. But still no need to worry, I'll beat him to a pulp—I mean discipline him if he ever goes too far."

Maybe in another situation, the man's encompassing presence would have produced a few laughs and a calm crowd. Now, it only did the opposite.

'How the fuck do you expect us to keep calm when you just admitted that that bastard hacks people?!'

This was the collective thought of everyone within the hall, including Aki.

But the man didn't seem to care as he just laughed and carried on.

"In any case, I'm Kuraku, head of this prestigious Academy and also an instructor of sorts. It's an honor to welcome you onto our school grounds. Of course, that is if you can pass this one final test."

Aki clenched his fists in a bid to control his jitteriness.

'Just get on with it, already!'

Kuraku cleared his throat.

"This isn't something grand. I won't be asking you to kill a high-rank Devil or anything of that sort. This little test of mine simply concerns your Willpower… Despite Tessaiga's vulgar words, there are still bits of truth to it. To kill a Devil is easy: just look out for the weak ones and stab them till they die. Simple right? And you could even get cool cash if you sell the corpse to the black market—not like you heard that from me or anything. But you all came here with different goals in mind. Patriotism. Vainglory. Determination…"

Aki felt the world freeze as it seemed like Kuraku was looking directly at him.

"Revenge… The last being a no-brainer considering the people lost to the Gun Devil's rampage. Still, one can't just say, 'I want to kill Devils' and expect things to go easy. The fatality rate for Devil Hunting is over 60% for civilians. 80% for government-certified Devil Hunters. Your time spent in this Academy MAY lift you above those odds, BUT I want to be sure if you have what it takes to stand in front of the high-rank Devils and say, I'm gonna rip and tear you apart."

Aki could feel the room turn quiet. Too quiet. Unnaturally so, in fact.

The air felt chilly, and there was something about the atmosphere that made him want to scream and stab something frantically.

And it wasn't his imagination.

The lights of the hall dangerously flickered.

Nawa was holding Monica, with both their faces pale as snow.

Fushi was breathing like he had just run a marathon.

Blood drizzled from Juuzo's lips as he bit it intensely.

Instantly, Aki knew what he was feeling: AFRAID.

"Oh, no need to worry, kids."

Whether it was an illusion or not, Aki could feel the world slowly turning dark as the only things that existed were him and Kuraku, whose green eyes shone in an emerald glow.

"No one has ever died from this level of intensity."

Something unholy replaced Kuraku standing on the stage.

And then…

… … He SCREAMED.

ᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥ

I sighed, clenching a fist as I made my way ahead.

Walking in a fake skin was disconcerting, and considering that it was made using real human flesh, I feel justified to be a bit squirmy about it.

"Still haven't gotten used to your body, Bossman?"

I turned towards the man who had originally been strapped around my waist.

"Unlike you, I'm not much of a fan of being covered in gore."

"Well, I'm not the one who wanted this to begin with."

I rubbed my forehead with a groan.

"Yeah, you're right about that."

This particular development was recent, dating over 4 months back. I had captured the Flesh Devil only discovered—during the investigation over her macabre trails—that she had abilities that would suit my needs when interacting with Humans.

Which brings me to this.

Using my power over a certain level would blow away the fragile flesh covering me, which means using my Zanpakuto as a power conduit is a no-go at the moment.

'I need to find a way to become an Arrancar… Fast.'

As for making Tessaiga—of course, I'll call him that. He's a bloody CLAYMORE—look, human. Well, that was due to the persuasion from 2 little rascals and the Devil's annoying whining that compelled me into grafting him a skin.

'Eh, then again, Tessaiga's been mellowing down recently.'

"Alright, change of topic…" I clapped my hands. "So what do you think about the kid?"

"Aki Hayakawa?"

"The one and only…"

"Eh~ so, so. The prick feels like those main characters the brats like watching on TV."

"Hmm… Thought so as well." I cupped my chin in contemplation and then nodded.

"It seems there's no need for me to intrude myself yet. Alright, Tessaiga, handle things as usual. Send the ones who failed to the other branches… And be sure not to break any bones this time. The way the Feds breathed on my neck last time was no joke. I don't want a repeat of last year happening again."

"But that guy was pissing me off. He'd shat his pants and still had the gall to ask to be let in. Had to rough him up a little."

"… … Fair enough. Just don't take it to the extent that I had to go fix his shattered spine."

"Heh, that's alright with me. I'd learn a few love-tap moves when dealing with the assassin bozos from the United States. I'm sure I can rough them up a little this time."

"Why do your words sound like you want them to pick a fight?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Urgh. Just don't drag me into any mess today." I pushed my glasses back, "I've got something important to deal with."

"Hmm…? Oh, right." Tessaiga's face took on a pitiful look. "You've got THAT, huh?"

I let out a breath upon spotting a beautiful and familiar figure standing outside the hall.

"A date with the Control Devil."

Author's Note,

Well, I'm sure most didn't expect this.

To be honest, me too…

I was just writing, and BAM! This happened, so we'll have to watch with crossed fingers the unlikely date between our resident Hollow and Makima.

Let's hope this date goes well. But let's not deceive ourselves.

This won't be Chainsaw Man without any spice of chaos, eh?