𝐈𝐊𝐈𝐆𝐀𝐈 | 𝐀𝐊𝐈 𝐇𝐀𝐘𝐀𝐊𝐀𝐖𝐀

𝟎𝟎𝟐.

TRUE TO THE WOMAN'S WORDS, she was called in the very next day. Kanako learned the woman's name was Makima, and she is one of the higher-ups in the organization. The young teenager stared at her reflection in the body-length mirror. She was given the necessary dress code that shows she is now part of the organization. The uniform comes in the form of formal clothing: seven suits and ties. There was even a handwritten letter placed in the box. The message was as follows:

Hello Kanako,

The content in the box is your uniform. Do let me know if I have gotten your size wrong or should you require any adjustments for the clothes. Unlike the other regular uniforms, these are reinforced and provide decent protection against devil hunters. I'm sure it'll prove useful to you in the near future.

Yours sincerely,
Makima.

The uniform fit her perfectly. It wasn't too tight or too loose. Kanako was able to move her joints without any difficulty and was satisfied with the results. She wasted no time in setting off to meet Makima, as per the other's instruction. It took her roughly thirty minutes to arrive, having to commute by train and spend five minutes walking to the tall building. She arrived at Makima's office, knocking to announce her entrance, and entered when she was granted permission. The door opened to reveal someone else standing in the room.

"Great timing, Kanako. Come in."

Makima gestured for her to enter the room and she obediently followed her order. She closed the door behind her and walked further in until she stood beside the stranger. The young teenager could sense the stranger's curious and intense stare from the corner of her eyes, but she paid him no attention. Instead, her indigo orbs remained on Makima's seated figure and waited for the woman to say something.

"The person standing beside you is Aki Hayakawa. He's part of Tokyo Special Division 4; a special subdivision created by me as an experimental unit. From now on, you'll be joining Squad Division 4 and obeying Aki's order. You can see him as your boss if that helps." Makima introduced the stranger on his behalf.

"Normally, you would be required to do some training before you're sent out to the field but we don't have time for that right now. I want the two of you to take care of a reported sighting of a devil that recently appeared in the area. The details have been given to Aki so you can ask him more about it later, Kanako."

The young teenager blinked, not expecting to be assigned her first mission on her official day as a devil hunter. She was more surprised by how calm she was when a sane person would start panicking and bombarding Makima with questions. Questions about how they were not ready and how they knew close to nothing about their strengths and weaknesses. Kanako nodded and after the short briefing, they were dismissed and dispatched for the mission.

"... I read your file."

Kanako raised an eyebrow at Aki's first four words directed at her. His voice was deep and rather alluring in a sense. She remained silent, knowing he had more to say, and followed him as they headed to the car park. She assumed the devil's location must be inaccessible by walking and required a vehicle instead. Kanako got into the passenger seat when the doors were unlocked, put on the seatbelt, and watched as Aki turned on the engine.

The engine purred to life and soon, they were on the move.

"Why did you become a devil hunter?" He asked, glancing at her with both hands on the steering wheel.

"I wanted to try something new," she answered, resting her cheek on the palm of her left hand and gazing out of the window. Vehicles, trees, and buildings moved past her in a blur.