𝐈𝐊𝐈𝐆𝐀𝐈 | 𝐀𝐊𝐈 𝐇𝐀𝐘𝐀𝐊𝐀𝐖𝐀

𝟎𝟎𝟓.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? WEREN'T YOU SUPPOSED TO BE AT HEADQUARTERS?" Aki asked, being the first person to break the temporary silence.

"I finished what I needed to do there. Makima told me to come here since a devil has been spotted here and is hiding somewhere. The more hands the better, according to her," Kanako answered, dropping the hand resting on the side of her hips and straightening herself. "Did anything happen when I was away?"

Aki shook his head, glancing at the others over his shoulder. They stared at the two interacting with one another, acting as if they were the audience and the pair were the main leads acting in a movie. He rolled his eyes, ignoring their intense stares, and faced his partner.

"Nothing suspicious yet. We're currently searching for the devil and the fragment while we're at it," he replied, shoving his hands into the warmth of his pockets.

"I see, well we better get searching before the day ends," she hummed and walked past him, stopping when the others continued staring at her.

"What's with the staring?" She frowned.

"Who are you? You look like you're very close to Aki," a woman with short black hair and an eyepatch pointed out.

"I'm Agawa Kanako, a new recruit and a member of Squad Division 4. I'm also his partner," she introduced herself without hesitation, wanting to get straight to business.

"Ah, you must be the recruit Aki was talking about- OW!" Recognition flashed across her face, only for it to be replaced by pain when said man punched her shoulder, shooting her a warning death glare. Kanako blinked, confused as to what just happened. The woman rubbed the spot where Aki punched her, reaching her free hand out to the girl for a handshake.

"Ignore him. Aki can be a little... shy at times. I'm Himeno, it's nice meeting you," she introduced herself and Kanako accepted the handshake, mumbling her greetings in return.

"Oh, you're the girl from back there, when Aki dragged us to the hospital to visit you!" The boy with blonde hair, whose name was Denji, exclaimed and pointed at her. Aki rolled his eyes again, smacking him on the head, and scolded him for randomly pointing fingers at people as it was not polite.

Kanako quirked an eyebrow. "Yes, now we should get moving or we won't be able to leave this place," she stated, and everyone mumbled their agreement as they continued their hunt for the devil.

Kanako opened the nearest door, only for her to flinch in surprise, and stepped back when something small lunged at her at lightning speed. Her back hit Aki's chest, which wheezed in surprise. His hands shot out, steadying his partner before they toppled to the ground. The tiny devil let out a high-pitched shriek as it landed on the floor. It made a second attempt at lunging at her again but was effectively stopped in place by Himeno who used the Ghost Devil. Power easily sliced it in half, smiling in triumphant at how she killed the devil.

"You alright?"

Kanako looked over her shoulder, eyes flickering up when Aki asked her. It was only then she realized his hands were still on her shoulders and she quickly averted her eyes away. She only wordlessly nodded, and he dropped his hands, taking a step back to avoid invading her personal space. An action she appreciates a lot.

"Wait, something's off," a young man with short spiky hair commented, gaining everyone's fullest attention.

"What do you mean?" Himeno asked.

"We've moved to the ninth floor but despite that, the signs around us still show we're on the eighth floor," he continued his observation.

Kanako approached the windows, leaning over to count the number of floors before them in her mind. She checked the signs hung on the ceiling and one near the flight of stairs. The man was right: they were indeed on the ninth floor, but the signs tell them otherwise. The girl leaned against the wall and crossed her arms. Her bow hung limply in her right hand.