“I told you I’d read her file.”
“Memorized her info, huh?”
“What are you implying?”
“Nothing in particular.” It seemed Quanxi was even more smitten with Minami than Kishibe had realized.
The taxi purred along for another twenty tense, silent minutes before stopping at a low-rise apartment building. Quanxi hefted Minami onto her back and hauled her to her room. The door fell open with a rusty shriek.
“It was unlocked?” said Kishibe. “What a trusting girl.”
“Only criminals have criminal thoughts,” Quanxi replied. “Like you.” She flipped on the lights. Kishibe found himself in a one-bedroom studio. The décor was limited to a table holding a potted cactus and a photo of Minami with what looked like her family. Without a word, Kishibe turned the photo face-down. Nothing good came of knowing too much about your dogs.
Quanxi laid Minami on the bed and turned to him. “I can look after her. It’s time for you to go home.”
“And I personally would love to, but your partner isn’t sure that’s the right call.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Ever heard of a wolf in sheep’s clothing? Or maybe a wolf in wolf’s clothing.”
“What are you implying?”
Kishibe coughed. Even if Quanxi was interested in Minami, she wouldn’t go so low as to jump a rookie …
But that was exactly what he couldn’t assume. To survive as a devil hunter with Public Safety as long as Quanxi had, you had to sever all ties to common sense and ordinary decency. Kishibe knew the same was true of himself. He was just trying to decide how to broach the issue when Minami groaned.
“Ngh … ah … Huh? Where …” Her eyes fluttered open. After a moment of confusion, she recognized her surroundings. She looked mortified. “I’m so sorry! I must’ve caused you so much trouble!”
Quanxi sat on the bed and spoke softly. “Don’t worry about it. It’s Kishibe’s fault. You should take a shower, rinse off.”
“Thanks. I’ll do that.” Minami swayed as she got to her feet.
“You’re not steady. Let me help you,” Quanxi said.
“You can just stop right there,” said Kishibe, catching Quanxi’s arm before she could follow Minami into the bathroom.
Quanxi narrowed her eyes at him. “Why’d you stop me?”
“Just a hunch.”
“I know why I wouldn’t want you helping Minami into the shower, but what’s the problem with me doing it?” Quanxi asked.
Kishibe shrugged. “Might not be one. Then again, there might be.”
“Before we take this one step further, let go of my arm.” Quanxi was just shaking free of him when Kishibe’s phone rang.
He listened for a second, then replied simply, “Right,” before pocketing the phone again. “Got a devil on the loose. We’re up.”
The site was an old factory in a desolate stretch of town. It looked like it had been abandoned for years. Half of the building had collapsed, leaving a few battered slate walls shining with mildew in the moonlight. A fetid wind rustled through the weeds choking the area.
“W-what kind of devil do you think it is?” Minami asked. She gulped. The lack of focus in her large eyes wasn’t from alcohol anymore, but a potent combination of nerves and fear.
“Initial report came from some kids who went in there on a dare, but they said it was too dark to see much,” said Kishibe, scanning the area. “They claimed they heard a voice that couldn’t be human.”
“W-well! This is an opportunity to show you what I can do!” Minami’s voice quavered as she squeezed the hilt of the sword at her hip.
Quanxi clapped her gently on the shoulder. “Loosen up. Tonight, you can hang back.”
Minami protested. “But—”
Kishibe pulled the flask of whiskey from his pocket and held it out to her. “Don’t get ahead of yourself. Want a little liquid courage?”
“N-no thank you …” she replied hesitantly.
“Don’t joke around, Kishibe,” Quanxi admonished. “You’ll kill her with alcohol poisoning before the devil shows up.”
“Just trying to lighten the mood.” He shrugged and took a swig. “Okay, Minami. What’s the most important thing for a rookie on her first devil hunt?”
Minami gave her best answer. “Um … make sure to take the devil down?”
“Naw. Don’t die.”
Minami was speechless.
“It’s easy to panic the first time you see a devil,” Kishibe went on. “You freeze with fear. Tense up. Forget every move you learned in training. But as long as you don’t die, there’ll be a next time.”
“A next time …” Minami repeated. In other words, there was a chance there wouldn’t be a next time. She nodded solemnly as that simple fact finally sank in.
They climbed through a doorway slanted at a wild angle and arrived in an open space that must have once been the factory floor. Only fragments of a roof remained overhead, letting the moonlight in to shine on the exposed steel girders of the walls. And something else, something human-shaped …
All three hunters gasped.
Abandoned mannequins littered the floor like fish after the catch of a lifetime. The piles of lifeless bodies extended as far as they could see. Some had no arms, others no legs. Some were headless. All were covered in grime and dust, unsettlingly close to human, uttering voiceless screams in the moonlight.
“A mannequin factory?” Minami said. “Th-this is where the devil decided to make its home?” She took a trembling step forward and glanced around. Almost imperceptibly, a shadow quivered at her feet. One of the mannequins was reaching out to grab the rookie devil hunter’s ankle.
By the time Kishibe opened his mouth to warn her, Quanxi was already shouting. “Minami, beneath you!”