The Kaiju are monsters that were worshipped by humanity as gods. What the humans didn't know is that the Kaiju created the Devil species, monsters born out of fear and negative emotions given a physical form by the violent nature of humanity. When t...
Himeno walked into her apartment after a long day of work. Unfortunately, there had been a lot of paperwork and no patrols that day, so suffice it to say, she'd been bored to tears for eight hours. The one thing she kept thinking about was Y/n and the hope that he'd reach out to follow up about her suggestion.
Grabbing a beer from the fridge, she collapsed on the couch to relax, her hand reaching for the TV remote. Just before she could turn it on, she heard a sound. It was faint, so quiet she almost didn't hear it, but she did. It came from the door. It sounded like two people talking while trying to muffle their voices.
Cautiously standing up, Himeno approached the entrance to her apartment. She had her right hand poised and ready to strike with the power of the Ghost Devil. Looking through the peephole, she didn't see anything. Thinking nothing of it, Himeno turned to leave when she heard a knock. She groaned and turned around to open the door.
Himeno: Okay, what's the big idea?
When she saw Y/n, she nearly jumped out of her skin. Y/n was standing there but he looked a lot different, like he'd undergone a procedure.
Y/n: Hey Himeno.
Himeno: Y/n! What the hell happened to you? Why do you look so...
Y/n: Different? I can explain but first, may I come in?
Himeno: Oh, right. Sure thing, come on in.
Y/n: Thanks.
(Several hours ago: Y/n pov)
The dream quickly passed and I woke up. Unfortunately, I slept through the entire class and missed the lecture. That meant I had to do one of two things. Ask a classmate for a copy of the notes or read through the section of the textbook we'd been on when I dozed off. Choosing the former, I approached one of my classmates as they left.
Y/n: Hey, Saki!
Saki Yoshida was an acquaintance of mine. She was quite popular due to her younger brother being a Public Safety agent despite only being in high school.
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Saki(sighs): What is it this time?
Y/n: I dozed off in class. Can I borrow your notes?
Saki: Why should I let you? It's not like you're going to use them. You fall asleep in nearly every class and your grades are awful.
Y/n: Come on, you know how I get. I can't control when it happens, it just does. Now can I borrow the notes, please? I'll give them back to you later.
She scoffed before reaching into her folder and pulling out a few pages of notebook paper. She thrust them into my hands before turning to walk away.
Saki: I want those back by tomorrow.
Y/n: You got it.
She looked at me with pity and turned to face me.
Saki: Look, I say this out of concern for you as a fellow student and a friend. You should drop out.
Y/n: What do you mean?
Saki: Don't play dumb, you know what I'm talking about. You're digging your own grave here. Ever since I've known you your grades and performance have been bad and no matter how much tutoring you get it never changes.
Y/n: What choice do I have? I have nowhere else to go. Whether I like it or not, this is the only path toward a decent future.
I looked at the floor as she spoke. Deep down I knew she was right but what choice did I have? This was it for me. Without this education, I wouldn't be able to get a good job. There were other options like the military or Public Safety but those shortened my lifespan by a huge margin and I wanted to live as long as humanly possible. In a world where our enemies were our worst fears, there would come a day I'd find myself staring into the black abyss of a Devil's mouth or worse, a Kaiju.
Saki: No it isn't. Let me talk to my brother. He can get you a meeting with his superiors and you can maybe get a job in the civilian sector of Public Safety. You'll live longer and still get paid well. I thought you wanted to avenge your family? This is the best way forward.
Y/n: Don't. That has nothing to do with this.
Saki: Maybe it should. I'll see you later Y/n. I hope you make the right decision.
I watched as she walked away, her words echoing throughout the confines of my mind. More than anything I wanted to avenge my family, but I didn't want to die prematurely. Despite everything, I still had stuff I wanted to experience before I died, and becoming a Devil hunter would take away the chance to do those things.
Leaving the lecture hall, I decided to go for a walk and clear my head. With my bag slung over my shoulder, I left the college campus and began aimlessly wandering. The streets of Tokyo were constantly bustling with traffic, pedestrians, and all sorts of things. I grabbed my phone from my bag and put my headphones on before opening Spotify and pressing play on a song.
Whenever I was having trouble making up my mind or focusing, I always listened to music. It got rid of background noise and was generally a good way to blow off some steam but besides that, it gave me peace of mind. My father was the one who showed me the beauty of music and what it could do for someone. He loved listening to old metal music and when I asked about it he always got this excited look on his face. I could tell even back then that he loved the fact I was showing interest in something he liked.
The sound of rushing water drew my attention. I looked up and saw that I was near the riverbank. Down toward the water's edge, people were fishing and a further distance away there was a family playing catch. I watched them for a few seconds with an empty feeling in my heart and a blank expression on my face.
The sight reminded me of simpler times before Devil attacks began growing more frequent, before the Gun Devil took everything from me. I clenched my fists as I recalled that day 9 years ago. I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I didn't notice the person in front of me until I walked into them.
Y/n: Sorry about that.
I walked past them and went on my way.
(3rd pov)
The man stared at Y/n, his eyes narrowing as if he recognized him in some way. After watching for a few seconds, he raised his right arm toward his mouth and spoke into a concealed wire.
???: He's headed your way.
The person on the other end responded in confirmation before going silent. The man pulled out a cigarette, putting it in his mouth before lighting it.
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(A/n: The next couple of chapters will explain what happened to Y/n at the beginning and will lead straight into his involvement with Public Safety. In case it wasn't already made obvious, this takes place in the modern era instead of the original 1997 setting of the manga.)
