DMC: Being a demon hunter in Japan is not easy

At a certain Ramen restaurant, a black-haired woman sits, waiting for her companion. She's dressed in a formal outfit, resembling an office worker, but she's wearing a cream-colored coat. Normally, she would wear a white coat, but since she's meeting someone important today, she decided to appear as professional as possible.

Hiratsuka Shizuka, a teacher from Sobu High, glances at her wristwatch. It's already 7:15, and her scheduled meeting hasn't arrived yet. However, knowing that this person is coming from another country, she's understanding. Another 15 minutes go by without any news of her companion.

Shizuka starts to feel annoyed. She was even considering treating her guest to dinner for the inconvenience, but now she's the one getting frustrated.

Desmon can't be blamed, as he forgot to slow down when entering Chiba city, resulting in another chase by the police. A little more and his face would be on wanted posters.

After losing the police, he chose to walk, completely forgetting that he's now half an hour late.

"Time is subjective." He mentally excuses himself.

Once inside the restaurant, he scans the place, and coincidentally, their gazes meet.

Shizuka is growing impatient. If her companion doesn't arrive in the next few minutes, she'll leave. Of course, she's the one who needs that person's help, so she can only continue waiting. During this time, a young man enters the establishment. They exchange glances, but Shizuka ignores him.

Desmon senses that she might be his employer since Morrison told him it's a woman, and Shizuka is the only one alone in this place. Without hesitation, he moves to her table and takes a seat.

"Let's keep this simple. What do I need to do?" He says in his usual tone. It's obvious that this job won't cover even 5% of his debt, so the quicker he finishes here, the sooner he can return to take on more jobs, and hopefully, Dante would return by then.

To Shizuka's surprise, a young man who could be the age of her students sits across from her. His Japanese is excellent, so she dismisses him as the person she's looking for. "I'm somewhat busy right now and not in the best mood, so I kindly ask you to leave." She responds curtly.

Shizuka doesn't hesitate to dismiss the young man, mainly due to his insolent manner. Perhaps on a normal day, she would think he's flirting with her, but her thoughts are elsewhere currently.

Desmon sighs at her response. "Just to confirm and not come off as foolish, you're Shizuka Hiratsuka, right?"

Shizuka is surprised when he mentions her name. "Yes, I am."

"Then I didn't mistake the person. I'm Desmon, the one you requested to handle your problem." He says proudly.

"You're him? If I remember correctly, I spoke to someone with a deeper voice who also mentioned that Japanese wasn't their native language, and you speak it quite fluently."

"Thanks for noticing. I had to battle an old woman and her army to learn it, you know, nothing out of the ordinary." Desmon shakes his head with a cheerful expression.

Shizuka raises an eyebrow, unsure whether to believe this, as what he's saying sounds too surreal.

"Setting aside my Japanese-speaking achievements, tell me what I need to do. I'll try to finish today, at the latest tomorrow, so I can leave."

Shizuka didn't provide many details when contacting Morrison, only mentioning that she saw strange figures, or simply put, demons.

"So, you are that person?"

A small vein appears on Desmon forehead. He introduced himself a while ago, yet she still doubts him.

"Does age not let you hear properly? If that's the case, I recommend buying a hearing aid." As usual, he doesn't hesitate to jest with the people he talks to. Whether it's a demon or the Prime Minister of Japan, Desmon couldn't care less about rank.

"That was quite rude, and I didn't give you enough confidence to..."

"You know, Shizuka, we both have things to do. Personally, I don't mind spending all night here talking and debating about why you're not getting to the point. But if I attribute it to your lack of interest in it, I guess this job is just a bad joke."

Part of Desmon interest in going to the other side of the world was because it involved demons. If that weren't the case, he would have thought twice before accepting.

Shizuka just sighed; she couldn't contend with this guy.

"Fine. I'll explain things to you on the way. For now, let's have dinner.''

"That works for me." Desmon said with good humor.

...

After enjoying a large bowl of ramen, they left the restaurant and headed towards the parking lot, where a red sports car caught Desmon attention.

"Is that yours?" He asked excitedly.

"That's right, it's my pride. Don't underestimate a teacher's salary." Shizuka said with arrogance.

During dinner, they talked about simple things, so now she's not as defensive as at the beginning.

"Can I drive it? I promise I'll return it by sunrise."

"In your dreams."

"I had to try..."

Like any 17 year old, a sports car piqued his interest, even though Desmon has Kurox, which can easily surpass the speed limit of the best car in the world.

Once they both got into the vehicle, Shizuka pulled out a cigarette, but before she could light it, Desmon took it and tossed it out the window.

"That was rude!"

"I'm not going to wait 15 minutes for you to finish smoking, so step on it or I will."

"You really are a headache; have you been told that?"

"Many times." Desmon replied with a smile.

Without further ado, Shizuka started the car and headed towards Sobu High. Although in her mind, she thought about smoking once they were done with this.

"So, what's happening at your school, since you mentioned you work at one and we're heading there?"

"It happened a week ago. It was already a bit late as I stayed to review some exams, but before leaving, I decided to make sure no students were left behind, as it's more common than it seems."

"So, while you were patrolling, you saw demons?"

"I'm not really sure if they're demons. But as I passed by one of the gyms, I noticed two figures talking. At first, I thought they were students trying to pull a prank, but as I got closer, I noticed that one of them was covered in a shadow, their whole being was darkness, while the other was over 2 meters tall and had an amorphous humanoid form."

"They could be specters; I've had my fair share of those today. Anything else?"

"As I tried to get closer to hear what they were saying, one of them noticed me. Our gazes locked. I felt a fear I had never experienced before; it was as if my body wanted to flee as far away from that place as possible. At that moment, the big one started moving in my direction, so I ran away. Its footsteps and roars are still etched in my mind, but when I left the gym, they stopped. Filled with courage, I went back, but there was no one there anymore."

"That rules out them being specters, so they must be demons, better for me."

-The big guy she mentioned must be under the other's orders, that's why it stopped chasing her. But why would it do that? Wouldn't it be better to kill her to prevent something from leaking out?

Although Desmon thought about it, he couldn't come up with an answer. In any case, once he's at that place, he'll extract that information from them forcefully.

"By the way, what's with the guitar?"

Shizuka noticed Desmon entering the restaurant with a guitar on his back; he still holds the instrument in its case.

"A mysterious tool that will come in handy later." He said with a teasing tone.

"Are you planning to sing to them like in a children's movie?"

"I'm sure you'll see in due time, so just wait, as a magician never reveals his tricks." During his flight, he watched some magic videos, so he found it entertaining to compare what he does with that of a magician.

"Whatever you say, Mr. Magician."

"That 'mister' is unnecessary, but I suppose for you, it might apply, right, Miss Customer?"

"You really know how to be annoying." Shizuka raised an eyebrow at Desmon way of speaking. Being referred to as a "miss" is the worst thing he could say to her.

"I put in more effort than you think."

...

"So, this is how schools are in Japan, they're quite big." Desmon remarked as his eyes scanned the surroundings.

They both got out of the car and walked up to the front of Sobu High.

"Where you come from aren't they that big?" Shizuka asked curiously, wanting to know what schools are like abroad.

"I have no idea, but putting that topic aside, where are we headed, Shizuka?"

"In case you didn't know, only close people call each other by their first names. In Japan, it's more common to refer to others by their last name, so call me Hiratsuka."

At first, Shizuka ignored him addressing her by her first name, but the tone of voice Desmon used made her feel strange when he did so.

"I'm not Japanese, and besides, I'll only be here today, so Shizuka is good enough for me."

Shizuka just sighed; though she would like to convince him otherwise, she's sure Desmon won't change his mind.

"We need to head to one of the gymnasiums, but since the school is closed at this hour, we'll have to go around and enter through a small opening on the other side."

"I see, going all the way around instead of jumping over the fence."

"It's 10 feet high; I don't think anyone can do that."

"Fortunately, I'm not just anyone."

After saying this, Desmon moved towards Shizuka.

"Wait a moment, what are you doing!?"

Desmon lifted Shizuka in his arms as if she were a princess, surprising her and making her nervous.

"This is faster than going around."

Effortlessly, Desmon jumped over the fence.

"For Shizuka, it was surreal that this guy could jump over 10 feet high as if it were nothing. One moment, her view was at ground level, and suddenly she was several feet away."

"You see? This way is faster." He said with a smirk of mockery and arrogance.

"I won't ask how you did that, as I feel you won't know how to answer." Shizuka felt curious, but due to Desmon's attitude, he'll likely just make a joke in response.

"I simply used my legs to jump, nothing out of the ordinary."

"No one can jump such a great height as if it's nothing."

"I told you, I'm not just anyone." He said confidently. "So, Shizuka, lead the way."

"I will once you put me down." She turned her gaze slightly, as this is the first time someone has carried her like this. It's not that her interactions with men always end in failures.

"By the way, you're quite heavy."

Desmon moved his head to dodge Shizuka's punch.

"Let me go already!"

"As you wish."

Without hesitation, Desmon released his grip, causing Shizuka to fall on her rear end, emitting a cute and amusing yelp in the process.

"Kyaa!"

"That was cute.'' Desmon teased.

"You're a..." Shizuka stood up in irritation. 

"Let me hit you!" With those words, she attempted to strike him, but Desmon effortlessly dodged it.

It was a habit she had with her troublesome student, but unfortunately for her, Desmon didn't fall into the troublesome category.

"Maybe in another 100 years.''

"Tch!"

-Calm down, Shizuka. If you keep playing his game, you'll go crazy. Just breathe and guide him to that place.

After taking a few deep breaths, she calmed down.

"Alright, follow me. Let's get this over with."

With that said, they began to make their way to the gymnasium where Shizuka had seen those demons.

But as expected, they found nothing out of the ordinary, no matter how much they searched the area.

"If there was anyone, they're not here now."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm quite perceptive. Besides, if they can talk, it's likely they abandoned this place after being discovered."

"You're quite involved with this topic, aren't you?" Shizuka pondered how a human could be a demon hunter, but considering movies and legends, this seemed more believable.

"The title of demon hunter isn't just for show." He said with a wide grin.

Seeing that their search was unsuccessful, there was nothing more to do in this place.

"Is there a chance they might have chosen another classroom?" As long as there was a possibility those things were still in the school, she would do everything she could to remove them.

After all, she had even called a demon hunter she found through internet forums. As a teacher, her duty was to ensure the safety of her students. Even though this wasn't related to being a teacher, she cared too much about her students. She couldn't forgive herself if something happened to them and she could have done something about it.

Desmon leaned against a wall, looking thoughtful.

"I can't say for sure, but it's a possibility."

-Though the most likely scenario is that they fled upon being discovered. Desmon thought somewhat disappointed, as his journey had been in vain, though he did learn a new language.

"Can we walk through the entire school?" Shizuka wanted to be sure there weren't more of those creatures.

"I don't have a problem with that."

In that manner, they began their patrol.

While they were at it, Shizuka decided to bring up a conversation topic to make the walk more pleasant and also to learn more about the young demon hunter she had hired.

"By the way, Desmon, how's school?"

-It must be challenging to balance work and studies.

Shizuka thought that Desmon chose to come on a Saturday because it was the weekend and it wouldn't affect his studies. From what she could tell, the person beside her shouldn't be older than 18.

"School?" Desmon looked up at the ceiling as if trying to recall the last time he went there. "The last thing I remember is stopping going at the age of 12." He replied.

"Are you kidding?"

"I have no reason to lie."

For a boy his age not to attend school was strange. She hadn't considered that the person accompanying her only worked.

"What about your parents?"

She thought his parents had given him too much freedom.

"My mother is dead, and my father is missing." He replied casually.

Desmon's words made Shizuka pause.

"I'm sorry..."

Shizuka quickly apologized. She hadn't thought that Desmon's life was like that. She felt somewhat guilty for making Desmon say that.

"It's a topic from the past, and that's something that can't be changed. Besides, my father will come back sooner or later, and when he does, I'll be ready to stab him." Desmon smiled in a macabre way. Although he was sure that Dante could easily dodge it.

"I see..."

Shizuka thought that Desmon's father had abandoned him years ago, and he still held the false hope that he would return. She couldn't have been more wrong.

"So, Shizuka, are you a teacher at this school?" Noticing Shizuka's downcast expression, Desmon changed the topic. He disliked seeing people with such expressions. He had seen enough of that when he was a child.

Luckily, that question changed Shizuka's expression.

"I'm a Modern Japanese teacher, as well as a student counselor and also an advisor for a club."

"You must have it tough."

-Doing so many tasks daily must be exhausting...

"It's not quite like that. Over time, you get used to it and find the fun in it."

"I feel the same way."

Similarly, Desmon began to enjoy demon hunting over time, even though he initially did it out of revenge.

They chatted about random topics until they reached the school's entrance, finding nothing out of the ordinary during their patrol.

"At least this way, you're sure there are no more demons left here." Desmon was disappointed; he thought it would be fun to hunt demons in another country, and though the reception he received was enjoyable, he expected more from this job.

"That's a good point, although I would have preferred to find those two to be more certain."

After accepting this, they had no choice but to leave the place. Of course, Desmon ended up carrying Shizuka again, and even though she expected it and tried to avoid it, Desmon was faster.

As they left, they completely ignored a certain insect that had been observing them all this time. There was nothing unusual about its form, except for its intensely black eyes.

...

"Even if we didn't find anything, at least you helped me make sure there wasn't any left."

"I didn't really do anything." He shook his head.

After getting into the car, Shizuka offered to drive him to Tokyo Airport. Who would refuse a free ride? Although Desmon could also do it with Kurox.

"I made you come from so far away, so I feel somewhat guilty."

"It wasn't unproductive for my part."

Desmon gained Kurox, and he also learned another language. His journey wasn't as bad as he expected.

"By the way, regarding your compensation, I'll still pay you."

"That's music to my ears, as I have a huge debt to repay.''

-For someone who's in debt, his tone of voice doesn't show any concern. Shizuka thought.

While they talked, Desmon glanced back and then upwards.

"By the way, Shizuka, does your car have insurance?"

"It does. Why do you ask?" His question confused her, but she got over it when she realized who asked it.

Without answering, Desmon broke Shizuka's seatbelt, then promptly leaped out of the passenger's door, dragging her along.

Her mind couldn't follow the events that unfolded. From one moment to the next, Desmon asked her a strange question and then forcibly pulled her out of the vehicle. Afterward, she witnessed her car being completely crushed. If they had been a second later, she would have died.

Shizuka had been driving through a neighborhood before her vehicle was destroyed.

Desmon managed to land while holding Shizuka in his arms. His swift reaction prevented his employer from dying.

"That is..."

"A demon." He finished her sentence.

In front of them stood a dog-like creature about 14 feet high, its fur a reddish-gray color. Its fangs and wounds all over its body made it appear as if it were undead. Luckily, it only had one head.

Shizuka experienced a whirlwind of emotions, but anger predominated. She had bought her car less than a year ago, and now it was destroyed.

"I hope your insurance covers demon-related accidents." Desmon said with good humor.

"As if it would!" But she merely expressed her displeasure.

The demon realized it had failed to kill its targets, but quickly located them with its gaze.

"It seems it wants to play with us."

Desmon said this when he noticed a sort of barrier preventing them from escaping. It was as if someone wanted only one of them to emerge alive, and that someone was the demon.

But the good thing was that the barrier moved them to another plane, where there would be no human victims, one less thing to worry about.

"I thought this day couldn't get any better, so it's time to earn my paycheck."

Desmon gripped the guitar case he had.

"Are you going to sing it a lullaby?"

Shizuka had never seen a demon hunter at work before, and upon seeing Desmon's guitar, she thought he might be some kind of tamer.

"I told you, it's a mysterious tool that will come in handy later, and luckily, that moment has arrived." Desmon said.

Desmon pulled Alastor out of its sheath, revealing the sword for which he had to make monthly payments.

Shizuka looked amazed at Desmon's weapon. She hadn't expected him to have a sword in that sheath. It was also the first time she had seen such a weapon in real life. Japan mostly had traditional swords like Katanas, so museums mostly displayed swords of that type.

"Are you really going to fight with that thing?" Shizuka saw the young man in front of her as a minor, someone who still needed to be protected by their parents. But she couldn't do much in this situation.

"I highly doubt that giving it some croquettes will let us go." Desmon smiled as he approached the demon. When facing it, their gazes met. "Alright, Fido, you've been a bad dog for wrecking Shizuka's car, so I'll have to give you a punishment."

The demon growled in response.

"I see you don't like being called Fido, but Rocky is already too cliché." He teased while holding Alastor over his shoulder.

Desmon agilely dodged the demon's attack with a jump, even though it was a giant dog, it remained nimble in its attacks.

While airborne, the demon tried to bite him, but a kick to its snout from Desmon made it recoil.

"I'm not that tasty for you to want to eat me, though I warn you, you'll get a stomach ache if you do."

After landing, Desmon didn't hesitate to speak.

The demon rose after being knocked down and dazed for a few seconds. Despite the immense size difference, it was brought down without much difficulty.

Without stopping, the demon continued its attacks, but Desmon evaded and repelled them. He also made several cuts on the demon's body. He even climbed onto its back, exploiting the blind spot to execute a massacre, jumping away when the demon attempted to crush him but failed.

The demon had a very predictable pattern, something Desmon quickly noticed, making dealing with it even easier.

"Come on, Fido, are you already worn out?" For Desmon, this was just another day in the park. Even the guy who tried to kill him upon arrival was more interesting.

The demon's movements slowed down as it received numerous wounds from Alastor. But it didn't stop attacking.

Shizuka, on her part, was fascinated by everything she was witnessing. It seemed straight out of a Shonen manga. Even though Desmon was smaller, he was giving the demon a beating, something she hadn't anticipated.

"Well, I have things to do, and you're not on that list."

After saying this, Desmon decided to finish the demon.

The demon attempted to bite him upon realizing its hind legs were no longer responding, but that was its mistake. Desmon dodged back and buried Alastor in its snout.

The demon howled in pain as its blood spilled everywhere. It tried to remove the sword from its snout but couldn't. This was exploited by Desmon, who jumped onto it, retrieving Alastor in the process.

"Nothing personal, you know."

Without hesitation, Desmon drove Alastor into one of the demon's eyes, causing it to rear up on its hind legs due to the pain of losing an eye.

In a favorable position, Desmon leaped to cut the demon in half using Alastor, accomplishing it without much trouble. Its rotted flesh was easy to slice through.

A demon that posed no real threat, especially considering it was weakened even before the fight, was merely a sack of flesh to cut.

After landing, the demon's body followed, the large gash Alastor had made covered its entire body. Desmon was lucky Alastor did cleave it in two.

The strange barrier also disappeared once the demon was defeated.

Seeing that the demon no longer posed a threat, Shizuka approached Desmon. Her expression was anything but that of someone who had narrowly escaped being crushed by a gigant dog.

"That was astounding, the way you evaded all its attacks and counterattacked, just like in...!"

Shizuka transitioned from a composed master to a girl who loves Shonen manga and anime, which was probably why she struggled to find a partner.

-Who is this guy, really?

She thought after witnessing his first exchange of blows. His strength, displayed when he kicked the demon back, was immense.

But the more she watched the fight, the more excited she got, relating it to the action manga she typically read in her free time. She never thought she'd have the chance to see something straight out of fiction.

"It's part of my everyday life." Desmon responded as he walked towards Shizuka.

"That doesn't change how incredible you looked."

Now reunited, their gazes turned towards the remains of Shizuka's vehicle.

"Just a night in the workshop, and it'll be good as new."

"At this point, I don't know if it's true or if you're just mocking me." She sighed, unable to determine if Desmon's words were sincere.

"Perhaps the second option, although if I had been driving, the outcome would be different." Desmon responded.

"Don't keep talking, or a part of me will start regretting not taking your words seriously."

The way of speaking with Desmon had become more familiar due to him saving her life. If it weren't for him, she would have died. She couldn't thank him enough for this.

"Whatever. Now it's you who needs a ride, and luckily, I can take care of..."

Before he could finish speaking, they heard a certain sound that interrupted them. The sound of flesh being destroyed and repaired simultaneously. The demon's body began to grow and merge, having previously been split in two, becoming much bigger than before.

While they were conversing, they hadn't noticed a butterfly larger than usual, blood-red in color, approaching the dying demon's head, merging with it and making it stronger.

Its fur turned completely grayish, its claws grew larger, its previously destroyed eye regenerated, and its tail became sharpened.

Desmon smiled faintly, as it seemed his fun wasn't over yet.

"So, Fido, round two?"