The first thing Kyou noticed about the Hunter was her accent. He could already tell by her appearance that she was not Japanese, but the lilting way in which she spoke confirmed that she had not been living in the country for long. It was a minor detail, but it still intrigued him. He wondered what brought her to Japan. A career? A family member? Perhaps she was hunting a specific monster? Of course, his own occupation as a journalist took him to all sorts of wild places—It was necessary for his late night escapades as a Hunter. Since she performed the same demon-slaying duties, the girl was also likely to have a job that included frequent travelling. But that was her business.

Kyou’s eyes wandered to the pendant the Hunter was draping around her neck. He had never seen anything like it before—then again, he had never run into another Hunter and gotten close enough to see their weapons before—but it appeared to be some sort of foreign talisman. He wondered if she used it to channel her own magic, or if it had a power all its own. Either way, he was certain the Hunter girl was highly capable. The arrow she had summoned during the battle with Omukade was proof enough of that.

He tilted his head slightly when she questioned his pact with the centipede, “It can’t break a blood contract. That’s the funny thing about demons: They’re infamously deceptive, yet they’re bound by their word. I suppose it does make things easier on us, though. I much prefer to have a peaceful ending rather than fight to the death and risk getting injured.” He rolled his eyes skyward and crossed his arms. “Not to say that I wouldn’t fight if I had to. It’s just easier to go with the alternative.” He glanced back at the Hunter girl with mild curiosity. She seemed unfamiliar with the contract technique. Wherever she was from, she must have dealt with monsters that didn’t end conflicts quietly. It wasn’t surprising though. As far as he knew, only oriental demons agreed to blood pacts. Beasts in the West were much more brutish and unreasonable.

“Opportunistic is a good way to put it,” Kyou agreed. “Although I can’t say I blame it. Getting killed and sent to the Netherworld doesn’t sound very fun.” He paused. “I’m not sure if it’s standard, but I just realized I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Mizuchi.” He dipped his head again in a shallow bow of greeting. Whether it was customary for Hunters to introduce themselves or not, he didn’t want to seem overly cold. Besides, it was likely that the girl hadn’t met any other Hunters in Japan yet, and he didn’t want to leave her with a bad impression after her first encounter with one. Out of respect for the others in his trade, it was his duty to set a good example. “A pleasure to meet you.”