The cold wind bit at his skin as he walked down the street. The winter was blisteringly cold this year. He slipped on a small patch of ice and landed on his back. Issei lay there, staring at the dull, grey sky as he tried to remember exactly how he ended up like this.

After his banishment, he was forced to flee north to the Niigata prefecture of Japan. The last of his money dried up just as he reached the capital of the region, the city of Niigata itself. The young devil has been left starving and poor, stripped of everything he has ever known except the clothes on his back.

Suddenly Issei heard footsteps approaching him.

A woman with deep violet hair leaned over him, "so much potential," she muttered as she stared at him. "You look like you could use a second chance. I'm willing to offer, under certain circumstances of course."

Issei's head was spinning from hunger and exhaustion.

Through his daze, he let out a tired "Okay."

The woman smiled, "Alright then," she affirmed cheerfully.

She put her index finger to the young man's forehead and he was asleep within seconds.

Issei woke up in a warm bed for the first time in weeks. He groaned and looked around as he gained his bearings. The first thing he noticed was that the room was not too different from his own at his parents' house, sans the lewd posters. It was simply furnished with a desk, closet, and bed. Soft light flooded through the only window and bathed the room in a warm yellow. He got up and noticed the clothes folded neatly on the desk. The young devil changed and soon found himself wearing a pair of jeans with a plain red shirt.

As he was fulling on the black windbreaker, the door opened and a middle age man walked in.

"Ah, good, you're awake," he said in a friendly manner.

The man was dressed in a button down shirt and jeans. He had short, spiked blond hair and matching stubble growing on his face.

"Nice to meet you, the name's Connor," the man said as he extended his hand.

"Issei," the devil said as he shook Connor's hand.

"I see what Sarutobi meant, you do seem to have potential." Connor said as he looked him over.

"What do you mean?" Issei asked.

"The woman that brought you here, she said you might be a valuable asset. I hate to say it but she just might be right."

"Well I never thought I would see the day that you would admit I'm right," a woman's voice called out from the doorway.

The purple-haired woman from before was leaning against the frame.

"Good to see you awake Issei-kun," she said.

"How do you know my name?" Issei questioned.

"Well I looked through your wallet of course," she explained as if the answer should was obvious.

"What the hell! You can't just go through someone's stuff like that!" he yelled.

"Relax, it's not like there was anything to steal anyway. You seemed half dead when I found you, when was the last time you ate?" she asked.

"Not for a while" Issei admitted, "I don't really have the cash for it at the moment".

"That's an understatement." she murmured, "Just come downstairs once you finished getting dressed, we have breakfast waiting."

At the prospect of food, Issei's eyes lit up

"Really?" he asked hungrily, his mouth already watering.

"Follow me," the woman chuckled.

A minute later, Issei sat at a table in front of a feast of bacon, eggs, and waffles while Connor and the purple-haired woman sat in two of the remaining four chairs.

"So I suppose I should start by introducing myself," the woman said, "my name is Sarutobi Ayame, everyone here just calls me Sa-chan."

"Why did you bring me here?" Issei asked before shoving a syrup-caked piece of waffle in his mouth.

"I sensed a great deal of magical energy within you," Sarutobi explained, "we thought you would make a wonderful addition to our little business here."

Issei paused halfway through devouring a piece of bacon.

'So they know about the magical world, huh?' he thought to himself.

"And what business would that be?" he asked.

Sarutobi smiled, "We're fixers," she explained, "we take on a wide variety of jobs, some not as…upstanding as others. We are a relatively small organization but we are making a name for ourselves rather quickly. We get some high profile clientele and have the respect of our customers."

She leaned forward, "We have also been looking to expand; when I saw you on the street back there I knew you were a prime candidate."

p style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium;"Issei shook his head, "Sorry to tell you this but most of my magical circuits are shot, I can't even use a fraction of the magic I was once capable of."

Sarutobi smiled, "While that is a shame, I think you still can be of use. Although magic can be extraordinarily helpful, it is not a necessity in many of the jobs we receive."

Issei paused to think for a moment, "How much money could you make in this line of work?"

"You could walk away a rich man," Connor said.

"Do you honestly have very many options? We're offering you a good deal, it would be a shame to have to send you back out onto the street," Sarutobi added.

Issei sighed.

"…Okay. I'll need to hear more before I come to a decision but I'm willing to give it a shot," he relented.

"Wonderful!" Sarutobi cheered, "You won't regret this, I can assure you." She smiled at him,

"Welcome to the company Issei."