Scum of the Brave

In a near-future Tokyo, the underworld is controlled by mafias who can become «Demon Kings» through ether enhancement surgery. The only people legally allowed to hunt them are bounty killers called Braves, who boost their ether abilities with a drug known as E3 and take contracts that treat murder like a licensed profession. «Shinigami» Yashiro is a freelance Brave who keeps his life small and selfish on purpose, until a self-proclaimed disciple forces her way into his routine. Aki Jogamine is a high school Brave-in-training who insists on learning from him, and Yashiro grudgingly accepts her. The moment he does, he gets pulled into a chain of ugly incidents where money, status, and ether power decide who gets to live, and the line between hero work and plain criminal business disappears fast.