Black Bullet - Volume 2 - Chapter 1.6

6

By the time they got in the limousine to go home, a thick curtain of darkness had fallen. Though Enju had spent a long time waiting in the car, she was now fast asleep on Rentaro’s lap, drooling and hanging off him. Jeez, you’re a great guard, he thought. Once the car reached the Seitenshi’s palace, the first day of their job would be successfully concluded. He knew he should be glad nothing major happened, but…

When he lifted his face, he saw the Seitenshi sitting prettily across from him with her hands folded neatly in her lap, looking out the window at the darkness outside with a slightly melancholy expression on her face.

“Don’t be so depressed,” Rentaro said.

The Seitenshi responded to Rentaro’s voice and slowly shifted her gaze. “I’m not depres—” Stopping midsentence, she quietly shook her head. “You’re right, I am a little… Generally speaking, I always believed that if I spoke sincerely, the person I was talking to would understand where I was coming from, no matter who it was, and I believe that even more now.”

“It’s not like it’s your fault, you know. Even Kikunojo would have trouble with someone like Saitake. You did a good job.”

The Seitenshi gave a mischievous smile as she place her hand on her chin. “You’re unexpectedly kind, Satomi. Even so, you surprised me today. From a budding politician to a Buddha sculptor to a soldier of the New Humanity Creation Project, it seems you’ve had a complicated past.”

Rentaro shifted his gaze with a start. “Hell, those are all parts of my past that I’d rather forget. Don’t make me think about them.”

“Will you carve something for me sometime?”

“No way.”

The Seitenshi put her hand to her mouth and chuckled. The atmosphere inside the car seemed to relax slightly. “But you’re amazing, Satomi. You didn’t back off one bit against Saitake. I think it’s that part of you that I like, Satomi.”

“Like?”

“Yes, everyone I come into contact with, from my tutors to Kikunojo, speaks to me with respect. There isn’t anyone around me who tells things to me straight like you do, Satomi. It’s very refreshing.”

Ah, now I get it, Rentaro thought. During the Kagetane Hiruko terrorist incident, Rentaro had not said anything to make the Seitenshi like him; instead, he had snapped at her constantly. He kept wondering why the Seitenshi would nominate him for this job, but now it made sense. “But why a civsec officer? You have your own personal guards, don’t you? You know, like that guy that looks like a military police officer?”

“Yasuwaki? He… He’s too dazzling. It’s a little scary to be with him.”

Even as Rentaro responded with an indifferent grunt, inwardly he thought it served Yasuwaki right. Yasuwaki seemed to be trying to shrewdly attract the Seitenshi’s attention, but it looked like his ulterior motive wasn’t gaining much traction.

The Seitenshi took out some peach juice from the mini fridge and poured it into a glass. She offered some to Rentaro, as well, so he took it. He was only planning on taking a sip, but when he swallowed, the cold sweetness penetrated his internal organs, and he downed the glass in the blink of an eye. Apparently, he was thirstier than he thought.

When the Seitenshi lifted her face from her cup, for some reason, her eyes looked like they were clouded with the resolve to drink poisoned sake. She looked at Rentaro. “Satomi, it is rumored that President Saitake has been fostering relations with foreign countries.”

The car approached a curb, and Rentaro’s body swayed a little to the right. On his lap, Enju murmured something in her sleep. The city lights shone on the glistening metal car top, slipping away as they drove past.

“Keep going…,” he said.

“I’ve heard that America and other foreign countries have been secretly contacting Saitake, providing him with capital and weapons.”

“What’s the benefit for the foreign countries?”

“Varanium.” The Seitenshi stopped talking for a moment and lifted her face. “Varanium is the material used for the weapons and ammunition of civsec officers and the Monoliths that separate humans from Gastrea. All these are essential in the fight against the Gastrea. A small country without that much land like Japan is still okay, but large countries like Russia and America need a large amount of Varanium to take back the land stolen by the Gastrea. And rough estimates of the amount of Varanium left in the ground indicate that even if we scraped together all the Varanium in the world, it would not be enough to take back all the world’s continents from the Gastrea. Do you understand what that means?”

Rentaro understood what she meant so well it was almost painful. Different natural resources around the world were distributed unevenly. The Middle East was rich in oil, and South Africa was plentiful in gold and diamonds. Varanium was found on volcanic islands. Even if the islands were separate, it could still be said that the bulk was found on Japan.

Rentaro had recently met a boy who ran away from working in the mines, and he had been shocked at their terrible working conditions. Illegal mining of Varanium in the Unexplored Territory might seem like a failure at first when looking at the risk and return, but taking into account that there was a constant stream of illegal miners, as long as one bore in mind the risk of being crushed by a whole mine, it was still possible to find some reasonable profit in it.

Rentaro’s thoughts came one after another. Now that he thought about it, the bulk of the conference seemed to involve Saitake thrusting unfavorable conditions on Tokyo Area and the Seitenshi refusing them. Because of what she had just said, it seemed like Saitake was looking for an excuse to start a war.

“Then, what Saitake wants to do so badly that he would get help from foreign countries is…” Rentaro’s voice trailed off.

“Yes. He probably wants to unite the military power of Tokyo, Sapporo, Sendai, and Hakata Areas. In return, he would provide them with a stable supply of Varanium.”

“Is Saitake being controlled by the larger countries?”

“I do not know.”

Rentaro put his hand on his chin. “I don’t think he is someone who would just do what he’s told.”

“I do not think so, either. The foreign countries probably think they have tamed Saitake, and Saitake is probably planning on forestalling them.” The Seitenshi straightened and continued with a clear voice. “In the ten years that have passed since the end of the war, each country has been holed up inside Monoliths in order to just recover their national power. However, it is now the time to look outward and take back the land that was lost. Whoever recovers their national power first will be the world leader of future generations. That part of Saitake’s thinking is not incorrect. In other words, whoever controls Varanium will control the world.

“Satomi, from now on, countries around the world will contact the different areas of Japan either cooperatively or with hostility in search of Varanium. And the next generation of wars will not be flashy with ballistic missiles or bombers, but will be focused on assassinations carried out by civsec officers with high IP ranks who are strong enough to rock the world’s military balance.

“In no time, all the strongest civsec officers will come to Japan, the country bound by the curse of natural resources. Satomi, in the previous terrorist incident, you defeated Kagetane and Kohina Hiruko and drove away a Zodiac. Unfortunately, Tokyo Area cannot afford to allow one of its capable human resources to play around right now. I will have to ask you to work continuously from now on. For me, and for our country.”

Rentaro stamped his foot with irritation that he could barely hold back. “You just decided that yourself. You really will decide everything based on whatever’s convenient for you, won’t you?”

“I recognize that.” Then, the Seitenshi put both hands on her lower abdomen with a sorrowful expression. “I may also collapse in the whirlpool of turmoil. Because I can now have children, those around me keep telling me I should hurry up and bear a successor. However, instead of bearing a child with the best genes using mechanical means, I would rather bear a child through love, even if it is prideful.”

Rentaro started to stand up without thinking. “Fight back! Why do you only think about death? If you know that Saitake is that dangerous, then there are a lot of ways you could oppose him, aren’t there?”

The Seitenshi’s face twisted with an expression more sorrowful than Rentaro had ever seen. “Even you’re saying the same things as Kikunojo?”

“What?” “Satomi, you said that your perspective was narrow. I plan on taking back the land of Tokyo Area and one day connecting it back to Sendai and Osaka Areas. One day, when all the areas are connected again, the citizens will remember, won’t they? That ten years ago, Japan was one country, and we were fellow citizens all looking up at the same sky. And then, they will be embarrassed to have ever been trapped in the cramped boxes of Tokyo or Osaka Areas.

“I do not have any intention of invading, and even if assassination or murder attempts occur, I have no intention of yielding. Revenge and the like is also absurd. Such cowardly acts are like trying to wash blood away with blood.

“Satomi, do you know who the first victims of a war are? They are the infants who barely open their eyes, and the elderly. During the period of confusion after the war, I went to visit the different parts of Tokyo Area with my mother and was shocked.

“In an environment with terrible hygiene, there were children who were sick and couldn’t even move, but when I smiled at them, they did their best to smile back at me. But the next day, they became cold and flies swarmed over them.” The Seitenshi shook her head firmly. “I do not want to see anything that terrible ever again. I must be the embodiment of peace. Not with words, but with actions.”

The Seitenshi folded her hands together and wrung them in a position of prayer. “Satomi, I cannot bear to have more seeds of sadness sown in this world…”

Rentaro felt a shiver up his spine.

I regard her with respect and affection. That’s why there are things I cannot forgive!

Rentaro was reminded of what the real mastermind behind the previous terrorist incident, Kikunojo Tendo, said about the Seitenshi. At the time, Rentaro didn’t understand Kikunojo’s actions of hatred toward the Cursed Children and his inability to hate the Seitenshi, but now Rentaro felt like maybe he could understand.

Rentaro shifted his gaze away from her. “You’re the idealistic type that dies young.”

“I do not want to become a person who cannot talk about her ideals.”

“Then you need to learn to outmaneuver others better.”

The Seitenshi was silent.

Rentaro lowered his gaze and rubbed the sleeping Enju’s back and shoulders. Finally, he lifted his face. “You’re stupid… But I don’t hate that.”

The Seitenshi blushed slightly. “Th-thank you very much.”

Just then, he felt a sudden sharp pain on his lower jaw. His head rang like he had just received an uppercut.

Enju, who up until now had not woken up from all manner of jostling and shaking, suddenly jumped up, her eyes wandering left and right. Apparently, he had gotten head-butted by the awakening girl. The pain brought tears to his eyes.

“Wh-what was that for?” Rentaro looked at her as he rubbed his chin.

Enju crossed her arms and nodded as she looked back and forth. “My Rentaro Radar reacted to something just now…”

“R-Rentaro Radar…?”

“Yes, it reacts when Rentaro seems to be taking up with an unsavory type.” Enju seemed to have obtained a devilish new power. She looked back and forth, and when she finally settled her eyes on the Seitenshi, she stared at her silently.

“Wh-what is it?”

“You can’t have Rentaro.”

“U-um, I don’t know what you’re talking about…”

“Rentaro is from the planet of boobs, so he doesn’t recognize women with boobs smaller than Kisara’s. That’s why it’s impossible. You should give up now.”

The Seitenshi looked at Rentaro contemptuously. “Satomi… That’s filthy.”

“That’s a grossly false accusation.” Rentaro denied it with his whole body, looking at Enju resentfully. “Y-you little…”

However, Enju wasn’t looking at him anymore and was instead looking intently in front of them. “Rentaro, I have a bad feeling for some reason.”

The car was approaching a four-way intersection and stopped slowly at a red light. It had started sprinkling, and the view from the window was distorted by the water. Rentaro put his face next to Enju’s to look in the same direction as her.

Past the window Enju was pointing at, on a faraway building towering in the night, there was nothing out of the ordinary except for a few red aviation guidance lights on the edges of the building. At least, that was how it looked to Rentaro. However, Enju was an Initiator whose bodily functions, including her sensory organs, far surpassed those of ordinary humans.

Without knowing why, Rentaro also became nervous, and he prayed fervently that the car would start moving again soon. Finally, as if his prayers had been heard, the light turned green and the car started to move. He breathed a sigh of relief.

However, Enju still had not relaxed. Looking at Enju’s continued seriousness, he shifted his gaze once more. Near the roof of the building, for a split second, there was a glint of something. The instant he realized that it was a muzzle flash, Rentaro’s spine froze, and before he could yell, he pushed Enju’s head down and covered the Seitenshi with his body.

Then, they were attacked by a great calamity.

Surrounded by the sound of breaking glass and the squeal of the emergency brakes on the limousine, the Seitenshi started to scream. The car continued to slide sideways and crashed into a road sign. Rentaro was at his wits’ end as he was thrown into the car door by the G’s inside the car and almost lost his breath.

A sniper inside the city?

“Rentaro!” Enju screamed.

Rentaro swung to attention immediately and yelled, “Enju! Get out. Take the driver with you.” Rentaro also kicked the door open and, taking the Seitenshi, who was in a state of shock, by the hand, he rolled out of the car.

Smack-dab in the middle of town, at an intersection. First, they needed to find shelter to hide under. Right after he thought he saw a flash of light on the roof of the building again, there was the echo of an explosion. The sniper bullet had shot out the fuel tank of the limousine, making it go up in flames, distorting the air around with its heat. Around them, members of the general public were screaming, their panic contagious, and the shock wave from the explosion made the Seitenshi fall forward.

When Rentaro went to help her up, the Seitenshi shook her head, her face stiff. “S-Satomi, I don’t think I can walk…”

Rentaro ground his teeth and looked at the building.

This was bad.

There was a third flash of light. He stood in front to cover the Seitenshi but then looked regretful. It was no use. It would go through him and hit her. His spine knew that it was going to be a direct hit, and he squeezed his eyes shut. “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

Then, he heard Enju’s yell and the shrill sound of the attack. Enju rolled several times on the ground after she was thrown back.

At first, Rentaro didn’t know what had happened, but he soon realized after he saw Enju pulling the sniper’s bullet from her shoe. Amazing.

Rentaro didn’t know where Yasuwaki and the rest of the Seitenshi’s personal guard had been up until now, but the guards now came to form a wall around them as they withdrew. The retreating Seitenshi still seemed to be in a state of shock, and her face was pale as she trembled, gripping the sleeves of her dress.

Suddenly, there was a buzzing like the sound of an insect flapping its wings, and Rentaro looked around, but he saw nothing out of the ordinary.

What was that sound just now?

Enju pulled Rentaro’s arm hard and yelled. “Rentaro, what are you doing?! If you don’t hurry up and hide—”

“No, the enemy has already run away.” Rentaro twisted his neck to look around. Flames danced, and ashes blew in the wind. The burning limousine threw up thick black smoke into the sky, and the mania that had spread to the masses showed no sign of abating. The streaks of rain became stronger, wetting his hair and streaming down his cheeks.

Rentaro glared at the faraway building, ignoring the rain that was soaking him. It was roughly one kilometer away. At night, with strong winds and the extra rain, it would be hard enough to shoot three times in a row point-blank, let alone having all three rounds go where they were supposed to.

“Bastard… Who are you…?!”

“I’m sorry, Master. I failed. There was a skilled civsec officer guarding her. After I retrieve the Shenfield, I will retreat promptly.”

“A civsec officer? That wasn’t in the intel. It wasn’t just those idiot Seitenshi personal guards?”

Ignoring her angry master cursing “Damn it, damn it” over the radio, Tina put the Barrett antitank sniper rifle in its case.

“Hey, did you see the civsec officer?”

“Yes, but it was too far away to see what he looked like.” If Tina had seen correctly, the third shot was kicked away by an Initiator. The antitank sniper bullets Tina used were ranked above all but cannons and Vulcan canons in the ranks of the bullets that existed in this world, and possessed an enormous amount of kinetic energy. She caught that?

She was incredibly skilled. A strong opponent.

Tina finished getting ready to withdraw and held down her hair being blown by the eddies of wind around the building. She turned around and looked down, glaring with icy eyes.

“Who are you…? Who got in my way…?”