Black Bullet, Vol. 1: Those Who Would Be Gods (9 page)

“You there,” said the man. “Sorry about that. He’s terribly short-tempered.”

“You can’t even properly discipline your pet dog?” said Rentaro.

The man didn’t blink an eye at Rentaro’s snide remark. “I really do apologize.”

“Yeah? Well, I’m used to it, so it’s fine.” That was the truth. Of the civsec Promoters, the hard truth of the matter was that while there were those who stuck to their philosophical beliefs, there were also many who just wanted a place to run wild, or who were criminals who used the position as a cover.

The man turned to face Kisara. “It is a pleasure to meet someone so beautiful.”

“My, aren’t you a sweet talker,” said Kisara.

The man showed no sign of turning in Rentaro’s direction again. Even as he seemed calm and collected in his expensive suit, he also gave an air of nervousness.

Kisara wrapped things up with a sociable smile, and she was moderately pleasant as she sat down in a tall-backed chair.

“We’re in the lowest seat, huh?” said Rentaro.

“There’s no helping it,” said Kisara. “In terms of strength, we’re the lowest in rank.”

Looking around again, Rentaro saw those invited were all big names who practically oozed with capability.

“Then why are weaklings like us even here?” Rentaro whispered quietly in her ear as he looked at the guys from before sitting across from them. “Also, who are those guys?”

Kisara pulled out the business card she had exchanged with the man earlier, still facing forward. There was a watermark on the back that said in gold letters,
MIKAJIMA ROYAL GUARD, REPRESENTATIVE DIRECTOR, KAGEMOCHI MIKAJIMA
.

Rentaro gave a small groan. Even among the major players, this was a huge name that even Rentaro had heard of. It was a large civsec agency that employed many capable pairs. “That means that Promoter is also extremely skilled, huh?” he said.

“Someone said ‘Shogen’ earlier, so he’s probably Shogen Ikuma,” said Kisara. “His IP Rank is 1,584.”

“He’s on the thousands board, huh?”

IP Rankings, which were regulated and published by the International Initiator Supervision Organization, were rankings based on the number of Gastrea defeated and the battle results. There were problems with individual differences in compatibility, but the rank assigned by the IISO was basically thought of as the basis for measuring a pair’s strength.

Rentaro wiped the sweat from his palms onto his pants. If that man had come at him in a rage earlier, Rentaro would have been knocked flat, no doubt about it.

“By the way, Satomi, do you remember the IP Rank assigned to you and Enju?” said Kisara.

“I don’t remember exactly, but…around 120,000 something, right?” said Rentaro.

“I don’t remember the exact number either, but it’s about there.” Kisara peeked in Rentaro’s direction and sighed affectedly. “And that corporation employs pairs that are even stronger than him. I’d love a Promoter that strong in my office. Even though my Initiator is extremely gifted, my Promoter is a good-for-nothing idiot who’s ranked lower than me, and is hopelessly weak, at that.”

Rentaro pretended he didn’t hear her, but inside his heart, he felt that Kisara’s words had hit the nail on the head.

How well-known a company was was directly linked to the quality of its Initiators and Promoters. In other words, if a civsec agency was famous, it was because it employed a number of strong pairs. Enju was strong. With an adequate Promoter, she could probably make it into the thousands board. If she was stuck in the 120,000s middle zone, it was natural for her partner to be called incompetent.

Just then, a bald man wearing a uniform entered the room. All at once, the company presidents in the room, including Kisara, stood up, but the man urged them to sit with a wave of his hand. He was too far away for Rentaro to make out his badge of rank, but he was probably a self-defense force staff officer.

“The fact of the matter is that we have gathered you civil officers here today because we have a job for you. Feel free to assume the job comes from the government.” The bald man seemed to be waiting for something as he paused for a beat and scowled as he looked around. “Hmm, one absentee, I see.”

Now that he looked, Rentaro could see that the only empty seat was six seats down from them with a triangular nameplate that said
OSE FUTURE CORPORATION
on it. He had met them once before on a job. The fat president had been accompanied by the lanky secretary who briskly took care of whatever the president needed. They seemed like a comedy duo, somehow. He wondered what had happened to them.

“Before explaining the contents of the job, if there is anyone who does not wish to take on this job, please stand up and leave the room now. Once you’ve heard what the job is, you may no longer turn it down.”

Rentaro sighed inwardly. What was the difference between a job you were forced to take and a task you were ordered to do? He looked around, but as expected, not a single person stood up.

The elliptical table that was not quite round had over thirty people seated around it, including Kisara. Kisara, who had come straight from school and was still wearing her school uniform, stood out like a sore thumb, but she herself didn’t seem to care.

And behind the company presidents were the Promoters. Their clothes were all over the place. There was a woman who was wearing all red, with a red bodysuit and even dyed-red hair, and a tall, gangly man with bandages on his face who brought to mind Giacometti’s statues. The thought that “I’m going to a government building, so I should wear formal clothes” didn’t seem to have crossed a single one of their minds.

Shogen Ikuma stood by himself with his back to the wall.

Huh?
Rentaro noticed a girl standing close to Shogen. She wore a dull, long-sleeved dress with tights. She had large bright eyes, but there was a coldness to them.

Shogen had left such a strong impression that Rentaro didn’t notice her until now, but she must have been his partner Initiator. At that moment, his eyes met the girl’s. Rentaro hurriedly shifted his gaze, but he could feel her staring at him. After a while, he moved only his eyes to look in her direction, but she was still looking at him.

He didn’t know what she was thinking, but she pressed on her stomach with her hands and looked a little sadly in his direction. At first, he was worried that she might have a stomachache, but he soon realized that the subtle expression on her face meant “I’m hungry.” She was an interesting girl to be paired with the tough Shogen.

“Very well, then may I assume that no one intends to refuse the job?” The bald man seemed to emphasize this point by looking at everyone in order. Then, he said, “You will receive the explanation from this personage,” and withdrew.

Suddenly, on the large panels in the back of the room appeared the figure of a girl. “Good afternoon, everyone.”

Kisara opened her eyes wide, and then stood up with force the next instant. At almost the same time, the other company presidents also stood hurriedly.

Rentaro, too, looked at the panels with unbelieving eyes.

With her pure white clothes that made it look like she was covered in snow and her silver hair—it was the Seitenshi, the ruler of Tokyo Area after Japan’s defeat in the war. At a distance not too far and not too close was Kikunojo Tendo, who accompanied her like a shadow. It looked like a live feed from a Western-style room somewhere. For just a moment, Kisara’s and Kikunojo’s eyes met, and sparks flew. Knowing the feud between them, Rentaro was scared.

The Seitenshi sat comfortably in an art nouveau–inspired chair of delicate craftsmanship, and expensive-looking paintings and a canopied bed could be seen behind her. It was probably her private room in the Seitenshi’s palace.

Rentaro started to feel a strange uneasiness at the sudden appearance of such a person of authority. He had a hunch that they had become involved in something dangerous.

“Please be at ease, everyone,” said the Seitenshi. “I will now explain the circumstances.”

Not a single person sat down.

“That being said,” she continued, “the job itself is extremely simple. The job I have for all of you civil officers is the elimination of the source Gastrea who infiltrated Tokyo Area yesterday and infected one person. In addition, please safely recover the case thought to have been taken by said Gastrea.”

Case?
thought Rentaro.

A separate window opened on the EL panel, and a photo of a duralumin silver case popped up. The number that appeared next to it was the reward money for completion of the job. Seeing that price, obvious bewilderment filled the air.

Mikajima suddenly raised his hand. “May I ask a question? May we assume that the Gastrea either swallowed the case or the case became engulfed in it?”

“That is correct,” said the Seitenshi.

Being “engulfed” referred to a phenomenon that occurred when a victim became a Gastrea, and ripped clothes, skin, or anything the victim might have been wearing would be surrounded by the skin portion and thus adhere to the Gastrea. If that happened, the only way to remove them was to defeat the Gastrea first.

“Does the government have any information on the Gastrea’s shape, type, or current location?” said Mikajima.

“Unfortunately, those details are still unclear,” said the Seitenshi.

Next, Kisara raised her hand. “May I ask what is inside the case that you would like us to retrieve?” In the commotion that followed, it became clear that the agency presidents around them were excited. Unexpectedly, it seemed that Kisara had asked what was on everyone’s minds.

“Oh? And you are?”

“My name is Kisara Tendo.”

An expression of slight surprise crossed the Seitenshi’s face. “I have heard of you… Even so, that is a strange question, President Tendo. Because it concerns the privacy of the client, of course, I cannot answer.”

“I cannot accept that. If, according to common sense, the source Gastrea is the same type as the infected person, then the source Gastrea is also a Model Spider. Something of that level could be defeated by my Promoter by himself.” After she finished addressing the Seitenshi, she turned toward Rentaro with a look of uncertainty in her eyes and added, “Probably…”

What a rude president.

Kisara continued. “The question is, why is such an easy job being presented in such an unprecedented way—and why ask all the top-class civil officers? That is what I do not understand. Isn’t it only natural, then, that I am left to assume that the danger that merits such compensation lies in what the case contains?”

“There is no need for you to know that, is there?” said the Seitenshi.

“Perhaps not. However, if you insist on keeping your cards hidden, then we will withdraw from this case.”

“If you leave now, there will be a penalty involved.”

“I am prepared for that. I will not expose my employees to danger with such an unsatisfactory explanation.”

In the tense silence that followed, Rentaro thought about the unexpected outcome. On the train, Kisara had said that she could not refuse a job from the government, but—

Just as he thought he should say something and opened his mouth, shrill laughter suddenly filled the room.

“Who’s there?” asked the Seitenshi.

“It’s me.” Everyone’s gazes, including Rentaro’s, went to the speaker. Rentaro was startled at what he saw.

In President Ose’s previously empty seat, the mysterious man in a mask, silk hat, and tailcoat sat with his legs on the table. The CEOs on both sides of him were so surprised at his sudden appearance that they screamed and fell off their chairs.

Rentaro knew who he was. In fact—“You’re… No way…”

“Oof,” said the man, as he bent his body and jumped up, stepping on the table with his shoes on. The agency presidents watched dumbfounded.

Once the man got to the middle of the table, he confronted the Seitenshi.

“Tell me your name,” said the Seitenshi.

“Oh, excuse me.” The man took off his silk hat and folded his body in half to bow. “I am Hiruko. Kagetane Hiruko. It’s a pleasure to meet you, miss incompetent head of state. To put it bluntly, I am your enemy.”

The chills running up his spine made Rentaro draw his gun. “Y-you…”

The man who called himself Kagetane turned his neck with a violent force toward Rentaro. “Oh ho, have you been well, Satomi? My dear friend.”

“How did you get in here?!” Rentaro demanded.

“Oh ho, the correct answer to your question is: from the front door, like everyone else, I suppose. There were some annoying little flies that kept coming at me, though, so I killed a few of them. Oh right, this is the perfect time to introduce you to my Initiator. Kohina, come.”

“Yes, Papa.”

Before they could turn to look, a girl walked up between Satomi and Kisara. Rentaro felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand. How long had she been behind them?

She had short, wavy hair and wore a frilly black dress. From the length of the two scabbards that crossed her back, they probably held short swords.

“Whoopsie daisy,” she said as she lifted her arms and legs and climbed up the table with effort, going to stand beside Kagetane and curtsying, holding her skirt in her hands. “I’m Kohina Hiruko, ten years old.”

“She is my Initiator and my daughter,” said Kagetane.

Initiator? This man is a civsec officer?

Kohina slowly looked left and right with a sleepy look on her face. After a short while, she tugged on Kagetane’s sleeve mild-manneredly. “Papa, everyone’s looking. It’s embarrassing, so can I kill them? Also, that guy is pointing a gun this way. Can I kill him?”

“There, there,” said Kagetane. “But you can’t kill them yet. Have patience.”

“Aw, Papa…”

Seeing blood dripping from the scabbard on the girl’s hip creating a stain on the table, Rentaro shuddered. Continuing to hold his gun ready, he used his free hand to move Kisara behind him. “What do you want?” he demanded.

“I came to greet you all today,” said Kagetane. “I just wanted you to know that I am also entering this race.”

“Entering? What are you talking about?”

“I’m saying that we are the ones who will take the Inheritance of the Seven Stars.”

The moment she heard those words, the Seitenshi squeezed her eyes shut for a moment in resignation.

“The Inheritance of the Seven Stars?” said Rentaro. “What’s that?”

“Oh? You were all really being made to take this job without knowing anything, huh? You poor things. It’s what’s inside the duralumin case you were talking about.”

“So yesterday, you were in that room because—”

“That’s right. I followed the source Gastrea into the room, but what I was looking for had disappeared somewhere, and as I was hanging around, a police squad broke the window and came in. They surprised me, so I ended up killing them quite by accident.” He laughed from deep in his throat as he held his mask to his face.

Rentaro felt hatred for the laughing Kagetane. “You bastard…”

Kagetane spread both arms wide and turned on the tabletop. “Ladies and gentlemen, let’s review the rules! This is a race to see who can find the source Gastrea and get their hands on the Inheritance of the Seven Stars first. The Inheritance of the Seven Stars is surely engulfed in the Gastrea’s body, so all you have to do to get ahold of it is kill the Gastrea. How about we bet your lives?”

“I can’t listen to your yapping any longer.” The muffled voice came from the other side of the table. It was Shogen Ikuma, with his bastard
sword and his skull-face scarf. “You’re talking too much. Basically, we just need you to die right now, right?”

Rentaro thought Shogen had disappeared, but the next instant, Shogen had buried himself into Kagetane’s chest. He was fast. “I’m gonna kill you.”

“Oh?” said Kagetane, amused.

Surrounded by a sudden surge of wind, the great sword swung like a tornado. Its deadly timing was perfect, leaving no margin for escape. But then—it was repelled with a thunderous clang, and the next instant Shogen’s sword flew in a different direction.

“Wha…?” said Shogen.

“Too bad!” said Kagetane.

What was that just now?

It was only for a second, but Rentaro saw a bluish-white phosphorescent glow between Shogen’s sword and Kagetane.

“Get back, Shogen!” With Mikajima’s single roar, Shogen instantly understood and retreated, clicking his tongue.

As if they had been waiting for that instant, all the presidents and Promoters who had gathered drew their self-defense pistols at once and fired round after round. Rentaro fired. Kisara fired, too.

The ear-splitting sound of gunfire came from all directions, 360-degrees around. The thunderous sound came again, and this time, the bluish-white glow was more clearly visible.

It was a dome-shaped barrier. When the bullets hit the barrier, they were repelled in all directions with a shrill sound. The glass in the furniture and on the paintings was blown away, and the sound of bullets competed with someone’s war cry.

Rentaro also shot his XD gun as if possessed, but after a while, he was out of ammo and the slide stop popped up, and everyone there had fired all of their bullets. In the strange silence filled with the pungent smell of gunpowder smoke that followed, the cries of the unfortunate people here and there who had been hit with stray bullets could be heard.

“No way…” Rentaro swallowed his bitter spit along with the out-of-this-world sensation that he felt.

In the middle of the table riddled with bullet holes, the masked man and the girl looked down at everything around them. All the high-ranking people in attendance froze as if numb.

Kagetane placidly spread his arms. “It’s a repulsion force field. I call it
Imaginary Gimmick
.”

“A barrier…? Are you really human?” said Rentaro.

“I assure you I am human. However, in order to generate this, most of my organs have been replaced with Varanium instruments.”

“Instruments…”

“Let me tell you again who I am, Satomi. I am Kagetane Hiruko, former member of the Ground Self-Defense Force’s Eastern Force, 787th Mechanization Special Unit, of the New Humanity Creation Project.”

Mikajima’s eyes widened in surprise. “The special unit created to counter Gastrea during the Gastrea War…? It actually exists…?”

“You are free to believe it or not,” said Kagetane. “Well, what am I trying to say, Satomi? Basically, I was not fighting seriously at all before. Sorry.”

Kagetane came silently in front of Rentaro, and like he was performing a magic show, he used a white cloth to cover the palm of his hand, counted to three, and pulled it away. When he did, a box tied with a red ribbon appeared. Putting it on the table, he lay a hand on the astonished Rentaro’s shoulder. “It’s a present for you,” he said. “And now, I will take my leave of you. Fall into despair, civsec. The day of extinction is at hand! Let’s go, Kohina.”

“Yes, Papa,” said the girl. The two walked calmly to the window, broke it, and jumped down as if this were completely natural.

Everyone in the room, including Rentaro, could not move for a while. No one said a word about chasing after them.

It was the first time Rentaro thought he might be killed with a glance.
Just don’t vomit
, he told himself as he bore down with all his might on the nausea that was rising from the pit of his stomach.

Rentaro gave a start as someone suddenly laid a hand on his shoulder. Turning, he saw Kisara with a stern expression on her face. “Satomi, I demand an explanation. Where have you met this man?”

“Well…,” Rentaro hesitated.

In the silence, Mikajima’s anger got the best of him, and he banged on the table with his fists. “Lord Tendo. The New Humanity Creation Project—was what that man said true?”

“There is no need to answer that.” The boulderlike Kikunojo replied immediately, unwaveringly.

As a heavy silence fell, a man in a half-mad state suddenly burst into the meeting room. “It’s terrible. The president is…!”

The shrill voice belonged to the lanky secretary who was always with President Ose, who was absent from the meeting. He was deranged, and his shoulders heaved as he panted and his eyes bulged. “The president was killed in his house! Th-the head of the corpse is nowhere to be found!”

Everyone’s gaze went to the box that had been set in front of Rentaro. Each side of the box was about thirty centimeters long. Rentaro untied the ribbon with shaking hands, and lifted the lid.

After facing it for a while, he slowly lowered the lid.

He had only met the man two or three times on the job, but in the midst of so many bloodthirsty civsec officers, he was a man who never stopped smiling, so Rentaro remembered privately liking him. His balled up fist shook, and he was filled with so much rage it made him dizzy. “That bastard…!”

“Quiet!” At the Seitenshi’s clear voice, Rentaro slowly raised his face that was frozen in an expression of rage. “The situation has taken a rather unusual direction. Everyone, allow me to add a new condition to fulfilling the job. Please retrieve the case before the man trying to get the case does so. If you do not, terrible things will happen.”

Kisara glared at the Seitenshi. “You will explain just what is inside the case, won’t you?”

The Seitenshi closed her eyes and bit her lip lightly. “Very well. Inside the case is the Inheritance of the Seven Stars. It must be sealed. If misused by wicked people, it could destroy the Monolith barrier and cause a Great Extinction in Tokyo Area.”