The Destruction of the World by Fire (2 page)

After that, time flowed slowly but steadily.

As time went on, those in the situation room received reports from the investigation team that mixed fact and fiction together. It was hard to tell how many hours had passed, but right around when the night sky was starting to lighten, decisive evidence was finally displayed. The panel in front of them held pictures that had been taken by an unmanned surveillance aircraft.

The pictures were zoomed-in images of the Monolith near where the Stage Four Gastrea had been. The first picture focused on a white stain about thirty centimeters in diameter that was shaped like mold. In the second picture, the white object had spread to about a meter in diameter. In the third, fourth, and fifth pictures, the white object slowly spread across the whole Monolith.

The characteristic bleaching. It completely matched up with the content of reports on Aldebaran when it appeared in the past. There was no reason to doubt it any longer.

“Lady Seitenshi.” Kikunojo looked at her solemnly.

“Yes, it is the Varanium corrosion fluid, isn’t it?” she replied.

Just then, an analyst flew into the room carrying a bundle of documents, his face turning pale. “The results of the supercomputer calculations are here! It is impossible to separate the corrosion fluid from the Monolith. At this rate, the bleaching will take over the whole thing in a week, and then Monolith 32 will completely lose its ability to give off a magnetic field and collapse!”

“What will happen once it collapses?”

“From the Pandemic induced by Gastrea rushing in through the break in the line, seventy percent of the citizens of Tokyo Area will die within two days, and the rest will follow within four days. It will be the end of Tokyo Area.”

“Th-that’s impossible! Redo your calculations!” the Chief Cabinet Secretary howled.

“We redid them over and over! We can’t believe it either!” The angry analyst forgot his manners and threw the bundle of documents in his hands at the Chief Cabinet Secretary. The documents made a paper blizzard that danced around the basement situation room. The room suddenly became quiet, and no one moved a muscle.

The analyst took a deep breath with his shoulders and returned to his senses, looking down in embarrassment.

The Seitenshi pulled the rosary around her neck toward her and held it close, both hands shaking. If this couldn’t be called hopeless, then what could? Even the Cabinet members, who had been making a fuss at the beginning, entreatingly waited for the Seitenshi to speak.

She took a slow breath. Especially at times like this, she had to be strong. She stuck out her chest and raised her face with dignity. “Everyone, let us think of a countermeasure while we are still in control of the situation. We must stop the spread of fear and maintain order as much as possible. If we abandon our reason now, it will turn into chaos that we will have no chance of controlling. Capital functions will be paralyzed, and it will become a state of anarchy. After that will be the demise of Tokyo Area. At the very least, we must avoid losing without putting up a fight.”

The Seitenshi turned to her aide. “Kikunojo, I believe Tokyo Area has an extradeep underground shelter for times like this. How many citizens can the shelter accommodate?”

“Approximately thirty percent, I believe,” he answered. “But even if we stuff as many provisions in as we can and hole up, if help doesn’t come within two months, it’s all over.”

“It’s better than not doing anything at all. Please create a system to select thirty percent of the citizens immediately.”

The Chief Cabinet Secretary hurriedly interrupted. “Your excellency, we should immediately start sending citizens to other Areas using aircraft guarded by civil officers.”

Kikunojo shook his head. “That’s pointless. It is akin to trying to scoop all the water from a giant urn with a ladle. We would not be able to save even one thousandth of the citizens.”

“Then what about taking a sea route?”

“There are Gastrea that live in the ocean. Aegis-class cruisers and aircraft carriers might be better, but high-class ferries would just end up feeding the Gastrea.”

“Then what are you saying we should do?!”

The Seitenshi looked sidelong at the Chief Cabinet Secretary and quietly cut him off. “Kikunojo, how long will it take to make a replacement Monolith?”

“It will take at least ten days,” said Kikunojo. “It will definitely not make it. It would be better to think of another way—”

The Seitenshi cut him off. “Then begin production of a replacement Monolith immediately.”

Kikunojo looked surprised, but then looked down and said, “As you wish,” bowing low. “What should we tell the media?”

“Summon the reporters’ club and tell them everything. Let’s ask for their cooperation after that. Even they should not want Tokyo Area to fall into a panic.”

“Even if the reporters’ club is on our side, it would be impossible to restrict the information online.”

“Even so, we should be able to buy some time. Either way, as the bleaching advances, the bleached Monolith will be visible even from far away. If we can just last until then, that will be enough.”

“Then…”

Understanding Kikunojo’s hesitation, the Seitenshi nodded. “Yes, in the three days between the Monolith’s collapse and the completion of the replacement, Tokyo Area must be defended to the bitter end. Kikunojo, it will be an all-out war. Mobilize the self-defense force at Monolith 32.”

“We will also need to ask for help from the civil officers…,” Kikunojo added. “I will gather as many as I can. I shall not let personal feelings get in the way during a time like this.”

Now that he mentioned it, the Seitenshi recalled that Kikunojo did not like the Cursed Children.

Kikunojo continued. “Lady Seitenshi, with all due respect, I would ask that you also call in civil officers that you trust.” Kikunojo stopped talking for a moment and stared into her eyes, then continued. “Call in the civil officer you trust the most.”

“The civil officer that I trust most…?”

The Seitenshi closed her eyes. After a while, she opened them, slowly.

She had decided.

There was a blackboard behind Rentaro Satomi. Directly above that was the sun. At his feet was grass. And in front of him were those things he didn’t like—kids. There were a lot of them, too.

Looking next to him, he saw a nervous girl dressed in an all-black sailor-style school uniform. It was Kisara Tendo, and she stood at attention without moving, her jaw tight.

Rentaro looked forward again with uninspired eyes. The kids looked at the pair without even trying to hide their curiosity. They sat directly on the grass with their knees bent, and instead of desks, they had long pieces of cut planks, on top of which they had spread their pencils, erasers, and notebooks.

Rentaro poked Kisara’s side with his elbow and said in a low voice, “Which one of us should introduce ourselves first?”

“Y-you start, Satomi,” Kisara replied, voice thin and shaky. “I’m so nervous, my heart feels like it’s going to leap out of my mouth.”

Though it was a pain, Rentaro trudged forward one step, scratching the back of his head and looking at the faces of the kids one
by one. “Um, I’m Rentaro Satomi, and I’ll be your teacher starting from today. Nice to meet you.” He raised his hand slightly in greeting, but the kids did not show any reaction and just stared at him. It seemed as if they were telling him to say something else.

“My hobby is observing bugs and gathering plants. I like microorganisms, too.”

Silence.

“I can also fight using Tendo Martial Arts, I guess.”

Silence.

He paused. “Do you have any questions?” he asked finally.

He was suddenly met with a chorus of “Yes!” as every member of the class raised their hands in vigorous unison. Their wild energy was overwhelming.

At a loss and wondering why it had turned out this way, Rentaro looked up at the sky. There were only a few clouds in the blue. There was no wind, and an aircraft left a trail as it roared past in the sky. Covering the sun with the palm of his hand, he narrowed his eyes. It looked like today would be hot, too.

Tokyo Area Outer District, District 39. Rentaro and the others were in the outdoor classroom.

“You can do it, Mr. Satomi!” a lazy voice called out suddenly from behind the students.

Rentaro looked in that direction resentfully and saw a man sitting in a folding chair, beaming as he waved his wooden cane around. The man was not even 160 centimeters tall, and his lightly tanned skin had deep wrinkles from years of hardships. He had round glasses perched on top of his nose. He was just past middle age, the self-appointed guardian of the Manhole Children who lived in the Outer District. His name was Matsuzaki, and during the Kagetane Hiruko terrorist incident, he had taken care of Enju for a while.

However, still wondering why they were doing this, Rentaro tilted his head and looked at Enju Aihara, who was mixed in with the kids, smiling and waving at him. Next to her, Tina Sprout was sleeping boldly, prostrate on the table from homeroom.

“I would like you and Miss Tendo to teach the Outer District children.” Matsuzaki had broached the subject a few days after Rentaro enrolled Enju in the Outer District elementary school.

During the Kagetane Hiruko terrorist incident, Enju was exposed as one of the Cursed Children who had the Gastrea factor in her body, and she was inevitably expelled from the elementary school she attended at the time. It became a pressing matter for Rentaro to find her a new elementary school, but at the same time, it was a delicate problem, and Rentaro and Kisara proceeded carefully.

In the end, they agreed that they could disregard everything but Enju’s comfort, so they transferred her to the Outer District’s outdoor classroom, known officially as Tokyo Area District 39 Third Temporary Elementary School.

Because that was on the horizon, Rentaro and Kisara were baffled. “Why do you want us to be teachers?” Rentaro asked.

Matsuzaki did not lose his smile. “Well, when you get to be an old man like me, your ways of teaching also get old. I want to bring in some new blood. New teachers won’t come here to the Outer Districts, and as you can see, this school that I’m running on a half-volunteer basis will fall over if you blow on it. So, I thought it would be nice to let current students like yourselves take control of the teacher’s pointer for a while.”

Kisara, concerned, folded her hands. “We have school as well, you know.”

“Yes, so even if it’s only on the weekends when you have time, will you please come?”

Rentaro and Kisara exchanged a glance, nonplussed.

Returning to his senses upon hearing their boisterous chorus of “Yes!” Rentaro saw the mountain of swords that were the girls’ raised hands as their attack continued. The twenty female students wore tattered clothes, and they looked dirty. He wasn’t sure of the last time any of them had bathed. That was to be expected, though,
since all the students were Cursed Children girls who had been abandoned.

Rentaro felt uneasy. He wasn’t fit to take on the important task of teaching and leading other people. Yet, these were doubts taking over. He shook his head; this kind of thinking would do him no good. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he shouted from his stomach:

“All right, kiddos! Your teacher will answer all of your questions! First, you over there—”

“Yes, Teacher! Is it true that you are living with Enju and thinking of marriage in the future?”

He groaned.

For her part, Enju shouted angrily, “It’s true!”

Rentaro held his head.
You be quiet
.

“There’s no way that’s true. She’s a freeloader. Okay, next.”

“Should we call you Mr. Satomi or Mr. Rentaro?”

Was that all?
he thought, feeling relieved. Rentaro waved his hand quickly in front of his face. “You can call me what you want.”

“Pervert!”

“Lolita complex!”

“Unfortunate face!”

“I’ll beat you all up, you little twits!”

For some reason, the students all started laughing at that. After that, he fielded a few more questions, but the kids were having fun laughing, and Rentaro was soon worn out.

“Now, I’ll switch with the other teacher.” Rentaro handed the floor over to Kisara, haggard after the consecutive-question punches. As they passed each other, he whispered in her ear, “They’re tough.”

Kisara moved forward with the stiff movements of a robot. “I-I’m Kisara Tendo. Um, I…”

“Teacher! Enju said your boobs are that big even though you don’t use any padding. Is that true?”

“Huh?” said Kisara.

“Teacher! Enju said your boobs are so big, you can’t see your feet. Is that true?”

“What?!” Kisara turned red and cringed, trying to hide her chest. Finally, she glared sharply at Rentaro.

“S-Satomi, do something!”

She was asking the impossible. As a guy, he couldn’t intervene in a conversation like that.

Enju, whose prank had succeeded, covered her mouth with her hand and snickered. Enju had transferred a few days before Rentaro and Kisara, and she already had the class in the palm of her hand. She had amazing adaptive abilities, as usual.

“Miss Kisara! Are you and Mr. Rentaro going out? Are you getting married?”

Kisara yelled, red-faced, “We are not going out! And we are
not
getting married!”

Enju pumped her fist in triumph as Rentaro suffered a grave injury to his heart.

“Excuse me, Miss Tendo…” Old Matsuzaki beckoned diffidently at Kisara and whispered something in her ear. As soon as she heard what he said, Kisara looked back at Matsuzaki, surprised.

Next, Matsuzaki beckoned diffidently at a student saying, “Kyoko,” and a girl stood up, looking down; she was clearly embarrassed as she walked to where Kisara and Matsuzaki were.

Rentaro stood by idly as the circumstances passed him by. What in the world were those girls up to? The girl named Kyoko whispered into Kisara’s ear.

“What? That’s early. You got it when you were ten? That’s two years earlier that me…” Kisara lowered her voice and this time, she whispered in the girl’s ear.

The girl who had looked like she would be crushed by anxiety at first slowly began to look relieved.

Finally, Kisara put a hand on each of the girl’s shoulders. “It’s something that all girls will have, so it’s nothing to be worried
about. Let’s go shopping together sometime. I’ll teach you a few things then.”

The girl beamed and gave a big nod. “I love you, Miss Kisara! I look forward to working with you!” Saying that, she hastily returned to her seat.

“Satomi…” Kisara’s body trembled, and her voice was stifled as she looked down.

“Wh-what is it…?” said Rentaro nervously.

“Satomi, come here for a sec!” As soon as she said that, she pulled Rentaro’s sleeve and dragged him to the ruins where the students could not see them. Had he said something that had offended his prideful boss? Thinking that there was a possibility that she would shake him down, Rentaro made a cross in front of his chest.

However, the next instant, Kisara started hopping, her face all smiles. “Hey! Did you hear that, Satomi? She said she loved me! She said she loved me!” Kisara squealed, covering her mouth with both hands and blushing, hugging her chest. “What should I do? I was going for the ‘kind but cool Miss Kisara,’ but look at me now. I can’t look like this in front of everyone.”

“Do you even like kids, Kisara?” Rentaro asked. “What do you like about those things? They’re just noisy, aren’t they?”

Kisara huffily put a hand on her hip. “It must be nice to be you, Satomi. No matter where you go, kids like you! You wouldn’t understand what it feels like to be hated by kids the way I am.”

“Kids don’t like me,” said Rentaro.

“They don’t?”

“They don’t. Kisara, imagine a pack of mini hyenas living in the savanna.”

“M-mini hyenas?”

“That’s right. Now imagine there’s a herd of gnu passing in front of the pack of mini hyenas. When that happens, hyenas look for the weakest individual and then attack it with a pack of thirty to eighty, all hunting together as a group. Those kids have sniffed out
that I’m the weakest and are attacking me as a group. They don’t like me.”

“Is that really what it is?” Kisara did not look satisfied, but she slapped her cheeks and made her face look sharp. Pronouncing, “Come on, we should probably head back,” she turned on her heel and went back to where the students were. Then, standing on the rough-hewn teacher’s platform, she brushed her long, jet-black hair back. “Are there any kids left with questions for me?”

“Yes, Teacher! Is the uniform you’re wearing for Miwa Girls Academy?”

“Oh my, you sure know a lot. It is a pretty famous high school, but does everyone know about it?”

Apparently, other than the girl who asked the question, no one knew what the school was, and they all shook their heads.

“Well, do you all know who the Lady Seitenshi is?”

This time, almost all the girls in the class nodded.

“That pretty princess, right?”

“The leader of the nation, right?”

“That’s right, the Lady Seitenshi is also enrolled in Miwa Girls Academy. Although, she’s been so busy with government affairs that she hasn’t come to school once.”

The children raised their voices in wonder, and one of the girls raised her hand apologetically. “I’ve never seen the Lady Seitenshi before.”

“Oh my…”

“The Lady Seitenshi looks like that!” Enju stood up, pointing.

Rentaro looked in disbelief in the direction Enju was pointing, and then almost leaped into the air. On the shoulder of the road about twenty meters past the meadow, the Seitenshi herself descended from inside a parked limousine with a lace parasol in her hand, walking straight toward him.

With her absolute beauty, she was clothed in her white ceremonial clothes that looked like a wedding dress. There was no mistaking it: This was the real thing. But why was she in the Outer District?

The Seitenshi cast a sideways look at Rentaro as she swept past him and went to stand in front of the students, smiling as she waved her hand gently. “Good afternoon, everyone. Are you having fun studying?”

The students were frozen with their mouths hanging slightly open.

“Huh?” The only person who spoke was Tina, who had been sleeping until now and had just woken up.

Finally, the Seitenshi turned around and looked straight at Rentaro and Kisara. “Satomi, President Tendo, we are in an emergency situation that could mean life or death for this country. I have a favor to ask of you.”

Inside Happy Building 3F—the Tendo Civil Security Agency offices—a heavy silence had fallen. Rentaro and Kisara sat on the love-seat sofa in the reception area, with a glass table between them and the Seitenshi, who sat facing them. Before her, a tea stem floated in her cup of roasted green tea, swaying idly.

Rentaro and Kisara had just finished listening to the Seitenshi’s explanation. The contents were hard to believe.

The clear tinkling of the wind chime sounded out of place as it echoed through the room.

Rentaro wiped the uncomfortable sweat from his face. His temple, which he was pressing down on, was throbbing hotly. He shook his head softly as he lifted his face. “Lady Seitenshi, let me make sure I understand what you’ve said. In six days, a Monolith will be destroyed, Gastrea will rush in, and Tokyo will be annihilated by a Pandemic, right?”

“If we do not counter, that is what will happen,” she agreed.

Rentaro looked at the pictures spread out on the glass table: those
of the bleached Monolith, and the Gastrea head so repulsive he wanted to look away. “The news yesterday said that the Gastrea that approached the Monolith were immediately driven away…”

“We have told the media the situation and have their cooperation.”

“People who believe in freedom of speech would be shocked to hear that.”

“I do not think you wish for Tokyo Area to stop functioning right now either, Satomi. Please allow me to control the information that does not need to be known, the information that will only be poisonous to society.”

“Dictators say exactly the same thing.”