Black Bullet, Vol. 1: Those Who Would Be Gods (8 page)

“Come on, let’s go.”

“B-but what about school?”

Kisara put her hands on her hips and glared at him as if he was trying to sneak a peek from below. “I left Miwa Academy for this, too, you know. School or work, which is more important? This month, we’ve had zero income thanks to
someone
, remember? Good-for-nothing Satomi.”

Rentaro shifted his gaze away from Kisara. “For some reason, I’ve come to love work a whole lot…”

“Very good. Now, come.”

He tried to find an opportunity to apologize for yesterday, but he completely missed his chance.
Oh well
, he thought, walking hunched over, two steps behind Kisara, who was slicing through the wind with her shoulders. Every one of the students who passed Kisara stopped, gaped, and looked back at her.

“Isn’t that the uniform for Miwa Academy?”

“No way, the same Miwa Academy that the Seitenshi attends?”

“It’s a school for rich girls, isn’t it? Woah, look at how beautiful she is. Who in the world is she?”

“No way, no way, no way!”

“Hey, who do you think that is walking behind her?”

“Who knows? A servant or something?”

A guy from your class! At least remember my face!
Rentaro silently replied to the voices as he followed behind Kisara.

As they exited the school gate, Kisara got into the limousine—or at least pretended to as she turned back and passed it gallantly.

“Hey, fake rich girl,” Rentaro called toward her.

“Did you know, Satomi?” said Kisara. “You can call for a limousine on the phone.”

“Then why aren’t you getting in?”

“If I do, they’ll want to be paid.”

“Did you prank call them?”

“Don’t worry. I pinched my nose and gave them a fake name.”

“No, no, that’s not the issue here.”

“Oh, Satomi, look. It’s a stray Chihuahua.”

“Listen to me!”

Kisara broke into a run and started playing with the dog. When she leaned over to pat its head, the stray Chihuahua started licking her hand, and she laughed like it tickled. As Rentaro looked at the profile of her face, his heart started beating violently.

“Satomi, do you have something I can feed him?”

“Oh, huh?” he said, startled. “Hmm, oh yeah, I do have something. A lot of stray dogs come to our garden, and Enju likes to feed them. Here,” he said, pulling out a bag of beef jerky from his back pocket and holding it out to Kisara.

Kisara’s stomach rumbled with emptiness. Kisara stared at the beef jerky for a while. Before he could react, she grabbed it out of his hand with the force of a purse snatcher, turned around with her back facing him, and then—of all things—she started eating it.

Rentaro gaped, unable to move.

The poor Chihuahua, its food stolen from it, started to tremble, looking up with big wet puppy dog eyes.

Before long, Kisara, who was red up to her ears, turned just her neck to face Rentaro. “What? Do you have something to say?”

“Kisara, that was for the dog.”

“I was a dog in a past life!” She’d moved into the “unreasonable” phase of the argument.

“Kisara, shake.”

Kisara glared at him with a look that could kill, but before long, she bit her bottom lip and put her own hand on top of Rentaro’s palm, looking as red as a boiled lobster, and then turned her head away suddenly.

If she found it so humiliating, why was she giving him her hand?

“Turn around.”

Kisara spun in circles.

Somehow, it was starting to be fun.

“Weenie.”

“Pervert!”

“Wait, was there a trick like that?”

“You’re a pervert, Satomi!”

“Joking aside, Kisara, are you really having that much trouble making ends meet?”

Kisara looked down, embarrassed, and pulled out her wallet, opening it to show him. Looking inside, he suddenly felt the desire to cover his eyes with his hands. He didn’t realize she had fallen so low. “Hey, Kisara… You don’t have to purposefully pay a lot of money to go to a rich girl’s school. You could just go to a regular public school, can’t you?”

“Attending Miwa Academy is all that’s left of my pride as a Tendo,” she said defiantly. “I’m allowed, aren’t I? It’s the money I made from properly managing the meager assets I have as stocks and exchanges.”

“But Kisara, I thought you hated being called a Tendo?”

“How other people see me is a different matter, isn’t it?”

“Well, yeah…it is, but…,” said Rentaro. He tried a different tack. “Well then, how were you planning on getting to the Ministry of Defense with what’s left in your wallet?”

Kisara smiled an extremely charming smile. “Satomi, you withdrew money from the ATM two days ago, didn’t you?”

Rentaro looked away from Kisara. His boss was trying to bum off of him!

“Satomi, you withdrew money from the ATM two days ago, didn’t you?”

“I did, but…” His voice trailed off.

“Satomi, you’re such a hard worker, and so strong, and reliable, too!”

“I thought you called me ‘good-for-nothing’ and ‘weak’ and ‘unreliable.’”

“That was ages ago. I’ve long since forgotten about that stuff.”

“That was yesterday, wasn’t it?”

“That was ages ago. I’ve long-since forgotten about that stuff.”

“I’ll expense it.”

“I’ll pay you back in my next life.”

He was appalled to hear this coming from a company president. Rentaro sighed a heavy sigh. “All right, fine! Let’s just hurry up and get going.”

As Rentaro started walking, Kisara grabbed hold of his sleeve and looked down. Seeing this, Rentaro got fed up. “What, was there something else?”

“Um…,” she said. “Satomi, the beef jerky… Is there any left?”

In the end, he gave Kisara the last two pieces of beef jerky, and she ate them then and there.

The stray Chihuahua looked up at Kisara with a betrayed expression on its face.

“It’s kind of late for this, but was it okay that we didn’t get Enju?”

As the train’s departure bell sounded, the doors closed with a rush of air. They were the only ones in the car.

Kisara pulled up her hair so that the nape of her neck was showing and looked at Rentaro. “It’s not like we’ll be fighting. It’s more like something that would just put Enju to sleep.”

“Oh, I see.” Rentaro understood. So they were going to be asked something about the incident from before. But why wasn’t the usual report enough by itself?

“I didn’t hear the details either, but I was just told to go. I hate bureaucrats. They’ve got the nerve to tell the civsec officers who protect the Tokyo Area that they should be grateful they are even getting jobs from them.”

“Then you should’ve just refused them this time.”

“No way. If they give even the slightest hint that they won’t give jobs to puny people like us, then we have no choice but to obey.”

Rentaro sighed. “Even though we’re ‘civil’ officers, we’re still attached to the government by a thread, huh?”

“They’re jealous. Theoretically, there is no limit to the abilities of the Initiators. A top-class Initiator is supposed to be strong enough to sway the balance of the world’s armies. That’s why the government generally wants to have all the civsec officers under control to manage them.”

“They want to have their cake and eat it, too. But wait, then does that mean that we’re about to enter enemy territory, in a way?”

Kisara lowered her long eyelashes and nodded slightly. “Oh dear, you just noticed? That’s why I went and got you, my bodyguard. You’re the only one I can depend on, so you need to be strong, okay?”

Inside Rentaro’s head, only her last words continued to echo, and gradually, deep emotions began to well up.

Just then, a soft weight fell gently on his shoulder, and he gave a start. Kisara was leaning her head against his shoulder. She blinked her heavy eyelids in annoyance. “Sorry… I’m a little sleepy. Let me borrow your shoulder. I’m always like this after I eat. I can’t sleep at school, either…”

“You can’t sleep?” he asked. “Why not?”

“I…am a Tendo… I’m supposed to be a model for everyone. I cannot show an unsightly side of myself.” She reached her limit. As the strength left her body, a weight fell on his shoulder. She seemed to have really fallen asleep.

Clang, clang,
went the train, rushing along with a pleasant rhythm. The sunlight streaming in through the window changed the shadows and shone on Kisara’s expression.

Careful not to wake her up, Rentaro slowly turned his head toward her, and his eyes went to her bosom, where he would normally never look directly. Between her slender shoulder and the largely exposed area around her neck was the beautiful line of her collarbone. The soft swell that pushed up her school uniform slowly rose and fell at a distance that seemed almost close enough to touch.

His gaze went from her eyes and the tip of her nose to her well-featured face, lips, and long hair. A sweet fragrance that wasn’t perfume or shampoo intoxicated him. Every time her soft breathing hit the back of Rentaro’s neck, he felt like he was being shocked.
She’s beautiful
, he thought.

“Satomi…”

He almost answered her until he realized that she was talking in her sleep. But the words she choked out next left his heart hurting.

“Satomi…my revenge…help me…kill…Tendo…”

He paused for a long time before saying, “I will.”

Kisara knit her brows and curled up her body, starting to shake with fright.

“Fa…ther… Mother…no…don’t die… Satomi…help me…”

Rentaro put his arm around Kisara’s shoulder and hugged her tightly without a word.

The government building was deserted after lunch. When Rentaro and Kisara gave their names at the entrance, they were led into the government building and taken up in a pristine elevator. In front of a room marked
MEETING ROOM 1
the staff member who was leading them bowed and left.

Opening the door in Kisara’s stead, Rentaro raised his voice involuntarily. The room was far larger than the small door made it seem. In the middle was a long elliptical table, and the back wall was covered with electroluminescent panels. The problem was the people who were inside.

“Kisara, this is…,” he started.

“I didn’t think that we were the only ones to be called,” said Kisara, “but I didn’t expect that so many people in the same business would be invited.”

People wearing well-tailored suits who looked to be civsec agency presidents were already sitting in their assigned seats, and behind them were people who obviously specialized in fighting, staying back.
In their hands glittered black chrome Varanium alloy weapons. They were definitely Promoters like Rentaro. He also saw a number of Initiators about the same age as Enju next to them.

What in the world is about to start here?
The instant Rentaro stepped into the room, the idle talk that had filled it stopped, and bloodthirsty glares shot at him.

“Woah, hold up. What’s the deal with the quality of civsec officers these days? Are kids playing at being civsec now? Maybe you’ve got the wrong room. If you’re here for a social studies field trip, you should just turn around right now.” One of the Promoters yelled loud enough for him to hear and headed in their direction.

The Promoter’s intimidating, iron plate–like chest was obvious even through his tank top. His hair was spiked like flames, and his mouth was covered by a face scarf with a skull on it. The eyes assessing Rentaro’s worth were opened wide, with white showing between the iris and the lower eyelid.

He held what could be called a bastard sword—a thick, long broadsword that looked like it weighed more than ten kilos. Of course, it was made of Varanium, so the blade was black. The slender Rentaro would have had a hard time swinging the giant sword. Just the fact that the Promoter was holding it lightly made it clear that he was no ordinary man.

Rentaro mustered his courage and stood in front of Kisara to protect her, but apparently the man didn’t like that. “Yeah?” he said threateningly.

“Who the hell are you?” said Rentaro. “If you’ve got business with me, tell me your name first.”

“What do you mean, ‘Who the hell are you? If you’ve got business with me, tell me your name first,’ little boy? You’re obviously a weakling.”

“Civsec officers’ true abilities can’t be determined by how they look.”

“‘Civsec officers’ true abilities can’t be determined by how they look’? You’re getting on my nerves. I want to kill you. Seriously.” His sticky glare made Rentaro’s knees shake and beads of sweat appear on his forehead.

Damn it, why is there a thug like this guy here?
He didn’t want to pick a fight in a place like this. As he looked around wondering what agency the man belonged to, a sharp blow hit his face. Rentaro was
blown back and stumbled backward. The next instant, he jumped up, pressing on his face with one hand.

Being suddenly head-butted in the face he was more surprised than hurt. He stretched his hand out to the XD gun in his belt.

“Idiot,” said the man contemptuously. “What’re ya gettin’ all worked up about? That was just a greeting.”

Around them were sniggers that seemed to be making fun of him.

That bastard!
thought Rentaro.

“Satomi, don’t get involved with the likes of him. Don’t forget what we’re here for.”

“Hey, bitch, what did you say just now?”

“Stop it, Shogen!”

Their rescuer was a man sitting at the table who was probably the Promoter’s employer.

“Aw, come on, Mr. Mikajima!”

“Enough’s enough. If there is bloodshed in this building, we are the ones who would be in trouble. If you cannot follow my orders, then get out this instant!”

The man called Shogen looked like he was thinking things over and was eerily silent for a moment. Then he left, with an insolent “Yessir” and a final sidelong glance at Rentaro.

Rentaro relaxed his body and sighed deeply. When he did, this time it was the man’s employer approaching them, with his hands wide. He looked to be in his midthirties and had the air of the elite about him. He wore a Christian Dior suit and looked like an intellectual.