BLACK BULLET 4

CHAPTER 04

DOGS OF WAR

1

After getting proper treatment of his wound at the first-aid station that operated out of the school nurse’s office, Rentaro could finally relax. When he was freed from being in constant fear for his life, the first things to attack him were lethargy and a sense of emptiness. The effects of the excessive amount of adrenaline wore off, and the sharp pain returned to his abdomen. But the deep emotions he felt at surviving passed, and he was soon filled with a different kind of nervousness.

He was reminded to stay in bed for at least a day after this, but he didn’t have the time for that. He was now the leader of this worn-out group that could barely be called a troop, even if it hadn’t quite sunk in yet.

Thanking Sumire, he left the nurse’s office and walked alone along the nighttime street. Now that he had become the commander, there were a ton of things he had to do. However, there was one thing he had to check, even if it meant putting aside everything else.

Rentaro headed toward some facilities a little ways away from the school that were connected to the former first-aid station. When he told the person at the entrance why he was there, he was led through to a large hall. The room was spacious and dimly lit, and he occasionally heard sobbing.

Laid out in an orderly fashion were five rows of black body bags.

He thought they looked just like the rows of tuna at the wholesale fish market. He looked on with a strangely cold feeling, thinking that this would be his fate, too, if he died.

The health-care center had turned into a storage area for the bodies of civil officers and their support personnel who had died in action. The corpses should have been promptly sent back to the bereaved families, but after Aldebaran’s second attack, the personnel who would have transported them got cold feet, and the spirits of those who defended their country were now sleeping together in a huddle with no one to care for them.

Because of the ashes from the Monolith covering the sky, temperatures had dropped dramatically, but it was actually still summer. That meant that the phenomenon called rigor mortis set in immediately after death, and it was hard to avoid the sour smell that filled the air and hit Rentaro’s nose. The sound of shoes echoed shrilly on the linoleum floor, and the sound of the power generator in the room next door made the air vibrate slightly.

Finally, the person on duty led him to where he needed to go, and then Rentaro stood in front of a single corpse. When the person on duty checked the tab, he bowed once and left. Rentaro watched him go, then got on his knees and quietly unzipped the body bag.

Rentaro was greeted with muddy, wet eyes and a half-opened mouth. Compassion won over fear, and Rentaro looked at him face-to-face for a while. The man had lost both arms and legs, and Rentaro could see cruel cracks in his bright red exoskeleton, splattered with blood redder than red.

“I…didn’t hate you, Gado.” From what Rentaro had heard, Aldebaran’s second attack had been aiming for the commander, Gado, from the start. The enemy troops used an extremely primitive form of organization with Aldebaran as the head, but in terms of base instincts, humans had not changed that much, either. The civil officer troops lacked even a standardized set of indispensable equipment for modern-day warfare, and they hadn’t had time for training, either, so it could be said that they had no choice but to fight with a primitive form of organization.

The advantage was that the chain of command was simple, so it did not take long for orders to reach the soldiers at the end. The disadvantage was obvious—all the power was concentrated on the general, so if the general was out of commission, then the organization would simply collapse and everything would fall apart.

Apparently, Gado’s squad was lured in and surrounded, and at the end of a hard, desperate fight, they were pulverized.

The civil officer troops didn’t fall apart at that, but only because each and every civil officer was firmly aware of the fact that they were Tokyo Area’s last stronghold.

Rentaro had a silent conversation with Gado. Even with all that had happened, Gado had an IP rank of 275. Rentaro could not imagine how much of a handicap the man had fighting with just one leg, but if Gado had been healthy, he would not have fallen behind even if he had been outnumbered.

Old or young, male or female, smart or foolish, good or bad—death did not discriminate. This world was fair to the point of being cruel. Nagamasa Gado had banished Rentaro Satomi and then had been forced into an inescapable situation. But Gado’s actions had all been based on a certain kind of logic, and part of that was that he was constantly making decisions in an almost heartless manner. He had cast Rentaro away mechanically based on his own logic. However, that man had also met his fate by the same reckoning.

This was not the ending Rentaro had wanted. He had wanted to surprise this man by showing that he could come back alive from a mission he wasn’t supposed to survive.

Rentaro turned his head to look at the rows of neatly lined up body bags. Their current combat power was a little over sixty civil officers who were up against one thousand, eight hundred Gastrea. They would not get any reinforcements. They had also run out of missiles and fighter aircraft. All of Tokyo Area was worn out, and it didn’t matter what tactics they used—they were already facing certain defeat.

Aldebaran would come. It would definitely come one more time. Rentaro’s intuition, which had already surpassed rhyme or reason, told him that he would not be able to avoid a final decisive battle against that thing.

The nihilist Sumire had often told him that there was no meaning to life, and that everything they did was just dancing on their graves. If that was the case, then was it complete coincidence that he was not already lined up alongside the rows of dead? Would the future change if he took command in Gado’s place?

Rentaro shook his head silently. No, it was the same. Nothing would change.

It was then that he noticed that Gado’s cloak had been taken off and folded. It wasn’t like they were distributing mementos, but he thought to take something back with him, so he took that and turned around.

Suddenly, he stopped, noticing that someone was walking toward him from the front. He immediately realized that it was Gado’s Initiator. Asaka Mibu, whose hands were covered in mud from picking golden-rayed lilies, hung her head dejectedly, walking with heavy steps. It seemed she had managed to survive, but she looked so dazed—like she had dropped her soul somewhere—that it was hard to say whether she could be described with the word unharmed.

When Asaka noticed Rentaro, she bowed and headed toward Gado’s side. When Rentaro started walking again, he suddenly heard sobs coming from behind him and stopped.

Rentaro’s hand tightened into a fist. He ran without looking back.

I’m not fit to be the commander.

2

Rentaro was still depressed as he took on the heavy responsibilities of Commander. He couldn’t even tell if he didn’t want to do it because he didn’t think he could, or because he didn’t think they could win, or if it was a combination of the two. Thinking to go back once to the hotel his adjuvant made camp in, he dragged his feet past what had once been a park and suddenly heard angry voices that made him raise his face.

Straining his eyes to look, he saw a crowd of civil officers off in the distance. There was so much murderous intent, it was as if someone had stirred up a hornet’s nest. He could see Tamaki, Yuzuki, Enju, and Shoma. And in the middle of the uproar was a conspicuously tall masked man and a girl wearing a black dress.

Oh no, Rentaro thought, starting to run. They had followed him and descended upon the civil officer frontline base. It looked like before they could find Rentaro, they had been found by other civil officers and had caused a commotion.

“Kagetane, Kohina!” Rentaro shouted.

The two of them noticed Rentaro, and Kagetane spread his arms benevolently. “There you are, my comrade. I was looking for you.”

Enju shot a look toward Rentaro, startled. “Rentaro! What does he mean, he was looking for you?”

“I’ll explain later, but he saved me.”

“Saved you?!” Enju’s voice cracked.

Just then, Kohina narrowed her eyes and stepped forward with flushed cheeks. “Enju, I missed you.” Drawing her black Varanium short swords, she licked a blade with her tongue. “Let’s cross swords, Enju. Okay?”

Just then, a shining thread wrapped around one of Kohina’s short swords and restrained its movement. Kohina stared in surprise.

“Wait a minute, you.” Stepping out to the front with her arms crossed and looking furious was none other than Yuzuki Katagiri. “You people are the enemy of all of us civil officers! Now that we know you’re alive, we can’t just let you leave.”

Kohina gave Yuzuki a bored sideways glance and then pulled the hem of Kagetane’s tailcoat. “Papa, these people are in the way. Can I kill them?”

Rentaro’s hair stood on end. If they went wild here, it would be trouble.

However, not even Kagetane would get into a brawl with this many civil officers, already surrounded on all sides. That was Rentaro’s way of figuring, anyway, but Kagetane betrayed his expectations and snapped his fingers. “Kohina, you can kill half of them.”

Raising clouds of dust, Kohina seemed to disappear, then appeared the next moment in front of Yuzuki’s eyes.

“Wha—?!”

“You know, you’re kind of strong, but—”

Yuzuki threw up her arm suddenly in defense, but Kohina’s short sword went past that to pierce Yuzuki’s side. Kohina continued on to ram her, knocking Yuzuki off her feet and then treading on the overturned Yuzuki’s abdomen with her feet.

Cracks radiated out on the ground, and there was the sound of air being squeezed out as Yuzuki spit blood. “Gah…!”

“It’s not over yet,” vowed Kohina.

An Initiator with an IP rank of 1,850 was defeated in seconds. However, there was no time to be surprised as two Initiators struck at Kohina from both sides.

Kohina spun with the speed of a tornado and slashed the stomach of the Initiator on the left and the tendon of the Initiator on the right and then kicked both to send them flying. The two of them pounded into the ground, outside of the crowd of people. She was amazingly strong.

“Let go of Yuzuki, you little—” Tamaki rushed out, pulling the trigger of a large revolver.

“It’s no use. Imaginary Gimmick!” A repulsion field spread out around Kagetane, who had stepped between them. The bullet Tamaki fired hit the dome-shaped field and ricocheted with a thunderous roar.

Tamaki’s gun shook in his hand. “Wh-what the hell… It was a bullet from a .454 Casull, you know!”

Kagetane chuckled. “Too bad!”

This is bad. At this rate… As Rentaro rushed out in a rage, he suddenly felt tremendous killing intent coming from somewhere.

“Please get out of the way,” said a low voice, and the civil officers stopped in their tracks. There was a commotion as the crowd parted, and a single Initiator walked toward them. She held two fully automatic Glock guns in her hands, and her platinum blond hair was half-ruffled. “Release Yuzuki this minute. I’m getting angry…”

“Tina!” said Rentaro.

Apparently comprehending her unusual presence, Kohina took her foot off of Yuzuki. “Oh? You look strong. What’s your rank?”

Tina said her rank quietly in a voice only Kohina could hear.

The instant she heard it, Kohina’s eyes grew wide, and she muttered, “Interesting.” She turned to Kagetane. “Papa, I’m going to kill her! I’ll definitely kill her! Even if you tell me no, I’ll definitely kill her!” Kohina abandoned the sword that had been wrapped in thread and pulled out a new one from her waist, crossing her swords and lowering her hips.

At the same time, two Shenfields spilled out of Tina’s sleeves and danced in the air.

“You’re not a close-combat Initiator, are you?” said Kohina.

“What if I’m not?” Tina replied.

“You can’t win. Not someone like you.”

Tina looked momentarily confused but then soon shook her head. “What a joke.”

“Then why don’t we give it a try?”

The murderous intent and fighting spirit clashed, turning the air explosive.

Shoot, Rentaro thought. Even if he ran out himself, there was no way he could stop them. However, he didn’t expect a second intruder to appear just then. He heard the ringing of a sword departing its sheath and saw skirts fluttering gently.

“That’s enough.” Kisara suddenly appeared between Kagetane and Kohina and flipped her long hair. She had an eye patch protecting the left eye she’d damaged in the recent fight. “If you insist on continuing this, I will intervene in the fight.”

Kagetane drew his gun from its holster and pointed it at Kisara’s brow. “Oh dear, lovely Miss President. Do you remember me?”

“Yes, of course. It’s been a while, Kagetane Hiruko.”

Kagetane held his mask as he chuckled. “But your joke makes me laugh. You will intervene in the fight? What of it? I am the one who will destroy the world. No one can stop me.”

Just as Kagetane put his finger on the trigger of his Beretta, Kohina suddenly realized something, and the color drained from her face as she screamed. “Papa, no! She’s the most dangerous out of everyone here!”

Kagetane looked at Kohina in disbelief and then returned his gaze to Kisara.

Kagetane held his weapon at the ready, and Kisara had her hand similarly on her scabbard. Invisible sparks flung between the two.

Rentaro didn’t know how Kagetane judged Kisara’s strength, but surprisingly, Kagetane was the one to back off first. Kohina even looked regretfully at Enju and Tina and sheathed her short swords.

Rentaro didn’t understand what had happened. Even though Kohina had been even more eager to challenge Tina after learning her rank, she panicked the instant Kisara said she was going to intervene…

Wait a minute. Does that mean—

“My friend.” His train of thought broken, Rentaro looked up to see Kagetane smiling softly as he held his mask. “I wanted to test the strength of your adjuvant. Sorry.” He chuckled.

Rentaro didn’t say anything as he closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. After encountering Kagetane in the forest and somehow or other working together to defeat Pleiades, Rentaro thought that maybe even someone like Kagetane could change his ways for the better. However, in the end, even as Tokyo Area was on the brink of destruction from the approaching Aldebaran, this pair was more concerned with pissing contests.

After glaring at Kagetane silently, Rentaro exchanged glances with Tamaki and nodded once. Tamaki lent a shoulder to his little sister, Yuzuki, and hurriedly took her to the relief squad. In the end, neither Enju nor Rentaro, nor the white-coated Shoma, had found an opportunity to join the fight.

Hmm? Rentaro felt like something was off and looked around him, realizing that there was an Initiator he hadn’t seen this whole time. Casually looking around him, he walked to where Shoma was.

“Shoma, bro, where’s Midori?”

A startled nervousness spread on the faces of the members of the adjuvant, and Rentaro felt uncomfortable at that baffling answer. “Enju, did…did something happen?”

Enju looked down, not meeting Rentaro’s eyes.

“Satomi, there’s something I need to tell you.” Solemnly, Shoma opened his mouth slowly and spoke.

And then Rentaro understood why Enju had been silent.

“No way…”

Kisara shook her head gloomily. “Anyway, you should go see her. You’ll still make it. She was waiting for you to come.”

3

Rentaro went through the dense forest and came once again to Central Heights Hotel, careful as he went through the entryway with the collapsed ceiling and up the metal spiral staircase to the second floor. Relying on memory, he stood in front of room 201, stopping his hand just as he was about to knock.

Rentaro realized that he still did not have his feelings in order. What kind of face was he supposed to show in front of her? There was nothing more worthless than an adjuvant leader who wasn’t there when it really mattered. He couldn’t complain if she blamed him.

“Is someone there?” He heard a feeble voice call out from the other side of the door.

Rentaro prepared himself and exhaled from his nose. He twisted the knob and entered quietly, but the screech of a rusted hinge mixed with the stagnant air inside the room.

In the orange light of a silently burning lantern, he saw Midori Fuse lying in the bed on the right. Next to her was a water pitcher and cup. When she saw Rentaro, she hurriedly took the pointed hat from the side table and put it on to hide her cat ears.

The light was only shining on half of her face, but she was sweating profusely, and her cheeks were flushed. At first glance, it seemed like she had just caught a cold, but Initiators were protected from a variety of illnesses in exchange for the corrosion rate that bound their bodies, so of course that was not the case.

Rentaro brought over the stool in front of the vanity and sat down next to Midori. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m all right, Leader.” She tried to sit up and bow politely, but Rentaro hurriedly kept her down. The shoulder he held rose and fell with small movements, and she was panting, her pulse beating hotly. To Midori right now, even that small feat was difficult.

“More importantly, are you really…?” Rentaro asked as he helped her lay down again.

She smiled faintly, as if answering a question about the weather. “Yes, I’m sorry. I fell behind. The Gastrea got me, and now I cannot move my body as I would like.”

He couldn’t help but feel compassion for the conditions of how she fell in battle. Alone and unaided, surrounded on all sides with the enemy closing in…it would have been possible for her to survive if she and Shoma had been able to keep their usual formation and focus on defense, but…

Midori had seen an Initiator in trouble during battle. Apparently, they had only bumped into each other in the camp and exchanged silent bows, but because they were both shy, they had never actually exchanged words. But when Midori found out that girl had gotten separated from her Promoter and had lost both her legs and was just abandoned in the middle of the battlefield, she didn’t think about anything else but rushing in to rescue her.

What was frightening was how elaborate the Gastrea’s tactics had been. At the very least, the Gastrea’s mind had been developed enough to calculate profit and loss beyond immediate kill of the prey it had brought down. They had waited for another to rescue their haul, and thereby get both at once.

Just as Midori rushed in to comfort the girl whose name she did not even know, the sandlike ground caved in under them and hollowed out into a funnel as they watched. At the end of the upside-down cone, a repulsive Gastrea with a snapping lower jaw appeared. It was probably an ant lion larva Gastrea, but its form had changed so much that she couldn’t be sure.

A minute passed. In that time, her arms and legs were being pulled down by the sand as she slipped down, and her movements were being stopped by neurotoxins as she was injected with the Gastrea virus.

Organisms that had turned into Gastrea grew something called a virus pocket somewhere in their bodies packed with the virus, and they injected it into their opponents in one way or another to turn them into Gastrea, too. There were, on average, over two hundred million Gastrea viruses in each milliliter of the virus pocket. A normal person would have been turned into a Gastrea in no time, but it was unknown what would have happened to Midori if Shoma had rescued her even a second later.

All that could be found of the Initiator Midori had tried to save on the battlefield were traces that looked like scraps of food, and there was no way to know exactly where she was. In addition, according to Sumire’s close inspection, Midori had a Gastrea virus corrosion rate so hopeless that she hesitated to even say it.

And Midori herself did not know this. “Leader, I’ll get better soon and be able to fight again, right?”

Rentaro looked down, unable to look straight at her face.

“Kill that girl.” Involuntarily, the masked man’s baritone voice ran through his head. Those were the words of Kagetane, who had been eavesdropping when they were talking about the circumstances of Midori’s situation earlier.

“It’s over for her. Even if you kept her alive, she would just slow you down. No, she would definitely get in the way. You should send her off swiftly before she turns into a Gastrea. That is your first duty as the new commander.”

When Kagetane murmured that, Kisara flared up fiercely. “You can’t. I’m against it. If we keep Midori stable…at best, she could still live for another month.”

Kagetane shook his head in disgust. “This is ridiculous. Are you really going to face Aldebaran with the nonsensical illusion of friendship?”

Kisara turned once and glared sharply at Rentaro. “Satomi, you better not listen to what a guy like this says. If you kill Midori, I’ll scorn you forever.”

“Satomi, kill her. In the past, we fought because I wanted to throw the world into confusion, while you wanted to maintain world order. You won. This is the world you desired. You must deal with the consequences.”

The two of them glared Rentaro down, making him feel extremely conflicted as he left.

I will… I will…

“What’s the matter, Leader?” Midori’s voice brought him back to himself, and he shook his head listlessly.

“It’s…nothing…” Rentaro put his hand behind his back and checked the position of his XD gun.

Midori had no way of knowing Rentaro’s thoughts as she poured water from the pitcher into the cup and slid her finger around the wet brim. “Leader, I have a favor to ask of you.”

“A favor?”

“Yes. I’m having trouble feeling my extremities… Will you play along for a while?” Saying that, without waiting for an answer, she stuck her arm out horizontally, still lying down. And then, she slowly closed her eyes. “Leader, please take hold of any finger you’d like.”

Rentaro look suspiciously at the outstretched hand but gently took hold of her middle finger.

“Just now, did you touch…my thumb?”

Rentaro was taken aback. There were no uniform symptoms for Initiators whose corrosion levels were close to the borderline. There were those who turned into Gastrea while in a deep coma, but on the other hand, there were those who turned mad in the midst of agonizing pain, losing all emotion as they turned into Gastrea. There was also the unfortunate case of the girl Rentaro had helped die in the past, Kayo Senju, who looked on clearheaded as she watched herself helplessly turn into a Gastrea.

Rentaro closed his eyes and murmured, “God.” Midori’s encroachment was starting at her extremities in the most tragic way. And she would likely remain clearheaded like Kayo as her brain stopped being able to control her muscles and her motor neurons died out. Her whole body would become numb, but her cerebral function would remain clear and she could watch herself as she succumbed to the illness.

Now that it had gotten to this point, there was no way to save her. After this, the Gastrea virus could advance easily without using any more strength, and at the end of nursing her in vain, she would turn into a Gastrea. The Gastrea virus was called an invincible virus that did not respond to any interventions by modern medicine, so there was no way to escape inevitable death.

Rentaro quietly changed his grip to her thumb without her noticing. “You got it right.”

Midori opened her eyes slightly and tilted her head with a wry smile. “Really?”

“Huh?”

“Really? You didn’t cheat just now, did you?”

He felt a second of intense panic. He desperately controlled his gaze so that he would not look shifty-eyed as he squeezed out, “I didn’t cheat.”

Midori lowered her eyes, which had a tinge of pain in them. After that, she deliberately took off her hat, revealing the cat ears that grew on her head because of the Gastrea factor. “Because of these ears, no one ever needed me. Not even my mother, who gave birth to me.”

“Gastrea Shock, huh…?”

“Yes.”

He had guessed already, so he was not especially surprised to hear this. It was said that the development of a child’s personality was greatly dependent on environment. A child who was greatly oppressed while growing up would rebel. A child who was ignored would act up in order to get attention. Midori’s timid and meek personality was probably because she was raised in a way that thoroughly denied her existence.

“But then, Shoma came to need me. And then, so did you…” Midori stopped talking for a while and looked up at Rentaro, a dignified look in her eye. “I can still fight. Please let me fight.”

Rentaro silently shook his head. “It would make me and Shoma the happiest if you rested and got better quickly right now.”

For some reason, the saddest smile he had ever seen appeared on Midori’s face. “I heard that you were promoted to commander. Congratulations, Leader.”

Rentaro looked down and dropped his gaze to his knees. “……I can’t do it.” It was something he couldn’t even confess to Enju, but for some mysterious reason, it came out honestly in front of Midori. “I can’t handle it. No one will listen to me.”

“Because you’re still young?”

Rentaro nodded, and Midori smiled faintly but broadly.

“Then you really must be the commander, Leader. You should be happy.”

“Happy?”

“Yes. If your age is the only thing that is being emphasized, then it could be said that you have fulfilled all the other requirements.”

“You’re giving me too much credit. I’m not who you think I am.” That’s right. I even want to run away right now. I want to push the job of commander onto someone else. Once he put it into words, the insincere voices curled up in his mind came gushing out one after another, and there was no end to them.

The fist he made on his knees shook slightly.

A warm hand came and gently covered his own. He looked at the girl in surprise, and found her looking at him straight-on.

She was a strange girl… He had never had a proper conversation with her, but unexpectedly, it seemed possible that she was not an Initiator who depended on Shoma one-sidedly.

“Hey, what was the scent divination you were talking about when we first met?” said Rentaro.

“Huh?”

“Remember? When you introduced yourself, you said, ‘my special ability is scent divination.’ What is that?”

Midori seemed to understand and put her hands in front of her chest, stroking them. “Oh, it’s because I’m a cat. So I have a pretty good nose.” Midori closed her eyes and showed him her nose twitching. “After smelling a lot of different people, I can tell each person’s unique smell. When I used that as a kind of fortune-telling, it got an unexpectedly good response from the people around me.”

“Really? Then, what kind of smell do I have?”

For some reason, Midori looked up at him timidly. “You won’t get mad?”

“No, it’s fine.”

“You smell like destruction.”

His heart leapt. “I smell…like destruction? Does destruction even have a smell?”

Midori also shook her head, bewildered. “I don’t know. This is just something instinctive, so it’s not like I’m thinking about it when I say it.”

Silence descended. Midori gulped down the water in the glass. The ice slid down inside the glass with a clatter. “Another thing, about Miss Tendo…”

“Kisara?”

Midori seemed to resolve herself as she looked at him. “Please be careful, Leader. She smells strongly of destruction. She seems to be easily drawn to darkness.”

Rentaro was at a loss for words. “What does that mean…?”

“But if you’re the commander, then I’m not worried. I’m sure you will do well. I am relieved.” Their conversation seemed slightly off, but Midori forced herself up, put her hat back on, and stuck her feet into her shoes.

“H-hey.”

“I’m just going out for a while. To the restroom. Don’t tell me you’re going to follow me?”

Rentaro groaned.

Midori smiled shyly, put her hand on the door, and turned her back to him. But then her hand stopped abruptly, and she suddenly turned back with an urgent expression on her face. “Leader! Um, I…!”

However, she didn’t finish the rest of her sentence, no matter how long he waited. She forced her emotions back, looking like she was in pain, and then her usual calm self returned.

Her profile had a quiet resignation to it. “I might take a little longer in the restroom.”

Saying that, she left the room.

She never returned.

“Hey, Midori…!”

“Midori!”

There were a number of thin bright bands of light from the flashlights cutting through the darkness, exposing the uneven terrain.

Enju and Kisara cried out earnestly, but there was no answer.

Rentaro felt his feet sink slightly into the damp, muddy ground as he called out to Midori, who was nowhere to be found.

“Would she really be in a place like this?” Kisara asked Rentaro in irritation.

“But this is the only place we haven’t looked yet.” Rentaro checked his watch and cursed. It was 11 p.m. They had already been searching for an hour. He heard voices and saw lights here and there in the distance; it was almost a mountain manhunt. He didn’t think that she would be in a forest like this, but since this was the only place left by process of elimination, he was hoping against hope.

A three-forked road appeared out of the darkness in front of him. “Enju, go left. Kisara, go right.”

They nodded at each other, and then Rentaro took the path in front of him. If Midori had already released her power, she could be long gone from their search area. But why in the world would she do that? Rentaro was filled with an unknown impatience and fear, and he practically ran as he called out into the dark, but his voice was almost immediately swallowed up by the darkness. His feelings of futility increased, and his side started hurting with a different kind of ominous premonition.

He was pushing his way through the deep grove of trees and halfway up the slope of the mountain when he slipped unexpectedly.

Cursing, his vision spun. He stretched out his hand, struggling to stop slipping somehow. He fell with a lump of earth, and when he finally stopped rolling, he stood as he spat the mud out from his mouth, looking around him. He had apparently fallen into a crater-shaped depression that was filled with a light mist.

And there she was.

“Midori!”

He hurried toward her, only to stop, immediately sensing that something was wrong.

Beyond the mist, the girl was sitting with her back leaned against the trunk of a white Japanese birch tree. Her head hung low, and she showed no sign of responding to his voice. She also did not look like she was sleeping. Her pointed hat had blown away, exposing the cat ears that she was so shy about showing other people.

Rentaro took one more step and noticed that something red had splattered on the white birch tree behind her back. “Mido…ri…?”

There was no answer. His arms and legs started shaking on their own. He didn’t want to see it or know what had happened. Fighting desperately against the feeling, his legs seemed to belong to something else as they moved toward the girl.

His legs stopped in front of the girl. Her sleepy-looking, half-closed eyes did not reflect anything of this world anymore. Her gaze was still, and even when he shined a light into them, he could see no reflex to prove that she was alive. From her mouth, red blood had mixed with her saliva, dragging a long thread down like a weight. From her mouth to the back of her medulla oblongata was a small, round hole. The impact of the sight completely overshadowed the automatic pistol that lay on the ground next to her, making it look small in comparison.

Next to her was a scrap of paper that said, “I do not want to be a burden, so I will die. Please take care of Tokyo Area.”

Rentaro fell to his knees with his eyes still open wide. “It’s…my fault…”

“Really? You didn’t cheat just now, did you?” When he held her finger and realized that she had lost feeling in her left hand, Rentaro lied right away. But then, when she asked him this question, he panicked for a moment. That was when she understood from Rentaro’s reaction that she was beyond saving and resolutely decided to die.

What the hell was “It would make me and Shoma the happiest if you rested and got better quickly right now”? She had seen right through Rentaro’s empty lies. That’s why she had smiled at him so sadly.

He remembered the sight of the eight of them promising to return alive.

It seemed so far in the past.

When she had left her room, she had turned around and started to say something, but in the end, she left without finishing her sentence. What in the world had she wanted to say?

He could never hear her answer to that question now.

Come on, smile, Rentaro Satomi.

With this, you were able to get rid of the baggage that was getting in the way of your adjuvant without dirtying your hands.

With this, you didn’t have to kill Midori and make Kisara scorn you, or be laughed at by Kagetane for not being able to kill her.

Isn’t this best conclusion you could’ve had? Come on, smile.

Rentaro hit the trunk of the tree as hard as he could with his fist and looked up into the sky.

“God damnnn iiiiiiiit!!!”

“…………”

Shoma leaned over and looked at her condition for a while, then gently closed her eyelids and used her hat to cover her face. He tilted his head back and faced the sky, pressing on his eyes with his hands. “…I was empty. When I met Midori, she was empty, too. We were the same. That’s why we worked together. It was a contract to fill each other’s loneliness.”

Rentaro couldn’t bear it any longer and cast down his eyes. He wasn’t sure if he should tell everyone in the adjuvant about her death or not. But in any case, he thought her Promoter at least should know the truth, so he had brought Shoma here.

Shoma looked at Rentaro. “Satomi, let’s tell the others she ran away and hide the fact that she died. Everyone would be too shaken.”

“Shoma, man…” He had been ready to accept any type of scolding. But what was with Shoma’s reaction? Rentaro’s heart would have felt lighter if Shoma had just told Rentaro off with all his might. If it had been Enju lying there in this transformed state, Rentaro would have killed whoever was there with him, even if he knew he was just venting.

But Shoma shook his head. “I really should have been the one to help her to die. I, her partner…”

“Shoma, what was the emptiness you were talking about earlier…?”

Shoma looked down, sorrowfully. “I quit the Tendo Style, remember? I was expelled.”

Rentaro was astonished. Expelled? The brilliant student that Kisara and I looked up to was expelled?

“Satomi, you saw it, too, didn’t you? That time Kisara made a mistake and allowed a Gastrea to attack, and I jumped in to save her.”

“…Yeah.” The Rokuro Kabuto that Shoma had used had not only killed the pill bug Gastrea but had also made his opponent’s body explode and scatter in all directions.

The essence of the Tendo Style was to use a focused power to defeat and incapacitate the opponent, so destroying organs and other such cruel techniques were not expected. However, the technique Shoma used was obviously a killing technique to which he had modified and added his own style.

“I strayed from the straight path. That’s why I was expelled. I was betrayed by the Tendo Style that I had believed in and got lost by the wayside. That’s also why I disguised myself as a civil officer.”

Rentaro didn’t say anything.

“According to Master Sukekiyo, if I continued like this, I would use my power for evil. That’s why I’m actually forbidden from using the Tendo techniques themselves.”

“That’s ridiculous. Kisara and I both know that you wouldn’t do that.”

Shoma lifted the corner of his mouth just a little, looking happy. “I don’t know what’ll happen in the future. I don’t think God knows, either.”

“Shoma, man, I’m so sorry… This was my fault.”

“It wasn’t you who killed Midori, it was the Gastrea. If you want to grieve over her death, then swear right here, right now that you will defeat Aldebaran and save Tokyo Area.” Shoma silently stretched his arm out to Rentaro. “Stand up, Satomi. You’re the commander. If you don’t do it, then it’ll be Tokyo Area’s turn next. Midori’s death was no more than a sign. More gruesome deaths will be strewn around. You must stop Tokyo Area from becoming a sea of blood. You’re going to do it.”

Rentaro’s soul trembled. Even though Shoma had just lost his Initiator, who was like a part of him, he had not been overcome by resentment or sadness; instead, he’d told Rentaro what needed to be done. He was the proper successor to the Tendo Martial Arts, after all.

Rentaro closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled. Then, he slowly opened his eyes and tightly grasped Shoma’s outstretched arm.

His heart had decided.

Checking his watch, he saw that Japan had started a new day without him noticing. Tomorrow, construction of the new Monolith would begin. However, since the danger of Aldebaran coming back to make it collapse again even after they finished building it remained, he needed to defeat it with his own two hands, after all.

It was starting. The last day. The day of the final decisive battle.

Rentaro took one last look at Midori and then started walking without looking back again.

The Third Kanto Battle had claimed another victim. Rentaro wouldn’t allow it to claim any more.

4

Early the next morning, Rentaro put his hands on the washstand of the dimly lit public bathroom and stared at the partially clouded-over surface of the mirror. Amid the countless cracks on the mirror’s surface were reflected many Rentaros with grim expressions.

The words Kagetane Hiruko said in the forest the day before yesterday crossed his mind.

“I can see the mask you wear, you know. The guardian mask you wear when interacting with your Initiator, the Tendo Civil Security Agency Employee mask you wear when you work as an employee of that female boss of yours, and the facing the enemy mask you’re wearing now with me. Aren’t they all different Rentaro Satomis?”

Around the world, there were a number of ceremonies and rituals held by people of different races and ethnicities that involved the wearing of masks. When people wore masks, the lines between reality and illusion, gods and humans, life and death all became blurred, allowing them to believe that they could become something different from themselves.

If that’s the case, then I’ll become the civil officer troop commander, Rentaro Satomi, right now.

He told this over and over to the Rentaro Satomi in the mirror, imagining that he was putting on a cold mask.

“Satomi, it’s time.” When Rentaro looked toward the voice, he saw Kisara standing in the entrance of the bathroom.

“What about the thing I asked for?”

Kisara glanced at Rentaro’s remade jacket under her armpit with unease. “Are you really going to do it?”

“Of course. Stay next to me, Kisara. All right, let’s go,” he said, urging Kisara on and trying to go outside. But something seemed to be bothering Kisara that she just had to get out, and she stopped, looking up at Rentaro through her lashes.

“Um, you know, Satomi…”

“Hmm?”

“Satomi, have you noticed? You have a really scary expression on your face right now.”

The civil officers who had been gathered without explanation early in the morning and then made to wait in vain were obviously irritated. And that irritation reached its peak just as Rentaro took the stage with Kisara accompanying him.

“Hey, that’s…”

“That’s Commander Gado’s…”

“What the hell?” Rentaro could hear similar complaints all over the place.

Rentaro allowed Gado’s cloak with the troop crest to undulate, blowing in the wind as he walked in front of them to stand at the podium. He glared over the gathered civil officers, sighing inwardly without letting it show in his face.

Their numbers were sparse, and more than angry, they looked exhausted. Rentaro had heard ahead of time that they only had a little more than sixty people, but of those, there were hardly any who were uninjured. Their hearts were anywhere but here, and they were far from being unified. They couldn’t do anything with their anger and would do anything to vent, so they followed the closest thing that wanted them. They did not even seem to have the desire to win.

I see. So this is an army that would face certain defeat, Rentaro thought.

When he looked around, he saw Enju and the Katagiri siblings watching over him with concerned expressions.

“I’m Rentaro Satomi, and I will command in place of Commander Gado, who died in battle.”

Immediately after he spoke, angry voices flew about, booing and jeering. Rentaro could hardly bear to listen:

“You can’t take the place of Commander Gado!”

“Get off the stage!”

“If you’re gonna stick out that face, then I’m outta here.”

Just then, someone with a conspicuously loud voice appeared and shouted, “Hey, everyone!” It was a Promoter in his mid-thirties, one who was barely injured. He was probably the type who ran away right when the battle started and didn’t actually fight that much.

His face, including his nose, was flat. His head stuck out in the back, making it look like an inverted triangle. Was this what was called an expressionless face? He was a boring man with a boring face.

Said face turned red like a monkey’s as he jeered. “We can’t follow orders from someone like this. It’s all over for Tokyo Area. It’s over. If that’s the case, then don’t you want to go home to your family and loved ones and spend your last days with them, everyone?”

As the man stirred them up, other civil officers murmured their agreement. The man certainly had a point. With the daily reports, the whole world already knew that Tokyo Area was losing. The price of any and all the stocks on the Tokyo Area exchange had dropped so low that they were like scraps of paper. Interest rates for government bonds went up suddenly, and to make up for that, the yen suddenly became extremely weak. Despite all this, before the Third Kanto Battle, Tokyo Area had been considered a strong country with a safe haven currency, with its prosperous Varanium exports and track record of defeating the Zodiac Scorpion.

All the rich and famous had long flown to other areas or countries, and no one in the world thought the civil officers would win. It was a hard situation to remain hopeful in.

The man continued shouting. “Hey, let’s all indulge ourselves together. It’s not like there’s anyone who can stop us. The new commander’s so scared he can’t even talk.” The man stuck out his middle finger at Rentaro. “Hey, you. Try saying something.”

“Shut up,” said Rentaro.

“Huh?” At first, the man was taken aback, but the next instant, he looked at his supporters around him and started to smile with contempt. “Hey, you heard that, didn’t you? He said, ‘Shut up,’” the man scoffed.

“Kisara, I’m going to borrow this.” Saying that, Rentaro didn’t wait for an answer as he drew the murderous blade Yukikage.

“Hey, wait—” offered Kisara, but he left her behind as he jumped off the stage and went near the man.

The crowd of people parted briefly, and the man snorted. “What do you want? If you’re gonna do it, go ahead and try, you lily-livered—”

Before he finished talking, Rentaro casually stuck the Japanese blade into the man’s shoulder.

The air around them froze. There was the sound of someone gulping. The frozen man turned his head, trembling with fear, and looked with disbelief at the naked sword sticking out of his shoulder. “Gyahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!”

After Rentaro stared down at the man rolling on the ground with cold eyes, he slowly looked at around him. “Does anyone else have any questions?”

The crowd drew back with a stir. The scornful voices stopped. Even Enju’s eyes were wide at the sudden change in him.

A Promoter with a bandanna seemed on the verge of tears as he said plaintively, “Why us?!”

“Because there’s no one else but us,” Rentaro answered.

“There’s no way we have enough people with these numbers!”

“If we don’t have enough people, then we will add some to our number.”

The man was about to laugh at the impossibility of it, and smiled stiffly. “Where would we find people like that? Don’t tell me you’re going to recruit the doctors and suppliers deployed to us?”

“There are people. Over there.” Saying that, Rentaro jerked his chin, and everyone looked in the direction he indicated. And then groans of surprise could be heard here and there.

“Wait, don’t tell me you—” The man’s face was pale as it turned from the gym back to Rentaro.

“That’s right. The injured.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! There are people whose ears or arms and legs have been blown off in there, you know.”

“But they aren’t dead. If we lose this fight, everyone’s going to die anyway. And there are those who are faking illness because they don’t want to fight. We’ll take all of them and add another forty people.”

The man’s face beaded with sweat. “Y-you’re crazy. You’re insane! Hey, everyone, why aren’t you saying anything? The new commander’s out of his mind!”

That man looked behind Rentaro and a grin appeared on his face. “Chikaze! Kill him!”

Rentaro turned reflexively and saw the muzzle of an AK-47 assault rifle. The girl pulled the trigger, and with flashy muzzle fire, 7.6-mm bullets rushed at Rentaro in a fully automatic sweep.

Right before they hit Rentaro, there was a thunderous sound, and a bluish-white phosphorescence repelled all the bullets, sending them in all directions. Rentaro protected his face from the scalding wind pressure and opened his eyes slightly. “Kagetane, huh?”

The coattails of the mysterious masked man standing in front of Rentaro fluttered in the wind.

The assault rifle fell to the ground with a clang, and the girl called Chikaze held both arms up in surrender. At the girl’s neck was Kohina’s short sword, which had cut a thin line into the skin.

In the midst of the frozen spectators, Kagetane slowly turned off the field and spread his arms dramatically. “Kohina and I will also put ourselves under Satomi’s command. Do you still think we don’t have enough people?”

The crowd trembled with fear. “No way, that terrorist…?”

“He was formerly ranked 134…”

Rentaro glared at Kagetane spitefully. “What’s with this turn of events?”

“Don’t you need my help, my comrade?” Kagetane chuckled, holding down his mask, as Rentaro glared at him coldly.

“I can trust you, right, Joker?”

“Leave it to me, King.”

Rentaro nodded once and then threw out an even colder glare at the civil officers. “That’s how it is. If you try to run away or cause trouble, then you will be eliminated. After this, anyone who points a sword at me or attacks me will be eliminated. I’m not as soft as Gado. I will give you orders later. That is all. Dismissed.”

Rentaro left with a wave of his cloak.

“Wait a minute, Satomi!” He walked a little farther before turning around to see Kisara, as expected. From her indignant eyes, it was clearer than the sun that she was not feeling kindly toward him.

“Why did you do something like that? Making people obey you in such a violent way. Everyone’s afraid of you now.”

“That’s good.”

“What?”

Rentaro turned his back toward Kisara again and closed his eyes without speaking. “Kisara, you saw it, too, didn’t you? Everyone’s exhausted, and they’re all overwhelmed by fear of the Gastrea. They couldn’t fight like that. That’s why from now on, I’ll have them fear me, not the Gastrea.”

Rentaro could see that Kisara’s head and body were shaking. “Don’t tell me, Satomi… Then that was all a performance…?”

Rentaro didn’t say anything.

He could hear Kisara making a hard fist. “You’ll be hated by everyone! Detested! Then who will be on your side, Satomi?”

“I don’t need anyone. At least, not right now.” This was the conclusion Rentaro had come to while looking at Midori’s dead body yesterday. If he wanted to do his best to keep there from being any more victims, he would have to abandon all his feelings as a human. He would think about allowing himself the luxury of feeling emotions like everyone else after he was still breathing when this war was over.

Just then, he was hugged hard from behind in a surprise attack, and Rentaro’s body stiffened.

“Idiot.” There was strength in the arms that wrapped around him from behind, and body warmth found its way into Rentaro’s chilled body.

“Kisara……” He felt the inside of his heart slowly become warmer.

Kisara sounded like she was sulking. “Next time, you must consult with me, your boss, before doing anything like that. You’re mine, Satomi. You need my permission even to breathe, you know.”

Rentaro laughed. “You’re dangerous.”

“Idiot.”

“Sorry…”

“Idiot.”

Just then, Rentaro noticed the quiet figure of a girl behind Kisara and slowly separated himself from Kisara, stiffening his expression again.

“I heard your excellent speech.” Asaka Mibu, wearing light blue Japanese armor, opened her closed eyes just a little. “However, please allow me to speak frankly. You are not fit to be commander.”

Kisara looked angry, but Rentaro held her back with his arm and had the girl continue.

“If it were Master Nagamasa, he would have been able to gather the troops better and handle everything better. Simple people may not have noticed, but you cannot fool me. You are acting like a dictator.”

Rentaro looked down at Asaka coldly. “Gado is not here anymore. And I’m not Gado. His way of doing things failed. The way he was doing things was wrong. That’s why we lost two battles in the past and it’s turned into this war. Right?”

Asaka’s anger flared and she crouched down, drawing her long sword from its scabbard. “You dare insult Master Nagamasa, you peasant?!”

The next instant, it seemed like Asaka had disappeared as she left an afterimage and rushed at him a high speed. The long sword she was brandishing drew an arc and would reach Rentaro’s throat in no time. Just as it was about to get to him, a hand suddenly stretched out from the side and twisted Asaka’s arm up.

She gasped in surprise. Her body spun once and she was thrown onto the ground back first, making a depression in the ground. Her small frame convulsed sharply.

Asaka looked at the sky with her eyes still open, looking bewildered.

“Are you confused? That a simple human threw you?” The tall man in the long coat looked at her emotionlessly. “You rushed like a fireball. Are you only calm on the outside? Or did you get angry because Commander Gado was being made fun of?”

Asaka leapt back like she was being repelled and fumed with teeth bared, “Who are you?! State your name!”

“Shoma Nagisawa. Actually, I also lost my Initiator, so I was just looking for a strong Initiator. Wanna pair up with me?”

“I will not serve two masters.”

“Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not looking for a replacement for Midori, either. It’s just, rather than fighting alone, I think we could more efficiently fight Gastrea as even a temporary pair. That’s all I’m suggesting.”

“You mean…a pair to last only until the end of the Aldebaran War?”

Shoma nodded. “I mean, I’m sure you know yourself how far off the mark you are by blaming Satomi. Satomi isn’t the one who killed your Promoter. It was the Gastrea. Get rid of your grudge by fighting Aldebaran on the battlefield. Don’t be mistaken about where to point your hatred.”

Asaka was silent for a while, thinking. However, she finally got on her knees and respectfully offered her sword to Shoma with both hands. For someone militaristic like Asaka, offering her sword meant she was offering her trust and allegiance. “I give you my sword for the time being. Use it as you will, Master.” She exchanged glances with Shoma and nodded.

Asaka and Shoma seemed to have a lot in common. Neither was very approachable, and they both had reticent but sober and honest personalities. They were an impromptu pair, but they would likely work together well.

Rentaro felt emotions flare up inside him like magma. He finally had all his cards together:

The King—Rentaro Satomi and Enju Aihara.

The Queen—Kisara Tendo and Tina Sprout.

The Jack—Tamaki Katagiri and Yuzuki Katagiri.

The Ace—Shoma Nagisawa and Asaka Mibu.

And right now, Rentaro also had the strongest wild card in his hand:

The Joker—Kagetane Hiruko and Kohina Hiruko.

The plan he had from the start for a five-pair adjuvant had finally come together at the eleventh hour. It was the strongest party he could think of.

Rentaro glared at his old enemy, Aldebaran, beyond the grave marker of the collapsed Monolith.

This fight will not necessarily end in our loss.

5

Just then, Rentaro heard the sound of a large number of distant rotors in the air. Turning to spot them, he estimated that there were over twenty transport aircraft and helicopters flying in a formation toward them. When the transport craft swelled and passed over Rentaro’s head, he was sure he could see the Shiba Heavy Weapons emblem printed on its side.

It looked like what he had ordered had arrived.

As Rentaro pushed his way through the stunned civil officers, a rappelling extraction rope was lowered to the ground from one of the air units, and a girl wearing a kimono with long, fluttering sleeves gave a big wave as she blew a kiss toward Rentaro. “Satomi, dear! I’m on my way! Whoa!” Miori Shiba swung dangerously midair, and just as Rentaro expected, her sleeves got tangled with the rope in the air and she lost her balance.

Rentaro didn’t wait, but pushed the crowd out of the way as he rushed over, sliding to catch the falling woman.

As she hit, he felt the air being squeezed out of his lungs and almost lost consciousness as a thud vibrated all the way to his organs.

When he looked again, he was on his back and Miori was sitting on him, flushed with embarrassment.

“Owwww… It’s been a while, Satomi, dear. Oof. This is kind of a kinky position.”

“Hey, idiot! Don’t climb down a rope ladder wearing a kimono and geta clogs!” Rentaro yelled.

“But I wanted to see my dear Satomi as quickly as possible!” Flirtatiously, the daughter of the weapons conglomerate CEO put her arms around Rentaro’s neck and whispered in his ear. “I knew you’d save me, Satomi dearest. I think I might’ve sprained my ankle. I wish you’d carry me in your arms like a princess to a nearby tent. You can take care of me however you want, mon ami.”

Her elegant kimono was made of dyed black cloth and embroidered embellishments. Her lustrous black hair was wavy, and her beautiful white face with its shapely nose was so close to Rentaro’s face his heart pounded.

“H-hey, Miori…” Rentaro said.

“Sa-to-mi, my dear… Tee-hee,” she said, articulating each syllable distinctly.

Suddenly, Rentaro heard a sharp tongue click from behind him. “Too bad. It would have been nice if you’d fallen and broken your neck.”

Jumping up with astonishment, he found that it was Kisara who had spoken, as he expected, and was standing in front of his chest with her arms crossed, her legs shifting with irritation. “What business do you have here? Hurry up and take care of it and leave.”

“Oh my, it’s been a while, Kisara. Have your breasts distended since we last met?”

“We just saw each other recently! There’s no way they’d get bigger so suddenly!”

Miori took a fan out from her bosom and spread it, covering her mouth as she narrowed her eyes, laughing bewitchingly. “Unfortunately, I’m here today officially employed as a weapons advisor to dear Satomi. I don’t have to listen to you.”

“What?” Kisara glared at Rentaro sharply. “Hey, Satomi! What’s the meaning of this?”

Rentaro felt like he’d finally gotten permission to speak as he went to stand between them. “It’s true that I asked Miori to come. In order to defeat Aldebaran, we definitely need the cooperation of a weapons specialist.”

In the staff tent Miori constructed was a crude desk, and the lightbulb that hung from the ceiling with a simple lampshade over it lit only the desk. But around that desk were the members of Rentaro’s adjuvant, plus Miori.

Miori put her hands on the plain wood surface and looked around at everyone with an uncharacteristic scowl. “I’ve heard about Aldebaran from our dear Satomi. An immortal Gastrea is no joke. You’ve all done your best. Let us at Shiba Heavy Weapons back you civil officers up with everything we’ve got.”

Rentaro nodded. “Thanks. That’s encouraging.”

“Hey…Miori.” Kisara, who had her hands crossed in front of her chest, put a hand to her chin and looked uneasily at the woman. “It’s not that I have any complaints against you all, but don’t we have any extra backup other than Shiba?”

Miori understood what Kisara was trying to say and nodded. “Kisara, you’ve been at the front lines this whole time, so you may not know much about the mood in Tokyo Area right now, but it’s terrible on the home front. In the first place, in order to prevent the attack of the Zodiac Scorpion that came out during the Kagetane Hiruko terrorist incident, Tokyo’s land, sea, and air self-defense forces were already nearly annihilated. Then, before the paint was even dry on that matter, Aldebaran came. The city’s defense systems are practically worthless now.

“Even if it can miraculously defeat Aldebaran, it would take Tokyo Area years to recover to its national power to previous levels. I’m sure the Lady Seitenshi will have to deal with more national troubles than any Seitenshi we’ve had so far.”

Gazes with deep-rooted criticism fell to the terrorist in the corner of the tent, but Kagetane just shrugged, showing no sign of remorse.

Kisara continued. “What about support from outside the country, or other areas?”

“That’s difficult, too. The other countries have their own speculations, but in the end, most think of it as someone else’s problem.”

Miori pointed a finger at Rentaro. “I have one more piece of bad news. This is a report from Shiba Heavy Weapons’ man-made satellite. It looks like the Aldebaran troops have finally started moving.”

The mood inside the tent stiffened noticeably.

“When are they expected to arrive?” Rentaro asked.

“At eleven p.m.”

Rentaro hurriedly checked the time. They had a little over half a day left. Rentaro forced down the nervousness inside him and asked Miori as calmly as possible: “Well, Miori, is there a way to defeat Aldebaran?”

Everyone’s eyes seemed to cling to her as Miori suppressed a smile and hid her mouth with her fan. “Who do you think I am? Of course I came with a plan.”

Miori placed the small case at her feet on the table before opening it and pulling out a cylindrical object. The shiny black metal on its surface was probably Varanium; the red sensor inside that gave an impression of solidity, reflecting the light of the bulb above them.

When Rentaro stroked the surface, it felt cool, and when he tried holding it, it was much heavier than he expected. It was just about as thick as a tea canister, but Rentaro could hold it with one hand with no problems.

Since he had been preparing himself for what was about to come out, Rentaro was a little disappointed. And it looked like Rentaro was not the only one who felt that way.

“Oh my, is Miss Miori going to make us some tea?”

Miori did not respond to Kisara’s sarcasm, but looked at everyone with seriousness. “That is a special bomb developed by our research team. Its development code name was the ekpyrotic bomb, but everyone calls it the EP bomb because the name is too long. It can cause extreme explosive damage to a very small area, and it has twenty times the power of the five-hundred-pound bombs dropped on Aldebaran by the self-defense force, so be careful when you’re handling that.”

Rentaro almost dropped it.

Seeing that, Miori chuckled and took the can from Rentaro’s hand.

“In other words, Miori, you’re saying—”

Miori nodded. “Completely destroy Aldebaran so that not even a scrap of it is left. There is no other way for us to win.”

Rentaro stared hard at the small cylindrical bomb. It didn’t look like there was a spare. The fate of Tokyo Area literally lay in this single small bomb.

“But Satomi, dear, at this rate, just hitting Aldebaran with this will not kill it.”

Rentaro tilted his head in question. “What do you mean?”

Miori smiled bewitchingly and continued. “Exactly what I said. At this rate, I’m still worried that there is not enough firepower. That’s why, based on the results of analysis by our research team, making this explode inside Aldebaran’s body is the only chance we have to destroy it.”

Kisara, Tina, and Shoma had looks of sudden realization on their faces, but Rentaro still didn’t understand.

“Satomi, did you know that gunpowder is more powerful when you have it explode sealed up inside a hard container than when you just let it explode as is? It’s like when you let a firecracker explode on the palm of your hand, your hand will just get burned, but if you hold it tightly in your hand, your whole hand can be blown off. The EP bomb is an amazing bomb that explodes with a high-pressure implosion reaction, but that will not completely destroy Aldebaran. That’s why we would like to have it explode with another layer of complete airtightness around it.”

After getting that explanation, Rentaro was finally also able to follow the conversation. “In other words, Miori, you’re saying we need to injure Aldebaran, toss the EP bomb in before it regenerates, wait until the wound fully heals, and then make the bomb explode?”

All of the giant Gastrea had exoskeletons that were extremely hard so that they would not be crushed under the pressure of gravity. If they injured one, threw the bomb in, and then waited for it to heal, the bomb would be taken in by the Gastrea’s body, which should completely seal it off. If they activated a timed fuse in those conditions, it was possible to create a terrifying detonation.

In other words, Miori was planning to use the Gastrea’s body as a vessel to increase the bomb’s explosive power.

Miori pointed at a slit in the middle of the tea canister–shaped bomb. Upon closer inspection, Rentaro noticed that the slit part was notched with red gradations. “If you twist the EP bomb itself to this notch, it will explode three minutes later. It will be more sensitive at that point, so after you twist the can, make sure you do not let it undergo any strong shocks.”

Rentaro was dumbfounded at the audacity of the plan. However, it was true that it might be possible to kill Aldebaran with this. But his doubts had not all been cleared up yet. “Miori, how do you plan on getting a wind hole into Aldebaran? We don’t have a weapon left that can do that.”

The five-hundred-pound bomb dropped from the fighter aircraft could deliver a blow like a giant war hammer with the addition of gravitational acceleration, and the first blow to injure Aldebaran that Gado delivered was a satisfying one from the state-of-the-art powered-exoskeleton suit he wore. However, in order to throw the EP bomb deep into Aldebaran’s body, they would need a combination of ballistic and penetrating power greater than those. Rentaro explained without pausing that even a tank gun or bunker buster might not be strong enough.

“We do have a weapon strong enough. Just one. Something with greater ballistic and penetrating power than a tank gun. One that, if it’s not damaged, is a weapon we can trust. Our greatest and last weapon.”

“Where?” As he braced himself for the answer, he noticed that all the eyes in the tent were looking at him—or more precisely, at Rentaro’s arm and leg. Consecutive days of fighting had left the artificial skin peeling off, and he hadn’t had time to do repairs. His uniform was torn and frayed. The cloak was also a hand-me-down from Gado, so its hem was worn out, and it was tattered, but it made it look almost strangely vintage.

And, in the past, the defense ministry had asked for each individual soldier’s equipment in the New Humanity Creation Plan to have enough power to defeat a Level Four Gastrea with certainty.

Rentaro pointed at himself. “M-me?”

Miori nodded with a grin. “That’s right. Our last weapon is none other than you, my dear Satomi.”

Rentaro stared at his right arm. It was true that if they were to say who among them had attack power that could rip through Kagetane’s transcendent barrier, Imaginary Gimmick, it would no doubt be himself. However, even though Aldebaran was not a Stage Five, it was much bigger than other Stage Fours, and if they were to rank it, it would be somewhere between a Stage Four and Stage Five. Could he really annihilate it with his own power?

Rentaro shook his head. He had to do it; there was no other way.

“Okay. I’ll do it.”

Miori put the palm of her hand next to his ear and patted him twice. “Okay, attention please. I want to confirm with everyone. Aldebaran is a practically immortal Gastrea, but it controls other Gastrea with its pheromones, so as long as we defeat it, we’ll win.

“In order to win this battle, we have to fulfill the following conditions: One, find Aldebaran as quickly as possible from the midst of the enemy troops. I have a plan for this. Two, cut across the enemy camp with the rest of the adjuvant protecting Satomi, bringing him to Aldebaran. And three, to have dear Satomi fight Aldebaran and injure it, twist the detonation can of the EP bomb, throw it into Aldebaran, and escape.

“If Aldebaran finds you, it’s game over. If dear Satomi is defeated, it’s game over. If the bomb Satomi throws in is not deep enough and does not completely destroy Aldebaran, it’s game over.”

“That’s tough.” Rentaro let out his frank thoughts.

“But there is no other way.”

“What are our chances of success?”

“God only knows.”

“Isn’t that hopeless?”

Miori grinned and slapped the table hard, looking around at everyone. “This plan will be called Rapier Thrust.”

Rapier Thrust. Just like the name implied, it was a plan to rush through with a sudden attack that thrust at the enemy camp like a rapier, to cut up the enemy without thinking about defense.

Miori grinned as she took a cell phone from her bosom and pushed the redial button. “There is one more lady who couldn’t come here but wanted to support you, Satomi, so I’ll introduce her now.”

Catching the cell phone thrown at him, he put it to his ear. From the polite way Miori described her, Rentaro had some clue as to who the person on the other end could be.

“Satomi, it’s me.” He heard a dignified voice that made him straighten up unconsciously.

“I thought it’d be you, Lady Seitenshi.”

“Yes, I also wanted to be there, but I want to continue the work of guiding the evacuees to the very end, so it was impossible for me to go. That’s why I thought I could at least send my voice, and called.”

Rentaro was startled. “You aren’t in a shelter?”

“I will only go into a shelter when I have confirmed the safety of the last of Tokyo Area’s citizens.”

Rentaro was shocked. He could easily imagine the Seitenshi refusing the pleas of her aides and continuing to stay on the scene, and it brought to mind the troubles of her aides.

“Commander Satomi, I will not say much, but good luck. I think it is fate that you became the commander of our forces.” She was exaggerating, but somehow, he did not feel like teasing her about it.

“Yeah, okay. Thanks.” He hung up and threw the phone back, and Miori caught it.

Then, she looked at everyone and continued. “Now, we will abandon this place and go farther back to ready our camp. There, we will ambush Aldebaran.”

Kisara interrupted hurriedly. “Farther back than this? Is there a good place to set up camp back there…?”

Rentaro and Miori looked at each other and nodded. Miori spread a map on the table and pointed to their current position, then brought her finger directly behind it.

Kisara made a startled sound.

Rentaro nodded slowly. “The location of the final battle will be the Flame of Return.”

6

“All right! All right!”

Rentaro watched from a distance as Shiba Heavy Machinery workers gave directions with hand signals that carried over the sound and shock wave of the transport aircraft propellers. The searchlight that was fastened to the bottom of the current transport vehicle was slowly lowered to the ground; apparently waiting for it to land safely, four other workers immediately bolted down the four corners to fix it to the floor. Standing next to him, Miori was watching them work with delight as she fanned herself.

A strong wind blew by, and Rentaro held down his hair to perceive the sight below him. He was on the roof of one of the seven intelligence buildings that surrounded the memorial monument, the Flame of Return, in Tokyo Area District 40. The last time he had come here, he remembered it being a scenic tourist spot, with bright sunlight filtering in through the trees even in the forest, and old ruined buildings that were nesting grounds for wild birds. Now, however, the weather was bad and there was no sight or sound of the birds. It was as if even they had abandoned Tokyo Area based on some wild instinct.

Rentaro looked up at the sky. The clouds were an ominous lead color today, too, and they flowed by quickly. The thought that they were facing a time of great social upheaval floated through his head, and Rentaro hurriedly ejected the thought from his mind.

“It looks like the work will be finished before the sun goes down. That’s good,” Miori said in a bright voice as they watched the work happening in front of them.

Rentaro watched her for a while. “Sorry, Miori.”

“Hmm?” Miori’s big eyes looked up at Rentaro.

“You’ve offered us help with so much equipment. Even though I’m sure the self-defense force has taken a bunch of stuff because it’s a state of emergency.”

“Oh my, Satomi dear, are you worried about me?”

“It’s not that I’m worried…”

Miori crossed her arms and stretched toward the sky. “Well, giving you so much equipment for free would be a big loss even for our company.”

Rentaro looked apologetically at her and scratched the back of his head. “About how much does it all cost?”

“Oh, it’s impossible for you. With your salary, you won’t be able to pay it back for the rest of your life,” said Miori, waving her hand in front of her face, putting her hand slowly on the searchlight. “But well, after this, we’re just waiting for the battery to arrive.”

“Battery? There’s no battery in that searchlight?”

“No, there is the danger of the battery corroding if it is transported by air, so it’s being brought by land right now. The self-defense force seemed to have some extra hands, so I had them do it.”

“I see…” Rentaro was uneasy for some reason, but as he quickly returned to work giving orders, his doubts disappeared before he noticed.

Rentaro gathered the remaining civil officers and explained the plan, then had them take position. Even if it was a monument remembering the result of the Second Kanto Battle, that didn’t mean that all the civil officers looked happy about it. They just had to force their way through with a brave face.

Miori passed out small radios to everyone, and there was an equipment inspection. Rentaro got an extra magazine of bullets and a supply of special large-caliber ammunition cartridges for his artificial limbs. He also grabbed a number of other things that looked to be necessities this time around.

It took until nightfall before the work to fortify the Flame of Return was completed.

Rentaro took his cell phone out of his pocket and checked the time. They had less than three hours left.

This would be the last battle, no matter what the result. That thought made his heart race whether he liked it or not. No matter how hard he tried to calm down, the wave of nervousness did not lessen, but in fact grew stronger.

He lifted his face from his cell phone. A fire had been built in front of him, and the five pairs of people in Rentaro’s adjuvant plus Miori and Sumire gathered around, surrounding it. They were able to continue within the margin of error left by the loss of Midori.

Around them stood the thick night. It was as if they were the only ones left in the world.

“We have to get into position soon, but let’s defeat Aldebaran and survive to reunite. So, please get me to Aldebaran. In exchange, I will definitely be victorious.”

Everyone gave a nod.

As if repeating the performance from that day before they started fighting, he raised his right arm with his XD gun high above his head. The others raised a weapon or arm as well. Kagetane and Kohina even followed, grudgingly.

But then, Rentaro noticed that there was one person who was still looking down. “What…what’s the matter, Enju?”

Enju’s shoulders shook in surprise for a moment, and then she shrank even farther down. She didn’t speak.

Unable to comprehend her feelings, Rentaro grew nervous watching her. “Enju?”

She still didn’t reply. Suddenly, Enju seemed unable to bear something any longer and turned on her heel and ran away.

For a moment, Rentaro was unsure. However, he realized that this was the sign of something unusual and pulled himself together. Rentaro shot a look at his companions and followed after Enju.

The temperature today was again unbelievably cold, and there was white in his exhaled breaths. He failed to glimpse Enju’s back.

Rentaro thought frantically. From her pained expression, he thought that perhaps the cause was this place. As a teacher, Rentaro had once brought the children from the Outer Districts to the Flame of Return on a field trip. It was a place filled with excessively happy memories. But those girls were no longer in the world. Since the girls had been killed by the angry populace, those happy memories were all flowing back to torture her with guilt.

Sumire had already given her stamp of approval, saying Enju was fine, but Rentaro had continued to consider the possibility that this would happen. What if Sumire was wrong? What if, behind Enju’s smiling broadly to brighten Rentaro’s day, she was bearing a whirlpool of tears and screaming at the edge of despair?

Without realizing it, Rentaro hastened his step.

Before long, he found Enju; she was about fifty meters from the fire, hugging herself and shoulders shaking, her back to Rentaro.

“Rentaro, what should I do? I don’t want to fight.” Her voice sounded weak, like she was at a loss. However, Rentaro had expected this, so he was able to keep from getting flustered. It was easy to tell that she had troubles jumbled up inside her just by those short sentences.

If they saved Tokyo Area, they would save a lot of innocent citizens, but those persecuting Enju and the other Cursed Children and those who murdered Enju’s classmates would also benefit. A torrent of feelings wanting to carry out justice smashed into the smoldering feelings of hatred and resentment inside her, and she hardly knew what her own feelings were anymore. “I don’t know anymore. I don’t know, Rentaro. Why does the Stolen Generation do terrible things to us, the Cursed Children?” When she continued, she was almost screaming. “All we want is to have a place in the world!”

Rentaro closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Be careful, he told himself. This was a situation that was no less critical than the Aldebaran War itself.

“Enju, do you hate people?”

She didn’t answer.

“Do you detest the Stolen Generation?”

Enju continued to look down resolutely.

Rentaro tilted his head and looked up at the black sky for a while, then brought his gaze back to the girl. “Enju, I believe that being a civil security officer is the one job where you can die for the sake of another person’s ‘Thank you’ or ‘You saved me.’”

Enju retorted, almost biting at him. “I heard what everyone was saying in town! I heard them saying that the civil officer system was just a good way of taking out the trash by having Gastrea and children with the virus kill each other!”

Rentaro was shocked. Enju, you… “Have you always thought this way? Even when you ran around to defeat Gastrea with me? Have you always felt like you were being made to take out the trash?”

Enju didn’t respond.

“Who do you want to believe?”

Enju lifted her head with a start and stared at Rentaro.

“Enju, do you want to believe me, or the people who said it’s taking out the trash?”

Enju looked like she was at a loss. Tears gathered at the edge of her eyes, and she wiped them with her sleeve. However, no matter how much she wiped, her eyes continued to overflow with tears.

“Rentaro.” That was all she said. And then, words started gushing out like a dam had burst. “Rentaro…Rentaro. Rentaro. Rentaro Rentaro Rentaro Rentaro!”

“Idiot.” He ran up to Enju, kneeled, and gave her a hug.

He could hear her shaking and sobbing on his chest, and a wet stain spread on his uniform. The poor thing’s body was chilled to the bone. “Enju, if you believe in me, you know what you should do, right? If we don’t save Tokyo Area right now, you won’t have time to draw a conclusion before it’s the end for us all. There’s no need for you to draw a conclusion right now. But in order to give you enough time to come to the conclusion that this world is really worth saving, the world must continue on.”

Enju nodded to herself in his chest, over and over. Rentaro could hear sniffles, and allowed her to cry as he rubbed her back. There were a ton of things he wanted to do, but the time for the start of their plan was drawing nearer and nearer, minute by minute.

Finally, he sought a good time to ask her, “Do you think you can do it?”

When he did, Enju made her eyes red like a rabbit’s, sniffed, and gave a big nod.

“All right,” Rentaro said, and, putting his hand on Enju’s head, patted her and stood. “Now, shall we go back? I’m sure everyone’s worried.”

Enju rubbed her eyes and forced herself to smile, then looked up at Rentaro while forcing down a sob. “R-Rentaro, you’re so mature.”

“Huh?”

“Even though you’re only six years older than me, y-you’re so mature.”

Rentaro shook his head slowly. “It’s only because I want to be mature in front of you that I act that way. It’s not a matter of age. Do you know why I fight?”

After thinking for a while, Enju shook her head.

“The reason why I still want to live in this rotten world of ours is—It’s because you’re here, Enju.”

“Oh, they’re back!” Kisara saw Rentaro and waved at him.

Next to her, Tina couldn’t bear it any longer and ran out to him.

But she stopped short. “Wh-what is this?”

The “this” Tina pointed a finger at was a grinning Enju with her arms and legs wrapped around Rentaro’s side.

Rentaro scratched his head hard. “I don’t know. I can’t get it off.”

She was heavy and made it hard to walk to boot, so he wanted her to let go as soon as possible, but she wouldn’t listen to anything he said. When he returned to the bonfire with difficulty, Enju released him and landed with a thud, her face wreathed in smiles as she raised her hands in surrender. “I’m sorry I made you all worry. I am fine now.”

“L…looks like it,” Tamaki said, clearly confused by Enju’s sudden change in attitude.

As Rentaro watched, Enju grinned and beckoned him with a hand. In the Satomi household, this was a signal to bring your face closer because the beckoner had something to tell you. Wondering what it was, Rentaro bent his knees so his eyes were on the same level as hers.

Suddenly, something soft was pushed against his lips, and Rentaro’s eyes opened wide. His vision was filled with the sight of Enju’s closed eyes. Her cheeks were flushed.

Rentaro moved away from her in a hurry, and Enju opened her eyes shyly.

Rentaro exclaimed, “Hey, idiot! What are you doing, all of a sudden?! In the first place, why do you always have to suddenly—”

Enju looked triumphantly in Kisara’s direction and smiled. “Rentaro and I both love each other, like I thought. Rentaro said he wanted to continue living because of me. He said breast size didn’t matter!”

“Wait a minute, Satomi!” Kisara shouted. “What are you doing? You moron! Pervert!”

Enju, carried away, jeered at Kisara, who had jumped up suddenly. “Kisara’s vexed!”

“I’m not vexed! Hmph!”

Hmph?

“Enju, you already have the advantage of living with him. You should be more discerning about your relationship with Big Brother!” Tina admonished.

Enju just put her hands on her hips and retorted happily, “I don’t wanna be more discerning.”

“Satomi, dear, let’s kiss-kiss, too.” Now even Miori was interfering, and the situation was getting out of control.

Asaka looked at him with contempt in her eyes. “Having relations with four women at the same time…? What a brute.”

He thought that things were getting too complicated, but he also noticed that the place had grown brighter with Enju returned to her normal self. Rentaro gazed up at the night sky behind him. With this, all of our preparations are ready, Aldebaran.

All that was left was to wait for the searchlight batteries to arrive…

7

The vehicle shook as it popped up stones, and the objects in the luggage compartment covered with a waterproof sheet sounded like they were lolling about.

“Damn it, why do we have to do something like this?”

Staring at his partner cursing in the passenger seat with his legs stretched out in front of him, Daigo Jogasaki gripped the steering wheel hard.

“Well? Daigo, why do we hafta do something like this? Huh?”

Daigo thought his partner was pretty drunk. He’d been grumbling about the same thing over and over like this for a while now. Well, it was understandable. Daigo responded: “I don’t want to do it, either. I mean, transporting batteries is…”

“Not that! What I’m trying to say is, why are we heading toward the civil officer troop that Rentaro Satomi of all people is leading?”

Rentaro Satomi—when Daigo heard that name, his heart could not remain calm, either.

“We’re elites! Respect us! Damn it!” Daigo’s partner, Tatsumi Ashina, held a cup of shochu in his hand as he yelled and kicked the dashboard with his feet. The latch broke and maps slid out of the opening and fell to their feet.

“Damn it,” he swore again, moping. He ground his teeth in regret, and started to sob. The self-defense force camouflage uniform he wasn’t used to wearing did not suit him at all.

Again, Daigo could not help but look back at his own decline. Just as Tatsumi had said, they had been elites. He had been incredulous when they received the invitation from the talented Takuto Yasuwaki, who was a year his senior at the National Defense Academy and had graduated at the top of his class. He and Tatsumi had talked it over for a whole day, a serious conversation about what they wanted to do with the rest of their lives. And in the end, it had been a great decision to follow him.

Somehow, Yasuwaki was selected at a young age to become the commander of the Seitenshi’s personal guard, and thanks to his influence, Daigo and Tatsumi had been able to work at the palace as his subordinates. The guys at the Seitenshi’s palace were all terrible cowards who were easy to domineer over. Their duties were easy and their pay was good.

When they had free time, they would change into plainclothes and go to the Outer Districts where they would shoot at Cursed Children. In order to keep them from running away, they restrained them with many layers of strong wire and then took turns picking them off from afar. It was really fun to shoot at a living doll that could scream, and it wasn’t like the girls paid taxes or were in the family registers; the men almost felt proud—like they were playing a role in beautifying the area.

When he went shooting with Yasuwaki, the man had often talked about his dreams. The Seitenshi still did not have a successor, and her advisors had often told her that she should get married. Yasuwaki wanted to become the idealistic princesses’ knight in shining armor, receive a post in the national government, and pull the strings of Tokyo Area from behind the scenes.

Yasuwaki had said, “Of course, I’ll also bring you guys with me.”

Daigo had believed in him. He had believed in his own shining future and had not suspected anything. However, a trap had opened its jaws in an unexpected place.

The Seitenshi Sniper Incident—apparently that was what the public called it. The skinny civil officer with the black uniform whom the Seitenshi had hired independently had changed everything.

Daigo’s hands gripped the steering wheel, creaking in anger. “I wonder what Commander Yasuwaki is doing right now…”

Tatsumi was brooding next to him, but even though he was drunk, his ears were sharp enough to catch Daigo’s words. “Don’t call that idiot Commander! Rumor has it that he’s in some mental hospital right now. He must’ve been real scared of that kid—I heard his hair turned all white.”

“Get out of my sight, and never come near Tina again. If you refuse, I will shoot you to death here and now for refusing to obey orders from a superior officer.”

Just remembering that voice sent chills down his spine. Of course, Yasuwaki’s subordinates, Daigo and Tatsumi, were with him at the site of his downfall, but they were so overawed that they couldn’t move a muscle.

It wasn’t that Daigo didn’t sympathize with Yasuwaki, but because of what Yasuwaki had dragged them into, Daigo and Tatsumi also had to take some of the blame for the incident. The careers that they had built up turned into nothing, and they were made to join the boring transport squad. They would probably be doing this job for the rest of their lives. Forever, in this job with no opportunity for advancement. But right now, it seemed like it would be faster to be killed by Aldebaran.

“Stop.”

Daigo hit the brake reflexively and pitched forward. “Wh-what’s the matter?”

Tatsumi ignored Daigo’s question and got out of the car. They had reached the bank of a small lake. Thinking something was suspicious, Daigo followed him and went around to the back of the transport vehicle. There, Tatsumi opened the door to the back without permission and took out a battery that filled his arms.

“Hey, what are you doing—” said Daigo.

“This is what I’m doing—!” So saying, Tatsumi threw the battery into the lake. It rolled down the slope slowly before it finally dropped under the water with a loud plop.

Daigo almost screamed as he grabbed Tatsumi’s shoulder. “What are you doing, you idiot?! We’ll be severely reprimanded if anyone finds out.”

Tatsumi’s bleary eyes reflected an intellectual light that did not seem dead drunk. “No one will find out, Daigo. Think about it carefully.”

“What?”

Tatsumi dug in his pocket and pulled out two plane tickets. “These are for the last flight to Osaka Area. They rose up to a ridiculous price, so I had to use your money, too, and now we’re penniless, but with this, we can survive. Where there’s life, there’s hope. Either way, this is the end for Tokyo Area.”

Ignoring orders and deserting. It was true that they would be severely punished if they were caught—but of course, that was only if Tokyo Area continued to exist.

Tatsumi’s hands grabbed Daigo’s shoulders tightly. His eyes shone, and his mouth was twisted into an evil smile. “Not only have we used up all our money, but we’re also clearly criminals. Now that we’ve done all this, it’s terribly unfortunate, but we’ll just have to have Tokyo Area fall, or we’ll be in trouble. Right?”

We’ll just have to have Tokyo Area fall, or we’ll be in trouble… That was true. But even so, it pricked the small conscience that Daigo had left. Was there really a need to do all this? It was one thing to have nothing to do with the civil officer troop as they fought the Gastrea, but to purposefully do something that would be advantageous to the Gastrea…

Just then, he noticed that Tatsumi’s two jet-black eyes were peering at him, and he got chills up his spine. “Don’t tell me you’re gonna let me do all this and then pretend that you’re a good boy by yourself when it’s over,” Tatsumi said.

“O-of course not. That’s not funny. It’s not enough to kill Rentaro Satomi normally,” said Daigo.

“Then, you know what you have to do, right? Those guys destroyed us. Now, it’s their turn to atone for their sins.”

Daigo could not refuse.

After that, they threw all the batteries into the lake, and Tatsumi upturned a can of gasoline that he “accidentally brought” and emptied it of its contents. When he threw in a lighter, tongues of flame reached out from the lake.

Tatsumi started to dance with the flames and shout with joy. “Whoooooo! Take that! Now it’s over for them!”

Watching his partner laughing maniacally out of the corner of his eye, Daigo wiped the sweat that had beaded on the palm of his hand on his pants. It was as if Tatsumi had been possessed by Commander Yasuwaki, but Daigo desperately forced himself to avoid speaking the thought aloud.