by <unknown>
"Like anyone would!"
Hearing light giggling from the side, Rentaro turned his head to see Seitenshi covering her mouth and laughing in amusement.
"This child is so straightforward."
"Enju probably can't understand at least half the stuff that was reported just now."
"No one can understand it. Even I am half in doubt."
The news report was suddenly interrupted. A television commercial's lively rhythm was inserted. The light from the screen's scanning lines was making the sides of Rentaro and Seitenshi's faces flash.
"Regarding whether you will be accepting this commissioned job, are you able to give a response now? You must have discussed with CEO Tendo just now."
"Oh—About that..."
Naturally, Rentaro wanted to discuss it.
But before that could happen, Kisara already left, so in the end, he did not even get a chance to mention it...
Rentaro looked at the television.
The commercial had ended at some point. The broadcast was currently showing the family of the imprisoned embassy staff.
A woman carrying a child looked very haggard with disheveled hair, sobbing while pleading with the Sendai Area to release her husband.
"I accept. As for the CEO side, I'll talk to her again later."
"Is it really okay without discussing with CEO Tendo?"
"It's fine. As long as I insist on accepting the job, the CEO cannot resist."
Rentaro spoke on impulse, then suddenly realized.
Right now, was he accepting the job to prevent the sorrow and laments that were about to happen, or was he simply trying to mock Kisara for her indecision...?
Realizing he was soon becoming a hateful bastard, Rentaro shook his head and stopped thinking. His sanity prevented him from delving deeper in the matter.
Pretty white smoke drifted from the mosquito incense holder that was shaped like a piglet. After being pushed around by the oscillating electric fan and the air conditioning, it dispersed, leaving only a pungent lingering smell.
Unable to sleep, Rentaro remained wide awake.
Placing both hands behind his head, he stared aimlessly at the wood patterns on the dark ceiling.
Suddenly, a breath of "mmm" was heard by his ear, accompanied by someone turning over in her sleep.
Exhaling while in deep sleep, the breath felt a bit ticklish. Rentaro turned his head to see Enju's sleeping face right in front of him, making him smile wryly.
In addition, on the other side of Enju's futon was Seitenshi with her hands clasped in front of her chest, giving off inviolable serenity while her chest heaved up and down regularly.
Simply dressed in the pink pajamas borrowed temporarily from Miori's overnight gear, the noble beauty given off from the side of her face was not diminished the slightest.
Rentaro got up and went to the washroom to relieve his bladder. After finishing his business, he walked unsteadily to the fridge and took out a half-finished sports drink, taking great gulps.
Cold liquid flowed into the scorching depths of his stomach.
Turning his face to the window, he saw moonlight streaming in. A bright, moonlit night.
At this time, he noticed the mixed among the noises from summer insects gathered outdoors, there was a tiny sound that was easy to miss.
Looking at the source, he gasped.
Seitenshi had her back to him. With trembling shoulders, she was sobbing quietly.
Rentaro knelt down and asked "Hey, are you okay?" The instant he placed his hand on her shoulder, Seitenshi suddenly turned her head back.
Seeing her eyes swollen from crying, reflecting the moonlight and seeming so moist and bright, Rentaro instantly felt his entire body freeze stiff.
The sound of summer insects beating their wings broke the surrounding silence.
At this instant, Rentaro's thoughts returned to "Why exactly did Seitenshi have to escape from the Sacred Residence?" The question at the very root.
On the surface, it was Kikunojyo refusing to assign the task of negotiating with Litvintsev to Rentaro, which was why Seitenshi secretly visited Rentaro's home.
But was that really it?
According to the hierarchy of power, no one could give orders to Seitenshi who was the head of state in the first place.
She could very well kick Kikunojyo's suggestion aside and openly commission the Tendo Civil Security Company for the job.
So why?
Clutching the sleeve of Rentaro's pajamas with a trembling hand, Seitenshi looked down.
"Recently every day, I would always keep my hand on the Bible, asking myself honestly what I ought to do. But no matter how hard I try, I am merely the Tokyo Area's decoration."
Her ensuing monologue was filled with intense despair.
"Everyone says that as long as the Honorable Kikunojyo was around, it was enough... Someone like me is completely unneeded...!"
"Your Highness Seitenshi..."
"I am truly in pain. I clearly want to lead a life trusting in the benevolence of mankind, but everyone gets manipulated by the tides of hatred. Mr. Satomi, what should I do... What should I do...?"
Just leave it to me, don't worry, it'll be okay—All kinds of responses spun around in Rentaro's mind but in the end, none of them rushed out of his throat.
Instead, Rentaro placed his palm on Seitenshi's tightly clenched fist, silently gripping her like that.
Chapter 2 - Bullet of World Revolution
Part 1
While the Tokyo Area was filled with the atmosphere of war, the weather completely failed to read the mood and seemed to be incomparably sunny. The insects of late summer played a symphony of sounds, enshrouding Rentaro.
After sending Enju off to elementary school, Rentaro called Magata High to notify them he was going to be absent. Then wiping sweat nonstop, he took a public bus, getting off at Magata Municipal University Hospital.
He passed through just by showing his face at the reception then made his way to Sumire's lab, walking down the stairs whose slope seemed to lead to hell.
Before going to meet Litvintsev, he had a worry he had to dispel first no matter what.
"Doctor, are you—"
Here? —Before he could finish, something suddenly flew straight at his face, accompanied by an explosive bang.
"Wha—!?"
He frantically guarded his face. A moment later, he felt something drift lightly, covering his head.
Slowly opening his eyes, he picked up the thing on his head and rubbed it in front of his eyes. This loose and puffy thing consisted of aluminum foil and shredded ribbons.
Then immediately, the living ghost story of the university hospital suddenly appeared before his eyes, wearing Groucho glasses and a cone-shaped hat, throwing the spent party popper into the trash can.
"Oh my! Congratulations, young Satomi."
She pulled the string next to her, causing the ball suspended above to open, lowering a banner reading "Condolences Party for Rentaro Satomi Getting Dumped by Kisara."
Rentaro felt dizzy and pressed his hand against the corner of his eye.
"...Hey Doctor, did you really set up an ambush here just to do something so meaningless?"
"'Take the lead to do annoying things to others' is the family precept of the Murotos."
The female professor in the white lab coat took off her Groucho glasses to reveal the malicious smile behind them.
"How the heck did your parents get married, Doctor?"
"Now that would be a massive mystery. By the way—"
Taking a seat on a chair on the side, Sumire smiled with excessive delight.
"I heard you were dumped?"
"I didn't get dumped."
"In that case, explain in detail. I only heard the rough gist over the phone. Please entrust your love troubles to the love counselor, Doctor Muroto."
Making a victorious V-gesture and winking while sticking out her tongue, despite her adult age, Rentaro could not find any w
ords to comment.
"Have you had enough experience in love to offer advice to others, Doctor?"
"Nope—Apart from the cadavers delivered here, I have no prospective partners. The men I went out with all ended up as corpses, so in other words, all my partners are basically dead bodies. Fundamentally, I hate all living people."
"Do you hate me too?"
"Of course! You shitty little brat, you take being liked for granted? Ptooey."
"Woah, don't spit on me."
Then Rentaro bitterly reflected on what Sumire meant by saying he was dumped. Indeed, looking at the current situation objectively, perhaps she really was right.
"...I guess, there's probably not much point discussing with you."
Rentaro threw these words out with a broken heart. Sumire shrugged.
"You wanted to discuss something with me?"
"......"
Urged by Sumire, Rentaro sat down on a stool, staring intently at the floor.
If it was to Sumire, he could probably explain that situation clearly.
Rentaro touched his lips lightly with a finger. The cold sensation awakened past memories in his mind.
After thwarting the Black Swan Project, he had resumed his awkward relationship with Kisara and in the process, Rentaro had taken one step to shorten their distance.
However, what happened after that completely exceeded the range of what Rentaro could predict.
Kisara suddenly went pale and trembled, even wrapping her arms tightly around her body. Shoving Rentaro away, she fled the scene as fast as she could.
In the beginning, Rentaro wondered if his confession was unrequited, but upon thinking back, that did not seem to be the case. However, no matter how he pondered, he would always get stuck at that point.
Until now, he still had no idea why she reacted with that action. Even if he tried to ask her directly, she would change the subject, thus leaving Rentaro's feelings in suspension, unable to go up or down.
"That's no longer an issue of maidenly hearts."
After listening to the entire story, Sumire leaned her chin on a hand, her eyes plunged into deep thought with unprecedented seriousness.
"...You're not going to make fun of me using nonsense like 'ultimately, you must have messed up the sequence and groped her boobs first' or 'you must have felt felt up her butt'?"
"I could make jokes but you'll surely get depressed to death if you heard them. My principle is to torment people until they're half dead. If I fail to strike a balance and encourage you to keep making advances on Kisara, then it's pointless."
Despite mixed with joking, these words did secretly convey encouragement, making Rentaro feel much more relaxed. In his mind, he thanked the doctor.
"Perhaps Kisara feels guilty about the fact that she has become happy."
Rentaro could not help but rise from his seat.
"Why?"
Sumire swept her bangs away in annoyance.
"Calm down first. You understand that Kisara supports herself with the desire to avenge her parents, right? Although it was a long time ago, I did read Kisara's patient file through medical channels. I remember a note on insulin doses and also the clinical data from the psychiatrist who counseled her after her parents were killed. The file mentioned that Kisara feels that if she were to obtain happiness, a sense of guilt towards her dead parents would arise. At the time, she would see apparitions of her dead parents occasionally, standing before her eyes in the form of ghosts, demanding their surviving daughter avenge her."
"No way."
That was identical to Hamlet seeing the dead king's ghost. Uncle Osamusan and Aunt Yomiko would not say something like that to their daughter.
"After a while, the patient records no longer say anything like this again. The doctor wrote at the end of the medical history that the patient had finally freed herself from the tragedy, making her decision to live her life properly, but I find it very suspicious. Didn't Kisara recently chase down one of the culprits and took revenge? In that case, it would not come as a surprise that she was literally being troubled by ghosts of the past again."
"..."
Even if that were the truth, Rentaro could not take any joy in that.
The meaning of Kisara's behavior, an issue that had remained stuck in his throat for so long, finally received a logical explanation even though it was purely speculative. This felt like a refreshing breeze blowing into his heart that was originally blocked.
Rentaro scratched his head and refreshed his mood.
"Doctor, is it really okay for you to leak a patient's confidential information to me?"
Sumire shrugged.
"It's useless asking for professional ethics from a fallen doctor, right?"
"I guess I owe you one again."
"Don't worry about repaying them. After all, your combined debt owed to me to this date is probably impossible to repay even if you use your next life. But then again, speaking of which—"
Sumire took a breath, raised her arms and stretched.
"The Tokyo and Sendai Areas are currently facing the eruption of total war. I can't believe you're still troubling over petty romance. What a guy who truly lacks crisis awareness."
"Then what's your view on recent events, Doctor?"
"Absolutely worthless. Clearly, humans will eventually die out even without slaughtering one another."
Sumire smiled with full confidence and continued:
"Humans all die eventually. One day, mankind will come to realization that resisting death is completely meaningless."
"You're still the same as always, Doctor."
Sumire spread her arms pretentiously.
"Because I am the one who extols death. Besides, dying is dying. I can't understand people like you who attaches feelings or significance to death."
Rentaro stood up from his seat.
"Doctor, I'd like your guidance on a few things that happened recently. Solomon's Ring from a Russian lab and the Scorpion's Head from a Japanese lab were both stolen."
A flash of light appeared in the depths of Sumire's eyes.
"Continue."
Having sought Seitenshi's permission beforehand, Rentaro told Sumire everything he had heard from Seitenshi yesterday.
"Mm-hmm, Solomon's Ring huh? To think they picked such a classic name for what is merely a translation device."
After listening to everything, Sumire looked up lazily.
"The 'wise king' Solomon 'spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes'—This is quote from the book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Bible. But back to the subject, this interpretation of understanding animal language by wearing 'Solomon's Ring' was apparently a misconception that arised during copying or translating."
"Do you know anything about the stolen stuff?"
Sumire shook her head impatiently and added "no" to deny.
"My direction in research was defined by mechanized soldiers for resisting Gastrea directly. I never attempted the path of taming Gastrea, not even once. Although I think it's quite an interesting idea, since that thing was not complete, it meant that they must have hit a wall during their research."
"Even so, perhaps by using together with the Scorpion's vocal cords, they could issue orders to Libra so this can't be ignored."
"Your worries are reasonable, but unfortunately, I can't be of much help about a translation device from foreign research. However, I can imagine how things will develop if the Tokyo and Sendai Areas continue to face off like this."
"Isn't that full-scale war between the two Areas?"
"No, even more serious than that."
As though teaching a stupid student, Sumire slowed down her rate of speech.
"Nuclear war on a global scale. In other words, a Third World War."
Rentaro forgot to breathe for a few seconds, staring intently at Sumire.
"W-What? Doctor, didn't you watch the news?"
After forcing these words out, Rentaro tried to
twist his lips to laugh off Sumire's claim as a joke, but after seeing her cold and stiff expression, he could not laugh at all.
"Reality will often turn into a nightmare beyond your imagination. Just turn on the television and have a look."
With a soulless look, Rentaro operated the remote control she had tossed, aiming it at the moldy television in the corner of the room.
So old that it made him doubt whether the screen still worked, the television finally projected light slowly. In the end, the many ships of a fleet advancing across the sea appeared on screen.
Accompanied by cruisers, destroyers and supply ships, wasn't the massive object sailing rapidly in the center a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier?
Due to their astounding cost to build and maintain, even in the year 2031, Japan still did not have any Area capable of possessing one of them.
In the beginning, Rentaro was thinking this was a foreign television drama and wanted to change the channel, but seeing the familiar news logo in the corner of the screen, he instantly realized something was wrong.
A scrolling headline of "Suspecting the Tokyo Area of contravening Biological Weapons Ban Treaty, America is taking military action!" appeared in a one part of the screen.
Rentaro was stunned, unable to pull himself together. In the next moment, the camera switched to somewhere else, showing another fleet and pointing out it was news about the Russian navy.
'The above scenes depict the American and Russian fleets approaching the Tokyo Area's territorial waters.'
The camera returned to the recording studio where the news host and some kind of commentator were urgently discussing something. Judging from their anxious looks, Rentaro could tell that his final hope for it all being a massive joke dwindle to nothing.
"What the heck is going on? Also, Biological Weapons Ban Treaty is referring to...?"
Rentaro looked back with a stiff expression and asked. Sumire stared at the screen with a dark gaze.
"Things have further deteriorated while you were on your way here. The Biological Weapons Ban Treaty is part of international law. The Legacy of Seven Stars, rumored to control Stage V Gastrea freely, has been deemed a biological weapon, probably. America is using the contravention of international law as an excuse to demand the inspection of the entire Tokyo Area including the Sacred Residence. Naturally, the Tokyo Area will likely refuse."