Black Bullet, Vol. 1: Those Who Would Be Gods by Shiden Kanzaki Page A

am I trying to say, Satomi? Basically, I was not fighting seriously at all before. Sorry.”
    Kagetane came silently in front of Rentaro, and like he was performing a magic show, he used a white cloth to cover the palm of his hand, counted to three, and pulled it away. When he did, a box tied with a red ribbon appeared. Putting it on the table, he lay a hand on the astonished Rentaro’s shoulder. “It’s a present for you,” he said. “And now, I will take my leave of you. Fall into despair, civsec. The day of extinction is at hand! Let’s go, Kohina.”
    “Yes, Papa,” said the girl. The two walked calmly to the window, broke it, and jumped down as if this were completely natural.
    Everyone in the room, including Rentaro, could not move for a while. No one said a word about chasing after them.
    It was the first time Rentaro thought he might be killed with a glance.
Just don’t vomit
, he told himself as he bore down with all his might on the nausea that was rising from the pit of his stomach.
    Rentaro gave a start as someone suddenly laid a hand on his shoulder. Turning, he saw Kisara with a stern expression on her face. “Satomi, I demand an explanation. Where have you met this man?”
    “Well…,” Rentaro hesitated.
    In the silence, Mikajima’s anger got the best of him, and he banged on the table with his fists. “Lord Tendo. The New Humanity Creation Project—was what that man said true?”
    “There is no need to answer that.” The boulderlike Kikunojo replied immediately, unwaveringly.
    As a heavy silence fell, a man in a half-mad state suddenly burst into the meeting room. “It’s terrible. The president is…!”
    The shrill voice belonged to the lanky secretary who was always with President Ose, who was absent from the meeting. He was deranged, and his shoulders heaved as he panted and his eyes bulged. “The president was killed in his house! Th-the head of the corpse is nowhere to be found!”
    Everyone’s gaze went to the box that had been set in front of Rentaro. Each side of the box was about thirty centimeters long. Rentaro untied the ribbon with shaking hands, and lifted the lid.
    After facing it for a while, he slowly lowered the lid.
    He had only met the man two or three times on the job, but in the midst of so many bloodthirsty civsec officers, he was a man who never stopped smiling, so Rentaro remembered privately liking him. His balled up fist shook, and he was filled with so much rage it made him dizzy. “That bastard…!”
    “Quiet!” At the Seitenshi’s clear voice, Rentaro slowly raised his face that was frozen in an expression of rage. “The situation has taken a rather unusual direction. Everyone, allow me to add a new condition to fulfilling the job. Please retrieve the case before the man trying to get the case does so. If you do not, terrible things will happen.”
    Kisara glared at the Seitenshi. “You will explain just what is inside the case, won’t you?”
    The Seitenshi closed her eyes and bit her lip lightly. “Very well. Inside the case is the Inheritance of the Seven Stars. It must be sealed. If misused by wicked people, it could destroy the Monolith barrier and cause a Great Extinction in Tokyo Area.”



BLACK BULLET
CHAPTER 02
THE CURSED CHILDREN
1
    As the morning light filtered through the clouds in beltlike shapes, the sparrows chirped and frolicked on the branches. In the vacant lot behind the apartment building where Rentaro and Enju lived, eight boys and girls were gathered, looking up at Rentaro with bright eyes. Rentaro thought they looked familiar, and it turned out that they were all Enju’s classmates.
    Stifling a yawn, Rentaro stood stock-still in the vacant lot with his bed hair. Uncomfortably, he fidgeted and moved his body, sending his gaze to the heavens. “What, so basically you want to be my disciples?”
    “That’s right!” said the kids.
    Looking askance at the kids who responded with voices loud enough to overpower him, Rentaro, at