The Destruction of the World by Fire by Shiden Kanzaki

they’re all lies Doc made up?!” Rentaro shouted.
    Sumire held her stomach, laughing.
    Rentaro glared at the woman. “Ah…damn it,” he sighed, scratching his head vigorously. “Hey, Tina. I have one question. You don’t hate the Tendo Civil Security Agency, do you?”
    Tina shook her head so hard it looked like it would fall off.
    “And it’s not that you don’t want to stay with us?”
    She shook her head again.
    Rentaro closed his eyes and exhaled deeply. “Then, there’s no problem. Kisara and I will figure out the hard stuff, so you should just go do your homework or something.”
    Rentaro opened one eye to see how Tina was taking this. She still looked like she was about to object halfheartedly, squirming.
    Rentaro put his hands on the girl’s shoulders and enunciated each syllable clearly: “Don’t worry. I will become stronger, too.”
    That seemed to do the trick. Tina smiled, looking a little embarrassed, and then nodded obediently. After a moment, she bowed deeply, too. “If you would be so kind. Thank you for taking care of me.”
    Rentaro exchanged a quick look with Sumire. It looked like they could relax for now. Jeez, she was a handful in a different way from Enju. Although that was part of what Rentaro loved about her.
    Sumire spread her arms calmly. “Tina, sorry, but I need to talk about some grown-up stuff with Rentaro right now. Will you give us a minute?”
    Seeing Tina’s eyes waver uneasily, Rentaro gave her a small nod. “Can you get back to Kisara’s place by yourself?” he asked her.
    “I’ll be fine,” she replied. After exchanging a few more words, Tina bowed deeply once more at the door and then left the basement room without another look.
    Rentaro watched her leave for a long time.
    “She’s a good kid,” said Sumire.
    “Yeah. Kisara took her in, and she has a good eye for people,” said Rentaro.
    Sumire put her elbows on the desk and her chin in her hands,grinning. “You’re doing a good job of increasing the number of young girls around you.”
    She had to make it sound so bad.
    Sumire tapped the top of the desk with her index finger. “How’s it going, Rentaro, really? Do you feel any sexual charm from Enju or Tina?”
    Rentaro said angrily, “Stop it. They’re only ten.”
    “You’re just saying that for appearance’s sake.” Sumire was looking at him without moving. Apparently, it was a serious question.
    Rentaro shifted his gaze brusquely and scratched the back of his head. “They’re cute. I do think
that
. And sometimes they’ll do something that makes my heart skip. Is that good enough for you?”
    “I’m glad you’re being honest. By the way, Rentaro, do you know this fairy tale?”
    Fairy tale?
    Sumire recrossed her legs and tilted her head, staring at the ceiling with a faraway look in her eyes. “There once was a whale whose body was so big that he was alienated from his friends. After wandering around by himself for a while, he finally saw something he thought was another whale—a submarine—and fell in love.”
    “A submarine?”
    “That’s right. The submarine tried to chase the whale away, but the whale became completely attached to it and wouldn’t leave. The whale earnestly tried various approaches on the submarine.”
    Rentaro didn’t say anything.
    “And then finally, during the war, an enemy destroyer ship was seen. When the submarine tried to submerge, the whale protected the submarine from a depth charge with his life and died. The whole surface of the ocean was dyed red with the whale’s blood, but even so, the whale was happy that he could protect the one he loved.”
    Rentaro paused. “Doc, what are you trying to say?”
    “Rentaro, whales and submarines are different things. When they come together, there can’t be a happy ending.”
    “Enju is human. She’s human, no different from you and me.”
    “I know what you’re trying to say. But you should also understand that people who feel that way are in the