185. Black Bullet : Getting Along with Protagonist Group and Beginning of Story.

In the afternoon, after picking up Midori, Kaito ate lunch together (Sakuya cooking) with the protagonist trio (Rentaro, Kisara, and Enju) like he had already planned... but Kaito noticed something was wrong with their expression. Although their life is miserable and depressing, most of the time Rentaro and Enju were quite cheerful on optimistic, especially when they were able to eat without worry.

...

"Rentaro-senpai, why are you looking depressed? Do you not like Sakuya's cooking?" (Kaito)

"E-Enju-chan, are you okay?" (Midori)

Seeing Rentaro and Enju looking so gloomy, Kaito asked them curiously. Although Sakuya's cooking is not at Erina's level, Sakuya can be said to be an excellent chef who could be compared to 5-star restaurants in this world.

...

"I don't think it's the dish... because Sakuya-san's cooking is delicious as usual." Tendo Kisara, who was also confused by her childhood friend, nodded, "What's wrong with you two?"

"If you don't want to eat, can you guys give your portion to me?"

"We can't find them... Kisara-san." Enju muttered. "No matter how much we explore, we can't find them...."

"Find them?" Kisara and Kaito raised their eyebrow in confusion.

"The cursed children in the outer layer of Tokyo!" Enju looked like she was about to cry, "We can't find them! All of my friends! Not even their stuff or even corpse!"

"Uwaaaaaa!!"

...!!!

"Calm down, Enju.... It will be okay..."

Hearing his partner's outcry, Rentaro sighed and explained to everyone, "Earlier, we planned to visit every cursed child out of Tokyo, but we can't find them. We have searched from morning to noon, but there's no clue where they fo."

"It's like everyone just vanished into the air, despite they were still there a month ago."

""Ah...""

Hearing Enju's reason for being sad, both Kaito and Midori looked to the side because they knew the reason and felt guilty. Both of them know Rentaro and Enju would never be able to find the other cursed children in outer Tokyo because they had all moved to a base isolated from space by Kaito and the others for the cursed children. Midori, as Kaito's partner, was also aware of this, but she also agreed with the actions chat group took to protect her friends' homes. Since there were no supernatural elements in this world, people couldn't find their base, which was protected by magic-based props (made by Kaito).

Kaito probably could bring Rentaro and Enju to the base to meet them, but before Est's soul fragment location be found, he really didn't want to reveal the chat group members' existence in this world.

...

Still, even though what the chat group member did wasn't wrong, Kaito felt bad seeing this situation and tried to cheer them up. "Perhaps... could it be that they've moved from there and found a better hiding spot?"

"I do think that must be the reason." 

"Umm.."

Hearing what their co-worker said, Rentaro and Enju looked a bit better, albeit still depressed, "Although I hope they were saying goodbye and saying where they are moving so we can still visit them."

"Umm... I thought we were all friends." Enju followed, "I have been playing with them for a long time..."

"Honestly, it's good for them to stay out of the Tokyo area. At least it's better than getting hunted or oppressed by people here." Kaito shrugged and muttered, "After all, this city isn't friendly toward cursed children after all."

...

After weeks of living in this city, Kaito has seen many cases of oppression and injustice toward cursed children, and it makes him feel numb. 

Although not all Tokyo area residents do this heinous thing to them and only a bunch of bastards did it, they also didn't help and let those bastards do it to cursed children, and not warning them-- indirectly become accomplices of that bastard.

In conclusion, for Kaito, this city... no, this world is sick. The morals in this world are almost destroyed, and justice is just a joke here... This world is undoubtedly the most evil world he has visited so far.

People's hatred against the Gastrea creature blinded their perspective and made people of this world become 'monsters' that are arguably worse than Gastrea itself

Of course, Kaito doesn't let them get away with it. He pretty much saves all the homeless, cursed children, kills all the bastards who trying to oppress the cursed children in the city, and even uses them as experimental materials for his new powers and props.

Because of Kaito's behavior, the oppression of cursed children has decreased a lot recently. Of course, Kaito also gets a wanted order by police as Kaito created too much noise in the process, but with the props that change his body and teleportation ability, no one will be able to catch him in this world.

...

Kisara, who had been listening to their talk for a while, put her chopsticks down and said seriously, "Anyway, there's no use being sad. Just pray they are doing okay, and one day I believe you guys will meet them again."

"That's... true." Rentaro wryly smiled after hearing his childhood friend's encouragement, "I had a feeling they should be okay, no matter where they go."

"I believe you are right, senpai." Kaito nodded in agreement, indirectly confirming his statement. "Anyway, let's finish the lunch first so we can continue to work."

The cursed children were under their care, and there's no other place in this world where they would be more "okay" than under their protection.

"Very good! That's the spirit, Rentaro, Enju!"

""Yeah!!"" (Rentaro/Enju)

"Synchronized answer?" Looking at their reaction, Kaito felt warm and teased, "You guys really act like a couple, huh?"

...!!

"Of course! I am the one who is going to become Rentaro's bride after all!" Enju exclaimed excitedly as she tightly hugged Rentaro's right arm, "You have a good eye, older brother Kaito!"

"Oh? Should I call the police to arrest you for attacking such underage kids?" Kisara commented while raising her phone. 

"Enju, stop that! And Kisara, you know she is joking!" 

"I am not joking, though!" Enju rebelled and said, "My love for you is serious!"

""Hello, 911? We have lolicon out of control here..."

"You two, please have mercy!" Rentaro, who feels helpless against Enju's nagging and Kisara's oppressive death stare at him, feels resentment toward Kaito for starting this chaotic situation: "Kaito, please don't keep doing this!"

"Hahahaha! I just feel happy to see you get along with everyone!"

...

Seeing Rentaro trapped between Enju and Kisara made him happy and reminded him of Minato, the Sekirei protagonist, who also had trouble managing his Harem in the Sekirei world since all of his women are troublesome.

Kaito wondered how Minato was doing now, one of his good friends in the Sekirei world from 3 years ago, and decided to invite him to visit the base world later when he managed to finish all the things he needed to do.

Although Kaito wasn't sure when he could finish it with a lot of more work waiting for him; Business in Aika world, Misaka and her 20000 sisters, developing base world and put out more portal, his promise with Fate to save his mother, his promise with Yuu to save her world from war--- there are just too many work, and perhaps it would take years for him to finish them.

...

After their meal, Kaito and Rentaro, alongside their respective partner, hunt Gastrea creatures as usual, but then Kisara gives Rentaro a new job that surprises him a little bit.

The details of the job were checking out the Gastrea creature attack that had occurred in the apartment where the middle-aged man lived... which was much easier than Kaito's job to hunt high-level Gastrea creatures lurking in the city. This mission certainly seemed an ordinary, easy Gastrea hunting job to Rentaro and Kisara, but Kaito was fully aware that the peaceful days with the protagonist group were about to end.

Because that mission was the one that Rentaro had received at the beginning of the Black Bullet story.