Her translucent white skin, flowing silver hair, and sky-blue eyes that seem to see right into your soul. Even in the Ark Dominion’s secret underground base, where many unique mysterious beings gather, no one stands out more than this girl.

But no one who passed by paid any attention to the girl.

Like a shadow, she passed in front of others without a sound.

Her wind-like movements are the result of the “slipping through the gap in people’s consciousness technique” that she once acquired at school.　 The girl stood in front of the tightly closed door that was her destination, without being recognized by anyone.

Kon, kokon, kon.

She knocked in a special rhythm and heard a muffled man’s voice from inside.

「Who is it.」

「It’s your dear wife.」

「…………」

There was no reply, the girl hastily corrected.

「“Monday has come”…………. “Monday has come”!! …I apologize, so please open the door, senpai!」

「……Okay, get in.」

As soon as the password is confirmed, the keyhole turns and the Amano-iwato[i] opened.

The dark cold air and a man’s sobbing voice leaked out through the doorway. The girl made sure there was no one around, then slid her body into the room.

「You’re slower than I thought you’d be.」

The owner of the room, Rintaro Kuriyama, said this and turned off the audio system. Then, the crying that had been echoing in the room suddenly stopped.

「……Is it necessary to go so far?」

Kirika Mayuzumi, the silvery-haired girl, raised her eyebrows in a questioning manner. What Rintaro was doing was an intentional clearing of people..

「If I don’t do at least this much, the damage to my suit will be fatal to me. I don’t think I can pull off the same trick again with those Western-style guys, and if I am to be dispatched right now, I’m dead.」

「I see. That thing the other day was actually part of your strategy.」

「Th- That that that that’s right. Nobody would take off their clothes because they like it.」

「I was sure you had misremembered the damage to your suit and had caused a major accident. ……」

「Mayuzumi, let’s not talk about it anymore.」

For a week, Rintaro stayed in his room and did not see anyone. The reason for this, needless to say, was to buy time to repair his damaged death-green suit.

He had certainly suffered a great deal of emotional trauma, but his eyes were not red from crying; they were the same dark color they always were.

「……So Mayuzumi, I hope you brought the product.」

「I got it properly from General Tagaraak. Don’t worry so much anymore. First, I’d like to receive my reward. N～～～～～」

Rintaro patted Kirika on the head as she closed her eyes and pouted her lips.

「Are you satisfied?」

「……Well, let’s just settle with this.」

Kirika rolls up the hem of her skirt a little and pulls out a small gadget from a holster on her thigh. The green body with a shiny V emblem on it was unmistakably the “Death Green Transformation Gear”.

The suit built into this gear is what makes Rintaro the “heinous mysterious Death Green”.

Rintaro let out a sigh of relief, as if a thread of tension had been broken. Now he could finally resume his activities as Death Green.

This resulted in unnecessary worry for everyone, but this was a problem that could only be discussed with those who knew what was going on.

Currently, only three people inside the Ark Dominion knew about the situation.

The ones who had remodeled his Gear, Dragius III and General Tagaraak, and Mayuzumi Kirika, his junior at Hero School.

「Thanks…… But I am surprised they could fix it.」

「I was told that they did not have enough special fiber for the Victory Suit, so they procured it from my suit.」

「Then the black suit…… Is it fine?」

「Yeah, it’s something I don’t need anymore.」

「I see, sorry about that, Mayuzumi.」

Rintaro once again holds up his Death Green transformation gear. He had been using it for nearly a year, and it felt good in his hand.

If he had to say, it felt a little heavier, but Rintaro concluded that it must have been because he was dulled from being cooped up.

………………

…………

……

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Rintarō, the floor was wet with mournful-colored drops.

Minato had always wanted to help Kuriyama Rintaro more than anyone else. However, as soon as Minato realized that she was the one dragging down Rintaro, and even caused deep wounds to his heart and honor, she burst into tears and was unable to stand up.

「Uu…… Uu…… Uwaaaaaaaaaaan……」

「There there, ssu, It’s been hard, ssune.」

「Fugu, fuguuuuu……」

「It’s alright, ssu, Samecchi is here, ssuyo.」

Minato, who is so tall that even an adult man have look up to her, was crying while being hugged by Samecchi who is much smaller than herself.

Minato, who had truly believed Rintaro’s “crazy story,” honestly believed that she was the cause. Only the sound of silent sobs and the ticking of the clock filled the space.

She had no hope of joining the heinous legion, and at this rate, she would not even be able to face Rintaro. Minato shuddered in frustration, blaming it all on her own weakness.

「Because I’m weak… I’m causing trouble for Rintaro…」

「It’s not like that, ssuyo. aniki will surely tell you otherwise, ssuyo」

What the Samecchi said is correct. He would be able to gently dissolve Minato’s negative thoughts.

Rintaro is a man who is as tough on his enemies as Shura, but as lenient on his own people as a foolish parent.

But sometimes kindness hurts more deeply than a sharply sharpened sword. The wet blade that pierces the heart torments the soul, telling it to know its place.

「I want to b… strong… strongeeeer! !」

Babann!!

At the moment Minato revealed her true feelings. The door to the infirmary was opened with a bang.

Three male and female figures stand side by side in the backlight.

「Y…… You guys are……!」

Minato’s red-tinted eyes widen.

It is not only the momentum that surprised her; Minato gasped at the unexpected faces of the three people who appeared.

「Your story!」

「We have!」

「The flower that blooms in the deep, ethereal abyss seeks not for fruit, but only that there may be light in its body!」

「Zazoma-sama said, “listened”.」

Boasting a huge muscular body covered in bristles, King of Fangs and Claws, The Hundred Beasts General, Bearion. The blonde-haired little girl, Machinery General Tagaraak, who continues to reign supreme in Japan’s science and technology. The strange insect general Zazoma, who uses medicinal poisons to control even beauty and ugliness at will.

Deep beneath the Shinagawa Tagaden Tower, the tallest building in Tokyo, lies the secret underground base of the Ark Dominion, where mysterious beings thrive. In this garden of evil and violence, there is no one who can match their “strength”.

They are the Ark Dominion’s three top leaders, the pride of the Ark Dominion. Also accompanying them was Mikarikki, the amputation mysterious being who acted as Zazoma’s interpreter.

「Well said, Minato! You have what it takes! You’re tall and you’re a star! Let’s think of your ring name… How about Jackknife Kenmochi?」

「For the time being, drills and missile storage pods on both legs. How about putting a telescopic robotic arm in your mouth? It would be more convenient to have six arms.」

「The red blade falls into confusion, and the mixture of the two breaks through the desolation. He will use his white porcelain finger as a beacon to guide you to your death. His name is a mortal sin, and therefore he does not know the horrors of love.」

「Zazoma-sama said, “I will lend you my power.”」

The three generals approached Minato with glaring eyes.

「Eh…… Um…… Please wai……!」

Minato was dismayed by the sudden rush of absurd offers. Leaving such a pitiable person aside, the three executives forcibly yelled over the other.

「Just hit and smash for now!　Let’s just try to smash once!　The website of Super Strongest Japan Pro Wrestling will have to be updated, gahahahaha!!!」

「f you want to make the most of your characteristics, it would be better to make it possible to fire a railgun with a sword. If you really don’t want to modify it, we can make it an external unit. We can connect the wiring directly to the brain.」

「The core of truth is death, and the core of life is stillness. A knight is burned by a flame of fire, and a dragon bows its head to a fool. As the sun and the moon intersect, there is no royal road, no sophistry in this eternal circle.」

「Zazoma-sama said, “We have many poisons and medicines, so it’s okay even if you die two or three times.”」

Minato, under pressure from the three executives, irresistibly asked the nearby girl for help.

「He- Help me, Samecchiiiiiiiiiiii!!!」

「Ojiki…… Could it be…… You are going to do that, ssune…… That thing……!」

「Oh, That’s right! Don’t let Minato’s resolve go to waste. Let’s hurry up with a dash!」

「As expected of Ojiki, he’s not a half-hearted man, ssu! Of course Samecchi will cooperate, ssuyo!」

「Stop, Sto…… Someone, help meeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!」

Deep underground, in the strange paradise of darkness, the scream of an innocent maiden resounded. Kenmochi Minato, who was dragged by the three executives, disappeared into the deep darkness.

All that was left was a trail of dried tears.

---

[i] Amano-Iwato literally means “The cave of the sun god” or “heavenly rock cave”. In Japanese mythology, Susanoo, the Japanese god of the seas, was the one who drove Amaterasu into Ame-no-Iwato. This caused the sun to hide for a long period of time. In order to get Amaterasu out of the cave the other gods threw a party outside.

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