『We are currently above the site!　As you can see, the top floor of the tower is covered with blue sheets!　We have also found what appears to be the remnants of a local human disaster!』

『It is reported that 70-year-old Kuranosuke Taga, chairman of the Tagaden Group, and his 10-year-old grandchild, Kurara, were both seriously injured in the attack and are receiving treatment at a hospital.』

『The Tagaden Group is at the center of restoration plans for Haneda Airport and Tokyo Tower, and investigators are looking into the possibility of a local human disaster terrorist group plotting to prevent the restoration of these areas.』

The roar echoing through the heart of Tokyo, a major blow to the core of Japan’s economy?

Special Feature: The true identity of the mysterious being terrorist organization targeting Japan’s largest business group, Tagaden! A 10-year-old girl was sacrificed. …… The unforgivable acts of the mysterious beings have been condemned by the international community.

「All the media are saying that it’s a mysterious being’s doing… I thought there was someone at Hero Headquarters who was good at controlling information, but I didn’t expect them to be this good…」

Rintaro grumbled as he looked at the 60-inch TV in his room that he had received as a bingo prize. Although it was still in the investigation stage, the media was already talking as if it was definitely the work of a mysterious being.

Even within the investigative authorities, there are many people who are under the influence of the Ark Dominion. However, it was only a matter of time before something like this happened, as many remains of mysterious beings were discovered at the scene, including the remains of Butlerm and Maidy.

Rintaro was originally one of the victims, but thanks to Tagaraak pushing him away, he miraculously escaped with only minor injuries, which was a blessing in disguise.

But the price was too great.

Looking at the severed head of the doll on the floor, Rintaro solemnly put his hands together.

「General Tagarak… what a pitiful state…」

「I don’t want you to pity me!」

As soon as the head opened its eyes and spoke, it struck the little toe of Rintaro, who was sitting on the sofa. With a dull thud, Rintaro screamed in agony from the intense pain that hit his pinky toe.

「Iyaaaaaaaah! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaih!!」

「you’d do well to show more respect to your superiors if you’ve learned your lesson, ja.」

After making a quick turn, Tagarak, whose head was now severed, turned to face Rintaro. That head was mounted on the “robot vacuum cleaner” that Samecchi received at a bingo tournament the other day.

Tagaraak, who had her hair styled like a large palm tree to prevent her beautiful long blonde hair from getting caught, was very displeased. That was to be expected, after all, her favorite body was blown to pieces.

「Gununuu…… To actually scrap my masterpiece, “Kurara-chan’s body”……！」

「It was quite a shocking sight to see a young girl explode in front of my eyes. I thought my heart was going to stop when the head came rolling down the stairs and started screaming.」

「Even I have never had a bomb planted in my stomach since my birth, ja wai.」

Rintaro wondered how many years had passed since her “birth” but decided not to ask.

「……As expected, the bombs were from the Hero Headquarters?」

「No, that is unlikely. This is the work of someone who knows my true identity. If Hero HQ could control information to that extent, it would have been easy to pressure Tagaden as retaliation.」

As Tagaraak said, the Tagaden Group is now a victim of mysterious being terrorism. Along with the result of the self-directed performance of rebuilding the damage caused by the mysterious being, the beautiful victim “Taga Kurara-chan” has now become the banner of anti-mysterious being for the public.

「……Thanks to that, it’s become much harder to move, wai.」

「Which kind of meaning do you mean by that?」

「You sure are a talkative guy, ja no! Tagaru*ba Attack(タガル●バアターック)!!」

「Aaaaaaaaai!!! That’s not it…… I was asking if you were referring to public opinion or Ark Dominion……！」

Rintaro is not making fun of Tagaru*ba in any way. His concern was about the possibility of terrorist lurking inside the Ark Dominion..

「It is true that only those within the Arc Dominion know of my true identity. Inevitably, the suspect must be one of them.」

「So there is a traitor after all? That’s something I don’t like to think about too much.」

Even if Rintaro’s involvement in the explosion was an accident, the bomb that was planted was certainly intended for Tagaraak’s life. That meant that there was someone inside the Ark Dominion with ambitions strong enough to poison one of the four leaders. And considering that they took out Butlerm and Maidy without difficulty, they are quite skilled.

「I don’t know why, but since your life is being targeted, it’s safer to hide. For the time being, stay in my room… no, wait…」

Rintaro came to realize that until just a few days ago, he himself had been targeted by the entire Ark Dominion. Considering that his subordinates and outsiders were constantly coming and going, it was no exaggeration to say that from a security standpoint, Rintaro’s room was pretty loose.

…………

「S- S- S- So that’s why General Tagaraak…… is in my room……?」

「Yeah, can I count on you, Minato.」

「I don’t really mind, but……」

Rintaro, holding a head-only Tagaraak, was visiting Minato in the next room. It was a sudden and unreasonable request to let her rent a room for an executive class person she was barely acquainted with, but since it was Rintaro’s request, Minato reluctantly agreed.

「Ge-Ge-General, I’m very sorry for making you stay in such a lackluster room… Pl- Pl- Please take a moment to relax…」

「Umuu, I won’t stay here.」

「Sorry, Minato, but as an exchange, the room would probably be cleaner. She probably won’t be using the toilet, but don’t forget to charge her…」

「Am I a pet that you can just leave with your neighbor while you go traveling?」

As soon as she said this, Tagaraak ran around the room, inhaling dust and hair. Perhaps she was bored because she had nothing to do due to the loss of her body.

「Rintaro, I understand what’s going on, but why my room of all places?」

「I guess it’s because out of all the Ark Dominion mysterious being, you are the one with the least gut to become a traitor.」

「Hmm, Am I being trusted or am I being ridiculed for being cheap? In that case, wouldn’t it have been better to stay in Rintaro’s room in the first place?」

Tagaraak, a nimble runner, interrupted Minato, whose mouth was agape.

「That’s no good, because Rintaro is so loose.」

「L- Loose!?」

Scissors popped out of Minato’s head, who instantly turned pale. Minato looked at Tagarack and Rintaro’s faces in confusion.

「Yeah, It’s embarrassing to say… I’m a loose guy anyway. However, it would be a problem if anyone could come in without permission.」

「Geez, because you’re always making such sweet face, you’re going to end up being made to cry by those below you, you know!」

「Made to cry…… below…… And, being a loose guy……? Is that so, Rintaro…… Kuh, I’m sorry I couldn’t help you……」

Minato, unable to look directly at Rintaro’s stunned face, tightly covered her eyes. As a side note, this Minato was also a listener of the “Colonel Usanyi-Chan Ponkotsu Broadcast”. She was also one of those who was worried about Rintaro’s chastity.

「Unlike me, Minato wouldn’t let anyone come in without permission.」

「A- As if I’d let them come in!」

「Ooh, you’re very reliable. Asking Minato is the right thing to do after all. My room might get a little dirty, though.」

「Uu, Rintaro, is that so…… You sent General Tagaraak to me to do something that would make your room dirty… With that much determination…」

Minato wiped away her tears, put her hand on Rintaro’s shoulder, and forced a smile with her eyebrows furrowed in a “ハ” shape. There were so many things she wanted to say, but Minato decided to send him off with a smile, if that was the path Rintaro had chosen.

「Gusu…… Understood, Rintaro, leave General Tagaraak to me. If there’s anything I can do, I’ll be glad to help.」

「……? Is that so? Well, I’m counting on you, Minato.」

「Yeah, if you ever need surgery, you can call me anytime.」

「What are you talking about?」

…………

Leaving Minato’s room, who for some reason looked as if she might start crying at any moment, Rintaro quickly put his glasses back on.

What Rintaro must do has already been decided. On behalf of Tagaraak, he must identify the traitors within the Ark Dominion and purge them with his own hands.

What is interesting, however, is why Tagaraak was targeted. Although Tagaraak seems to have a grudge in various places, the motive and the means do not seem to mesh.

「Why not just take care of it right away in the first place, rather than doing something as elaborate as a ticking time bomb …… to hold such a grudge……?　Or maybe……」

Rintaro was alone in the empty hallway, arms crossed and head twisted. His sludgy, swampy eyes were silently staring into the void.

…………

When Rintaro, at a loss, returned to his room, the light was on in the bathroom.

「What, Samecchi, you are back?」

In the morning, Samecchi went around with “sweetened rice crackers” to apologize for the trouble she had caused. At first, Rintaro offered to accompany her, but she refused, saying, “I can do it on my own!”.

「……Samecchi? Ooi.」

Rintaro calls out to her, but there is no answer from inside. However, the only sound he heard was the sound of water running from the shower.

A bad premonition crossed Rintaro’s mind. When he opened the door to the bathroom, a bizarre scene flashed before his eyes.

「Samecchi… Samecchii!!!」

「……Bukubukubukubuku, ssu……」

「スケ●ヨかよ！」

In the large bathtub, a naked Samecchi was submerged in the bathtub with both legs sticking out.

Rintaro pulled Samecchi up, made her spit out water, and slapped her on the cheek.

「……Huh? aniki, ssu?」

「Aah, thank god. What are you doing, Samecchi, trying to overcome Kanazuchi?」

「……Samecchi took a bath because Samecchi was sweating, ssu, and then Samecchi suddenly became unconscious. ……」

「That is no longer at the level of just being kanazuchi……」

After saying that much, Rintaro smacked himself on the forehead. He forgot because of the shock of the explosion of the little girl, but there was one more problem for Rintaro to solve.

Which was the issue where Samecchi’s constitution has changed drastically over the past week or so. In the first place, Rintaro went to the chairman’s office to ask Tagaraak about the incident and was caught up in the explosion.

「Could it be…… THAT is the motive……? Think think think……」

In Rintaro’s evil mind, picture after picture was drawn up to reveal the traitor.

---

<138: Fetal Movements
140: A Candle Light That Illuminates The Nameless>