164: At Dream’s Mercy
Rintaro Kuriyama’s mind was as calm as the surface of a lake without wind.
In the vast underground space the size of several domes, there were many buildings that Rintaro was familiar with. One of them was a pure white lighthouse, and Samecchi was waving from the top of it.
「Anikii, It’s higher than Samecchi thought, ssuuu.」
「You sure climbed well. It’s dangerous so come down, Samecchi.」
「Why is there a lighthouse underground, ssukane?」
「I wonder why it looks so much like the Inubozaki Lighthouse in Chiba Prefecture, which was obliterated by SHIVA in front of the gallery on November 4, three years ago, in a light rain. They are totally unrelated, though.」
It was as if they were in a World Expo or a miniature exhibition of world heritage sites. Despite the excited Samecchi, Rintaro’s body was rapidly losing its body heat.
「Samecchi knows this gilded house, It’s Kinkakuji, ssu. Despite appearances, Samecchi knows a lot, ssu.」
「It looks a lot like the Kinkakuji Temple that was destroyed during SHIVA’s special Kyoto performance on July 11, 2011. The one here is an elaborate replica, though.」
「This is…… Ame…… Ta…… Mon…… ssu?」
「You read it well, Samecchi. But that is pronounced Kaminarimon. It looks very similar to the one that was suddenly erased by SHIVA on January 3rd last year at Sensoji Temple, which was crowded with people visiting the temple for the first day of the new year. I know it’s a different one though.」
Rintaro was standing there, unsteady, swaying like the hands of a broken clock. Minato and Kirika rushed to Rintaro and hugged him on the shoulder.
「Oi Rintaro, get a hold of yourself! The wounds are shallow!」
「Senpai! Hah…… cold……! There is no blood in the hand!」
「Both his pulse and breathing are incredibly weak…it’s strange that he can even stand…!」
Minato took a penlight from Kirika and shone it on Rintaro’s pupils.
Rintaro’s eyes, which are usually so muddy and murky, were now completely empty. In fact, his eyes were so stale in normal times that they seem to shine.
――However.
「Ooh…… Minato……? Are you there……?」
「Rintaro…… Kuh, because of the shock, his eyes are……!」
「Mayuzumi, I am sorry…… I wasn’t …… a good…… Senpai」
「Oh no, a standing death……! Senpaiiiiii!!!」
What a tragedy.
Hearing the commotion, the antennae-equipped zako fighters swarmed over.
「The heinous legion sure is always lively, arine. I’ll show you to the exit, ari.」
「「「Ariari sa!」」」
「The heroes who ended up entering, just throw them away somewhere over there.」
「「「Ariari sa!」」」
Rintaro, who had fainted, was carried by Kirika and left the secret underground bunker.
…………
A few hours later, Rintaro’s room at Ark Dominion’s underground secret base.
A man was lying on a king-size bed.
Needless to say, the owner of this room is Kuriyama Rintaro, aka the heinous mysterious Death Green. Deeply wounded, he now slept peacefully.
Although Samecchi usually sleeps with him, today she was sleeping in Minato’s room next door. She had decided that it would be better to leave him alone for now, as the wounds in his heart were so deep.
However, something quietly opened the door of the room, whose light was turned off.
「……………………」
The intruder crept noiselessly up to Rintaro’s bedside and carefully stripped off the feather-filled quilt, trying not to make a sound.
It was difficult to dress an unconscious man in pajamas, so Rintaro was stripped of his clothes and thrown onto the bed. His upper body was only lightly bandaged, and he was nearly half-naked.
The mysterious intruder gently touched Rintaro’s arm. It was a little cold, but the veins were definitely pulsating.
「It looks like it will work.」
The intruder quietly muttered and pulled out from his pocket a “syringe” that emitted a terrifying light. The intruder slowly brought the pointed tip of the needle closer to Rintaro.
「That’s as far as you go!」
「……!?」
The intruder turned around in a panic when a voice called out unexpectedly from the darkness. At the edge of his vision, silvery-white hair was momentarily obscured.
However, before he could resist, the intruder’s arms were instantly entangled and he was pinned down on the soft carpet. The syringe, which had been knocked off by the force of the impact, rolled across the floor.
「Kuee, painful……」
「What were you planning, Minato-san.」
As soon as the lights came on, the intruder was revealed. Inky black hair, long limbs like a model, and cool, yet tearful eyes.
This person was Kenmochi Minato, a.k.a. Swordminas, the Sword Mountain Mysterious Being, a member of the heinous legion.
「I’ve been feeling suspicious glances everywhere I go for the past few days. I was right to keep an eye on Senpai. I had no idea there was an assassin lurking on the inside.」
「That’s wrong, it’s a misunderstanding! Let’s talk and figure things out!」
「So, let’s talk. I can even use this syringe to ask your body directly.」
Kirika picked up the syringe that Minato dropped and placed it on the owner’s neck. Minato turned blue and let out a ‘hiee’ sound.
This woman, Mayuzumi Kirika, would not tell a joke or a lie. Minato was on the verge of tears and desperately tried to keep her voice down.
「I- I-I- I am just curious about Rintaro’s body!」
――Suddenly, Kirika stopped her hand.
「Body, is it?」
Minato nodded her head vigorously.
Pulling back the syringe and releasing the restraints on her arms, Kirika put her hand to her chin and thought deeply.
「Body……?」
「……Haa, Haah…… That’s why it’s a misunderstanding. There’s no way I would do something like assassination……」
「Body…… Body……」
It was something that had been on Minato’s mind for the past few days.
Compared to most mysterious beings, Rintaro’s wounds heal unusually slowly. Rintaro insisted that this was due to the thinness of his blood, but Minato, a doctor, believed that there was something else going on.
「Does that mean you are interested in Senpai’s body?」
「Well, that… that’s how it is.」
Minato answered Kirika’s question with a serious look on her face. Minato is the only one in this Ark Dominion who has medical knowledge.
「It is my duty to examine Rintaro’s body (karada o miru).」
「Looking at the body(karada o miru). Is that really your only goal, Minato-san?」
「If possible, I would like to take a blood sample (taieki).」
「I see, bodily fluids(taieki)… Fumu, so that’s how it is.」
Kirika seemed to gain from Minato’s sincere words.
Kirika seemed convinced by Minato’s sincere words.
Without exception, mysterious beings have mysterious being cells in their bodies, which give them superhuman abilities. Kuriyama Rintaro, the heinous mysterious Death Green, was likely to have some abnormality in his body.
There was also the incident earlier where the mysterious being cells were used to spirit them away. It would be too late if something bad were to happen to Rintaro.
「He doesn’t seem to be very keen on it, but… I want to discover the secrets of Rintaro’s body no matter what.」
「Odd coincidence, isn’t it? I was just thinking that I too would like to pry into Senpai’s secret!」
「So I just thought I’d just do it quickly while he was sleeping.」
「You say some pretty amazing things that I can’t imagine from the usual Minato-san.」
Kirika kept her sky blue eyes down and thought for a moment, then held out her right hand toward Minato.
「Our goals are aligned. Let’s join hands here for a moment.」
「Thank you Kirika for understanding!」
「Yes, Senpai always runs away, so I was also at a loss as to what to do. I thought it would be more effective to attack him together rather than alone.」
「I see. A joint operation!」
They shook hands firmly, as if to confirm the bond between them. As soon as their straight gazes met, they turned to the man who was lying on the bed, breathing in his sleep.
「Let’s make sure we both succeed in this mission!」
「Yes, let’s make sure it succeeds!」
Rintaro was still wandering in his dream, completely unaware that such an alliance had been formed.
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