「Our AV[i] has been released, oraui!」

「……Haa?」

Rintaro put his misaligned glasses back on and grabbed the werewolf’s shoulders from the front with both hands, who gave him a nice smile. Telling himself that he must have misheard, he took a deep breath before asking Bancholf.

「What has been released?」

「AV , oraui！」

「Why has it come to this!!」

The financial situation of the heinous legion continued to be tight. In the midst of this situation, the zako fighters were also working behind the scenes to see if they could somehow make some money.

Bancholf, the werewolf, gave a goofy thumbs-up while wagging his tail.

「Even though we’re not very good at dehumanizing, we still wanted to help Death Green-san in any way we could, oraui!」

「So why, of all things… No, that’s fine. Are there even any demand for that?」

「There are maniacs out there after all, oraui! We’re having a screening right now, oraui!」

The word “screening” stopped Rintaro’s thinking. Come to think of it, he hadn’t seen Samecchi since a few minutes ago.

「Huh? What? Is it something that everyone watches together?」

「Everyone except Death Green-san is there now, oraui!」

「Samecchi too?」

「She was sitting at the front seat, oraui」

Rintaro ran like an arrow of light.

There was no need to ask where it was being held. A strangely seductive voice could be heard leaking from the half-open door of the Dark Cathedral.

『Uoooon! I’m not going to let you put any more in, oraui!』

『It’s in!!』

『Uooooooon! It went in so easily, orauiiiiii!!』

Rintaro kicked the door of the dark cathedral with a force that smashed through it. The sound of the impact echoed through the cathedral, and dozens of mysterious beings turned around to see what was going on.

Among them, of course, is Samecchi with her eyes wide open.

「Kuoorrrraaaa!!! What the hell are you letting a kid watch!!!」

「Ah, aniki! It’s at the best part right now, ssuyo!」

「No Samecchi! You must not watch them!!!」

While screaming, Rintaro’s eyes are glued to the screen projected from the projector. On the screen were monstrous beasts…

『That’s! Shoot!』

『Guwah! I never thought he’d score a hat trick, oraui!』

――kicking a ball happily.

「What is this… soccer?」

「It’s futsal, ssuyo!」

However, there is one thing that makes it different from ordinary futsal.

The reason was that they were all “transformed” into mysterious beings.

A werewolf who played as the keeper but burst the ball with his claws. The giraffe, with his long neck, making a foul-headed header. A hippopotamus waddled with his short legs and kicked the ball cutely.

「So AV, is that AV (animal video)!!!」

「There’s a demand for this kind of thing among maniacs, isn’t there, oraui? How about joining us next time, Death Green-san, oraui?」

Bancholf, an AV(animal video) actor, tapped Rintaro on the shoulder as he wailed. His innocent smile made Rintaro’s cheek twitch.

「Looks like fun, ssune, Samecchi wants to be in an AV too, ssu!」

「Un, I see, I’ll never let you participate.」

The zako fighters did what they did for the sake of the heinous legion. Rintaro did not express any further anger, but simply gazed blankly at the image, not knowing where the demand was.

…………

The “Super Congratulations Super Celebration for Defeating the Super Colossal Robot” was a huge success.

…But that wasn’t the case, the event took place in an unusually solemn atmosphere.

It was not the usual sumptuous food lined up at the standing buffet hall.

Sushi with half-price stickers from the supermarket were lined up in a row. A packet of barley tea was left in a mess next to the drink server. In the kitchen, Colonel Usanyi-chan was alone, boiling water for commercial-grade meatballs.

「The only sushi available is kappa rolls, ssu.」

「I thought it was beer, but…… could it be, are these barley tea?」

「The dessert section was also amazing, ssuyo. Samecchi just looked and all they had were dried squid and cornflakes.」

Of course, there is only one cause for such a situation.

In a corner of a large room, Rintaro joined the group of executives, including the evil leader.

「You’re late, Rintaro.」

「……How is it going?」

「There’s nothing we can do, brother. Can you talk to that thing?」

Bearion, looking more bitter than ever, pointed at the other side of the pillar with his thumb.

When Rintaro quietly peeked out, he saw a young blonde woman sitting cross-legged behind a pillar, working on a plastic model.

「My~ cute~ collection…… a very~ precious~ treasure…… Ugh, ugh……」

The sight was so unbearable that Rintaro silently retreated to the shadow of the pillar.

「What is that song that makes me feel uneasy when I listen to it?」

「Umu. I think it is a requiem for the robots who lost their lives.」

「In the past, the gods had bestowed their eternal beauty upon their bodies and imparted their wisdom to all people. But the imitation of divine beauty is an abyss too deep for human beings, so the messenger of time comes and blows his flute. The people who believe in eternity desire to cover the moon with sand and keep Palmyra a secret.」

「Zazoma-sama said, “There is nothing more that can be done.”」

Since the end of the last battle, Tagaraak’s depression had been out of the ordinary.

The giant robot collection that she had spent decades collecting had been reduced to scrap iron. The super giant robot Kanda Jimbo-shin, which he tried to acquire instead, was stabbed by Tagarabatrion and exploded in four pieces.

For the mysterious beings, the battle had brought them nothing but a little peace and quiet. It’s not hard to imagine the disappointment that Tagaraak must have felt, having lost her entire cherished collection in just one day.

「I see, so that’s why you called me.」

「Fuhahaha! As expected of Rintaro, you are very easy to talk to, that’s really helpful.」

Now Tagaraak was like a child whose cherished toy had been thrown away. It must be handled more delicately than nitroglycerin.

Since that was the case, then Bearion, who couldn’t read the situation, and Zazoma, who also couldn’t read the situation, were out of the question from the start. Besides, it would be more logical for Rintaro, who had planned the plan with Tagaraak, to be the one to comfort her, rather than Dragius, who had ultimately given the go ahead and approved it.

「It can’t be helped… Well, if it’s just to say something casually.」

「Incidentally, there was a time ten years ago when Tagaraak was in a bit of a depression. At that time, power was not restored throughout the secret base for a month!」

This was a mission of far greater responsibility than Rintaro had anticipated.

Sent off by Dragius and the others, Rintaro slowly approached the small back. While Rintaro and the others were wringing their hands, Tagaraak was working on the third plastic model.

「Ryo~sanki~, Ryo~sanki~, Funfufun~, Fufu~」

Tagaraak was humming as she worked the cutting pliers.

Rintaro wondered whether he should talk to her or not. Was it really a good idea to call out to Tagaraak now, when she was emotionally unstable and carrying a knife?

『You need to be careful and cautious and speak quietly here!』

『No, in fact, now that she is humming cheerfully, shouldn’t we shout out in a cheerful voice?』

『Wait, this might be a trap to lure in the enemy.』

『This is where she need to show her dignity as an elder and be tolerant……』

『No, it’s impossible to tell who’s the older one.』

『It’s not going to end well anyway, get your act together, Kuriyama Rintaro!』

A meeting was held in his evil brain for less than zero-tenths of a second, but there was no way they could come to a conclusion. If they made any bad moves, there was a risk that they would incur Tagaraak’s wrath and make the situation even worse.

『So, is there any objection to a situation in which a kind older brother comforts his younger sister who is not related to him by blood?!』

『『『『『No objections!』』』』』

Rintaro decided to do his best and patted the little shoulder with an awkward smile on his face.

「Yaa, Kurara-chan. What are you so depressed about?」

「You are noisy, you idiot!!!!!」

She turned around and a punch like a cannonball hit Rintaro’s liver. Rintaro let out a small moan and fell to the cold floor.

Tagaraak looked toward the pillar, exhaling steam from her mouth.

「You, too, don’t sneak around and come out!」

Three great mysterious beings plus an extra appeared from behind the pillar, shrugging their shoulders.

「Kukukuku… You found us.」

「This is no laughing matter, old Dragius……」

「The splendid palaces and sublime paintings in the flasks are like a dream of a night covered in dust. What is spun is unravelled, what is piled up is destroyed, what is poured is spilled. What on earth is there to shed tears over in the history given to us by man?」

「Zazoma-sama said, “Don’t worry about it, Don’t mind!” …Zazoma-sama, I’ve been feeling a bit sick since a while ago…」

As they shrink, a large one-liter bottle of sake is placed in front of them.

「I’m going to drink tonight, join me, boys.」

The label on the bottle read “industrial ethanol” in Gothic font.

…………

It was twelve hours later that Rintaro was brought to the infirmary.

「So you drank, too, what a stupid guy.」

「It wasn’t the kind of atmosphere where I could refuse… Ugh, my head hurts…」

After recovering from the damage to his liver, Rintaro was forced to serve Tagaraak a round of drinks.

While being subjected to alcohol harassment and listening to endless complaints, he continued to pour out more and more to the executives who collapsed one after another. It was a heartbreaking effort to try to reduce the amount he was forced to drink, even if just a little.

But, of course, Rintaro himself could not help but drink. Rintaro’s memory ended just as the five one-liter bottles were emptied, and when he woke up he found himself lying in bed with an IV drip being administered.

The usually gentle Minato in her white coat sighs this time.

「……So, did it fix General Tagaraak’s mood?」

「If her mood is still slanted after that, then maybe we should bring a level and a hammer next time…」

「Is it something that can be fixed physically? …Oh, it’s about time, let’s change it.」

With that, Minato hesitated a little as he replaced the IV drip.

「……What’s wrong, is Minato feeling unwell too?」

「Wh- Wh- Wh- What?」

「……No, it just seems like your hands are shaking more than usual today.」

Shocked, Minato dropped the IV pack, her face quickly turning red. Minato quickly looked away from Rintaro, but her ears were already red.

「As expected, maybe you have a fever……?」

「I’s because I drank a little bit last night too! We both need to keep it in moderation!」

「I see… if you’re not feeling well, you can just leave me alone.」

「No, that’s not going to work! Just don’t sit up or the IV needle will fall out!」

As Rintaro tried to get up, Minato put him down on the bed with both hands. The fluffy pillow made a banging sound. Rintaro’s head was shaken suddenly, and he fainted in agony from the intense hangover pain.

「Haguuuoooo……」

「I- I- I’m going to get a blood test done just to be sure, but make sure to rest and don’t push yourself!」

「Uuu, I’m sorry, Minato-sensei……」

「Don’t apologize, and drink plenty of water!」

Leaving Rintaro in a slumped state, Minato quickly left the doctor’s office. Then, looking around, she opened the door to the room immediately next door.

It was a warehouse where medicines and other items were stored, but no one but Minato was allowed to enter. Minato was the only one in the Ark Dominion who understood the names and effects of the medicines that filled the shelves.

The small chemical storage room had almost become Minato’s secret laboratory.

「Haah, Haah…… I was nervous……」

Minato stroked her own heated cheeks, somehow managing to appear nonchalant. If it had been Rintaro, who was always so discerning, he might have seen through it.

No, maybe he noticed, but it would be more accurate to say he managed to cover it up by using his illness as an excuse.

In front of Minato’s eyes was “Rintaro’s blood sample.

「I just wanted to check. It’s normal to do blood tests for acute alcohol poisoning. There’s nothing strange, nothing…」

In the empty room, Minato told herself aloud. Beside her lay a red file with a hole in it, open.

It was brought back by Samecchi in her mouth when she snuck into the director’s office at Hero Headquarters.

It was stated there.

『Investigation report on the relationship between the villainous mysterious being Death Green and Kuriyama Rintaro』

---

[i] Adult Video

<179: The End of God
181: Absolute Secret>