Going back to three days ago, when Rintaro was scattering flowers of vengeance like a captive princess, a modest banquet was being held at the Heinous Legion Zako Barracks, the joint living area for the Zako fighters.

「Thank you for your hard work, oraui. We’ve had a great start since the first month, oraui. CEO Kirika gave us a gift as a token of appreciation, so we’ll all share it together, oraui!」

「「「Yay! It’s furikake, uiiii! It’s tasty, uiiii!」」」

The zako fighters of the heinous legion were competing fairly in a game of rock-paper-scissors for the most popular “Noritama”. It was a sight that was beyond pathetic and was almost unbearable to watch, but beneath their masks they all had smiles on their faces.

「We also received some unsold products, oraui! Fake caviar made from melted gummy bears and sake imported from Bangladesh, oraui!」

「「「A month of slaving away on tasteless bread and almost expired milk was worth it, uiiii!」」」

For them, who had been forced by CEO Kirika to work 19-hour per day, today was their first day off in at least 30 days. Now that they’d been freed from such a brutal work environment, the bar for happiness had been lowered considerably.

The zako fighters stretched their legs for the first time in a long while, drank, ate, sang, and laughed to their heart’s content.

Such a small peace was ruined by one girl.

「Huh? Samecchi-san, what’s wrong?」

「Money, ssu!」

「Gueeeeeee, uiiiii!!」

Samecchi burst into the dormitory lobby, grabbed one of the zako fighters and tugged on his black tights.

「Earn lots of money, ssu!」

「Stop it, ui! It’s stretching , ui! It’s stretching and won’t go back to normal, ui!」

「Samecchi-san, calm down, oraui! What exactly is going on, oraui?」

The zako fighters were bewildered by the girl who suddenly appeared and did something that resembled an extortion attempt. At a loss as to what to do, Samecchi spread out the crumpled income and expenditure report that she had been clutching in her hands.

「Samecchi also wants to earn a lot of money like Kirika, ssu.」

「Why this out of nowhere… don’t have enough pocket money, ui?」

「Samecchi will earn a lot of money right now and show aniki that Samecchi is also useful.」

While Minato and Kirika were rapidly increasing their presence within the heinous legion, Samecchi was feeling impatient with herself for not being able to demonstrate any achievements. Rintaro didn’t expect much from Samecchi, but thinking back, it was true that she had recently become nothing more than a mascot.

In short, Samecchi’s reasoning was that she wanted to do her part to support the heinous legion’s finances.

「Have fun and make money, ssuuu!」

「Being told something like that all of a sudden is troubling, ui! Ah… Don’t pull, uiiiii!」

But the zako fighters, who were simply following CEO Kirika’s orders in the first place, had no idea how to make a lot of easy money. The zako fighters could only flee around the cramped barracks, their issued black tights completely torn to shreds.

「Hieeeee! I don’t have any money, ui! Please let me off, ui!」

「Don’t mind that, just help, ssu! Samecchi’s “identity” is in danger!」

Saemecchi’s rampage was like that of a creature released onto a peaceful space station in a science fiction movie. The cloth mask of the zako fighter, which should never have been stripped off, was pulled off with a jerk, and at that moment his true face was about to be revealed.

「Wait a minute, nyaaaaaaan!!」

High-pitched voices echoed through the lobby of the dormitory, calming the commotion. Opening the door, two familiar outsiders appeared.

「Oya oya, Samecchi, you’re so distant, nyanna! If it’s about money-making opportunity, you should have come to us for advice…!」

「……Just leave it to us if it’s about money, wan… Actually, that’s the only good thing we have, wan… It’s frustrating, wan… It’s annoying, wan…」

Nyanzo the cat-demon mysterious being is a girl in a bartender’s uniform with cat ears. Negadog the negative-dog mysterious being, a dog-faced man with a crying face. The duo are the main earners in charge of the safe of the Hundred Beasts Legion under Bearion, and are commonly known as the “Cat-Dog Combo.”

「Will you two help Samecchi out, ssuka!?」

「Nyafufu. We’re confident in our quick hearing and money-making abilities, nyanna. We got severely scolded over the Minato incident, so now’s the time to clear our name… ahem! We are doing this with 100% good intentions, nyan.」

「……Ojiki said that Samecchi and the heinous legion are all family, wan… We help each other out when we’re in trouble, wan… That’s right, it’s mutual… wan」

「Yay, thank you, ssu! Samecchi is so touched, ssu!」

Nyanzo and Negadog exchanged grinning glances as they gently stroked the head of Samecchi, who was happily embracing them. The zako fighters breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of this endearing scene, but at the same time, they were overcome with an indescribable sense of unease.

Although they don’t stand out because they are hidden in the shadows of General Bearion and Colonel Usanyi-chan, Nyanzo and Negadog are skilled in the art of business.

The earnings of the Hundred Beasts Legion are far less than those of General Tagaraak’s Machinery Army, which is itself a huge conglomerate. And, unlike the Strange Insects Army led by General Zazoma, also known as the world-famous magician SHIVA, they are not profitable enough to cover the entire organization’s expenses with a single night’s performance.

Despite this, the reason why the Hundred Beasts Legion had been able to maintain its high Engel Coefficient as an organization is none other than the fact that the business they are in charge of making money from has a solid foundation. Rumor has it that in order to maintain their large size, they are getting involved in some pretty shady activities.

「Please wait, oraui! If anything happens to Samecchi-san, we’ll get scolded by Death Green-san, oraui!」

Chasing after the two as they try to take Same-chan away was Bancholf, the werewolf who leads the heinous legion’s zako fighters. If Samecchi were to actually be in danger, they wouldn’t end up with just a “scolding.”

However, stirring up the impatience of these zako fighters was exactly what the Cat-Dog duo were aiming for. The two mysterious beings grinned where Samecchi couldn’t see, then turned to face Bancholf and the others with beaming smiles.

「That’s… a good idea, nyanna! Un un, I understand, nyanzo. It would be a shame to send Samecchi off alone, nyanna.」

「……We need workers anyway, wan…… If you’re willing to work, that would be great, wan……」

「Samecchi, be happy, nyanzo! It seems that all the weak fighters will cooperate fully, nyanna!」

「Really, ssuka? Yay, thank you, ssu, everyone! Now aniki will also be very satisfied!」

Seeing Samecchi innocently raising her hands in joy and hearing her say aniki, the zako fighters no longer had any way to refuse.

…………

“Shinjuku Kabukicho”

A huge entertainment district that brings together all kinds of pleasures from around the capital and generates the largest economic impact in Japan.

Those who have nothing are like moths to a light in Tokyo, where the glow of neon lights burns them one by one. But if you have the money, the city at night will embrace even complete strangers with the gentle embrace of the Virgin Mary.

A suspicious blue tent stood in a narrow alleyway nestled between the buildings of this chaotic cityscape. There were several signs posted around the tent, all bearing the following writing in a very suspicious font.

『The original authentic fortune-telling hall from Atami! BB Samejima』

『Authentic British Spiritual Master Certification Special S-Class Astrologer』

『Dubai Celebrity’s International Prophetic Counselor Makes Emergency Visit to Japan』

『Recommended by the current US President with an astonishing 256% accuracy rate!』

It’s like a pile of rubble piled up haphazardly in the name of vanity. Even if 100 children were to eat rice balls on top of Mount Fuji, they would probably use smaller furoshiki wrapping cloths.

The zako fighters were stunned by the overly grandiose and outlandish storefront.

「Mufufu, this is sure to be a huge success, ssu!」

「It’s so shady that it gives off an aura that keeps people away more than a poorly constructed barricade, oraui… Hey, Samecchi-san, are you really going to do this, oraui?」

「Not Samecchi, ssu! It’s Vongole Bianco Samejima, ssu!」

「That’s clam pasta, oraui… Also, it’s not BB, it’s VB, oraui…」(Probably talking about Vongole Bianco -> VB)

Samecchi was full of energy and was wearing a deep sea-colored veil. In her hand she was not holding a crystal ball, a supposedly miraculous power, but an ordinary glass ball she’d bought at a duty-free store.

Is it really possible to foresee the future with such a crude cosplay?

The cat-dog duo tapped the anxious Zako fighters on the shoulder.

「Nyafufu… Well then, it’s time to get to work, nyanna.」

「We don’t need to predict the future, wan… We will just create it, wan…」

…………

The inside of the tent was eerily lit by candle flames, and stinging incense was burning. As the customer, who had been forcibly brought in and was trembling, BB Samejima spoke to the glass ball.

「Fukahirepicchi…… Samepicchi…. See it, ssu…… 100 fried shrimp flying in the sky, ssu……」

「……Re- Really……？」

「Vongole Bianco Samejima’s fortune telling doesn’t lie, ssu. Let’s wait and see, ssuyo.」

Behind the scenes, as the outlandish prophecy was made, a radio call went out to the zako fighters.

『You guys have a job to do! Catch lots of pigeons, tie some fried shrimp to them, and send them flying into the sky!』

「That’s crazy, oraui!! Eeii damn it! We’ll do it, oraui!」

Yes, there is no need for astrology or psychic powers. If the zako fighters were willing to die to create the future as predicted by Samecchi, the accuracy rate of the prophecy would naturally be 100%.

When Samecchi told them it was going to snow, they crushed rock ice cream they had bought at a convenience store and scattered it from the top of a building. When the world was going to be shrouded in darkness, they snuck into the building and destroyed the electrical substation

In no time at all, the rumor of her 100% accurate fortune-telling spread to every corner of Kabukicho, and the day after she set up her tent, there was a long line of people waiting to get into the store.

「Nyahahaha! Let’s make a quick profit while the demon is away, nyan!」

「……It went well, wan… this is Samecchi’s share, wan……」

「Yay, ssu! Earned 50,000 yen, ssuuu!」

「No no wait a minute, oraui! There’s no way it’s 50,000 yen after all that rip-off, oraui!!!」

The price is clearly not worth the labor. Banchoruff, the representative of the weak fighters, pursued.

He didn’t care if they’re family or whatever, but he can’t just ignore this blatant skimming. For now, he was the only one who can support the innocent and unsuspecting Samecchi.

「The total sales for the two days was 5 million yen. The tent cost 50,000 yen. The costume cost 50,000 yen. Expenses were 100,000 yen. The consulting fee to us was 4.75 million yen, so the calculations are correct, nyanna.」

「Wait, wait, wait, oraui!　The consulting fee is too high no matter how you think about it, oraui!」

After Bancholf’s remark, the cat-dog duo looked at each other and let out a big sigh. Then they shrugged their shoulders in exasperation.

「That’s naïve, nyanna. We’re not “making” you do it, we’re “teaching”you how to do it, nyanzo.」

「…… Because we were asked by none other than Samecchi…… We imparted our secret know-how, wan……」

「That’s right, this is tuition, nyan! Knowledge is money, nyanna!」

「…… Being stingy with imparting experiences is what poor people do, wan…… So sad, wan……」

It was a vicious form of exploitation that took advantage of the absence of scary bosses like Rintaro and Kirika. It’s true that Samecchi, who was used as soup stock, was happy with it and didn’t even sign a labor contract.

Bancholf was about to raise his voice in protest when he heard a familiar male and female voice coming from the entrance of a narrow alley.

「This is the alley where you can find a fortune teller who looks a lot like Saya, Asaka-san!」

「Regardless of whether it was Saya or not, there’s no doubt that it was the work of mysterious being. Please be on your guard, Kurenai-san.」

---

<200: Three-Day War of Conquest
202: Hot Flames, Unmeltable Ice>