Freed from super alloy diapers and the need to urinate, Rintaro visited the large bathhouse in the secret underground base with General Bearion.

「That was a disaster, brother!! Well, let’s just let it flow away with the water. Because we are taking a bath, get it? Gahahahaha!!」

「This is no laughing matter. If General Bearion hadn’t interfered, something important would have been lost.」

「Maybe you just don’t have enough guts? Eat more meat, more meat!」

The large communal bath, which was usually crowded with low-ranking fighters who didn’t have baths in their rooms, was booked exclusively for use by a group of executives. Although he could have used his own room, Rintaro had deliberately chosen this place for his secret meeting.

That’s because ever since he regained consciousness, Colonel Usanyi-chan has been following him wherever he went while doing a dogeza. With her following him around with her long ears pressed firmly to the ground, it’s impossible to have a calm conversation.

Plus, being naked with other guy is the perfect opportunity to talk honestly.

「Sorry for bothering you, General Bearion.」

「I don’t mind, brother. So? Exactly what happened and how did it come to this?」

「It would take a long time to explain, but…」

Rintaro explained in detail how Colonel Usanyi-chan had gone berserk. He also mentioned the photo of Bearion, which was likely the cause of it all.

Bearion, who had been listening to Rintaro in silence, scratched his head with a wry smile on his bear-like face.

「I see. So that means brother and Samecchi saw that photo as well.」

「It’s force majeure. Surely you’re not trying to seal my mouth for that?」

「I wouldn’t do that. That said, it depends on how tight-lipped you are, Gahahahaha!」

As Bearion said this, he slapped Rintaro’s back repeatedly with the palm of his large hand. On Rintaro’s pale back, a clear handprint, like a sumo wrestler’s signature, was left behind.

Bearion’s hearty laughter echoed throughout the large, private bath.

…………

On the other side of the wet tile wall from the men’s bath was a mysterious space, the complete opposite of the stuffy, sweet potato-washing-like men’s bath. In the women’s bath, Colonel Usanyi-chan, with bloodshot eyes and her large bunny ears stuck to the wall, was listening to the conversation of the two men.

「Co- Colonel Usanyi-chan, you don’t really need to eavesdrop……」

Speaking to her in a timid whisper from behind was a tall, beautiful woman named Minato. Although they were both wearing only a towel, it was clear that their purpose in the bath was not to relax in the tub.

「That shrewd man set up a secret meeting between the commanders, even stubbornly refusing to reconcile. There’s no way he’s not up to something. He could even use my mistake as an excuse to blackmail Lord Bearion.」

「I don’t think he would do something like that, probably. Even Rintaro said, “I’m also at fault.” Well, I wonder… Though I think you went too far this time… Un.」

「In this situation, the only way to recover from this blunder is to break down the wall and capture the scene of the blackmail.」

Colonel Usanyi-chan’s kick would easily be able to break through even the thick walls of the bathhouse. Though Minato didn’t think she would do it, She still adjusted the hem of the towel covering her body just to be sure.

「If that’s the case, I think it would be better to eavesdrop on your own…」

「That would be lonely! Ah, no… ahem. If we are to catch someone red-handed, the more witnesses the better. I am asking this of you, as I consider you to be my friend.」

When the two of them glanced towards the bath, they saw their “friends” who had also been brought along with Minato, having fun as if they had no interest in what was going on.

「Yaaay, a big bath, ssu!」

「Samecchi-san, please don’t swim in the bath even if it’s for private use.」

「Oh, maybe Kirika is a bad swimmer? She’s sitting there because she can’t beat Samecchi in swimming, right?」

「Hoo, challenge accepted. You’ve got me serious..」

If she was going to call a witness, wouldn’t it be better to call someone with a more neutral stance rather than someone like Minato’s group who are members of the heinous legion?

Minato thought the same thing, but didn’t say it aloud. Probably, the truth was that she felt uneasy being alone.

It probably wouldn’t go as far as blackmail, but there was a good chance that Colonel Usanyi-chan’s actions might be told to Bearion’s in a bad way by Rintaro.

Anyone would be worried about someone telling on them, especially after they’ve done something bad. If word got out to General Bearion, whom Colonel Usanyi-chan respected, it was only natural that she would be extremely upset.

「Okay, I won’t stop you, but let’s make sure kicking the wall down is a last resort.」

「Sorry, Chief Medic Minato, I owe you a favor.」

Minato decided to silently watch Colonel Usanyi-chan’s back, which looked somewhat smaller than usual.

…………

Bearion and Rintaro were quietly washing off their sweat in the large bath, completely unaware that Colonel Usanyi-chan was eavesdropping next to them.

「Brother, isn’t it time you told me what’s really on your mind? You’re not going to make my subordinate pay for all the trouble she had caused, are you?」

「I guess it’ll set an example for the others, at least. but there’s no point in doing that.」

「Gahahaha! That’s right, that’s what you’re like! That’s the tough side of you brother that I like!」

Saying this, Bearion put an arm around Rintaro’s shoulders. Why does physical affection suddenly increase when they get naked together?

However, Bearion and Rintaro are by no means close friends. They are each the commanders of their own armies within the Ark Dominion.

The relationship between the Armies was relatively good, and they were quite indebted to each other. They both knew very well that they had no intention of settling it on a laissez-faire basis.

The important thing is to arrange the right place and time, and get the other party to give you what you want, whether that be money, information, or an explanation.

「So, what do you want? I’ll give you anything other than the banner of the strongest Japanese professional wrestling.」

「What I want is information.」

Without even glancing at Bearion beside him, Rintaro stared intently at the surface of the bathwater and continued speaking.

「Please tell me what you know about Samejima Asaka.」

On the surface of the water, there was a small tremor.

Even without seeing Bearion’s face directly, Rintaro could tell right away he had reacted.

「Samejima…… Asaka?」

Bearion didn’t respond with a loud laugh, but with an uncharacteristically serious tone.

「I heard you brother had a fight with that woman. But…」

Bearion, who is usually very straightforward, was vague in his words.

Rintaro was convinced that he had hit the mark.

Even Rintaro, who was once a member of the Hero Headquarters, knows very little objectively about the woman named Asaka.

She served as an aide to Director Morikuni at an exceptionally young age. She was even worthy of being appointed as commander of the elite Victor Rangers based in Tokyo.

The only other things he knew were that she was Samecchi’s older sister, and that she would give her younger sister money to play the gachapon machines.

But he’d never heard anything about what she was like before she retired from the front lines, even during his time at Hero Headquarters.

Even if he asked Samecchi about Asaka’s active days, she probably won’t know.

Active heroes never talk to their families about their work. If they do, it could lead to them getting involved in the fight against mysterious beings.

In fact, it made sense that the mysterious beings who were her enemies would know more about the “Hero Samejima Asaka”. And while Bearion may be a good-natured bear now, he was once the leader of the Great Beast Alliance, the largest militant mysterious being organization in the Kanto region.

Rintaro’s eyes were not mistaken in thinking that there was some kind of connection between the two.

「Hey brother, if you’re looking for revenge, don’t do it. She’s not the kind of woman lay a hand on.」

「As expected, you knew?」

「It’s not even a question whether I know…… Uumu」

「Even if we don’t launch an attack, they will definitely attack again. Our heinous legion has been targeted twice, but there is no guarantee that we will survive a third time.」

Bearion folded his thick arms and thought for a while, but finally gave up and sank his huge body into the bathtub. Water gushed out of the bathtub, which was as large as a swimming pool.

「Well, if you brother saw the picture, I guess there’s no need to hide it.」

His furry hand traces a large across scar on his bear-like face.

「This is going to be a bit of a long story, but.」

Staring into the distance with beastly eyes, Bearion began to speak slowly.

---

<212: A Regrettable Medical Error
214: The Great Hundred Beasts Alliance>