Five years ago, Bearion plotted to rescue his family. Just before his plan was about to come to fruition, he was defeated by Silver Zero, Samejima Asaka.

A formidable foe that even the Great Hundred Beasts Alliance led by Bearion was powerless to deal with. That Silver Hero is now pursuing the Heinous Legion.

(Silver Zero… the right-hand of the Hero Headquarters. She hasn’t been in the public eye for quite some time, but I see, it’s that woman…)

Left alone in the large bath, Rintaro followed the rising steam with his eyes and got lost in thought. Rintaro was shocked when Bearion revealed Samejima Asaka’s true identity.

But Rintaro doesn’t know.

Bearion’s story had also had a huge impact on Minato and Colonel Usanyi-chan, who were listening in on the other side of the wall in the women’s bath.

「Pull yourself together, Colonel Usanyi-chan! Stay strong!」

「Ugh… Chief Medic Minato. Please hold my hand… It’s cold… It’s really cold…」

「Of course it’s cold, you’re naked after all!」

Minato took the hand of Colonel Usanyi-chan, who was lying limp on the wet tiles, and called out to her desperately.

In any case, the moment a secret is revealed is always accompanied by a great shock. Minato herself had only recently found out the important secret of Rintaro’s true identity, and it had come as quite a shock to her.

For Colonel Usanyi-chan, the great defeat that Bearion suffered in the past is probably more painful than the true identity of Silver Zero.

What if she had been there when they attacked the Hero Headquarters? As the current number two in the Hundred Beasts Legion, she couldn’t help but imagine it.

We are talking about Colonel Usanyi-chan here, who places the utmost importance on loyalty above all else. As someone who is a part in the heinous legion, Minato can painfully understand her feelings.

「Colonel Usanyi-chan, I understand how you feel, but there’s nothing you can do about what’s already happened.」

「How could it be… Bearion-sama was married… and even had a child…」

「Aah, so it’s that part……」

Deep inside Colonel Usanyi-chan’s red eyes, there was a photograph that Bearion had been hiding. It showed a young Bearion with a beautiful woman, and a baby in her arms.

However, even though it wasn’t on purpose, she couldn’t bring herself to confront Bearion about seeing the photo. She agonized alone over this, and even resorted to demonic discipline as a way to vent her sorrows.

The answer to that question was given. Bearion spoke clearly with the word “family”.

Bearion was not normally shy about calling the members of the Hundred Beasts Legion his family, but the “family” he spoke of to Rintaro had a clearly different nuance to it than the way he spoke about his comrades.

It is no exaggeration to say that for a general in a position to lead mysterious beings, the existence of his wife and children is his Achilles’ heel. The very fact that Bearion had kept it a strict secret is an undeniable proof that the people in the photo are his wife and child.

「This must be some kind of mistake… Yes, it must be a dream.」

「Wake up, Colonel Usanyi-chaaaaan!」

Colonel Usanyi-chan, dejected beyond imagination, so different from her usual words and actions, was repeating her gibberish with white eyes peeled back. It seemed that Minato’s words no longer reached her large ears.

「Damn it, we need to get her to the infirmary quickly.……」

However, the weak Minato had difficulty even picking up Colonel Usanyi-chan, who was as limp and relaxed as a wet towel.

Minato looks toward the bathtub for help from Samecchi and Kirika.

「Wahaha! It looks like I won by a landslide even in swimming, which you boast about being good at.」

「Nyuwaaaaan! Samecchi can swim faster if she really tries, ssu!」

The reliable friends made full use of the large private bathtub and enjoyed a swimming competition.

No, it was not as simple as a competition. Kirika had won by a landslide, with an almost childish margin of victory over Samecchi. It was a one-sided destruction.

「U- Umm. I know you’re both having a good time, but can you give me a hand…」

「”To completely destroy someone’s heart, you have to make them propose a challenge that they will lose”, is the saying, Samecchi. How does it feel to be dancing wildly in the palm of my hand? Is your fish identity still alive?」

「Mumumumuuuu, ssuuu! Samecchi is going to use her secret weapon, ssuu!!!」

This is bad. Just as Minato was thinking this, Samecchi’s small body was already enveloped in a dark aura.

「Saaaaaaaaaameeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!」

…………

Meanwhile in the men’s bath.

「……It’s kind of noisy next door……」

After Bearion had left, Rintaro was alone, thinking hard about what to do about Asaka. As if to interrupt his finally gathered thoughts, he heard shouts of “Wahaha” and “Nyuwan” coming from the women’s bath next door.

It was probably Kirika who provoked Samecchi to some kind of competition. Rintaro himself had dragged Kirika into competitions countless times during his time at hero school.　

Each time, he would win (by any means possible) and be rewarded with lunch. For Rintaro, who was living the life of a poor trainee, this was a matter of life and death.

「That kind of thing happened too……」

Rintaro was immersed in the natural germanium hot spring up to his shoulders and was feeling a bit nostalgic.

But suddenly, an alarm rang in his evil brain.

Bigoon! Bigoon! Bigoon!

『There was a reaction on the bad feeling radar!』

『Hurry and analyze! Connect to the external monitor!』

『The current analysis rate is 96%…the analysis results are out!』

『Pattern green, lucky pervert!』

Whether or not this exchange took place in his brain, it sent chills down Rintaro’s spine.

Mekya……!

Mekyabaaaaaan! ! ! !

「Saaaaaaaaaaaameeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!」

「Ugyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!???」

At the same time that the wall directly beside him crumbled into pieces, a giant “mouth” with a row of knife-like fangs approached Rintaro.

Rintaro had a policy of not bringing his glasses into the bath, but even with his blurry vision he could clearly make out that it was a giant shark.

It’s like a scene from a low-budget horror movie. The title could have been “Bath Shark.”

After Samecchi, or rather the fanged shark mysterious being Samegaro, broke through the wall of the large bath, she was so carried away that she swam all the way to the edge of the men’s bath, where she finally came to a halt.

「Hawawaa… Samecchi messed up, ssuu! Iyaaan, aniki is ecchi, ssuu. Huh? aniki has disappeared, ssuu?」

「Sa-sa-sa- Samecchi-san, stay like that. Don’t ever close your mouth.」

「Fuaa!?」

Samecchi had transformed into a giant shark and looked around. Kirika raised both hands as if to tell her to calm down. Minato cautiously peeked her head through a hole in the wall. Colonel Usanyi-chan still as limp as a washed-up seaweed.

And as for Rintaro, who was relaxing in the men’s bath earlier, well….

「……Samecchi, don’t swim in the bath. Because if you collide with someone, a serious damage might occur.」

The leg protruding from between her sharp fangs said in a muffled voice.

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<215: Silver Zero
217: Village Plan>