『Sor…… ry……?』

The “evil mysterious being” Hinosmera recited the words in confusion.

There are many reasons why people awaken as mysterious beings, but most of them are for negative reasons such as excessive stress and despair. The world does not tolerate the existence of such mysterious beings.

That’s why emotions such as anger, hatred, sadness, and resentment are directed toward others. That is the nature of the existence of mysterious beings, and the burden that they carry.

As far as she knows, those words of self-reproach and admitting fault are,

These are not words that an “evil mysterious being”, an unforgivable being, would say voluntarily.

『Sorry……, you say? ……Me?』

「Yes, ssu! 　If you have caused you trouble or worry, you should say “sorry”, ssu.」

The girl’s straight eyes were definitely staring right at the invisible Hinosmera. Saying it’s too early for her to fall into hell.

――That time.

If only Hinosmera, who was cornered by Dragius ten years ago, had been able to utter that one word. Or if she had been able to encounter that single word in the midst of a seemingly endless vortex of resentment.

『……I’m a crazy woman who has no choice but to destroy things. I probably won’t be able to get rid of my anger and resentment for the rest of my life…… Even so……?』

「Why would you throw that away, ssuka?」

Hinosmera was again perplexed when Samechi answered with a scowling face. Surprised at herself for being disturbed by such a child, even as she sought the answer she had been searching for.

『I put my hands against Ark Dominion…… Samecchi’s family, y’know?』

「……Let’s keep this between us, ssuyo. Even Samecchi, an adult lady who has experienced both sweet and sour times, There are a lot of things Samecchi doesn’t like.」

In response to Hinosmera’s desperate question, Samechi folded his arms, closed her eyes, and nodded her head in response.

「Bearion-Ojiki’s voiceis so loud that it sometimes hurts Samecchi’s ears, ssu. General Zazoma drinks too much tea, ssu. it’s impossible for Kurara-chan to grow younger, and Colonel Usanyi-chan is scary when she gets angry, ssu. Also, Ryu-chan smells a bit when you get close to him, ssu.」

The candid, childlike opinions of Samecchi poured out of her mouth. If Dragius, in particular, were to hear them directly, he might collapse and fall unconcious.

Still, Samechi continued.

「Kirika is a bully, Minato is a crybaby, and aniki is too flirtatious with girls, ssu. Also, Hino-chan’s accent is so strong that Samecchi can’t understand what she’s saying sometimes, ssu.」

When she finished, Samecchi opened her big eyes again and smiled.

「But Samecchi loves everyone, ssu. There are many things Samecchi doesn’t like about someone, ssukedo, but there are more likes than dislikes, so Samecchi loves everyone, ssu.」

Her smiling mouth was lined with sharp fangs, the mark of an “evil mysterious being”.

「You can’t say “sorry” to someone you don’t like, ssuyo, Hino-chan!」

『Samecchi…… yer’ such a big person.』

「Fufufufu, Samecchi after all is still the number 2 in the Heinous Legion, ssumon! A junior executive of the Ark Dominion, ssuyo!」

Samecchi, who took even Hinosmera’s mutter as a compliment, snorted and puffed out her chest.

Hinosmera felt she finally understood why the mysterious beings of the Ark Dominion cared so much about Samecchi.

Although they were the words of a girl only 11 years old, Hinosmera felt a strange sensation as if her whole body were illuminated by a strong light.

I do not know how many years it will take, but. I wonder if the deep darkness I hold will one day be filled with light.

『Samecchi…… Y’know, I also……』

Just when Hinosmera was about to tell her something.

「Found the target! Captured!」

Samecchi’s small body was roughly lifted up.

「Awaaaaah, ssu!?」

「No doubt, it’s Hinosmera! Huh? But isn’t she kind of small?」

「Never mind, more importantly, this girl is a major player!　Finally we can be the elite belonging to the Tokyo Headquarters, too!」

「Yeah, of course!　Sorry to all my buddies fighting aboveground, but we’re the MVPs of the day!」

It was one of a team of heroes gathered from the provinces. They were the Fruits Sentai Freshmen, they were a trio of handsome men who were fresh in body and soul and belonged to the Yamagata branch.

Samecchi and Hinosmera were so engrossed in exchanging words with each other that they did not notice the hero’s approach until too late.

『Oh no! Samecchi, Shake’em off!』

Hinosmera’s cries were in vain as a well-built man in a yellow suit grabbed Samecchi’s arm and pulled her back.

「See, there is nothing to be afraid of! Now, come together with us fresh brothers.」

「Let go, ssuuu!! Samecchi will not follow stranger uncle, ssuu!」

「We are not uncle!! Look closely, don’t we look fresh!?」

The captured Samecchi flailed her arms and legs in an attempt to escape. But a child’s resistance is literally child’s play to the well-trained heroes.

Every time Samecchi went wild, her knees and wet shoulders, protected by only her thin pajamas, hit the hard walls and Braille tiles.

「Gunuh, If you continue to go wild, you’d get injured! Cherry Red, bring that thing!」

「Understood, Pear Yellow! Take this, fresh jute bag! !」

The leader of the group, called “Cherry Red,” took out a large bag and put it over Samecchi’s head. Samecchi’s entire body, from head to toe, fit completely inside the bag.

「Fugyaaaaah, ssu!! Mogomogoo!」

「Here we go! Freshly harvested！」

「Let’s hurry, our freshgo is waiting for us upstairs!」

「As expected from Karin Orange! The brains of us, freshmen!」

The bagged sharks were lifted on their shoulders and carried like luggage.

After refreshingly abducting the girls, the men sneak out to the ground so as not to be seen by their allies and the mysterious beings in battle. They then carried the bag filled with Samecchi onto a light truck, which was named Freshgo.

The covered cargo platform served as a mobile base, with a comfortable living space even equipped with heating equipment. While Karin Orange was in charge of driving, the other two sat leisurely on the sofa and watched over the bag.

「Ha ha ha!　It’s time to make our Fruit Sentai Freshmen’s name known in Tokyo!」

「Hey, wait, Pear Yellow, did you hear anything?」

They stopped to toasting with fruit wine, took a breath and listened carefully.

「…………Ne」

It was hard to hear over the sound of the engine and the rain slapping against the top of the truck, but what sounded like a voice could certainly be heard. Cherry Red listened again and heard a girl’s voice coming faintly from inside the bag.

「…………Ne」

「What’s the matter little girl, are you having trouble breathing?　I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to bear with it for a little while!」

「…………Ine」

「Ine(rice plant)? Are you even hungry? There are plenty of fresh fruits here…」

「『I’m sayin’ go home, loser. It ain’t a t’ harass a small girl, y’know.』」

At the same time as the scream, the cloth bag burst into pitch black flames. Freshgo’s cargo bed was engulfed in flames with a fire that seemed as if it had erupted from the pit of hell.

「Gwaaaaah! Our freshgoooo!!」

The heat was so high that even the axles, let alone the cargo bed, melted, and the Freshgo overturned in the middle of the wide street. The Freshmen were thrown out along with charred fruits.

It was on the Tokyo Port Liaison Bridge on the Daiba Line of the Metropolitan Expressway, which had been closed due to an evacuation order. It was on the huge bridge over Tokyo Bay, also known as the “Rainbow Bridge”.　

Cherry Red, who had been thrown the furthest, screamed in frustration as he barely clung to the bridge railing.

「Damn it! It’s our credit! Ahih, I slippery due to the rain… I’m going to fall!」

The height from the sea level was more than 50 meters, so even if he was wearing a hero suit, there was no guarantee that he would survive if he fell and fainted.  Cherry Red desperately climbed over the railing that was slippery due to the rain and threw his body flat on the asphalt.

However, he would soon regret it, as he would still rather have fallen into the sea.

「Awa- Awawawawah, That’s not it, we were trying to help you……!」

「L- L- Let’s talk. I know, We will send you fresh fruits every year…… So……」

A pair Half-moon eyes glared at the heroes, who were already battered and bruised from the serious accident, from within the flames. It was so powerful that the fresh-faced men couldn’t help but let out a small hiss.

The silhouette that emerged from the flames was clearly different from that of the girl they had just caught.

Her flaxen hair reached down to her waist, and her long, slender, white arms and legs protruded far beyond her child-length pajamas. The buttons of her jacket were all popped off, and her shapely bosom lifted the thin fabric.

「Even if there was a blank period, I was also an executive. Besides, if even now, I don’t think I can lose t’ anyone.」

A black flame sprang from the woman’s entire body as she spoke in a clear voice. Even the raindrops that fell at such high temperatures evaporated in an instant, and the surrounding area was covered in a thick fog-like vapor.

In their blurred vision, the freshmen saw the smiling face of a woman who was probably furious.

「Thanks.I think I might’ve started t’ like y’all a little too. Although I am thankful, I’ll be throwin’ the biggest one right at ya. ……“Musumefusahose”」

The pitch black sun burst in the middle of the Rainbow Bridge.

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<147: She Came From Purgatory
149: Anger Incarnate>