Chapter 59

Posted by Kuze, ? Views, Released on March 29, 2025

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1.

If you can’t win, join them.

This was a famous saying in the world of sports, essentially advising to bet on the winning side if the odds aren’t in your favor.

Some might harshly criticize this as the thinking of opportunists, but I personally find it quite reasonable, at least in the current situation.

I failed to break the determined resolve of the children of Abidos, and in the end, there was no option but to go along with them.

So, to put it precisely…

“Everyone, get down! Drop your weapons on the floor!”

“Those who disobey will be punished! ☆”

“A, haha… Everyone, please get down… We don’t want anyone to get hurt…”

It was a bank heist.

Hahaha. Shit.

I let out a disheartened laugh and closed my eyes tightly.

2.

<B>BOOM-!

The lights of the Dark Bank went out, plunging the scene into sudden darkness.

Thrown into confusion, both the bank’s employees and customers reacted to the unexpected event.

“What, what is this!”

“Power outage? Why now-”

<I>Da-dadadadad-!

Following the confusion-filled atmosphere, the sound of gunfire resounded.

The violent echo was enough for anyone to conclude there was an assault or even a terrorist attack happening, filling the bank to its brim.

“Kghaaa!”

“Aaaaahhh!”

The screams of Market Guards desperately trying to respond continued, followed by the thuds of bodies hitting the floor.

The chaos inside the bank intensified as people crouched down, trembling in fear, hoping no bullets would come their way.

Then soon enough, the lights came back on, revealing the attackers who had stormed the bank.

Blue, red, green, white colors…

And… a bread bag?

Unluckily for her, a young devil girl in the bank for a loan consultation watched the scene unfold in utter bewilderment.

More accurately, she was gleaming with excitement watching the people she had only daydreamed about before.

‘These people, who are they…?!’

The look in the eyes of the young devil aspiring to be a true outlaw began to carry something that could be referred to as “admiration.”

It was a feeling similar yet distinct from the one she had held ever since she saw a certain hero.

One could say, it was akin to looking up to a senior who had achieved what she aimed for.

“It’s amazing…!”

And what was most decisive…

For some reason, there was someone who caught Aru’s gaze instantly at a glance.

“Haa, I wonder what’s going on…”

Though her words conveyed reluctance, the girl who was handling every incoming Market Guard with just one pistol, with the number 5 marked on her white mask, was displaying the seasoned and familiar expertise of a true outlaw—a sight that was exactly what she wanted to resemble.

Moreover, not just her but the appearance of the other outlaws deeply impressed Aru as well.

“Hey, you there! Get down! Do something funny and you’ll get, killed?!”

“Please everyone, just stay still… Auuu…”

“Yay~ Everything’s going according to plan! Now let’s move to the next step! Leader Faust, give the command!”

“Eh? Me?! I, the leader?!”

Called out as the leader all of a sudden, Hifumi flustered and looked around at the committee members, but they all unanimously chose her as the leader.

“Boss! Refer to me as the boss! For your information, I’m Christina… from the Swimsuit Masked Group~ Darun♪”

“What is this? When did we become a masked group?!”

“Uhm, Miss Faust is said to be pretty scary… if you don’t listen, she’ll punish you.”

“Auuu…”

Through the highly democratic procedure of majority rule, Faust became the leader of the Swimsuit Masked Team (not swimsuits).

She floundered, claiming she had no face to meet the Tipati members, emitting an “Auuu” sound. And another girl who understood Hifumi’s sentiment existed.

‘Ah. How do I explain it to Himari-senpai?’

Himari and Veritas must be watching this scene through the transparent drone—how do I explain this and convince them?

I’m not quite sure.

Hmm. It might be surprisingly fun though.

<I>Bang!

Hiiro slowly regained consciousness from afar and fired another bullet at the Market Guard coming back to his senses, while deep in thought.

Upon seeing the members of the committee suddenly start deciding on their nicknames and introduce themselves, I also muttered under my breath, thinking there was no point in using these nicknames again anyway.

“I’ll just go with Venom, whatever.”

“Venom! That sounds incredibly cool…!”

“Hm?”

Suddenly, an admiring voice came from nearby.

When I turned my head, a very familiar face of a devil girl was shining brightly as she looked at me.

“…Aru?”

“Huh?”

Shit.

Pointlessly acted like I knew her.

3.

We, to be precise, the Swimsuit Masked Group, gathered the necessary documents from the Dark Bank and fled.

As expected, Black Market guards were chasing after us, but they couldn’t catch someone who had done so many hero activities in the Black Market and possessed extrasensory perception.

To be more precise,

It’s correct to say they were an enemy we couldn’t win against.

<I>KWAANG─!!

“Go ahead first. I’ll catch up later.”

“Wait, what do you mean!? That’s dangerous!”

“It’s fine. I’ve dealt with these guys countless times already.”

“What exactly are you saying?!”

No, Serika, I’m really fine.

The truth is, it’s inconvenient to hide my identity at this moment.

When I signaled to Hoshino, she smirked before leaving with Serika. I thanked her with a glance and took up my fighting stance.

“Quite the turnout we have here.”

Instantly, countless Black Market guards surrounded me.

Though some suggested I surrender, I chuckled and tightly gripped my pistol while glaring at them.

Surrender? What a joke.

I lacked the intention to lose.

“The tip of my gun shines, and the trigger passes judgment.”

Repeating phrases like other kids had done, striking a pose, it seemed they regarded me as something unusual as they faltered and hesitated.

I took a slow step toward them and spoke.

“Do you see this number 5?”

At my question, question marks seemed to float above the guards’ heads.

Smiling dangerously at their reaction, I continued.

Raising my hand to the front while extending five fingers.

“Five minutes.”

That much time would be enough to take care of you guys.

I declared this as I charged at the Black Market guards.

…

“Huh! That was tiring!”

“Hiiro! You’re back! Are you hurt anywhere?!”

“Of course not. These guys don’t stand a chance.”

“… By the way, the people who were chasing us earlier belonged to the top-tier Black Market security organization.”

Ignoring Hihumi’s comment, I eventually arrived at the alley in the downtown where my companions had gathered.

We took a moment there to catch our breaths and examine what we had acquired since that was the purpose of our mission.

Exactly as planned, we secured Kaiser’s transportation records and data on the Dark Bank’s money flow processes.

The data we obtained could deal significant blows to both the Kaiser and possibly the Dark Bank.

In addition, there was the bundle of cash inside the bag, just like in the original story.

“What shall we do with this money?”

As Shiroko brought up the topic, the usual arguments followed, just like in the original. I didn’t bring it up, since I trusted that Hoshino would quickly resolve it sooner or later.

Thus, I just stayed silent…until…

“Our junior, Hiiro, what do you think?”

Suddenly, Hoshino passed the mic to me.

Why are you asking me when you’ve already made a decision?

As I narrowed my eyes and glared, Hoshino casually turned away and grinned.

Tsk, really shameless. Her acting is top-notch.

“…Isn’t it already decided in your mind?”

“Uhe- But as a member of the Swimsuit Masked Group, don’t you think your opinion matters as well?”

“Haa. Well, if I were to say something, I would say I don’t intend to use it.”

“Is there any reason?”

I shrugged and responded.

“If we take this money, we really become criminals. It’s scary to think that Silk might come after us someday.”

“Si, Silk? Isn’t Silk the one who only catches bad guys?”

Surprised, Serika asked, and Hoshino cast a peculiar look at me, but I continued.

Just speaking off the top of my head.

In a very calm manner.

“As long as we’re bank robbers right now. Regardless of our intentions, we’ve attacked a bank and taken the money.”

“…”

“If we keep the money, we won’t be the Swimsuit Masked Group punishing the evil Dark Bank anymore but the Swimsuit Masked Group who robbed the bank just to take the money.”

Ordinary citizens do not care about the intentions of a person.

What matters in judging someone is the results of their actions.

This applies to heroes as well.

A villain who sent half the universe’s life to oblivion decided to walk the path of a seeker to maintain the universe’s balance.

Certainly, their intentions and beliefs might be noble, but their actions were not something that could easily be called “good.”

Regardless of intent, if the result is bad,

People will label that existence as not good, but evil.

It’s just a story.

My opinion right now is absolutely not a reprimand against the actions of the children of Abidos.

It’s merely one opinion.

“Anyway, please just consider this as one opinion. Even without me, all of you would have wisely concluded, so there’s no need to ask for my opinion.”

That was the truth.

Even without my separate input, they came to the most wise and reasonable conclusions about the matter.

That’s why I trusted and left it up to them, not because it was tedious to answer.

… Although I didn’t expect Hoshino to ask for my opinion at this time.

Of course, that does not make the opinions of those who suggested using the money to pay off debts wrong.

“Once you’re chased by something, your sight naturally narrows. That’s why money scares me.”

Smiling and shrugging my shoulders, my companions, who were listening carefully to me, came to their own conclusions.

“Seriously. So damn uptight about something trivial, huh!”

Although Serika muttered grumpily, there was no strong opposition against my opinion. It felt more like regret.

“Hmm, still. I think it’s a reasonable opinion.”

“I don’t know much about Abidos’ situation, but if we take this money, we might get involved in some other troubles.”

“There’s really nothing we can do. I’ll properly dispose of this bag, then.”

“Ah, thank you.”

The other kids nodded in agreement as well.

As the consensus gradually leaned toward not using the money, Hoshino took the final step to summarize the situation.

Why did you even ask me when you were going to do this anyway, Auntie?

Just as I was narrowing my eyes and glaring at Hoshino—

[……! Uh, hold on. Someone’s approaching that way!]

“Wha, is it the Black Market’s pursuit?!”

With Ayan’s transmission, the group’s composure changed instantaneously.

Judging by the inability to evade the pursuit so far, they instinctively braced themselves for a continuation of the battle.

Of course, I had already discerned the situation through my extrasensory perception, and I remained calm while a smile played on my lips.

“Haa, haa… Hey, wait a moment!”

“…Who are you?”

The group glanced at the unexpected appearance of a red-haired devil girl, but they quickly pulled up their masks to avoid revealing their identities.

They instantly transformed into the Swimsuit Masked Group from the Abidos Countermeasure Committee; fortunately, the approaching devil girl didn’t notice their transformation due to her heavy breathing.

Of course, it’s a different matter for those behind her.

“I… I’m not your enemy… please calm down.”

“Who are you and why are you chasing us?”

“Me? I’m Rikuhachima Aru. I run a small agency called ‘Detective Agency 68’.”

“…’Detective Agency 68′?”

Although Shiroko and the others tilted their heads at the unfamiliar name, Aru happily approached them without minding their reaction.

“I saw it all! Your break-ins at the bank… plundering the Black Market bank in just 5 minutes and leaving nonchalantly. You’re one-of-a-kind lawless individuals in this era, aren’t you?”

“Uh?”

“To be honest, it left an incredibly deep impression on me… That such audacity still exists in this era… It’s rather moving, you know?”

“Uh, well… thank you?”

“I, too, will try hard! A freedom-loving soul not bound by rules and regulations! I, too, will become such a lawbreaker!”

“What kind of nonsense is this person talking about…?”

The group appeared startled, unsure how to react to Aru’s sudden outbursts of enthusiasm.

Had this been from someone they had previously met in the original story and exhibited unexpected behavior, they would have been startled. Now, they were flustered because an unfamiliar student from Gehenna had approached them for praise.

I was enjoying the comedic timing from afar with a small smile until…

“So, …tell me your name!!”

“…”

“Huh?”

“Even if not your real name, your affiliation or club, you must have something, right? I’ll cherish the impression I got from seeing you!”

“You…?”

“Yes! You, Venom right? I’ve remembered it!”

Out of nowhere, Aru approached me, saying she had been greatly impressed by my appearance at the bank.

“Shit.”

Please do not be impressed by me as a villain. I am a hero.

Seeing Aru’s wide, golden eyes glowing with admiration, it was impossible not to grimace instinctively.

Of course, I didn’t blurt out any curses.