The next day.

I received my ID from Regalia.

“Here, this is yours.”

“What is this…?”

“It’s a means to prove your identity in this city.”

The ID Regalia handed over had my picture, which looked like it was taken ages ago, along with the name “Eight.” Naturally, that wasn’t my name.

“Eight…? Who is that? And when was this photo taken…?”

“Who is it? It’s your name. From now on, you’re Eight. That ‘Kim… whatever’ sounded way too exotic, don’t you think? No matter how skilled we are, we can’t make a fake ID with such a noticeable name.”

“…Understood.”

Eight.

For some reason, it seemed closely related to the ‘eighth’ she mentioned yesterday… but what could I do? If my employer calls me dog poop, then I’m dog poop, and if she calls me Eight, then I guess that’s who I am now.

As I stared blankly at the ID I received, Regalia snapped her fingers to get my attention.

“What are you doing? We need to go.”

“Where are we going?”

“What did you hear? We’re going to meet the other organization members today, right?”

“Ah… right. So we’re not staying here?”

I said while looking around the mansion. Sure, it was a villain organization, but it felt more like a rich young lady’s hobby. So it was just playtime, right?

This mansion was perfectly sized for playtime. It wasn’t excessively large with extra rooms, but just big enough to hide away and play villain without being noticed by others.

However, Regalia frowned as if asking what kind of silly talk I was making.

“This is a lady’s home. Who has a villain organization at home?”

“Is that so…?”

I hadn’t known since I’d never set one up before.

I followed the incredulous Regalia as we left the mansion.

The limousine we came in smoothly rolled away from the mansion and headed straight for the city.

Looking at the countless buildings whizzing by outside, it felt like I could return home any second. But that wasn’t the case. This world wasn’t the one I lived in, and the country I knew didn’t exist here.

‘So, it means I have to live in this world after all…’

I was lost in thought when the limousine finally came to a stop.

The driver quickly got out and opened the back door, allowing Regalia to step out nonchalantly.

“We’ve arrived. Get going.”

“Uh, okay.”

Following Regalia out of the limousine, I paused in front of an imposing building. It was quite the shock to see such a grand structure, as I instinctively thought that a villain organization would hide in a dark, underground base where no one could see them.

What stood before me was larger and more magnificent than any surrounding buildings, looking like a place where diligent people would go to work.

And it was indeed that.

“Chairman, welcome back!”

“Mm.”

“Here’s the report summarizing yesterday and today’s events.”

“I’ll read it on the way up.”

As Regalia entered the building, guards and suited employees rushed over and bowed to her. It was a bizarre sight to see fully grown adults bowing to a girl who looked like she was barely in elementary school.

Yet neither Regalia nor the bowing employees thought it was strange. They treated it as if it were a long-established norm.

“—Alright, Eight? Come here.”

“Yes.”

Again, I found myself amazed by Regalia. Oh, hail Regalia.

Once I boarded the elevator with her, my body seemingly defied gravity and shot up. It felt almost like teleportation.

When the doors opened, I instantly realized this was indeed a villain organization. The scenery was unmistakably that of one.

“—Hail Regalia! Hail Eblus!”

“LOUDER!”

“Hail Regalia—!”

Combatants, clad in body-hugging suits, shouted their odd slogans.

“Huff—!”

A two-legged beastman with scars all over his body easily lifted a barbell that no human could possibly handle.

“Hehehe— w-wait……”

A girl with a creepy smile was staring at photos of magical girl cosplayers.

It made no sense to say this wasn’t an evil organization. I stood frozen in shock facing that sudden wave of information.

Just as I stood there, one of the members of the evil organization spotted us and screamed in shock.

“B-Boss! Hail Eblus!”

“Mm. Hail Eblus.”

“The boss is back?!”

“How’s your health, Galm?”

“Same as usual.”

“B-Boss, it’s been a while…”

“It has. Aile, you still watching magical girls?”

“Hehe— it’s my only hobby, after all…”

Regalia, who had greeted the muscular gal named Galm and the creepy girl Aile, quickly pulled me forward and spoke.

“This is our eighth executive, Eight.”

“Oh— are you strong?”

“No. Eight is our scientist. A powerless incompetent, so don’t bother picking a fight.”

“Tsk— boring.”

As soon as Galm learned I was a nobody, he clicked his tongue and lost interest. However, Aile, who was still staring at the magical girl photos, surprisingly treated me with unusual friendliness.

“Hehe— Eight-san. Y-You’re also an incompetent? Let’s get along well as fellow incompetents!”

“Ah, y-yeah. Nice to meet you.”

When I reached out for a handshake, Aile flinched and wiped her hands on her clothes, but eventually offered her hand. The handshake felt fleeting.

From just that brief interaction, I got a sense of the two other executives’ personalities.

‘One is a muscle-head a little too strong in the brain department, while the other has a creepy hobby…’

They certainly fit the description of an evil organization, yet somehow, they also didn’t. What’s the most important thing in a villain organization? The strength to confront heroes.

Galm, with his body packed full of muscles, looked like he could easily take down someone like me, but— well, with just a gun, even hunting beasts wouldn’t be hard. I doubt his strength could actually surpass that of a hero.

The same thought applied to Aile. Being an incompetent? I had experienced what it meant to be treated as such in this world. I found it surprising she hadn’t bitten her tongue and ended it all yet instead of expecting anything more from someone like her.

‘Is that really the case?’

I was convinced that this villain organization was merely a hobby of Regalia’s. It was just childish playtime dressed up as an evil organization.

So that meant I didn’t have to actively do anything within this villain organization. As long as our boss stayed interested in this little playtime, I could just loaf around and enjoy my salary.

However, that glimmer of hope vanished before the clock hand could even move a notch.

“Alright, Eight. I’m assigning you your first mission.”

“Huh? What do you mean by that…?”

“Create something useful for the two people here! Oh, and if you need something, just say it. I’ll get whatever you need.”

Oh no.

I quickly looked at Regalia for help.

“How long do I have for that…?”

“Um, a week should suffice?”

“A week…?!”

That was barely enough time for a college student to complete their assignment. And now, I had to whip up something useful for two executives of a villain organization within a week?

Even though I had the permission to use as much budget as I wanted, the timeline was way too tight. I hadn’t even figured out what was different about this world’s  science compared to the one I came from.

“Boss? I don’t think I can do both…”

“Oh? Then just one will be fine. What’s important is showing others what kind of person you are.”

“But I’m really nothing special…”

Hearing that, Regalia looked at me as if I were spouting nonsense, bewildered.

“What nonsense… you’re a scientist trusted by me. Don’t talk like that.”

“No, I really don’t feel confident…”

“Don’t believe in yourself. Believe in the girl who believes in you.”

With a smirk, Regalia knocked on her chest, claiming she has faith in me, and headed toward the elevator, mumbling about having a lot to do.

Left alone in this level of the building, I glanced at Galm, who was busy working out. Despite his scars, talking to a beastman several times my size was a daunting task.

“Um… Galm?”

“─What is it?”

“Do you need anything?”

“I don’t.”

“Anything would be fine, really…”

I was afraid I would be kicked out of my new home if I couldn’t get anything made.

Seeing that intention in my eyes, Galm exhaled heavily and replied.

“I wish my strength was a bit higher when I fought.”

“Ah… so you mean something like steroids?”

“There’s no way such drugs could strengthen my body.”

“……So you’re asking for something like a fatigue recovery or an energy drink?”

“Make what you want.”

Galm let out a heavy breath, as if he didn’t want to talk anymore, and resumed his workout. Watching him from the side, I wanted to avoid being squashed under a dumbbell, so I carefully stepped away.

As I stood there aimlessly in the corridor, before long, one of the organization members approached to show me to my lab.

“You can work here. If you need anything, just call.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you.”

“You can drop the formalities. You’re an executive, so you’re our superior.”

“It’s easier this way.”

With a wry grin, I sent off the organization member and sighed as I surveyed the empty lab. Normally, such things would require a team of scientists with a PhD carefully working over a long period, making numerous trials and errors…

But here, I had to produce results alone in just one week with no support. Creating something like that in such a short time was illogical.

Then it couldn’t be helped. I had no choice but to cheat.

‘Copying is the mother of invention…’

If I couldn’t create something new, I could just borrow from what existed back on Earth. Luckily, I remembered the nutritional components of commercial products while working on my project.

Among those was the energy drink Galm wanted.

‘Definitely guanidine acetate and creatine monohydrate… and what else was it?’

It wasn’t possible to create something entirely new from scratch, but if I knew the result, it wouldn’t take too long to reproduce. Thus, I dived into my first task as a scientist in the evil organization.

*

A week later.

Galm, being a villain, began rampaging through the city, attacking people.

Citizens were already familiar with the sight of villain organization members in their bodysuits and began to flee.

As the ordinary combatants relieved their stress by smashing up cars and buildings scattered across the street, Galm waited impatiently for the heroes to arrive.

“─That’s as far as you go!”

“Oh, they’re here?”

And not long after, a hero showed up. It was a speed of deployment unmatched by a five-minute reaction squad. It seemed impossible that they weren’t already nearby, but Galm regarded the hero as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

A rookie hero fit to take on a washed-up guy like him. Seeing that, he sighed, longing for the thrilling fights of the past. The fact that even someone like this was tough to deal with made him feel even more despondent.

“You villain scum! I will never forgive you!”

“Why are you rushing in like that? I’ve got my own busy schedule over here.”

“……That’s impossible! I am the hero Sugar Mask! There will be no compromise with villains!”

Was this rookie still caught up in the heroics? Galm sighed as he watched the hero strike absurd poses and deliver dulled speeches. As he let out another sigh and made a casual gesture, the combatants waiting for his command rushed to attack the hero.

Seeing the combatants charging at him, Sugar Mask swung his limbs and swiftly dispatched the attackers. They fell as if it was choreographed.

In an instant, Sugar Mask had wiped out the regular combatants and dashed straight for Galm, feeling no need to prolong matters.

Seeing the hero charging at him, Galm pulled out a potion from his pocket. It was something given to him by the newly joined executive.

─This is a finished product. Please test it.

‘…What a waste of time.’

Honestly, he didn’t think this would have any effect.

Galm’s body, already far past its prime, had degraded compared to his glory days. No method of recovery would be effective.

No drug or ability could heal him.

It seemed impossible that this potion, made in just a week, could enhance him. Still, Galm downed the potion.

And at that moment…

Galm felt a surge of power ripple through his body.

“Take this!”

Sugar Mask threw a punch at Galm, who was lifting the potion. He already knew all about him. A retired soldier with injuries, possessing impressive strength typical of a beastman, but nothing compared to an ability user.

He was just the right type of villain to spread his name wide.

As usual, Galm thought he would trade a few blows and then fall. After that, he would flee as he always did. But strangely, today was different.

“Ha, haha— Uwaahhahaha!”

“……?”

“Uwaahhahaha! Sorry, kid!”

Galm seized the punch that had landed on his abs and roared loudly.

“You can’t stop me! Bring someone stronger! Someone who’ll make my heart race!”

For the moment, he had regained the strength of his prime.

As the Beastman King roared, that day, contrary to the plan, Galm demolished five buildings, and an emergency A-rank hero team barely managed to force him to retreat.