While Eight was wracking his brain over the mass production of the new energy tonic, Regalia gazed at the potion sample in front of her and let out a light hum.

“Hmmm— Is this what Galm was so highly praising…?”

At first glance, it looked like just an ordinary energy tonic, no different from any regular fatigue recovery drink. A quick taste revealed that it wasn’t particularly special in flavor, either.

What kind of special secret does this potion hold that it returned Galm to his prime? To uncover that mystery, Regalia decided to gulp down the potion right then and there.

Since the amount wasn’t much, it didn’t take long for her small mouth to swallow it all. Once she finished, Regalia savored the refreshing lemon flavor but was puzzled by the absence of any remarkable effect.

‘Nothing is happening?’

Given that it was the potion said to have restored Galm’s prime state, she thought something extraordinary would happen when she consumed it too. Perhaps she would unleash a power strong enough to rival a hero, even if just a little less than Galm.

However, surprisingly, no effects at all manifested. Wasn’t this just like drinking a regular energy drink?

Feeling like she’d been duped by Galm and Eight, Regalia decided to have the corporate researchers take a look at the potion, just in case there was something special about its ingredients.

“—Chairman? Here are the documents that require your signature.”

“Hmm— Send them over.”

After that, Regalia dived into her work, without any time to spare thinking about the potion. Though she felt surprisingly energetic and didn’t sense fatigue at all that day, it was hardly unusual for someone after consuming a common energy drink.

The strange absence of anything special lingered on Regalia’s mind until that night.

After dinner, a shower, and some light exercise, she sank into her bed right at 10 PM. Children are said to grow taller and faster if they go to bed early, so she stuck to this routine religiously.

So, without a doubt, she should have fallen asleep the moment her head hit the pillow, yet her body felt utterly alert, as if it had no intention of letting her sleep.

“…This is a problem.”

Realizing she wouldn’t be falling asleep anytime soon, Regalia simply closed her eyes and began counting sheep to kill time. By the time she reached around 28,000 sheep, she noticed the sun had already risen.

She hadn’t been able to sleep.

Regalia stumbled into work with groggy eyes.

That night, she counted sheep again.

Before drifting off, Regalia managed to count a million sheep.

*

“Waaaaah—!”

“My fatigue, it’s disappearing!”

“I feel like I could stay up for three days straight…!”

The energy tonic made by Eight was distributed among all the organization members. They gulped it down when they were fatigued or just before they headed out to battle.

The results were astounding. Just as Regalia had survived three days without a hitch, so too did others feel their usual fatigue dissipate.

For the combatants, they found themselves able to perform feats stronger than an average hero. Given that the bats they wielded were hardly more powerful than hardy gym-goers, this was a significant achievement.

Of course, the one who benefited the most was Galm. This potion was custom-made specifically for him, so it was no wonder he enjoyed the most perks.

“Hehehehe! Come at me, you punks!”

Galm swung his weapon fiercely, facing off against the heroes. Those who remembered he had been barely capable of taking on even a rookie hero a few moments ago gasped in awe at the absurd strength he now wielded.

“Why the hell is that beast so strong all of a sudden!? ”

“I don’t know! But Red! Calling him a beast is species discrimination!”

“Who cares about that right now?!”

“Looks like someone’s feeling cocky! Then I’ll shift gears!”

“Waaaaaah! You crazy bastard!”

Galm didn’t bother explaining that as a tiger beastman, he was closer to a cat than a dog. Instead, he wildly swung his weapon, making sure to silence those who were derogatory.

Having conquered many battlefields, Galm’s weapon techniques were nothing short of extraordinary. When it came to just achieving a kill, he surpassed even most masters.

After tormenting the heroes with his swordplay for a while, Galm’s alarm rang loudly from his device. Hearing that, Galm abruptly stopped swinging his weapon.

“Hmm— Looks like it’s quitting time. I’ll take my leave now.”

“Wait, you crazy bastard…! It’s only 3 PM, you villain!”

“The heroes’ working hours aren’t my concern. I’m leaving.”

With those words, Galm made his exit, dragging along the fallen combatants. The heroes wanted to chase after him but hesitated. They hadn’t even managed to overpower him in an open fight earlier, and he was almost grudgingly showing mercy, leaving them with the impression he could easily wipe them out if he wanted to.

Chasing after someone like that could lead to bigger trouble. It meant risking their lives. Heroes subdue villains, not throw their lives away in vain.

Standing in stunned silence as they watched the fleeing villains, the heroes finally returned to the headquarters, venting their frustrations.

“Oh man—! Director! Can’t we just arrest that beast bastard!?”

“No.”

“Why not?!”

Despite knowing Galm’s identity and the organization he belonged to, even the location of that evil organization, they were told they couldn’t arrest him?

Couldn’t they capitalize on the opportunity when he was relaxed and send a group of heroes to capture him at the organization’s base? That was what Red thought.

However, there was a reason they couldn’t act on that.

“That place isn’t even accessible to the president.”

“Wha? Not even the president can get in?”

“The entire city is owned by the Evil Corporation. Every building and vehicle on the street belongs to them. The citizens living there all use and borrow items from the Evil Corporation.”

“…But, it’s a villain. They could hurt civilians.”

“Are you kidding? These guys announce when and at what time they plan to attack! And most of those civilians are either employees of the Evil Corporation or subcontractors. You think they’re not happy that they get to loaf around during work hours if an evacuation order is issued?”

Hearing that, Red felt his mouth go dry, unable to grasp the unbelievable reality. What kind of twisted situation was this?

“It’s like… kids playing house….”

“You’d get chewed out for saying that. They’d call you spoiled.”

“Why’s that…?”

“Because it’s better than a city where villains launch guerrilla warfare and shoot at the families of heroes, or a place with aliens where no one can communicate. Or would you prefer to be transferred to a city like that?”

“…No, my bad.”

When the director mentioned that going to such a place would give him a truly immersive hero experience, Red quickly bit his tongue in apology. Indeed. While he could hardly understand, he could at least see the reasoning. It was better than random massacres by villainous lunatics, after all.

Upon further reflection, this type of villain wasn’t inherently bad. They were establishing rules while operating in this city. They behaved according to the guidelines, knowing that if they didn’t, they would turn into enemies.

In fact, wasn’t the rate of villain-related deaths in this city less than one-tenth of that in others?

“What you need to do isn’t come up with odd theories but subdue and capture them on-site. Thankfully, nobody is complaining about that.”

“…About that. That beast seemed unusually strong, didn’t he? Was he always that strong?”

“Red.”

“Ah, sorry. I meant a villain.”

At Red’s words, the director nodded, pondering before pulling something from his pocket. Red looked at it, as if asking what it was.

The director shrugged as he explained what the item was.

“This is a new product released by the Evil Corporation. It’s an energy drink.”

“And why…?”

“Our scientists analyzed it, and it seems to have been diluted to a fraction of a percent, yet it still far surpasses any existing energy drink in performance. The cost-performance ratio is insane.”

An energy drink with excellent performance offered by an evil organization.

And suddenly, a top executive from that evil organization was becoming exceptionally strong.

If one didn’t suspect a connection between these two strange occurrences, they might want to check if they were wearing a hat.

“—We’ll find the scientist who made this.”

“…And if you do?”

“We’ll coax them to our side, somehow.”

Although he said that, neither the director nor Red believed it could be done. Regardless of who created it, they couldn’t offer better conditions than a global conglomerate like the Evil Corporation.

*

“—Achoo!”

“Uh, are you okay…?”

“Ah, yes. Just suddenly feeling a chill.”

I looked at Aile, who had come to the lab, sniffling. This gloomy girl, who usually struggled to voice her opinions, had come here for a very special reason.

And my instincts were right on the mark.

“I-I heard from the boss! That Eight is going to make tools for me…!”

“Yes. That’s right. Do you have any tools you usually use?”

“Uh, no. I just… joined the villain organization because I wanted to meet a magical girl…”

“Hmm. Then should I just make it as I see fit?”

“…Can I have anything?”

Aile’s eyes sparkled as she asked, seemingly trying to express her opinions for once. Nodding lightly, Aile surprisingly spoke without stuttering.

“I want to be a tentacle!”

“…Huh?”

“A tentacle! Don’t you know? They often appear in magical girl doujinshi.”

Well, I know, but.

I gazed at Aile in disbelief.

This gloomy girl looked back at me, seeming utterly serious.

I could already feel a headache coming on.