Hero For Lust

Two weeks blurred past in a whirlwind of wedding preparations.

In the mountains outside Y-City, within a sprawling rustic mansion, Caspian and two of his fiancées finished breakfast in their dining room. Earlier he teleported the other five to their desired destinations, sending each off with a kiss.

"Thanks again for breakfast, Tats. Who knew you were such a cook?"

"Hmph. I excel at everything." Tatsumaki levitated all but one dish from the massive table to the sink.

Wavygyaza snorted. "I can think of two things you don't."

"You!"

Caspian sighed. "Can you put the spatula down, Tats? Imagine if you two got along."

"Imagine..." Wavygyaza rose from her chair, walked behind him, then looped her arms around his torso and pressed her chest against his back. "...what I with a real woman's figure can do with you~!" She breathed into his ear while staring at the petite Esper. "Oh, sorry Tatsumaki. My pregnancy hormones are acting up. Don't take offense."

Emerald-green aura erupted and bathed the dining room in its glow.

"The lesson I taught miss idol here last time didn't take."

Wavygyaza's grip tightened around him.

"Please. Stress isn't good for either of you, especially now." He stood with the idol draped around him. "Are you both—"

Tatsumaki let a small smile touch her lips as she took his extended hand. "Yes, we're ready. Come on... let's go play matchmaker."

¤ ¤ ¤

Beyond the film set's perimeter, crowds gathered around two figures: a celebrated hero and an acclaimed idol who drew stares like magnets.

"Wavy, have you decided how to handle Sweet Mask?" Caspian asked.

"After what I've learned? Why waste the effort? He's not malicious." Wavy shrugged. "I have bigger concerns than fame."

Tatsumaki hovered on his opposite side, her emerald gaze fixed on a particular actress. "We've waited long enough."

"Wait, Tat—"

Screams erupted from the crew as the woman lifted into the air, limbs flailing against invisible forces. Kiiro, the actress who portrayed the Yellow Ranger in Beast Sentai Gauranger, spun helplessly as she soared toward them.

"W-What do you want?" Kiiro's voice cracked.

Caspian's smile carried the weight of destiny. "Time to meet your future."

¤ ¤ ¤

After returning home, having granted Garou the future he desired, Caspian sent Tatsumaki and Wavygyaza away. They had wedding preparations to attend, matters "not meant for male eyes," as they put it. Suiko, Mosquito Girl, Fubuki, and Psykos joined them, though not before extracting a promise from him: No spying.

He'd told them about his 'Omniscience'. The secret was out, and he was done hiding. The only mysteries left would be the good kind: surprises, not lies.

As they departed, Caspian lingered in the doorway. Today was the day of the ultimate battle. Two figures would come for him soon.

He drifted above his home, suspended in the quiet air. Familiar birdsong wove through the trees below. Then he activated 'Omniscience'.

Just to take a peek. Just to see them.

His friends' lives played out one by one.

¤ ¤ ¤

Genos had spent the last week carving out an alternative path for his future.

Shadow Ring squeezed his hand. "It's perfect."

Before them stood his decision... a bookstore he'd opened, something he loved and a memory of his family. He couldn't count how many times his parents had taken him and his little sister to one.

Genos looked at the beautiful young woman beside him. "I agree."

She shared his love for literature. But like him, her circumstances had driven her from such things.

To think I would end up with a ninja...

"Are you ready to move forward?" she asked.

Genos' expression transformed into joy as he nodded. "Yes. Together with..."

Shadow Ring giggled, opened the door, and pulled him through.

"...you."

¤ ¤ ¤

In R-City, in a luxurious high-rise apartment.

Sweet Mask sat at his dining room table, surrounded by the scent of an adequate meal.

"Food will be done in a minute, Sweety~"

From his position, he had a clear view of Do-S' backside. Wearing nothing but an apron was for his 'enjoyment,' she'd told him. Did he enjoy it? He... could tolerate it.

"I can cook for myself."

"Of course my man can~"

Ring

Sweet Mask's phone rang—a name he hadn't seen in weeks.

"Caspian, it's been a while. Have you reached a decision?"

"I found the perfect candidate for your 'Ideal Hero,' someone you can mold personally. His name is Garou, Silver Fang's disciple."

"The Hero Hunter?" Sweet Mask's voice sharpened. "You're joking."

"Not at all. The masses devour redemption stories. And unlike me, he possesses genuine heroic intuition."

Sweet Mask traced his finger along the dinner table, weighing possibilities. He exhaled. "Is he even willing?"

"Considering what I did for him today... he'll agree. Take your time deciding. I'll have the Carbonated Alliance send his complete files: background, psychological profile, everything.

I've said what I wanted. But before I hang up, I'm inviting you and Do-S to have dinner with me and my seven fiancées. Okay, bye."

He hung up on me...

Thud

Sweet Mask stared at the phone, then at the untouched spread before him.

Do-S leaned forward. "Did he say seven fiancées? That man's an overachiever." Her gaze narrowed. "Don't get any wild ideas, you hear me? I'm your only fiancée and future wife."

"We've discussed this. You're not my fiancée."

"I'll change your mind with dessert." She traced a finger along her lips.

"Good luck..."

¤ ¤ ¤

King wore a path in his living room carpet, clutching a small velvet box while rehearsing words that dissolved the moment he spoke them aloud.

Between this consuming anxiety and coordinating Caspian's bachelor party with Genos, his mind buzzed with conflicting thoughts. Some of the guest names had sounded... unusual.

Still, life had never been better. Monster alerts, once a constant source of terror, had vanished. As if some unseen guardian swept away every danger.

"Honey, I—what are you doing?"

King spun as Va'thera materialized from particles of light, her sudden appearance sending his heart hammering.

"Still pretending to be surprised. Adorable."

He'd cursed his 'luck' before, but never with her. Now, more than ever, he prayed it wouldn't abandon him.

King cleared his throat and dropped to one knee. "Va'thera, w—"

"Yes!"

One blink, and he found himself pressed into his mattress, her weight warm across his waist.

"Time to start creating~!"

¤ ¤ ¤

Meanwhile, at Doctor Kuseno's laboratory, inside a bug-catching jar, Carmin sat at the bottom, watching and waiting.