Yeah at least one of the heroes has got to be Taiki in disguise. Probably Max, given that he checked whether Kanae was still into him or not—pretty sure he got the same takeaway as Sasae, that Kanae hasn't moved on and she won't be a threat.
Makes for a stronger impact on both the NTRbait front and the typical plot twist this story has drawn a few times before, as well.
Looks exciting though. Pretty close to the final fight, huh. This ride has been going on for a while. Can't wait to see how it ends.