Comet Show – Epilogue
Chapter Index
Ch 1 - Ch 2 - Ch 3 - Ch 4 - Ch 5 - Ch 6
Chapter 1
Location: Comet Show Stage
“♪~♪~♪”
(hmmm~…)
“♪~♪~♪”
(it looks like tetora and shinobu are in [perfect shape]. we have not had many [opportunities] to sing together as the [five of us] ever since this year started—)
(and i am sure they are emotionally struggling to stay [concentrated] right now, what with everything that is been [happening]…)
(but they are performing as best as they can, without ever expressing those gloomy [feelings].)
(you are both shining so bright.)
(you two grew to be so strong, didn’t you? you became such wonderful heroes.)
(would my [life] have been different if the whole of [mankind] was like you, too?)
(would it have turned out differently if everyone in this [world] was capable of fighting against the [evil things] without ever relying on any [god]?)
(……………)
…? What’s wrong, Shinkai-senpai? This is meant to be the grand finale for you seniors—It’s the last time we’ll get to see you perform at your best in Ryuseitai, so we wanna hype you up.
Mhm, mhm! It would be pointless to have us at the front at such a crucial moment; we’d like you to show yourself to the audience!
You don’t have to watch over us in the back in case we need backup or anything—We assure you that we’ll be alright.
of course. i can see that very clearly.
to parents, their children will always be their little babies, but standing side-by-side is enough for me to tell that you have all grown so much.
Ossu, ‘course we have! I swore to Taishou — to everyone — that I’d grow strong enough to become a great man someday!
Heh! I may not grow taller, but I assure you my mental fortitude has strengthened enough to be on the same level as my peers! Ninja Arts: Giant Technique…!
fufu, did you learn that from [mikejima] or something?
(ah— i accidentally called him by the name i would use in [past]…)
(say, my first hero and friend — were we able to become the heroes you used to [love] so much, mikejima?)
(as you can see, we are clearly a [mess] right now, but…)
(our children have grown so strong that i am sure you would not ever be able to crush them, even if you tried.)
(that is why i choose to be proud of them, if nothing else. these children have become such honest, [good] boys, despite being raised by a [monster].)
(that might be the biggest [miracle] i have ever performed in my life.)
Hm? What are you grinning about…?
Haha, I’m more than glad you’re having a blast, though~!
mhm. fufu, i am sorry — did i weird you two out?
Not one bit.
okay. then let’s set myself aside for now… the ones i am actually worried about are chiaki and midori. they really are running [late], aren’t they? could something have happened?
Shall I withdraw for a moment to do a quick check-up on them?
We could at least know what’s holding them up if I make contact with Anzu-dono, since she was the one who helped us deliver their outfits to them.
No, it’d be best not to. I’m betting that our guests are confused about why there’s only three of us on stage right now, considering we specifically stated in our announcement that we’d be performing as the five of us for the first time in a while.
If you leave the stage now, it’s gonna make ‘em think something bad might’ve happened for real.
They came all the way here to see us perform, so we shouldn’t make ‘em worried.
Otherwise, they might end up panicking and thinking that the real reason why our seniors left Ryuseitai is ‘cuz they got fired for making a mess, even onstage.
Like, as an example, pro wrestling also has special matches to mark a wrestler’s retirement, but in some rare cases the match clearly has an upsetting “take a guess what got us here…” feel to it.
I know nothing about pro wrestling, but considering we’ve had many terrible rumors surrounding us since summer began…
I agree that we must refrain from presenting ourselves in a false manner, so we can avoid making people feel distrustful of us.
Ahhh, how frustrating… Being unable to move as freely as possible means I’m unable to thrive through my ninja lightning speed abilities.
Ossu, I know how you feel. But complaining won’t get us anywhere, so let’s do whatever it takes to make the best out of this situation. As long as we work our hardest to make our dreams come true, nothing is impossible.
I’m sure everything’ll go just fine if we do that! Even if that's just me being idealistic, I’ll be doing the best I can to make it a reality! Ossu!
(Screen fades to black for a moment)
—Eeep!?
W-W-What is the meaning of this!? Darkness has enveloped us all of a sudden…! C-Could this be… Tetora-kun’s superpower that only manifests when he uses 100% of his power: the Black-Out Technique…!?
Huh!? That’s literally the first time I’ve ever heard of that! What do you think of me as!?
My apologies, the chuunibyou spirit within me felt a tingle at the thought.
Anyways, this is bad! It looks like something went wrong with the lighting…!
no—
this does not look similar to the [incident] shu and his unit experienced two years ago.1
it is our [planetarium] at [work]. we had one installed inside here.
P-Planetarium…?
yes. our jellyfishies and such would look even [prettier] illuminating the [night], so we installed one to [captivate] our guests.
T-This aquarium really does have everything, doesn’t it…?
eheh~♪ we were [financially] struggling at one point2, so we tried a whooole lot of strategies~ may we hope for that kind of [effort] to never be in [vain].
anyway, why did the [planetarium] turn on suddenly…?
“ROOOOOOOOOAR!!”
EEEEEEK!?
Woah—!? Shinobu-kun, I get being spooked, but please don’t hide inside my clothes! Ah, it tickles…! What’re you, a squirrel!?
fufu, it is [disgraceful] for a hero to run away with their tail between their legs~
Y-You’re pretty calm, huh, Shinkai-senpai…?
i got used to huge [animals] because of the [aquarium], after all. why, [creatures] here can weigh a [ton], you know?
Creatures…? Ahh, you mean from the ocean? Like steller sea lions and walruses?
yes. but it looks like what is [before] us right now is actually the [fire-breathing] type of [creature].
Chapter 2
“ROOOOOOOOOOAR!!! GROOOOOOOOOWL!!”
Ohhh, you’re right! I see a kaijuu so gigantic, it could envelop the entire starry sky!
What is the meaning of this…!? Its strangely soft-looking appearance is the exact kind that Midori-kun would adore!
That’s how I can tell it must be made from CGI or something, and so—
You fiend! You must be a monster conjured through sorcery, aren’t you!? This is just the type of challenge I was hoping for…☆
Huh, so this is what they mean by “showing your true nature during a predicament”… You’re really reassuring to have in times like these, Shinobu-kun…
Eeep!? M-Midori-kun…!? You arrived so late! We were so worried for you!
Yeah, sorry about that… I had an argument with Morisawa-senpai on the way here…
A-Again…? I know it was once a trend in hero shows to fight amongst each other, but you shouldn’t be on bad terms with your fellow unit members, Midori-kun.
Close intimacy suits us best, you know!
Mhm. But that said, where is Morisawa-senpai anyway…? Shouldn’t he have been with you, Midori-kun?
Mm… There wasn’t enough time to pre-record the kaijuu’s part of the script, so he’s improvising it live with that stupid voice you’re hearing instead…
He looked happy when he was talking about how grateful he was for the opportunity to practice his kaijuu performance, but…
I bet he’d much rather be a hero… And let’s be real, a kaijuu role of all casting choices is the last thing his fans would consider suitable for him, sooo…
We need to get him out of that role already. The audience is probably freaking out over the blackout, anyway…
It’s about time we start explaining what’s happening here, and move on to the next plot point.
Okay, Shinobu-kun, here you go. The script.
Huh? So I just need to read this, right?
Ahaha, you’ve become the go-to guy for narration, huh? ♪
Mhm, I’m grateful for it. It feels as though my peculiar abilities are being put to great use.
…Ahem~… “The year is 20XX AD! Mankind has joined hands to surmount the threats of plague, the neverending conflicts, and any and all disasters! However, it was at that moment that a new enemy charged in to cause mayhem!”
“It was known as the Great Kaijuu, and it had only one goal in its mind: to consume the negative emotions of mankind’s fears, despair, and suffering!”
“This monster was the crystallization of the negative emotions left behind by mankind throughout the times, and even after feeding on human suffering, its very core hungered for more, and it began to terrorize the entire world!”
wow, that [plot] has no [originality] to it, don’t you think?
Of all people who’d nitpick, I didn’t expect it to be you, Shinkai-senpai… Morisawa-senpai had to rush a script out on his way here, so you’ll just have to accept the bad writing for what it is…
no, it is more like… something i can relate to.
……?
“However, mankind mustn’t give up! Where darkness may lie, let there be light! When evil surges forth, justice shall too!”
“‘I want to protect our wonderful planet!’ ‘I want to protect my loved ones!’ ‘I want to live happily forever, without any worries or anguish!’”
“It is those wishes and desires filled with positive emotions that crystalized and called upon a miracle!”
“Turning all the dreams and hopes deep inside everyone’s hearts into his strength — The warrior of justice stood up to take the stage!”
“Fuhahahaha! Fuhahaha! Fuhaaaaaha-ha-ha-ha!!!! ☆”
“The red flame is the mark of justice! The sun of life, burning bright red!”
“I’m Ryusei Red, Morisawa Chiaki…!”
…Woah, the lights came back on so suddenly. What's this so dramatic for?
Eh, what’s the big deal… Didn’t you guys wanna make this our final parting memory or whatever? So we may as well make it unforgettable for everyone with a flashy performance…
You sound like you’ve got a problem with that, Midori-kun.
I have more than one, actually…
Well, whatever. The Great Kaijuu is carrying the entirety of mankind’s malice inside of it—and while Morisawa-senpai may put up a strong front and all, he’s too weak and dumb to win against something that massive all on his own.
As much as it pains me, I guess we’ll just have to back him up.
“The green flame is the mark of compassion!”
“The great nature, growing infinitely! Ryusei Green, Takamine Midori…!”
“Red! You’re gonna get fried in no time if you just stand there all alone! Get your ass over here! Do we have to tell you what to do every time!?”
“W-Why are you snapping at me, Green!? And watch your language! You should speak to your seniors more politely! Promise me you’ll do that, okay!?”
Umm… I’ve no idea what’s happening anymore… But that is always how it is for Ryuseitai anyway.
As a ninja, my duty is to support from the sidelines while everyone takes action as they please. That is my wish, what brings me the most joy, and what I consider my form of justice.
“The yellow flame is the mark of hope! A single miracle shining into the darkness!”
“Ryusei Yellow, Sengoku Shinobu…!”
——well then, i will join along~♪
you three have become so very [reliable], but that does not mean that i am no longer [needed].
in fact, now that we have all grown stronger, we may be able to accomplish much more [valuable] things than we could ever before.
no, it could go even beyond that — i feel like we could make anything happen as long as all five of us are together.
……i took too long to realize that.
“the blue flame is the mark of mystery. i have come from the blue sea~”
“and now, i am here with all of you, living on this [land]! ryusei blue — shinkai kanata!”
Oooh, that’s longer than the other three’s catchphrases. I don’t even know which one’s Shinkai-senpai’s original catchphrase at this point, but… I felt this version deep in my heart.
Man… I can’t even imagine how great it could’ve been if we could all live alongside one another.
……………
Nagumo! I’m so sorry! Out of habit, I accidentally called myself Red before you could speak! I’m sorry to ask this of you, but could you let me take the spotlight as your seni—
Ahaha. Can’t you see the outfit I’m wearing, Senpai?
I’ve still got ways to go before I can properly wear the the color red, and I’m painfully aware that no amount of rushing will get me there any faster.
In the meantime, I’m fine with being black for now.
I know by now that the Ryuseitai you seniors worked hard to build isn’t some “dumb” unit that tries to make one color better than the other.
So I’ll proudly yell my own catchphrase with my head held high!
“The black flame is the mark of effort! The burning fighting spirit, stained with mud!!”
“Ryusei Black, Nagumo Tetora!”
“With the five of us together! We are Ryuseitai…!”
Chapter 3
“Let’s go, you guys! We’ll defeat the Great Kaijuu before it destroys our world!”
“We will prevail, for the sake of the Earth’s future—and for the sake of protecting everyone’s freedom and happy lives!”
…Yeah, yeah. But please stop trying to lead the team when you’re the one who arrived last, Senpai.
Oooh! Nice one, Nagumo! That sounded like something you’d hear in a crossover between Showa Riders and Heisei Riders…!3 It’s firing me up…!
There isn’t that much of a generation gap between us, though…?
Exactly. We’re only two years apart, but you still act like you’re sooo much more mature than us—
W-Why are you guys being so harsh!? You keep firing off one remark after the other! But it’s fine, I guess! It reminded me of our time during Supernova!
well, i think it is understandable that they would [scold] you a little. you showed up very, very [late], chiaki… and you too, midori. did something happen?
although i knew you two would come eventually, no matter what.
Yeah… I’m really sorry for always being late.4
no, i would rather you were late than never arriving at all, chiaki.
Mm~… Did it take you a while to prepare that shabby-looking CGI for that huge kaijuu or something?
Don’t call it shabby!
I mean, sure, it may look like paper-mache compared to those popular foreign movies with huge budgets, but Japan’s tokusatsu movies do the best they can too, okay!?
In fact! Tokusatsu has enough incredible technology to make even the fakest things look super realistic! They’re Japan’s pride and joy, y’know!
Huh, that description sounds exactly like you… Ahhh, so that’s why you love tokusatsu so much…
H-How did you even reach that conclusion!? I’m not made of paper-mache! And even if I was, I can assure you that I’ve been doing my absolute best to improve and polish myself, inside and out!
Well, yeah, that’s why you’re ES’s pride, and such an in-demand entertainer right now.
Mhm! If there’s anything lacking inside me, I’ll just fill it up! If I can’t do it on my own, I surely can with everyone beside me! Nothing is impossible as long as I'm alive!
…Why…
Hm?
Why are you, a stupidly positive person… holding back and giving up so easily on the unit that should mean so much to you?
You’re going to bring that up again, Takamine?
hm? what are you talking about~?
Well, the truth is… Another reason we were late was because Takamine threw a tantrum.
Now you’re calling it a tantrum… Fine, so it kinda was one, but you’re just spreading misinfo and making me look bad…
Mm, I’m sorry. I swear I’m not angry at you or anything.
It’s fine… Honestly, you should be angry — It’s my fault we got here so late… I held us back during our very last stage together.
But that’s exactly what I can’t stand. I’m just so irritated, like, what do you mean our “last” stage? Are you all being serious right now…?
That’s why I just couldn’t take it anymore on our way here, after changing into our uniforms…
The moment I realized that this was even our last time changing clothes together—
Everything started to feel so suffocating that I couldn’t bring myself to move. I never ever wanted us to reach the “final” moment between us.
I don’t care about the powerless kids begging for help — I’m suffering, too!
Why’re we the only ones who have to suck it up and hold in our pain and suffering? Why do we have to keep our mouths shut with a smile for the sake of everyone else?
I couldn’t stop looping those thoughts in my head, and started to feel so angry — I just wanted to abandon everything.
Midori-kun—
I’m sorry, Tetora-kun, Shinobu-kun. I’m the only one who hasn’t changed since Repayment Festival… I haven’t grown at all. It’s all ‘cause I’ve been pampered, protected, and helped by everyone.
That isn’t true, Midori-kun. You’re the one getting the most recognition through your modeling and other solo work.
Anyone who knows you could guess how much you dislike that line of work, but you still worked as hard as you could, and your efforts paid off. That isn’t something just anyone can do — You are incredible, Midori-kun.
Mm… Thanks for always being so nice to me. But I’m not venting here, and I’m not trying to get you to comfort me.
I’m saying all this ‘cause that’s the sorta pathetic guy I am — After all, I’m the one who took the longest to transform… That’s exactly why I know how it feels to be a “powerless nobody” compared to everyone else.
Unlike everyone else who can only think in tokusatsu concepts ‘cause they’ve become brainwashed by all those shows — I can think in a normal, realistic manner.
……?
Fine, sure, I did throw a tantrum. But when I couldn’t move a single muscle anymore, that idiot over there gently stretched out his hand to me.
He started telling me, “you don’t have to force yourself,” “you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to,” “you could even run away if you like.”
“You don’t have to hold yourself back, and if anybody makes a fuss, I’ll protect you from it.”
That stupid hero over there started to say stupidly heroic stuff to me.
…What else should I have done?
Nothing, you can stay that way. You’re just acting as the ideal hero you dreamed to be—
Or well, maybe saying “acting” is off. Lemme rephrase: that’s just you properly being a hero, right?
But don’t you think that’s a little odd? I mean, I’m supposed to be a hero too, aren’t I?
I’m still one, more or less. After all, all of you accepted me as one of you, despite how pathetic and slow I am.
I’m supposed to be capable of proudly saying I’m a hero.
And yet, I wasn’t able to fulfill my duty as one. Even when there was someone right in front of me acting as a role model, showing me how to do it in the simplest visual possible.
I got so frustrated as soon as I realized that…
After all, if I’m not a proper hero, then it’d turn everyone who recognizes me as one into lying frauds.
It would be like I betrayed everyone, and that was the one thing I couldn’t stand the thought of.
That’s why—
“Hello, everyone! We, Ryuseitai, have a very important announcement to make!”
(…!? W-What’s he doing all of a sudden!?)
(He isn’t going to tell our fans that this is the last time the five of us will perform together… is he?)
(This is an extremely sensitive issue, so we decided that we’d announce it much more properly and carefully rather than in this improvised live show—)
(Isn’t that why we chose to make today all about making everyone enjoy themselves…?)
(Actually, wait—Midori-kun tends to not check HoldHands that often, so perhaps he isn’t aware of our decision…?)
Chapter 4
(Mmm… I don’t think Midori-kun’s planning on exposing everything to the public out of desperation or something.)
(He’s a hero too, after all—He said it himself, and we see him the same way no matter what.)
(He wouldn’t say something upsetting while he’s wearing his hero uniform.)
(Wait, no… He does actually say rude stuff to some people, like Morisawa-senpai. What’s that all about anyway? Is he trying to act like a spoiled kid around him—or maybe they’re messing around with each other? I mean, it sounds like it’s how he expresses his love, so…?)
“We’re—”
“No, wait… Umm… Sorry, I’m not good at talking…”
“Um, you may already know this, but — Morisawa-senpai is going to appear in the tokusatsu show that’s broadcasting next spring.”
“I’m sure you’ve heard of it, since there was an official announcement about his casting just the other day. The five core members of Ryuseitai you're seeing on stage right now will also be appearing in that show too.”
…? Uh, what’s this about? I didn’t hear anythin’ about this.
Yeah, you wouldn’t have… ‘Cause we just decided on it a minute ago. In fact, Anzu-san is still negotiating with the agency about it as we speak — It’s not even official yet.
A-Are you sure it’s alright to announce something that hasn’t been finalized?
Yeah, probably… I’m sure she won’t have any problems negotiating with them. Besides, by announcing it here first, we’ll get the fans to talk about it, so the agency will find it hard to reject the decision…
That’s the kind of sneaky strategy I’m going for here… He he he~♪
hmm, i see. but you do not have to copy after chiaki when it comes to that.
Huh!? Was I ever the type to do that sort of sneaky stuff!?
Yeah, I learned this trick from you, Senpai. I’ve grown up enough to understand what you’ve actually been doing for us all along.
“…They haven’t decided on what we’re going to play as yet, but—”
“We’ll likely be performing as new characters from a manga that’s never had a live adaptation before.”
“There will be an official announcement from the agency later, so… Please look forward to it, and please show us your support.”
“We’ll do our absolute best for the show — As Ryuseitai, and as the allies of justice that everyone loves and dreams of.”
“We’ll make sure to meet your expectations, and make you smile the moment you see us on screen.”
“—That’s all I had to say. I’m sorry for the sudden announcement. Now, please enjoy our live show.”
…Um. I’m not really sure what to say here, but…
Please don’t just decide all of our plans on your own.
Of course, I’m very happy and honored to be able to take part in a tokusatsu show as a Ryuseitai member, but still…
We’ve got the free time, so it should be fine. We’re on a hiatus and all…
I’m sorry for doing it without your approval first, but you’re all used to that ‘cause of Morisawa-senpai anyway…
I mean, the guy used to constantly make us do hero shows out of nowhere, right?
…That’s true.
You’ve perfectly re-enacted my way of doing things, huh? You must’ve observed my lifestyle very carefully, and did your best to understand me.
That is, without a doubt, love. Thank you, I love you too.
I’m gonna kick you off the stage.
…Well, I do feel bad for deciding so much on my own, though.
But you guys did the same. You got this stage up and ready without even getting my approval first.
All while telling me it’s meant to be the final stage as the five of us together, or whatever.
But we did try to get your approval — you simply refused to be contacted in the first place, no matter how many times we tried…
Yeah, I’m sorry about that. But I wasn’t gonna approve of this even if I did pick up your calls.
I just can’t stand the thought of this being our last time together.
……………
Besides… We haven’t even done anything wrong, so why’re we being forced into this horrible situation…?
I just don’t get it! I’m not satisfied, I can’t accept it as it is.
That’s why I refuse to accept it. You got a problem with that? Why’re you all so willing to be obedient, anyway?
Erm, I don’t really have an answer to that…
It’s ‘cuz we’re the allies of justice. It’s not in our blood to come up with schemes to deceive and betray people while we snicker at them from above.
No matter how painful or horrible the situation is, we gotta keep on smiling—
And we just have to take it? Just us? Why?
Um, I can’t really answer that, y’know?
…I just can’t accept this as it is. I think it’s ‘cause I’m not a full-fledged hero yet. Not that I even like heroes in the first place…
That’s exactly why I don’t get it. It’s like I’m looking at some kind of foreign culture. All the tokusatsu fans, Tetora-kun, Morisawa-senpai… You’re all so caught up with this culture for some reason—
You guys have such a weird fixation on pointless stuff like who gets to wear the red uniform, but… I think we should all wear what we wanna wear, including our favorite color.
Well, I suppose you do make a good point. But in hero sentai shows, red is a special color — The leader of the team, who is also the protagonist, is the one who’s meant to wear it.
I don’t care… I don’t have any interest in that stuff, so I just don’t get it — Who the hell decided on that rule?
Is it illegal to go against that rule? Are you gonna be fined or punished or something?
I hate how a convention that nobody even knows the origins of is souring Morisawa-senpai and Tetora-kun’s relationship…
That weird tradition can go eat shit.
We’re not like Trickstar, who break down traditions to cause a revolution…
But we’re not basing ourselves on tradition like Akatsuki either.
Isn’t there something much more important to protect than some stupid tradition?
Because all of you have been acting like good kids, and holding yourselves back from saying anything, I'll be the one to say this, as the pampered second son of a greengrocer:
I literally couldn’t care less about tradition. All the staples, etiquette, conventions, and whatever nerdy stuff that goes with it, couldn’t matter any less to me. I honestly think it’s the dumbest thing in the world.
You’re all way, way more important to me than that.
……………
I accidentally joined the idol course, and kept on hanging my head and whining about how depressing everything was, but you guys gave me a warm place to be part of.
You guys let me spend a whole year of fun and joy with you—That’s why all of you mean so much more to me.
I’m an awkward dunce without any experience in anything, but that’s exactly why I refuse to let go of the one thing that means the world to me.
Because I’ll never, ever have something like this ever again in my whole life—
Maybe it’s something trivial and disposable to you guys, but…
To me, you are all precious treasures that I never, ever once expected to have in my life.
Chapter 5
…I ended up preaching a bit. That’s embarrassing… I don’t wanna keep our guests waiting, so let’s get rid of all the unnecessary stuff and start the show.
Ryuseitai’s show, made just for us.
Yeah, to be honest, one of the things we should never do as idols is chat amongst ourselves onstage. That’s known to be a tradition in Yumenosaki, but—
“Tradition can go eat shit,” huh…
On our way here, Takamine and I had a similar conversation.
It was a little awkward because he kept throwing a tantrum, but one of the wonderful things about him is that he doesn’t put up a strong front like I do.
He’s honest with himself, and so genuinely dazzling. He spoke out the feelings I was trying my best to hide deep inside me — the same feelings you guys likely had, too.
While we were on the verge of losing hope from the crushing reality, he found our true feelings for us.
Then he did his best to extend his hand as far as he physically could to try and save our hearts — as a hero.
Nagumo.
Ah! Yes, ossu! What’s up!? I’m honestly not keeping up with this conversation super well!
Yeah, that’s understandable. But, slow as it may be, you’ve been steadily moving forward one step at a time.
That’s exactly why I want to ask this one favor from you: Until the day comes when you’re satisfied with yourself and feel capable of wearing the red color, I’d like you to return the color back to me.
……………
I want you to allow me to be Ryusei Red.
It’s always been my dream to don the red color. I’ve worked hard all this time to make that dream come true.
I struggled so much to reach the point I could become worthy enough to wear it—and the moment I was, I graduated from Yumenosaki.
And naturally, I followed the conventions of Ryuseitai—or rather, hero sentai shows—and passed down the color and leadership onto my junior.
By that, I mean you, Nagumo. I did it precisely because I believed you were suitable for the color.
…But reality was different from that, yeah? I failed to meet your expectations… I kept making us lose all the things you seniors worked hard to build up…
No, that isn’t true. You aren’t one bit at fault here.
I’m the one who made a mistake — our environment was rapidly changing due to the establishment of ES, yet I was still stubborn enough to try and stick to tradition without any prior thought.
The tradition of red inheritance doesn’t even have that long of a history. It actually started from my year.
Thinking about it, it really was just me wishing for a tradition like that in our unit, and decided to do all on my own.
I kept chasing after a dream instead of facing reality, pulling all of you along with me, only to hurt all of you for no reason.
I was the idiot here.
I wanted to act like a hero, but in the end, it was nothing different from a foolish parent trying to make their kids follow along with their own dreams.
In reality, as Takamine said, we could just wear outfits of the color we like — a color that suits who we are. And there’s nobody else in this world who’s wanted to wear the red color more than I have, ever since I was young.
That’s why from here on out, I’ll keep wearing the red color.
Then what about—…
You’re also free to wear the red color if you want to. And of course, you’re free to stay as black, too. You should wear the color you like.
What’s important here isn’t the color of our clothes — It’s if you guys feel satisfied with yourselves enough to wear the color.
……………
—Kanata and I were genuinely planning to leave Ryuseitai, because we felt like we were getting in your way.
After all, you can’t avoid the two Ryuseitai units’ respective red colors being compared to each other.
Also, while I know this is out of line to say — I’ve worked for a much, much longer time than you guys in order to become someone worthy enough to wear the red color.
That’s exactly why at the moment, I’m the one people see as the more suitable member for the color. Which is only natural; we’re talking about differences in experience here.
You’re an incredible idol, Nagumo, but people thought you were inferior because they compared the two of us.
That frustrated me. That was why we tried to leave Ryuseitai. If there were one less Red, then there would be nobody to compare the other Red to.
That was the original plan. Ryuseitai, after all, is a unit that resides in Yumenosaki Academy.
It’s a group only meant to be within school, that can only be enjoyed through your highschool life, and that you can only be part of while you’re still a kid.
The members that graduate from school will, by default, retire from Ryuseitai. That was the tradition.
My predecessor and the guy before him were all like that—In fact, everyone who was Red aren’t even idols anymore, except for me.
I tried to abide by that tradition without prior thought.
But there’s no way anyone outside of our school would know about our unit’s tradition.
There are still so many people out there who think I’m the leader of Ryuseitai.
That’s why it’s jarring to them to see me in a different color from red, and you in it instead.
It’s only natural for people to feel that way.
People who aren’t into hero sentai wouldn’t know its conventions, and we never did an inheritance ceremony like Knights did.
We just passed things on to you guys without explaining anything to them — Of course they’d be confused.
It’s my fault for using my hectic schedule as an excuse to delay telling the public about our situation. I’m so sorry.
Oh, we did try to explain it to our fans multiple times. But it seems like they didn’t quite grasp what was going on…
Instead, we tried to explain why we’ve got two Reds around in different words, like calling the units by Ryuseitai-M and Ryuseitai-N—
But in the end, that just made things even more confusing.
Yeah, that’s why we should’ve retired from Ryuseitai much, much earlier.
But instead, I tried to be there for the fans who still wanted to see me as Ryusei Red, in what they call the “good-old Ryuseitai”.
I acted like a good kid to everyone, just because I didn’t want to see anyone sad, or fail to meet their expectations—
In the end, that led us to continue on our unit work in an unnatural way, all due to my attempts to satisfy everyone.
Because of that, we just ended up causing a lot of confusion for everyone, and then we were attacked by Crazy:B at our most vulnerable moment and suffered the consequences.
But I’m going to put all of that to an end right here, right now.
Until I build Ryuseitai a strong enough foundation to survive any hardship, I’ll be leading the unit as Ryusei Red — just like I did last year.
We’ll continue our activities within ES, with all five of us — only the five of us — as Ryuseitai.
Only the five of us—
Yeah, the Ryuseitai-N newcomers will be split into smaller units like Gunseitai and perform their own activities, right?
That was the agency’s orders, after all.
We’ll let the subsidiaries of our unit handle the Yumenosaki side. Of course, we’ll still be helping them out as much as we can.
This does mean we’ll be letting go of all the boys who joined our unit out of admiration right in the middle of their school year, though.
Regardless, we also demanded a handful of things from the agency in exchange for our compliance with their orders.
Chapter 6
First, we asked the agency to allow us to take part in the upcoming tokusatsu show together this spring. That’s what Takamine just announced to everyone.
The show is very high-budget and has a high chance of becoming a huge hit, so it would be an advantage for us to take part in it.
By the way, the footage from this live show will be used as a reference point for determining which roles they’ll officially give us.
That’s why it was important that we show off our cool fighting skills against the Great Kaijuu.
Ahh, I was wondering what that strange act earlier was for… This isn’t anything new between us, but it makes things confusing when the explanation comes in so late.
Yeah, I’m so sorry for doing that every time.4
Nevertheless, I’m going to be performing as both a kaijuu and a hero. This way, there should be no problems regarding my face being hidden behind the costume.
It solves the agency’s problem as well, so our proposal must have sounded perfect to them.
Also, I asked the agency to promise us they won’t interfere so harshly with Ryuseitai and its subsidiaries.
On top of that, if we're caught in any sort of scandal, they’ll do what they must to defend and protect us.
At the very least this stops us from being treated as slaves and convenient chess pieces by the agency.
This way, we’ll be able to protect our autonomy and freely do things the way we want to.
We aren’t soldiers like ALKALOID — We’re heroes who sacrifice ourselves only under our own sense of justice.
…It would be selfish of me to say all that without giving anything in return, however, so we also took down the proposal of Kanata and I leaving Ryuseitai.
The two of us will be working as part of Ryuseitai from now on, as well.
Ah! I’m so glad to hear that. While I could infer why you two suggested that—
It truly is saddening to part ways.
Yeah. But since we’re graduates, the longer we stick around in the academy with our activities, the more we’d hinder the former Ryuseitai-N members’ hard work.
That’s exactly why we’ll be moving our base to ES. We were ordered to prioritize ES over Yumenosaki, anyway.
To put it harshly, the Ryuseitai that existed in Yumenosaki will be gone for good.
We’ll be closing the curtains on the history of Yumenosaki’s Ryuseitai—the oldest idol unit in the academy.
From here on out, we’ll start a new page in history, as a new idol unit in ES.
Getting through these procedures will be tough, and we’ll have to start thinking about what to do with the names of songs like “Yumenosaki Ryuseitai Song”, but—
Right now, the main issue is things getting muddier and muddier while our fans are getting more confused.
That’s why I’ll be taking responsibility for everything, and rebuild the entire unit from scratch.
We’ll start over and assemble everything all over again. What we want to protect isn’t a tradition—it’s our freedom, our happiness, and the smiles of ourselves and our fans.
Mhm, mhm, exactly… That’s what you should’ve done from the very beginning.
Uumyu… He already officially announced to the public that he’d be making me the next leader, so… He couldn’t just scrap that whole thing away.
Then ES suddenly came into existence right after that, and things got more complicated… That’s why our seniors’ graduation didn’t end up being seen as “a turning point”—
Which is why there’s a huge difference between how we see our unit and how the public did.
Our seniors were intending to split off as soon as they graduate, but in the public’s eyes, it didn’t really look like they put a stop to anything.
Yeah… And on top of the ES commotion, we had to work extremely hard just to get used to the new jobs that we applied for…
We kept missing our opportunities to explain our situation, and that’s how we came to this point.
That’s exactly why, while it may be too late now, I would like to restart our pace with a proper grounded start.
None of this awkward fiddling anymore — I’ll guarantee us a foundation so strong that it won’t worry any of our fans.
Then, once I’ve made sure that everything’s alright in the unit, and once Nagumo has the confidence and strength to be satisfied with his role as the leader—
If you still have the will to be the next leader by then, I would like to do an official Red inheritance ceremony.
……………
I don’t know how many years that would take — In the worst case scenario, it could never happen at all.
But I’ll still keep waiting and dreaming of the day that happens, and work hard to see it realized.
We — No, I rushed too much.
I was so fixated on getting things to move according to plan, and according to the ideal I was fantasizing about, that I couldn’t see reality properly.
I’ve brought many tragedies upon us because of that. I made you guys, and our fans, suffer so much.
But I’ll be ensuring I do things right this time, in order to compensate for what I’ve done.
I’ll surely be able to find the happy future where all of us are satisfied and agree together, and grasp it for us with my own two hands.
I swear that I will. I may be a lying paper-mache with nothing but a strong front, but I protect my vows. At the very least, I will do whatever it takes to protect it.
well, i can [vouch] for that.
chiaki may be clumsy, and takes more [steps] back than [forward] while he is [struggling] through his path—
and he may make many [mistakes], but he always manages to properly do things by the end.
Yeah, I know. I mean, that’s what Ryuseitai’s all about, isn’t it?
I feel like I got to really be reminded of that all over again.
Us first years could barely do a single thing at first, but we still managed to work hard to grow strong.
We couldn’t do it properly at first ‘cuz we aren’t geniuses, but we managed to grow up so strong ‘cuz we never gave up, despite all our mistakes and the bumps and trips we experienced along the way.
But I forgot that for a moment—I took a step too far, thinking we’re already good enough by now—only to end up exposing a humiliating side of myself.
As a result, I ended up muddying the red outfit I had been given with so many expectations, and turned it pitch black.
But that’s the color I choose to wear as we start anew—
Until the day I become satisfied with myself enough to wear the red color.
Alright. I’m so sorry, Nagumo.
Why’re you apologizing? None of us did anything wrong, and we haven’t lost a single thing.
I mean, c’mon — There’s only one thing waiting out there for us: the dazzling future we’ll surely manage to reach by working hard.
You’re supposed to smile here, not apologize.
that’s right. we are [idols], after all.
Yup… Our fans are super open-minded so they kindly waited for us, but we would’ve gotten a lot of complaints by now if they weren’t…
I mean, we’ve just been talking among ourselves for forever…
Mhm, mhm. We’ll talk about this — No, about everything after our performance is over.
Our lives aren’t ending here, and the world isn’t ending either.
You’re right. Our graduation was meant to be our grand finale, but in the end, it was only just a checkpoint.
We were never supposed to stop there, but despite that, we never tried to take a step forward either and ended up running in place.
But it’s going to be different from here on. We’ll be walking step by step, towards the future we dreamed of reaching—
No matter what the future has in store for us, and even if we can only stay this way right now—we’ll be walking there together, as the five of us.
“♪~♪~♪”
Translation Notes
- ↑ This is referencing Marionette, a reminiscence story about Valkyrie’s past.
- ↑ A reference to Summer Snow, where Kanata had to come up with a marketing strategy to make his aquarium flourish.
- ↑ The Kamen Rider series are categorized into Japan's time periods. The Showa series is considered the first era of the series (1971-1994), with Heisei (2000-2019) coming right after it.
- ↑ Chiaki says gomen here, a more polite/softer way to say "sorry" compared to suman (the usual way Chiaki apologizes). Chiaki tends to do this more often when he's more weak-hearted, such as in Sweet Halloween.