Comet Show – Week-end at the Aquarium

Characters

Writer

Akira

Translation

310mc

Proofreading

honeyspades + moricchiichan (Chapter 5-9)

Chapter Index

Ch 1 - Ch 2 - Ch 3 - Ch 4 - Ch 5 - Ch 6 - Ch 7 - Ch 8 - Ch 9 - Translation Notes

Chapter 1

Season: ES 1st Year, Summer (Late September)

Location: In front of Aoumi Aquarium

Another several minutes later…

…………

chi~aki ♪

Oghfn!? Don’t just pounce on me out of nowhere, Kanata! I let out a strange noise!

fufufu~ chiaki is a [scaredy cat], isn’t he?

You’ve been learning a lot of strange words lately, Kanata… As the saying goes, “The disorder of words means the disorder of the heart.” Although, seeing as how it shows you’ve grown, it’s great news as well.

Well, it’s fine. You arriving on time to the meeting spot is enough for me to realize just how much you’ve grown, and I’m happy for it.

You’ve truly grown so much, Kanata. There, there~♪ (pats head)

is chiaki my [parent] or something?

that aside… thank you for making the time out of your day to come here on my [request].

even though you have been [busy] to an astonishing degree these days.

Oh come on now! You thought this was necessary, didn’t you? Then I’ll squeeze out the time for you even if I have to push myself.

Last year and the year before surprisingly had me scrambling about from place to place as well, so I’m used to this, anyway.

yes. last year was really tough after all, looking after [children] that you could not keep your eyes off of.

Yeah. And the year before that, I was extremely busy looking after an ‘overgrown child’.

Now, now, Kanata~ There’s some nori seaweed on your cheek~♪

wah—

Fufu. I really can’t leave Kanata on his own just yet, can I…♪

you are wrong~ this is from when i was [taste-testing] the new [takoyaki] from the [aquarium]; we have been working on [eye-catching products], okay~?

this is the [result] of me [working] hard like an adult would. i have [grown], you know~?

I know. Compared to how you were when we first met, you’ve become a lot more like a human being — Kanata.

chiaki, too. you have become more like a [human being] in a bad way.

In a bad way!? Well, I know what you’re trying to say, though!

…I really have become such a sneaky, selfish, boring adult.

but you have always been like [that] for a long time, chiaki.

the [children] who admire you were simply tricked by your [cool front], so it is hard for them to see that part of you clearly, that is all.

Yeah… If only I could behave like the hero from a story at all times, without needing to consciously put in the thought.

But unfortunately, I’ve never had the natural innate ability to do that.

if you were the [perfect] and [strongest] person by birth, i would not have grown to [love] you, chiaki.

maybe i could have become [friends] with you like i did with everyone in [five eccentrics], but…

we could not have become [allies] who help and save one another. it is because we [lack] in something that we can [make up] for each other. you were the one who taught me that.

…………

umm, please do not cling to me at random. i assume you were [moved] by what i said, though — you really are such a spoiled child, aren’t you, chiaki?

Mhm. Sorry… Lately, I’ve had to constantly work with the best manners among people older than me, so I’ve been starving for this sort of lighthearted physical contact with someone.

you must be, yes. wouldn’t getting a [girlfriend] for real be good here, in that case?

kaoru would also do something like that in the [past]; he would fill his loneliness by spending time with [girls], so how about it?

No, with how pathetic I am right now, I wouldn’t be capable of pouring every bit of my love into one person and bringing them happiness. I have to grow tougher and stronger.

And if I ever want to have physical contact with someone, I have you here, Kanata.

hmm, so you will [compromise] through me? i do not really mind~ shall i make you a [lunchbox] every day?

That sounds nice too, but… Right now, I’m the one who isn’t good enough.

My current priority is to become an independent member of society, as an idol and as a working adult. I still don’t have the time for love or relationships right now.

that is what i am saying; you will become an [old man] if you keep saying that, you know~?

Fufu. As long as I have a friend like you by my side, I feel like I could be happy forever, even when I’m old and retired.

uu~? so close! just a little more!

What’s that supposed to mean… Anyway, for the time being, things are going favorably well in my individual work, but… The problem now is the kids who we’ve left behind in Yumenosaki.

I can only hope that we’ll be able to reach an agreement by properly discussing things face-to-face today.

yes. that is the reason why i tried to find a way to ask mr. [in-demand entertainer] to make [time] for us today, after all.

Chapter 2

i know i am a little late to say this, but… the [filming] for that [new show] airing in spring has just started, right?

is it [alright] for you to be loafing around here?

Yeah, there’s still plenty of time before it airs, after all.

Until both parties reach an agreement for their disputes, all the filming is currently for the basic scenes, to also act as a way to practice.

They’re basically filming any parts of the script that likely won’t get changed or won’t go to waste in some way.

And since I play the kaijuu role, I don’t take part in the human drama scenes, so I have some leeway during this period of time as well.

i see. i did vaguely hear that it will be a story about the [kaijuu], but what exactly is the [story] about?

Mm… Even if we’re companions, I can’t really talk about the script and such with people not involved in the filming, but…

It’s actually not going to be a simple everyday kaijuu film; it appears that they’ll cherry-pick the good parts from tokusatsu shows.

It’s actually a pretty big festive show with not only kaijuu, but also various heroes across the country appearing, who’ll either unit or fight each other.

It’s like the Japanese version of The Avengers. They seem to be actively aiming for that based on the gist of the project.

It won’t just incorporate tokusatsu shows, I heard they’ll adapt huge robots from famous anime into the live-action show, too.

And then those protagonists from different famous stories will band together to fight against a common enemy, that sort of thing.

fwah~ i am not sure if i should say [extravagant] or [chaotic]… it sounds interesting, but it also sounds like a [lot] of [work] to pull it off.

Yeah. It’s sadly unavoidable, but there’s a lot of disputes regarding copyright, and it’s delayed the filming by a lot.

My agency and the company may be having a dispute over whether or not I show my face, but that’s nothing compared to the other copyright disputes going on.

is everything going to be alright? what if they argue so much that the whole [project] flops?

I can’t deny that possibility with the current stage it’s at… This project is almost like a dream in my eyes, so I really hope it’s implemented in the most ideal way possible.

As an actor aswell as a huge nerd of tokusatsu shows, I’m really looking forward to this project.

It’s almost unbelievable that I get to perform in a project full of all my dreams. I wish I could tell my childhood self what he’s in for.

although it is apparently for a [cartoon costume] who will not show his face, for chiaki.

I’m only a young actor, or rather, a newcomer, so just getting a role alone is a dream come true for me. You’d be shocked to hear the names of the other actors involved.

Since it’s something of a crossover project, that means the cast of the original work will remain as it is in most cases, so it’s actually a project that can’t really take risks with the casting.

ah~… since there may be even more disputes if the [original work] and [actors] change.

Yeah. For the kaijin role I play, the ‘person inside’ used to frequently change even in the original work, so there’s no real problem with casting changes compared to other roles.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that I’ll cut corners with my performance.

I will perform my kaijin role spectacularly! With all my dreams, hopes, passion, and nerdy fan heart poured in…!

isn’t there something [impure] mixed in?

They’re all pure feelings! 100% pure, uncorrupted love! The personification of love itself!

yes. fufu, that is chiaki after all.

but listening to this makes me [envious] somehow.

i would have loved to [join] this [project], too — as part of ryuseitai, that is.

Really? I see… I assumed that you guys wouldn’t have any desire to take part in an all-out tokusatsu show, though.

It’s been a life-long dream of mine to perform in a tokusatsu show, but… Each of you have dreams of your own, right?

that is true, but… still, i know i should not be one to say this, as i have been making the children feel lonely—

but in the end, i would much rather do things [together] no matter what it is, instead of [working] separately on our own.

Hm… Right now, I think there’d be just enough leeway to wedge us in as Ryuseitai if we try hard enough.

I heard that the casting for the heroes from the anime and manga haven’t been finalized yet, so…

If I suggest this to the agency in exchange for “abiding by the agency’s orders”, I think it’d be possible to have everyone as an actor.

ES is also investing in this project, so they likely can push for something unreasonable like that.

But… Personally, I’d much rather that the kids of Ryuseitai make their own decisions and choose a future for themselves. I don’t really want to force them—

If push came to shove, then I suppose there’d be no choice but to do so, and technically, that time is exactly now, but—

Actually, this is all happening far too late if anything, but— …No, as I keep saying all this empty talk…

I feel like everything has been rolling down towards the worst possible scenario.

If this was how it was going to be all along… then maybe I should’ve taken this step much earlier, and become just like a kaijuu who destroys everything—

Maybe I should’ve become the ‘evil’ to those kids, and let them defeat me so that they can move forward in their lives.

Chapter 3

Several minutes later…

…They’re late.

Kanata, you properly told them the time and place we’ll be meeting, right?

eh? i did; after all, i [contacted] all of them through [holdhands], yes?

they all [replied] back with something like an “i understand”, too.

Right, you did. I wonder what’s wrong… They’re all good boys, so they would at least send a message if they’ll be late to arrive.

D-Did they get into an accident?

I’m worried now! Let me contact them on HoldHands!

now, now, it is not even the [appointed time] yet. we were the ones that called for them, so i am not so sure about rushing them, you know.

Y-You’re right. Now that I think about it, there’s still half an hour before the appointed time.

if anything, you arrived too [early], chiaki. aren’t you a little impatient?

Mm~h… See, the newcomers are supposed to arrive earlier than the veterans in filming jobs. I’ve now developed the habit of taking a head start a little earlier.

you are very earnest~ as always.

on the contrary, have you considered that the [children] may feel [bad] when they see us seniors here [before] them?

Ahh, you’re right… If I were in their shoes, this might end up feeling a bit awkward.

Alright, Kanata — Let’s hide somewhere to avoid making the kids feel guilty.

ehh~ i do not think we have to go that far, though. i do not think being overly considerate around [close companions] is the right call, you know.

You’re right… I’m being taught the fundamentals of human relationships from Kanata… Goes to show I’m getting old, huh.

what is that supposed to mean? …our hands are empty [while] waiting, so how about we look around the [aquarium] ahead of time?

since anyone can freely [go in] and [out] of our aquarium for the most part, as long as they have bought an [entry ticket].

Ah, I see. As expected of a manager, you know a lot, huh?

it is not that [impressive], really. [business] has not really been on track for a good while, so we have been going through trial and error [every day].

that is fun in itself, though.

……oh?

Hello… Hope you’ve been doing we~ll…

What are you, a convenience store part-timer devoid of any sort of enthusiasm!?

midori~♪ good moo~rning!

Hahh, morning… You seniors are always so energetic, huh.

Takamine~! You were so late that you had me worried! I thought you might’ve gotten into an accident!

I’m not late, though… You two are just way too early… Why’re you so full of energy…

(Whispering) Even though the thought of today possibly being the last time the five of us get together has kept me depressed for forever… mumblemumble

…? What’s wrong, what’s wrong, you seem down! Are you alright!? Did something unpleasant happen!?

Aaalright, let me share my powah with you! Theeere, there, there, there~☆

It’s annoying, so could you not hug me…? Also, I’ve been wanting to mention this for a long time, but aren’t you pronouncing ‘Power’ weird, Senpai…?

fufu. you two are so close~

…more importantly, midori, aren’t the other two [with you]?

No, it’s not like we do stuff as the three of us all the time…

I know people tend to see us as “the graduates” and “the students”, but you two aren’t always doing stuff together either, right…

Even if we say “the five of us together” and whatever, in the end it’s just five “lone people” gathering in the same place… When it comes down to it, we were all born alone and will die alone…

What’s wrong, what’s wrong!? You’re so gloomy! But at this point, that gloominess feels nostalgic to me! Aaalright, let me share my heat, my radiance, and my powah with you!

I’ll kill you if you say ‘powah’ one more time.

Why!?

Because it pisses me off somehow… And maybe you’ve forgotten Senpai, but I’m low in energy enough to feel depressed particularly in the mornings…

It’s not that I’m actually down in the dumps or anything, this is just how I usually am…

Oh, right. Are you doing alright these days? Can you get up on your own just fine every morning without me coming to wake you up? Mom is worried about you!

You’re not my mama.

yes! i am midori’s [mom]~!

Um, I can’t tell if you’re being serious or trying to be funny, so could you drop the fooling around…?

I’m already so fed up of these goofy seniors — Tetora-kun, Shinobu-kun, hurry and get over here~…?

Chapter 4

Location: Aoumi Aquarium (Main Exhibit)

Several minutes later, inside ‘Aoumi Aquarium’…

Here, Takamine! Look! There’s sunfish! They’re similar to you and sooo cute! Like the way you can’t tell if they’re dead or alive…!

If that’s you going for a compliment, then I’m impressed more than anything.

fufu. we have quite the [display] of [fishies] now, don’t we?

our [aquarium]’s [business] has gotten a lot smoother now, so we can try taking bigger [risks].

but [sunfish]-san are hard to [maintain], so we were not [sure] if we wanted to bring them in or not at first.

Huh. So it’s similar to me in that sense too — that’s what you want to say, isn’t it, Morisawa-senpai?

D-Don’t interpret every little thing as an insult towards you! That’s a bad habit of yours, Takamine!

yes. because they are so [difficult] to take care, [nobody] ever attempts to do so, and they end up being “precious” in their “rarity”.

so “difficult child” and “troublesome child” are forms of praise, too~♪

Kanata! Nice follow-up! ☆

That doesn’t cancel out your slip-up, though…

Can’t you be more careful with what you say? Well, I won’t deny that there’s fault in me constantly assuming the worst in everything, though—

(But in reality, you normally wouldn’t consider taking in difficult or troublesome kids into your group, especially when you don’t have the time or energy to spare…)

(We didn’t know left from right when we first entered the school, and if anything, we were practically “hopeless kids”, so I have to be grateful to our seniors for picking us up…)

(Especially since, when I first joined Ryuseitai, the unit didn’t seem to have any time to spare for anything…)

(It’s the oldest idol unit in Yumenosaki, so the one thing it did have was a massively long history, but…)

(Even though the unit was apparently in decline for a long time, our seniors managed to stand their ground and keep it alive, even if only barely…)

(They wouldn’t have had any leeway to look after the three of us, who were complete newbies at being an idol—)

(So why did our seniors let us in as part of the unit…?)

(And how were they able to succeed at turning Ryuseitai into a proper idol unit, despite all those circumstances…?)

(We tried to do the same thing with Ryuseitai-N, but it didn’t go well at all…)

(What exactly is the difference between us and our seniors…?)

—But it’s unfortunate.

Fwah? Eh? W-What is…? I mean, sure, we look unfortunate compared to you seniors, but…?

…? What are you talking about? I always say this, but you guys are doing incredible.

You guys are doing so much better as idols than when we were your age!

yes~ …what were we doing around [this time] in our [second year] again?

Mm~ I think I was teaching you some common knowledge, like how to ride a train and such, while also taking on part-time work where we hand out flyers or clean the auditorium.

It was a time when we were at the bottom of the barrel, so to speak.

ah~ a lot happened then, so we could not really go up on [stage] much, after all. we would only cause [offense] to others if we did, or rather, there was not much [meaning] to being on stage in the first place.

What do you mean…?

i was a [monster] back then, you see. i was better off not showing my face to the [public], as it would only frighten people.

i felt [bad] that i made chiaki accompany me through all that at the time, though.

Oh come on now, I’m the one who chose this path myself. I don’t regret it.

If I’m honest, I did want to do idol-like things, too. But the next school year later, I got that wish granted for the whole year, when Takamine and the other two joined in.

So once again, thank you for making my dream come true! You guys…☆

…That aside, what was that “unfortunate” about?

Mm, I just found it unfortunate that Nagumo and Sengoku might arrive late. I was hoping to talk about something important with the five of us together.

Mm… It’ll be tough on me to talk to both of you seniors on my own, after all…

But there’s nothing we can do about that, it sounds like the two of them suddenly had something urgent to do…

I can’t imagine what could be more important than discussing the future of Ryuseitai with the five of us together, though…

That’s true. No, actually, we’re in the wrong for suddenly calling for them, so there’s no helping it if they can’t make it.

But this is a little surprising to me, I never thought Nagumo and Sengoku would say something like that. Did a family member pass away…?

For both of them, at the exact same time…? I genuinely doubt that’s possible…?

midori, do you have any [idea] what the two could be [busy] with?

I can’t say I don’t…

But it pissed me off that they pushed it all on me to discuss something as important as deciding on Ryuseitai’s future, so I didn’t ask for the details to actually know much…

No, you should have properly asked about that. It’s important to report, contact, and consult.

Where’s that coming from, when you’re the one who’s always bearing everything on your own without telling us anything…?

Well, I’ll try my best to settle this talk in those two’s stead… It’s a pain and exhausting and I hate it, but if there’s something you’d like to say, please tell me.

It’s not really like me to do this, but I’ll take your side into consideration in a ‘positive’ way on their behalf.

Chapter 5

Another several minutes later…

(Ahh, this is so depressing… I wanna die…)

(In the end, Tetora-kun and Shinobu-kun said they’re going to take longer getting here…)

(And Shinkai-senpai went off somewhere because he suddenly had an urgent matter to deal with in the aquarium…)

(Thanks to that, now it looks like Morisawa-senpai and I are on an aquarium date for literally no reason besides us being alone together…)

(It feels like fate itself is trying to force me in his direction and I hate it… It also just feels so lonely with all of us separated from each other…)

(Ahh, I’m really starting to feel pissed off now…)

Look, Takamine! They’re selling plushies of some deep-sea creatures! I have no idea what they’re meant to be!

You love these kinds of loose-looking and shapeless creatures, right!?1 Alrighty then, your dad will buy it for you to commemorate us spending time together in the aquarium today!

You’re not my papa either, ‘kay?

(Actually, right now it does kind of feel like Morisawa-senpai’s a dad awkwardly trying to appease his daugh— his son in order to improve their strained relationship…)

(But it’s such a fitting scenario that I don’t want to say it out loud…)

(Why’d things get this complicated between us, anyway…?)

(I don’t think any of us even did anything wrong… We were just doing the best we could for the sake of justice, for the sake of everyone.)

(It’s unreasonable, irritating, and so depressing.)

Oh, look over here! This one looks exactly like you! Sooo cute~!

Do you seriously not have any other way to compliment people…?

And for the record, being compared to some mysterious deep-sea creature doesn’t make me happy at all, ‘kay…?

But I could feel a little happy if you compared it to “Shinkai”-senpai instead.

Oh, was that a pun!?2 Good one, Takamine! You win first prize…☆

Ugh, shut up… Man, it’s been a while since we’ve had a back-and-forth like this.

…Yeah, it really has been so long now. A new year started for us, and a lot happened within the unit and in my personal life… But the reality of no longer having much of these lively moments hurts me the most out of everything that happened.

How did it turn out this way between us…?

Ah, I was thinking something similar just now. It’s always so nice to share something in common, no matter what it is, huh?3 That feeling of joy gets cut in half when it’s with you, though—

Why did you have to add that!? Then who would you have instead preferred to be with right now?

Nagumo? Sengoku? Or maybe Kanata? Why’re you always so blunt towards just me!? Your dear ol’ grandpa feels so lonely!

Could you at least stick to one role…?

Alright… But, as pathetic as this may sound, I don’t even know what we are to you guys right now anymore.

I thought I could at least become a kaijuu like Mikejima-san for you three to defeat, so that justice would prevail…

But I can’t seem to manage it at all. It’s hard to be a kaijuu.

From what I saw when I was at the studio the other day, I think you managed to perform your kaijuu role pretty well.

Well, not that I know enough about them to be sure of that…

Oh, I appreciate you telling me that!

You’re really good at giving compliments! You’re always so harsh, so a compliment from you makes me extra happy, like I really did do a good job!

What’re you talking about…? Even I give honest compliments sometimes, y’know…?

Fufu, I do have a few things I want to improve on, though. Starting with what my director pointed out: I had an overwhelming presence for a kaijuu.

Ahh~… Yeah, I always think that about you, too…

Yeah, I’m sorry for being so overbearing. It would be fine for me to perform that way if the kaijuu were the protagonist, but in a tokusatsu show, kaijuu are typically meant to be defeated by heroes.

You aren’t supposed to have such a strong presence on camera, nor make anyone think that you’re anything more than a kaijuu.

If the enemy acts human-like enough to make the audience empathize with them, they’ll feel sorry for them once it’s time for their defeat.

And that would corrupt the heroes’ form of justice.

That would’ve been fine to depict if the whole point was to show the despair of justice, or to make the audience empathize with the loser for a tear-jerking death scene…

However, that wasn’t the case, so you can say that I botched my acting.

After all, I’m in a show that’s the same genre as the exciting and action-oriented Vampire Shogun, which also features simplistic moral lessons.

Ah, I heard of that show… But that’s as far as I know, because Shinobu-kun brought it up once…

Yeah, I love it, too! It was so unrestrained with how it did things. I would get so excited about what would happen next because you could never know what’s coming.

Although, that freedom is likely because of its enormous amount of sales, the power to manage its cast and resources at will — and most of all, the support from the fans.

Mm? What do you mean by that…?

You see, there was a period of time when a group of overseas companies called the… something-Concern…? that invested their funds into Vampire Shogun to take control of it.

Their interference almost turned the show’s writing into a more pompous script. But due to the fans’ uproar, the show had a change of plans and went back to its former writing.

They were really close to bending it into a typical historical drama, but the fans didn’t consider Vampire Shogun to be that type of show.

Of course, had they restructured it into something interesting, this would’ve been a win for everyone.

But their take on the show ended up sounding more like an attempt to cater to the public without doing actual research on how to pull that off.

Hmm… Fan uproars are pretty scary, huh… We got flamed in the summer ourselves, so I can’t say that it has nothing to do with me…

That’s true. But in the end, although the season that the overseas group invested in had a horrible reputation—

The video tapes of it are now being sold at premium prices for its unusual take on the show.

It sounds more like it just eventually became infamous for being bad, rather than getting re-evaluated for its writing…

But it doesn’t really matter if the season became a rare commodity only after a decade or two passed…

I don’t care for stuff that has historical value or public appraisal. I don’t think it’s worth bothering with at all; what’s more important than that is—

(Phone starts ringing)

Mm?

…? What’s wrong? It’s rare to see you make such a grim face; did a monster invade the streets or something?

You watch way too much tokusatsu, Senpai.

(My phone’s been buzzing for a while now… Ohh, I see — I got a bunch of missed calls from Shinobu-kun and Tetora-kun…)

(What’s wrong…? I got angry at them for basically pushing the role of talking with our seniors on me, so I haven’t been checking HoldHands that much…)

(But there’s so many missed calls here… What’s going on…? There’s no way it’s something as serious as someone dying or an enemy invasion, so what gives…?)

Chapter 6

Yeah, yeah… What? Ahhh~ Okay, I’m sorry about that, but—

(Mm~… I have nothing to do while Takamine talks on the phone. Maybe I should check my work contacts on HoldHands while I have the time.)

(In the end, the showrunners I’m working with ended up arguing over and over about copyright issues and how to negotiate with the actors, which has put everything in a deadlock.)

(So the recording hasn’t made much progress, which gives me a lot of time to spare…)

(But not knowing where this is heading is making me uneasy.)

(No— That’s exactly why we have to make a decision by today.)

(I can’t just avoid thinking about these tiring topics by indulging myself in my comfort zone because I’m too afraid of pain.)

(That was exactly the type of people I felt so frustrated with when I was a junior.)

(I just wanted to change our situation — our very existence, even if it was by pure force. Though… I was too much of a coward to do something as violent as that.)

(But… That’s exactly why this time around—)

(For the sake of the kids who turned me, a cowardly crybaby, into a hero—)

—Takamine.

Ah, yes. I’m sorry, the call is over now. …What’s with the serious face?

I’m always serious! And I seriously love you!

Die, please. …I’m well aware how badly you want to look cool — you’re just a liar as fake as paper-mache.

You don’t have to hide your true form from the people close to you, the same heroes as you — do you?

We’re not in some old tokusatsu show or American comic, so why do you keep hiding your true self?

What, is your family going to be held hostage by an evil organization if people find out your true identity? Or are you going to get arrested for being a vigilante or something?

I doubt you’ve done anything illegal in the first place, and we’ve grown strong enough to protect ourselves by now.

…………

Could you quit pretending not to see us for ourselves already? It pisses me off…

You keep treating us like weaklings who need to be protected, just so you can remain as the hero.

T-That isn’t what I—

I just don’t want my place of belonging — the dream I’ve finally achieved — to be smashed into pieces again.

“Again”? I don’t know what you’re on about, but you really are looking down on us, aren’t you…?

Sure, we once resigned ourselves to just being pathetic, useless first years to you guys…

But Senpai, did you know?

As the leader of Ryuseitai-N, Tetora-kun did an amazing job protecting and raising ten times the amount of pathetic juniors than you have.

And it’s only been a few months since they joined in the spring, too. There’s so many of them, but they still grew twice as fast.

Yeah… Nagumo’s amazing, and that’s exactly why I chose him to be the next leader.

He’s a bit of a klutz, so he tends to be looked down on — but he’s relentless with his hard work, and knows how to turn all his experiences into his strengths.

That’s how he’s going to build himself thoroughly to grow into a splendid, great man.

He’ll eventually surpass Kiryu and I, and become an ideal figure that everyone admires, and save even more people than we have.

I’ve always dreamed of such a future for him.

……Even though I should’ve been well aware of how cruel reality truly is.

Well, I think Tetora-kun will keep pushing forward no matter what, and work as hard as he can.

So don’t just give up like that; please keep supporting him in every way you can — Senpai.

I’m aware. Our decision to leave Ryuseitai has to do with that, too. There are some things that are hard to do while wearing the mask of justice.

Huh, I see… And here I thought you were working yourself to the bone because you wanted that “mask” so badly.

…………

Chapter 7

Tetora-kun’s not the only one… Shinobu-kun became part of the Student Council, and he’s basically the advisor and mediator in Ryuseitai-N now, too.

He’s a master at collecting info and smoothing out issues between people. It feels like his hidden talents finally got a chance to bloom.

His true powers burst forth right when the going got tough. Sounds just like a hero, right?

I can’t speak for the Student Council, but Ryuseitai-N would’ve tripped over its own feet and disintegrated way earlier if he wasn’t around.

And to add the cherry on top, he’s even getting a lot of recognition as an individual, too.

He’s such a shy kid, but he still managed to establish a place for himself as a one-of-a-kind ninja idol.

He could easily become a total laughing stock if he messes up in his role, y’know…?

Despite all that, he never runs away. And we’re talking about someone who used to be as much of a scaredy cat as I am.

But just look at him now; he grew so strong in a blink of an eye.

Thanks to the past year he spent with you two seniors, he got to stack up tons of experience and build so much courage in himself, and nothing bended his love for his interests no matter what he’s gone through.

Now he’s doing his best to give hopes and dreams to others with his tiny little hands, hoping that others can share the same interests as him.

I’m sure that’s what he’s wanted to do all along — So I refuse to let anything stop him from achieving his dreams, be it Crazy:B, Ryuseitai-N, or Ryuseitai-M.

He’s a kind, big-hearted kid, though, so I’m sure he’d just laugh off his troubles as another experience to learn from.

…Yeah. That’s the kind of kid he is — He’s the strongest one out of all of us.

He’s our role model and our guide. He’s much more suited for that job than Kanata and I.

Please say all of that to him instead…

I’m the worst out of the flock, so I guess that’s why you kept supporting me the most, like during Repayment Festival—4

But Shinobu-kun and Tetora-kun both probably went through a similar life to mine; I’m sure they barely got any praise from anyone in the past.

They’re in desperate need of validation and approval, y’know?

I’m the same as them — I was an “unfortunate kid”, so I know that they must be feeling that way.

Oh, really…? I was trying my best to hug, pat and praise them for every single thing they do, though.

You’re awful at it… Like, you do that to basically everyone in the same fashion, so it’s hard to tell if that’s real praise or not—

It always felt like you were just trying to praise us with something, anything, like giving candy to a kid, and it really ticked me off.

I see… This is quite difficult for me. I’m not that good at communicating with people, to be honest.

I was living a very lonely youth before I met you guys.

I was also a sickly child, and couldn’t play outside with other kids very often.

Hmm… So that hot-blooded heroic stuff you do really was an act all along, huh… Well, I figured it was…

It felt so fake to see you act that way. Like, I’d keep thinking there’s no way a person like this actually exists in real life. You always acted as if a camera was recording you—

Yeah, it’s kind of embarrassing… But in that sense, it’s incredible how you can act so naturally all the time.

You say that like it’s a good thing… I just find acting a pain to do… There was nothing I wanted so badly that I’d go through the effort of doing that.

But things are different now. I have something I want — something I want to get no matter what it takes.

Hm? What would that be? Could it be my love or something!?

You’d push that on me even if I said I didn’t want it, wouldn’t you?

Hm? Is that Kanata?

It sure is… He was called over by a couple staff members for some business in the aquarium just now — I wonder what happened…?

…I don’t really know much about Kanatee… What sort of character is it meant to be?

Mm~… It was basically just Shinkai-senpai at first, but…

He wanted to make it go viral, so after brainstorming a bunch of ideas, it kind of turned into this cringey mess…

Huh, I see. I think it’s cute, though.

I think so, too. We agree for once, huh, Senpai?

If you just had Shinkai-senpai’s voice to go off of… You might forget that he’s actually a pretty big guy who packs a punch.

A big guy, huh? That’s true, but his most extraordinary trait is his ability to downplay his formidable appearance so that no one’s afraid of him.

I’d say he’s like the exact opposite of a kaijuu.

Well, that’s because there’s no way anyone would be scared of the ocean, unless there was a raging storm going on.

Wha—!? W-What’s happening? That was a scream just now… right?

…? What’s he talking about…?

No clue…

Ah, no wait— I get it now.

What’s this all about?

As always, you’re so bad at figuring things out. Let me put it in other words—

—It’s kind of messy, but… To put it simply, it’s our turn to shine, Senpai.

Chapter 8

Location: Comet Show Stage

At the same time, on the stage within the aquarium…

—Aight! We managed to finish setting up everythin’ for the live show. I’m amazed we got everythin’ decently sorted out on such short notice.

It’s all thanks to Anzu-dono’s cooperation! She’s excellent at stage preparation for concerts that happen on the spur of the moment.

Everyone from Ryuseitai-N also came over to assist us the best they can, saying that they wanted to help give them a final farewell.

I’m real grateful to everyone. We’re named after the shooting stars who grant people’s wishes, but we keep having our wishes granted by others instead.6

You should think in the reverse, Tetora-kun!

We poured all our efforts into granting people’s wishes — and for that, they’re helping us achieve ours.

All we should do now is be grateful for such a token of kindness.

Ossu, you got it. All for one, and one for all—

Were we able to become the Ryuseitai our seniors had idealized in the nick of time…?

(waves) heeey, you twooo~♪ i have made the [public announcement] as you told me to. was it good enough?

Ossu, yup! We could hear it from over here too. I’m real sorry we made you do errands for us, Senpai.

no need to apologize. this is my [aquarium] after all, and i cannot let someone else make the announcement without my [permission]~ it only [makes sense] that i am the one who does it, right?

i [changed] it up a bit to sound a little more like something i would say… was it alright, shinobu?

Why, of course it was! The script I gave you was simply for reference!

Your voice is so calming to hear, I couldn’t help but feel wrapped in comfort and awe~! My, I wish we had asked you for help in the Broadcasting Committee back when you were still in school~♪

you are going too far with those praises~ i am often [scolded] for being hard to understand, you know?

Heheh, that’s true. Sometimes I find myself spacing out when you’re talking, and I have to reaaally focus to actually get what you’re saying.

Mhm, mhm! Surprisingly, you tend to speak in a slightly incomprehensible manner, Shinkai-dono.

ehe! that is because i was once a [god]~♪

the more complicated words you speak, and the more convoluted they are, the more you sound like you are saying something incredible~

people will try their best to [over-interpret] what i am saying, you see?

Mm… I dunno what you mean, but that’s another reason why I think Shinkai-senpai and Morisawa-senpai make a good combination.

‘Cuz on the other hand, Morisawa-senpai only talks ‘bout things in a super simple and clear way.

fufu. though that comes with him being very [argumentative]~ much, much more than i could be.

that is exactly why it is so hard to [win] an [argument] against him. once he has set his mind on something, he will refuse to [budge].

I don’t plan on arguing with him, so it’s fine. I don’t get anything outta doing that, anyway…

I think there was a time when heroes fighting among each other was a whole thing in movies and stuff, but I don’t really like that kinda stuff.

Maybe my mindset is just old-fashioned and unrealistic, though.

But I dunno, I just love the good ol’-fashioned shows with simplistic moral lessons, the kinds where the heroes all band together and fight evil in the most cliche way ever.

What’s right is right, and what’s wrong is wrong, and that’s exactly why justice will always prevail against evil. And the reason for that is ‘cuz everyone hopes to live their life in the most righteous way possible.

Our society is moved by people’s emotions, so justice will always be stronger than evil.

If everyone does their best to live with a proper mindset and achieve their own success—

Then someday, those victories will pile up enough to eradicate evil from this world. That’s how we can achieve world peace.

But I know this is such an idealistic view of things that not even the most child-friendly tokusatsu shows depict it anymore.

—is that your form of [justice], tetora?

I’m still thinkin’ on it. I’m only a greenhorn, so I’m still inexperienced and all.

I’m in no position where I have to rush myself to figure things out and get to work.

‘Course, I am aware that we can’t just stand around and do nothing right now, either…

But I know how I am — I just panic and mess up the moment I rush myself. I’m painfully aware of that part’a me by now.

So I’ll just steadily work hard to the best of my ability ‘til the day I become strong enough to grasp my own justice — my own correct answer, within my own two hands.

I’ll keep doing that, even after you two leave Ryuseitai.

Ah, about that… I believe that our seniors are possibly—

—oh! anzu-san sent me a [message]. chiaki and midori should be [here] soon.

Ahaha, I feel regretful for making Anzu-dono work on our behalf on her day off.

That’s why we’ve gotta make sure to entertain everyone and leave ‘em with fun memories. I’m gonna work hard to accomplish that, ossu!

yes. for this is our [final stage] as the five of us together—

so let’s carry out our performance with a [smile] on our faces. this may be where it all comes to an [end], but we’ll make sure that everyone thinks of it as a [happy ending].

Chapter 9

Location: Aoumi Aquarium (Main Exhibit)

—So in other words…

The other three plan to make a final parting memory with the five of us all together as Ryuseitai?

And that’s why they asked for help from Anzu and your juniors in Yumenosaki with setting up the stage?

Yeah, I guess… I haven’t been touching HoldHands up until now, but that sounds like what they were telling me in their messages.

Tetora-kun even sent me a message that said, “let’s do our best together! (^_^)v”, but it just sounds like he’s trying so hard to keep a positive attitude that it hurts to see… I should’ve never checked my phone, this is so depressing…

Hm… So that’s why they were so late for our meet up in the aquarium, huh?

They were running around making negotiations with various people, and getting the word out for the live show — all while preparing the materials and tools needed for the stage.

It all makes sense now. I feel a weight off my back with that mystery solved.

What is there to even feel relieved over…? Seriously, what the hell is “final parting memory” even supposed to mean…?

Wasn’t Repayment Festival from last year enough for that?

Maybe this means that the festival wasn’t enough for them.

We weren’t the only ones performing in Repayment Festival, after all.

They probably wanted to have a final performance that was just the five of us as Ryuseitai.

It feels like a funeral, though… I know I’m not one to talk, but it genuinely sounds so depressing and miserable to me…

Actually, doesn’t this mean that they gave up trying to fight back, and decided to accept the reality of our situation?

They’re planning to follow the agency’s orders, and split up Ryuseitai once and for all—

And this final live show feels like something to “commemorate the parting of our unit”.

I thought they were busy figuring out a way to get us out of this mess, but all along they already accepted their fate and were just thinking of how to call it quits…

Yeah… Though putting it that way makes them sound bad.

Nagumo is still the leader of a large group of members right now.

He wouldn’t choose to be selfish and throw the whole unit into danger by going against the agency.

He’s an honest, good kid, after all. And so is Sengoku.

Their good-hearted nature is exactly why they tried their best to search for a future where everyone in the unit is happy — and that includes us graduates.

I think it’s admirable of them. And I choose to respect their decision.

Okay, but that doesn’t change the fact that it just means we basically lost the battle… I can’t properly express myself, but it just frustrates me somehow.

You see, that’s where Nagumo decided to be mature and hold back his frustration. He really didn’t have to take after me when it comes to those things, though.

It’s more like he’s always been that kind of guy.

He’s apparently been raised with an athlete’s kind of lifestyle, so I bet it stresses him out a lot to disobey his superiors.

Not to mention, he’s been in pretty low spirits during his time working with Ryuseitai-N. It’s not that he’s lost all heart—

But comparing our current era to last year, when you seniors were around, makes him so disappointed in himself.

He’s also suffering from that bitter time when we got torn to shreds for taking the challenge against Crazy:B without thinking it through.7

On top of that, we had a whole bunch of newbies back in spring, but they kept dropping out one after the other… Because they kept thinking the unit’s different from what they expected.

…………

We don’t have as many drop-outs now, and the ones we have left are the type of motivated, good-hearted kids who want to keep following after Tetora-kun.

And after all that effort, we now even have to cut ties with those good kids too just because of the agency’s orders—

And to make matters even worse, you guys declared a leave from Ryuseitai.

…………

Tetora-kun must feel so pathetic and frustrated with himself.

He’s questioning if he’s ever actually been suited to be a leader in the first place — And when you lay out all that he’s done so far as one, it’s only natural he’d start doubting himself.

Nagumo worked as hard as he could, didn’t he?

The only people who’d give you a gold star just for working hard are primary school teachers and you guys.

The public is much more fair and a lot more strict. I mean, even ES is a corporation with the goal to make profit at the end of the day. You gotta show real results or you’re fired.

I…

I never, ever thought things would turn out this way. I didn’t give it enough thought, and ended up making you all suffer unnecessarily.

Yeah, just like a kaijuu would.

But you wouldn’t have known better, really… After all, no one ever imagined that something as bizarre as ES was going to emerge from the ground until after our school year was completely over.

It’s like a natural disaster — nobody could’ve predicted it. No one’s at fault here.

That’s true… Tenshouin made ES — a paradise for idols — in order to achieve his dreams. I’m sure he didn’t do it to hurt anyone.

But unfortunately, if a humongous object like ES were to move even a small step, there would inevitably be casualties along the way.

So that’s how it works… …I suppose I could now perfect my kaijuu act with this realization.

I don’t think that role fits you at all, though.

—You’re much more suited to be this, aren’t you?

Hmm, so… the outfits Anzu handed to us earlier were for the live show?

Wow, she managed to stitch them up in such a short amount of time. I feel like she’s becoming superhuman at this point.

Everyone’s been getting better and stronger, you’ve just been pretending not to see it.

…But well, there’s apparently an actual reason why she managed to finish these so quickly.

What do you mean by that?

No idea… She barely talks, even on HoldHands, so…

More importantly, we should probably change now before we head over to the live show.

Judging from the announcement earlier, they’re likely making the stage into a hero show—

It would ruin the vibe if we rushed in to save everyone in our regular civilian clothes.

That’s true! Alright, let’s get to it then.

Oh! How convenient! The toilet’s right in front of us!

Okay, feel free to change first.

…? We aren’t going in there together? We’d get the job done faster that way, though! C’mon, all the kiddos are waiting for our rescue!

I’m pretty sure the audience is confused about why there’s suddenly a performance happening, and for some reason, I can’t stomach the idea of being in a tight space with you…

You can’t stomach the idea!? Why do you say that, Takamine!? I’m not planning on doing anything strange! I promise!

Why do I get the feeling you’ll break your promise in an instant…?

Come on, let’s not complicate this and just change after each other, ‘kay? We’ll be failures as heroes if we don’t make it on time for an important moment.

Mm… But am I really going as Red again? I’ve been telling all of you over and over again that Nagumo’s the current leader of Ryuseitai…

Mmh~… I think it’s only you tokusatsu fans who waste your time caring about that kind of thing…

Every last one of you are so insistent on making everything harder on yourselves with this pointless stuff — It’s all so dumb.

……?

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Translation Notes

1. ↑ Chiaki is referring to yuruchara, Midori’s favorite kind of mascots, that tend to have sloppy-looking designs.
2. ↑ Kanata’s last name shinkai literally means “deep sea”.
3. ↑ “I’m so happy/It’s so nice to share something in common” is a typical phrase Chiaki says to others.
4. ↑ Referring to Climax, Ryuseitai’s Repayment Festival (graduation) story.
5. ↑ Kanatee (Kanata + Manatee pun) is Aoumi Aquarium’s mascot, and you can see how it looks in this CG and in Kanata’s birthday cake.
6. ↑ The ryusei in Ryuseitai lit. means shooting star/meteor. The unit name means “shooting star/meteor squad”.
7. ↑ Referring to what happened in the 1st ES!! Main Story. TL;DR: Rinne falsely publicly accuses Ryuseitai of being fake hypocritical heroes, which forced Ryuseitai to fight against Crazy:B in the Idol Royale.