by Takehaya
That’s right. As hard as it might be to believe, the Sun Rangers were real heroes whose actual mission was to fight against the underground dwellers. The Sun Squad was established as a first line of defense against unknown foreign threats, and with the appearance of the mysterious underground dwellers, they finally had their chance to step out from the shadows and into the spotlight.
The Sun Rangers were led by an old man known as Professor Roppongi. Although the Sun Rangers were an elite, secret government task force, they were under civilian control on principle.
“But professor, the detector showed a reaction indicating underground people.”
The shortest out of the five rangers showed a device something like a handheld game system to the old man. The boy’s name was Koutaro, and he was the youngest member of the team.
“About that... This detector doesn’t indicate underground people, but rather the technology they use. It would be rare, but that does mean there’s a chance it might react to something completely unrelated.”
“Which means that not only did we blindly trust a kindergartener, but the detector was also, unfortunately, wrong?”
A second member continued where Koutaro left off. His name was Kenichi, and his short haircut and sharp eyes made him look like a healthy young man. He was also the first Red Shine that Koutarou had hit.
“Precisely. It looks like we’d better reconsider the accuracy of our intel and our detector.” Roppongi nodded at Kenichi as he messed with the detector. “However, regarding the detector, it must be said that its utility has been proven in other districts. Even though there’s a chance for a false positive, we should continue using it.”
In truth, there were squads other than the just the Sun Rangers established to deal with unknown foreign threats. The Sun Rangers just happened to be in charge of this region, but there were several more squads stationed all over the country. They’d all had success with the detector, which in turn helped them suppress attacks from the underground people in their early stages. Currently, the only reported malfunctions and false readings had come from the Sun Rangers.
“Professor, can’t we solve both of those problems with the same method?”
“What do you mean, Hayato-kun?”
The man that Roppongi addressed, Hayato, was a tall guy with long hair and sunglasses. As one might guess from the fact that he was wearing glasses despite being in a dimly lit room, he was a bit of a narcissist.
Hayato smirked and spread out his arms as he answered Roppongi’s question, “Instead of taking a child’s word for it or trusting in the detector, we should confirm things ourselves.”
“I see. That’s a reasonable opinion. Very well. In the future, let’s double and triple check our results to be certain.”
The group of five nodded at Roppongi’s words. Seeing that, Roppongi erased what he’d written on the whiteboard. He was planning on moving on to the next topic.
“Now then, as for our next subject...”
“Baron Demon-sama! It’s about Baron Demon-sama, right?!”
Interrupting Professor Roppongi was the only woman in the room. Her name was Megumi. She was in her late teens. Her long, black hair and thick eyebrows gave off quite an impression. She looked quite willful even at first glance, but right now she wasn’t exercising even the slightest bit of that willpower. Her eyes were sparkling, her fingers were entwined, and her hands were clasped.
“W-Well, yes, but...”
“Ahh, I want to see him again! I want him to scold me with that manly voice of his!”
“M-Megumi-kun?”
Roppongi was a little bewildered by Megumi staring off into space so excitedly. In order to explain, the last of the five rangers finally spoke up.
“Professor, it’s Megu-chan’s illness again. It seems like that villain at the show was just her type.”
And with the last word, the man put another curry-flavored chip in his mouth. This was Daisaku, the largest member of the Sun Rangers. That said, since he was always eating, his body had mostly grown in width rather than height.
“Call it what you want. I’ll have you know that despite Baron-sama’s cool appearance, he had a fire burning inside of him! And even though he was a villain, he was refreshingly reasonable!”
As Megumi sighed and stared off into a daydream again, she fondly recalled her meeting with Baron Demon. She remembered his intense anger as he hit one of the Red Shines and when he severely scolded another one of them for making a child cry. That said, she was remembering these events much more romantically than how they’d really gone down. But she couldn’t help it. The image she’d burned into her memory of Baron Demon was quite different than the real thing. She remembered him with sparkling white teeth and a background of roses blooming behind him.
“...Honestly, I can’t keep up with Megumi when she’s like this.”
“Same here. But, fortunately, she’s not the only woman on this planet.”
“Thank god...”
Kenichi and Hayato were of the same opinion on the matter. They both judged Megumi as they looked at her from across the room and nodded at each other.
“Can’t we just leave Nee-chan to Daisaku-oniichan?”
Koutaro pointed at Daisaku, who was in the middle of handing a handkerchief to Megumi.
“Aaah... I want to get carried away in a bride kidnapping!”
“Megu-chan, your nose is bleeding.”
“Thank you, Daisaku-kun.”
Megumi took the handkerchief from Daisaku and blew her nose. She had gotten overly excited and ended up with nosebleed.
“Do you love Baron-san that much, Megu-chan?”
“Of course! There aren’t many good men like that, I’ll have you know!”
After blowing her nose, Megumi began explaining all the good points to Baron Demon. Daisaku smiled and listened to her without any complaints.
“Daisaku really is good at taking care of others...”
“Yeah, well, you know what they say about nice guys and finishing last.”
Kenichi and Hayato looked at Daisaku with pity in their eyes. He was earnestly listening to Megumi. This pleased Megumi, and her expression brightened up as she continued talking.
“I actually think those two would get along well together.”
“Really...?”
Koutaro believed that Megumi and Daisuke would make a good couple, but unfortunately enough, nobody else agreed with him.
The next topic Roppongi wrote on the whiteboard was only indirectly about Baron Demon. The Sun Rangers were painfully aware now that what they’d walked in on was just a show. What Roppongi wanted to address after the fact were problems that Baron Demon had pointed out.
“Holding back on the costs and rushing the completion of the suits for fear that the underground people would show up soon was a mistake.”
His hand moved as he talked, writing “the problem regarding the coloring of the suits” on the board. This was the initial problem that had gotten Baron Demon so angry. The Sun Rangers of the Sun Squad had battle suits made with the most cutting edge technology available. Just by wearing them, their strength was increased fivefold. They could run as fast as any beast and their defenses rivaled steel armor. It was a new era of personal equipment superior to all kinds of bulletproof vests.
However, because of its performance, they weren’t exactly cheap or easy to produce. The Sun Rangers had only just received theirs before their first mission. They hadn’t had time to customize them yet, so they’d each gone out with the default red suit. That was the real reason there were five Red Shines, and they’d only realized the error of their ways once Baron Demon had pointed it out.
“Thinking about it, with everyone wearing the same color, it’s hard to even tell your allies apart,” said Kenichi. He waited for the professor to finish writing before he spoke up, but he’d been thinking rather seriously about the problem.
“That’s true. Everyone looks the same that way. If, for example, so
meone got into trouble, it would be hard to tell who needed help at first glance,” Hayato said, nodding in agreement with Kenichi.
Since they were government issue, all five suits had the same design. And because they were intended for combat, each ranger was required to wear a helmet that covered their face for protection. That made it even harder to tell each other apart when they were geared up.
The only one they could differentiate at first glance was Daisaku thanks to his large frame. Kenichi and Hayato had similar builds, so it was easy to confuse them, and Koutaro and Megumi were almost the same height. There was a possibility that not being able to tell each other apart during an important battle could become a big problem.
“Why didn’t you notice something like that right away?!” Megumi demanded with a raised eyebrow and a raised voice. Now that she was done daydreaming, she was back to her normal self.
“You didn’t notice either, Nee-chan.”
“Megu-chan, you were only able to see Baron-san so angry because we were all wearing red.”
“Hmm, yeah, that’s true...”
However, thanks to Daisaku, Megumi’s stern expression was replaced with a smile.
“Aaah, Baron-samaaa!”
Her anger spent, Megumi withdrew into her own private dream world again.
“Well, Megumi-kun aside, is anyone against coloring the suits to tell them apart?”
“It should be fine. Baron-san and the kids said it would be easier to follow that way too.”
“That’s true. Thinking of our future, it would be great to have the children cheering for us.”
Countries with powerful police forces were always trying to improve the image of their officers. If they could make a good impression with the kids, it would go a long way for public approval. If children even aspired to join the profession, it was surely a sign that their goals to protect the public and maintain peace really resonated with the populace. And while the Sun Rangers weren’t police officers, they worked off a similar mentality.
“But professor, if we can’t tell each other apart, the same is true for the underground people, right? Isn’t it dangerous to distinguish ourselves?”
“Hmm, that is a potential problem. You’re clever, Koutaro,” said Kenichi, a little impressed.
“Heh heh,” Koutaro giggled proudly.
If they could be differentiated by color, their enemies could theoretically devise countermeasures against them individually. Being able to tell the rangers apart was an advantage for both friend and foe alike.
“Then why don’t we change colors from time to time? That way, it won’t matter what kind of plans they come up with.”
However, Hayato easily solved that problem. By swapping colors if necessary, they wouldn’t have to worry about the enemy recording data about them individually. It was a simple but effective strategy.
“Yes, let’s go with that, Hayato-kun. It’s a good method that makes sure only we can seize the advantage.”
And so it was decided that the Sun Rangers would color their suits differently.
“Now then, all that’s left is deciding who gets what color.”
The only problem left was the coloring itself.
“If I’m not mistaken, Baron-san said that the leader is supposed to be red.”
“Okay, so I get red.”
“Wait, Hayato. I should be red.”
Kenichi and Hayato butted heads over who would be the leader. Kenichi wanted it because he was the hot-blooded leader type, and Hayato want it because it was cool. Neither one of them was willing to let go of the title.
“What are you saying? It’s important to remain calm during a fight, Kenichi. That’s practically impossible for a hot-headed idiot like you!”
“Look who’s talking! You think you’re all cool and calm? Did you forget that you made a child cry during the show and made Baron-san angry?!”
That said, the truth was that neither of them had any discernable leadership potential. Regardless, however, they continued to debate the matter without ever reaching a conclusion.
“I didn’t forget! That’s why I won’t make the same mistake again! I’ll show you that I’d make a splendid leader that even Baron-san would recognize!”
“I never would’ve made that mistake to begin with! You’re a narcissist! All you can think about is yourself!”
“Hahh...”
As Kenichi and Hayato continued arguing, Koutaro let out a small sigh. Normally Kenichi and Hayato got along well, but once they didn’t see eye to eye to something, they would never agree. And with the position of leader at stake, Koutaro couldn’t imagine either of them backing down any time soon. Koutaro looked looked to the one with the most common sense for help: Megumi.
“Megumi-neechan, say something to stop them.”
“The forbidden romance between a heroine of justice and a leader of evil! It’s perfect! Just sublime! And in the end, after he’s awoken to the power of love, Baron-sama becomes an ally of justice!”
“Megu-chan, you’re drooling.”
“And then Baron-sama will say, ‘Megumi, you’re so cute!’ Kyaaah!”
However, despite what Koutaro had hoped, he wasn’t able to get any help from Megumi.
“Megu-chan, you’re a lady, so you should at least be a little concerned about your appearance.”
“...This is hopeless.”
“What to do...?”
At that point, Koutaro and Roppongi felt that Daisaku would be good enough as a leader.
Once they had finished cleaning up after the show, Sanae and Yurika dashed out of the kindergarten.
“Come on, Yurika! Hurry, hurry! If we don’t book it, Magical Girl Love Love Heart is going to start without us!”
“I know, I know! But this is as fast as I can run!”
They were in a hurry to get home to watch an anime that started at six in the evening. However, since Yurika wasn’t a strong runner, they weren’t certain if they would make it in time for the opening theme.
“If you want, I can possess you and force you to run faster.”
“N-Noooooo! Anything but that!”
“...So you can run faster with the right motivation!”
And yet despite what she’d said, Yurika suddenly took off at an unprecedented speed. The two girls soon left Koutarou, who was seeing them off, in the dust.
“I just hope Yurika doesn’t get hit by a car on her way home...”
Yurika’s tunnel vision was rather obvious, and Koutarou couldn’t help worrying about her as he watched her turn the last corner and lost sight of her.
“Koutarou.”
“Satomi-sama, good work today.”
“Yeah, you too.”
That was when Theia and Ruth approached. Noticing that Sanae and Yurika were already gone, the two girls looked around a little for them.
“Satomi-sama, I can’t seem to find Sanae-sama and Yurika-sama anywhere.”
“They already went home. Something about an anime.”
“...I see. So they’re not here...”
Theia cast a glance in the direction of Corona House before turning towards Koutarou.
Koutarou is alone...
Recently, either Sanae or Yurika was always at Koutarou’s side. Sanae had been like that for a while, but now Yurika had gotten a lot closer with Koutarou as well. Theia didn’t know exactly why, but it seemed Yurika’s feelings for him were changing. But between the two of them, it was rare to see Koutarou alone these days.
“When we get home, I’ll play games with you for as long as you want.”
Theia recalled what Koutarou had promised her during the show. She started to lose her composure thinking about it.
I-If things go well, Koutarou and I could be playing g-games all alone...
Theia was envious of Sanae and Yurika who were a lot closer to Koutarou than she was, so she had no intention of letting this kind of chance slip past her. Right now, there was no Sanae and no Yurika. It was just her and Kout
arou. There mere thought of it made her heart pound wildly.
But wh-what should I say in this situation? How can I express my feelings without inviting a misunderstanding?
However, Theia herself didn’t fully understand her romantic feelings for Koutarou, and was thusly uncertain how she should act on them. She only had a vague idea about wanting to get along with him. Claiming that her relationship with him was all for the sake of her trial was starting to get in the way of her true feelings. And without a clear goal, there was no way to come up with a clear plan of action.
Your Highness...
Seeing Theia struggle, Ruth flashed a small smile and decided to lend a helping hand.
“Maybe you should try playing games aboard Blue Knight, Your Highness.”
“Huh?”
Theia’s eyes suddenly snapped wide open. Startled out of deep though, she had completely missed what Ruth had said. Seeing Theia’s reaction, Ruth’s smile only grew larger.
“Sanae-sama and Yurika-sama are using the TV at home, so you can’t play video games in the apartment right now. Instead, you should play games in your room aboard Blue Knight.”
It was true. With Sanae and Yurika occupying the TV in room 106, they had no choice but to visit Theia’s ship if they wanted to play games together. Theia just couldn’t process why Ruth had suggested it.
“Y-Yes...”
Despite her hesitation, Theia nodded, encouraged by Ruth’s smile.
Ruth?
Seeing the question in Theia’s eyes, Ruth nodded to her and then quickly glanced at Koutarou. Theia followed Ruth’s eyes.
“All right. Then I’ll come over once I’ve finished buying food for dinner.”
After listening to their conversation and thinking it over for a moment, Koutarou agreed. If he had to play games with Theia and she was aboard her ship, he didn’t really have a choice about going. He’d been there countless times for Theia’s special training in preparation for the school play and the hero show, so he wasn’t especially resistant about visiting.
“Ah...”
Theia finally realized what Ruth had been getting at all along. She quickly turned to look at her, and was met with the sight of Ruth’s gentle smile.
