Vol. 1 Chapter 8 – Produce Squadron VegetabRanger

Saturday morning arrived, at seven-thirty.

The first performance of the hero show was from ten in the morning. The performers’ meeting time was about an hour before that, so I had unusually woken up early and was getting ready to head out.

From my house to the shopping district, it would take about thirty minutes by train and on foot. If I left home at eight just to be safe, I should be able to arrive at the site with plenty of time to spare.

“Fwaah… Wait, huh? Nii is active from this early in the morning! That’s rare. Good morning!”

Suzuka, dressed in pajamas, came down to the living room while rubbing her sleepy eyes. The moment she saw me putting on my shoes at the entrance, her eyes widened. What a noisy little sister she was, even in the morning.

“And you’re going out too!? Uwaa, isn’t today that thing? Isn’t Nii going outside or something?”

“That’s exactly what’s happening.”

Was me going outside such an abnormal event that it was on the level of『spears falling from the sky』or『a meteorite crashing down』?

“I’m going to work. To the shopping district in the neighboring town. I told you yesterday, didn’t I?”

“And on top of that, labor!? No… No way, that’s not the Nii I know!”

In an exaggeratedly theatrical tone that was so fake it was ridiculous, Suzuka grabbed my shoulders and shook me violently, guwan guwan.

“Waking up early and going out to work part-time… Souta Onii-chan wasn’t the kind of person who would do that! Give him back! Give me back my lazy, useless Onii-chan who wastes his day off by sleeping until noon, then never taking a single step outside for the rest of the day!”

“Hey, keep that up and I’m seriously gonna smack you.”

Yeah, that settled it. One of these days, I might have to properly give this stupid little sister, who looked down on her older brother way too much, a hard scolding.

“…Well then, putting that little performance aside. Do your best at work, Nii. You usually don’t contribute to society at all, so every once in a while, go be useful to the world!”

“Shut up already… Haa, I’m heading out.”

I quickly left the house, got on the train from the nearest station, and stepped into the shopping district of the neighboring town.

In the plaza, they had already begun setting up the stage and preparing the pipe chairs for the audience. For a local event show of this type, it seemed like the venue had been set up on a fairly large scale.

Although it was not especially wide, the stage had a proper height to it, about the same as the one in a school gymnasium, and the set was surprisingly authentic.

“Now then, I should probably get changed into my costume soon too.”

I started walking in search of the performers’ waiting area.

────Do your best.

“Eek!? W-What was that…?”

For an instant, I suddenly felt a chill run down my spine, and I hurriedly looked around.

I felt like I had just sensed an extremely unpleasant presence from somewhere, but…

“…N-No, haha. …No way, right?”

※

〈Good little boys and girls～～～!! Helloooo～～～!!〉

After getting changed and finishing the brief last-minute meeting, the opening time finally arrived at the shopping district plaza.

The clear voice of the older sister acting as the host echoed toward the audience seats, which were already packed with little kids and their parents.

Next, as if to interrupt that, an ominous BGM started playing,『dendon dendon』and five or six performers wearing black full-body tights appeared from the wings of the stage. They began running around the stage and the audience seats.

After the villains had rampaged around for a while, naturally, it was the heroes’ turn next.

At the host sister’s urging, the little kids all raised their voices at once.

“「「「「Help us! Vegetab Ranger!!!!」」」」”

〈That’s far enough! Kabuilder!〉

The developments that followed proceeded mostly according to the standard flow of a hero show.

Produce Squadron Vegetab Ranger was a common five-member hero squadron, with each member assigned a color and a fruit or vegetable theme, starting with the leader,『Vegetab Red』.

Incidentally, the one I had been asked to substitute for this time was the bell pepper-themed『Vegetab Green』.

‘Phew, hah… T-This is pretty rough.’

Although it was called a hero show, it was a very local one, and the fight scenes didn’t require especially flashy movements. At most, there were just a few patterns of punches and kicks.

Even so, when I actually tried doing it while wearing the costume, it was surprisingly tough. Combined with my usual lack of exercise, I was using everything I had just to move according to the prior arrangement.

【So cool! Vegetab Ranger really is awesome!】

【…No, but I feel like Green isn’t in his best condition today.】

【Huh, really?】

【Yes. As a veteran Green fan, I can tell. His movements aren’t as sharp as usual. And his combination move with Yellow, the『Green-Yellow Beam』doesn’t seem to be very in sync either.】

Hey, hey, isn’t there a ridiculously hardcore otaku among these little kids?

What, does Green have fans that dedicated? This is seriously hard to perform under.

While somehow moving around so that I wouldn’t look unnatural, I swept my gaze across the audience seats.

“…………Huh?”

However, inside the mask, I reflexively let out my real voice.

Because I had seen something I should not have seen.

‘I… I’m sure I didn’t tell her the content or location of the part-time job!?’

I felt sweat trickling down for a reason completely separate from all the intense movement.

At the very back of the audience seats, leaning against a concrete wall with her arms crossed as she watched the stage, stood one beautiful girl. The frilled blouse and skirt with suspenders she was wearing were all clothes I clearly remembered seeing before.

That’s right. Far more troublesome than any evil organization, my archenemy had arrived: Mizushima Shizuno.

‘Why the hell are you there!?’

While acting out a deadly battle with the Kabuilder combatants, inside, I was in no state to focus on acting anymore.

I never thought she would show up even in a place like this. How on earth had she sniffed this place out?

Had she just happened to pass by? Or was she originally a VegetabRanger fan or something? …No, surely not.

‘Damn it, I went through all this trouble just to avoid the date!’

While that was happening, before I knew it, the battle scene shifted into the second phase.

The Kabuilder combatants would randomly choose『hostages』from among the audience and drag them up onto the stage. After creating a desperate crisis, the VegetabRangers, powered up by the little kids’ cheering, would rescue the hostages. That was the scenario.

〈Nooow then, which one should we take hostage, kabi?〉

Starting with Kabuilder A, who was in the commander position, the other Kabuilders steadily began selecting hostages.

Most of them were, of course, little kids, but perhaps for balance, a few parents were also taken along… however.

〈All riiight! Then for the last one, we’ll take that cute young lady over there, kabi!〉

“Huh? Oh, me?”

Unbelievably, a Kabuilder who had gone all the way to the back of the audience seats, let’s call him D from here on, had set his sights on Mizushima, who was completely standing there with the air of a girlfriend watching from the back.

Just like that, she was taken along and Mizushima was pulled up onto the stage too.

‘Hey, hey, hey… This is turning into another weird situation, isn’t it?’

The Kabuilders and the hostages stood lined up on the stage. Meanwhile, the VegetabRangers were in a position where they looked up at them from the audience seats. From here, the flow would proceed as planned, with us Rangers rescuing the hostages.

That said, if possible, the one thing I wanted to avoid was being in charge of freeing Mizushima.

Even though my face was hidden by the mask and I didn’t need to speak, she had a strangely sharp intuition. Getting close to her was dangerous.

No matter what, I had to avoid letting her find out that I was the one acting!

〈Let’s go, Vegetab Rangers! Save everyone from the Kabuilders!〉

Along with Vegetab Red’s command, an up-tempo BGM began playing. From here, it had not been decided who would go save which hostage, and we were supposed to improvise according to the situation.

So, I quickly started running toward the stage, intending to rush in the exact opposite direction from Kabuilder D-san, who was holding Mizushima captive… but.

“Uwaa, save meee, Vegetab Greeeen.”

Amazingly, Mizushima went out of her way to call for help by name from me, Green, as I was about to pass right in front of her. Even though the other members should have been nearby too, Mizushima didn’t even glance at the four Rangers other than Green.

“…You won’t run away, right? You’re not some gutless coward, are you?”

‘S-She knows!?’

I had no idea how she had figured it out.

However, apparently, Mizushima fully understood that I was working as a suit actor in today’s hero show, and that I was also the substitute for VegetabGreen.

As always, what abnormal information-gathering ability she had!

‘Kh… I’ve got no choice but to do it!’

It was infuriating to be swept along by Mizushima’s pace yet again, but even so, I was not so irresponsible that I would let my personal feelings ruin the show.

Steeling myself, I climbed onto the stage and faced Kabuilder D-san.

At the same time I silently took a fighting pose, Kabuilder D-san also hid Mizushima behind him and took a battle-ready stance.

“Uwawa…!”

However, an unexpected accident occurred here. One of the Kabuilder performers, who had been acting as if Red had sent him flying nearby, got his legs tangled and crashed into D-san.

D-san, apparently completely unprepared because it had happened so suddenly, staggered. Just like a row of shogi pieces toppling over, D-san’s body looked like it was about to fall toward a little kid hostage standing nearby.

‘Uwah, crap!?’

The little kid was standing at the edge of the stage. If D-san crashed into him like that, the impact would probably send him falling from the platform. Depending on how he landed, it was a height that could easily lead to a serious injury.

“Look out!”

In that instant, the one who pushed the little kid out of the way as if shielding him from D-san’s body was Mizushima.

Thanks to that, the little kid only ended up lightly falling on his backside on the stage, but as a result of taking his place, Mizushima, who had been hit by D-san, was knocked off the platform.

Pulled by gravity, Mizushima’s body gradually tilted.

‘Ah… she’s going to fall.’

The instant I thought that, before I knew it, everything about the show had been wiped clean from my head.

“…………Mizushima!!!”

Even if I reached out my hand, it didn’t look like I would make it in time. In a frenzy, I jumped off the stage, caught Mizushima’s body, and then fell to the ground with myself acting as the cushion beneath her.

Dosah!

“Guheh!?”

My back slammed hard against the ground and I couldn’t help groaning at the dull pain.

Fortunately, though, it seemed I had gotten away without any serious injury.

Mizushima, who was sprawled over my body, had somehow come out unharmed too.

“Owwww… A-Are you okay?”

“Y-Yeah… That surprised me.”

It seemed even she had felt a chill run through her, because from around Mizushima’s chest, which was pressed closely against me, I could feel a rapid heartbeat going dokun, dokun.

“You’re not hurt, right?”

“I-I’m okay. Because Souta… because Green protected me.”

Maybe she had relaxed after feeling relieved, because Mizushima weakly buried her face in my chest as I lay collapsed on my back. Good grief… Well, I guess just for now, it couldn’t be helped.

【Uooooh! Awesome! Did you see that just now!?】

【Green diving-caught the pretty lady!】

At the same time as I let out a sigh of relief, cheers rose from the little kids in the audience who had seen everything happen. Fortunately, it seemed they thought even that accident had been part of the show.

That said, if I stayed lying on the ground forever, it would definitely look unnatural. The show still wasn’t over. I had to get back on stage quickly too.

“Mizushima, can you stand?”

“Yeah.”

I stood up together with Mizushima and escorted her to the edge of the audience seats.

“You… don’t do anything too reckless.”

There were many things I wanted to say, but for now, I cautioned her with that.

Even if it was to save that little kid, she had thrown herself in as a substitute without the slightest hesitation.

“You’re way too dangerous for your own good.”

“Ahaha. But I thought that’s what a hero would do.”

“Idiot. Don’t lump fiction and reality together. It’s only fine because you didn’t get seriously hurt.”

“Come on, is Souta really one to say that?”

Mizushima giggled and stared at my face through the mask.

“You’re just as reckless as me, aren’t you? Souta, you saved me before too, remember?”

“Huh? Before?”

When she said that, I roughly rummaged through the drawers of my memory.

Ah, right. Come to think of it, on my first date with this certain girl, I had saved her when some drunkards were harassing her.

“And even just now. I didn’t even say『help me』but you still saved me, didn’t you?”

“No, you, that’s…”

“Wasn’t your motto『Let sleeping gods lie』?”

“Mrgh…”

Certainly, my actions just now might have been a little unlike me.

Trying to protect someone by putting my own body on the line like that was something the usual me would absolutely never do.

But… when I thought that she might fall, for some reason, my body moved on its own in an instant.

“…Yeah. I’m surprised myself. Seriously, I did something completely out of character. Maybe it’s because I’m dressed like this.”

That had to be it. I must have just been influenced by the atmosphere of this unfamiliar hero-show job.

Muttering that to myself as if trying to convince myself, I eventually escorted Mizushima back to the audience seats, then turned on my heel to return to the stage.

“That’s not true, though. Hey, Souta.”

However, Mizushima gently denied it, then grabbed my shoulder and stopped me.

In the next instant, the moment I turned back and said, 『What is it?』was almost exactly the same moment Mizushima lightly kissed my cheek through the mask.

“Thank you for saving me. As I thought, you really are my hero.”

“…………Huh?”

I-In this situation, she goes and does something like this again!

Don’t kiss or hug people every time you stop them. What are you? A Westerner?

【Ahh! The pretty lady kissed Green!】

【They’re lovey-dovey!】

Naturally, Mizushima’s bold action caused the little kids to make a huge fuss too.

Somehow, the place ended up getting excited in a completely different way.

Good grief… This girl really brings nothing but trouble.

※

Although the first performance had been hit by an unexpected accident, the performances after that proceeded extremely smoothly.

There were no major changes to the contents of the show either, so by the last two performances, once I had gotten used to it, I think I managed to do a decent job.

And so, after all the performances had ended, in the shopping district at dusk, with the sun already beginning to lean toward the western sky…

“Café『Olivier』… This is the place, huh.”

After leaving the plaza, I had come to stand in front of a café on a street corner. It was not what you would call a chain store, but had the appearance of a long-established, privately run traditional café.

With the pleasant karan karan sound of the doorbell, I immediately stepped inside.

Inside the café, which had a chic atmosphere and relaxed classical music playing, there were only a few customers. The fragrant aroma of coffee beans and the faint smell of tobacco tickled my nose.

“Welcome. How many in your party?”

The shop owner, an old man with white hair and a white beard, who had been polishing glasses behind the counter, paused his conversation with an elderly man who seemed to be a regular customer and asked me politely. He really had the feel of a proper『café master』.

“Ah, sorry. I’m meeting someone here…”

“Souta. Over here, over here.”

As if interrupting my words, Mizushima, who was sitting at a booth seat by the window, beckoned me over.

On the table, there was already a cup of coffee that had been reduced by about half.

“…I’m not going to say,『Sorry to keep you waiting』. I was working until just now.”

“It’s fine. I like the time I spend waiting for you too, Souta.”

When I sat down across from Mizushima, the master immediately brought over some water and a menu.

“Order whatever you like. I’ll treat you.”

“No need. I’ll pay for myself.”

“Oh, don’t say that. Think of it as my apology for suddenly barging into your workplace.”

“I don’t want to owe you anything… Excuse me, one Wiener coffee, please.”

After watching the master bow politely and leave, I got straight to the point with Mizushima.

“So, who did you hear it from?”

“Hm? Hear what?”

This girl… She knew exactly what I meant, yet she had the nerve to act innocent.

“The fact that today, in this shopping district, I was working part-time as a suit actor for a hero show.”

That’s right. The reason I had arranged to meet Mizushima at a café after work was, in short, to question her about the circumstances.

Incidentally, Mizushima was the one who had chosen the café. Frustratingly, she knew a place with a pretty nice atmosphere.

“Explain to me from the beginning what this is about. I’m not letting you go home until you confess properly.”

“…………”

“Don’t make a face like,『That might actually be okay!』talk. Tell me everything!”

“I’m joking. Though it’s not really that complicated a story.”

Mizushima cut her words off there for a moment and brought her coffee cup to her lips.

I also took a sip of the Wiener coffee that the master brought over with perfect timing, then waited for Mizushima to continue.

“It’s true that I knew you were working today, Souta, but even I didn’t know what kind of job it was or when and where you were doing it.”

“Hmmm. And then?”

When I urged her to go on, Mizushima casually said something outrageous with a completely innocent look on her face.

“Yeah. So last night, I asked what time you were leaving the house today, Souta.”

“Huh? Asked who?”

“Suzuka-chan.”

…………Excuse me?

For an instant, I was dumbfounded but I immediately took out my phone to confirm whether it was true.

〈Hellooo, Nii? What’s up? Is your work already over?〉

“Hey, stupid sister. There’s something I want to ask you.”

〈Huh? W-What, what? Why so sudden?〉

To my carefree little sister, I explained everything that had happened.

Suzuka silently listened to what I had to say and eventually confessed easily.

〈Ah, you found out? Well, actually, Shizuno-san called me last night.〉

This was complete news to me but apparently, when Mizushima had invaded our house before, the two of them had secretly exchanged contact information behind my back.

〈She said,『I heard your brother is doing part-time work tomorrow, but for some reason, he stubbornly refuses to tell me what kind of work it is』. Nii, you’re friends, at least on the surface, right? Why wouldn’t you tell her?〉

“Even if you say that, I have various circumstances on my end…”

〈So, I told her instead.『I don’t know what kind of work it is either, but he said he’d leave the house around eight and go to the shopping district in the neighboring town』.〉

No, don’t say『I told her instead』. Did this girl not have even the tiniest shred of a concept of protecting her own brother’s privacy? Just how unguarded was she around Mizushima?

“…There are a lot of things I want to say, but first, why did you keep that from me? You didn’t say a single word yesterday about getting a call from Mizushima.”

I asked back while suppressing my irritation.

Across from me, Mizushima stared at me with a cheerful smile.

What the hell are you laughing at? Don’t look at me.

〈Well, because Shizuno-san asked me to. She said,『I want to secretly go visit his workplace and surprise him, so please keep it quiet that I contacted you today』. Man, even though she seems so mature and like such a cool beauty, she actually has a surprisingly playful side too.〉

“I seeee.”

I glared sharply at Mizushima but the woman in question merely shrugged without showing the slightest bit of guilt.

Hmph. She really was playing dumb to the very end.

“…Okay, I understand what happened. Just remember this when I get home. Bye.”

〈Ah, wait, wait! Can you buy pudding on your way back? The one with cream on top and—〉

Bzzt.

Just as Suzuka shamelessly tried to use me as an errand boy, I tapped the end call button.

“…And well, as you heard.”

After drinking the rest of her coffee, Mizushima said that as if revealing the trick behind a magic act.

To think she had teamed up with Suzuka. Even I hadn’t expected that.

“Once I knew that much, the rest was easy. I just waited at the station nearest the shopping district a little before you arrived, then followed Souta after he came out of the ticket gates. See? Easy, right?”

“No, that’s already practically stalking!”

I’m past fear at this point. I’m honestly impressed by that ability to take action.

“…Let me ask you one thing. Why? Why did you go that far to find out where I was?”

To my question, whose answer was already painfully obvious, Mizushima answered with her usual carefree smile.

“As if I’d give up my time with Souta just because he had work.”

Yeah, I knew it. That’s the kind of person you are.

There was no way someone who suddenly showed up at my house on a day off wouldn’t also show up at my workplace.

I had completely let my guard down, but this one month was still right in the middle of our “match.” I had to carve it into my heart all over again that this woman would try to make me fall for her the moment she saw an opening.

“Hehe. Thanks to that, I got to see Souta looking cool today too, so I’m very satisfied.”

“Hah… Well, good for you.”

In contrast to Mizushima’s refreshed expression, I was completely worn out from the fatigue of the whole day’s work. If I let my guard down, I felt like I’d fall asleep right there.

“Now then. Next, shall we talk about tomorrow’s date?”

“Are you a demon!? Give me a break… I’m too tired for that right now. We can talk after I get home and rest a little, can’t we?”

“Ehh, you’re going home already? Stay with me a little longer…”

Buu, buu, buu.

Just as Mizushima began complaining unhappily, her phone vibrated. It seemed someone was calling her.

“…It’s from my manager. Sorry, I’ll take this for a bit.”

When I nodded silently in response, Mizushima pressed her phone to her ear.

“Hello, Yoshida-san? What’s up?”

Apparently, Yoshida-san was the name of Mizushima’s manager. However, Mizushima’s expression as she answered the phone completely changed from before, becoming annoyed.

“Yeah… yeah… Huh, tomorrow? No way. I told you I’m not working for the whole month of May. Ask someone else… The president did? Ehh, that person really is so selfish.”

Apparently, there was some trouble related to her modeling work. Come to think of it, this girl had said she was taking this whole month off from work in order to conquer me.

I didn’t know anything about that kind of industry but if a popular model like Mizushima took a whole month off, maybe that really did put some strain on her agency.

But…perhaps this could be a chance. If Mizushima ended up doing modeling work, then naturally, tomorrow’s date would also be canceled.

Since it would be because of Mizushima’s circumstances and not mine, she wouldn’t be able to say that I had『run away』.

Good, that’s it! Keep going and persuade Mizushima, Manager-san!

“No, even if you say,『Just tomorrow』………… Ah.”

While I was inwardly cheering on her manager, Mizushima, who had been looking sullen, suddenly snapped her fingers as if she had thought of something. Then, when she looked at me sitting across from her, her expression changed completely, and she smiled happily.

I didn’t know why, but whenever this girl made a face like that, I had a feeling that nothing good ever happened…

“…Fine, I get it. I’ll go. …Yeah. But in exchange, let me add one condition. …Yeah, I’ll email you the details later. If that’s still okay, contact me again later. Bye.”

With a pi, she ended the call and placed her phone on the table.

“…Was that a work call?”

“Yeah. Apparently, one of the models for tomorrow’s shoot won’t be able to come because she’s feeling unwell. So they asked if I could come in her place. …And so, Souta.”

Mizushima leaned forward over the table and suddenly began speaking with a mischievous smile.

“This Sunday, would you like to try doing a little part-time job?”

…………Excuse me?