Augmentation and Endeavor 1

Tetora: ...Huh? They rejected the proposal?

You seriously think “Sorry!” is gonna cut it? What are we gonna do, you stupid Captain? You know we’ve already started practicing for it, right?!

Huh? Just keep practicing? You’re gonna figure something out...?

What does that even mean? What’s our goal supposed to be if the proposal got rejected?

Huh? Captain? Captaaaaain? Hello???

Oh my god, this guy is so—! Is he really trying to handle all of this himself again? He literally just collapsed the other day!

Kuro: Hey. What’s up, Tetsu? Something happen?

Tetora: Oh, Taishou. It was just a whole bunch of stuff...

I’ve been training with you to learn, like, stunts and action moves and stuff, and now I find out it might end up being a total waste of time!

Kuro: Mm, I don’t really get it, but those skill you learn aren’t gonna be a waste. So let’s just keep practicin’.

I’ll have a talkin’-to with Morisawa, how’s that?

Tetora: O–ossu! Do you have his phone number?

Kuro: Yeah. But I’ll talk to him face-to-face. It’s better if we don’t do this over the phone.

Easier to smack the moron who worried my kouhai around that way.

Tetora: O–ossu. Um... the Captain’s sick, though, so please don’t be too hard on him.

If he collapses again, that’ll be the end of everything. For good, this time.

Kuro: I know. Him ‘n me’ve known each other a long time, so I know where the line is.

I’ll see ya later, Tetsu. The other guys here aren’t used to mano-a-mano action, so make sure you look out for ‘em.

Tetora: Ossu! I got it! I’ll follow all of your teachings to a T... ☆

Shinobu: Wh–whatever is the matter, Tetora-kun? Did Captain-dono do something wrong again?

Midori: Ngh, I overheard a little bit... the proposal got rejected...?

Yay, that means I can go home... ♪

Tetora: Uumyu... I guess he doesn’t have any intention of giving up on the job, though.

So we’re supposed to keep practicing as planned.

It’s different from our usual—uh, this is gonna sound bad, but our games of make-believe. Apparently, we’re doing a real, full-scale hero show this time.

It’ll have some sick stage effects, like fighting a bunch of random enemies and kaijin and stuff.^[1]

If we don’t keep up with practice, we could seriously get hurt during the show.

Shinobu: Ahaha, I am rather enjoying it, actually~ Using the trampoline and the ropes...

‘Tis like playing on a playground, although my lack of physical strength has proven quite the problem.

Today, too, I was suddenly instructed to run laps indefinitely around the schoolyard. It was exhausting...

I only made it to the end because of Isara-dono and Yuuki-dono cheering me on as they passed by.

It seems that Yuuki-dono has also taken up running lately, and he even gave me some tips on how to do it effectively.

Wow, everyone should have a kind and caring senpai in their life ♪

Midori: You’re surprisingly optimistic, Sengoku-kun. Or more like you can find the fun in just about anything...?

Urgh, everything’s just a pain in the ass to me...

I don’t even get the point of being an idol. Why do I have to do hero things on top of that...?

Tetora: Ahaha. You must’ve gotten cursed to end up in Ryuseitai, then.

Midori: Nagumo-kun... you’re like, weirdly motivated for this, too...

I thought you considered all this hero stuff dumb and stupid...?

Tetora: No, I still think it’s dumb and stupid. But I also figure it’s too early in the game to write it off completely yet.

I don’t really have a good answer, myself.

It’s just that there’s some ideal that the Captain... that this one guy is aiming for, even if he gets rained on and catches a cold and passes out. And that ideal is a “hero.”

It kinda feels the same as my ideal of being a man among men. That’s how I felt when I was talking to Shinkai-senpai on that rainy day.^[2]

Midori: Now that you mention it, Shinkai-senpai isn’t even here... No fair, why does he get to skip...?

Shinobu: Mm, Shinkai-dono is quite the mysterious person, is he not? He hardly ever participateth in our activities, so I still don’t know what sort of person he is.

Perhaps Captain-dono understands him better... I feel like Shinkai-dono listens to what he saith.

Midori: Well, I don’t think he’s a bad person, at least... Sometimes he says things or does things that make so little sense that they scare me, but I’d say he’s pretty much harmless...

He has this sort of fluffy vibe, like he’s soothing...?

Ugh... so Morisawa-senpai is fighting to get our proposal passed, and Shinkai-senpai is MIA...

Are we gonna be okay all by ourselves...? We’re just first years.

Man, I can’t stop stressing about the future... This is so depressing, I wanna die...