By the way, it was made of light materials to make it easy for him to go through,
so he was only a little hurt. However, Ivan acted as if he were grievously injured,
groaning in pain.
"Urgh, what a powerful monster..."
"Daaaan, bo, bo, box! That's me." Danbox laughed (?) triumphantly.
Ivan pulled himself out of the wall, stumbling, then turned to face the children
and shouted. "If this keep up, we're going to lose. All of you good children, lend me
your power!"
Roroa and Juna explained to the kids what he meant.
"All right, everyone," Roroa said. "Go and spin the glowin' sticks we gave ya.
Shout, 'You can do it!'"
"Let's all send Big Brother Ivan our power," Juna told them. "One, two..."
"""You can do it!"""
At those two's prompting, the children started using the glowing sticks that were
about the size of a piece of chalk to draw circles.
We'd handed out those sticks before the program started. They glowed faintly
because lightmoss, which was used in the city's streetlights because it absorbed light
and then released it in the darkness, had been kneaded into them.
Ivan continued to act like he was in pain as he turned to the children and
shouted, "It's not enough! Not yet! Do it louder, I'm counting on you!"
It always gets kids fired up when an adult says they're counting on them.
This time, when they cheered him on, they were louder and more serious than
the last. """You can do iiiiit!"""
"More! Even louder!"
"""You can do iiiiiiiiiiiiiit!"""
The children shouted until their throats were almost raw, and in the next
moment...
"All right! I've definitely received the kids' energy!"
Ivan's body was enveloped in a flash of light. Then, Ivan's voice echoed from
inside the light.
"Transform!"
When it did, a set of metallic armor, bracers, and a modified sallet helm with a
full-face visor came flying from out of nowhere. Ivan stood still with his arms and
legs spread wide as the pieces "automatically" put themselves on him. That cool
transformation scene made the children cheer.
Meanwhile, at that time, I was behind the stage using my Living Poltergeists
ability to manipulate the metallic equipment. Yes, I controlled Ivan's equipment with
my ability to make it look like he was automatically being equipped with it. Because,
at this range, I could do that even if they weren't dolls.
Liscia was watching me with the who-knows-how-many-th look of exasperation I
had seen from her today. "That's a horrible waste of your ability."
"Hey, a trick is a trick, even if it's just a party trick," I said. "Now, time to get
going."
"Hey, wait, Souma?!"
Once I had confirmed that Ivan's gear was fully equipped, I moved next to the
Jewel Voice Broadcast's jewel, making sure I didn't appear on the broadcast as I did.
Meanwhile, in the hall, the flash of light subsided, and the hero dressed in metallic
equipment appeared. Ivan struck the transformation complete pose, and shouted.
"Charge! Silvan!"
Once he had given his name, I spoke into the jewel so that only my voice would
appear in the broadcast. "Allow me to explain. When Ivan Juniro the Exercise Guy
receives energy from children, he transforms into the metallic hero Silvan." I
clenched my fist as I explained with gusto.
It was a genre standard to have narration explain after the hero's transformation.
I wasn't going to do the thing where they go back and look at the transformation
process scene again, though.
With my role finished, I went back to Liscia's side. She looked horribly exhausted.
"I don't know, it's starting to feel stupid to say anything..."
"Tokusatsu is very much a 'Don't think, feel,' sort of thing," I explained. "If you
don't think about it too deeply, just go with the flow, there's nothing more fun to
watch."
"...I'll do that."
Now then, turning the story back to the hall, the transformed Silvan was strong.
Danbox had been toying with him earlier, but now he showered the monster with
a flurry of punches and kicks, keeping it on the defensive the whole time.
Strong. You're strong, Silvan, everyone had to be thinking. The children were all
worked up, too.
"Da, dan... box..." Eventually, Danbox stumbled and took a knee.
Now was his chance!
"Eat this, Danbox! Ultimate Thunderclap Kick!"
When Silvan unleashed a flying kick, lightning raced along the tip of his foot. That
lightning-infused kick stabbed into Danbox.
I know I keep saying this, but the lightning was a product of his ability. It was, in
effect, just a flying kick, so it didn't hurt Aisha, the person inside Danbox, at all.
However, Danbox stumbled backwards a few steps.
Leaving behind a cry of, "Da... Danboooooooox! That's me!" it exploded scattering
parts in all directions.
Of course, all that really happened was that it hid while Ivan's ability generated
the explosion effect.
With Danbox defeated, Miss Dran, the evil female commander who hadn't had
much to do while she was watching the two of them fight, stamped her feet in
indignation as if she had just remembered what she was supposed to be doing.
"Curse you, Silvan! I'll let you off lightly this time! When I come back, you'd better
be ready!"
With those parting words, she turned and ran off the set to a spot where the
viewers couldn't see her.
Once he had watched her go, Silvan took off just his full-face helmet and thrust
his fist out in the direction Miss Dran had gone. "You and your evil organization who
are plotting to take over the world, the Black Group! If you're going to come, then
come! I will crush your ambitions time and again!"
Ivan declared his resolve and then turned back to the children. Then, with a smile
that seemed a little suffocatingly passionate, he shouted, "Okay, everyone! Let's train
with Silvan Energy Exercises so we won't lose to the bad guys! Stand a little ways
away from each other so you don't bump into your friends!"
Moments later, a cheerful tune started to play in the hall, and Juna and Roroa
came in at just the right moment to split the children up. Then Juna began singing
along with the music.
If you want to grow up strong, do your Silvan Energy Exercises. ♪
"Now, let's start by exercising our upper bodies," Silvan called. "Everyone imitate
a shoujou!"
Eek, eek, eek, ook. Eek, eek, eek, ook.
We are shoujous. Eek, eek, eek, ook.
When Ivan moved in time with the music, the children imitated him.
This exercise routine involved imitating the various animals of this world while
Juna sang comical lyrics. Their lyrics were aimed at children, but the exercises
themselves were based on the radio calisthenics that most Japanese people would
be familiar with (the shoujou imitation was a lateral bending exercise), so they
should be a logical workout.
"You do a lot of ridiculous stuff... But this takes the cake," Liscia suddenly
muttered as she watched the exercises. "This is an educational program, right?
What's the meaning behind the short drama earlier and this exercise?"
Not long ago, I bet she would have asked, "Is there some meaning in it?" instead.
But now, Liscia had asked, "What is the meaning?" It was a only a few words'
difference, but there was a subtle difference of nuance.
In the first, there was an assumption that there was probably no meaning to it. In
the latter, there was a confidence that there must be some meaning and that she
wanted to know what it was. I could feel her trust in that subtle change, and that
made me a little happier.
"Of course there's a meaning," I said. "If we draw in their attention with the short
drama, more people will watch. The exercises are good for the children's health and
development. I'm actively trying to spread them. But, more than anything, what I
want to spread is the word 'hero.'"
"The word 'hero'?"
That was just when, out in the hall, the interlude part of Silvan's Energy Exercises
began.
Ivan turned to the kids and spoke to them. "You're all doing great! Now then,
there's something I wanted to tell you. To become a truly strong person, you need
more than just power. If you forget to be kind, too, then you're just a brute!"
Then he turned towards the Jewel Voice Broadcast jewel, which is to say towards
the viewers, and spoke.
"The truth is, I'd like to be friends with the Black Group, too. If we could talk
things over, we might not need to resort to our fists. That's why, no matter who
you're up against, never give up on trying to understand them. What do you do if
they're still unreasonable and violent, you ask? That's right! To make sure you can
protect those close to you, do your Silvan Energy Exercises!"
The interlude ended at the perfect time, and Ivan began exercising along with the
song again.
When she heard Ivan's words, after closing her eyes for a moment, Liscia said,
"'Being strong isn't enough. Don't forget to be kind, too. Never give up on
understanding one another'... This is what you wanted to get across."
She whispered the words again, as if reflecting upon them.
I nodded silently. "When you're little, the words adults say to you have a strange
way of sticking with you, right? Especially if they're coming from a hero, those words
will remain in some corner of your heart even when you grow up. As a bonus, when
we say these things to the children, we can count on their caretakers hearing them,
too."
Then I dropped the lighthearted, joking attitude and adopted a more serious
tone.
"There's a lull right now, but eventually every country will have to face the
Demon Lord's Domain. These words are something I'm laying down now to prevent
that from turning into an utter quagmire that won't end until one side or the other is
exterminated. Between Tomoe's ability and the information we've exchanged with
the Empire, we've learned that we can't lump everyone in the Demon Lord's Domain
together. If possible, before there's any fighting, I'd like to hold talks with those that
seem amenable to them, like the kobolds who spared the mystic wolves."
"Right..."
"I feel like, when that time comes, the number of adults in this country who are
strong, kind, and willing to not give up on understanding the other side will decide
this country's fate," I said. "If most of them can only think, 'Exterminate the demons,'
we're headed straight for total war. The more people there are who think, 'There
must be demons who can understand us,' the more of other paths we'll be able to
see."
When I said that, Liscia laughed a little, then poked me in the shoulder. "I'm
satisfied with the explanation, but... isn't this all a bit idealistic for you?"
"It's a kids' show, okay? I want the kids to have ideals. Wouldn't you? I mean,
when kids are strangely realistic about things, that's just unbearable to see."
"...I suppose you're right."
"Besides, it's an adult's job to look at reality so that the children can continue to
talk about ideals."
It was the job of a king, too. While searching for a brighter future, I had to
prepare for the possibility that a dark future might come, too. In order to remain
kind, strength was an absolute necessity. I needed to raise the strength of the nation,
expand our arsenal, and set things up so that we could endure a total war if it came
to that. To create a nation that was like a great tree with its roots firmly in the
ground, one that wouldn't shake even when the storm came.
While I was thinking about that, it looked like the exercises had finished. Ivan
said, "Well done!" and patted a nearby kid on the head. The host, Juna, took over
from there.
"How did you like the program we just brought to you, Singing With Big Sis? This
time, we are shooting inside the castle, but we're thinking about doing live
broadcasts from theaters around the country in future, too. When we do, we'll be
looking for children to sing and exercise with us, so all you mommies and daddies
out there, bring your kids to come play with us! Now, until next time, everyone
together now..."
When Juna gave the signal, the children, Roroa, Ivan, and Little Musashibo, who'd
subtly snuck back in for the ending, all faced the camera and waved.
"""Bye, bye!"""
With everyone's voices, this world's first educational broadcast came to a close.
"It's so hot... Just let me die..." Pamille moaned.
"Good work out there, Pamille," Juna told her.
Pamille, who had been inside Little Musashibo, was now groggy from the heat.
The kigurumi suit must have been pretty hot inside. Juna was there fanning her.
Next to Pamille was Carla, holding her knees and sobbing in the fetal position.
"Having to be broadcast in that getup... I'm so embarrassed I could die."
It seemed that having that super skimpy Miss Dran outfit broadcast had left her
in a state of shock.
...Yeah, I could kind of sympathize. Serina could be such a complete and total
sadist.
"Whose fault was this?" she burst out. "Yours, master?"
"You're turning on me?! That costume was Serina's decision, okay?!"
"Ahahaha..." she laughed in a strange voice. "Well, you know, they say a superior
is responsible for decisions their subordinates make, don't theeeey?"
Carla had eyes like some sort of yandere character. I was worried I might get
taken out with a squish, or a crunch, or a stab, stab! (I was scared to even describe
what I was imagining, so I tried using onomatopoeia instead.)
"Calm down, Carla!" I shouted. "If you kill me, you'll die, too!"
"I'm so embarrassed I could just die... I'll take you with me..."
Oh, crap, I thought. That look in her eyes, she's kind of serious.
"Aisha, help!" I yelled.
"Madam Carla! We're in the castle, in the castle!" Aisha shouted.
"Don't stop me, Madam Aisha!" Carla screamed. "If I don't kill him, I can't die
myself!"
While Aisha was holding her in a pinion, I made a hasty retreat.
Why was I catching all the flak for Serina's sadistic tendencies? Well, it was just
Carla venting her hopeless embarrassment as anger, no doubt.
...Probably.
Now, to get straight to the point, Together With Big Sis was a hit.
Especially with the adults.
I know I'd made it with children as the target audience, but for some reason their
parents, guardians, and even adults with no children at all were even more
passionate about it.
For the women, it was Little Musashibo's adorableness, and the slightly-toopassionate-but-still-hot Ivan's appeal.
For the men, it was the coolness of the first tokusatsu hero they'd ever seen,
paired with the sexy villainess played by Carla.
Well, even in Japan, there were sometimes mothers who got even more hooked
on a program than their children because they were watching it for the hot actors. It
was probably something like that.
That being the case, in the Kingdom of Friedonia, on days when Together With
Big Sis was on, rather than children begging their parents to go see it, you would
often see parents begging their children.
W-Well, either way, kids were seeing the program, so it was all good, but I got a
cold look from Liscia when she found out the situation.
"'It's an adult's job to look at reality,' he says."
"W-Well, hey, what's wrong with adults having dreams?" I stammered.
Liscia stared at me silently.
"...No, seriously, how did it turn out like this anyway?" I muttered.
I felt like the bizarreness level of Friedonia had gone up just a little.