I Joined the Sentai Heroes Who Were Beautiful Girls Other Than Me but the Heroines Were All Yanderangers

9: Momoka Ishizue, Girl 2

In front of me is a 30-story building. Most of the middle floors are offices, while only some of the lower and upper floors are commercial facilities for the general public. A fire has broken out on the 26th floor, and while fire engines have arrived, it will likely take some time to put out the fire.

“Now then, who should save Momo…”

Without a cheat-level ability like Akane-san, who can single-handedly infiltrate a Shadow’s nest, Momo’s active is rather limited. For example, humans can also put out fires and remove debris. In some cases, humans are better suited to the task simply because there are more of them. Besides, it would be a waste to have a hero do such a menial job.

So, what do I do? I assist in situations where civilians can’t reach or where time is of the essence. Since civilians who rely on tools have limited mobility, I swoop in and solve problems that are out of their reach. I leave the rest of the cleanup to the civilians and take my leave.

In other words, I just need to find a place where I can stand out and look good.

“When it comes to high-rise fires…”

“Hey, there’s a child up there!”

“What!? Where are the parents!?”

Bingo. On the top floor of the building, there’s a child trapped on a floor that’s already on fire.

“After all, saving a child is the epitome of a hero’s job.”

In large-scale fires, it’s not uncommon for panicked civilians to get separated from their young children. If everyone had stayed calm and evacuated, they could have escaped before the fire spread, but many people have already evacuated the building.

That’s why saving a young child who has been left behind is the most effective way to stand out. A child who has been left behind by their parents in the middle of a dangerous fire. It’s a classic heroic tale.

“Well, whatever… I don’t really care if the child lives or dies.”

Even if I don’t make it in time, the blame will fall on the building that started the fire or the parents who left their child behind to save themselves. No one will blame the hero. In fact, the foolish civilians would probably love to see me show up with the charred body of a child and cry and apologize. And if the parents start yelling that it’s my fault for being too slow, that would be even better. Everyone would take my side and I would become a tragic hero .

All I have to do is show everyone how valiantly I tried to save the child. I’m not a hero because of my sense of justice. All I care about is becoming the most popular Philanthropink.

“Look! It’s…”

“Philanthropink!”

**Translated Excerpt:**

Standing otentatiously on a nearby building, I noticed Momo. Come on, make more noise. Look at the cute Momo!

“Help me! There’s a little boy trapped on the upper floor!”

“Please, Philance Pink!”

“Please go to him!”

Pretending to be moved by the voices of the irresponsible crowd, I spread my arms wide. Appearing as if in response to Momo’s heart, a pair of pistols appeared—my weapons.

The pair of toy-like pistols fit perfectly in my palms, painted in a tacky pink with yellow hearts. The ridiculous design, so obviously fake even to Momo, who knows nothing about weapons, was similar to the futuristic guns in comics. They don ‘t shoot beams, though. The oversized muzzles move in response to Momo’s feelings, acting like her limbs.

I aimed the guns in my hands at the building and fired. What shot out of the muzzles wasn’t bullets, but hook shots. I could use the thin wires to close the distance to the building.

“If only I could sprout gorgeous angel wings instead.”

Philance Pink’s high mobility comes from these pistol-shaped hook shots. As a hero who can already leap across buildings, the support of the hook shots makes it seem like she’s flying. The pair of pistols, which are usually thin wires but can also become steel whips that bend freely in response to Momo’s will, are like her limbs.

“One more shot should do it.”

I attached myself to the building without difficulty and slid up the wall, where I caught sight of the boy loudly. A little boy of about five was peering out the window, crying.

“You! Stay back!”

“…!”

I shot an arrowhead at the window next to the crying boy and pressed the pistol in my other hand against the windowpane.

――――Pariin!!――――

The impact sound from the zero-distance shot was absorbed by the sound of the breaking glass. The reinforced glass on the skyscraper shattered easily. Good, I can get inside now.

“Philance Pink…!”

When I entered the room, the depressed boy ran towards Momo. A young elementary school child, an innocent child, good-looking too. It would be easy to evacuate the boy now, but I need to do something else first.

“It’s okay. I’m here now.”

I met his gaze, spoke gently, and then slowly lifted my mask.

“…Huh?”

The reason I do this is that children smile when I smile, and a kind older sister’s face is more reassuring than a cold mask.

The boy gulped. His expression showed the moment his heart was stolen by a beautiful older sister’s smile, the likes of which he had never seen before. Momo loves this expression, the hot, special, pure heart turning pink. It’s a special feeling hidden within the boy that Momo can draw out because she’s so charming.

“Now, hold onto me.”

I reached out to the hesitant boy. The boy, whose s*xual preferences have been warped by a female Sentai hero, blushed as he was held in Momo’s suit, stealing glances at it. Philance Pink, unaware of this, hid her face with her mask again and jumped out of the building. That memory will surely haunt him for the rest of his life. It’s exciting to think about.

Oh, and don’t forget to tell your parents that Philance Pink was a really cute girl.

After just three months, Momo’s hero activities had become so routine that she had grown accustomed to them. Philance Pink disappeared into the twilight, leaving behind the citizens’ words of praise.

“I wonder what my senior will look like.”

The expression she makes when she falls in love tells Momo that she is overwhelmingly powerful.

It makes her realize again that she is the cutest and most forgiven being.

It’s okay, I was okay today too.

I won properly, I was the best.

But it’s not enough, I want more, more. I want proof that I, the cutest Momo, am the most loved, visible proof.

*

“…Momo?”

I turned around at my senior’s voice.

“…”

“W, what are you doing?”

My senior’s gaze fell on my hand.

“Crushing her, of course. Akane-san.”

**Snap, snap, snap, snap,** the sound of thread breaking.

“Akane-san is… a stuffed toy of Philance Red, right? What happened to it?”

Even though there’s a real Peach right before my eyes, why is my senior looking at a doll?

“Why are you asking me that?”

I grabbed its head and body and pulled with all my might, and this time the fabric tore.

“Where did you get that?”

Since there was nothing left of Akane-san in Peach’s hand, when she opened it, the wind carried it away somewhere.

“The boy I just saved was holding it.”

“Why would you! You’re destroying a stuffed toy that the kid you saved was holding.”

“…?”

I wonder why, but my senior is angry.

“Why are you destroying a Philance Red stuffed toy?”

“Because Peach saved him, but he said he likes Red.”

“!?”

“Isn’t that strange? That boy is supposed to have fallen for Peach, and he definitely saw how cute Peach is… but he gave Peach a Philance Red stuffed toy.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The boy Peach just saved… he said, ‘It’s my treasure, so I’ll give it to you,’ and he gave Peach Akane-san’s stuffed toy of all things!? And on top of that, he said, ‘Take good care of it.’ Isn’t that strange? Isn’t it strange? If he was saved by Peach and fell in love with Philance Pink, he should have torn the Red stuffed toy to pieces and thrown it away on the spot! Why would he give it to Peach, whom he loves so much? Isn’t that strange? It’s not a treasure, is it?”

Since Peach saved him, her heart should rightfully belong to Peach alone.

“W-what’s wrong, Peach… That kid probably likes Pink the most now, right? That’s fine. Kids don’t think too deeply. He probably just wanted to give Peach, who saved him, his favorite toy as a token of his gratitude…”

“That’s not okay! If he likes Peach the most, why would a Red stuffed toy be his treasure!? Why would he want Peach to take good care of it!? That’s impossible! So what? Does that mean that Peach, who came all the way to save him, is on the same level as Red, who only saw him through a screen?”

“How much he likes them doesn’t matter, does it? Isn’t that what it means to be a hero? Besides, who cares about popularity from strangers?”

Popularity doesn’t matter. What does that mean? A riddle, a puzzle, a trick question?

“…”

Even if I think about it, I don’t understand at all. It does matter.

Let me sort out the situation. The boy said he loved Peach for saving him and gave her his treasure. That treasure was a Philance Red stuffed toy. That boy loves Peach, but it’s strange that a Red stuffed toy is his treasure. Normally, if Peach, who is Philance Pink, was the one he liked, the Red stuffed toy would be like trash, so he would have thrown it away on the spot. In other words, that boy hasn’t had a change of heart even after Seeing how cute Peach is?

“…It’s still strange.”

I think it’s natural to be angry about this. And my senior said that popularity doesn’t matter, and that’s what it means to be a hero. Does that mean I shouldn’t care about the boy’s actions?

“…!?”

Could it be… jealous?

“…Peach?”

Sora-senpai is looking at me, looking worried for some reason. The fire has already died down, so there shouldn’t be anything to worry about. Ah, I understand, Peach. Senpai is jealous of that boy. He’s angry that the boy likes Philance Red, so he’s jealous and said such things. I see. When he says that’s what it means to be a hero, he means that there’s a big wall between heroes and ordinary people, so don’t pay attention to them. When he says that popularity doesn’t matter, he means that I’m the most important person to him, so don’t worry about the popularity of others.

That’s why he looks so worried. He’s jealous even though he’s not my boyfriend, or rather, he’s jealous of a mere boy, so it’s like he’s already confessed. He’s scared of Peach’s answer!

“Fufu, Senpai is so cute.”

“Eh?”

“I understand everything you just said, Senpai.”

I see, Senpai has already fallen head over heels for Peach. It can’t be helped. Peach is the cutest of all, so it’s no wonder that Senpai would fall for her so easily. I’m sorry, Akane-san. Senpai’s heart already belongs to Peach, and Peach won’t let her guard down because of her cuteness. From now on, I’ll love Senpai even more and monopolize his love.

“Um, I have a favor to ask.”

“W-what is it?”

“When you see Peach, please tell her that she’s cute a lot.”

Ah, poor Akane-san. I got Senpai so easily. It’s unfair to be so cute.

“Then, I won’t do things like this anymore.”

From now on, I’m the senior’s lover, so I shouldn’t make her jealous.

“Do you understand, Senior Sora?”

The senior smiled happily.