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

56. Unwelcome Proposal 2

“Please don’t think I’m making a stupid suggestion. I’m not saying this as a joke or to tease you.”

“But something like that, whispering love, I…”

Moreover, she went so far as to emphasize “heartfelt,” so I could more or less guess what Momo was thinking.

“Nightingale-san probably likes senpai, right? So, if she feels loved by senpai, her powers as a hero might increase. She certainly seems to have lost consciousness, but if it’s senpai’s heartfelt words, she should be able to receive them. We heroes are supposed to have that much power.”

In other words, she was telling me to “fake a confession” to cheer Nightingale-san up. It was a ridiculously romantic plan that anyone who didn’t know the circumstances would think was a silly fantasy, but we understood well enough that there was a chance of success in that plan.

I think it was when I first joined the team that the doctor gave me a brief lesson about heroes. I remember something the doctor said at the time.

“For ordinary people like Sora-kun to understand… well, if I were to use a game analogy, the power of love is MP. Even if you use it up, you can recover it if you rest, and no matter how high your maximum value is or how strong your skills are, if you don’t recover, you’ll eventually run out and won’t be able to do anything. Lovers who have just started dating recover easily, while those who have cooled toward each other take a long time to recover. Yandere who are in love have an amazing rate of MP recovery, so you can think of them as having virtually unlimited abilities.”

The doctor frequently called me, who knew very little about sentai heroes and even less about yandere, to give me lessons. I learned about things to watch out for when interacting with them, methods for strengthening heroes, and more. Since I couldn’t transform into Philansblue, I studied even more diligently than I did for my university classes.

“And the maximum MP and the range of abilities you can use are mostly inborn talents. Well, there is some room for growth up to around middle school age, but those with outstanding hero potential like Akane often show a difference from early childhood. In other words, no matter how passionately an untalented person falls in love, they won’t be able to become a hero like Akane… However, Sora-kun has the ability to break through that mold.”

That was also the reason why the Yandere Maker was needed.

“Normally, the maximum value and range of abilities, which don’t change actively, can be expanded with your power. Of course, you need to be a yandere who is passionately in love with you, but while ordinary people can only recover, Sora-kun can actually expand the status itself… However, it would be difficult to achieve that level of enhancement just by being casually involved. For example, if you were to fall in love with one of the heroes and she felt from the bottom of her heart that “we love each other, I’m loved by the person I love,” then she would probably awaken greatly as a hero.”

Awakening as a hero. It’s a common plot development in manga and anime, but in reality, it seems to be something that’s triggered by my feelings as a third party, rather than by a pinch faced by a comrade or secret training.

I don’t know how far Nightingale-san’s feelings for me go, but it’s certain that she’s influenced by me. It would be rude to keep denying her feelings like some dense protagonist. I need to face Nightingale-san.

“Does Nightingale-san… like me?”

Saying it out loud, it sounded conceited and embarrassing. However, if it was a misunderstanding, the world we live in is not so sweet that I could just keep putting it off, saying I was embarrassed. Whether or not I like her, whether or not Nightingale-san likes me, in everyday life it would just be a love story between a man and a woman, but for a hero, it’s a matter of life and death.

Being loved by the person you love. Even for non-heroes, it’s easy to understand how much energy that can give. I’m sure it’s a wonderful thing, full of happiness, where you feel energized from the depths of your being and want to do your best.

If I confess, Nightingale-san might wake up. Momo’s suggestion was the best possible solution.

“…But that would be a lie.”

I don’t love Nightingale-san.

“Nightingale-san is a wonderful woman. She’s gentle, kind, a good cook, and her soft-spoken mannerisms and slightly clumsy side are cute. She’s beautiful, glasses look good on her, and her long hair is pretty… And she has a great figure.”

I would be happy if such a wonderful woman had feelings for me, if it were really true.

“But I don’t see Nightingale-san as a special woman. My confession would be a lie.”

I could hear Momo gasp softly.

“I can’t put my own self-satisfaction, something like sincerity, on the scales against someone’s life. So, I’m going to do something terrible as a man, and I know guilt is no excuse, but…”

Why the hell am I even talking about this?

“I understand, senpai.”

Was I seeking comfort? Did I want her to forgive me for knowingly using her kindness while being aware of her feelings? Or was it because I didn’t want Momo to misunderstand me?

“This is for Nightingale-san and Himawari-chan’s sake…so it can’t be helped.”

Hurting Nightingale-san to save her. I wonder if things would have turned out differently if I had acknowledged her feelings sooner. Regardless, all I can do now is respond to her kindness with lies. I can’t escape my mission.

“That’s right, that’s just like Asagi Sora-senpai.”

A small voice uttered a soft “un” as if in agreement, and Momo left our side.

I don’t know if she left to give me space to whisper sweet nothings or because she didn’t want to hear them, but just imagining Momo’s shrinking figure made my tighten chest. It’s probably not a good sign.

Amidst the gentle sound of rain, I gently put my arm around Nightingale-san’s shoulder and leaned my face close to her ear. Would my voice even reach her? But if it doesn’t, Nightingale-san will die.

“…Nightingale-san. Please listen.”

With all my might, I began to deceive her feelings with the utmost tenderness.