chapter 46
46. Philance Yellow’s Deployment Record 6
We arrived at the scene an hour and a half after leaving the base. Since the trains weren’t running, it was late at night, so it was much faster than for ordinary people, but it was still a much slower arrival than I had expected.
“Uguisu-onee-chan, are you okay?”
“Haah… yes.”
The reason for the delay is this person who is panting at my feet. Apparently, this person’s abilities aren’t suited for movement, so she’s bad at moving around the scene.
I thought I was pretty slow compared to Pink, but I was surprised that she was even worse. She can’t even do the basic action of jumping on top of a tall building and proceeding by strengthening her lower body with hero power and suit body protection. I’m pretty sure she’s been a Philance Green for about three years, so is she okay? I’m starting to get worried.
“II’m sorry. Please carry me.”
“It’s fine. If I waited for you, onee-chan, it would be morning by the time we got there.”
Thanks to that, I ended up jumping with her clinging to my arm. I’m not good at long-distance travel, so I’m pretty tired.
“I wonder if that’s why we didn’t meet at the site directly and met up once before. Why didn’t the professor tell us?”
We certainly need both of our powers for the mission, but come to think of it, I don’t think it was necessary to meet at the monitoring room. We could have discussed the details on site with a phone call or email. We always do that for regular missions.
“I’m sorry. It’s because I’m slow…”
I didn’t mean to blame her, but her eyes are a little teary. She’s so sensitive. Why is she a hero? Is it because the power of love is so strong?
Speaking of which, it’s a mystery why I was chosen to be a hero. When the professor scouted me, he said something strange like, “Your level of devotion to your brother is a talent,” but I don’t have a stronger power of love than an average person.
I happened to read an article in a magazine that Momoka left in the break room. It said that girls can change their hairstyle, clothes, and way of speaking for a boy they like, and they can even become interested in topics they’re not interested in. If that’s normal, my desire to be loved by my brother and my actions stemming from that are probably no different from an average girl. That means it’s not a particularly strong love, right?
I want to listen to everything my beloved brother says, and I want to be seen a little more favorably by him, so I become a hero. Is it necessary for me, who can only do such ordinary things, to be Philance Yellow? If I can become a hero with my level of love, then anyone can do it. I’m short, and my physical abilities aren’t that great. There must be many people who are more suited than me. Maybe the professor just took pity on me because I have no relatives and hired me as a hero. I can’t help but think about things like that.
“Oh, um. I’m fine now. Let’s move on.”
Ugu stepsister, who had caught her breath, spoke to me as I was spacing out. In front of us was the research facility and factory we were looking for. A large hospital-like building alone in the dark mountains. It was still not restored from the blackout, and only a few pale green lights, which seemed to be emergency power sources, were flickering, indicating that it was dark inside.
“Let’s go, Ugu stepsister-chan.”
I put on my face-concealing mask and headed towards the building. For now, let’s go around to the summit side where the building seems to be damaged, and if there are any people, let’s check the situation on the scene.
“I’ll go around the outside to remove the pollutants.”
As she said this, Ugu stepsister unzipped her jersey, which she had only put on over a jacket, down to her thighs. The Philance Green hero suit that appeared from within was a one-piece dress with a pale green base and dark green The silhouette itself is a cute one-piece dress that widens towards the knees, but because the neckline is modest and there are several pairs of small buttons in a row around the chest area, with the center and outer edges clearly separated by dark green lines, it looks like a nurse’s uniform. The large pockets around the waist and the moss green tights also have hospital cross-like marks on them, so that must be the motif.
And just below her high ponytail, which was tied up higher than usual, she was carrying something like an unfamiliar tank on her back.
“W-what’s that?”
I was supposed to head to the factory right away, but I couldn’t help but stop in my tracks at the sight of the unfamiliar tool. Maybe I lack a sense of crisis as much as the professor, who can’t complain about me .
“Is that, by any chance, your hero weapon, righteous sister?”
The thing Philance Green is carrying on her back is a rectangular tank-like object shaped like a large backpack used by bicycle food delivery people. It is securely fastened to her back with thick belts and is made of a transparent glass-like material, and the inside is empty. There is a tube running along the side of the tank, and at the end of it is a large gun-like object that is not a gun, but rather a flamethrower-like shape, with something that looks like it could spray something.
“Oh, was this your first time seeing it? I thought you’d seen it since it’s already known on the internet.”
“Oh, yeah. I don’t really look into hero stuff.”
I don’t care about anything else than my brother’s evaluation.
“This is just a chemical dispenser. I can fill the tank behind me with a special liquid with my ability. The one I’m holding in my hand is a device that sprays it into a mist. Well, I can also spray it straight out, but I don’t use that very often.”
“W-wow, that’s amazing.”
I wonder how to use it. I don’t really understand.
“Koshiba-san’s weapon is called a Drill Lance, right? It’s very cool and I envy you.”
“Oh, um. Thank you.”
So that’s what my weapon is called. I’ve been calling it a handle drill.
“My weapon has a lot of other mechanisms, but now is not the time to talk about them. Let’s talk about it slowly after this mission is over.”
“Okay. See you later, Ugu’s step sister.”
Thinking that it looked complicated but a little unique and enviable, I headed towards the factory to do what I had to do.