Volume 13 Chapter 396 Shirogane Aqua, The Great Radio Tower Rescue Mission
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Today was the unveiling of the new powered suit from Space Experience Co.¹ at the event plaza of the Great Radio Tower.
”I figured it would be thicker than the standard suits,” I said, adjusting the plating.
”Doesn’t feel like it hinders my movement, though,” Shintaro replied.
The two idols, now clad in our powered suits, compared the new tech to our usual Butterfly Mask and Lightning Hopper gear. It was surreal to see a functional powered suit designed after our own transformation Drivers. Our group, BERYL, was scheduled to perform a live concert in space using these suits, which doubled as extra-vehicular activity gear. We were currently balancing powered-suit maneuvers with our dance choreography.
”Juniors, witness it! My perfect Poison Chalice!” Tenga shouted.
”Ooooh!” the others cheered.
Tenga performed a series of poses that perfectly mirrored the original series. The group offered a warm round of applause. Honestly, Tenga-senpai, the fans would love this if you did it on stage instead of just back here, I thought. I stepped out of the men’s changing room and knocked on the adjacent door.
”Kohina-senpai, are you ready?” I asked.
”Wait a second,” Kohina replied.
The door slid open, and Kohina emerged in the Bicorn Beetle suit. The suit’s auto-adjustment feature worked flawlessly, contouring to her frame despite her smaller stature.
”By the way, where is Kobayakawa?” I asked.
”She can’t leave her bathroom,” Kohina said, sighing. “I told her just searing the outside isn’t enough. You can’t just pass meat through a cloud of smoke and call it cooked!”
I rubbed my temples. Kobayakawa, that’s not ‘blue rare.’ That’s just a raw carcass. You can’t call it Yakiniku² if it’s still mooing.
”Alright, it’s time. Let’s move!” Tenga shouted.
”Right!” the group replied.
We left the green room and headed for the stage. The suit was heavy, but the power-assist was so seamless that walking felt as natural as moving our own limbs.
”And now, please welcome… BERYL!”
As we stepped onto the stage, the plaza erupted in a storm of camera flashes from the gathered press.
”Look! It’s the real Heaven’s Sword!” someone in the crowd shouted.
”The legend is real!” another added.
”See that, world? That’s the power of Japanese fandom!”
”Well, that Tashinami guy did pour a fortune into those local machine shops to get these built,” a reporter muttered. “He’s the ultimate stan.”
”He’s the GOAT,” a fan whispered. “Sasuga-nami!³“
The group struck their iconic poses. Kohina was a natural; I felt a pang of guilt for doubting her as a last-minute substitute. Despite the height difference, she was the Bicorn Beetle. Her acting was beyond reproach – even if her personality was another story.
As the event hit its stride, a bone-jarring crack echoed through the plaza, and the stage heaved violently. I nearly lost my footing. What was that? An earthquake? As the MC, I had to keep my cool.
”Everyone, prioritize your safety!” I shouted into my mic. “Get off the ladders! We are suspending the event effective immediately!”
I looked toward the wings, but the stagehands were just as frantic. Amidst the chaos, Ako emerged from the shadows, her face pale. She stepped to the center of the stage and bowed to the reporters.
”I am sorry, but today’s event is canceled,” Ako said. “Please evacuate the area immediately. We will reschedule at a later date.”
The members of BERYL looked at one another. Ako bowed again and rushed toward the group.
”A meteorite just hit one of the main support pillars,” Ako whispered. “It didn’t burn up in the atmosphere. The impact killed the elevators, and the tower is in a state of emergency. The government is worried about a structural collapse. They’ve ordered a full evacuation within a three-kilometer radius. That includes us.”
The news hit like a physical blow. Just then, the monitors that had been showcasing their gear flickered to a breaking news report.
”The Great Radio Tower management has announced that over a thousand people are currently trapped in the observation decks and high-altitude restaurants. The meteorite strike has crippled internal communications, leaving the survivors cut off.“
My eyes went wide. “I have to go up there.”
”Wait!” Kohina shouted, grabbing my shoulder. “Don’t you dare just bolt!”
”Senpai, let go! I have to help!” I replied.
”Don’t act on your own! Explain yourself before you move! How many times do I have to tell you?” Kohina snapped.
I took a sharp breath to steady my racing heart. “The comms are dead. I can reach the top. If I start from the bottom, I can climb the exterior or the shafts.”
Even behind the helmet, Kohina’s exasperation was palpable. “Fine. I have plenty to say about your recklessness later, but the tower is right there. Let’s go. With these suits, we might actually be able to do some good.”
I realized she was right. I had been so used to the suits that I forgot their strength. They could move debris and pry open doors that would be impossible for normal humans.
”But if we get in the way of the professionals, we leave immediately. Understood?” Kohina asked.
”Understood,” I replied.
”I’m coming too!” the lead engineer shouted, running toward them. “I’m the development manager, I have to help nano!”
They rushed to the first-floor elevator lobby, where police and rescue teams were already congregating.
”It’s the real Heaven’s Sword…” a rescuer whispered.
I ignored the stares and pulled off my helmet, addressing the man in charge. “What’s the situation?”
”Aqua-sama!?” the official stammered. “The elevators are locked down. The main power lines were severed by the impact. We’re at a standstill.”
”The JSDF elite units are on their way from Narashino,” another officer added. “But they can’t land a chopper on the observation deck – the structural damage makes it too risky. We have to get those elevators moving to evacuate the crowd, but without power, we’re helpless.”
A ladder truck wouldn’t reach that high. They were out of options. Even if Aqua climbed up alone, he could only save a few people at a time.
”If it’s just power you need…” the lead engineer panted, “the micro-fusion reactor⁴ in these suits might be able to jump-start the grid.”
”Wait,” I said, my heart skipping a beat. “These suits are running on nuclear reactors?”
Toa and Shintaro reached for their latches, ready to strip the suits off to provide the power.
”No, wait!” I shouted. “If we take them off, we can’t move the people. We need to stay in the suits and find a way to bridge the power. But how do we get to the cars?”
I looked at the team. I already knew my answer.
”I’m going up with my junior,” Tenga said, his voice dropping an octave. “With these suits, the climb is possible. We just have to ignore the height and the fear of a collapse.”
”I’m not sitting this out,” Shintaro added, his voice trembling. “I’m terrified of heights, but I’m going.”
”Same here,” Toa said. “I want to save as many as I can.”
I nodded. I truly was in the right group. “I knew I could count on you guys.”
”I suppose I’ll help too,” Kohina sighed.
”Actually, Kohina-san, you stay here,” the engineer interrupted. “The Bicorn Beetle has the highest torque. We need you down here to help the rescue crews stabilize the fractured pillar.”
”Wait! What? Aqua! Don’t do anything stupid!” Kohina yelled as she was ushered away.
The management team explained the bypass procedure. I let the suit’s AI, the 3510, handle the technical synchronization. My task was simple: climb the shafts and bridge the power.
”See you at the top,” I said.
”Right!” the others echoed.
They pried open the doors to the four elevator shafts and began their ascent. The suits were incredibly fast; they hit the 100-meter mark in mere moments.
”Man… it’s a long way down,” I muttered.
I immediately regretted looking. I focused my strength on the handholds, pulling myself upward. I realized I owed my trainers an apology; the ‘cliff-climbing’ exercises they’d done for that music video were finally paying off.
”Aqua, do you copy?” Toa’s voice crackled in my ear.
”I’m here, Toa. Status?” I asked.
”I’ve reached the first car. It was at a lower level. I’m connecting the bypass now. The lift is back online. Moving to the next one.“
We had divided the shafts based on the elevator locations. Toa had the closest, followed by Shintaro and Tenga. I had the longest climb.
”Junior, I’ve arrived,” Tenga reported. “Power is flowing. Good luck to you both.“
I switched to Shintaro’s channel. “Shintaro, how are you holding up?”
”I’ve finally reached a spot where I can see the elevator properly,” Shintaro said. “But… I made the mistake of looking down. Sorry. I’m good to go.”
I told him over the comms that I’d just done the same thing and was currently regretting it, which earned me a laugh from Shintaro-kun⁵ on the other end.
”Don’t sweat it, Shintaro-kun! You can do this. Show ’em what you’re made of!” I shouted.
”Yeah, best friend. I’m not totally sure about the ‘manhood’ thing, but I’m going to keep the promise I made to everyone,” Shintaro-kun replied.
That’s Shintaro-kun for you. I fired myself up one more time and started back up the long path. A few minutes later, I heard Kohina-senpai’s voice coming through the intercom, sounding completely floored.
”The crew to fix the support pillars is here! So we’re all set… wait, Mr. Prime Minister?!” Kohina-senpai cried. “Did you seriously climb all the way up here with your bare hands?! You’ve got to be kidding me!”
”Aqua, leave this to me!” the Prime Minister shouted. “I am the pillar of this nation – and the Prime Minister has arrived!”
Man, our PM is something else… Even if it’s only ten or so meters, the only people crazy enough to try that climb without gear are probably me, the PM, and my masters. Right after that, I got the word from Shintaro-kun that he’d reached the elevator.
”Guess I’m the anchor,” I muttered. “Time to step up!”
I dug deep, pushing through on sheer willpower until I finally reached the elevator, which was dangling more than 200 meters in the air. Guts and spirit – that’s what it’s all about these days. With enough heart, you can make anything happen!
”Is that… Heaven’s Sword⁶?!” a voice gasped.
”Wait, what?! Seriously?!”
”Look, Mom! It’s the real Heaven’s Sword!” a child cheered.
”No way… for real?”
I pried open the elevator hall doors, pulled off my helmet, and gave them my best hero smile. The second they saw my face, the whole crowd froze. I guess nobody expected that the guy inside the legendary Heaven’s Sword would actually be… well, me.
”It’s okay now! I’m here!” I announced. “I’ll get this elevator moving in a second, so everyone just stay calm!”
There were little kids in there, so the first priority was making sure everyone felt safe. With AI3510 backing me up, I bypassed the system to feed power directly into the car.
”Fanks, Kenjaki!” a little boy chirped.
”You bet!” I replied. “You were a real pro for staying so brave and quiet!”
I brought the elevator down to the first floor, gave the kids a high-five, and saw them off. After that, I went into piston transport⁷ mode – back to the top, load ’em up, down to the bottom, repeat. On my very last trip, I ran into some familiar faces.
”Kukuri-chan?! And Lady Victoria too?!” I stammered. “Wait, Saionji-senpai, you guys were here the whole time?!”
”Hehe, I knew you’d come for us, Aqua-senpai,” Kukuri-chan said with a grin.
”Honestly, there’s no one left but us now,” Lady Victoria added. “Come, let’s go down together desuwa.”
I ushered everyone in and let the other three know the tower was clear. For a minute there, I wasn’t sure how this would go, but thanks to a lot of luck and everyone working together, we got everyone out safe. I’m seriously grateful to Toa, Shintaro-kun, Tenga-senpai, Kohina-senpai, the genius who made this suit, Eroy Musk from Space Experience, and our mystery donor, Otome-no-Tashinami-san.
(Side note: Otome-no-Tashinami-san… I am so sorry that when I first heard your name, I thought it sounded like a Chijo⁸!)
On the way down, Lady Victoria seemed to realize something. She snapped her fan shut with a sharp click.
”Say, I just realized… why exactly did you boys have to climb up here?” she asked.
”Huh? Well, obviously to -“
Wait. Hold on. I felt a cold sweat break out as I realized I’d missed something huge.
”Couldn’t you have just… given those powered suits to someone else?” Lady Victoria continued. “Then you wouldn’t have had to do something so dangerous, right?”
I could only stare at her in pained silence. How did none of us catch something that obvious? I mean, maybe I’m a lost cause, but Toa, Shintaro-kun, and Tenga-senpai are usually so sharp. Even Kohina-senpai and Ako-san are normally the voices of reason. If those five missed it, there was no way I was going to figure it out!
”It was probably… uh… the Hoge-lar Wave⁹! Yeah! They were coming off the meteorite!” I blurted out.
”And what exactly are ‘Hoge-lar Waves’?” Lady Victoria asked. “There’s no scientific proof for something like that nano.”
Lady Victoria… look. To survive in Japan, you can’t worry about the small stuff. I mean, the Prime Minister is literally acting as a structural support for a radio tower right now. Kukuri-chan, who’d been listening in, finally lost it and started doubling over with laughter. Looking at her, Lady Victoria and I couldn’t help but smile too. Anyway, everyone was safe, and that’s what matters. Once we hit the ground, we all celebrated a mission well done.
—
Summary:
During an idol event at the Great Radio Tower, a meteorite strikes the tower, trapping a thousand people and threatening a collapse. The boy group BERYL uses their new powered suits to initiate a dangerous rescue mission. The boys climb the elevator shafts to jump-start the lifts using the reactors inside their suits.
Aqua completes a high-altitude rescue mission using the ‘Heaven’s Sword’ powered suit. He successfully evacuates everyone, including acquaintances like Lady Victoria and Kukuri-chan. The chapter ends on a comedic note when Victoria points out the group could have simply lent the suits to professionals instead of risking their lives.
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Trivia:
- The powered suits are specifically designed based on the idols’ stage transformation gear.
- Kobayakawa is missing the event due to food poisoning from raw meat.
- The suits contain small-scale nuclear fusion reactors.
- Aqua’s ability to climb the shaft is aided by previous ‘idol training’ involving cliff climbing.
- Kohina remains at the base to stabilize the pillar because her suit has the highest torque.
- The Prime Minister is literally climbing the tower bare-handed to help fix the pillars.
- Aqua had to use AI3510 to manually jumpstart the elevator’s power.
- The term ‘Kenjaki’ is used by the children to refer to Aqua/the suit hero.
- Eroy Musk is a parody character who provided technical support for the mission.
- The ‘Hoge-lar Wave’ is a blatant lie made up by Aqua to cover up their lack of common sense
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Character Insight:
Aqua shows immediate heroic instinct, but his recklessness is tempered by Kohina’s demand for a plan. The other members of BERYL, despite their fears, show intense loyalty to Aqua and a shared sense of duty.
Aqua proves his heroism but also his gullibility. His ‘hot-blooded’ nature often blinds him to simple logical solutions, a trait shared by his entire circle of friends until Victoria points it out.
—
Behind the Scenes:
The ‘Sasuga-nami’ comment is a meta-reference to fan-culture praise tropes often found in Japanese light novels.
The author notes they have been feeling unwell, which is why the chapter was split and the ‘hype’ felt lower than planned. The donor’s name ‘Otome-no-Tashinami’ is a pun on feminine modesty/etiquette, which Aqua confuses with ‘Chijo’ (pervert/exhibitionist).
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TL Notes:
Notes:
• Ken – Male. A rehabilitated man working in the mine. The fiancé of Akiyama Sachiko, the organizer of the party or one of the protagonist’s (Aqua’s) mother’s students (ikebana) appeared in Volume 2 Chapter 12. However, their engagement is not yet officially recognized, as the necessary documents have not been signed by all parties involved. Ken-kun behaves inappropriately during the event, attempting to flirt with Kanon and later becoming aggressive, even wielding a replica sword. His actions cause a disturbance, and he is eventually subdued and removed by the security team.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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