Volume 3 Chapter 29 Hinomori Squadron: Rose Rangers
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Summer vacation had officially started.
Not that it mattered much to me; I was still stuck in kindergarten today, so my routine hadn’t changed an inch. A few kids were skipping the summer session, but since two or three were usually out sick during the semester anyway, the place felt exactly the same.
The attendance rate for the Chrysanthemum and Sunflower classes next door hovered around fifty percent, so they had been mashed together into a summer-only hybrid class. Our Rose Class¹, however, was rocking an eighty percent turnout. Maybe we were just the weird ones.
The only real difference was the “curriculum.”
To make sure the kids at home didn’t fall behind, the teachers basically gave up on teaching and cranked the “free play” dial to ten.
We had scheduled blocks for the playground, the gym, and the pool, but just like during the school year, we were on a strict rotation to keep the crowds down.
Which led to the current chaos—
”Makoto-kun, whadda we makin’ today? A skyscraper?”
”I brought the blocks!”
”I bet we could make a hundred-story tower!”
”No way! We gotta finish the Sagrada Familia first!”
”How ’bout dominoes?”
”I hate dominoes!”
”I wanna build a bridge!”
”Let’s make a maze!”
The youngsters swarmed me like usual. I didn’t hate the popularity, but when you’re being tackled by a half-dozen toddlers at once, “exhausted” starts to beat out “flattered” pretty quickly…
”Why don’t you guys just build your own things…?” I suggested.
”No!”
”‘Cause ours always fall down!”
”I wanna play with Makoto-kun…”
”Hey! We could build the Tower of Babel!”
(Good grief… they just say whatever pops into their heads. I wish they’d take a hint from Suu-chan. Look at her, just quietly sharing a picture book with Shiho-chan.)
”Maa-kun, let’s build the Skytree,” Suu-chan whispered.
”Alright. Skytree it is. No arguments allowed,” I announced.
”Skytree?”
”Skytree!! …Wait, what’s that?”
”I know! I saw it on TV! It’s the big thing that goes KABOOM!”
”Nu-uh! It’s the pointy one that goes ZOOOM!”
”It’s totally KABOOM!”
”It’s ZOOOM!!”
”I think it’s more of a SHING!”
(They’re so desperate to play together, yet they turn everything into a shouting match…)
”We need a perimeter! Kotaro-kun, take that side.”
”Got it.”
Yuma and Kotaro moved with clinical efficiency. Top-tier helpers.
As for the “Naughty Five” currently screaming over sound effects—I wish they’d stop glaring and start stacking. If they didn’t hurry, we’d run out of time and end up with another unfinished landmark.
”Makoto-kun, did you know? The Skytree isn’t a circle. It’s a triangle!”
”Is it now? A triangle?”
”Yeah! A try-angle-thingy!”
”What’s a ‘try’? Is it like… ‘cool’?”
”Not that kind of cool! It’s a shape!”
”Whoa… why!?”
”My dad said it stays strong against big winds and earthquakes!”
”It’s strong!?”
”Yeah! Super strong!”
Yuma bragged with a toothy grin. I remembered my mom mentioning his parents were in real estate; his architectural trivia was surprisingly legit. Kids this age really are just echoes of whatever their parents talk about at dinner.
”Strong, huh…”
Then there was Jun, making a triangle with his fingers. That kid was a sucker for words like “strongest” or “coolest.” I was curious to see how he’d try to act out being a triangle, but then…
”Makoto-kun, what about the foundation?”
”Hm? Oh, right. Let’s start the base in this area.”
”Roger that.”
I gave Kotaro-kun the dimensions and had him build a triangle about a foot wide. We stacked the blocks by shifting each row by half—the “stretcher bond”² method.
After three months of this, the youngsters were like little union workers. They stacked with precision. I honestly wondered if they’d all end up working for Yuma’s family company one day, building real houses.
We kept a strict rotation—ten blocks per person.
I read to Suu-chan and the others, occasionally checking the tower’s balance and barking orders. Miku-sensei snapped some photos, and everyone yelled “Cheese!”
Finally, the tower was waist-high.
But that’s exactly when things go south.
”—Ah!”
A tiny gasp, followed by the inevitable.
””Aaaaaaaah!””
”……”
The blocks were interlocked, which meant the collapse was absolute. One block hit another, and in a heartbeat, the whole Skytree was a pile of wooden rubble. It was a truly spectacular crash.
(Of course, I was the only one who found it “spectacular.”)
A heavy, suffocating silence filled the room.
One of the Naughty Five—Matsuda Sayo-chan—looked like her world had ended. I get it. When it’s a team project, the guilt of being the one who “ruined it” is crushing. Even her pigtails seemed to sag.
An adult could laugh this off… but these kids? Not a chance. They’d been all-in on this.
I spent three seconds figuring out how to handle the fallout when—
”Sayo-chan broke it!”
The person who blurted that out was another of the Five—Kobayakawa Yoshitsugu-kun. He was the heavy-hitter of the Rose Class. I finally understood why sports have weight classes; if this kid even grazed you, you were going airborne. You had to brace yourself whenever he started running.
As Yoshitsugu pointed his finger, every eye in the room turned to Sayo-chan. That was all it took for the dam to break. The sobbing started instantly.
Pointing out who did it was… well, technically true. But public shaming is a disaster. Good luck explaining “constructive criticism” to a four-year-old, though.
Miku-sensei—our resident pro—was already there, pulling Sayo-chan into a hug. “It’s okay. Sayo-chan didn’t do it on purpose,” she said.
But Yoshitsugu didn’t backing down.
He was convinced he was the hero of the story for finding the “villain.” Since Sayo-chan did drop the block, he felt he was just stating facts.
Suu-chan ducked behind me.
She hated conflict. She’d never even raised her voice, let alone fought. Shiho-chan was just as rattled.
”M-Makoto-kun…”
”You too, huh…?”
The energetic girl was looking shaky.
With those wild brothers of hers, I figured her house was a constant war zone where nobody ever surrendered. That’s probably why Jun was so weirded out by the “guilty” atmosphere.
Alright. Time for a little psychological warfare.
If I wanted Suu-chan to have a peaceful afternoon, I had to fix the Naughty Five once and for all.
”Yoshitsugu-kun. Would the hero you like ever say something like that to a friend who made a mistake?”
”……”
I locked eyes with him and spoke as clearly as possible.
Yoshitsugu froze. Step one: completed.
”I know it sucks. It’s because you worked so hard on it, too.”
”……”
”But is this how a hero acts?”
”……”
”Did your favorite hero ever point and scream at a teammate for a mistake?”
”……Yeah.”
(Wait, really? …Actually, I guess they do fight a lot in those shows. Sometimes they spend half the episode punching each other before they even find the monster…)
”…And did you think they were cool when they were fighting each other?”
”No. It was uncool. Because…”
”Right. Nobody wants to see a hero being a jerk.”
”…Yeah.”
”I’m not saying you can’t be mad. If you have something to say, say it. But if a friend is hurting… if a friend is crying…?”
”You gotta save ’em!”
(Bingo. That’s the logic.)
”Hiro-kun.”
”Eh?”
”Takuya-kun.”
”…”
”Miki-chan.”
”Me?”
”Sayo-chan.”
”…hic…”
”And Yoshitsugu-kun.”
”…”
I called out the Naughty Five by name.
”You five shouldn’t be fighting. You should be the heroes who protect the peace of the Rose Class.”
”””””……”””””
They stared at me like I’d grown a second head.
Can’t blame them. I’d be confused too if a toddler started giving me a recruitment speech.
”…Heroes?”
”That’s right. Heroes. I want you to use all that crazy energy of yours to protect the peace of our class.”
”””””……”””””
”I wanna be a ninja—”
”I’m gonna be a train—”
”Hold on. Those guys are busy saving the whole world. They’re swamped. That’s why I need you to handle things here… as the ‘Hinomori Squadron³: Rose Rangers!’”
”Rose…?”
”Ranger?”
”What’s a Rose?”
”It’s for the flowers of the Rose Class!”
”Rose Rangers?”
”Rose Rangers!”
”Us!?”
”Yeah. The Rose Rangers. Only you five.”
Their eyes lit up like Christmas trees.
Even Sayo-chan stopped sobbing, her curiosity winning out.
”I’m Red~!”
”No, I’m Red!”
”Miki wants to be Red too!”
”I’ll take Blue.”
”Then I’m Pink…”
They started bouncing around, fighting over the colors.
I knew this would happen. Their favorites were always going to clash.
”Hiro-kun is Red. Rose Red is Hiro-kun.”
”Yes! I’m Red~!”
”Aww!”
”Miki-chan is Rose Rouge.”
”Rouge?”
”Yeah. It’s a special red. The kind they use for fancy lipstick. It’s the most stylish red there is.”
”Rouge! Miki is Rouge!”
”W-what about me?”
”Yoshitsugu-kun is Rose Crimson.”
”Crim… son?”
”Yeah! It’s a red that’s even stronger than normal red. It’s the ultimate power-up red!”
”Crimson… strongest… whoa… that’s cool…”
”Makoto-kun, can I be Crimson? too?”
”No, Hiro-kun. You’re Red. Only the leader gets to be Red.”
”Leader…”
”And Takuya-kun is Rose Blue!”
”Rose Blue.”
”And finally, Sayo-chan. Rose Pink is all yours.”
”Yeah! I’ll do it!”
Three reds, a blue, and a pink.
The color balance was a nightmare, but they were sold.
”Now then, every hero team needs a pose. I want you all to do your favorite moves, but you have to do them at the same time.”
I lined them up. I had to be the director here.
”Rose Red!”
”Rose Blue!”
”Rose Pink!”
”Rose Rouge!”
”Rose Crimson!”
”””””REPORTING FOR DUTY!!”””””
They each struck a pose they’d clearly practiced in front of the TV. It actually looked halfway decent.
The rest of the class and I broke into applause.
Yuma looked a little jealous. Kotaro-kun… he was a Kamen Rider guy, so he wouldn’t admit he wanted in, but he looked tempted. Jun just jumped in the line and did a pose anyway. He’d probably make a great recurring villain.
Miku-sensei caught the whole thing on her camera.
There was no turning back now… though I did feel a weird chill, despite the summer heat.
”I’m counting on you to keep the peace, Hinomori Squadron: Rose Rangers.”
”Roger!”
”Rodge!”
”You got it!”
”Leave it to us!”
”Yeah!”
Good enough for me.
Hopefully, the Rose Class would stay quiet for a while.
”Alright, let’s build the Skytree again!”
”””””YEAH!”””””
And so, the five new peacekeepers actually played together without any more crying.
Crisis averted.
* * *
”Maa-kun, Suu wants to be…”
”Suu-chan, listen. I don’t think a lady should ever be a Rose Ranger.”
”…”
”If you join, you might end up with… a ‘regrettable past.’ Plus, we wouldn’t have any time left to cuddle.”
”Then I won’t join.”
”Good girl. I’ll give you plenty of kisses when we get home.”
”Mm. …………Mfuu!“
—
Summary:
During summer kindergarten, Makoto leads a group project to build a block Skytree. When the tower collapses and a girl named Sayo is blamed, Makoto prevents a classroom fight by rebranding the troublemakers as a superhero squadron. He successfully redirects their chaotic energy into ‘protecting the peace’ of the class.
—
Trivia:
- Makoto is building the Sagrada Familia (an ongoing joke about a never-ending project).
- Yuma’s architectural knowledge comes from his parents’ real estate background.
- Yoshitsugu is described as a ‘heavyweight’, implying he is physically larger/stronger than the other toddlers.
- The term ‘Rose Rouge’ is used to trick Miki into being the third ‘red’ of the team.
- Makoto manipulates Suu-chan into staying away from the squadron by calling it a ‘regrettable past’ (chūnibyō reference)
—
Character Insight:
Makoto demonstrates his maturity by acting as a mediator and ‘director’ for the children. He uses his adult understanding of psychological manipulation (specifically hero tropes) to maintain order, showing a preference for long-term social stability over immediate discipline.
—
Behind the Scenes:
The author parodies Super Sentai tropes, specifically the obsession with being the ‘Red’ leader and the elaborate transformation poses.
—
TL Notes:
Notes:
• Makoto – 93 cm, 13 kg three‑year‑old boy in a neat shirt and cap, short hair, backpack, booster seat in Hinomori’s Rose Group. Reincarnated 30‑year‑old salaryman with architectural know‑how, social‑management skill, hidden English, analytical mind. Lives with Totsuka family (mother works) and protects Suzuka‑chan; called Maa‑kun by Suu‑chan and leader of Rose Class.
• Shiho – Shiho‑chan, a three‑year‑old Rose‑Class girl with shoulder‑length hair in a side‑up ponytail, uses training chopsticks and a white kitten‑themed placemat. Sleepy, she leans on Makoto’s “secret” advice and makes mud dumplings. Neighbor of the Yoshikura family, friend of Makoto, Suu‑chan and Yuma, older sister in the senior group, and quietly competes with Suu for Makoto’s attention while wishing happiness for the Tanabata deities.
• Kotaro – A quiet, slender kindergarten boy in Rose Class, friend of Makoto and member of his sandbox crew. He shares typical childhood interests— toys and games— and reliably helps Makoto with building projects, all while being a fan of Kamen Rider.
• Kota – Makoto’s biological father. Met Akari while working as a cram school tutor during their second year of university. He disappeared suddenly after six years of dating upon learning of the pregnancy.
• Yuma – Frail, sickly kindergarten boy from a wealthy land‑owning family, he has an idol‑like face, admires his father, and his parents work in real estate. Member of Rose Class and Rose Group, skilled at folding paper airplanes taught by his dad, he provides technical insight on the Skytree’s triangular base, joins Makoto’s sandbox projects, and is a guileless, energetic friend of Makoto and neighbor of Shiho‑chan.
• Jun – Energetic, restless boy in the Rose Class, youngest of three Imai brothers. Part of the Naughty Five, he chases anything strong or cool after his siblings’ tales. Mother is his role model; older brother Ko‑san warns about germs. Makoto often reins him in.
• Miku – Miku-sensei, a short‑statured kindergarten teacher of Rose Class, serves as the school’s official photographer. Patient and professional, she obsessively collects expensive camera gear, draining her marriage savings, yet remains beloved by students and staff.
• Sayo – A girl with twin-tails in the Rose Class. Member of the Rose Rangers (Rose Pink). Becomes distraught after accidentally breaking a block tower.
• Yoshitsugu – A ‘heavyweight’ student in the Rose Class. Member of the Rose Rangers (Rose Crimson). Initially blunt and accusatory, but easily swayed by hero logic.
• Hiro – A boy in the Rose Class who gets bored easily and runs around the classroom, accidentally breaking Suu’s paper.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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