The Handsome Girl Who Stole My Girlfriend Seems to Be After Me Now - Chapter 27: Fruit Squad Veggie Rangers ②

Chapter 27: Fruit Squad Veggie Rangers ②

《Hey there, kids~~~!! He~llo~~~!!》

After finishing the last-minute preparations and briefings, it was finally time for the show to start at the shopping district plaza.

The host lady’s clear voice echoed towards the seats, already packed with little kids and their parents.

《…Hmm~~~? You guys don’t seem very energetic. Let’s try that again, shall we? Ready~~~?》

“”Hello~~~!!!””

《Yep, that’s more like it! Thanks for coming today, you wonderful kids!》

With the usual banter warming up the atmosphere, ominous background music soon began to play on stage.

Suddenly, 5 to 6 performers in black bodysuits appeared from the wings, dashing around the stage and through the audience.

《Oh no, oh no~~~! It’s the minions of the evil organization “Mold Builder”! Run, kids, run~~~!》

《Hee-hee-hee! You can’t escape from the mold! We’ll chase you down and cover your dinner in mold!》

The kids screamed and made a fuss as the group in black bodysuits, or should I say, the “Mold Builders,” ran around causing mischief.

Ah, watching this unfold brings back nostalgic feelings. When I was little, I was often taken to see hero shows at amusement parks.

Back then, of course, I had no idea about the concept of “the person inside the suit,” and the so-called evil organization members genuinely scared me into tears. Those were good memories in their own way.

《Kuh! If we don’t do something, the whole town will be covered in mold! Kids, let’s call out with all our might for those heroes to drive away the Mold Builders!!》

While I was lost in nostalgia, the host lady raised her voice into the microphone again.

《When I give the signal, everyone shout their names out loud together! Ready? Go!》

“”Help us! Veggie Rangers!!!””

As the chorus of the lady and the kids rang out, the unsettling BGM abruptly stopped.

《That’s enough, Mold Builders!》

This time, a brave young voice echoed on stage, followed by lively music playing loudly. The kids all looked at the stage with anticipation, as if they were saying, “We’ve been waiting for this.”

It seems like it’s finally our turn to appear. Though our lines are dubbed by professionals behind the scenes, so we don’t actually have to speak.

Still, it’s been since kindergarten plays that I’ve performed on stage, and I can’t help but feel nervous. I just hope everything goes smoothly…

《To protect the peaceful meals of growing kids!》

《We won’t allow evil dirt to steal their energy and smiles!》

《Even if we have to be the bad guys sometimes!》

《We’re always by your side!》

《Yes! We are!》

《─The Fruit and Vegetable Squad, Veggie Rangers!!!》

※　※　※　※

What happened next pretty much followed the usual flow of a hero show.

The Veggie Rangers are a typical team of five heroes, led by “Veggie Red,” with each member assigned a color and a corresponding fruit or vegetable theme.

This time, I stepped in as “Veggie Green.” True to the name, my color is green, and my theme vegetable is the bell pepper. Out of all the green vegetables, they had to choose bell pepper, which is super unpopular with kids.

“Go, Veggie Green!”

“You can do it, Green!”

Even though I was the bell pepper guy, it seemed like I was quite popular with the kids, maybe just behind the most popular Red and the second favorite Blue. It turns out the talk about Kikuchihara-senpai’s younger brother being a fan wasn’t just a rumor.

“Wow! The Veggie Rangers are so cool!”

“But, I feel like Green’s performance is a bit off today.”

“Really? You think?”

“Yes. As a fan of Green, I can tell. His punches and kicks aren’t as sharp as usual. And the combo move with Yellow, the ‘Green-Yellow Beam,’ doesn’t seem very energetic either.”

Oh man, there’s a hardcore fan among these kids. Green has such dedicated fans? That’s surprisingly tough to handle.

Well, I did watch the videos given to me by the president beforehand and even did a quick rehearsal right before the show. But yeah, I can’t deny it was a bit rushed. Even if it’s just a local show for kids, someone sharp enough might notice.

I tried to move around naturally, scanning the audience.

Looks like the seniors from the cinema club had moved to watch the show from the sidelines without me noticing.

Fujishiro-senpai was chuckling in amusement, while Kikuchihara-senpai was busy taking photos of me (Green) with her smartphone. They seem to be taking it easy since it’s not about them. They better not forget that I’m doing this spectacle for the cinema club.

“Go~~~!! That’s it, Green! Keep it up~~~!!!”

For some reason, the president was totally absorbed in the show, cheering me (Green) on with much more enthusiasm than the kids. What’s she doing…

I couldn’t help but snort through my nose, but then, when I inadvertently looked towards the back of the audience,

“What the?”

I blurted out my real voice reflexively inside the mask because I saw somone I shouldn’t have.

(I didn’t tell anyone about this part-time job or where it was!)

I felt a different kind of sweat than from all the moving around.

At the very back of the audience, leaning against a concrete wall with her arms crossed, was a beautiful girl watching the stage. The frilly blouse, the knee-length skirt, and the cardigan wrapped around her waist she was wearing were all too familiar.

(W-W-Why is she here!?)

Yes, she was Shizuno Mizushima, a rival far more troublesome than any villainous organization I’ve ever faced.