Next chapter’s quite long, so check back in a couple of months I guess.

As always, please comment on any tense/spelling errors you find, as well as anything you can could be reworded better.

Chapter 5: A New Power! The Dark Flame Master Resurrected!

Lunch time.

As I was about to eat my lunch, I was called to the clubroom by Shichimiya, who had returned from the demon world.

Because I thought it would serve as a hint for her, when we rendezvoused at the clubroom, I summarised what had happened during her return to the demon world to Shichimiya. After hearing my summary, Shichimiya said all that in reply.

Forcibly, huh.

“So, someone had said or done something to her after all?”

“I don’t know about that. While it could have been ‘someone’, it could have also been her ‘environment’, or even ‘herself’. Regardless, I have no doubt that ‘something’ had sealed her powers away.”

“Something, huh.”

“But, well, it doesn’t really matter what that something was☆. The only thing that matters is if we can restore Rikka-chan back to her former self, right☆? And so, here.”

As Shichimiya said that, she handed a black sports bag over to me.

“Ah, I don’t need the bag back. It’s the one I used at my previous school, so I don’t really care about it. Look, more importantly, check what’s inside the bag☆.”

“O-oh.”

I checked the contents of the bag as instructed.

Inside was – a black… costume?

“E-err? What’s this?”

“The time has come, Hero! It’s time for you to return to being the Dark Flame Master – no, from here on out, you’re the Super Dark Flame Master☆.”

“Super Dark Flame Master!?”

“You shouldn’t be surprised, Hero. Once a hero loses their power, it’s convention for them to merge with a new power to attain a super form.”

“T-that certainly is something you hear quite often, but…”

In fact, it was my favourite trope.

It is the trope when thinking of combining mechas[1], I wanted to shout.

“And that – that is something I made in case the time came for Hero to attain a new power!”

“A new… power.”

“Rikka-chan powers have been sealed thanks to the effect of ‘something’. If so, Hero! There’s only one thing left for us to do, right? We have to break the seal on Rikka-chan’s powers. And so, to gain the strength to break that seal – it is for this reason that the Super Dark Flame Master attained his new power☆. Becoming the Super Dark Flame Master and breaking the seal on Rikka-chan – this, I believe, is a task that only Hero can do.”

“I, I see.”

Given how emphatic she was, I couldn’t help but nod along to Shichimiya’s strange theory.

Certainly, with a name like the Super Dark Flame Master, I can see how me doing this sort of thing might help with Rikka regaining her powers.

The cause would still be unknown, but if I were to return to how I was in the old days – the possibility of Rikka getting inspired and returning to her former self was not zero.

In fact, wasn’t the chance of success quite high?

Here too, Kumin-senpai would probably say something like, “Since the pitcher’s pitching well, the fielders will be motivated to also play well.” Maybe it’s because her favourite baseball team had won the championships or something, but recently, whenever I think of Kumin-senpai, for some strange reason the only thing that comes to mind is her saying something baseball-related.

“Well, but it’s okay if this operation fails☆. Because –”

Because even if this fails, with what I’ve got planned next, Rikka-chan’s powers should return, Shichimiya said with a smile.

Yes, that’s absolutely right.

That mentality is so Shichimiya-like.

Anything one does will cause something to happen – was it?

Back when we were middle schoolers, Shichimiya said that quite often. She probably holds the same ethos even now. I too should learn to adopt that mentality.

“Besides, we have powerful allies now, right☆?”

As soon as Shichimiya said that, the door to the clubroom slammed open.

I wasn’t sure if this was something Shichimiya had suggested they do or if this was something they simply wanted to do (it was probably the latter), but regardless, the way they entered was that of an entertainer.

It wasn’t normal!

“Yuu-chan! Naturally, we too will become your strength! Because, becoming your strength – that looks to be something very interesting!”

“Right right. This is serious! Because Rikka-chan’s our important cute little underclassman! And in times of need, we need to help each other! Moreover, if Rikka-chan’s not feeling well, then we might not be able to go see a baseball game together!”

As they made their dramatic entrances, my two upperclassmen went and took my hand as if to encourage me.

And then, coming in late after those two was –

“Hmph. Let Dekomori make this clear: Dekomori is not here to cooperate with the Dark Flame Master-death. Dekomori by herself is powerful-death. Dekomori’s just making sure that Dekomori is able to restore Master back to her former self-death.”

Saying such cute lines with a disgruntled face was my one and only underclassman.

Dekomori didn’t take my hand, however.

Ah, jeez – I thought to myself.

I was a little moved by everyone’s kind words.

Everyone was really worried about Rikka – it made me happy, knowing that they all felt the same way as me.

“So, what kind of powers do us as a group need for DevTru Rikka-chan to gain her abilities back, Yuu-chan!? No, Super Dark Flame Master!!! Give us your orders!”

Continuing to hold my hand, Hideri-senpai got closer and closer to my face as she domineeringly said all that.

Too close, you’re too close.

“You can order me too! Super Dark Flame Master-san!!! I’m fine with something like the power of baseball!”

In addition, and similar to Hideri-senpai, Kumin-senpai also moved closer and closer to my face as she domineeringly said all that.

Seriously, you’re both too close.

I can feel myself blushing.

“U-umm, hold on please.”

I took a step back.

Although hearing that from the two of them made me really happy, I didn’t have the sort of power that they were thinking of – no, wrong. That’s not what I should be thinking. I will become the Super Dark Flame Master.

“Okay.”

Separating from my upperclassmen, I cladded myself in the new power that I had received from Shichimiya.

Ah, how nostalgic.

Jet black clothing. Jet black boots. Jet black gloves. Jet black mantle.

Yes, this – this is Super Dark Flame Master!!!

Oh god.

Although I had said all that in my mind, I was still super embarrassed. This is too much. The old me was too unbelievable, oi. This is way too dark. And way too black. And way too noir[2]. Slightly unrelated, but don’t black companies[3] sound cool when you call them noir companies!?

But, although it’s embarrassing.

Everyone’s going so far to encourage me.

That’s why, I’ll become the Super Dark Flame Master. For them.

And, also because I’m worried about Rikka.

If it’s to return her back to her past self – I’m willing to do anything!!!

“Hah. Super Dark Flame Master is my name. Let Super Dark Flame Master be the one to grant you girls strength. The powers I –”

“Ah, Dekomori has no need for that-death.”

“Don’t interrupt!”

After I had gone through all this effort to resolve myself!

It was hard to work myself up for this… Could this be Super Mode’s drawback!?

Hmm, I can feel my thinking becoming more and more chuuni-ish.

Go! Become even more chuuni-ish, my thoughts!

“Super Dark Flame Master! Make ours is a special one!”

“Make mine baseball-related!”

Hideri-senpai aside, what does a baseball-related power even look like!?

They were all nothing but selfish people.

Well, it’s not like there’s anything I could do about that.

“Leave it to me. Nothing is impossible for the Super Dark Flame Master. Power has been granted. Follow my orders. The powers I –”

Come to think of it.

There was one person who had been strangely quiet this whole time, wasn’t there? And so, I found myself looking in Shichimiya’s direction.

I had never seen Shichimiya grin so broadly before.

I felt like I was being tricked.

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[1] A cultural joke mostly lost in translation. In the original text, Yuuta talks about グレート合体 (literally as “great combination”), the trope in mecha anime where a “main” robot combines with other robots to attain a super form. As this trope entered the Japanese mainstream mainly thanks to the toy line/anime franchise Brave Series (勇者シリーズ), the joke here is that it is funny for Yuuta’s favourite trope to come from a franchise called the Brave Series (another way of translating Shichimiya’s nickname for Yuuta, 勇者, is Brave).

[2] Even though it makes no sense in English (given noir is used contemporarily in English to refer to the genre noir, I’ve left the noir here for the joke in the following line to work (if you’re not aware, noir is the French word for black).

[3] Black company is a Japanese term for workplaces that exploit (usually young) employees by forcing them to work large amounts of overtime without pay.