And so, everyone got inside the Rentaro Robot.
“I’m surprised at how much room there is in here,” Hakari remarked.
“Go Go Go Go, Rentaro! Take down the big baddie, Rentaro!”
“I expanded the cockpit so we could all relax in here!” Hahari declared.
“Go Go Go Go, Rentaro! Take down the big baddie, Rentaro!”
“Okay, so we all got swept up in the moment and climbed inside,” said Kurumi, “but there’s only one control panel.”
“Go Go Go Go, Rentaro! Take down the big baddie, Rentaro!”
“Restricting controls to one user is an efficient means of avoiding unnecessary conflict,” Nano commented.
“Go Go Go Go, Rentaro! Take down the big baddie, Rentaro!”
‹Too many cooks spoil the broth!›
“Go Go Go Go, Rentaro! Take down the big baddie, Rentaro!”
“Okay, can we talk about this loud, annoying music?!” By the song’s fifth loop, Karane had finally gotten fed up and tore into it.
“It’s Rentaro-chan Robot’s theme song!” Hahari insisted. “Admittedly, I don’t know much about mecha, but I’ve heard that every giant robot needs to have a fist-pumping theme song!”
“Yeah, but we’re the only ones who can hear it,” Kurumi pointed out.
Karane groaned. “At least make it less repetitive!”
“Aural repetition is an efficient means of brainwashing,” said Nano.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Go Go Go Go, Rentaro! Take down the big baddie, Rentaro!”
“Go Go Go Go!”
During that whole conversation about the repetitive soundtrack, Kusuri sang along to the Rentaro Robot’s theme song cheerfully, Shizuka bouncing along to the beat. The brainwashing appeared to be well underway.
“I used the spare space in Rentaro-chan Robot’s computer to include a song,” said Hahari, “but there was only enough room for two lines…”
“Then you should’ve made some more damn room!”
And so, they turned off the poorly received (at least among some of the girls) opening theme song before the joke got run into the ground.
‹Returning to the topic at hand.›
“It’s our job to lend moral support to Rentaro-kun as he pilots the Rentaro-kun Robot!” declared Hakari as she clenched her fist with gusto.
“No,” said Hahari. “Well, that is our job too, yes, but we have an even more important duty!”
Mei was the only one who didn’t look absolutely baffled.
“Rentaro-chan, will you try moving the Rentaro-chan Robot?”
“Uh, sure.” Rentaro responded to Hahari’s command, gripping the controls. “Okay…launch!”
Much like before, he seemed faintly giddy with excitement. Mei had just instructed him on the basics, so he knew how to use the controls. He attempted to move the Rentaro Robot forward a couple of steps, but alas, the machine came to a total standstill after just the first step.
“Huh? What?” However much Rentaro pushed and yanked at the controls, the robot didn’t show the slightest response. “Sorry, did I make some kind of mistake?”
“No, you performed magnificently,” Mei informed him.
“Then why’d it suddenly stop moving?”
“Well, you see…” Hahari turned to the confused young lad, her expression tense. “It’s out of fuel!” She was deadly serious.
“You only had enough for one step?!” the snarkier members of the group yelled in unison.
“To make a movable giant robot, pretty much all the internal storage has to be dedicated to giving it driving force.” Hahari frowned and sighed. “That means there was almost no room for fuel.”
“Why is that the only part of this chapter that seems even slightly realistic?!”
“I mean, come on! You should have prioritized fuel storage over a cockpit the size of a hotel lobby!”
Karane and Kurumi’s gazes turned even icier.
Hahari seemed unperturbed, no doubt because she was well accustomed to this sort of treatment. “Returning to what I said earlier,” she said, keeping the plot trucking along, “Rentaro-chan Robot is powered by our love!”
“So you decided to overcome a realistic limitation by introducing an even more insane concept?” said Kurumi.
“No, wait. Wasn’t this kind of thing introduced in the last chapter?” Hakari pointed out.
“Huh?” Then, the reality of it dawned on Kurumi. “Oh.”
“Indeed,” said Hahari. “Rentaro-chan Robot is powered by Love Energy!”
‹I was under the assumption.› ‹’Twas a throwaway jest…›
“It is efficient to recycle concepts.”
No sooner did Nano say that than an alien creature crawled out of her right ear. “I provided the technology,” Nano Two said with Nano’s mouth.
“So you’re back again, Nano Two.”
Rentaro’s mouth curled up into a smile.
“Did you call me?” Another alien creature emerged from Nano’s left ear.
“There’s another Nano Two?!” the group chorused.
“Nano Two, did you multiply?” asked Kusuri.
“I am Nano Three.”
“I am not an engineer, so in order to comply with the request of the Earthling known as Hanazono Hahari, I summoned the necessary personnel from our mother planet.”
Nanos Two and Three appeared to be taking turns speaking from Nano’s mouth. The naming inspiration for Nano Three once again followed the efficient, tried-and-true method of “slap a number on the end.”
“Allowing them to control my body at night means I can ensure my body is used efficiently for twenty-four hours per day.” It was impossible to tell whether Nano was joking or not.
Kurumi looked slightly weirded out. “You’re basically just letting them leech off you.”
“So now you understand, yes?” Hahari was positively drooling. “In order to move Rentaro-chan Robot, we must all get lovey-dovey!”
“Mother, don’t tell me you developed the Rentaro-kun Robot specifically for lovey-dovey antics?” Hakari cast her a dubious gaze. Although, she was also giving a thumbs-up.
“All right, if that’s how it’s gonna be!” Meanwhile, Rentaro had turned to his girlfriends, brimming with resolve. “Let’s all take turns and hug!”
Rentaro’s declaration was brazen to the extreme, but every girl nodded. They might have done so a little shyly but with utter certainty.