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Bonus Short Stories
Program Production Conference
Late in the 12th month, 1,546th year, Continental Calendar.
On this day, I called Juna and Roroa in to the conference room in order to hold a meeting about the educational program for the enlightenment of the people that we would be launching in the new year. I was involved with this broadcast program as the planner, Juna was the performer, and Roroa was the sponsor.
“Now then, at its most essential, this program is centered around Juna and Little Musashibo teaching math and other academic subjects to the people through the medium of song. However...” I interwove my fingers in front of my mouth, then said to the two of them, “I think that, on its own, would be weak. People become hesitant to study if it’s boring.”
“Ya got that right,” Roroa agreed. “I like arithmetic ’cause it’s good for makin’ me money, but I dunno when it comes to classical literature and the like. There ain’t no way some third party could really know what the author meant to say.” She spread her hands up in feigned defeat.
Juna chuckled. “Actually, because there’s no right answer, if you can just say something that sounds right, then it is. I find that easier. With arithmetic, even the slightest error in your calculations gives you a wrong answer.”
“Well, some people are stronger in the sciences, while others do better in the humanities,” I said. “I was in humanities, so my opinion is closer to Juna’s. Though history was more my thing than literature.”
“Which do ya think Big Sister Cia and Big Sister Ai are?” Roroa asked.
“They’re both specialized in athletics, I’d say.”
Juna giggled. “No doubt about that.”
It went without saying for Aisha, but, having had Georg as her mentor, Liscia could come up with some meatheaded ideas sometimes, too. Our family’s first and second most powerful warriors might be sneezing right now.
“Well, that being the case,” I said, “studying is something of an annoyance, so to get the people to watch a program that pushes them to do it, I think we need some sort of hook. If all we have is Juna and Little Musashibo singing fun songs, I think that’s maaaaybe a little weak.”
“But isn’t Big Sister Juna popular ’round the country?” Roroa asked.
“Well, yeah, she has incredible popularity as a lorelei. But this is an educational program. It’s important that the way she sings here be fun, not deeply emotional. Also, due to its nature as an educational program, I can’t go dressing her up in pretty dresses.”
“Big Sister Juna’s got too many things chainin’ her down, y’mean.” Roroa nodded in satisfaction.
Well, after all, with an eye to the coming announcement of my betrothal to Juna, shifting her image from “Juna the lorelei” to “Juna the girl who sings songs for children” was part of my intention here.
“I think if we have Juna and Little Musashibo as a set, the kids are sure to watch,” I said. “The problem is the adults. When I consider the literacy rate and level of academic achievement in this country, it’s really the adults that I most want to watch it. Children are flexible when it comes to learning, but adults have their values locked in place already.”
“You’re right.” Juna nodded in agreement. “’I’ve never needed to do it before, so why should I have to start now’... is something they seem likely to say. Especially the ones who need to study the most.”
Yeah, there were sure to be people like she described.
“That’s why, in order to hook those adults, I think we’ll roll out another project I’ve had in the works, too,” I said. “I just found the perfect man for the job.”
“Another project?” Juna asked.
“A hero program.”
Recently, I had uncovered a man named Ivan Juniro who could produce special effects like explosions in the form of an illusion. I was moving forward on the production of a hero program with him at the center.
“Being the cool hero who fights against bad guys is a fantasy for many boys and young men, so there should be demand for a show where women can watch a really cool guy. By combining these two things with an educational program, I want to get them to watch it while they tune in for the hero program.”
That was my impassioned argument, but Roroa seemed doubtful.
“I get what you’re sayin’, darlin’, but I just don’t understand what this hero program thing is supposed to be. Never seen one myself, after all. What’s it actually like?”
“Well... The early tokusatsu shows were about a really strong human with a secret identity easily defeating the bad guys. In ********* Zukin, ****** Kamen, and Kaiketsu *****, they would hide their identities with a cloth wrapped around their face, or a pair of sunglasses.”
“I dunno, for a secret identity, they weren’t hidin’ it very well,” Roroa said.
“...Those were early days, so please overlook the attention to detail on things like that being a bit weak.”
By the way, this was all stuff I’d picked up from Grandpa. He was a big fan of those sorts of tokusatsu heroes, and he’d had a collection of faded posters that were important to him.
“Things developed from there, and heroes who transformed, rode vehicles, and formed fighting teams appeared later, but... I don’t think we can do anything too elaborate with this country’s current level of technology. We should take our lessons from the early tokusatsu shows to start out.”
“I think it sound interestin’, but... makin’ the program’ll be expensive,” Roroa said. “If I can speak as a sponsor here, I’ll be wantin’ some way to make money off this whole endeavor.”
Roroa’s request was only to be expected.
“When it comes to hero programs, there are always tie-in goods,” I told her. “The items the hero uses when he transforms and fights become toys that the children will want. If your company handles the associated merchandise, I think you should turn a tidy profit if the show is a hit.”
“I see... Yeah, I’m thinkin’ we can make this work.” She must have done a quick mental calculation of the profits, because Roroa was grinning in satisfaction.
Meanwhile, Juna wore a pensive look as she asked, “I do think it will catch people’s attention, but... the viewers you mentioned are children, young men, and women, right? You’re missing older men, aren’t you?”
“...Yeah, that would be the problem, wouldn’t it?” That sharp observation had me scratching my head. “It’d be good if we had something to draw in the middle-aged men who are too old to get fired up over heroes.”
“That’s easy,” Roroa said with a blank look on her face. Huh? Easy? Then Roroa suddenly struck a sexy pose and moaned. “If we’re gonna hook old men with somethin’, it’s gotta be sex appeal.”
“Yes, yes, very cute,” I said.
“Hey, quit pattin’ me on the head.” Roroa puffed up her cheeks indignantly.
When Roroa tried striking a sexy pose, she only came off as a kid trying too hard to seem like an adult, but sex appeal, hmm... if I was going to put some of that in a hero show...
“An evil female commander, maybe. Some of them wore pretty sexy outfits.”
“I like it,” Roroa said. “A voluptuous bad girl’d do quite nicely.”
“But who could we have play her?”
When I said that, the room went silent.
If I were looking for someone voluptuous among those close to me, Aisha and Juna both had the figure for it, but the sexy evil commander was a villainous role, not something I wanted associated with a future queen of the country.
I pondered. “Hm, if only I had someone with a great figure, who was willing to wear sexy outfits, who would play a villain if I asked them to... Hey, wait.”
“...Hm?” Roroa asked.
“Um, Your Majesty, isn’t that...” Juna said slowly.
It seemed the three of us had come to the same conclusion.
She’d be perfect!
“Achoo!”
“What’s wrong, Carla?” Liscia asked. “Did you catch a cold?”
“Oh, no, I’m fine. Someone must be talking about me.”
Hello, Miss Dran.