Tiger & Bunny Novel Excerpts 03

Chapter 5 – Decide


(a few hours after the Robin incident)

After returning to the Hero division of my company I go straight to the locker room and soothe my thirst with a can of beer. Yep, the taste of beer is unbeatable if you drink it after working up some sweat. I can’t get enough of the sharp feeling of carbonic acid going down my throat and the taste of wheat.

I quickly down the beer and, having no real work left to do (let’s just pretend so, okay?), I hurriedly start getting ready to leave and go home. I change from my underwear*, put on my civilian clothes and shoes and tie my shoelaces.
And then I hear the sound of the locker room door opening.
I glance at the door and see Bunny, still dressed in his underwear. He carelessly shuts the door after himself and heads towards his locker. His face lacks any expression whatsoever.
Wanting to congratulate the newcomer for his first triumph I give him a slightly exaggerated thumbs-up and address him with an air of familiarity.

“Congrats, Bunny-chan. That was a pretty big achievement, huh?”

Upon hearing my words Bunny stops in his step and his eyes zero on me. Then his gaze flits past and he resumes walking towards his locker, his features still showing nothing at all.

”That nickname, how many times-”

“Ya still annoyed? Come on, just drop it already. You should let bygones be bygones, you know.”

I don’t know if it hit a nerve or what, but Bunny suddenly turns so sharply his hair scatters and fixes me with a piercing glare.

Waitwaitwait, I just congratulated him, didn't I? Did I say something bad?

“...What?”

“What have you done today?”

“Huh?”

“You like to feel important and you talk big, but in the end you have been nothing but a burden, old man.”

“How the hell can you even say that!?”

Bunny, you don’t understand anything.
You have no idea what I did behind the scenes while you were catching Robin.
And yeah, well, it’s not like I have any intention of telling you about it.
The door opens with a click once more.
It’s Mr. Lloyds, holding a cup of steaming hot coffee in each hand and looking ridiculously happy, almost like Buddha himself.

“Good work.”

With these words Mr. Lloyds extends his left hand to Bunny a gives him the coffee. Bunny accepts and the line of his lips softens as he answers.

“Thank you.”

Gee, how nice of Mr. Lloyds to make a coffee for me even though he never treats me well and always looks pissed off when we talk. Ooh, a picture perfect example of the carrot-and-stick approach, isn’t it? But don’t mind if I take you up on your offer, Mr. Lloyds!

“Yeah, today was one long and hard day.”

I scratch my head in embarrassment and reach for the coffee in Mr. Lloyds’ right hand, but Mr. Lloyds simply dodges my attempt, lifts the cup a bit and throws me a cold glance.

“You have no right to talk. As far as I know, you never work particularly hard!”

...Wha?
Lloyds then brings the cup to his mouth and starts drinking it himself.
Hey, what the heck!?
That coffee was meant for me! Didn't he come here because he wanted to give it to me!?
We’re a duo, so why this hugely different treatment!?

“Nonono, I also did a lot of stuff-”

I try to explain my unseen efforts, but Mr. Lloyds just turns away, looking completely disinterested in anything concerning me. He then faces Bunny with that Buddha-like satisfied smile.

“You were amazing. I’m counting on you to maintain that level of performance from now on too.”

“I will.”

Ooh, I see how it is. What your company really wants is to sell the shit out of your new Hero Bunny, and I, whom you've hired to train him, am not even a blip on your radar.
Yeah, sure, I understand completely.
‘Cuz you know, I may not look it, but I've been a working man for a pretty long time already. I know how bittersweet it can be sometimes. Sure, I’m totally going to accept this. Make me a foil, make me a bad guy, just suit yourselves!
At this point I realize that train of thought is making me feel more and more hollow, so I stop thinking altogether.
When you face something you can’t do anything about, it’s best to pretend it doesn't exist and avoid thinking about it.

(...)

(the convo at the end of ep2)

“If only I had been there, Papa would have protected you!”

“I was alright without you, Dad.”

“Huh?”

Papa is sad, you know.
She used to call me "Papa" and was so cuddly just up until a couple of years ago, but girls' minds mature quickly, so now she calls me "Dad".
I don't hate it or anything, of course. But I wish she called me "Papa" a bit longer. Now when I talk to her I casually slip in the word "Papa" to show her the way, so to speak, but it doesn't seem to be working.
Uh, anyway, nevermind that.
What the heck is "I was alright without you, Dad" supposed to mean!?

“The new Hero, Barnaby, was there. He saved me!”

Ba-Barnaby....?
Hehe...hehe.... There's a Hero named like that...
...Yeah.  It was he who saved her at the skate rink.

“He's so cool! I'm already his fan!”

I unintentionally let out a sigh.
It's true, it was Bunny who saved her. Kaede is here because of him. Kaede's feelings make sense, it makes sense she'd become a fan of the Hero who saved her very life.
But why does she have to call him "cool" of all things...
To be honest, I have a secret dream. The dream that one day Kaede will call me "cool".
It may seem like a laughable thing to anybody else, but for me it's a pretty big dream. I know it's not an easy task, what's with me hiding my Hero identity and all, but I've been wishing for years for my only daughter to call me "cool".
And yet.
Bunny's been there just a couple of days, but he's already succeeded in achieving my dream...

What's so great about him anyway!?
His annoyingly curly hair? His eerie smile? Oh, I get, it's his suit! It must be his suit! Deep red and all sleek elegant lines, so yeah, his suit is really cool. Uh, yeah, let's leave it at that.

As I’m thinking these thoughts, I catch a reflection of my sullen face on the spoon's surface.
Oh man, do I look pathetic...
As if trying to release all the pent up frustration and irritation, I let out a strangled noise.

“...Fuu....”

(...)


(Kotetsu flashbacks to his experience with Barnaby before Baxter's capture)

It was then.

“I will capture the criminal, you hear? I will!”

At that moment, Bunny's eyes rendered me speechless.
No proof, no evidence, no nothing. But deep within Bunny's eyes I saw something like the absolute, unshakable self-confidence.
And I, pretty much instinctively, decided to trust him.
All alone Bunny then left to capture Robin and disappeared from view, but shortly afterward I found myself facing objections from the rest of the Heroes.

“Hey, he's a newbie. Is it a good idea to just let him do whatever he wants?”

It was Rock Bison who fired the first shot and, seeing an opportunity, Blue Rose and Fire Emblem jumped in to voice their own protests with a gusto.

“I refuse to listen to anything he says!”

“Handsome is going to steal all the good stuff himself then.”

Everyone was ready to enter the roller coaster and follow to where Bunny had disappeared into.

Their reaction wasn't surprising or anything. It's not like we're some get-along-club in the first place, and it's also true that everybody is interested in making the most money for the companies they're affiliated with. I also get that they're not obligated to just stand by and watch, while their rival gets all the points.

But then, just then, I couldn't back down.

Robin Baxter's escape skills were unreal. I think he was one of the three hardest opponents in the whole history of Hero TV. From everything that had happened before it was obvious that even all eight of us had no chance against him. Trying to catch him the normal way would have probably resulted in him running away for good. We would have lost the people's trust too, which is something that we're completely dependent upon.
And, most importantly, our generation would have been responsible for the loss of the symbol of peace that Mr. Legend had once retrieved from a gang of robbers himself.

There was only one thing I -no, we- could do.

Believe in his eyes.

(...)

(after the Robin incident; in the training center)

Upon seeing me Blue Rose stomps over and, while biting her nails in irritation, decides to pick a fight. Even she herself probably doesn’t know what she's so mad about.

“I failed to sing my song during the broadcast, broke a nail, came home all rankled so I couldn't fall asleep, and then ended up eating a ton of ice-cream in the middle of the night!”

“Yeah, and?”

“It's all your partner's fault!”

At this point Fire Emblem stops his jump rope training and joins her too.

“No kidding, he completely stole the show. He may have a handsome face, but there's not an ounce of kindness in him. He is not going to be very popular at this rate.”

Geez, and why're you whining about Bunny to me? Learn something from the other two, why don't you.
I glance aside and see Sky High making 'fn-fn-fn' sounds as he’s pummeling the punching machine and Dragon Kid totally engrossed in swinging her favorite pole, while letting out "Fu!", "Ha!" and so on.
See? This is how you do it!
Well, it figures. I'm not sexist or anything, but for better or worse men are just relatively more patient and women more emotional.
Hm? Huh? Hey, wait a sec. So Blue Rose and Fire Emblem are women, and Sky High and Dragon Kid are men?
...Yep, it totally fits!
...Huh?
Ah, who cares.

Then Origami Cyclone, without stopping his shuriken throwing practice, starts whispering something so quietly it’s practically impossible to hear him.

“No, in the Hero Academy he was actually very popular.”

Huh? Oh, he means Bunny.
Origami throws a shuriken.

“To the point-”

Origami throws a shuriken.

“Of having-”

Origami throws a shuriken.

“Numerous-”

Origami throws a shuriken.

“Fanclubs.”

Origami throws a shuriken.
But unfortunately for Origami all of his shurikens miss their marks and get stuck in the nearby bags, floor and everywhere else.
Anyway, it doesn't look like anyone's willing to listen to me here, so let's just ignore them for now.

“...I don't really understand him myself.”

(...)


(end of Kotetsu's side)

“Tomoe... For now, as a Hero I'm going to...”

As a Hero, I'm going to do what?
I used to think I'll always remain at Top Mag, with Ben and my old blue old suit, heroing however I want. But then the Hero department of the company I had worked for for so long got closed, I was forced to say goodbye to my lovable boss and the old suit, and suddenly got transferred to the Hero department of one corporate giant. The society thinks I'm a failing Hero, my cards don't sell, kids don't like me, and my beloved only daughter keeps hating me. And let's not forget that my new boss, Mr Lloyds, thinks my experience is the only thing I have going for myself, and finally my partner, Bunny, calls me an old man.

There's not a single good thing in my life.

Yeah, I know that as long as I'm a Hero (a full-time employee) I can't have my way in everything all the time. Being unable to fold - at least to a certain degree - according to how our most esteemed society wishes it can break a Hero's neck. So as a good and mature adult I was prepared to fold and accept my partner, even though there was a chance he could be a total jerk.
My principle of wanting to protect the peace of the city is still here, of course. But on the other hand, I can't deny I'm physically starting to feel my age. Looking at the Hero TV history, most Heroes retire even before reaching my age. And ever since I was a kid I've never wanted to be anything else but a Hero, so what I'm supposed to do once I retire? Are there any other jobs I can do?
No, everyone's like this. It doesn't matter if they're good at it or not, but they still need to work in order to live. Also, I have a family I need to protect: Kaede.
I could leave the Hero field to the younger folks and live with Kaede. It would be a life too.

So why am I still a Hero?

I accidentally glance at the ring and remember Tomoe's last words.
“No matter what happens, continue being a Hero. It's a promise.”
...Stupid question, I guess.
Hey, Tomoe.... I wonder if you're watching me from the other side?
I'm still the same as I've always been, but for now, as a Hero I...

“I'll try to do my best, together with him...”





Chapter 6 – Forward



There is no turning back for me now.

I have made an impressive debut as the new Hero Barnaby Brooks Jr. and marked the beginning of the new season of Hero TV. The start was rough due to my problematic partner, but ultimately I succeeded in arresting the internationally wanted criminal Robin Baxter single-handedly.
If I were to rate myself then I would give my performance about 70 points out of 100.
It's quite far from what I'd consider acceptable, but taking my lack of experience into account I suppose I can settle on rating it as passable.
Until now I've had the simulations exercises results to assess my power with, but now I've been able to confirm that I can sufficiently utilize my power even in the field, and even this fact alone would have meant a very valuable gain for me. The next time an incident like this occurs I will be able to amply apply the gained experience and take the appropriate measures much faster.

I have also examined the conduct patterns and tactics I took during the chain of events of the last incident. I usually do it by running my actions through a series of queries such as 'Did I take any pointless actions?', 'Is there anything that needs to be given a more in-depth consideration?' or 'Were there any more efficient choices I could have taken?', split the data entries into branches and divergences, and finally conduct a detailed analysis. This allows me to further refine and polish my tactics and operate more efficiently and smartly in the future.
In order to make a name for myself I do everything I can when there's an opportunity. It's a rule I have imposed on myself. Because if one day you find yourself lamenting "I wish I had done this or that", then the one responsible for the whole situation will be still you and nobody else.

Having finished the tactical analysis I head for the mechanics section of Apollon Media in order to address a certain recently discovered point of concern.
The removal of my suit shortly before the capture of Robin Baker at the roller coaster platform took more time than I had anticipated. It's true that the situations where one has to remove his suit during the mission are rare, but there's no guarantee I won't encounter a case such as this one ever again. It's better to be suitably prepared.
I pitch my suggestion to Saitou.

“Okay. I'll see what can be done to simplify the removal process,” Saitou answers in his almost inaudible voice.

During our first meeting I couldn't hear a thing he was saying, but after several visits I've learned to read his lips and minute mannerisms he makes when speaking, so now I can understand about 80% of everything he says even if I stand at some distance from him.
I politely incline my head in thanks.

“I appreciate it.”

I need to establish a relationship with him that would compel him to be agreeable to my demands and requests, so the minimum amount of decorum is indispensable in this case.

“But you know, removing your suit was a truly great idea.”

“Not particularly. It was a spur of the moment decision.”

What originally gave me the idea was the word "lure" uttered by the old man. However seeing how I don’t wish anyone to know that I believe I owe him anything, I keep this thought to myself.

“Still. You two are seriously one curious pair.”

“Hm?”

“I've watched the video feed recorded by your suits.”

I glance at the computer monitor at Saitou’s desk and notice two paused videos. It’s the two recordings taken by the internal cameras equipped in mine and the old man’s helmets. Saitou presses the play button and I simultaneously watch myself enter the roller coaster construction to catch Robin Baxter and the old man’s conduct during the same time frame.

“What is the meaning of this?”

I ignore my own video and focus my attention on the one taken by Wild Tiger’s helmet. Before I know it, my eyes see nothing but the spectacle unfolding there.
While I was out chasing Robin Baxter, he had his hands full trying to persuade the other companies’ Heroes to leave me alone to my task, appealing for them to trust me.
But even this isn't the whole story.
Unbeknownst to me he followed me inside the construction and, hidden in the shadows, watched the very moment I captured Robin Baxter.

He has said nothing about doing anything of the sort.

The video plays on, showing me announcing Baxter’s arrest through the PDA. Then Wild Tiger, clinging to the broken railing, makes an attempt to get a better look at me, but at that very moment his Hundred Power blinks out. I watch him slip from the railing and desperately try to avoid plummeting down head first. As he clings to the pillar in panic, I can hear the old man’s pathetic cries.

“Uwaa, nnn... Eeek! Nooo!”

I swear, there should be a limit of how meddlesome one person can be.
Nobody asked him to do this. And yet he went and did it anyway, on his own whim. And got himself in danger, again on nothing but his own whim...
I wish I could say I am astonished, but I am not even that.

“Hmph... A silly thing to do.”

Saitou turns to me, his complacent smile radiating satisfaction.

I don’t want to admit it, but if, by any chance, that man hadn't succeeded in stopping the other companies’ Heroes, it’s quite possible they would have followed me inside and the situation would have turned into a free-for-all fight between the Heroes. Robin Baxter’s capture would have been impossible then.
Should I thus conclude that his arrest was not only my achievement, but Tiger’s too?
I have no words. Willfully meddling behind my back, forcing me to feel indebted to him in the most roundabout way possible...  Truly, that person has no class whatsoever.
Realistically speaking, I probably would have been able to resolve both the stone statue incident and the Robin Baxter issue all by myself, even without him being there. No, I am actually certain about it. In fact, it was because of that man’s presence that everything became so tangled and complicated.

Suddenly, I snap back into reality.
What am I doing? Just now I wasted my time by thinking nothing but wholly unproductive thoughts. That man is going to pose a problem, I have known it since the very beginning with absolute certainty. So what is the point of getting irritated about it now?
One way or another, as long as the company’s aim is to sell us as a duo, I am obligated to follow that strategy. What I should be focusing on is my cooperation with the old man from now on. If there is anything that can be utilized, it should be.
...Utilize? Is there really anything I can utilize? Is there anything about him that I can use?
Unwittingly, I let out a deep sigh.
At any rate, one thing is clear. This particular case cannot be handled the same way I handle everyone else.
From now on I should put overt emphasis on resolving the incidents by myself as a solitary Hero, while concurrently preserving the public image of a Hero duo.
After all, it’s an unavoidable fact that I’m currently seen as a mere Hero newbie. However if I, one by one, gradually accumulate some actual achievements, one day the public will inevitably have to recognize my skill. Chances are that in such situation the company will grant me my request and allow me to work alone.
Until then I just have to be patient.

The monitor is showing a television broadcast from the museum where the Statue of Justice is now back to its exhibition area, courtesy of me. Before the transparent bulletproof glass case Maverick - acting as the representative of the Hero business - and the mayor of Sternbild exchange a firm handshake surrounded by the applause of the CEOs of the main megacorporations, flashing cameras, and the mass media journalists falling over themselves to sing praises to them. Seeing Maverick’s relieved smile gives me a brief feeling of reward.
The reason is simple: I would like to repay Maverick at least a little for all the assistance provided up until now.
It’s true that my Hero work is nothing but a part of a publicity stunt cum strategy devised to pinpoint the murderer responsible for my parents’ deaths, but if it nets the Hero business some profits on the side and Maverick walks away satisfied then all the better for me.
(…)





(end of Barnaby's side)
“One day... I will find out the truth. I’m a bit worried about my partner, though.”

Over the past twenty years, I have been coming here to see my mother and father every month. If I close my eyes, I can recall their smiling faces even now. The picture of us sitting at the dinner table, or their gentle voices as they’re reading a picture book aloud for me.
The body may die, but their spirit lives on within my mind. Can talk to them anytime this way.
Yes, as long as I remember, my father and mother remain immortal.
...Just wait.
I can’t say how long it will take, but I will find the perpetrator and I will banish this hollow regret with my own hands.

My phone sounds an incoming call. I retrieve my phone and look at the display. 'Kotetsu T. Kaburagi.'
What in the world could it be at this late hour?
Yesterday he called me with a lie and had assembled the others under the false pretense of a welcoming party. He can't be attempting to make yet another invitation of that kind.
...He can't, can he?
Even he isn't that much of an idiot to commit the same mistake twice.
...No, hold it. The man in question is that particular old man. With him, something like this is actually very much possible. Assuming he still hasn't had enough, if he tries again I will...

For an instant the thought of canceling the call crosses my mind, but then I imagine what would happen afterwards and suddenly I feel very tired.
It's him. If I reject his call now, later he will undoubtedly pester me with questions like "Why didn't you pick up?". The whole exchange would be unavoidable and troublesome, so it may be wiser to deal with the business at hand as soon as possible.
Also, there is the undeniable truth that I was able to arrest Robin Baxter thanks to him. Had he not stopped the other Heroes, my strategy wouldn't have worked out.
To put it differently, had he not trusted my words...

(...)

His approach is directly opposite to mine.
He exposed his heart, made himself defenseless, and, despite knowing me only for a short time, has believed my words again and again.
I don't think it's a good way how to live one's life. Nevertheless, I don't deny it's also one possible way.
How you live your life and how you think is up to you. How I live my life and how I think is up to me.
But this is good, isn't it?
I gaze at the name Kotetsu T. Kaburagi at the display. Then, after a brief moment of hesitation, I resignedly press the button to receive the call and raise the phone to my ear.

"...Hello."





(Yuri Petrov – Epilogue)


Tiger & Barnaby....

That somebody so lacking in ability succeeded in capturing Robin Baxter can be called a miracle.
A miracle brought into existence by that antithetic pair. Such chemical reaction was truly unexpected and it seems I had made a slight miscalculation...

They may conquer the audience as a special kind of Heroes and become a crucial stepping stone in revitalizing the Hero business. If so, then the city of Sternbild will inevitably follow the road into depravity.
No matter how many difficult incidents the Heroes resolve, as long as they continue to wield their papier mache justice the evil nesting in people's souls won't be eradicated. Yet they fail to comprehend this simple truth, asininely tell themselves that they seize the hearts of the people, and drown in their own hubris. The future of this city cannot be entrusted to fools extolled by the public.

It seems the time has come for me to step into the moonlight.

I'm standing on the top of a gothic building, high in the sky, illuminated by twilight. The sky is dyed red as if grieving the city's approaching end, but the wind is whistling around me, celebrating my will - or perhaps howling in fright - and playing with my long hair.

Suddenly I feel my face gently throb again.

Even now I remember him in his repulsive death throes, clinging to life while staring death in the face.
That man was the source of it all.

Drowning in his hypocritical justice he had made Heroes into the society's foundation and then destroyed his own household. It was him, that...

I shall prove it. I shall prove that the justice I believe in is the only true justice.

Guided by the moonlit night, my flames of blue shall exact judgment.

Hear me, Heroes.

Your end is approaching fast. Come and stop me, if you dare. If you dare to face my justice.

“Sinful ones...Hear the voice of Thanatos!”






*TL Note: Kotetsu refers to their undersuits as "underwear".









(Afterword from the novel's writer Yuuya Takahashi)

TIGER & BUNNY Is A Human Drama

Even though I myself was one of the writers of the TV series TIGER & BUNNY, writing the novelization for TIGER & BUNNY The Beginning has made me realize this fact all over again.

If you try to express a traditional superhero work in the novel form, then it means you will have to pay a lot of attention to how to depict and describe the action in it. But if you are already doing that, then wouldn't it be better to just go see the movie version instead?
In TIGER & BUNNY's case the action – although it is a very important factor – is basically just one of the things that happen on the sidelines, and the linchpin of the whole story is the human drama taking place inside the superheroes. I believe this aspect is what has allowed the novelization to depict fascinating insights and show some sections in a different light than the movie did.

What we truly feel and desire and what we say and show to the world around us are often very different things. We may say “right”, but deep inside we may be thinking “but it's actually left, you know” and such situations are very common. Acting in conflict with our desires because it is something we think we should do while opposing it deep inside the whole time can be said to be one of the defining characteristics of human beings.

The movie intentionally does not contain inner monologues, so the characters' inner and unconscious thoughts show through their facial expressions, lines, and their body language. The novelization however emphasizes this aspect and brings it into forefront.

(…)

Of course, depicting their psychology via the third person POV was also an option, but in that case the tale would have gained an objective, outsider perspective. It is a common writing method for novels in general, but seeing how this is a movie novelization, I personally feel it would have changed the whole story.

(…)

If one reads the novel while comparing each single chapter, it becomes clear that underneath their conflicting opinions and crossing feelings what they both unconsciously see and think is actually very similar. One can also feel certain things that even the two of them are unaware about.