It was a cold day in December, just ten days before the Battle of Haneda.

Kirameki Sentai Romeo Five. They are a group of five high school boys who attend Shirayukigaoka private school. They have a private contract with the Hero Headquarters to protect the peace of West Tokyo.

The leader of the group, Romeo Red, Tenryuji Ren, is an energetic student council president who also models for a magazine.

Ren’s morning begins with an invigorating awakening.

「Nngh Haaaaaaaaaa!!!!! ……Haah, haah, haah.」

His pajamas were soaking wet, as if he had been to a waterfall. His heart was palpitating violently, his breathing was erratic, and his underwear was a little dirty.

Hearing the cry, his younger sister, a junior high school student, calls out in concern at the door of his room.

「Onii-chan, are you okay…? That sounded similar to the scream at the climax of a horror movie…」

「Ah…don’t worry. Sorry for being loud… Really, it’s nothing」

Ren tried to be strong so as not to worry his sister, but his hand was cold as ice and trembling. No matter how hard he tries to forget, Ren’s mind and body still remember the terror of that “mysterious being”.

Ever since the day he succumbed to the threats, He’d been having nightmares every night. A green mask full of evil, the figure of that man who mocked the hero inside was burned into his mind.

「Heinous mysterious…… Death Green……」

Ren headed for the washroom with unsteady steps and washed his face with cold water until his skin peeled off.

When he looked in the mirror, he saw his face, which looked as though it had been transformed into a corpse. His cheeks, which used to be fair, were dark and sunken, and deep dark circles had formed under his eyes.　

He wiped his face with a towel, but no matter how many times he wiped, it never dried. Unconsciously, large tears streamed down his bruised cheeks.

「Hey onii-chan, are you sure you’re okay!　You threw up the dinner yesterday as well, right……?　I know it even if you hide it!」

While being held by his sister-in-law, with whom he had no blood connection, Ren felt a strong sense of danger. At this rate, he would really become useless as a human being.

It is a blessing in disguise that there was no school because of the winter break. He couldn’t let all his classmates see him in such a miserable state.　

At that moment, the Tenryuji family’s intercom rang.

When he opened the door, standing there was Romeo White, Hikarinomiya Ryo. The members of the Romeo Five are standing next to him.

They all had the same terrible face as the dead in hell, and Ren invited them into his room while trying not to look directly at their faces as much as possible.

「I’m sorry, right now… we only have macaroons. Is earl gray okay for the tea?」

「It’s fine, it’s obvious we’re at fault for barging in on such short notice.」

「Ryo… and everyone look pretty haggard as well.」

「You can’t speak for others, either, Ren.」

Ryo quickly adjusted his glasses as if he knew what he was doing. His bangs fell out of his head and were streaked with gray.

「I’m going to be blunt, we need to change. You, too, are having green nightmares, aren’t you?」

「……Yeah, that’s right. But what can we do about it?」

「That’s what I’m here to share with you today. I did my own research on the Internet to see what I could do to change myself.」

As soon as he said this, Ryo spread a pamphlet on his desk. The words “Personal Revolution!　Chandra-style self-development seminar” was written on it.

「I’ve already registered. One week starting tomorrow.」

「Until next year!?」

「We have to be willing to do that much!　We have no choice but to power up, even if it means chewing on a rock!　We must get revenge on Death Green, or we will never escape this curse!」

Ryo’s eyes, which should have lost their light, now burn with revolution. Flames light up the eyes of Romeo Five members one after another.

「Yeah!　Let’s do it, personal revolution!」

「That’s right!　We have to change!」

「As expected of Ryo! The brain of us Romeo Five!」

「Fuh, it’s only natural for the chairman of the public morals committee to do this.」

Ren looked over at the pamphlet again.

『Here’s what you really need to live in today’s society!』

『Step up to a new dimension!　Synapse-running solutions!』

『Do your doing (in English)！　Revolutionize your way of life!』

A tinge of uneasiness appeared after reading the shady slogans. But now they have no choice but to cling to the straw, even if they have to worship the head of a sardine.

…………Three days later.

「Alright, it’s been 30 minutes. Please start burying.」

「「「「「…………」」」」」

The five members of Romeo Five moved their shovels in silence. For twelve hours now, they have been digging and burying in the same spot.　

Incidentally, yesterday they spent all day in front of Ueno Station singing “Pigeon Pop” to the best of their ability.

「Thank you for your hard work, please move to the cafeteria.」

「「「「「…………」」」」」

After a meager meal of frozen pork cutlets and half a banana, it was time for sutra chanting. For three hours, they chanted a sutra in a language they did not know, until their voices went hoarse.

Once that was done, it was time for self-reflection.

「I am! The despicable person who gave in to the enemy’s threats!」

「I! Against my allies! Fired my special move!!!」

「Scared of the mysterious being!　I peed!　I peed my pants!」

This also lasted a full three hours, and at the end they all cried and hugged.

At bedtime, not only the five members of Romeo Five, but all seminar participants sleep in the same room. It is midwinter, but there is no heater, and the only bedding is a thin, damp sheet that has probably not been hung out to dry for some time.

From the darkness, you can hear someone sobbing.

「I don’t want to do this anymore…… I want to go home……」

The voice seemed to come from the neighboring Ryo’s futon, but Ren told himself it was an auditory hallucination.

Then he quietly closed his eyes and wished, he wished morning would never come again.

………… Ten days later, Haneda Airport.

There they are, the bitter Romeo Five, who have left all the sweetness in the world behind. Today, they say goodbye to the past and are reborn as new heroes.

In addition to his sunken cheeks, his complexion had deteriorated, but only his eyes were glistening with an unidentifiable light.

「Justice having been defeated… the prince of the demon world has risen from the abyss of darkness……」

「「「「「We Are!　Dark Romeo Five!!」」」」」

―――― Their legend begins again today.

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<85: Kuriyama Rintaro, Scattered
87: The Heinous Legion and The Three Executives>