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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: It's All Because of Ego Stik
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"Ugh, ugh..."
The Association, Stardus's office.
Shin Haru, seated there as always, clutched her head, her face etched with fatigue.
'…That villain.'
"Haa..."
Why did I do that? Why on earth did I do that...?
A few days ago, Ego Stik's terrorist attack.
Fighting him after he'd dragged in yet another new villain, she'd gotten unnecessarily emotional at the very end...
Even trying to forget everything and focus on work, that moment kept replaying in her mind, making her silently scream in frustration.
...A hero, getting emotional in front of a villain, swearing, and then running away?
And even shedding a few tears?
...And what's worse, doing it in front of Ego Stik, of all people?
"...Ugh."
Thinking back to that moment, Stardus's ears flushed slightly.
...She must have been crazy then, absolutely crazy.
[Stardus. How are you feeling? Are you alright? Contact me immediately if anything is wrong.]
Just then, a notification popped up on her computer from the Association's internal messenger.
Checking it, she saw it was from the Association President, so she quickly typed a "I'm fine" reply and sent it.
...Ever since the fight with the villain named Katana, the Association President seemed to be a bit more concerned about her physical condition.
It wasn't strange.
In fact, Katana was probably one of the strongest foes Stardus had ever faced.
'…That woman, Katana, was stronger than I thought...'
She hadn't realized it during the fight.
But she'd heard later that Katana was one of the strongest super-powered individuals in the world.
...Honestly, when she fought that woman, she'd been so consumed by rage and fought in a frenzy that she barely remembered it.
So Stardus had felt that Katana wasn't much different from the other villains she'd fought. She hadn't seemed particularly strong.
However.
"She was that strong, huh...?"
Based on what the Association President and the news had said, the villain Katana must have been quite powerful. She was, after all, ranked first among Japanese supers.
And apparently, she herself was quite the topic of discussion in Japan for having fought Katana to a standstill.
'Well...'
...She hadn't exactly fought Katana to the death. Katana hadn't seemed intent on killing her right then and there; she'd moved as if sparring. Stardus, too, had only aimed to subdue Katana, not kill her.
Especially since Ego Stik had intervened midway... perhaps if it had been a fight to the death, things might have been different...
As Stardus idly pondered, she suddenly recalled the final scene of that day: Ego Stik practically embracing Katana and holding her hand, and her own outburst of emotion upon seeing it...
"Ughhh..."
Her cheeks flushed, she made a strange noise of embarrassment before finally collapsing onto her desk.
...Why did I do that then? Was I possessed...?
But.
Feeling the cool surface of the desk.
She quietly thought.
...At that moment.
For some reason, truly.
Seeing Ego Stik embracing and holding hands with that villainess, Katana.
Her heart had genuinely ached, without her even realizing it.
"Why...?"
...Right.
It must have been because I saw Ego Stik colluding with another villain. It means South Korea is in danger. It means the threat of villain forces has increased, so as a hero, it's natural to feel that way. And Ego Stik *is* a bad guy, right? So that must be it.
...Yes, that must be it.
.....
"..."
Was it really just because of that?
"....."
Was it truly just that one thing that made her feel bad?
Shin Haru couldn't answer.
...No, rather.
You complete me.
...*Cough*, you owe me one.
I'll handle the rest.
Another reason.
Could there be?
And so.
Shin Haru.
In the upper floors of the towering Association building, in the heart of Seoul.
Lying face down in her office, alone.
She quietly.
Quietly, fell into deep thought.
'…Right.'
Soon, with her eyes welling up slightly again.
She came to a conclusion.
"...This is all. Because of Ego Stik."
To me.
He called me his 'own hero.'
But then he openly acts like that with someone else right in front of me.
Wouldn't it be natural for a hero to feel bad about that?
Yes. She wasn't being strange.
Probably all heroes with an archenemy like hers would feel the same.
And if you're a villain, you should only care about your sworn hero. You should only act that way towards your hero. Isn't that common sense? Yes. That must be common sense.
...What's more, if it were an Ego Stream comrade he called family, maybe it would be different.
But he brings in another famous villain I've never seen before, makes me fight her, and then he's holding her hand and doing all that stuff.
...As his assigned hero, as his rival, as his archenemy.
Couldn't I feel a little hurt?
Yes. That's it.
"...Yes. It's definitely right to catch him and lock him up somewhere..."
A villain who keeps looking elsewhere instead of at his hero needs to be punished. It's right to lock him up and keep him by my side. Yes, villains must be caught.
Stardus, still sprawled across her desk, mumbled to herself with slightly reddened eyes.
Her mind, fatigued from lack of sleep for a while, combined with accumulated stress and a confused, hurt heart.
She ultimately arrived at that conclusion.
[How to ambush an opponent]
[How to knock out an opponent]
[How to imprison a teleporting super]
[How to capture an escaping opponent]
...Soon after, for a while.
Her internet search history became quite 'specialized.'
All for the sake of one person.
***
[Yes, Dain. We're meeting Haru next week anyway, so I'll subtly ask her then.]
"Alright. Thanks as always, Seol-ah."
[No problem. I'm the one who should be thanking you. Thanks to you introducing me to Katana, we were able to strengthen relations between our two countries.]
Lee Seol-ah said, her voice tinged with amusement.
...Indeed, with Lee Seol-ah influencing South Korean politics and Katana now controlling the Japanese Association and government from the shadows, if they met, would it essentially be a summit...?
Well, it's good that they became friendly.
[Oh, and that anti-Ego Stik broadcast... or should I say? That broadcasting station you created, Dain.]
"Yeah."
I listened carefully to what Lee Seol-ah was saying.
The broadcasting station I'd set up, specializing in criticizing Ego Stik, after recruiting a reporter.
It came up while talking to Lee Seol-ah later, and I ended up selling the entire station to her. I figured she'd be better at managing the shares and such than me. I didn't have the time to worry about it either.
[This time, we're going with the concept that Ego Stik basically sold out the country by bringing in that Japanese villain...]
"Oh, that's good, why?"
[...It's receiving too many complaints right now, and petitions for program cancellation are even coming into our broadcasting commission.]
"...Hmm. We can't give in to such unfair criticism. Tell them to keep going."
To those who doubt my villain identity, I have no choice but to keep brainwashing them. No, if I brought in a Japanese villain, they should be cursing, not admiring it as a show. I don't think I'm wrong. I have to keep explaining, rationally and logically, why I'm a villain.
Honestly, now that I've achieved my initial goal of being recognized as a villain among villains and entering the Cathedral, I wonder what the point is... but I'm still doing it anyway.
[...I don't know if that'll work. But alright, I understand.]
After exchanging a few more words with a convinced Lee Seol-ah.
The topic of the PMC came up.
[Oh, and I was thinking of meeting the PMC kids, what do you think? They're technically under my group's title, and I feel like I haven't paid enough attention to them.]
"Oh, that's good. The kids are almost done perfecting their abilities, so it's about time to send them out for practical training in the field. Let's talk about that then."
[Okay. You get some good rest too, Dain. I'll contact you again after I meet Haru.]
"Yeah, got it. Thanks."
*Click.*
With the call to Lee Seol-ah over.
I sighed and put my phone down.
"What are you doing? Want some of this?"
"Hm? Oh, thanks."
Just then, Choi Se-hee, who was sucking on an ice cream bar, tossed one over to me.
I caught it mid-air and tore open the wrapper.
...It was a mango-flavored ice cream.
"Ugh, isn't there any other flavor?"
"Nope. Seo Ja-young ordered nothing but these last time."
"..."
"But it's good, isn't it? Why?"
Choi Se-hee said, licking her yellow mango bar.
...Thanks to Seo Ja-young, who, with the logic that "we're a mango stick-owning country so we should stock up on mango sticks," had bought tons of mango-flavored ice cream bars, the fridge was never empty of them.
I brought the cold bar to my mouth.
It was cool and sweet, and quite tasty.
Eating the ice cream, I fell into thought.
...Katana had returned to Japan.
She seemed quite satisfied, perhaps having gained some insight during her fight with Stardus. She even said it was a good time and that she'd come back anytime the opportunity arose.
After seeing Katana off.
My thoughts, however, were elsewhere.
Specifically, about Stardus. Why she had acted that way at the end.
"..."
A bad guy, huh...
Yes. I *am* a bad guy. It would be stranger if a villain *wasn't* a bad guy, wouldn't it?
But... Stardus's reaction that day was definitely strange. It was like... she was pouting from feeling hurt.
And.
'…That villain.'
Even I, upon hearing those words, felt my heart skip a beat.
...Actually, I don't know since when. If I had to pinpoint it, maybe around the time the Statue of Liberty didn't explode and Ex Machina's death was announced.
Strangely, Stardus had been on my mind more than before.
So why did she cry?
I sighed and leaned back against the sofa.
...Lee Seol-ah said she'd find out when she meets Stardus next, so I'll just have to trust her with that.
Listening to the TV as background noise, I fell into various thoughts, licking my ice cream.
I should probably visit Vine Witch soon too, it's been a while... When should I go...?
[...The former chairman has finally been arrested. He denies the charges and...]
...For a moment, hearing the word 'arrest' made me feel a chill, but I just brushed it off.
After all, 'arrest' is the least relevant thing to teleportation.
"...Hey, Se-hee. Isn't it a bit cold?"
"No? It's warm. Is it because you're eating ice cream?"
"Is that it?"
...Was that why I felt that chill?
I thought, licking my ice cream.