Ep 249 Sunset

I, Egostic, am a Class A villain in South Korea, and Im the number one target that heroes are most wary of. Yet here I was, in front of a hero, sweating nervously.

You Youuu

Are you alright?

Do you think Im alright?

H-Haha

We stood on the rooftop of a building somewhere. Stardus, exhausted, leaned against the wall, looking up at me with eyes brimming with tears.

I felt a sense of guilt that was gnawing at my heart.

Of course, I have my own reasons

I might appear like a wicked instructor whos making a hapless hero run laps, but I had my reasons, too. If I hadnt pushed her so hard to improve her flying abilities, shed regret it later, crying about how she should have put in more effort. The sweat I shed today could save a life tomorrow. It was that critical, especially with the impending disaster.

If I explained it to her like this, she would probably understand, and shed be willing to fly a few more laps right away. But I couldnt do that. This had to be seen as a crisis for her to be vigilant. If I started to explain everything, would it be training or disaster control? Besides, I had to act like a sinister villain; I could never! Explain this was the only way.

So, I, the villain who had turned all crimes upside down and was making the perfectly fine hero go to the opposite side of Seoul to stop a missile, decided to be the villain.

After all, a protagonist shines when theres an antagonist. Haha

Haa, haa, haa

Of course, that was a show. I was genuinely sorry, especially given the current situation where she was so exhausted and almost on the verge of crying.

Thankfully, she was too tired to come running toward me.

Anyway, I cleared my throat again and tried to steer the conversation.

Uhm But you did really well flying and stopping them, didnt you? Honestly, I was quite surprised. It was a great performance from my worthy adversary.

Haa. Well, maybe. Haa, haa. Yeah. Do I have to be thankful for this?

Such compliments from me? She seemed somewhat taken aback by my words but still replied while catching her breath. Her mouth curled upward slightly, probably due to her mood.

I was about to say a few more words, but I decided to drop it and simply offered an apology. It felt easier and would help lighten the mood.

Ahem. I apologize. I pushed you too hard, Stardus, and it saddens me to see you struggling. The duty of an archenemy is to challenge the hero, and Im sorry.

I slightly turned my head as I spoke. It might not be common for a villain to apologize to a hero, but who knows? Among archenemies, there might be moments for it.

In any case, she was free to accept or reject my apology. In fact, it might be taken as a provocation and fit right into my concept of being the villain.

As I contemplated this, waiting for Starduss reaction,

Pfft

I suddenly heard her clear laughter from in front of me. I turned my head, surprised. She stood by the wall, her hand on her abdomen, chuckling heartily.

Seriously, haha. Its ridiculous. Who apologizes for going too far in terrorizing a hero?

Haha. Well, our relationship isnt typical for a hero and a villain, is it?

Seriously, its ridiculous

Hahaha

How amusing was it to make her laugh until tears welled up in her eyes? I wasnt sure, but she continued laughing, wiping her tears away.

And the curve of her lips?

Certainly, it seemed like she was smiling more than before.

I dont know what exactly happened, but it appeared to be resolved.

I breathed a sigh of relief while thinking about that. Regardless, the atmosphere improved significantly after her laughter compared to before. Maybe it was just because the sun was setting, casting the sky in a warm orange hue. Haha.

Ahem

Continuing these thoughts, I unintentionally turned my head in a somewhat awkward and ticklish feeling. I gazed at the sky.

On the rooftop of the building, the vast sky was beautifully painted in warm orange hues as the sun began to set. The sun, half-hidden beyond the mountains, burned with a crimson light, dyeing the sky red.

The sky is beautiful.

As I mumbled such words, she commented.

Yes, it is.

Yeah, thats right.

Suddenly, I heard that voice by my side. I glanced over, and there she was. Stardus, still with her hand against the wall like me, looking toward the red horizon. Her lips still had that slight upward curve.

Her golden hair shimmered in the crimson sunlight, and her beautiful, clear blue eyes glistened as they captured the descending sun.

Watching her like this, I found myself involuntarily smiling, too.

Yeah. Heroes and villains could watch the sunset together if they were in the middle of a battle when the sun went down. After all, is there a rule that they must fight every day? Besides, it felt somewhat familiar to be talking and looking at the sunset together after their fights.

Yeah, familiar

Wait a second.

Why did that feel familiar?

?

And as I had that thought for a moment, I felt a sense of dj vu.

Whats going on?

-Even if time turns back, in the end, its the two of us.

Something about this situation.

This similar situation.

-People dont change.

Once.

-Someday, well have conversations like this again.

Ive experienced something like this before.

I became lost in thought for a moment due to the sudden doubts arising. The sunset, the rooftop, Stardus, Shin Haru, the conversation, the touch, warmth, memory, Shin Haru.

There was something. There was something to it. It felt like Id experienced this situation, a similar situation with her, once before.

Did I have a dream or something?

Whats this?

As I had this thought, I heard a voice right next to me.

What are you thinking?

I turned my head in surprise to see Stardus smiling and tilting her head toward me in the warm glow of the sunset. Bathed in the setting sun, she looked more beautiful than ever.

But thats not the point.

Ahem. Its nothing, really.

I cleared my throat and replied, feeling that I couldnt tell her that I was thinking about her.

Ive been quiet for a while, and I thought you might be preparing to scold me or something.

She said this with a mischievous grin, and I couldnt help but chuckle in response.

As if that would ever happen.

Yeah, I dont know what memory this is, but for now, lets focus on the moment.

We wont have many opportunities like this with Stardus.

I smiled and, under the setting sun, pulled out the black object that brought me here and presented it to her through teleportation.

By the way, Stardus, its a gift.

A gift?

She tilted her head while reaching out to take the object.

Still not quite sure what it was, she examined it.

I nodded as she looked at it.

Its a communication device.

A communication device?

She continued to examine it, resembling a walkie-talkie and earpiece, appearing to be puzzled by my words.

After clearing my throat again, I continued with the explanation.

Yes, besides me, there are many villains in South Korea, right? Not all of them are as socially active as me or pick fights in their own territory. Especially among those, the worst ones are usually taken care of by me.

Yeah, but whats your point?

Some of them are quite challenging for me to handle. They know everything, from my residence to my weaknesses. Those villains are the ones Id appreciate your assistance with. Ill cooperate.

I handle those who steal my aggro, and Stardus can take care of the other villains, so its a win-win situation.

While I added this, Starduss gaze remained fixed on the communication device.

So, youre going to contact me with this?

Yes, if anything comes up, Ill send a message. When that happens, the red light here will flash. After that, press the button, and youll hear my voice. Just think of it as a means of communication.

A means of communication

Stardus gazed at the communication device I handed her under the reddening sky.

The reason I gave her this device today is that theres a villain I need to defeat soon. One we, the members of the EgoStream, can never handle. Stardus might be able to do it, but she doesnt know how to defeat him.

To deal with that villain, communication with Stardus was essential. I could hack my way into it, but this was more reliable and safe. The crucial point was that it looked like an ordinary iPhone.

So, if she refused to accept it, it would be a big problem. If we dont catch that villain before the Wolgwanggyo disaster, things will get really bad.

And a little while later, all of my concerns faded away.

Uh, yeah. I wasnt planning on taking it, but just in case, Ill accept it! Got it?

She turned her head and raised her fist while her cheeks turned slightly red saying that.

Thank goodness.

Thank you.

I replied with a grin.

Her cheeks seemed a bit redder than before.

After a few more exchanges, I smoothly escaped through teleportation.

I promised to contact her in a few days.

It ended on a warmer note than I expected.

***

After Egostics extensive missile terror attack, South Koreas broadcasts focused exclusively on the event. But there was something different from the usual.

[As you can see, Stardus speed and frequency are steadily increasing. In the end, shes almost doubled her initial performance, which is an exceptionally high speed even on a global scale]

The media talked more about Stardus rather than Egostic on that day.

[Perhaps Stardus abilities have not yet reached 100%, experts believe. In addition, there are opinions among some of the citizens that Egostic planned the terror attack to grow Stardus]

As expected, South Koreas pride, Stardus! Hahaha!

When the people who witnessed Stardus actions that day praised her, she didnt pay much attention to being at the center of the controversy regarding whether Egostic had planned the terror attack with Stardus growth in mind. Instead, she lay on her bed, holding the communication device that Egostic had given her, and gazed at it from below.

A private means of communication that allows me to talk to Egostic without meeting in person

Finally

She muttered to herself from the cool bed. Despite being exhausted from using her powers all day, she couldnt help but wear a warm smile. It was a summer night.