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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: Starbuster
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"Dain, are you sorry or not?"
"I'm sorry..."
In the President's Office at Yoo Sung Group's Seoul branch.
There, I was apologizing to Lee Seol-ah.
"No... Honestly, couldn't you have just told *me*? Do you think I'd just casually blab about it?"
She grumbled at me, feigning anger.
She probably *was* genuinely upset. When she frantically contacted me while Seoul was completely falling apart, I just went dark. Then, in the middle of it all, I popped up on stream without a word, swiftly solved the problem, and disappeared again.
Flipping her sky-blue hair to the side, she made it abundantly clear she was sulking at me, almost as if I could hear a faint 'Hmph!' sound.
...And of course, this must all be an act.
Who *is* Lee Seol-ah, anyway? In the original story, she's so capable she could practically swallow South Korea whole. Given how sharp-witted she is, it's highly probable that this childish behavior is all a calculated move.
Of course, uh. She could also just be genuinely upset and acting like that without thinking. From her perspective, it's completely understandable to be upset. I planned everything for Stardus, so I went dark because if I told Lee Seol-ah, Stardus might notice with her unique senses. But there's no way she'd know any of that.
So, for now, saying I'm sorry is my best option.
...Honestly, when I first heard her voice on the phone, she sounded like she was ready to bury someone. This is a vast improvement.
"Hmph."
"Alright, alright. I'm truly sorry. I promise it won't happen again."
"...Really?"
"Yeah."
It wasn't a lie. The subject was missing. I'm sorry I didn't contact her immediately after my intervention ended, but not contacting her beforehand was unavoidable. It'll probably be the same in the future. But bringing that up now would be amateurish. For now, I just had to put on a poker face.
"...So, this time, you *were* in the wrong, right, Dain?"
"Yeah."
"Then... grant me one favor."
She fidgeted with her fingers, looking down at her hands, speaking in a voice slightly softer than before.
...What? What kind of favor? A sudden sense of dread washed over me. It's Lee Seol-ah, after all. I have no idea what kind of favor she'd ask.
"Alright. I'll grant anything. Just name it."
Still, I just blurted it out.
...Just then, I was thinking, if she asks for something too strange, should I knock her out and make a break for it?
"...Show me your face."
"Huh?"
"Me too! I want to see your bare face, without the mask..."
Lee Seol-ah's face slightly reddened, and her voice trailed off, as if she was a little embarrassed to say such a thing.
...She threatened me like that, and the conclusion was just to see my face? To her, who kept glancing at me nervously, wondering if I'd refuse after she'd said it, I chuckled and simply took off my mask.
"There. Happy now?"
"Oh..."
She was slightly flustered when I took it off so easily.
But that was only for a moment. Soon, her eyes sparkled, and she began scrutinizing my face with great detail.
"...Hey, it's a bit much when you stare so intently."
"No, it's just fascinating."
"...What? My face?"
"No. I thought you had a big scar on one side of your face since you usually wear a mask despite having a perception-hindering ability. But you don't? Then why do you wear a mask on one side of your face?"
"This mask isn't ordinary. It has countless functions."
*But most of them aren't used, mainly just for checking the chat window.* I didn't bother adding that.
"Anyway, good. Now that I've seen your face, all that's left is for you to invite me to your house. You will invite me, won't you?"
"...That's for later."
I drew the line for now.
...Exposing my home location is a bit much. The only reason I was comfortable revealing my face was because Baek Eun-wol, the new Moon Priestess, can cast powerful perception magic on her own.
"Alright."
Lee Seol-ah's face showed no hint of disappointment as she replied. It seemed she was satisfied with just seeing my face for today. Her face, which had been red earlier, had long since returned to normal.
...Was I played?
Before I could even think that, she spoke to me as if something had just occurred to her.
"Oh. And Dain. There's a problem."
"What is it?"
"Right now, both the internet and overall public opinion polls show that everyone likes Ego-Sticker. Almost to a hero level? Isn't this a problem?"
Lee Seol-ah said, giving me a worried look.
"...Even in our own internal polls, your favorability rating is higher than mine."
So *that* was the point.
In the end, it was similar to what Seo-eun had said.
"...Really? That much?"
"Yes. Your popularity is soaring through the roof. Something about 'mango'. Even overseas are paying attention. An A-class villain single-handedly dealt with a terror attack that even S-class heroes hesitated to handle."
*Something about overseas isn't just clickbait from some nationalistic TV, but actually true?* Her continuously bewildering words made me feel this was a bit seriously concerning.
Hmm... This won't do.
"No, but Dain. Logically, you single-handedly saved all the citizens of Seoul from ruin. Wouldn't it be weirder if your popularity *didn't* rise?"
"But I'm a villain?"
"...Just because you claim to be a villain doesn't make you one."
Lee Seol-ah said, looking at me with a cold, unimpressed gaze.
"...Tsk."
As expected, should I cause a terror attack right away? Yeah. To prove I'm a villain, there's nothing quite like a terror attack.
"...Alright, thanks for letting me know."
"Worried about being too popular? How enviable. *Sigh*."
She sighed as she said that. After exchanging a few more words, we parted ways, along with a promise that I would definitely contact her if such a situation occurred again in the future.
...I don't know if I'll be able to keep it, but I said it anyway.
But something feels off, it must be my imagination.
***
"Whew..."
In the president's office, after Ego-Sticker, Dain, had left, Lee Seol-ah, left alone once more, sighed and looked out the window.
In truth, she knew. Ego-Sticker didn't particularly trust her that much.
Lee Seol-ah. She prided herself on being quick-witted. If she hadn't had her extraordinary intellect, she wouldn't have risen to this position in the first place. Taking over this company from her grandfather was no easy feat for her, even as a young girl.
In other words, her perception of people was something she could be confident in. And the Dain she saw didn't trust her.
'...Why?'
Actually, she found that puzzling. ...What had she done for him to distrust her so much? She had always been good to Ego-Sticker, never really harboring ill will.
Yet, suspiciously, he seemed... somewhat wary of her, no matter how much he appeared to open up. Always, no matter how much she approached him. As if he knew something about her that even she didn't.
'...How frustrating.'
A gap in information. No matter how quick-witted she was, she couldn't do anything about that. It didn't seem like he disapproved of her movements to swallow South Korea whole. He even supported her, after all. So why then?
'...Yet he trusts Stardus so much.'
And his incomprehensible devotion to Stardus. He says the reason he causes terror attacks is all for Stardus, so it's almost a severe case. In a way, he's practically dedicating his life to Stardus. What an incredible 'pure love'.
'Hee-ru... she *is* charming, but is she *that* much?'
When you think about it, both she and I are A-class heroes, so I don't know why there's such discriminatory treatment. ...Aren't I better than her, who doesn't even acknowledge him anyway? What's so great about Hee-ru?
"....No."
Her thoughts were flowing in too gloomy a direction. She exhaled once, then sorted out the situation.
...Right. In the end, I was always the one who won. Because I was always the one who somehow managed to grasp whatever I decided to get my hands on.
".....Just you wait."
Someday, Ego-Sticker. I'll make you look only at me, not Stardus.
***
While Icicle was plotting and Ego-Sticker was contemplating his next terror attack, two girls were walking in the underground base, which was Ego-Stream's original headquarters, connected to the large house now used as its main base.
"...Seo-eun. Where are we going right now?"
"I'm only showing this to you, so just follow me."
In the underground passage with entirely white walls, where the lights flickered, Baek Eun-wol held onto Han Seo-eun's clothes and walked, looking around uneasily.
And to her, Seo-eun spoke.
"You know about Ego-Stream now, right?"
"Yes. I've learned everything. It's a villain alliance founded by Dain, right?"
"Yeah. My brother made it. But do you know who the founding members were?"
"Who?"
"Soo-bin and me."
Having said that, Seo-eun sighed and continued.
"But the world only knows Soo-bin and doesn't know me. Even Ha-yul debuted this time with some name like Saintess, but my brother only coddles me."
"Oh, why?"
"He probably thinks I'm too young or lack power. Honestly, I'm already a second-year high school student, isn't that an adult?"
"...Uh, you're not an adult, are you?"
"No! At this point, I'm honestly an adult, plenty enough."
Having said that, she began pressing the password on the giant steel door in front of them. Soon, the door opened with a *thump*.
"...Seo-eun? You're not planning to abandon me in this deep place, are you?"
"What on earth are you talking about? Follow me."
Han Seo-eun walked forward, still talking, in front of Baek Eun-wol, who was still looking around uneasily.
"Anyway, my age is my brother's misconception, so let's move past that. Power. That's probably the problem. That I can't conduct terror attacks independently. Especially since I can't seem to handle Stardus, that ignorantly strong woman. Oh, you know Stardus, right? The woman my brother is strangely obsessed with."
"Yes. I heard."
"Anyway, Se-hee and I have been looking for ways for me to directly confront Stardus. And... it's finally complete now."
Saying that, Han Seo-eun unlocked the security of another steel door. Soon, a giant garage-like door creaked open. And beyond it, a wide, dark space was visible.
"Alright, let me introduce it. This is what I made."
After saying that, she grinned and flipped on the lights. Soon, the lights flickered on.
Whirrrr-.
In the middle of that space, something appeared before Baek Eun-wol. It looked to be about twice a person's height. A giant, suit-like object made of a hard, steel-like material. Baek Eun-wol's mouth dropped open at the oppressive presence of the huge, gray mechanical mass, whose arms, legs, and body all looked incredibly large and sturdy.
"...Wow. What is this?"
Watching Baek Eun-wol marvel, Han Seo-eun replied with a proud smile.
"It's a suit I'll wear... in other words, a giant weapon. With this, I'll finally be able to face that woman directly!"
"That's amazing. Did you make it yourself?"
"Yeah. I even named it."
"What is it?"
To Baek Eun-wol's curious question, Seo-eun grinned and replied.
"Starbuster."
"The ultimate weapon, built to confront Stardus and her alone."
Having said that, Seo-eun put her hands on her hips and spoke with a wicked grin, still exuding confidence.
"With this, I'll personally defeat that woman, Stardus. What do you think?"
And looking at her.
"...Uh, good luck?"
Baek Eun-wol could only reply with an awkward smile.
***
"...Soo-bin, where did Seo-eun go again?"
"She probably went to the basement again this time."
"...What on earth does she do down there all the time?"