Chapter 43 - Topic Of Discussion

"Today's Entertainment News~ Coverage! Yes, what are we looking into this time?"

"Yes. Today's topic is none other than! The self-proclaimed S-Rank Hero, Apple Mango!"

"Oh my, a hero named Apple Mango? How charming."

"That's right. He's been setting the internet ablaze lately. Let's take a look."

The two women on the TV disappeared, and soon another video began playing.

It looked like footage someone had secretly recorded on a smartphone.

In it, someone sitting atop a tower made of chairs was speaking.

A voice came from the figure wearing a yellow mask.

[You asked about me? I am an S-Rank Hero, Apple Mango.]

His words rang out in an arrogant tone.

The video cut off there, and the two women reappeared.

"Yes! I see. So he called himself Apple Mango?"

"That's correct. During the Busan Signature Hotel terror incident, he subdued the terrorists faster than any other hero. Afterward, when three other heroes arrived, he said this."

"I see. But I heard he said some strange things after that?"

"Ah, let's listen to that as well."

The screen changed again.

It was the same scene as before. The man in the yellow mask continued speaking.

[By the way, aren't you all A-Rank Heroes? The difference between senior and junior is like heaven and earth, so all of you should use respectful speech when talking to me.]

"Yes. That's very... impressive. Use respectful speech?"

"Exactly. As many can see, the heroes look somewhat dumbfounded by his sudden words. But his eccentric behavior continued after that."

[I've done everything with your Association President—we ate, drank, went to the sauna together, all of it!]

"Haha... Could this be true?"

"It's highly unlikely to be true. After that, he made several other bizarre statements and gave unsolicited advice to the junior heroes before disappearing without a trace."

"Yes. Just hearing about it sounds quite peculiar. Is that why he's become the center of so much attention right now?"

"Of course, that's not the only reason. There are several factors. Let's look at them together."

A large number 1 appeared on the screen.

Beneath it, large subtitles appeared.

[Self-Proclaimed S-Rank Hero Apple Mango. Is His True Identity Actually the Villain Egostic?]

"Oh my, what does this mean?"

"Exactly what it says. While he claims to be a hero, netizens have found numerous pieces of evidence suggesting he's actually Egostic. Let's take a look together."

The screen switched again to show another video.

The quality was much worse than before. In what appeared to be secretly recorded footage, terrorists were shown collapsing after being struck by guns that suddenly floated up.

"The first piece of evidence is telekinesis. Apple Mango was seen levitating guns in midair, which perfectly matches Egostic's ability. But that's not all."

Another video. In it, Apple Mango was shown vanishing instantly from where he sat after finishing his speech.

"As you can see, he also demonstrated teleportation. This also perfectly matches Egostic. Dual Ability Users themselves are extremely rare, yet their abilities overlap completely."

"Wow. Would this be what they call 'ironclad' these days? Isn't this undeniable?"

"We're not done yet. When we analyzed the footage, Egostic and Apple Mango have nearly identical body types, as you can see. And let's listen to their voices."

"Yes. This is the voice from Egostic's first terror attack. The boat terror."

[After hearing your speech, everyone suddenly united. Ha, haha. Hahahahahaha!]

"And this is Apple Mango's voice."

[A villain? Me? Haha! Hahahahahaha!]

"What do you think?"

"This... they're completely identical?"

"Yes. Many people are claiming that the voice and speech patterns are nearly identical. In other words, they're exactly the same! That's why."

"At this point, can't we just consider Apple Mango to be Egostic?"

"Yes. While the Association hasn't given a definitive answer yet, the atmosphere is such that Apple Mango being Egostic has become accepted fact. Even the Mango Squad, Egostic's fan club, is getting excited, saying that Egostic acknowledged their nickname for him, 'Mango.'"

"Mango Squad... Apple Mango. Isn't this basically him openly revealing his identity?"

"Exactly. That's why some people have expressed their 'enthusiastic welcome,' saying that Egostic is finally abandoning his villain cosplay and switching to being a hero. There's even a petition asking the Association to officially recognize S-Rank Hero Apple Mango."

"I see. But that alone doesn't fully explain this popularity. The second reason Apple Mango became hot! Let's find out together."

Once again, a large number 2 appeared on the screen.

Below it, the subtitle read: 'The Relationship Between Egostic and the Association—What Is It?'

"The relationship between Egostic and the Association... what does this mean?"

"Exactly what it says. Apple Mango mentioned the Association President's pre-name-change name during the incident. Let's listen together."

[...Oh, and do you guys know this? The Association President's name is Park Jun-ho, right? He changed it. His original name was Park Mak-chun. Our Mak-chun used to whine all the time about hating his name, and then he sneakily changed it.]

"This is quite... fresh information. He's claiming the Association President changed his name. That he changed Park Mak-chun to Park Jun-ho. Could this be true?"

"The Association has denied it for now. They stated that the Association President's name change is an unfounded rumor. But netizens aren't believing it. The Association only made that one statement and has been silent since, and judging by the heroes' reactions, people think the claim might actually be true."

"Fascinating. If that story is true, how would Apple Mango—or rather, Egostic—know about it?"

"That's what's currently the hot topic among netizens. To begin with, there's no record of the Association President's name change in the electronic information system, so ordinarily only family members or old friends would know such a fact."

"Then how does he know it? Is he really an old acquaintance of the Association President, or...?"

"That's why there are several conspiracy theories related to this. The theory that Egostic was actually a real S-Rank Hero in the past, but later had friction with the Association and switched to being a villain. It's completely unverified tabloid material, but... it's quite an intriguing story."

"Actually, if this conspiracy theory were true, it would also explain why the three A-Rank Heroes let Apple Mango escape, wouldn't it? You could interpret it as them letting him go because he's actually their great senior."

"Exactly. We'll look into this more later."

"Yes! Understood. So what's the third and final story related to Apple Mango?"

"Yes, the third story is this!"

Subtitles appeared simultaneously.

[3. What Exactly Is Egostic's Ability?]

"It's about Egostic's abilities. What's this about?"

"It's related to what he showed this time. Until now, the Association and experts speculated that Egostic's telekinesis and teleportation were quite weak. After all, it's commonly known that Dual Ability Users are much weaker than single-ability users."

"But that's not the case?"

"Correct. The act of lifting guns with telekinesis that he demonstrated this time... that's a very high-difficulty technique. It didn't seem possible with the abilities Egostic had shown until now, but he did it this time. The same goes for his teleportation."

"Ah. You mean how could he, who had always operated in Seoul, suddenly be in Busan?"

"Exactly. He appeared suddenly the moment the terror attack occurred. Based on this, there's talk that he might actually be able to teleport from Seoul to Busan."

"That's a very intriguing story. Are you saying Egostic has been hiding his power all this time?"

"That's the possibility. Nothing's confirmed yet, but one thing's certain—Egostic will remain at the center of attention in South Korea for quite some time."

"Egostic. That's why even more attention is focused on his future actions."

She stopped listening there and simply turned off the TV she'd been watching.

Click.

As she pressed the remote, the TV shut off unceremoniously.

On that empty black screen, her face—Shin Haru's face—was reflected.

"....."

The reflection of herself on the TV screen looked incredibly conflicted.

Egostic, Egostic. That damn Egostic.

She collapsed onto the sofa as if exhausted, pressing and massaging her eyes.

It had already been several days since the incident.

The hotel incident had already spread across the entire nation.

And so had the news about Egostic.

"....."

Truth be told, she was already convinced that Apple Mango—or whatever—was Egostic.

No, it would be more accurate to say she'd figured it out before anyone else. After all, she was one of the few people who had seen Egostic in person.

And precisely because of that, her feelings were complicated.

She'd been in the middle of reinvestigating the incidents Egostic had caused recently when this happened—she never expected to encounter him again like this.

The suspicions she'd harbored from before.

And now this latest incident.

She had no choice but to acknowledge it.

Recently, something had begun to take root inside her—a seed of doubt.

Egostic.

Was this guy really a villain?

In other words, could he truly be defined as evil?