Chapter 172 - Café

After sending Methel back to the United States, I decided to resume the tasks I had been putting off.

"Da-in. You need to rest."

"...Yes."

...Of course, since Lee Su-bin told me to rest with a smile on her face, I decided to take a short break. Honestly, I think it wouldn't matter if I pushed my body hard in this one life I have... but if I said that, Su-bin might smile even more intensely, so I decided to keep quiet. Su-bin is scariest when she smiles.

Anyway, I sat on the sofa to rest for a while. I told Han Seo-eun and Eun-wol some old stories, things like that.

"And so the God of Light gave humans courage, the Moon God gave wisdom, and the Star God gave love."

"Brother. Isn't that a cult?"

"...!"

Of course, there were small incidents like Seo-eun dismissing my interesting mythology as cult talk, and Eun-wol, who had been a priestess in a cult, flinching at the word "cult."

Well, that's how it was.

I played games with Choi Se-hee, and we all went to the bookstore to read and rest.

Those relatively peaceful days continued.

And today, we came to a café that's known for its good atmosphere.

This café that Lee Ha-yul found out about. It's popular these days, so we all came together during a time when there wouldn't be many people.

"Hmm... this place is nice."

The atmosphere was indeed pleasantly quiet.

The interior was pretty with its white color scheme, and they had laid something like grass in front of the café, giving it a fresh green feeling, as if blending with nature.

With warm sunlight shining through, it naturally lifted my mood.

As everyone was enjoying themselves, our drinks arrived.

I ordered a blueberry smoothie. It was sweet and drinkable.

"Hey. How is it?"

"Huh?"

As I was sipping my blueberry smoothie through the straw, I heard Seo Ja-young asking me in a languid voice from across the table.

"How is it? It's delicious."

"Really? Let me have a sip."

"Sure."

Since she wanted to try it, I handed her my glass.

She took a sip and then handed it back to me.

"...It's good."

"Right?"

"Yeah."

She handed the glass back to me with a lazy smile, and I took it and drank again.

It was still pleasantly sweet.

"...Naturally sharing the same straw..."

"Huh?"

"No, it's nothing."

I noticed Han Seo-eun sitting next to me with puffed cheeks, trying to say something to me before giving up.

What's that about? Why are her cheeks puffed up? Does she want to be a hamster?

We sat in the café for a while, chatting about this and that.

We ate honey bread, tried Seo-eun's mango smoothie, and listened to Ha-yul talk about university.

We were having a fun time in a peaceful atmosphere for the first time in a while.

BOOM BOOM BOOM—

"...What's that?"

At least until we heard the sound of something collapsing from the other side of the building.

And then came the screams.

"Huh? What's going on?"

Choi Se-hee tilted her head in confusion.

I answered her matter-of-factly.

"Looks like there's a terrorist attack."

"Ah... a terrorist attack?"

What else would cause collapsing sounds and people screaming besides a terrorist attack?

...I don't understand why terrorist attacks happen precisely when we go out to relax.

I stirred the ice in my smoothie with the straw and fell into thought for a moment. Is there anyone who would carry out a terrorist attack right now...?

Well, judging by the fact that I can't remember anyone specific, it's probably someone insignificant.

Anyway, there were continued crashing sounds from over there, and people were running away in front of the store.

Of course, we didn't run away. With our combined strength, we could defeat most opponents. And it's not like the attack was happening right in front of us.

So I just sat there, rattling the ice in my drink.

...But at times like this, I'm reminded that I'm living in a superhero world. There's never a peaceful moment outside. And this is despite the fact that I've already filtered out quite a few villains.

"...It feels weird that we're just sitting here while everyone else is running away."

"We're far enough away to be safe, right? The people running away are probably those who were at the scene."

"Is that so?"

Han Seo-eun answered naturally while taking another piece of honey bread.

But did everyone really run away?

I glanced toward the counter with that thought.

...I saw a part-timer peacefully wiping cups while yawning.

Despite the building shaking slightly with each BOOM from outside, he looked completely calm.

He seemed perfectly adapted to South Korea, the country of terrorist attacks. Right. You can't survive in South Korea if you're startled by such trivial things.

"Then I guess Stardust will be coming soon..."

At that moment, I paused at Lee Ha-yul's muttered words.

Wait, come to think of it, that's right.

If there's a terrorist attack, doesn't that mean Stardust will be coming too?

With that thought, I jumped up from my seat.

"Guys, I'm going to check it out for a bit. You all stay here and rest."

"...I was wondering why you weren't saying that. Sigh. Brother, I'll come too. I want to check Stardust's skills again."

"Me too!"

"Alright, alright. Come along."

"...You really like Stardust."

Leaving Seo Ja-young's comment behind, I went up to the building's rooftop with Han Seo-eun and Choi Se-hee.

Hey, it's been a while since I've watched Stardust fight someone in person.

"Tsk. We should have popcorn, but we don't."

I muttered.

From the rooftop, we could see the cityscape at a glance.

And over by the building next door, I spotted the troublemaker.

"RAAAAR! I'll destroy everything!"

BOOM. BOOM.

A large black gorilla-like creature about the size of Seo-eun's Star Buster was smashing the side of the building.

Of course, thanks to the terrorist response training that people in the superhero world receive, everyone had quickly evacuated, so no people were visible, but it was still a threatening sight.

"RAAAAAAAR!"

Oh my. Now it's even breathing fire.

"Hey! It's a crazy fire-breathing gorilla! A gorilla breathing fire!"

Choi Se-hee got excited at the sight.

While Seo-eun remained calm, this grown adult was sparkling with excitement at the sight of a gorilla.

"Hey, can I fight that..."

"No."

"Tch."

Choi Se-hee's request, as she sparked electricity from her fists while looking at me with shining eyes, was flatly rejected.

I understand she likes fighting, but it would be troublesome if she suddenly jumped in. We're not prepared, and Stardust will be here soon.

And before I could say anything else,

someone was already flying in from the distance.

A woman in a red bodysuit with flowing blonde hair. Stardust.

...It feels like it's been quite a while since I last saw her. Was the last time when she faced Shadow Walker with Seo Ja-young at night?

Anyway, Stardust flew in as expected.

As she descended toward the gorilla, I could see the creature turning its head to look at her.

"RAAAAR! Who are you?! No one can stop me, Black Kong!"

He shouted so loudly that we could hear him clearly even from this distance.

The crazy gorilla beat its chest like a drum and then charged at Stardust.

In response, Stardust clenched her fist and charged as well.

The real battle had begun.

BOOM. BOOM.

The explosive sounds could be heard even from far away.

As I listened, I tried to recall what I knew about Black Kong.

...Well, there wasn't much. Just an extra who briefly appeared in the original story. I do remember that Stardust had quite a struggle against him, according to mentions in the original. Well, in the original story, Stardust struggled against every villain she fought.

And right before my eyes now,

Stardust was fighting that gorilla on fairly equal terms. When it breathed fire, she avoided it with fluid, natural movements. When it charged, she met it with her fists.

Stardust was steadily beating the gorilla.

Well, she seems to be fighting well enough.

As I was watching, Han Seo-eun beside me was muttering to herself with a serious expression.

"...With Star Buster Mk.3, I might be able to handle it... or maybe not... if I increase mobility..."

She seemed deep in thought.

It was completely different from Choi Se-hee, who was swinging her fists beside me as if we were watching an action movie together.

The gorilla made a big jump and slammed its fist into the ground, and Stardust avoided it and swung her leg to kick it from behind.

The dynamic battle continued.

While enduring Seo-eun's narrowed gaze, I busily took photos to upload to Stardust's fan café, while simultaneously analyzing Stardust's combat capabilities.

...She's definitely stronger than in the original story, but there's still room for improvement. I feel like she could be even stronger. Especially at this level, I don't think she could defeat the monsters summoned by the Moonlight Cult.

Well, I can make up for that by doing better myself. No need to worry yet.

After taking a few more photos, I noticed the gorilla had been defeated. Stardust was standing triumphantly over it. It looked cool, so I took another photo.

However.

I thought with a stiff expression.

...Seeing that a terrorist attack happened even on the day we happened to go out, the frequency of attacks has definitely increased. It will continue to increase in the future. Especially after the Moonlight Cult opens the portal, it will increase even more.

In other words, it would be right to start now, before South Korea becomes even more chaotic.

It's time to finally start the PMC business that I've been putting off.

As association vehicles began to arrive one by one, I took one last look at Stardust before heading back with Han Seo-eun and Choi Se-hee.

Well, it was nice to see Stardust after a long time.

***

"Phew..."

Stardust, Shin Ha-ru.

After capturing the gorilla villain, she sat on top of him and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

It wasn't easy, but she managed to catch him in one go.

Now he would be imprisoned in the Eastern Paranormal Detention Center.

But somehow, terrorist attacks seem to have become more frequent lately.

...Except for Egostic.

As she was catching her breath, waiting for the association agents to arrive...

'...?'

Feeling a strange sensation, she looked up toward the top of the building in the distance.

What met her eyes was an empty sky and rooftop with no one there.

...She thought she had felt someone watching her for a moment.

Did she imagine it?

Shin Ha-ru could only tilt her head in confusion.