Chapter 289 - Complex Feelings

# After Returning from Kathedal

After returning from Kathedal, exhausted both mentally and physically from my deep encounter with Celeste, I spent several days sitting at home lost in thought.

The one thing I realized after visiting Kathedal was simple.

"This won't be easy..."

It seems the final arc of the original story won't be easy to handle. The final boss is problematic enough, but Celeste also appears to be a major issue. Could I really stop that woman... that kind of thing.

...Well, I still have time, so there's no need to panic just yet. But it's also true that I need to start making plans soon. The best strategy would be to persuade rather than turn them into enemies from the start...

"I don't know, I just don't know..."

Whatever happens, I'll figure it out somehow. For now, I started working on what I could do step by step.

What I'm currently looking into are the villains appearing this quarter. Although the biggest problem, Seo-eun, is completely on my side now... that doesn't mean the other villains are harmless. Just look at Dungeon Maker—he's clearly not normal. It wouldn't be strange if other villains appeared who acted differently from the original story.

So I decided to organize information about these crazy people first. I need to deal with all of them before I can focus on other matters or take down other villains. Let's get this over with quickly and prepare for Phase 4.

So I sat in the mansion with my laptop and got to work.

"..."

The result was that our Ego-stream members were once again displeased.

"Oppa... are you having fun?"

"Seo-eun... do I look like I'm having fun...?"

On a bright spring day that had returned once more.

Birds were chirping in the mountains, and sunlight filtered through the trees onto the garden in front of the mansion.

While I was sitting on a bench typing on my laptop, Seo-eun sat at the table across from me, puffing her cheeks.

"That's too much. Too much. On a day like today, you could take a break~"

...Of course, even as she said this, Seo-eun was assembling some cube-like object with a strange toolkit.

And while we were sitting at the garden table like that.

Choi Se-hee, who had been playing with Seo Ja-young by shooting lightning and fire nearby, descended from the sky, flipped her hair back, and said to me:

"Seriously. What exactly did you do at that villain meeting? You've been working so hard ever since."

She naturally sipped my drink on the round table through a straw while asking me.

I narrowed my eyes at her, then looked back at my laptop and said:

"Just... thinking about the future, I feel better if I prepare everything in advance."

Although we had crossed the big mountain called the Moonlight Cult, I still felt anxious for some reason.

...It's absolutely not because I want to finish quickly and retire. I'm worried about what might happen next. Yeah, definitely not.

Anyway, not knowing what unexpected situations might arise, I decided to get work done in advance while I had the time. Just look at what happened with Dungeon Maker... thorough preparation is always best.

So what I was looking into now were the major main events related to Phase 3 of the original story.

Especially since the main disaster was a mass prison break, I was investigating events related to the Eastern Paranormal Detention Center, also known as East Carceris, where villains were imprisoned...

But something kept bothering me, so I'd been exploring it lately.

...However, the further I went, the less information I could find, which was becoming stressful. Sigh. This is troublesome.

And. There was something even more troublesome.

A certain memory that kept flashing in my mind recently.

'....Do you dislike holding hands?'

"Haah..."

I sighed, looking at the laptop screen with my head down.

...For some reason, Stardust's image has been popping into my mind occasionally. That day must have left quite an impression on me.

Get it together, Da-in. To Stardust, I'm just a talking potato rolling around wearing a mask, nothing more, nothing less. She probably doesn't even think about someone like me...

...

'...If it's with you, I don't mind doing it.'

"....."

...Sigh.

I don't even know anymore.

Why am I having these thoughts lately? I'm falling for her.

As I was lost in thought, staring blankly at the monitor while scratching my head.

Tap.

Suddenly my laptop closed.

And where the screen had been, a woman with purple hair—Seo Ja-young—appeared.

"...?"

"Ahem."

When I made a puzzled expression, she pulled her hand out of her large hood and wagged her finger in front of me.

Lying almost flat on the table with the laptop underneath her, she brought her face close to mine and said:

"If you work too hard like this, even things that should work out won't. You need to take breaks now and then, get some fresh air while you work. Hmm?"

Seo Ja-young looked at me with clear eyes and a serious expression.

Behind her, Seo-eun was nodding and saying "That's right, unni"... I was surprised because I'd never seen Seo Ja-young speak so seriously before. I didn't know she could talk like this.

And just as I was thinking that.

As if she'd never said such things, Seo Ja-young began to melt onto the table.

"And... please deal with Choi Se-hee for me... I'm exhausted..."

"Hey, Seo Ja-young, where are you running off to? Get back here!"

Seeing Choi Se-hee coming down from the sky with a smile and Seo Ja-young who, upon closer inspection, was drenched in sweat, I came to a conclusion.

Now I see—she had been having a "play" session... or rather, a sparring match using abilities with Choi Se-hee and had run away.

...Well, I suppose taking a short break and getting some exercise wouldn't be bad.

So leaving Seo Ja-young collapsed on the table going "ughhhh," I stood up and approached Choi Se-hee with a grin.

"Hey. Let's try it with me now."

"Huh? ...Are you sure you're okay?"

"Of course."

"Hmm... Well, it's fun for me. Hey, no crying if you lose, okay?"

"...Haha. That's an interesting thing to say."

Looking at Choi Se-hee with her orange hair tied back, grinning while sparking lightning, I said that and opened my hand.

Then black tentacles that had been clinging to my body like a bulletproof vest slithered toward my arm. Behemoth, which had been with me for years and had become almost a part of my body.

So with my right arm wrapped in black tentacles, I clashed with Choi Se-hee.

...After holding out for quite a while, we had to end it when Su-bin called us for dinner.

For the record, I was almost winning that fight. ...Anyway, that's what happened.

***

And so daily life continued.

The only difference was that while I took breaks occasionally, I researched villains more diligently than before, and Seo-eun eventually started helping me.

...However, I still had significant concerns about Stardust. Since our last meeting, I've been strangely conscious of her. This isn't good. I need to maintain a strictly business villain-hero relationship. I'm just her fan. I'm definitely not having any strange thoughts. Probably.

Of course, since I've always been praised for my strong mental fortitude, I was able to calm down quickly. Right. I'll forget about it. Stardust has probably already forgotten, so why shouldn't I? If I don't see Stardust for a while, I'll naturally forget the sensation of holding her hand or whatever.

So I focused again on investigating matters related to the Eastern Detention Center.

And increasingly, I began to notice something strange.

"...Tsk. I can't figure out what's going on here."

I spent several days looking into this.

And after completing some investigation, the next morning.

"Haah..."

"Da-in, are you up?"

After exchanging morning greetings with Su-bin, I sat on the living room sofa, turned on the TV, and became lost in thought.

...Alright. This seems like something I can resolve this time. I just need to conduct a field investigation.

Which means I can rest for a while.

With that in mind, I was flipping through channels.

[101 Definitive Reasons Why Stardust Likes Egostic!]

...I frowned at the ridiculous program that suddenly appeared.

It was absurd.

What's more, this was channel 2 of this broadcasting station, and channel 1 had been showing the opposite content earlier.

Are they still running stories about Stardust and me dating? Does this really get such good ratings...

It was truly ridiculous.

[The definitive reasons why Stardust likes Egostic! The first reason is...]

"..."

Still.

...Just in case, I should check what nonsense they're spouting. Let me take a quick look.

Just as I lowered the volume and was discreetly watching the screen.

[Static Breaking news!]

Suddenly the screen changed, and an emergency news bulletin appeared.

...Well, I expected this. That's why I had turned on the TV.

As I turned up the volume wondering what was happening, the anchor on screen began urgently reporting the situation with footage.

[Currently, a massive tsunami is approaching Busan. It appears to be the largest on record and is believed to be the work of a villain...]

Along with those words, the TV showed a massive tidal wave approaching the city.

In the background of the sea was a whirlpool that was clearly artificially created for terrorism. ...Who could it be? What villain has such abilities?

'...Was there such a villain?'

While I was trying to recall all water-related ability users.

As the camera captured an individual floating above the wave on screen, the anchor hastily began providing additional information.

And I could see a girl with blue hair wearing an aqua suit standing on top of the waves.

"...Ariel?"

Just as I muttered that in a daze.

[The villain currently carrying out this terror attack appears to be connected to the villain organization Latis...!]

The anchor's words also began to reach my ears.

No, what is going on here?