Chapter 356 - Reunion (1)

# Current Situation Summary

I met Stardust again after six months apart.

...And when she saw me, she immediately embraced me.

While crying.

"Egostic... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."

"No, what exactly are you sorry for... Come over here first."

What on earth is going on?

It was still early afternoon with a blue sky.

As I was being embraced by Stardust in mid-air, I tried to hide my face that was turning red from the sudden physical contact while searching for a place to escape with her.

...Whatever was happening, I knew one thing for certain—if we stayed in the middle of the sky like this, this scene would be broadcast nationwide on tomorrow's news. I had to prevent any rumors about a secret meeting between a hero and villain...

So I hurriedly teleported to a nearby location, dragging along Stardust who was still crying and mumbling incoherently.

Getting away from the scene was the top priority.

...After we had moved, how much time had passed?

Swoooooosh

To make matters worse, it started raining.

I thought the clouds looked heavy today... Wait, maybe this is actually good? The rain would block the view of the broadcasting station cameras.

"Here, come this way."

"Sniff Okay..."

Finally, under the eaves of a nearby building's rooftop, we managed to face each other quietly in a place where no one else was around.

Phew. This should be good enough.

"Haah..."

Under the eaves in the rainy sky.

As the sky gradually darkened, I looked at Stardust with an uneasy heart.

Whether it was from getting slightly wet in the rain on the way here, or for some other reason.

Her blonde hair was slightly damp, and her body was trembling a little.

The sight of her with tears welling up in her eyes, apologizing to me, was a situation I couldn't understand.

...From the beginning.

She didn't seem to have any intention of capturing me. Rather, she was only apologizing...

Just as I was thinking this.

"Cough"

...Of all times, I coughed up blood right then.

Ah. I must have overexerted myself using my ability for the first time to catch that dragon earlier. Something must have twisted inside again.

I thought this casually as I wiped my mouth with a handkerchief.

"...Ah. Aah..."

...But it seemed Stardust didn't take it so lightly.

Seeing me like this, she made strange sounds as her eyes began to lose their light.

Then she bowed her head again, grabbed my body, and started crying once more.

"Sob I'm sorry. I'm, I'm so sorry..."

"...No! Please tell me the reason. What are you so sorry about?"

As she started doing this again.

I directly asked her the question that had been bothering me. What exactly was she so sorry about? What could I possibly have done to deserve her apology? No matter how much I thought about it, there was nothing.

While I was pondering this.

Stardust, still sobbing, looked at me with her blue eyes and said in a trembling voice.

"Egostic... sob"

"...You, you. You're terminally ill... sob"

"...What?"

Hearing such an absurd statement, I doubted my ears.

...Me, terminally ill? Since when, and why?

Although I did cough up blood when using my ability and my powers were somewhat unstable, I was definitely not terminally ill. If I had been, I wouldn't have gathered so many teammates.

Perhaps she misinterpreted my shocked silence.

Stardust cried even more intensely, grabbed my waist again, and started apologizing.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... If I had known, sob, earlier... I wouldn't have done this..."

"No, no. Wait a moment."

I grabbed Stardust as she started doing this again and told her.

"I'm not terminally ill."

"Don't lie..."

"..."

...Right. She wouldn't be easily convinced in this situation.

As I was feeling at a loss, Stardust looked up at me with her blue eyes full of tears, wet from the rain, and said.

...If I said her appearance was beautiful even like this, I'd be trash.

"You're, coughing up blood and all that... How, how can you say you don't know... sob"

"...No. This is just a side effect of using my ability. I'm not coughing up blood because I'm terminally ill and my body is failing."

"Sob I'm sorry..."

This wasn't working. She wasn't listening.

Even as my head started to hurt, I still couldn't understand the situation.

...Even if I were actually terminally ill, why would she cry for me like this? A hero crying for a villain who's terminally ill without even trying to capture him? It was impossible.

However, that wasn't the important thing right now.

The urgent matter was to clear up this misunderstanding that I was terminally ill. Only then could we have any kind of conversation.

...Of course, Stardust was in a state where she wouldn't believe anything I said. What should I do...

As I was pondering in front of her crying figure.

'...!'

I finally found a solution.

...Yes. This is the only way.

Stardust.

Among her abilities, what I feared most wasn't her superhuman strength or her ability to fly.

What I feared most was none other than her "super intuition."

This ability of hers, not registered with the Association, allowed her to intuitively find the correct answer and discover the truth. It was truly a terrifying ability befitting a protagonist.

That's why I was even more afraid, as I had almost been exposed by her super intuition.

And now.

I was going to use this ability to my advantage.

If it's an ability that always finds the truth.

Couldn't it also find the truth in my words?

Having reached that conclusion.

I reached out to place my hands on Stardust's shoulders and made her look into my eyes.

"Ms. Stardust. Look into my eyes."

"Sob... Huh?"

She looked at me with tear-soaked eyes at my words.

And so.

On the rooftop of a building under the rainy sky.

Standing under the eaves, listening to the sound of rain.

I told Stardust the truth in the most sincere voice I could muster, looking into her blue eyes.

"Ms. Stardust. I am not terminally ill. My body is fine. I cough up blood simply because my body is strained from using my ability, not because I have some chronic illness."

"....."

At my words, she looked at me with trembling eyes.

Her expression was one of uncertainty.

Yes. She must have intuitively felt it. That there was no lie in my words.

I was never terminally ill in the first place, so where did this misunderstanding come from?

After seemingly assessing the situation for a moment, Stardust.

Eventually spoke in a small voice, avoiding my eyes.

"...Then, why did you suddenly retire? Wasn't it because you thought you were going to die soon...?"

"What? No? That was because I had other things to do. It was never because I was terminally ill. Whatever you were thinking, it's a misunderstanding."

I was sincere.

Who would want to die? At least not me.

And.

I couldn't die here yet.

With those thoughts.

I smiled at her and said.

"...Do you think your arch-enemy would leave so easily? I'll stay by your side. Always."

Did my sincere words reach her?

Stardust, who finally seemed to understand my words, lowered her eyes and fidgeted with her fingers.

...But come to think of it. Aren't we too close to each other right now? I'm holding both her shoulders and we're almost pressed against each other.

Of course, more than that, I was curious about how Stardust would react next. Would she jump around in embarrassment for misunderstanding? She might even kick me.

...Wait. That's scary.

Just as I was thinking this.

She raised her head and.

"Haha..."

...Contrary to my expectations, she was smiling with reddened eyes.

Wiping her tears with her hand.

"Sob... Thank goodness, thank goodness... I'm so relieved..."

Muttering like that.

As if nothing else mattered.

As if the only fact that truly mattered was that I wasn't terminally ill. Speaking like that.

"I'm so glad, really, so glad..."

She just smiled with relief while looking at me, still sobbing.

And seeing her like that.

...Someone who cared about me that much.

Seeing Stardust like that.

"..."

I felt like I couldn't breathe for a moment.

And couldn't say a word.

***

Swoooooooosh

After she finally calmed down from crying since our first meeting.

We were still sitting under the eaves of the rooftop, just watching the rain pour down from the now-darkened sky.

...For some reason, still holding hands.

"...Are you feeling better now?"

"Yes..."

She answered quietly, looking at her feet with her knees together and her head bowed.

She was still in her hero suit, and I was in my villain outfit.

We sat like that.

"....."

During this time, my thoughts were complicated.

...In other words, although she had calmed down, I hadn't.

Stardust.

That Stardust.

Righteous, never overlooking injustice, kind, and resolute.

The protagonist of this comic I had been reincarnated into.

A hero.

Would someone like her cry this much after hearing a villain was terminally ill?

It was something that could never normally happen.

...Unless she thought of me as special.

I wanted to deny it, but at this point, I couldn't.

Just as I was thinking this.

"...Egostic."

Stardust.

For the first time since earlier, she opened her mouth.