Chapter BONUS - Side Story: Return Of The Stars (2)

# My name is Da-in.

I'm an ordinary citizen who's been reincarnated into the hero comic "Stardust!"... That's enough. Let me skip the unnecessary explanations.

"I've installed bombs on all those boats down there!"

The villain causing this terror incident, Egostic—that would be me!

On the rooftop of a building where cold wind was blowing.

Standing there, I was broadcasting to the camera while looking at the boats below.

This terror attack I prepared for the first time was... placing bombs on boats on the Han River.

'Since this is my monumental first terror attack, I'm feeling a bit nervous...'

I hid my nervousness inside while continuing my act, smiling at the camera.

"Haha, what a commotion down there. Ah, don't worry too much. You might make it out alive!"

Regardless of my true feelings, I was putting on quite a convincing performance as an evil villain.

Why am I causing this terror? It would be boring and pretentious to explain in detail... but to summarize, this is the most viable way to save the world. By acting as the arch-enemy of my favorite character Stardust, I can help her grow.

So now, I should call for Stardust.

'...What expression will Stardust make when she sees me?'

Surely a righteous expression burning with anger? The thought of seeing her in person fills me with excitement that I can barely contain!

With these thoughts, I opened my mouth toward the camera again.

Fortunately, even after I call her, it will take quite some time for Stardust to get here. So I can prepare myself mentally until then.

"Now! Let's begin the game. For that purpose, I'd like A-rank hero Stardust to join us."

I took a breath after saying that.

Good. Now I've created a reason for an A-rank hero like Stardust to come instead of some other hero for a petty criminal like me.

Now that this is being broadcast, Stardust should be preparing to deploy, right?

Thinking that, I continued my lines without much thought.

"We need at least one hero to set the mood for our game, don't we? If she doesn't come..."

"...Did you call for me?"

And because of that.

When I suddenly heard that voice behind me, I couldn't react immediately.

'...?!'

What? What's this?

Unable to hide my bewilderment, I hurriedly turned around.

And there.

"Hello?"

Rising from the sky, Stardust was smiling at me.

* * *

'Finally... we meet!'

At that moment.

Having met Egostic who was carrying out the terror attack, Stardust was quietly excited, hiding her enthusiasm inside.

Da-in, whom she had slept beside every night until she was suddenly sent back in time and couldn't meet until now.

Although he doesn't remember her yet... they can always build new memories, right?

Anyway, seeing me suddenly appear from the sky, Da-in:

"Uh..."

Had an extremely bewildered expression.

He probably didn't expect me to arrive so quickly.

...Having only seen Egostic's composed expressions before, this was a new feeling for her. Egostic as a villain newbie!

As she unconsciously smiled at that thought, Egostic seemed to have recovered from his surprise and was naturally speaking to her with a smile.

"Hello, Stardust. You arrived very quickly."

"Yes."

"...Right. Good. Ah! Please don't come any closer. I have a detonator in my hand right now. If you try anything foolish..."

Egostic smiled while waving the detonator in his hand, but it wasn't threatening to her at all. She knew that no matter what happened, Egostic would never press that button.

So she smiled, then tried to maintain a neutral expression as she asked Egostic:

"Alright, I won't touch you. So, what were you planning to do?"

"...Very well. Good question! What I was planning to do is..."

When she asked, Egostic began explaining his boat bomb terror plot with his characteristic smile, as if he'd been waiting for this.

It sounded like a terrifying terrorist threat, perhaps threatening the hero that he would kill everyone...

"So, you want me to persuade those people through a speech?"

"Correct! You catch on quickly!"

Seeing Egostic's bright response, she found it increasingly difficult to suppress her smile.

Only now, knowing that Egostic was always on her side—her own Da-in—could she see the situation for what it was.

'So... now I see.'

Give her a chance to make a speech to the people, and through that speech, turn their hearts and stop the terror?

...Now she realized this was just a stage prepared solely for her.

A perfectly set-up scenario created by Egostic specifically for hero Stardust to shine.

Feeling Da-in's intention to prepare all this with the thought 'Stardust's great speech will make her more popular with the public'...

'Haha... really, Da-in. Truly...♡'

Shin Ha-ru felt her feelings for him grow even stronger.

If she hadn't tried her hardest to maintain her expression, the broadcast would probably be showing a "loving, helpless expression" that a hero should never show toward a villain.

So Stardust tried to calm her racing heart.

For now, she needed to stop Egostic's terror attack. Yes.

...But still.

There was no need to do things exactly like before, was there?

With that thought, a playful feeling she wasn't even aware of bloomed inside Stardust, and with a smile she couldn't hide, she said to Egostic:

"Alright, Egostic. So basically, you want me to save those people?"

"Yes! That's right."

"And when you told me not to move, you meant don't move threateningly as if I'm going to capture you?"

"...Um. That's right. But..."

"Then I understand. Wait there for a moment."

"What...?"

And before Egostic could finish speaking.

WHOOSH

She shot into the sky, tearing through the air.

A speed so incredible it would have been unimaginable at this point.

Rising into the blue sky, Stardust looked at the river below her, smiled slightly, and murmured:

"Should I give our Da-in a little surprise...?"

Since she knew he wouldn't actually detonate the bombs no matter what she did.

Looking at his distant figure on the rooftop, confused by her sudden action, she smiled.

Then she dove straight from the sky toward the boats floating on the river.

"Oh, oh! Dad! A hero is coming down from the sky!"

"No way! What is that hero trying to do?!"

Voices from people on the boats grew louder as she approached.

Regardless, Stardust had only one thought.

WHEEEEEE

'...He said he planted bombs on the boats, and they'll sink if they explode, right?'

Then.

Why not just lift the boats and place them on land?

WHOOOOSH

With that thought, she plunged straight into the river.

Not long after.

CRRRRREAK...

"KYAAAAAAAH!"

"W-what's happening! The boat is moving...!"

"Dad! The boat is floating!!!"

"...Hmm. This is still easy for me."

She emerged from the river, lifting an entire cruise ship with one hand.

What followed was simple.

Lift the boat from the river. Move it to land and set it down. Quickly repeat the process.

Quickly but with absolute precision—moving only the boats without passengers feeling even the slightest shake—Shin Ha-ru completed the boat relocation operation.

...Though midway she switched to using both hands for appearance's sake, as lifting with one hand might look too strange.

During all this, fortunately, or perhaps predictably, no bombs exploded.

"Haa, haa... Good, I've finished moving all the boats. Is this the end of your terror plan, Egostic? ...Egostic?"

"..."

When she returned to Egostic on the rooftop after completing everything, without having broken a sweat.

Egostic stood frozen like a statue, his mouth slightly open.

...Of course, he quickly recovered from his shock and spoke to her again...

"Um, uh, yes. Uh... yes! Amazing, truly amazing, Stardust! You solved the problem in a way I never... imagined. Yes. In a way I truly never imagined..."

Still seemingly unable to recover from the shock, he spoke with trembling eyes.

...Finding even this aspect of Da-in incredibly cute, Stardust unconsciously smiled and asked:

"Did I do well?"

"Yes, yes? Uh... yes. You did well. You did very well, Stardust! You overcame this challenge in a way I never expected. Haha... But this isn't the end. I wonder how you'll act when we meet next time, I look forward to it, Stardust...!"

With those words, he vanished before her eyes with a poof.

As always, he must have used his teleportation ability to leave.

And so, on the rooftop under the blue sky, with only her remaining.

"Hmm..."

Standing alone, savoring the lingering feeling of having just met Da-in, Stardust:

Thud-thud-thud-thud-

Hearing the noisy helicopter flying overhead, she opened her eyes slightly and smiled faintly.

"Haah... Egostic."

It was good to see Egostic after so long.

So good that she wanted to just hug him tightly right there, without caring about anyone watching.

In this moment after her solitary return to the past.

Whether in the vanished future or the present, Egostic was still the only one she liked, and who liked her.

"This time, I won't act foolishly and lose you like before..."

Murmuring to herself, Stardust caressed her hand while imagining Egostic's smile she had just seen.

As evidenced by Shin Ha-ru's dangerously sparkling eyes.

Her unstoppable forward momentum had only just begun...!