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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: Stardus's Suspicions
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[Last Wednesday, cleanup operations for the Mapo Bridge, which was collapsed by the villain Egoistic, are nearing completion. No casualties were reported in this terrorist attack, which saw the entire Mapo Bridge, from its pillars up, utterly destroyed, thanks to the A-rank hero Stardus.]
[Experts have stated that rebuilding the bridge will likely take several years. Meanwhile, Seoul citizens are complaining of inconvenience due to traffic congestion caused by the bridge's collapse....]
***
Shin Haru.
If anyone were to ask Shin Haru who her arch-nemesis was, she would answer without hesitation: Egoistic. The reason Egoistic became her arch-nemesis was, in fact, quite simple. It was merely because Egoistic always specifically called out Stardus.
Egoistic.
Frankly speaking, if you were to pick the most famous and influential villain in South Korea, most people would choose Egoistic.
His full-fledged activities began less than a year ago. That's right. In just one year, he proudly rose to the number one spot, surpassing other villains with decades of history. Not knowing Egoistic was practically like being a spy.
In fact, when you think about it, it's natural. He had live-streamed every terrorist act he'd committed so far on the three major terrestrial broadcasters.
Of course, that was just *why* he was famous. If you asked *why* he was popular, there would be countless reasons...
Ultimately, what mattered was that he was famous and popular. And as a result, Stardus, his counterpart, also began to rise in popularity.
In truth, B-rank heroes, who lacked both popularity and recognition, all hoped to fight Egoistic. Well, in a way, it was only natural. Becoming his adversary and confronting him meant their image would be broadcast live nationwide, making it a golden opportunity to introduce themselves to everyone in one fell swoop. No matter what, if you become the rival of someone famous, you're bound to share some of that popularity.
However, unfortunately, such an opportunity didn't exist for them.
Because in every single terrorist act, Egoistic designated Stardus as the one to stop him.
Egoistic's peculiar habit of singling out Stardus was, in fact, quite widely known. After all, in his very first acts of crime—the assassination of two villains—he had designated Stardus in both instances.
At the crime scene, he left the message, 'To Stardus.' It seemed to imply that he had caught the villains as a gift.
And then, the terrorist acts he committed afterward. On the ship and the train, he named Stardus as his adversary. In these two incidents, Stardus thwarted his terror with a speech and with force, respectively, which significantly boosted her popularity as well.
Because of these incidents, many people began to chatter about the relationship between Egoistic and Stardus. There were even dating rumors... The video of Egoistic closing the eyes of a collapsed Stardus after barely stopping the train, before leaving, is still listed as a popular video.
And that was what was known to the public.
But Stardus herself knew much more.
"..."
It was highly probable that he knew her. That is, her true identity: Shin Haru, not Stardus.
The terrorist attack that occurred at the festival she attended. It was too late to go to the association for perception-inhibiting measures, so she was about to step forward, ready to expose her face.
He suddenly appeared and suppressed the terror. For a ridiculous reason, too: just because that villain annoyed him.
Yes, up to that point, it could be called a coincidence. But there was something else, something only Shin Haru knew, that others didn't. The words he whispered, unheard by anyone else.
He told her not to think about exposing her face and stepping forward in the future. Because her life would become difficult.
As soon as she heard those words, a question arose in her mind. How on earth did he know she was about to expose her face? Did he know she was there? Was that why he stepped in? To buy her time?
'It's an over-interpretation,' she thought at the time. But then, what he did later. When he caused the airplane terror, and she was just watching the plane fall. He called her and told her to save the falling plane.
Adding to that were his usual actions... terror without casualties, assassinating other dangerous villains, suppressing terror under a different identity, and so on.
As these incidents intertwined, she began to suspect. Egoistic. Was he truly just a villain?
Engulfed in these various thoughts, she finally made up her mind. The next time that bastard Egoistic caused a terrorist act, she would definitely find out what he was aiming for.
But the problem was that he had disappeared for four months without causing any terror.
And during that waiting period, her doubts grew stronger and stronger. It was like that uneasy feeling you get when you leave home and can't be sure if you turned off the gas before you left.
As she thought about Egoistic more and more, and eventually found herself looking through Egoistic fan cafes, wondering when he would appear...
Finally, he arrived. With his fourth terrorist act. As soon as she heard the news, she immediately put on her suit and flew straight to the association.
Since he had called her out in the previous three acts of terror, she was certain he would call her again for this one.
However.
Her prediction was beautifully off the mark. Warning that he would immediately blow up the bridge if heroes approached, what Egoistic unleashed was a kind of social experiment targeting the public. His talk about distributing 100,000 won and so on. Hearing it, Shin Haru was reminded of his first act of terror. Something about humans being selfish, blah, blah, blah...
Right, but even then, in his first act of terror, he had told her to give a speech. She had guessed he might do something similar this time, but...
There was nothing of the sort. He was merely bantering and having fun on the bridge with someone claiming to be his fan, appearing not to spare Stardus herself a single thought.
That scoundrel. She had spent every day waiting, preoccupied with him, yet he seemed not to care about her at all.
Plunging her into this swamp of doubt, then acting as if he didn't care.
And then, eventually, he blew up the bridge. Well, she had expected that. That Egoistic fellow did whatever he pleased.
Thus, she had been waiting near the Mapo Bridge at 7 PM, as he had announced. The moment the bridge exploded, she immediately launched into action from the front. As a hero, the most important thing was, after all, saving people.
Egoistic, floating in the air, watching her. *Hmph.* He hadn't even pretended to know her until now, and *now* he was looking at her?
Although she wasn't particularly pleased with the appearance of cleaning up a mess he had made, she did what she had to do.
As she saved the first car and flew to save the second, she realized. *That one, she couldn't save.*
She had succeeded in getting right up to it, practically nose-to-nose. But the moment she reached out her hand, she instinctively felt it: she was just about one step short.
Despair washed over her.
But at that moment.
The car falling from her fingertips paused slightly. And she succeeded in saving the falling car, which had seemed impossible to reach.
For a moment, she wondered if she had seen wrong. But truly, it felt as if the car had stopped falling for a brief moment right in front of her. And there was only one person who could do something like that here...
Holding cars in both arms, she sharply lifted her head upwards.
The sight that met her eyes was Egoistic, looking her way, his arms lowered. When their eyes met, he turned his head as if nothing had happened, concealed himself with his cape, and vanished instantly. By teleporting.
...Didn't he know it was even stranger to make eye contact and then suddenly rush off like that at that very moment?
And so, this time, she could almost certainly conclude.
That guy... he's not just a villain, is he...?
***
Of course, such a hasty speculation was very dangerous. After all, Egoistic was a villain who had caused four large-scale terrorist attacks involving property destruction and mass threats to people. Even if, by sheer coincidence, there had been no casualties.
...Though, now that she thought about it, she was confused whether it was a coincidence or if Egoistic had intended it all. Anyway.
The important thing was that it was extremely dangerous for her to think about this alone. If she made a mistake, she might underestimate the villain, which could lead to major problems later.
So she needed someone to consult. A friend who knew her secret and with whom she could discuss Egoistic.
And she only had one such friend. Lee Seol-ah, an A-rank hero like herself, a friend who had grown up with her like a sister since childhood. She was Icicle, responsible for the Busan area.
Late at night, they sat in an empty cafe. At Shin Haru's words that she needed to talk, Lee Seol-ah had teleported via 'Shadow Walker' from Busan to Seoul.
The two, who had rented out the entire cafe, sat on the second floor, where the night view was faintly visible through the window.
Seol-ah quietly sipped her green tea, listening to Shin Haru's words.
To her, Haru confided her suspicions.
Egoistic's terror attacks that had no casualties. What she'd learned from association records: that all the villains Egoistic had killed were individuals with immense danger. And the two times he had suppressed other terror attacks. Plus, what she hadn't told anyone yet: the call she received from him during the airplane terror, and how he had stopped the falling car this time so she could catch it.
She told her everything.
Seol-ah quietly listened to Shin Haru's story for a long time, sipping her tea.
When all her story was finished, Seol-ah finally lifted her head.
She put down the tea she was holding. And with her now empty hands, she covered her mouth.
Seol-ah said to her.
"Good heavens, Haru...! You actually believed that rumor that Egoistic is the dark S-rank hero 'Apple Mango'?"
Watching her friend stare at her with wide, disbelieving eyes, Shin Haru already began to feel regret.
Ah. Maybe I shouldn't have consulted her after all.