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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Encounter
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Since it had been such a long time since I'd taken a vacation, I truly let loose and had a blast. I napped on a sunbed, played in the ocean, and even played volleyball on the beach.
After all those energetic activities, we grilled barbecue for dinner at the pension. It was delicious.
And then, as the sun set again, a night market opened nearby, so we all went out to explore. A throng of people with colorful hair might attract a lot of attention, but it seemed Eun-wol's perception-blocking magic was working perfectly, as no one even glanced our way. Of course, the mascot suit still felt a bit much, so Desik went back into the ring.
"Hey! Look at this!"
As we were all walking and looking around, Choi Se-hee called out to us from across the way.
"What is it?"
Choi Se-hee waved her hand as if she'd seen something fun. We walked towards her. And what I saw was…
"Hey, look at this. It's an Egoistic doll!"
Hanging as a prize at a dart-throwing balloon-popping booth, it was a chibi-style Egoistic doll.
"...Wow. Didn't expect that."
"Pfft. Hey. You even have a doll now, you're practically a celebrity, aren't you? No, wait, even celebrities don't usually have their own dolls, do they? You're a superstar, a superstar!"
I shook my head at Choi Se-hee, who was playfully poking my side, and then I looked at the other dolls.
Most of them were generic-looking green dinosaur dolls, but there were also unique ones like the Egoistic doll. Oh, looking closer, there were Stardust dolls, Icicle, and even Shadow Walker. Hero dolls, too. The Stardust one is kind of tempting. ...Wait, what's that?
"Hey! Isn't this you?"
"Hahaha... Huh?"
She had been laughing while looking at the "authentic" label on the Egoistic doll, but when I pulled out a doll of a woman with orange hair, she started to look flustered.
"...This is surprising."
"It says Electra on the tag. Hey, this one's wearing a shamaness's outfit, so is that Eun-wol?"
"Oh my, this looks like Uncle Death Knight."
"Oppa, don't I have one?"
"Seo-eun? Let's see... Doesn't look like it?"
"...I'm so unjustly accused, I'm going to cause the next terror attack myself!"
"Yes, yes."
As I was trying to comfort Seo-eun, who was pouting and puffing out her cheeks, Choi Se-hee rolled up her sleeves and stepped forward.
"Everyone, move aside. Unnie's going to win you some dolls."
"Unnie. Are you good at darts?"
"Of course! Just trust your unnie. Mister! We'll play a round!"
"Welcome! One round? Here you go. You get these dolls if you hit 8 out of 10 shots, and these if you hit less! And if you hit all 10, you get this huge doll!"
"Oh... This is going to be a problem. I might have to miss two shots on purpose."
Choi Se-hee, who was boasting like that, then...
"Four hits! Alright, the prize for four hits is this."
"..."
"Unnie..."
She received a squid keyring. She stood there, holding the keyring in her hand with a crestfallen expression. Right, now's my time to step up.
"Hmph. Step aside. It's my turn. I'll show you the power of hitting ten out of ten."
"...Hmph. It's harder than you think, you know? The balloons keep moving. You won't hit as many as I did."
I let Choi Se-hee's quasi-curse flow past me and threw the darts. I threw ten darts and hit all ten.
"..."
"Gasp... Y-you hit them all... The prize is this, this doll..."
"Oh, a doll that big is fine, but can I take a few of the smaller dolls instead?"
"Huh? Yes! Yes, you can! Take three!"
"Alright, kids, pick your dolls."
"...That's cheating. You used your powers, didn't you?"
"No, I didn't? Do you have proof?"
"Ah, you're so annoying..."
Of course I manipulated the darts with telekinesis, what else did you expect?
"We'll take this one, of course!"
Eun-wol and Seo-eun immediately snatched the Egoistic dolls. ...Do you really have to take those? Choi Se-hee and Eun-wol vehemently opposed me taking their own dolls, so I grabbed a Desik doll and a Stardust doll instead.
"...Oppa, why did you get a Stardust doll?"
"Huh? Well, as they say, 'Know your enemy and you will win a hundred battles without a single loss.' You have to know your enemy to defeat them easily. Won't my fighting spirit burn brighter if I put the Stardust doll on my display shelf?"
"...I think it's just your personal desire."
Even Ms. Soobin, who had been quiet, chimed in. Their eyes looked at me with cold disapproval. Honestly, how can I live when I'm being so unfairly targeted? It's deplorable to see my subordinates not trust their leader.
Anyway, we spent the rest of the time eating, playing, and doing various other things at the night market.
Then we returned to the pension. We unpacked, showered, and got ready for bed...
"Oppa. Why on earth did you bring these masks and guns?"
"Seo-eun, you never know what life will throw at you. Don't you remember the Busan incident last time? What if someone breaks into the pension in the middle of the night?"
"...I want to say you're overreacting, but now that I think about it, something like that really did happen last time."
"See? I told you."
"...What are you talking about?"
"Oh, I'll tell you. Listen, last time when Oppa and I went on a trip..."
As Seo-eun eagerly answered Eun-wol's question, who was curious about our conversation, Choi Se-hee's voice rang out again.
"Hey! Look at this!"
"Hm?"
Suddenly, I heard someone calling my name. I went out to the small garden outside the pension and saw Choi Se-hee doing something with Death Knight.
"What's up?"
"No, look at this."
[Hahahaha, Dain. Look, you'll be surprised too.]
"...What are you trying to do here? I'm a little uneasy."
"Don't worry and just watch! It's Electric Knight!"
At the same time, Choi Se-hee shot electricity directly at Desik. No, what is she doing?
[Hahahaha! How electrifying!]
But Desik laughed heartily, as if there was no problem at all. However, electricity was flowing through his black armor and even through the soul within. ...What is this?
"See! If I supply electricity like this, Uncle Desik becomes an electric type!"
[That's right. Hiyah!]
With that, Uncle Desik swung his sword. Electricity shot out from his sword.
"How is it?"
"...Not bad, actually?"
"Huh? Really?"
Choi Se-hee was surprised by her own words. I ignored her and began to seriously consider it. It meant that if Choi Se-hee periodically shot electricity at him, he would be upgraded. Hmm... Not bad.
We discussed a few more things. The situation ended when Eun-wol, feeling her perception-blocking magic waver, came outside. ...Even so, she told us not to shoot electricity in the garden.
***
The next day dawned. We had a delicious breakfast and returned to the beach. Hmm, everyone was still having fun, tireless.
"Yawn..."
I lay down on the sunbed again. In my right hand, a glass of Blue Hawaii. That tasted good too. Still the same warm beach as yesterday, people playing around...
"...I'm sleepy."
Lying there basking in the warm sunlight, I was practically nodding off. As I was thinking of taking a nap, my phone rang. The caller was Lee Seol-ah. What could it be?
"Hello?"
[Ah, Dain-ssi. Hiccup. Are you playing at the beach right now?]
"Huh? Oh, yeah, having a good time. I'm lying on a sunbed, sunbathing right now."
[Really? Well, I happen to have some business in that area, so could I drop by for a bit? If you're lying on a sunbed, I'd like to join you for a simple drink there.]
"...On a sunbed?"
[Yeah, anywhere really. Can I come?]
"Uh... Sure, I guess there's no harm if it's just for a bit. I'm in front of the brown pension."
[Really? Then I'll be there soon, please wait for me.]
"Alright, alright."
The call ended. ...Well, if she wants to come, she can. She said she wanted to have a drink, but her voice already sounded drunk.
I lifted my head and looked around. Hmm, everyone's having a good time. ...I'm dead tired, should I just take a nap until Seol-ah arrives? Yeah. That sounds good.
So I closed my eyes. And was soon sucked into slumber.
***
"Dain-ssi."
"Dain-ssi!"
"Oh, huh?"
Waking up, I opened my eyes.
Rubbing my eyes and sitting up, I saw Lee Seol-ah walking towards me from a distance. Her light beach appropriate clothes caught my eye. She was waving at me.
I waved back at her. Yawn, has she already arrived? She came early.
As I was about to sit up and greet Lee Seol-ah, my body froze.
...Wait, what?
Following behind Lee Seol-ah was another woman.
The face of the woman behind her, wearing a terribly awkward expression, was incredibly familiar.
No, right?
Seol-ah. Damn it, no, right?
"Hello, Dain-ssi! This is my friend, Shin Haru. Haru, this is Dain-ssi, my business partner."
"...Hello."
"Ha, haha. Haha. Hello."
I replied with a slightly trembling voice.
The person standing before my eyes as I spoke was...
...With looks that would make anyone stare, long blonde hair, dressed comfortably and wearing a white cardigan.
My arch-enemy. It was Stardust.
And she was now looking at A-class villain Egoistic in his civilian form, sitting on a sunbed with nothing but sunglasses.
'I'm... screwed...'
I glanced at Lee Seol-ah next to me, who wore a faint, unreadable smile. ...I'll deal with you later. It seems we'll need a serious talk. Ha... Right now, that's not the problem. It's time to figure out why I suddenly got hit with this bolt from the blue while I was sleeping.
No, setting all that aside. I looked at Shin Haru, who had been wearing a terribly awkward expression until she saw my face, at which point her expression hardened. I started to be engulfed in extreme anxiety. No, damn it, Seol-ah. Seol-ah. Shin Haru has super-senses, super-senses! What on earth gave you the nerve to bring her here...?
I still couldn't collect myself. So, this is real? The warm breeze on the beach. Sitting on a sunbed on that sand, with only a cardigan and sunglasses to protect me, and Shin Haru is standing in front of me? Is this... real?
Feeling my feet, resting on the sand, tremble slightly without reason, I tried to fully wake up and grasp the situation. Stardust in casual clothes is pretty too. No, wait, that's not the point.
As I sat there, dazed and trying to hold onto my sanity.
"Oh my! A sudden urgent call. I'll just take this call for a moment. Dain-ssi, Haru. Will you two talk for a bit?"
Lee Seol-ah suddenly vanished from my sight, acting with the most awkward performance as if an urgent call had come in. No, Seol-ah. Please. Where are you going? I'm really going to deal with you later.
So I sat there blankly. Shin Haru stood on the beach, looking down at me.
And I...
"...Dain-ssi, you said?"
Hearing Shin Haru's voice above me, I could only pray.
Please.
Please let Eun-wol's perception-blocking magic be working properly.
"...Hahaha, yes. That's right. My name is Dain."
I replied to her with a laugh. My laugh right now wasn't a laugh at all. ...She didn't notice, right? She must not have? Yes. I trust our Eun-wol.
***
Shin Haru found herself involuntarily staring at the man in front of her. ...Seol-ah had suddenly, out of the blue, said she wanted to introduce her business partner, so even though she wasn't keen, she just followed along.
But the moment she saw the man sitting on a sunbed in the middle of the beach, she felt a strange sensation.
'This man, I feel like I've seen him somewhere before...'
Where? Where had she seen him?
Rummaging through her memories due to the sudden feeling, a strange thought struck her.
"...."
The man in front of her, whom she was seeing for the first time. As she looked at him, laughing easily as if he were a good-natured person even upon first meeting her, something suddenly came to her. ...There was no evidence, and it was a ridiculous notion, but her intuition whispered.
The feeling she got from the man in front of her was somehow familiar. It was a feeling she had often experienced in front of someone else, sometime before. Specifically, yes. This man, for some reason, felt...
'...like Egoistic.'
No.
It wasn't just that. ...There was no basis for it, it was absurd. It was impossible, but...
Shin Haru found herself caught in a certain thought.
'...Wait.'
'This man. He's just Egoistic, isn't he?'
And so, right there, in the middle of the beach, Stardust's intuition finally began to do its job.