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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: The Alibi
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A restroom at one end of the beach.
After getting Shin Haru's permission, I went there and quickly pulled out my phone to make a call.
[Oppa! What do we do? Are you okay? Why is Stardust there? Did she find out about you?]
"It's fine, Seo-eun. For now. But we're running out of time, okay? So listen to Oppa carefully, all at once. Got it?"
[Yes! Tell me.]
"First, Death Knight and Choi Se-hee, and was it Star Breaker? We need them all, including Eun-wol."
We're going to cause a terror attack.
Right now.
My plan was simple.
Shin Haru suspects I'm Egotistic.
So, the solution?
Simple. I just need to prove that Egotistic is causing a terror attack somewhere else while I'm here. That'll secure my alibi.
But this attack had to be carried out extremely quickly, and without leaving Stardust even a shred of doubt.
Therefore, the crucial thing was to buy time.
Having quickly formulated the plan, I told my Egotistic Stream members and had them execute it immediately.
My members, who didn't panic at my sudden instructions and moved as quickly as if they were my own hands and feet.
Thank you. I really chose the right people.
Knowing that staying too long might raise suspicion, I quickly relayed only what was necessary and then exited the restroom.
And took a deep breath.
Right. Now all I had to do was wait.
Having steeled myself, I stepped outside.
And there she was, sitting on a sunbed, looking somewhat troubled and deep in thought.
...Surely she wasn't pondering how to ambush and arrest me.
I had to turn my gaze before I thought anything stranger.
With that resolve, I approached her and spoke first.
A short while later.
BOOM—.
The terror attack began.
And then, Shin Haru received a mysterious call, likely from the Association, and hastily left.
...Of course, things got a little awkward when we parted ways, but the important thing was that we did part ways.
With Shin Haru gone.
Standing alone on the bustling beach, I gathered my thoughts.
Alright. Stick to the plan, stick to the plan.
***
....What in the world was happening?
Shin Haru, Stardust, soaring through the sky in her suit, felt utterly bewildered.
Egotistic appeared? Really?
Then who was the man she'd just been talking to on the beach?
In a situation where she couldn't make heads or tails of anything, Stardust had no choice but to act.
A terror attack was currently underway, so she couldn't *not* act. It was right to step in immediately.
However...
".....It's strange, something feels off."
She muttered to herself as she streaked across the sky.
There couldn't be two Egotistics under the sky.
....
Right. Of course not.
She must have been mistaken, and the Egotistic who appeared now was far more likely to be the real one.
However.
'Really?'
She rarely trusted her instincts.
But, but. This time, it felt almost certain. She had felt it instinctively.
Yes.
This was strange. It made no sense.
Filled with that conviction, she swiftly flew towards where Egotistic was.
Although some time had passed, still.
Flying with such urgency, she soon saw him.
Egotistic, flying in the middle of a city, throwing bombs.
"....."
Cameras floating around him. The booming sounds of explosions.
And his voice, clearly audible.
"Hahahaha! Everyone, do you like bomb rice balls? Then you must like bombs too, right? Here's a bomb gift set!"
"...."
Right.
His appearance was so naturally engaged in the terror attack, it was hard to believe he'd just been laughing and talking with her on the beach. His black hat, black cloak, the mask on his face, even his voice as he spoke to the camera—nothing was different from the usual Egotistic.
Apparently, he'd been carrying out this attack continuously even before she arrived...
This Egotistic was likely the real one, and the man she'd conversed with on the beach was probably not Egotistic. After all, two people couldn't be in two places at once.
Right. That must be the real Egotistic.
....Really?
Unconsciously, she hovered in the sky, gazing down at Egotistic, who was still chattering and causing terror, seemingly unaware of her presence.
...That was Egotistic.
Intuition.
She instinctively felt that something was off.
A strange feeling. Yes.
The man down there was clearly Egotistic, yet...
Why?
Why didn't he *feel* like Egotistic?
It was just intuition again. If someone asked, 'Why do you feel that way?' she could only say, 'It just feels that way.' It was closer to conjecture and delusion, really.
But high in the sky, buffeted by the cold wind.
She remained caught in that strange sensation.
She couldn't believe it.
Egotistic had clearly... been with her on the beach.
So.
If she went closer, if she faced him directly, within arm's reach. If she could exchange a few words with him.
Wouldn't she know?
Wouldn't she be certain?
Whether the man in front of her was Egotistic or not.
Yes.
If anyone had seen Egotistic more than anyone else, it was her.
...Perhaps, if it was her, who had even conversed with him in private just moments ago.
Just facing him, she would surely be able to tell immediately.
Gripped by that certainty, she then...
She then shouted loudly towards Egotistic, who was still hovering on one side of the street, tossing what looked like bombs or smoke grenades.
"Egotistic!"
Hearing her voice, he momentarily froze, stopped throwing bombs, and spun around.
As she watched him turn to face her, she was seized by an even stranger sensation.
....Was that really Egotistic?
It was strange, but yes.
She'd be able to confirm it more accurately if she got closer to him.
As she thought this and shot forward towards him, at that very moment—
[Gah—!!!!]
"....!"
A sudden shadow fell over her, and an ominous sensation made Shin Haru abruptly stop flying and pull back.
Then.
THUD—.
With an immense crash, something massive blocked her path.
[Hahaha! Your opponent is me, old lady!]
A massive, heavy mechanical suit, reminiscent of a monster.
It was sleek and gleaming silver, having fallen from the sky.
In its center, a star was emblazoned, shattered in half by a red line.
And contrary to its gigantic, imposing appearance, a youthful girl's voice emanated from its internal speakers.
[Stardust? Long time no see! I, South Silver, your new rival—Star Breaker—will stop you!]
The girl, presumably inside the machinery, shouted triumphantly.
Hearing that voice, something welled up inside Stardust.
....My rival isn't you, it's Egotistic.
So.
"Move."
But the mechanical suit stood in front of Egotistic, spreading its arms as if it would never yield.
Stardust, suppressing her anger, clenched her fist.
...Right. I'll finish this quickly and go to Egotistic.
With that, she charged at the one called Star Breaker.
It, too, pulled missiles from its mechanical arms.
The battle began.
***
"Hello, everyone. This is Egotistic!"
[Mangha (meaning Mangostick High~)]
[Egotistic! Egotistic! It's been so long T_T]
[We've been waiting, Master 'Mang']
[The king has returned... all petty villains shall tremble in fear]
[The OG is here lolololol Big one's arrived lolololol]
[Seriously, a Mangostick broadcast notification just makes me smile lolololol]
[We missed you... It's been a while since your last terror attack...]
[I'm happy to be alive in the same era as Mangostick, the one and only GOAT of terror broadcasts.]
[Ah lololol So what are we doing today? lololol]
[Hey, you started the broadcast a bit late this time lololol Why didn't you turn it on right when the attack began T_T T_T T_T]
The broadcast went live.
What people saw was Egotistic, floating in the sky, throwing bombs onto the street as if feeding chickens.
Egotistic, pausing his bomb-throwing, greeted the viewers.
He seemed to be floating in the sky as usual, speaking in a cheerful voice.
Of course, the reality?
An empty highway.
From inside a black limousine speeding down it, I had the microphone on and was speaking.
"Yes! Long time no see, everyone! Just a moment, I'll throw some bombs while I wait for Stardust!"
[Ah lololol Can't miss Stardust lololol]
[Egostar stock soaring??????]
[Info) There's a villain who waits for a hero while terrorizing?]
[At this point, isn't Stardust just an official cast member of EgoTV? lololol]
[MangoxStar combo is guaranteed fun lololol]
[Seriously, why are you so sure Stardust will come? lololol]
[Seriously, isn't Lee Seol-ah near Seoul? Couldn't Icicle come instead?]
Nah, she can't come.
I glanced sideways at the overly enthusiastic chat, observing carefully.
Good. No one noticed, right?
I turned off the microphone and asked Ms. Soo-bin, who was driving.
"Ms. Soo-bin! How long until we arrive?"
"Just a little longer!"
Right.
Currently, I was racing inside the car towards the scene of the terror attack.
Teleportation would get me there instantly, but my body was already in bad shape, and if I teleported again, I'd probably pass out the moment I arrived, regardless of the attack. So, there was no other choice.
So, who was the Egotistic throwing bombs in that video?
That was my illusion, created by Eun-wol's moon magic after she flew ahead. Her magic couldn't reproduce my voice, so I was speaking into a microphone here and broadcasting it.
"Oppa! It looks like Stardust is arriving near there before us!"
"Really? Then quickly deploy that Star-whatchamacallit!"
"It's Star Breaker....! And this is my first time remote-controlling, so it's tough....!"
Seo-eun was frantically typing on her laptop beside me.
I prepared to hand the microphone over to her.
She had to speak too, after all.
"...Hey, is this really okay?"
[Yes, Da-in. This is too... chaotic.]
"Making the impossible possible is what we do. Se-hee, Deathy. Both of you, get ready to fight."
I also checked my attire once more. Hat, mask, cloak. All ready?
Phew. I took a deep breath.
If it was Stardust, she'd probably realize that illusion Egotistic was fake the moment she got close. So, I had to prevent Stardust from getting too close, and swap places with Eun-wol before she noticed. She'd almost figured out I was Egotistic even with my perception-hindering magic on; there was no way she wouldn't notice an illusion.
In other words, it was a race against time.
Would Stardust figure out the illusion-stick before I arrived?
Or would I arrive first, successfully swap, and create a solid alibi?
That was the only fight.
"Ms. Soo-bin! Just floor it! No other cars will be on this road anyway!"
"Even faster? Ugh, alright!"
"Yikes!"
And so, the car, carrying all of us, began to race, as if testing the limits of the maximum speed a four-wheel-drive vehicle could achieve.
Once we got close, I'd risk it and teleport the rest of the way.
Alright, let's go.
We can do this.
And so.
A time attack, unknown to Stardust alone, had begun.