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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: A New Friend
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Shortly after the New Year arrived.
I was getting ready to go to the Cathedral.
"Seriously? It's opening already?"
Don't people have anything better to do?
I mused as I casually got ready.
Truth be told, I had a lot of information to disseminate, and it would be nice to see Atlas again after a long time... but I wasn't sure if others felt the same.
Or perhaps it was Celestia's grand plan to foster closeness by having us meet frequently? Last time, I noticed people sitting next to each other discreetly greeting and whispering, so it seemed like they were indeed getting closer. The original story also mentioned it being held often, after all.
Of course, I'd been sitting next to Atlas from the start, and then next to our red-mohawked friend, so I hadn't really had time to meet anyone else. Oh, actually, there was one. Katana, the S-rank villain from Japan.
"....."
...Hmm, but could you even call that a conversation? I'd merely given her one-sided information, and she'd been subtly wary of me. Anyway, thanks to my advice, the tide had turned in an instant, and she was going from strength to strength. The news recently reported that, effectively, only the Japanese Association's surrender declaration remained. It was said that public sentiment was already entirely on Katana's side, which said it all.
...But then, Katana. What if she pretends not to know me when we meet? Would it be a case of 'discarding the hunting dog once the rabbit is caught'? Now that she had the information, she might just wash her hands of it. Or not? The original story clearly stated she paid back debts, both good and bad, so surely she'd at least acknowledge me...? Since I didn't truly know Katana, I had nothing to say.
Well, I'd find out once I got there anyway.
So, after getting dressed, I was about to tear up the letter Celestia had sent and transport myself to the meeting hall.
"I'm off, Soobin."
"Alright, have a good one... Oh, wait a moment."
The living room was bathed in warm sunlight.
As I was saying my goodbyes just before leaving, Soobin smiled and replied, then paused and walked closer to me.
She stood right in front of me, lowered her gaze for a moment, then began tidying my collar just below my neck.
"This side is a little crooked..."
Rustle, rustle.
Feeling the brush of her fingers against my body, I stood still for a moment, waiting for her to finish adjusting.
For a moment, only the sound of our breathing filled the living room.
"There, all done."
Soobin smiled as she gave my collar a final straighten, then spoke to me in a gentle voice.
...We were close.
"Thank you. I'll head out now."
"Alright."
Soobin replied with a bright smile.
...Time to go and do my best.
I chuckled to myself, then tore the letter in my hand.
And just like that, my vision rippled again.
***
"Hmm..."
"Greetings, Egostick-nim."
A chill permeated the air.
I opened my eyes to a slightly cold atmosphere, a stark contrast to the warm air of the living room just moments before.
After giving a small nod to the Celestia priest, who wore white priestly robes and bowed to me, I walked down a long corridor.
My footsteps echoed on the white and sky-blue marble floor. Candles hung individually on the walls, further evoking the feeling that this was some kind of cathedral.
And then.
'.....Hmm.'
As I walked down the corridor and approached the meeting hall, I noticed a warmth in the air, which made me furrow my brow slightly.
Soon, I arrived right in front of the meeting hall and stepped through the door.
"....Oh."
Beneath the grand chandelier, the spacious meeting hall felt distinctly warmer than the corridor below. The chandelier shone brighter with an orange glow than before, and there seemed to be more candelabras around. It seemed Celestia had paid attention to heating, given the cold weather.
I found an empty seat at the large round table and sat down. Before sitting, I offered a slight smile and greeting to a few other villains. They flinched, startled by my presence, then realized I was greeting them and only then gave a slight nod in return.
...Seriously, why are S-ranks flinching at an A-rank? I'm probably the weakest one here in terms of raw power. I don't bite.
Once I was seated, I subtly felt gazes darting my way from various directions. It was probably because I had leaked Ex Machina's identity last time, and his true identity was revealed a few months after I spoke. Those gazes were likely wondering what kind of person I was to know such top-tier classified information. If they had a vivid imagination, they might even speculate about some connection between his death and my public disclosure of his information.
Well, it was all intentional. My goal, after all, was to elevate my presence.
I sat there, lost in thought.
It seemed I had arrived early, as many seats were still empty. Atlas and the red-mohawked friend hadn't arrived yet either. So, I looked around the meeting hall, deep in thought. After this meeting, I should probably plan some terror attack against Stardust soon... what should I do?
Beneath the giant chandelier, white walls surrounded the wide round table. And on the walls, subtly colorful stained-glass windows.
Just as I was observing the massive sun emblem carved into one side of the wall.
".....Hmm?"
From that direction, Katana opened the door and entered.
She had black hair tied back, wore a Japanese samurai outfit made of white and black fabric, and carried a katana.
Katana looked around as if searching for someone.
Then, her eyes met mine, and she widened them considerably.
After that, she approached me.
As soon as she reached me, she greeted me.
"Greetings, Mr. Egostick."
"Oh, hello there?"
At my reply, she offered a faint smile.
Since her face was usually so expressionless, seeing her smile like that was quite unusual.
After greeting me, she naturally took a seat in the chair next to mine.
Hmm...?
Sitting next to me, she met my gaze, then bowed her head and offered her thanks.
"Thanks to your help back then, Egostick-nim, I was able to overcome the crisis. I am truly grateful."
Katana said this, meeting my eyes with a serious expression. Her gaze was utterly sincere.
I smiled and replied to her.
"Oh, no, it's nothing. We're colleagues operating in neighboring countries; it's only natural we help each other out."
"No, that's not true. If you hadn't helped... we would likely have been annihilated. We've received an immeasurable debt of gratitude."
She said this with a serious face.
...Hmm, I never thought she'd take it this seriously. It's a bit much.
So, I cleared my throat and, as if to lighten the mood, continued with a smile.
"I appreciate you thinking that. I merely wanted to be friends with you, Katana."
"Friends..."
She murmured the word for a moment, as if it were an unfamiliar term she hadn't heard in a long time, then replied to me with a very slight smile.
"Very well. So, are we friends from today?"
"Yes."
And just like that, I made a new friend at the Cathedral.
A Korea-Japan villain collaboration—nobody could stop this now... Though the process of this collaboration felt oddly fluttery, like making friends on the first day of school. Was this really a conversation between two villains who could seize control of nations...?
Anyway, since there was still some time before the meeting began, we chatted about various things. Among them, the most notable point was this:
"You've already won?"
"Yes. Although it hasn't been announced to the media, it's already over."
Namely, that Katana had already conquered the Japanese Association.
They were controlling information to prevent international intervention, but the takeover was reportedly almost complete. All the corrupt politicians and officials from before were being dealt with and completely replaced.
From what I gathered of the plan, the Association would outwardly remain, while Katana's Sanhyup faction would operate as the de facto power behind the scenes. ...It felt somewhat similar to my own country's situation.
Now that I heard this, I understood why she was so grateful to me. She likely thought she had effectively saved her country thanks to me, or rather, that she could take over the Association because of me. It made sense, considering that was her lifelong goal.
As I was pondering this, Katana, sitting beside me, continued in a serious tone.
"Therefore, the debt of gratitude I owe you, Egostick, isn't something to be dismissed so lightly. So, please tell me anything you wish for."
"Hmm..."
Even with her saying that, I didn't really have anything to ask for.
"If there's anything I can do, I'll do anything for you."
Anything?
Hearing that, an idea sparked in my mind. Right, she said 'anything,' didn't she...?
Just as I was about to open my mouth.
"Hey, Egostick!"
At that moment, a loud voice called out to me from the other side of the room.
It was, as expected, Atlas, approaching with his massive build.
He chuckled and greeted me, then sat down next to me. Seeing Katana, who was sitting quite close to me, he asked who she was.
"Oh, this is Katana, from Japan. We've just become acquainted."
"Hello, I'm Katana."
"Haha! So, Egostick's colleague, are you? Then you're my colleague too!"
He roared with hearty laughter.
Still laughing, he clapped me on the back and praised my 'abilities'. ...What kind of compliment was that?
Anyway, with Katana on my left and Atlas on my right, I was flanked. I'd have to finish our conversation later.
And a moment later.
Finally, Celestia arrived.
The meeting began.
"...Uh... that's my seat..."
"...."
"Oh, never mind..."
Of course, there was a minor incident a little later when our red-mohawked friend arrived and timidly said that to Katana, only to shrivel up and sit next to Atlas after a single sharp glare from her.
In any case, the meeting truly began.