· · ────── ꒰ঌ·✦·໒꒱ ────── · ·
Translated by BiasNil
· · ────── ꒰ঌ·✦·໒꒱ ────── · ·
*
[Title]
I'm holding my breath until Mangostic comes.
Breathe in.
= Comments =
[???: Oh, you're only writing it out, right? Sir? (looking at the coffin)]
[This user is dead. Please take it down^^]
[(The user who posted this is already dead)]
*
[Title]
My life has definitely changed ever since Mangostic went into hiding.
When I turned on the stream,
Even if I was in a bad mood, I'd feel better watching Apple Mango.
I laughed while watching Mangostic go mad.
Life has been depressing since Mangostic disappeared.
No matter how happy things are,
How many days has it been since I last turned on Mangostic's stream alone in the shower?
"It's been 93 days since Mangostic did a live broadcast."
I'm so sad I feel like crying.
I think this is why people say Mango completes a person.
= Comments =
[Sir…]
[You're seriously addicted to Mangostic.]
[It's sad there's no Mangostic mad-comp on my YouTube main feed.]
ㄴ[I miss when the airwaves were hijacked and Egostic went live.]
*
[Title]
Where's Mangostic? Come back, come back.
Come back. Come back. Come back. Come back. Come back. Come back. Come back. Come back. Come back. Come back. Come back. Come back. Come back. Come back. Come back. Come back. Come back. Come back. Come back. Come back. Come back. Come back. Come back. Come back. Come back. Come back. Come back. Come back. Come back. Come back. Come back. Come back. Come back. Come back.
Grinding… Grinding… Grinding… Grinding… Grinding… Grinding… Grinding… Grinding… Grinding… Grinding… Grinding… Grinding… Grinding… Grinding… Grinding… Grinding… Grinding… Grinding… Grinding… Grinding…
= Comments =
[F—, that's so damn scary.]
[What are you doing? Hahahaha.]
[Another one broken by Mangostic.]
[What do you mean by 'Grinding'?]
ㄴ[I guess the user is biting nails.]
ㄴ[So crazy.]
*
[Title]
Alright, Mangostic. Keep on hiding. Hahahahaha.
If I kill myself, he'll have to stop.
Hahahahahaha.
= Comments =
[You're finally going crazy.]
[I'm seeing this again.]
[Yeah, try it. It's been a while since dozens of people killed themselves~]
[I think he'll hide even harder after seeing this.]
[Okay, do it~ It's fine if he keeps hiding.]
ㄴ[F—.]
*
[Title]
It's been a while since Mangostic came back
(Photo of the user holding an ice mango stick.)
I'm eating it deliciously, hehe.
= Comments =
[You eat… mango stick?]
[This is a bit erotic.]
[You brat… You punk… Egostic belongs to Stardust.]
ㄴ[Arrest this bad guy.]
ㄴ[Arrested to Egostic's basement.]
ㄴ[How did you find out?;;]
ㄴ[?]
[Mango stick's… stick…]
ㄴ[Manager, please block him.]
ㄴ[? What! I'm innocent.]
***
"Sigh…"
Shin Haru let out a breath while scrolling Egostic's fancafe.
Recently, she'd joined the cafe hoping to find where the unusually quiet Egostic might be, but all the popular posts were meaningless.
Three months. Not long, not short.
But it was a mystery that Egostic—who used to cause incidents every few weeks or months—had vanished for three months.
Of course, thanks to that, things were more peaceful than before.
Other villains did pop up with incidents, but a few punches solved those.
They were ridiculous compared to Egostic, who sank ships and crashed planes.
Honestly, these days were pretty peaceful and calm.
But—
"It's ominous…"
That's right.
Like the silence before a typhoon, she felt anxious that something terrible would happen after this quiet.
It was a horrible feeling—three months was plenty of time for him to prepare anything.
"…"
Even during college classes.
Even when she studied at a cafe with her senior.
Even when she rested at home.
Even when she was subduing other villains.
A dreary feeling lingered deep in her heart.
If they met again, she knew she should be prepared—what he planned, what he aimed for. But there was nothing she could do if he never showed up.
She shared this uneasy feeling with her friend, Icicle.
[Gosh, Haru. You're worrying too much. Maybe he just wants a break. Does he do anything besides eat and commit terrorism every day? Don't worry~]
That was the only answer she got.
"Haa…"
Yeah, there's no need to care about him for now.
It's better if he doesn't show up. It'd be great if he never showed up again.
As she had that thought, her intuition whispered:
'Really?'
"….."
Okay.
Let's admit it.
Even if he disappears, she still wants to know what he had in mind before vanishing for good.
Why did you kill the other villains?
Why did you tell me to save people?
If so, why did you cause the terrorist attacks?
…Are you a hero cosplaying a villain, or a villain cosplaying…?
Then, the office door burst open.
"Stardust!"
"Yes?"
The sudden shout snapped her out of her thoughts; she startled and bit her tongue.
Only then did Shin Haru realize she wasn't in a cafe now.
After her college exam, she'd spent the rest of the day in her office at the Hero Association.
Which meant the staffer who ran to her was here because—
"Is there another case?"
"Yes, some villains are terrorizing Mapo-gu right now!"
"Really? Who's the villain?"
She asked with a hint of anticipation, but the answer disappointed her.
"It's his first appearance. He calls himself Rock Bottom."
"Oh, okay…"
Without knowing why she felt let down, she stood to change into her suit.
"I'll be right there."
But even in that moment of dispatch, she couldn't help but wonder:
Egostic, what the hell are you doing now?
***
At the Ego base, deep underground in Seoul—
I was super busy.
"Oh, oh! It's Stardust!"
I rushed to the TV, grabbing some microwaved popcorn.
Phew, it hasn't started yet.
[Yes! We're in Mapo-gu, Seoul. The smoke you see behind me now is the scene of the terrorist attack by the villain Rock Bottom. And right at this moment—Stardust is here!]
On screen, a rock-bodied guy was smashing a building, and then Stardust descended from the sky.
"A battle… It's a battle!"
I watched with excitement, pouring popcorn into my mouth.
Rock Bottom—an oaf whose body is made of rock.
He doesn't cause casualties and Stardust can K.O. him in one go, so I didn't need to step in.
"Oooh, oh!"
What the news showed was a fierce battle between Stardust and Rock Bottom. I'm just watching emergency coverage on a terrestrial channel, but it feels like a classic hero movie. The CG looks so realistic.
[Oh! Yes! She broke it! Stardust shattered Rock Bottom's arm! It's in pieces! Rock Bottom, what are you going to do now?]
The reporter narrated like a hyped sports caster.
On screen, the camera struggled to track the thrilling fight.
I took a sip of cola and focused.
It was thrilling… though more one-sided beatdown than battle. Stardust was dismantling Rock Bottom.
In the comic, it looked like a close fight. Did I go too hard on improving Stardust's power? She's overwhelming him.
She's pounding rock—the TV sounds like construction-site ASMR.
As I munched popcorn and sipped cola, I felt a presence behind me.
I looked back to see Seo-eun with a slightly sulky face.
"Seo-eun, you're here? Want some popcorn?"
Mouth full, I held out the bucket.
Seo-eun paused, then took a handful with a sigh.
"Da-in, watching Stardust again?"
"No, I'm watching the fights. The fights are the most fun."
"…You've never watched Icicle suppress terrorism live like this."
"Well… her fights are boring."
Seo-eun sat beside me with a smirk.
Soon, it was over. Rock Bottom was a rag, while Stardust stood majestically over him. So cool. 20 out of 10.
[Everyone!!!! Our hero!!!! Stardust!!!! has knocked out!!! the wicked villain!!!]
A triumphant theme blared, the reporter's voice ecstatic.
…Isn't that the song they play when you win Olympic gold?
Either way, a great fight. I applauded.
As expected, it's fun every time. Thrilling.
I thought I felt Seo-eun's cold gaze, but maybe I imagined it.
I opened the Stardust fancafe I'd bookmarked on my phone.
[Kyaaa. She slays hahahaha]
[Stardust, is she a god? Stardust, is she a god? Stardust, is she a god? Stardust, is she a god?]
[Dus_highlight_of_the_day.gif]
[Link to today's fight fancam.]
[It's nothing for our Dus to mop up a villain.]
Our Stardust Union members were enjoying the win, too.
Hmm… No YouTube uploads yet? I'm thinking of making a video.
While brainstorming a title like "Japan jumps, the U.S. admires…", Seo-eun beside me spoke up.
"Da-in, it's already been three months since your break. Don't you need to start doing something?"
Out of nowhere.
When I turned, she was fiddling with her hair.
"I mean… we've had our fun for a long time… so I thought we should get to work again."
Seo-eun… are you a workaholic?
As she asked shyly, looking down, I ran through the schedule.
The date's close, and those guys from the original will show up soon…
After a quick calculation, I told her:
"Yeah, we can work on something now. Let's go active again."
"Really?"
Seeing Seo-eun's face light up, I smiled awkwardly.
Okay, Seo-eun—we're going back to work.
Hmm… but it's probably not what you're expecting.