Chapter 204 – Conversation (1)
In truth, if I look back at everything I’ve done so far, it was all to prevent the destruction.
But here I am, faced with the impending destruction.
“…..”
I sat on the edge of a rooftop railing, legs dangling in the air. While waiting for Stardus to arrive after calling her, I just gazed out into the distance.
In the clear view before me, the world was collapsing vigorously. Everything humanity had built was crumbling.
But well, I didn’t really care.
After all, this would all become a fleeting dream in an instant. Whatever I said or did here, it would all become nothing.
So, the scenery before me only provided a sense of “I need to work hard to avoid it ending up like this…”
In reality, I had initially tried to fall asleep. But then, Stardus suddenly appeared in front of me.
As someone who remembered her struggles during this apocalyptic time in the original, I just couldn’t leave her be.
That’s why I called her through the broadcast, telling her not to worry too much and to take a break. After all, it’s a time-travelling dimension, so she shouldn’t suffer too much.
…Actually, would she believe what I say? No, would she even come here in the first place? Still, I had to try.
And after such a wait…
“…Hmm.”
She came.
“Egostic…”
“Welcome, Stardus.”
The clear blue sky stretched out above us.
Black smoke rose between the gaps in the scenery.
Amidst the real-time collapse of human civilization in the background, I smiled slightly and greeted Stardus as she looked at me with slightly trembling eyes.
Floating in the air, she looked down at me.
Under the continuous sound of bombings, I continued to speak in a calm voice.
“…Thank you for coming. To be honest, I was worried about what to do if you didn’t show up…”
“….”
“Anyway, since you’re here, let me tell you the truth behind all this chaos.”
I remained seated on the railing in front of her and began to explain.
…I was worried she would be overwhelmed by the accumulated stress, but to my surprise, she didn’t rush toward me in distress. Instead, she calmly nodded her head, and I felt relieved by her response.
With that assurance, I started to explain the situation.
In fact, to sum up everything I said, it’s just this…
“Stardus, this time will be restored by another superpower users. It will become nothing. You won’t remember anything that happened today.”
I explained it all in detail…
How it seems like some superpower holders caused all of this, and the time manipulator in the United States will reset time. Something like that.
“Perhaps both you and I won’t remember this conversation we’re having right now. It will all become nothing, and this collapsing world will return to its original state in a few hours.”
So, until time goes back, let’s just relax together.
I finished saying everything I wanted to say.
Thankfully, Stardus listened quietly to what I had to say without interrupting.
…But, would she believe me? Now that I think about it, it sounds like an extremely unreliable statement. It’s odd that I know all this information.
“Haha, well, even if you don’t believe me-“
As I was speaking to her,
her voice came from in front of me.
“I’ll believe you.”
“Isn’t it hard to trust… me?”
In an instant, I raised my head at the voice that came from right in front of me.
There, before me, Stardus was quietly smiling and looking into my eyes.
She softly laughed and said to me
“It’s not anyone else. It’s you. I’ll believe you. Completely.”
At that moment, I unknowingly held my breath. Her appearance, with the bright blond hair fluttering in the air as she faced the sky, and the way she looked at me with a gentle smile, was too beautiful.
…Or maybe it’s because, without a shred of doubt, she’s telling me she trusts me completely.
Whatever the reason…
“…Um, thank you?”
I couldn’t help but say that.
“Can I sit next to you?”
“Sure? Ah, yes.”
As I responded, she was already sitting next to me on the railing.
She still had a faint smile.
While I struggled to catch up with what was happening, she was smiling and looking at me.
As I continued to try to find the right words to say…
Close to me, right by my side, she sat with her hands resting on the railing, looking at the sky in front of her as she spoke to me.
“…So, you’re saying time will reset anyway?”
“Yes. That’s right. Everything that’s happening now will become nothing. We won’t remember any of it.”
“Hmm…”
In response to my words, she just gently swung her legs without giving any specific reply.
…At this point, I thought she might ask me how I knew all this, but she didn’t ask such a question.
Instead, Stardus threw a different question at me.
“But then, why are you and I not going crazy like everyone else? We’re both perfectly fine.”
Stardus asked me out of curiosity.
And I answered.
“Because our source of power is different.”
“Our source of power is different?”
She seemed genuinely curious, turning her head from looking at the sky to looking at me with interest.
…Hmm, if I delve too much into the theological aspect, we’ll end up talking about it all day, starting from the three gods of the origin.
Considering the time constraint, I provided a somewhat condensed answer.
“Yes. Unlike others, the source of our powers is different. Our powers have different origins from the start, so we aren’t affected by the powers of other gods.”
Yeah, let’s just explain it like this for now…
But it would be awkward if she asked who these gods were.
Thankfully, she asked something else after hearing my explanation.
“Then… the origin of our powers is the same?”
“Yes. That’s correct.”
“Hmm… I see… I get it now.”
Satisfied with my response, she gave me a soft smile.
And then turned her gaze back to the sky in front of us.
And so, a moment of calm returned.
‘…..’
Seizing the opportunity, I took a deep breath.
…Huh? Did Stardus ever appear this affectionate towards a villain in the original story? I don’t think so.
…I don’t know. Everything we’re doing right now will become nothing, and we won’t remember any of it. What does it matter anyway? Overthinking will get you nowhere. Let’s just enjoy the moment.
So, I sat there next to Stardus, enjoying the breeze blowing on the rooftop. Despite the sirens wailing and smoke rising from somewhere, I couldn’t bring myself to think about the fake destruction. It felt like a surreal experience.
Stardus also remained quiet, watching the scenery by my side.
And then, after a while, as she silently gazed at the scenery, she turned her head to look at me and spoke.
“You know… Egostic.”
In response, I turned my head as well and was taken aback by her face so close to mine.
She continued, her gaze fixed on me as if she had been longing to ask this question for a long time.
“Can I ask you one thing?”
“Oh… Go ahead.”
In response to my answer, Stardus looked into my eyes, filled with a desire for something, and asked me a question.
As if she had wanted to ask this question for a long time.
“Egostic.”
“Are you… really a villain?”
For a moment, it felt as if time had stopped, such was the impact of her question. She looked into my eyes with her blue ones, asking if I was truly a bad person.
…And at that moment, as someone who used to be a fan of Stardus, I realized something.
It wasn’t a question about whether I was formally a villain or not. It was more than that.
It was about whether I was truly a bad person or not.
For a brief moment, I turned my head away from her question. And then she continued with her earnest voice, full of conviction.
“All the acts of terror you’ve committed so far… were they all just to torment people? Only for your own personal gain?”
“…Or was there…”
“Another reason behind it?”
Looking at me, she kept asking with a serious tone and a sense of certainty.
Listening to Stardus’s words, I paused and pondered for a moment.
Why would she ask such a question in the first place? Could it be that she has always been suspicious of me? …Nah, that couldn’t be it. Stardus hates villains so much. Maybe it’s because she knows I know everything about the conspiracy behind this destruction and called her here.
…Still.
Anyway, since all these memories will disappear, and everything happening now will vanish as if it were an illusion when time goes back, maybe I can speak the truth for now.
With that thought in mind, I opened my mouth, deliberately putting on a playful smile to lighten the heavy atmosphere.
“Oh no, am I caught?”
“Hmm?”
“Well, the truth is I did everything to prevent the world’s destruction. I wanted to stop the future where things could end up like this. Haha.”
I said it as if joking, trying to lighten the mood.
“Ah hah, I thought so.”
“What?”
“Haha, somehow I had a feeling.”
In response to my words, she laughed and answered.
“Tell me more in detail.”
“About everything that has happened so far.”
…And as I looked into her eyes, shining with anticipation,
I couldn’t refuse her question.
‘…Where should I start?’
It’s going to be quite a long story. But well, it should be enough to pass the time.
So, I slowly began to speak.
***
“…It’s a bit chilly here, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is.”
Shin Haru. It had been quite some time since she arrived on the rooftop where Egostic was sitting.
From the moment she arrived, she heard his words about how all these events would be resolved by turning back time, and even though it was hard to believe, she trusted him without a shred of doubt. That’s how much she believed in Egostic.
Yes. In this moment of witnessing the destruction of the world, she realized.
“Haha.”
She had trusted Egostic so much, believing his story all at once and finding immediate relief.
“It’s still chaotic. Gosh…”
“Yeah…”
After he had finished telling his story, they sat side by side, looking at the vast scenery beneath the open sky.
However, her attention wasn’t on the view in front of her; rather, it was on Egostic beside her.
Badum. Badum.
Ever since she heard the story he had done all this for her and that he wasn’t a villain, she felt her heart beating faster whenever she looked at him. And for some reason, she could feel her cheeks flushing a little, a smile unconsciously appearing on her face.
Yeah.
At the end of the world’s destruction.
After gaining the certainty that Egostic wasn’t a villain,
Sitting next to him, hearing the reason why he called her here, because he didn’t want to see her suffer,
Even though she thought it was all over, he said it wasn’t. Then he confidently claimed that everything would be resolved.
Seeing his smiling face as they conversed, she vaguely realized something about her own feelings.
“Haha.”
“Why are you suddenly laughing?”
“Huh? Oh, it’s nothing.”
Smiling, she turned to him and gave that response. He looked a bit puzzled but smiled back at her in the same way.
Seeing his smile, Shin Haru thought to herself.
That’s right…
For now, let’s just focus on this moment.
Even though it will disappear soon.
Chapter 204 – Conversation (1)
In truth, if I look back at everything I’ve done so far, it was all to prevent the destruction.
But here I am, faced with the impending destruction.
“…..”
I sat on the edge of a rooftop railing, legs dangling in the air. While waiting for Stardus to arrive after calling her, I just gazed out into the distance.
In the clear view before me, the world was collapsing vigorously. Everything humanity had built was crumbling.
But well, I didn’t really care.
After all, this would all become a fleeting dream in an instant. Whatever I said or did here, it would all become nothing.
So, the scenery before me only provided a sense of “I need to work hard to avoid it ending up like this…”
In reality, I had initially tried to fall asleep. But then, Stardus suddenly appeared in front of me.
As someone who remembered her struggles during this apocalyptic time in the original, I just couldn’t leave her be.
That’s why I called her through the broadcast, telling her not to worry too much and to take a break. After all, it’s a time-travelling dimension, so she shouldn’t suffer too much.
…Actually, would she believe what I say? No, would she even come here in the first place? Still, I had to try.
And after such a wait…
“…Hmm.”
She came.
“Egostic…”
“Welcome, Stardus.”
The clear blue sky stretched out above us.
Black smoke rose between the gaps in the scenery.
Amidst the real-time collapse of human civilization in the background, I smiled slightly and greeted Stardus as she looked at me with slightly trembling eyes.
Floating in the air, she looked down at me.
Under the continuous sound of bombings, I continued to speak in a calm voice.
“…Thank you for coming. To be honest, I was worried about what to do if you didn’t show up…”
“….”
“Anyway, since you’re here, let me tell you the truth behind all this chaos.”
I remained seated on the railing in front of her and began to explain.
…I was worried she would be overwhelmed by the accumulated stress, but to my surprise, she didn’t rush toward me in distress. Instead, she calmly nodded her head, and I felt relieved by her response.
With that assurance, I started to explain the situation.
In fact, to sum up everything I said, it’s just this…
“Stardus, this time will be restored by another superpower users. It will become nothing. You won’t remember anything that happened today.”
I explained it all in detail…
How it seems like some superpower holders caused all of this, and the time manipulator in the United States will reset time. Something like that.
“Perhaps both you and I won’t remember this conversation we’re having right now. It will all become nothing, and this collapsing world will return to its original state in a few hours.”
So, until time goes back, let’s just relax together.
I finished saying everything I wanted to say.
Thankfully, Stardus listened quietly to what I had to say without interrupting.
…But, would she believe me? Now that I think about it, it sounds like an extremely unreliable statement. It’s odd that I know all this information.
“Haha, well, even if you don’t believe me-“
As I was speaking to her,
her voice came from in front of me.
“I’ll believe you.”
“Isn’t it hard to trust… me?”
In an instant, I raised my head at the voice that came from right in front of me.
There, before me, Stardus was quietly smiling and looking into my eyes.
She softly laughed and said to me
“It’s not anyone else. It’s you. I’ll believe you. Completely.”
At that moment, I unknowingly held my breath. Her appearance, with the bright blond hair fluttering in the air as she faced the sky, and the way she looked at me with a gentle smile, was too beautiful.
…Or maybe it’s because, without a shred of doubt, she’s telling me she trusts me completely.
Whatever the reason…
“…Um, thank you?”
I couldn’t help but say that.
“Can I sit next to you?”
“Sure? Ah, yes.”
As I responded, she was already sitting next to me on the railing.
She still had a faint smile.
While I struggled to catch up with what was happening, she was smiling and looking at me.
As I continued to try to find the right words to say…
Close to me, right by my side, she sat with her hands resting on the railing, looking at the sky in front of her as she spoke to me.
“…So, you’re saying time will reset anyway?”
“Yes. That’s right. Everything that’s happening now will become nothing. We won’t remember any of it.”
“Hmm…”
In response to my words, she just gently swung her legs without giving any specific reply.
…At this point, I thought she might ask me how I knew all this, but she didn’t ask such a question.
Instead, Stardus threw a different question at me.
“But then, why are you and I not going crazy like everyone else? We’re both perfectly fine.”
Stardus asked me out of curiosity.
And I answered.
“Because our source of power is different.”
“Our source of power is different?”
She seemed genuinely curious, turning her head from looking at the sky to looking at me with interest.
…Hmm, if I delve too much into the theological aspect, we’ll end up talking about it all day, starting from the three gods of the origin.
Considering the time constraint, I provided a somewhat condensed answer.
“Yes. Unlike others, the source of our powers is different. Our powers have different origins from the start, so we aren’t affected by the powers of other gods.”
Yeah, let’s just explain it like this for now…
But it would be awkward if she asked who these gods were.
Thankfully, she asked something else after hearing my explanation.
“Then… the origin of our powers is the same?”
“Yes. That’s correct.”
“Hmm… I see… I get it now.”
Satisfied with my response, she gave me a soft smile.
And then turned her gaze back to the sky in front of us.
And so, a moment of calm returned.
‘…..’
Seizing the opportunity, I took a deep breath.
…Huh? Did Stardus ever appear this affectionate towards a villain in the original story? I don’t think so.
…I don’t know. Everything we’re doing right now will become nothing, and we won’t remember any of it. What does it matter anyway? Overthinking will get you nowhere. Let’s just enjoy the moment.
So, I sat there next to Stardus, enjoying the breeze blowing on the rooftop. Despite the sirens wailing and smoke rising from somewhere, I couldn’t bring myself to think about the fake destruction. It felt like a surreal experience.
Stardus also remained quiet, watching the scenery by my side.
And then, after a while, as she silently gazed at the scenery, she turned her head to look at me and spoke.
“You know… Egostic.”
In response, I turned my head as well and was taken aback by her face so close to mine.
She continued, her gaze fixed on me as if she had been longing to ask this question for a long time.
“Can I ask you one thing?”
“Oh… Go ahead.”
In response to my answer, Stardus looked into my eyes, filled with a desire for something, and asked me a question.
As if she had wanted to ask this question for a long time.
“Egostic.”
“Are you… really a villain?”
For a moment, it felt as if time had stopped, such was the impact of her question. She looked into my eyes with her blue ones, asking if I was truly a bad person.
…And at that moment, as someone who used to be a fan of Stardus, I realized something.
It wasn’t a question about whether I was formally a villain or not. It was more than that.
It was about whether I was truly a bad person or not.
For a brief moment, I turned my head away from her question. And then she continued with her earnest voice, full of conviction.
“All the acts of terror you’ve committed so far… were they all just to torment people? Only for your own personal gain?”
“…Or was there…”
“Another reason behind it?”
Looking at me, she kept asking with a serious tone and a sense of certainty.
Listening to Stardus’s words, I paused and pondered for a moment.
Why would she ask such a question in the first place? Could it be that she has always been suspicious of me? …Nah, that couldn’t be it. Stardus hates villains so much. Maybe it’s because she knows I know everything about the conspiracy behind this destruction and called her here.
…Still.
Anyway, since all these memories will disappear, and everything happening now will vanish as if it were an illusion when time goes back, maybe I can speak the truth for now.
With that thought in mind, I opened my mouth, deliberately putting on a playful smile to lighten the heavy atmosphere.
“Oh no, am I caught?”
“Hmm?”
“Well, the truth is I did everything to prevent the world’s destruction. I wanted to stop the future where things could end up like this. Haha.”
I said it as if joking, trying to lighten the mood.
“Ah hah, I thought so.”
“What?”
“Haha, somehow I had a feeling.”
In response to my words, she laughed and answered.
“Tell me more in detail.”
“About everything that has happened so far.”
…And as I looked into her eyes, shining with anticipation,
I couldn’t refuse her question.
‘…Where should I start?’
It’s going to be quite a long story. But well, it should be enough to pass the time.
So, I slowly began to speak.
***
“…It’s a bit chilly here, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is.”
Shin Haru. It had been quite some time since she arrived on the rooftop where Egostic was sitting.
From the moment she arrived, she heard his words about how all these events would be resolved by turning back time, and even though it was hard to believe, she trusted him without a shred of doubt. That’s how much she believed in Egostic.
Yes. In this moment of witnessing the destruction of the world, she realized.
“Haha.”
She had trusted Egostic so much, believing his story all at once and finding immediate relief.
“It’s still chaotic. Gosh…”
“Yeah…”
After he had finished telling his story, they sat side by side, looking at the vast scenery beneath the open sky.
However, her attention wasn’t on the view in front of her; rather, it was on Egostic beside her.
Badum. Badum.
Ever since she heard the story he had done all this for her and that he wasn’t a villain, she felt her heart beating faster whenever she looked at him. And for some reason, she could feel her cheeks flushing a little, a smile unconsciously appearing on her face.
Yeah.
At the end of the world’s destruction.
After gaining the certainty that Egostic wasn’t a villain,
Sitting next to him, hearing the reason why he called her here, because he didn’t want to see her suffer,
Even though she thought it was all over, he said it wasn’t. Then he confidently claimed that everything would be resolved.
Seeing his smiling face as they conversed, she vaguely realized something about her own feelings.
“Haha.”
“Why are you suddenly laughing?”
“Huh? Oh, it’s nothing.”
Smiling, she turned to him and gave that response. He looked a bit puzzled but smiled back at her in the same way.
Seeing his smile, Shin Haru thought to herself.
That’s right…
For now, let’s just focus on this moment.
Even though it will disappear soon.
