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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: Her Decision
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It had been quite some time since Stardust began fighting the giant weapon.
"...Hah. Hah."
In the middle of the continuous battle, she stopped her assault to catch her breath, putting some distance between herself and the machine.
Fortunately, as if granting her a moment to rest, it didn't chase after her or attack.
Thanks to that, she could take a moment to breathe and rest.
"...Hoo."
Wiping sweat from her brow in mid-air, she looked utterly exhausted.
Her suit was plastered to her skin.
Her iconic blonde hair whipped about in the wind.
In this state, she tried to assess her condition objectively.
Her current state was, to put it lightly, not good.
Aside from these brief moments of rest, she had been fighting for hours, flying nonstop against a weapon several times her size... In truth, it was a miracle she was still standing.
She had already pushed her body so far that it wouldn't be strange if she collapsed at any moment.
In this extreme situation, where it was difficult to even clench a fist and throw a punch.
She paradoxically felt her own power gradually growing stronger.
"..."
In her exhausted state, to produce the same output as when she was in peak condition.
She had to force it, to draw out her power.
Unknowingly, she felt her ability gradually breaking through its limits.
Like an athlete running with sandbags to improve their skill.
The more she gritted her teeth and struggled to exert her usual strength while pushed to her limit, the more she felt something stirring within her.
It felt as if her power, which had been stagnant for some time, was beginning to grow once more.
A gut feeling that with just a little more stimulation, it could grow explosively.
As she had this thought, she unconsciously glanced once more toward the cockpit of the giant weapon, where Egostic must be.
Could he have orchestrated this, knowing her powers could grow in this way?
...Perhaps, for this very reason?
'You can do it.'
Recalling his voice echoing in her ears, she shook her head.
Even so, he wouldn't go that far.
Probably...
Having rested enough, she took another deep breath and prepared to resume the battle.
Right. Whether he intended it or not, this was an excellent opportunity to grow stronger. The more powerful she became, the greater the chance she had of protecting citizens from villains.
For now, let's focus on defeating him.
As she resolved herself and moved to charge forward again.
A voice suddenly came from the earpiece she had forgotten was in her ear.
[Stardust. Stardust, can you hear me?]
"Mr. President...?"
Heading back toward the weapon's location, she unconsciously halted her steps.
I'm in the middle of a fight, why is he contacting me now?
As if answering her question, the President's voice came through the earpiece.
[Change of plans. Prepare to withdraw soon.]
"....What?"
At the President's words, she couldn't help but tilt her head. She was in the middle of a good fight, pushing past her limits, and now a retreat? It wasn't as if the tide of battle was against her.
Just as she was about to question him, the President continued in a low voice.
[The President has launched a GOAB at your location. It's scheduled to hit that giant weapon soon, so find the right moment and get out of there.]
"...Launched a what?"
[...A GOAB-3. It's a stealth guided missile. The most powerful missile we currently have, capable of semi-demolishing the surrounding area. It's already on its way.]
The moment she heard that, her mind went blank. They launched a missile? Here?
But wait, hold on.
"...Can a missile even take that thing down in the first place?"
[Yes. It's something we were developing in secret. Its payload is so powerful we couldn't have fired it if the weapon was in the middle of the city—it would have wiped the city out. But thanks to Egostic moving to the outskirts, they were able to launch it.]
"Are you crazy? How could you fire something like that here, of all places!"
[What good will arguing with me do? It was the President's unilateral decision. He said he would take this chance to eliminate that vile villain who plagues our nation. Boost the government's approval ratings, too.]
Stardust, who had grown agitated listening, tried to calm herself and regain her composure.
Right. An A-class villain. The justification is clear. There probably won't be another chance like this. Especially since he's stuck inside that weapon, with no time to assess his surroundings.
"..."
Hearing this, Stardust's expression hardened.
The government and the Association were both serious.
They intended to blow away both the giant weapon and Egostic, right here and now.
...Yes. In truth, it wasn't uncommon to kill a villain who was impossible to capture.
Many A-class villains, including Egostic, were already on the list for immediate execution.
So, right here, right now, Egostic is going to die?
"..."
No.
He would notice the missile coming.
He was always one step ahead of her, looking down as if he knew everything, so of course he would know.
Right. So he'll probably escape right away. He has teleportation, after all.
He will, right?
[You've finally returned, Ms. Stardust! Just how long were you going to make me wait?]
As she quietly returned, his booming voice echoed from the giant weapon.
...A villain who waits for the hero to rest up in the middle of a fight.
"....."
Once again harboring complex feelings about Egostic, she thought.
Right.
He'll definitely flee in the middle of the fight. Of course he will.
And there's still time before the missile arrives. He'll escape soon.
With that in mind, she continued the battle as if nothing was wrong.
And yet, her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts.
He'll notice and run, right? He has to.
He must already know.
[Why can't you focus on the battle? Pay attention!]
And perhaps because she continued to fly while lost in thought.
He noticed her strange state and yelled at her to focus.
...How ridiculous. From his perspective, shouldn't it be a good thing if his enemy wasn't focused?
[Stardust. The missile is scheduled to hit soon. You should start getting away.]
And then, after some time had passed, the President's voice sounded in her ear.
Hearing his words, she looked at Egostic once more.
[Hahahahahaha!]
He swung the giant arms around, still showing no signs of caution whatsoever.
No matter how she looked at it, he didn't seem to know that a missile was currently falling toward his head.
"..."
In that case. If she just did nothing, he would die just like this.
Looking at him, she once again thought about him in that moment.
Egostic. He was, without a doubt, a villain. He had committed numerous acts of terror.
So, even if the government tried to kill him, it wouldn't be unjust. It was only natural. A dangerous villain should be killed when the opportunity arises.
However.
Was it right for him to end here, like this?
She thought.
With his death before her very eyes.
She did not deny him to herself.
For the first time, she was honest.
She thought about him, about Egostic.
Egostic. At first, she had dismissed him as just another villain—a 'bad guy,' simply put—who reveled in intimidating people and committed terrorism for his own amusement.
But since when did that change?
Was it when she realized that, despite all his terror attacks, there were never any casualties?
When she learned that the villains he killed were all dangerous ones?
At the festival, when he stopped her from stepping forward and went in her place?
When she didn't even believe in herself, and he told her that he did?
At another villain's terror site, when he went so far as to disguise himself as a hero to intervene?
When he confessed that the reason he collapsed the bridge was to save people?
She didn't know exactly when it started.
But, at some point—. She...
And so, she,
while fighting the giant weapon carrying Egostic,
her blonde hair whipping in the wind,
only now, with his death at hand, did she finally admit it.
For some time now.
She hadn't thought of him as evil.
She didn't know the exact reason why.
Whenever she saw him, she never felt the malevolence that was so common in other villains.
Sometimes, she felt the reasons he caused terror, the reasons he was hostile to her.
Were all because of some other, hidden reason she didn't know.
Egostic was definitely a villain.
He was definitely a villain, so why.
Why did she feel a strange sense of kinship with him whenever she saw him?
Since when had she stopped even thinking of him as a villain?
Why did she think he was deliberately acting contrary to his true feelings?
She, right here, in this place, realized it.
That she had wanted to believe in Egostic. No. That in fact, she had already been believing in him without realizing it.
That he, like her, actually wanted to save people.
And that all the reasons he committed terrorism were because he had no other choice.
At some point, she had started looking for reasons why Egostic wasn't a villain.
And so, the moment she first acknowledged her feelings for him, she made her decision.
Egostic could not be allowed to die like this.
And.
'This time... you owe me one.'
Hadn't he saved her once before?
Didn't she owe him one?
Right. He can't be allowed to die like this.
I will stop that missile.
After a moment of silence, she whispered quietly to the Association.
"....I'm sorry."
[Huh? Stardust? Stardust? What's going on? Hey! Shin Haru!]
She pulled out the earpiece connecting her to the Association.
And the moment her decision was made.
Her actions were swift.
She shot off from her position, soaring into the sky.
Toward the direction the missile was coming from.
***
[What is Stardust doing?]
[What the? Is she running away???]
[Doesn't look like she's running, she's going straight up, not sideways? What is she doing??]
[Our Stardust has lost her mind!!!]
[She's shooting up like a rocket, damn.]
"What is she doing right now?"
I couldn't help but shout in bewilderment.
I mean, why would she suddenly shoot up into the sky in the middle of a fight? Is this some kind of hidden camera prank?
"Maybe you stressed her out so much she just exploded and flew off?"
"...I don't think that's it."
From the cockpit, I looked up, watching Stardust as she continued to fly higher and higher into the sky.
No, but seriously.
What on earth is happening??