Chapter 306: Meals

Anyway, after all that eating…it was time for bed.

I didn’t actually know it was time to go to bed until I looked outside and saw the time on the TV on the wall.

I somehow managed to get cleaned up in the shower, and when I came out, Stardus was also coming out of the other shower, drying her wet hair with a towel.

“…Whew.”

After staring at her for a moment, I turned my head slightly and averted my eyes.

She came out wearing a t-shirt that clung slightly to her body, and her long hair was slightly damp….I hadn’t seen a defenseless Stardus like that before and I felt my heart beat in an odd direction for a moment. Okay. Let’s get some sleep.

After I leaned back on the suspiciously fluffy bed…I sighed heavily as I dried my hair and watched Stardus crawl into bed next to me.

“…You’re really going to sleep here?”

“Yep. I don’t know what you’re going to do here, so why not?”

In contrast to her hard voice, she says that with a wry smile.

…My cheeks are red, but I’m not sure if it’s because I washed them or because I’m embarrassed to admit it.

On top of that, she’s back to her usual stern tone.

Anyway, after turning off the lights I and Stardus were lying next to each other.

“…”

“…..”

The beds are close together, so it’s kind of weird to think that Stardus is lying right next to me, just an arm’s reach away.

…Still, I was sleepy after everything that had happened today despite the situation.

Listening to her breathing, while I lay there staring at the ceiling.

“…Egotistic.”

Suddenly, Stardus, lying next to me in bed, spoke.

“What?”

“…Just.”

Stardus, who was lying next to me, opened her mouth to mumble.

“…Doesn’t this remind you of the time we were both trapped under the HanEun Group?”

“Aha…”

I was silent for a moment, letting her words bring back memories.

…That was after I had just finished the attack on the bridge. She and I had run into each other when we went down to the basement of the lab after the Behemoth incident at the HanEun Group, and we were locked side by side in a room that suppressed our abilities. In fact, this prison is similar in that it also suppresses our abilities a bit.

At that time she had stayed away from me, glaring at me, as if wary of me.

But now…

“Huh? Why?”

We were stuck together in what was effectively one bed.

Within reach of each other if I moved a little, we were stuck together.

…What’s the difference between then and now?

Why were we so far apart then, and now we’re so close?

As I was thinking about that, I saw the scene in front of me.

Suddenly, the scenes I’d been through with her flashed before my eyes.

…me throwing myself at Stardus. How we worked together to defeat the other villains. How we worked hand-in-hand to defeat Labyrinth Maker…

Yeah.

I’m realizing now, but there were a lot of things that happened with her, too.

“…Yeah. I remember.”

“Really? It was actually kind of funny when you said you were going to give me sweets…Haha.”

Yawning, I lay down next to her, listening to her say that.

I closed my eyes, thinking to myself.

…Yeah.

So much has happened.

My bond with Stardus has deepened to the point where we can talk to each other like this.

…So much so.

More than I realized. More. Too deep.

As I thought about it I reflected on how close we had become and I suddenly realized something.

Ah.

It’s time to leave.

“…Goodnight, Stardus.”

I thought to myself, and said goodnight to her quietly.

“…Good night.”

And listening to her reply I slowly drifted off to sleep.

Finally, I thought to myself.

‘…But still.’

If we’re about to part ways maybe, for once, I can be at peace with her.

***

The next morning.

“…Are you still going to be here today?”

“Of course.”

I smirked bitterly at Stardus in the cell, her blonde hair still shining.

…I woke up this morning and was surprised to see her sleeping right under my nose. I realized for the second time that she is truly dazzlingly beautiful when I see her in the morning, and my heart is currently not in a good condition.

Meanwhile, I wake up and realize that I have a big problem.

“…They don’t serve breakfast here.”

Prisons don’t serve breakfast.

Of course, this isn’t a hotel, and it was unreasonable to ask for breakfast, but I honestly thought there would be Stardus.

“…Huh?”

I looked up and saw Stardus sitting there, looking at me.

I shook my head slightly and headed towards the far side of the prison.

…Yes. I can starve, but I can’t make my Stardus skip breakfast, and I can’t go around hunting down villains on a regular basis.

With that, I headed to the room I had seen yesterday while exploring the interior of this prison.

“…As expected.”

I found a kitchen off to one side of the prison.

I don’t know why there’s a kitchen in a cell. I had a reasonable suspicion that this wasn’t a cell, but a former janitor’s quarters. It was so much nicer than my old dorm room, it was almost like a motel or a hotel.

I opened the refrigerator.

“…This is ridiculous.”

And when I saw the eggs and food in there, I just marveled.

Does this mean that the guards in this prison actually went out of their way to get food from the kitchen and put it in here in case Stardus wanted to cook?

‘…But that doesn’t make sense.’

Despite my confusion, I took out the eggs and pulled the oil out of the drawer. There’s a frying pan… There’s rice, too. It’s all here.

So I’m busily preparing something.

Before I knew it, Stardus was near the kitchen, peeking at me like a cat hovering over its master.

“What are you doing?”

“Oh. I’m making some breakfast. Even in prison, you have to eat, don’t you think?”

“Ah… I see. You have the ingredients here, ahaha…”

I don’t know why, but I left her smiling awkwardly and went back to cooking.

She asked if she could help me with anything, but I said no thanks.

…But is it normal for the villain to be cooking for the hero, and the hero to ask if she can help? No. If you look at it that way, it’s not normal to come to a prison with a villain and sleep with him in the first place.

Anyway, so I made a simple meal of buttered toast, omelet rice, and other dishes from the fridge.

Soon enough, I had it plated and ready to go, and I stepped outside.

“Here you go, Stardus. Eat.”

And with that, I walked out with my simple breakfast.

Seeing this, Stardus approached me with a twinkle in her eye.

“…I’ll eat.”

The two of us sat down at the table.

After hearing her greeting, I ate my food without much thought.

Stardus was eating carefully in front of me.

“…Delicious.”

With a smile on her face, she muttered that as if she had said it unconsciously.

…It’s kind of embarrassing to say that. I actually learned it all from you.

“…Next time, I’ll cook for you.”

“Uh… Okay.”

I nodded in understanding as Stardus took the plates from me, saying that she would do the dishes.

…A hero and a villain cooking for each other.

It’s not like it’s some kind of TV show.

I thought to myself, smirking at the absurdity of the situation.

…Stardus ate it, and it was delicious. It’s no secret that I was a little, no, a lot, pleased.

Anyway, in that way, the time in prison passed by pretty quickly.

***

While Egostic and Stardus were living happily ever after in their prison cell.

“Chairman Lee, the protests are getting bigger and bigger!”

“There’s a conspiracy theory circulating in the foreign press about Stardus’ disappearance as soon as Egostic was captured, and it’s currently being published in prominent weekly magazines…”

“President Lee Seola, the President’s office is screaming that their approval ratings have dropped by 10% in a single day! If this continues, they’re going to issue a special amnesty…”

“Mr. President, there’s a terrorist attack in Busan…!”

“…Haha.”

~The president’s office on the top floor of Yuseong Group~

Sitting there was Lee Seola, the Black Hand behind Korea, the woman who had engulfed the economic world.

With a pale face, she was mesmerized by the words pouring in.

“…Egotistic. Stardus. Please, can you just get out of there…?”

Her words fell on deaf ears.

And

[Han Seo-Eun -Egostream]

[Seola, what is Stardus doing right now?]

…She was more afraid of how the members of the Egostream would react when they realized that he and Stardus were actually living together now.

“…Ahaha.”

She just wanted to go home.