<…The email should have been sent.>
Mika spoke in a sighing voice.
“So you’re saying they sent a performance offer signed by the domestic branch of CYB, to lure her over here?”
<That’s correct.>
Mika nodded at my question.
<In any case, Vanessa Bernstein is currently the top solo artist in America, and she’s quite popular domestically as well. It’s not just her skills—her lineage is impressive too. She’s the daughter of Matteo Bernstein.>
<Matteo Bernstein…>
Starlight spoke, arms crossed.<Quite an impressive creation. You Constellations do love making heroes.>
<You look thoroughly amused, brother.><Of course.>
Starlight shrugged.
<Constellations always intervene in their creations’ history by choosing heroes. They try to hide it under the name of mythology. They grant blessings, gifts, and weapons to chosen humans, rewriting history. Heroes slay monsters, subdue tyrants, and fight in wars…>
And in the end…<Their lives fall into ruin.>
I nodded. Starlight clearly had strong opinions about Matteo Bernstein’s case. From what I’d heard, Matteo’s death was sudden. After killing the Demon God, Matteo secluded himself in an old castle, avoiding the public eye, and eventually died of natural causes. It felt anticlimactic for someone recorded as a hero who saved the world.
But when you think of historical heroes, it actually felt fitting. The hero who defeated the Sphinx wandered blind, and the one who completed twelve labors burned himself alive. If myths were like that, real history was even more absurd.
Looking at historical figures called heroes, each inevitably carried flaws. Yet their deeds often overshadowed even their moral failings.
<You’re not blaming the creations for that, are you?>
With a bitter smile, Starlight challenged.
<Their miserable ends come from receiving excessive power from Constellations. Their vessels were too small. But is having a small vessel the fault of the creation? I don’t think so. It was the Constellations who tempted them with a life beyond humanity.>
<…I have no intention of arguing that you’re wrong.>
Surprisingly, Mika agreed with Starlight.
<Our grace, blessings, and gifts do distort the lives of creations. That may be true. Perhaps we do not know how to love our creations properly.>
<It’s enough that you understand.>
Starlight leaned back against his chair. Normally he spoke with snarky arrogance, but today he seemed oddly sensitive. It was probably because of the Demon God. I sighed. Honestly, it might be better if he just admitted he was anxious.
“Do you think Vanessa Bernstein will accept the offer?”
I asked Mika.
<If she refuses, we’ll consider other options. We could even fly to America ourselves. The important thing is ensuring the Demon God never realizes the Star Hated by All and I are involved.>
I nodded.
For the Demon God, Starlight was his father. Given that he called him “Father” and followed him, it was natural he wouldn’t want to show himself to Starlight now. After all, Starlight’s role ruling Hell meant he should have been the one to punish the Demon God directly.
‘The reason he hasn’t is…’
That’s for Starlight to face personally.
‘And Mika…’
Needless to say, as the one who sat beside the Savior Who Is One and All, Mika was the Demon God’s nemesis. If the Demon God realized Mika was present on Earth and actively pursuing him, he would surely try to flee. Not that he could escape—he was practically a powerless human now.
‘How complicated.’
I rested my chin on my hand and gazed out the window. Tomorrow morning, we would leave Geahrzimen’s guesthouse. And we would return to blending into the world, singing and dancing as if nothing had happened.
It struck me how many festivals there were in this world. Festivals for all sorts of reasons happen everywhere at every moment. Some with solemn purposes, others as light-hearted as local harvest festivals. But most prominently, there were people like us.
We stand at the front of these festivals. While news broadcasts report on civil wars abroad, we smile our brightest smiles just one channel over. In hindsight, the Savior Who Is One and All’s decision to pair Constellations with celebrities was both vicious and effective. Gods always appear accompanied by radiance, and their presence marks the brightest places in the world.
<What are you thinking about?>
Starlight poked my foot and asked.
“Happy thoughts.”
I decided to answer like that.
Because that’s my duty.
One way or another, Starlight would meet the Demon God.
The one who once endangered the world now lay weak and powerless in our hands.
I wondered what thoughts ran through his mind, staying by Vanessa Bernstein’s side. Was he atoning? Seeking new opportunities? Or simply resigned and adapting?
I didn’t know. And in a way, it didn’t matter. The Demon God no longer had any choices. His existence was tied to Vanessa Bernstein, and the pitiful state in which he endured was both a mercy and a curse from the Savior Who Is One and All.
And what should I do?
I was pondering this while wandering the guesthouse’s garden. Starlight and Mika were likely having a private conversation somewhere. I had excused myself, claiming I was going to sleep, but of course, sleep wouldn’t come. I simply walked around, yawning.
<Master.>
A voice called to me.
It was Kkomul.
“…What are you doing up?”
<I don’t sleep.>
Tilting his head, Kkomul replied. Right. You are technically a high-ranking demon of Hell. I smiled bitterly at the thought.
<What about you, Master? Why are you awake?>
“Just thinking.”
I said as I patted Kkomul’s head. Stroking the head of someone who shared my face made me feel like a narcissist. But while the body resembled mine, Kkomul’s tone, expressions, and emotions were not mine. His entire presence felt as if he floated a few centimeters above the ground—like a being that didn’t quite belong to this world.
<You’ve always been the type to overthink.>
Gripping my sleeve, Kkomul spoke.
<I grew up feeding on your thoughts, remember? You always filled your mind with needless worries. Or is that just how humans are? I don’t really understand.>
I don’t think much, you know.
He shrugged.
<I mostly think about how to do my work well, how to get Geahrzimen to give me allowance, and how to have more fun each day. That’s about it. Back when I was Muddorok, I probably thought similarly. How to mock the Star Hated by All, how to further corrupt the human realm, and lastly, hmm…>
He trailed off.
<How to die, I guess.>
That’s what Kkomul said.
Ah, that’s true. I remembered. When the Abyssal Sea King Muddorok heard Starlight offer him death, he briefly felt relief. Although he raged when Starlight said he’d turn him into an idol instead, before that, what Muddorok felt was exhaustion with life.
“How about now?”
I asked Kkomul.
“Do you still want to die?”
<Not yet?>
Kkomul tilted his head.
<But since I grew up on your thoughts, sometimes I do think about dying. You had those thoughts too, so naturally I inherited them. And as far as I know… all life thinks about dying more often than you’d expect.>
So Master, he smiled.<The Demon God might feel the same.>
Such a light prediction. I was speechless.
<You were thinking about the Demon God, weren’t you? You won’t know until you meet him. And I think, whatever you say to him, he won’t show much reaction. Though I wasn’t the one with him back then, Muddorok’s memories tell me the Demon God always knew his place. He knew his weakness and his uselessness.>
“Don’t say things like that.”
I laughed bitterly.
“You all keep describing the Demon God to me like he’s human—like he understands grand ideals and honor. But I’m following Starlight’s decision simply because I’m his friend. That’s all. The Demon God is humanity’s enemy. That fact won’t change.”
<That’s strange. By that logic, I’m humanity’s enemy too.>
“That’s…”
<I’m not saying you’re wrong, Master. You’re right.>
Kkomul smiled.
<I’ll accept whatever conclusion you reach after meeting the Demon God. Because you have the authority to decide. So don’t worry.>
The authority…
Yes, I did have that.
Not about right or wrong, but simply the authority to conclude.
I nodded.
“We’ll be leaving tomorrow morning. It was nice seeing you again.”
<Me too. And also…>
Kkomul gestured for me to lean closer.
Puzzled, I tilted my head toward him.
He hugged me.
Surprised, I heard his whisper by my ear.
<Master, you’ve grown up so well.>
Kkomul said.
<Back when you raised me, you only ever thought about yourself. But now you’re thinking about the world. That means you’ve grown up wonderfully.>
Right? he asked, smiling at me.
Little Pink Starfish 
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