The Villain Is Too Popular

Starts World, Tuesday, Sunken Ship Grand Restaurant.

It was noon. Tendo sat stealthily in the restaurant's waiting area outside, his eyes flitting nervously, clearly observing something in the distance.

A moment later, when he saw Caroline step out of a taxi in the nearby parking area and head towards the restaurant, Tendo immediately used a move he'd learned from spy films of his previous life, pressing his hand to his collar.

"Calling Demon Blade, calling Demon Blade, this is Platinum Star, this is Platinum Star, target Calico has entered the designated area, repeat, target has entered the designated area, acknowledge and respond."

Meanwhile, across from the Sunken Ship Grand Restaurant, in a coffee shop, Chen Xing wore an oversized hooded sweatshirt and thick-rimmed black glasses that covered half her face.

Her current attire, while lacking her usual sharp edge, added a certain charm. Moreover, people in the Starts world generally matured early, and the Star Children received rigorous training year-round.

This meant that even though Chen Xing was only twelve, she already possessed the physique and allure of a typical sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl.

Receiving Tendo's message, Chen Xing neatly pulled at her collar and said, "This is Demon Blade, copy that, operation initiated."

After saying this, Chen Xing glanced expressionlessly to the side. In the corner of the coffee shop, three high school students, after some pushing and shoving, collectively gravitated towards her. The short-haired one leading them even sported a greasy, self-proclaimed handsome smile, clearly intending to chat her up.

Unfortunately for them, these three not only overestimated their charm but also underestimated Chen Xing's aversion to outsiders. Before they could get close, Chen Xing unceremoniously issued an eviction order.

"Scram."

"Got it!"

The three young men instantly stood at attention, then executed a neat right-angle turn, fleeing the coffee shop as if their lives depended on it, not daring to look back. After all, young men value their pride, and being rejected during a pickup attempt naturally left them with no courage to stay.

Watching their retreating backs, Chen Xing wrinkled her nose in distaste. A bunch of hormone-addled commoners, far inferior to that guy who constantly brags about being the strongest.

After all, that guy might seem unreliable, but in reality, he's surprisingly dependable. Forget it, no need to waste thought on these human animals; it's better to focus on the task at hand.

"Attention all units, attention all units, target has arrived, proceed as planned."

"Copy that!" x3

Just as Chen Xing finished speaking, a server from the Sunken Ship Grand Restaurant immediately approached Tendo and Caroline with a smile.

"Congratulations to both of you! You are the 66,666th customers our restaurant has served this year. To commemorate this special number, both of you can experience all of our restaurant's attractions today, and all costs incurred will be covered by us, free of charge."

"Please, follow me."

Hearing the server's words, Caroline instinctively furrowed her brow, clearly not believing him. Noticing this, Tendo panicked. Without hesitation, he immediately put on an exaggerated performance, chiming in with the pre-arranged 'actor.'

"Wow, really?"

Watching Tendo's obviously fake acting, the 'server's' eye twitched slightly. Boss, when you gave me the script, you didn't say your acting was this bad! Despite his silent complaints, considering the generous reward after this performance, he quickly picked up on Tendo's awkward act, smiling and saying, "Of course, it's true, distinguished guests. If you don't believe me, I can go call the manager."

Caroline was about to speak, but before she could voice her doubts, Tendo immediately cut her off.

"No need, I believe you!"

The understanding server immediately, and perceptively, said, "Alright, please follow me then."

Caroline: "..."

Watching the awkward performance of these two, Caroline fell silent. Although she had already guessed that the so-called mission was probably just Tendo's trick, relying on her absolute trust in him, she chose to play along and see what he was really up to.

Tendo, oblivious to her thoughts, apparently thought his acting was seamless. With a straight face, he pressed her shoulder and gently pushed her into the restaurant.

"Come on, Caroline! It's like pie falling from the sky; what's there to hesitate about? Besides, if this really is a sugar-coated cannonball from someone with ill intentions, we can just eat the candy coating and then return the cannonball!"

"Mhm."

Though she was playing along with Tendo's act, Caroline hadn't forgotten their true purpose for being there today: to scout the location in advance for Isabel's visit in a few days.

Even if she suspected the mission might be a ruse, Caroline still decided to treat it as real. Tendo could fool around and joke, but as Tendo's best assistant, she absolutely could not. Her very purpose was to clear all obstacles for Tendo.

However, in stark contrast to Caroline's serious expression, Tendo beside her was acting utterly shifty. In a spot Caroline couldn't see, Tendo was constantly signaling to the staff behind them, indicating that they should proceed according to the plan shortly.

Watching this scene, the fans on Station 13 couldn't help but laugh.

'Seriously, Hakiten, your acting is NOT good enough, it's painfully awkward!'

'Caroline: I feel like I've fallen into a trap, but whatever, I'll play along.'

'He acts terribly but thinks he's a great actor, right? Interesting.'

Even though they knew that Caroline and Tendo's future wouldn't be too bright, the characters' fans chose to temporarily ignore that grim future and immerse themselves in the brief, happy daily life unfolding before them. What's wrong with a sugar-coated cannonball? The candy coating is still candy; as for the cannonball, they'll worry about that later!

Under the dimensional viewers' eager gazes, the server led Tendo and Caroline to a special dolphin-themed restaurant.

Seeing the various cute dolphin plushies inside the restaurant, Caroline's cat ears immediately twitched, and her eyes involuntarily darted around, clearly fond of these adorable marine creatures.

Noticing her small movements, Tendo, walking beside her, subtly curved his lips into a smile.

Although Caroline rarely mentioned it, Tendo clearly remembered her saying that if she could, she actually wished her Star Core was a smart, cute, and free-spirited little dolphin, rather than a cat. Even though Caroline had only said this once, Tendo, with his excellent memory, had stored it in his heart.

This was why he had chosen the Sunken Ship Grand Restaurant as their lunch spot today. Because in the entire Deep Blue Metropolis, only here could one dine while having close contact with dolphins!

"Please, guests, come and be seated here."

Led by the server, the two were soon seated in a specially 'shielded' area within the dolphin-themed restaurant. This shield not only isolated them from the surrounding seawater but also had a one-way transparency effect.

It allowed customers inside the shield to extend their hands out and touch the adorable dolphins that occasionally swam close to them.

As someone suffering from severe dolphin adoration, Caroline had long forgotten about the supposed 'mission.' Her eyes were glued to a small white dolphin swimming around them.

Seeing Caroline's captivated expression, Tendo smiled and said, "Caroline, go ahead and touch it if you want."

Hearing Tendo's words, Caroline pondered for a moment, then stood up and walked to the edge of the shield.

Whether it was a natural affinity for humans or some quality Caroline possessed that attracted 'white dolphins,' upon seeing Caroline approach, the plump, chubby little white dolphin immediately swam over. Its pink snout pressed against the clear blue protective barrier, looking curiously at Caroline through the screen.

Seeing this, Caroline couldn't help but reach her hand through the barrier. And the little dolphin, in a surprisingly cute gesture, actively flipped its cloud-soft belly over, rubbing against Caroline's palm. Feeling the soft touch on her palm, the usually rational Caroline displayed a rare, heartfelt smile.

However, what she didn't notice was that Tendo, at some point, had quietly positioned his camera. And after calculating the perfect moment, he stealthily moved behind Caroline...

"HA!!!"

Tendo suddenly darted out from behind Caroline, making a 'tiger pouncing' grimace at the little dolphin outside the shield.

"Eep!!!"

The little white dolphin, startled by Tendo, immediately jumped clean out of the water, its expression utterly panicked. At the same time, Caroline stood frozen in place, a look of bewilderment on her face, clearly not understanding what had happened.

Click—

With the sound of a camera shutter, the anime's scene froze, capturing the panicked dolphin, the bewildered girl, and the childish prankster who, having succeeded in his mischief, was laughing so hard his eyes were practically shut.

'Sure enough, where there's a cat, there's a dog. Given Caroline is a cat, no need to say who the dog is!'

'When it comes to being inhuman, Hakiten has always been inhuman.'

'Caroline: When there's no crisis, Tendo is everyone's biggest crisis.'

Facing Tendo's prank, the dimensional viewers burst into laughter. But as they laughed, they suddenly found themselves unable to continue.

Because they couldn't help but recall the malicious hint released by the production team not long ago. So, no matter how happily they laughed now, when Tendo eventually gets 'killed'... there would be plenty of time for them to cry!

'Seriously, Starts production team, please just be human!'

'If you're going to give us sweet moments, give us sweet moments properly. If you're going to kill off characters, kill them off properly. But why do you hint at killing, then give us sweetness? Are you devils?'

'Suddenly making us eat so well, isn't this clearly a last meal?! I'd rather starve to death, die outside, than ever... forget it, it's so good!!! (crying)'

'Stop it, I just want sweet moments, I don't want character deaths!'

'Please, if you're going to kill, don't kill Tendo, okay?'