The Villain Is Too Popular

The Decoy Bracelet. This was a rather special item in Tendo's system store. Its function, as the name suggested, was to allow Tendo to withstand one fatal attack.

What contrasted with its powerful effect was its absurdly low price: a mere 100,000 popularity points. Clearly, this was one of the benefits the system provided to Tendo.

From the moment he learned about this item, Tendo had been thinking about how to maximize its utility. The reason he chose to redeem it now was because this precious Decoy Bracelet would only be able to display its greatest effect in the second major storyline after the final assessment.

Ever since he transmigrated to the Stars world and discovered the existence of the popularity system, Tendo had been contemplating what truly constituted high popularity. If it were merely about being strong or handsome, such characters could indeed gain immense popularity in a short time.

However, such popularity was like a castle in the air, liable to collapse at any moment. This was because if a character stronger or handsomer than him appeared, the audience who liked him for those two reasons would similarly like other characters for the same reasons.

Therefore, a truly qualified popular character, in addition to meeting the first two points, should also possess another characteristic: outstanding charismatic charm. Only when a character possessed sufficient charismatic charm would they truly become three-dimensional.

This was why Tendo had small habits like constantly wearing sunglasses and loving sweets. The purpose of these small gestures was to, to some extent, bridge the gap between him and the audience.

However, these small gestures could, at best, only be considered shining points of Tendo's personality. They couldn't be fully counted as a manifestation of his 'charismatic charm.' This was because true charismatic charm needed to be highlighted by the plot. Why did most Stars fans now acknowledge Tendo as the strongest in Stars? Was it just because Tendo constantly boasted about being the strongest? No, it was because Tendo not only displayed matching ultimate strength, but also because the first three episodes of Prequel of the Stars: Embers repeatedly featured plots that substantiated this strength.

For example, Tendo's flashback segment, or how he genuinely injured the Earth Dragon Lizard in the final assessment. It was precisely because of the appearance of these plots that Tendo's 'natural-born powerhouse' persona was fleshed out, becoming real and appearing reasonable.

At the same time, based on this persona, Tendo further exhibited contrasting behaviors such as being a 'severe sweet tooth,' a 'sunglass show-off,' and a 'sharp-tongued spokesperson.' This allowed the audience to deepen their sense of Tendo's character authenticity and to fall in love with him.

But if Tendo only had these minor plot points and small designs, he could indeed maintain high popularity for a while. However, as the intensity of the subsequent plot increased, he wouldn't necessarily be able to overwhelm other characters in terms of popularity with just these. Therefore, he had to emphasize his 'tragedy' on top of his 'beauty' and 'strength.'

And according to Tendo's understanding, what was meant by 'tragedy' was actually 'knives'. As is well known, compared to 'beauty' and 'strength,' the 'knife' of tragedy is the true key to traffic (popularity).

"Pure strength and handsomeness are like fireworks in the night sky—seemingly dazzling, yet fleeting."

"But if you change the perspective, and integrate the fireworks' brilliance into a couple embracing beneath them, then the fleeting splendor transforms into an eternal art that strikes deep into people's hearts. Therefore..."

Tendo's finger lightly tapped an item slot in the popularity store, finally settling on the 'buy' button for the 'Decoy Bracelet.'

[You have consumed 100,000 popularity points to purchase the special item... Decoy Bracelet]

Tendo looked at the unassuming Decoy Bracelet in his hand, formed by two rough red ropes intertwined, with an inconspicuous transparent crystal strung in the middle, and whispered softly: "...If I want to turn fleeting popularity into eternal support, how can I do so without paying a price?"

"After all, there's no such thing as a free lunch in this world."

Harming himself wasn't a sudden whim for Tendo; it was a plan he had from the very beginning. In a sense, the 'flashback segment' that the production team suddenly inserted into the main series earlier was a small, not-so-sharp knife.

But even such a minor, harmless knife still, to some extent, amplified Tendo's charismatic charm in the first three episodes.

Otherwise, with Prequel of the Stars: Embers' limited popularity, confined only to Station 13, Tendo wouldn't have been able to accumulate a full 100,000 popularity points in such a short time.

After witnessing the tremendous popularity boost that 'knives' brought him, Tendo not only became more determined about his original plan but also decided to make it bolder and more radical.

For example, by using the Decoy Bracelet, which was originally intended only as a life-saving charm, as part of the entire 'knife plan,' and allowing himself to experience a genuine 'death.' Although this would inevitably expose Tendo to the enormous risk of 'secondary death,' considering the plot tension and the visibly huge popularity benefits it would bring, Tendo felt it was worth a try.

"As the saying goes, a popular character who doesn't harm themselves isn't a good popular character."

"If I want to continue on the path of dominating the pinnacle of Stars popularity, then adventure... is a must."

Thinking this, Tendo immediately put the Decoy Bracelet on his right wrist and stood up, heading towards the cafeteria. It was mealtime; he was going to have a good meal at the cafeteria, and incidentally... lay the groundwork for his future 'knife plot' for the audience.

"Yo, Caroline, how thoughtful of you! You even got my food in advance."

Seeing Caroline, who had just gotten her food and was about to sit down, Tendo not only unceremoniously squeezed her aside but then directly took her seat and began eating as if it were his own.

Watching her freshly prepared dinner being snatched by the thick-skinned Tendo, Caroline's green cat ears perked up high, and her fists beneath her sleeves clenched. Tendo, however, seemed not to notice, eating and loudly exclaiming in an exaggerated manner.

"Wow, the cafeteria auntie's dinner today is good! Looks like the organization knew we were tired from the final assessment, so they specifically gave us an extra meal."

"Eh? Caroline, why are you still standing here? Why aren't you getting food? Aren't you hungry?"

Hearing Tendo's words, Caroline rolled her eyes at him, annoyed. "Tendo, when will you stop being so childish? You're so old and still snatching other people's prepared dinners. Are you really so lazy you don't even want to walk a few steps?"

Facing Caroline's 'reprimand,' Tendo, while stuffing food into his mouth, mumbled indistinctly, "Caroline, how can you say I'm snatching? Didn't you thoughtfully prepare it for me in advance?"

"Besides, Caroline, you got my food today, and tomorrow I'll take a bullet for you."

"Want to bully you? They'll have to step over my corpse, Tendo's corpse, first."

Looking at Tendo, whose cheeks were puffed out like a hamster's, Caroline clearly didn't take his words seriously. She just assumed Tendo was spouting nonsense again with a straight face.

A moment later, Caroline sighed, helpless. "Forget it, I won't stoop to your level, you childish ghost. 'Taking a bullet for me'—you're getting more and more exaggerated."

"Do you need me to get you more desserts? The cafeteria seems to have a lot of new items today."

"Absolutely!"

"Alright, then wait a moment."

Caroline nodded, then turned and headed towards the cafeteria. What she didn't notice was that behind her, Tendo had slowly shed his playful demeanor. A complex hint of guilt flashed in his azure eyes beneath his sunglasses, as if Tendo was about to do something to wrong Caroline.

Sorry, Caroline, some words, even I can only say in jest.

Because only when someone puts their life on the line for what others perceive as a casual joke, will such an act... become especially unforgettable.

Moreover, who said heroes can't cry?

And since I've decided to be that hero,

Then the one who cries... can only be you.

So, Caroline, I'm truly sorry, but this dazzling fireworks display, orchestrated by me, must be witnessed by you firsthand.

Though it might be a bit cruel for you, as long as I apologize properly later, you'll still forgive me, right?

After all, you always tolerate my childishness and willfulness, don't you?