Chapter 15: Tendou’s Past

Chapter 15: Tendou’s Past

With the arrival of Tendou and Caroline, the once-hostile comment section of Stellaris: Embers underwent a dramatic shift.

At first, the debate had been all about Chen Kong—whether such a pathetic character even deserved to be the protagonist.

But now, the conversation has changed entirely.

Why wasn’t Tendou the protagonist instead?

In this lively atmosphere, the first episode finally neared its end.

“If you did the same, ate double the desserts every single day, you might just awaken your Star Core on the spot.”

“R-really?”

“Idiot, he’s lying to you.”

“B-Big sis…”

On screen, Chen Xing emerged from the crowd, gazing at Chen Kong as if he were trash.

Her behavior wasn’t much different from the bullies who had mocked him earlier.

But as the saying went—beauty is justice.

Her refined features paired with that perfect “disdainful glare” left an unforgettable impact.

Just as Tendou had predicted, her entrance hooked the audience.

“Slurp, I’m licking the screen already~”

“God, yes. That contemptuous look, like she’s staring at garbage—that’s exactly what I needed.”

“A genius sister and her useless brother, huh? Interesting setup.”

“Onee-sama! I’ll be your dog!”

“Mama!!!”

“Hey you above, calm down!”

Watching the barrage of crazed comments, Tendou rested his chin on his clasped hands. His sunglasses caught the light, gleaming with a villain’s edge.

“As expected… Chen Xing is my greatest rival on the road to becoming the king of popularity.”

Though her actual screen time in the first episode was short, clever editing had ensured that Chen Xing’s appearance left a deep mark.

If Tendou wanted to surpass her in popularity, he would have to work much harder.

After all, a pretty girl could just put on black stockings and instantly win a legion of fans.

A male character’s climb required far more effort.

Fortunately, the premiere was a double feature—two episodes released at once.

So when the first episode ended, viewers naturally dove straight into the second.

This next episode picked up right where Chen Xing’s debut left off.

“Tendou, still trying to trick people with that ridiculous sweet-tooth theory of yours?”

“How can you call it tricking~?”

“Science has proven that sugar not only stimulates brain activity, it also—”

“Shut up.”

“Not everyone is a hopeless sugar addict like you.”

The screen lit up as Tendou and Chen Xing banter intensified.

After some exchange of words, Tendou unleashed his star energy—far beyond Chen Xing’s own—and pressed her down with sheer numerical dominance.

To highlight his overwhelming might, the production team had even visualized his aura: a formless tide of black crashing over Chen Xing’s small frame, drowning her in suffocating darkness.

At the edge of that void, a pair of colossal ice-blue eyes burned into existence.

Even through the screen, the audience felt the weight of his power.

The comment feed exploded in awe.

“The budget’s on fire! These effects are insane!”

“Holy hell, that pressure! My knees are weak just watching.”

“Run, Sister Xing! This man is dangerous!”

“No way— if just his aura is this terrifying, isn’t Tendou the strongest out of everyone?”

“Of course he’s the strongest. Look at the cast so far—he’s the only one wearing sunglasses. That kind of nonconformity is clearly a privilege reserved for real powerhouses.”

“The aura he gives off is insane… but what if Tendou ends up going dark? I can’t shake the feeling the studio’s up to something. In my years of anime-watching, the stronger and kinder a character starts off, the more brutal their fall to darkness tends to be.”

“Damn, don’t say that. Now I feel it too…”

Perhaps to deepen Tendou’s “born strong” persona in the viewers’ eyes, the production team did something unexpected.

They slipped in a memory fragment—one even Tendou himself hadn’t anticipated.

In the original script, this scene never existed.

A complete accident.

The memory played out:

A silver-haired boy sat alone amidst the corpses of three wolf-beasts.

A blood-stained fruit knife stuck in the ground beside him. His left arm hung limp, while his right hand clumsily peeled away the dirty wrapping of a piece of candy.

Just as he was halfway through, a figure approached.

“…You did all this by yourself?”

“Mm.”

Without lifting his head, Tendou kept fiddling with the candy’s paper, answering Tachibana’s question with quiet indifference.

The camera zoomed in on his hanging left hand—five gashes, bone-deep, still bleeding. His dusty sleeve was soaked through with dried brown blood.

Tachibana said nothing for a long while after his confirmation.

At last, she extended an invitation.

“How about it? Want to join our organization?”

“Okay.”

His reply was casual, as though it made no difference whether he joined or not.

At that moment, the wrapper finally gave way.

The boy popped the cheap candy into his mouth, a satisfied smile brightening his face.

Only then did he resemble a child at all.

“You like sweets?”

“Mm.”

“Why?”

He was quiet for a moment, then gave his answer.

“Because Mom said… if you eat enough candy… life won’t taste so bitter.”

“…I see.”

Tachibana’s gaze fell to his wounded hand again.

Yes, Tendou had somehow managed to slay three low-tier Starbeasts without a star core.

But he had paid dearly for it.

His calm demeanor had hidden it so well that Tachibana hadn’t noticed until now.

“…It must hurt.”

Tendou’s voice was steady.

“It did. But after eating the candy, it doesn’t hurt anymore.”

“…Here.”

Tachibana held out a piece of expensive, beautifully wrapped chocolate.

Tendou hesitated. “…It looks costly.”

She smiled. “Not for me.”

Yet even with her assurance, the boy refused to take it.

It was obvious he had his own stubborn pride, a kind of maturity too heavy for his age.

Seeing this, Tachibana simply forced the chocolate into his hands.

“Take it. Think of it as a welcome gift, for joining us.”

“…Thank you.”

“Oh, and little one—what’s your name?”

“…Tendou. Masamune Tendou.”

“Masamune Tendou, huh? That’s a fine name.”

And with that, the memory ended.

If you want to see more chapter of this story and don't mind spending $5 monthly to see till the latest chapter, please go to my Patreon:

Latest Chapter in Patreon: Chapter 100: Obtaining “Overclocked Computation”

Link to the latest chapter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/146986674?collection=1761063

https://www.patreon.com/collection/1761063?view=expanded