So I just watched the first episode of the OVA for One Punch Man, I thought it was the episode where Saitama told his story about where he got his suit but apparently it's something else. I'll put in an explanation how Genos missed Tomoko completely.
Genos, the lone cyborg, has accomplish to live within the perimeters of Saitama, he was relieved to be accepted thanks to his allowance given by the Doctor. Now he can watch Saitama's every move up close, learn all he can from him, be his student and observer.
On another note, the girl name Tomoko Kuroki - another roommate and a Past very mysterious as her connection with Saitama, is a very, very odd girl. She is quite harmless, so there's no particular reason to feel threaten by her in concern for his Master, but he is still very suspicious about her. When he joined Saitama in taking Tomoko to a doctor and waited during her check-up, Genos took this time to ask about Kuroki.
"Oh. We met at a karaoke bar," was Saitama's explanation, and only the beginning, "Then I saved her from getting hit by a truck and found out she didn't have any relatives. That was...like a month ago I think."
So she had been with Saitama even before Genos started his secret observation of his teacher, Genos was solely focused on Saitama that he hadn't considered the possibility for there to be another, there hadn't been anyone else leaving Saitama's home for that one week so Genos had assumed.
"She was pretty messed up and was on her own, so I let her moved in until...well, I guess until I get that room next door fixed up."
"Had she asked to move in?" Genos had questioned.
"It was what the police thought up, something about victims being closer to the guy that saves her. I didn't want to make any choices for her, so I let her decide and she picked me. I felt a little bad for her, so I didn't really mind."
Then Saitama himself hasn't known Tomoko that much, thus in his place, Genos will remain on guard, even though as he was assured before that Tomoko poses no threat, and is still a very odd girl indeed.
When Tomoko had left the doctor's room, she met his eyes briefly before flinching and looking away, frighten she appears to be, yet she was smiling crookedly as she barely whispers a greeting to the cyborg. The doctor of this clinic seems to be a novice seeing with Kuroki's red face, but the girl herself assured to Saitama she was fine and by the time they returned to the apartment, the color had dimmed but she still acted to be uncomfortable.
After a sure confirmation of Tomoko's well being, another matter concerned them.
As of now, three people - a hero for a hobby, a teenage otaku, a cyborg disciple - are now currently occupying in the same apartment in the same rooms clearly only designed for one to two people. This obviously small already cramped home. At this state someone will probably have to sleep in the bath tub and use the kitchen sink as the place to brush one's teeth.
"Okay, the room next door really needs to be fixed right now. There's no way three people can live here." Tomoko nodded at Saitama's decision before a thought came to her, 'Though it'll be alright if I share my bed with Genos,' she grinned, before attempting a cold serious look once Genos spoke.
"If that is the issue, I will deal with it."
"Ah well, it'll be a lot of work…"
"I generally have no trouble repairing a room. Allow me to assist, Sensei."
He did showed his competence when that Mantis monster wrecked this room by its intrusion, and everything here - if you can count in the slight mess that only describes a lazy man's bedroom - is still looking to be intact.
"I guess it would go a lot faster." Saitama then nodded, "Alright, let's go."
Tomoko follows Saitama and Genos back outside, walking only a couple of steps before reaching the door next to Saitama's, he takes out a key and unlocks it, entering with the other two following behind. "So the electricity still works in this place," Tomoko discovers this by turning on the light, not even a flicker, the light activates naturally. "And the water is still good too." She checks the bathroom, pretty decent, Saitama must have thrown stuff like old toothbrushes though.
"The kitchen is...okay."
By okay, the hobbyist means that there were broken plates all over the floor, the sink filled with unwashed dishes.
"And the living room…"
They entered the other room, which was a complete disaster, turning on the lights to see more of this mess, there was a broken tv here, scattered books, bed sheets, pillows, papers, some cds, clothes everywhere, and spilled old food lying around with its scent making Tomoko want to gag. Either the family who lived here had been in haste to get out for whatever was happening in this city, or the previous owner was a guy that combats Saitama's own laziness.
"...I'm still working on it."
"You had like almost two months," Tomoko whispered to Saitama, "Did you even touch this room?"
"I did." Saitama defends himself, though once he swore that he saw something that didn't look remotely like a rat, he dropped a pillow and self-promised to do this room tomorrow, for a few days straight, maybe weeks. It's not his fault, he'd been a busy man since he met Tomoko. Also, it hadn't been a real problem until Genos moved in.
"This will be no problem," Genos moves a couch aside with ease, "By cleaning it now, this room will be repaired by the end of the day."
"Well that's good, guess we should start-" Tomoko tugs Saitama's sleeve, "Hm? What's up?"
"C-Can I talk to you outside?" Tomoko avoided eye-contact, Saitama blinked before answering "Ok." They left Genos to start cleaning up and stepped outside from the front door. Tomoko had been acting like how she used to be when they first met, and by this, Saitama had taken a guess.
"Is this about Genos living here?" He asked, "I guess I should have talked to you first before taking him in, you do act a little weird with strangers."
"First of all, I don't act weird. I'm a very fun-loving person! Guys fall for my charms and looks all the time!" Tomoko swore, "You can't blame me for being cautious with strangers, but trust me, I have nothing against letting Genos move in." No objections at all.
A cute guy moving in is a dream come true for Tomoko, it's too good, and too sudden, which was the down-side. Looking at herself, she isn't what she would call herself presentable, she'll have her own room soon sure, but until then, she needs to get herself prepared. She needs to gather herself so that she'll be more confident to approach Genos who'll be the dream boy next door.
She needs to prep herself, but she won't come out and say it out of thought that she'll only get judged, so she disguised her true intention for another, "Listen, since I'll be having my own room, I think we should go out and get some things with the money Genos gave us. Also," she quirked up a smirk, "I think it's time to start your way to popularity."
Saitama's plain look slightly enhanced with the widen of his eyes, but then they went back to the default state, "You mean leave Genos with the cleaning?"
"I don't mind."
Tomoko jerked and turned when Genos came through the already open door, "If it will help accommodate our bed arrangement. I would also like to show my gratitude in any way."
"But…" Saitama looks to Tomoko who is trying so hard to not look at the cyborg, "...Alright. We'll be back soon." Just to help Tomoko out.
Genos bowed, "Thank you again for taking me in." He walks back in, and closes the door. At his return to the room, Tomoko grinned widely and with a red faced thought over how her entire room will have the smell of Genos. She then shook her head, 'Come on Kuroki! You can't be like this anymore! It's time to prepare your womanhood now!'
"You want to go now?" Saitama asked. Tomoko looks back at him, face now relaxed, but actually has eagerness hidden.
"Yep. Let's go."
Walking on the city streets with people around, Tomoko began her lecture in how popularity works, "Listen closely Saitama, being popular means that a lot of people like you. It's unavoidable that you're gonna have hater but just ignore them, they're just jealous as far as I'm concern."
Saitama hummed as they pass stores, Tomoko suddenly stops which lead the hobbyist to do so too. "Right now though, people would find you boring at first glance. So we're going to change that up."
"Hold on, isn't there a saying where looks don't matter?"
"That's a false saying, said by the people who's been alone and hasn't been into the world." Saitama found that statement awfully cynical, "People won't approach you if you smell like garbage, or if you're covered in blood, right?"
"...I guess if you put it like that."
"And you think that anyone would want to hire anybody who dresses like they don't care? Looks do matter in that you have to show some bits about you of what you are in the inside. No one, or at least not a lot of people can see through you."
Saitama sounded out his awe at the sense of that. "See?! That's the kind of stuff anyone should put in a book!" Tomoko heads for the door of a certain store, "Now come on, let's spice up everything that's wrong with you." The bald man took offense to that, but not as much as he discovered what shop they were entering.
"Hey, wait a minute. Is this-?" There were mannequins stationed on every desk, not a full body one however, only just one specific part. "...This is a wig shop."
Different styles and colors of hair were set upon every mannequin heads in the store, as well a show of posters of showing different hairs and an 'encouraging' quote stating "This can be you!"
"Why do you sound surprise?" Tomoko questioned, "I mean, haven't you figured the major problem-?"
"DON'T POINT IT OUT!" Saitama stops her in time, otherwise he would have started pinching her cheeks again. "I don't want to come here!"
Tomoko shushed him in panic, "Keep it down! People are staring!" She pulls his sleeve to drag him down, she couldn't do it obviously on her own but Saitama got the signal and he lowered himself, "What's your deal? You said you are willing to try anything."
"Except this! I'm not comfortable with this!"
"Remember what I said that looks do matter? Did that ground-breaking fact left you, or did it went the same time you lost your-"
"Watch it." Saitama warningly points his finger at Tomoko, more directly to her cheeks, the girl paled in remembrance and regained her footing to not push any further, "J-Just trust me, okay? God, what is your deal against wigs, if you're so pissed at any mention...of the you-know-what," her hands hover her head, the implications was obvious but Saitama nodded in appreciation as oppose to another direct insult, "Why haven't you come here any sooner?"
"Well for one thing, it's expensive, and also...I rather not talk about it," Saitama, through his bored face, had this look like an uncomfortable memory was resurfacing. Tomoko decides not to press and she moves on to one of the wigs in sight, "Look, let's just try some things out. Here." There was actually a stand where they can try on wigs without question, so long as they don't just take it. "Let's see." With Saitama behind her, she looks over with a calculative eye of which hair.
In the anime world, having a certain color and style of hair can tell a lot about the person, but to put the exaggerated hair styles would be going too far, so Tomoko scratches out the crazy spiky hair styles, now on to a certain color for the hair, Tomoko has herself a list of what every hair color would mean to a character in the anime world.
Black hair means that you're dark and mysterious - which Tomoko is happy to adopt the character type. Blonde hair means that you're bright and fun. Red hair would mean the same for Blonde hair but stereotypically it can also mean your hot tempered, but that would also imply that you're very dominant. Brown hair...kind of puts off a dull boring deal in Anime, but generally it also implies a friendly side. With a bit of thought, Tomoko decides to take the blonde droopy hair, however, she didn't stop there. On another table, she saw some sun glasses, looking back at the blonde hair, and to the sunglasses, she was instantly thought of the character from Durarara.
"Hey Saitama, put this on," she gave the waiting man in a chair the wig, Saitama stared at it with a hesitant frown, but decided to go through with it and fixes the wig on with a mirror to help him, he was going to stare at his reflection when Tomoko got in front of him, holding a pair of square shaped glasses with dark lenses. He thought he was going to put them on himself, but Tomoko frowned.
"Seriously? That's how you put on a wig?" Tomoko puts aside the glasses and helped adjust the wig to her standards, Saitama wasn't sure how to respond to this but he just allows her to do what she thinks it's best, she's the expert here after all. "Ok, that looks better." She takes the glasses again, "Now, for the final touch, let's see how this looks on you."
She puts them on, and like being struck by lightning she stumbled back. "Huh? Tomoko?" She hits a table and grabs on it.
'W-what...w-what?!'
"Tomoko?"
'H-He's...He's...'
Saitama simply blinked at her, he looks to the small mirror and takes it to see his own image, what he saw surprised him, and he closes in his face to his reflection with a studying look.
'HE ACTUALLY LOOKS CUTE?!' Tomoko is being hypocritical by having this thought, her main purpose is to make Saitama look attractive as possible, but she didn't imagine he has what it takes to be this attractive! And he still looks like any simple guy!
"...This looks weird on me. I'm not wearing this." Saitama's statement shocked Tomoko, watching him casually take off his glasses and wig. "Are you kidding me?" Tomoko said, "This would totally get every chick crawling to you!"
Saitama was mildly intrigued at the idea, but ultimately, "Nah. I mean, it's not a good idea doing this anyway, what if the girl I'm dating finds out? Shouldn't there be trust and honesty, or some of that?"
"Look, I've indulged romantic comedy Anime too, but I soon learned that it's not the case in reality." Tomoko lectured.
'This girl is so cynical, even more than I could be,' Saitama noted. "I just don't want to blow all our money over a wig and glasses, how much do they even cost?" He looks at the price tag and was shocked, "This much?!" He checks the wig, "This stuff is crazy expensive!"
"Beauty itself comes at a hefty price." Tomoko said undeterred, Saitama shows her price tag, she looks it over, and she gasped, "Okay, maybe this is a little far beyond what we're willing to spend."
"Let's just get some things for your room first, and maybe get some food too." Tomoko had no choice but to agree with him, the price is just crazy!
They left the shop with no regrets, and went to different stores that Tomoko could use. Just the essential, as tempted as she was to waste the money over games and mangas, she remained strong in order to put the money Genos gave to good use, and also to have some for herself at least. It was agreed between the two that the rent money would be given to them split, and Tomoko has no objections.
They bought groceries, and Tomoko bought for herself a small mobile in one hand vacuum cleaner, she took some pictures with her phone at stuff that looks interesting to buy later, some pillows and blankets, and then after their shop, they head down to a family restaurant. A good move too, Tomoko can be seen as a child so Saitama will have a discount. They got a table which is in a booth, sitting upon the cushion seats, a very cute waitress approached them, she happily took their order for drinks and went. However, something caught Tomoko's eye, it was that the waitress seemed to keep glancing at Saitama as if she knows him, she definitely know it wasn't interest as Tomoko noted the look of "I really don't want to serve that guy".
"You've been here before Saitama?" Tomoko asked.
"I think so, yeah I ordered fries here. Oh hold up, let's see if we can order something else to take for dinner," he checks his wallet, but to his surprise, he was only a bill left and a few yen. "Guess not."
"What? Didn't Genos just gave you rent money today?"
"I left those at home...Um, Tomoko," he looks at her, "You wouldn't happen to have any spare change?"
By change he meant payment for their drinks, Tomoko was dumbfounded, she checks her bag and indeed she has enough to pay for their meal. Hearing this, Saitama is relieved, Tomoko however, is disappointed, "You know, you basically failed at being popular."
This only confused Saitama. "And you want to get a girlfriend? Don't you know that when you go on a date with a cute girl that you have to pay for both of your meals? It's only the most gentleman thing to do, you basically won't earn a call again if you make the girl pay for you!"
The obvious fact stunned Saitama, "Really?" He puts a hand over his mouth, "Oh shoot, you're actually right, hold on, let me write this down." He gets a small notebook from the shopping bag and pencil and wrote down this lesson.
Tomoko spends a moment teaching Saitama about how to woo any potential dates, though with how Saitama is, she may need step it up a notch if she wants any woman to find this boring lazy man irresistible. Soon, they received their drinks, though not by the same waitress. Not known to either of them, the waitress begged a new worker to take her place in serving the meal, as she wanted to avoid dealing with the bald man.
"Here you are," the newly hired man said, "Are you ready to-" he shrieked, Tomoko jumped at the sudden man's loud gasp and Saitama simply looked up with a "hm?"
'Gah! What's with the sudden noise? Oh God this guy has such a big head-wait a minute.' It took Tomoko to recognize the waiter, seeing him on the news at the time when the Paradisers were the biggest concern.
Hammerhead, in his uniform representing this restaurant, paled at seeing Saitama again. "Y-You!"
It was Tomoko's turn to freak out, and in lack of grace, fumbled in getting out of her seat and tumbled to Saitama's side, latching to his arm. "I-Isn't this that Paradiser guy?!"
"Huh?" Was Saitama's unintelligent response, he looks at the feared waiter again, and it hit him, "Oh! You were that guy at the forest...Bullethead?"
"Didn't you send this guy to prison?!"
Saitama looked at Tomoko as if what she said was weird, "Didn't I tell you? I let him go as long as he stopped being a bad guy."
"A-And I'm still keeping my promise!" Hammerhead swore, "Really! See? I'm working hard! This won't be full-time though. W-what I mean is that I'll be applying to a business career. I swore on my mother's name!"
Tomoko found it surprising how scared this guy is to see Saitama again, it seems that this guy was just some hot-shot tear away from his muscles thanks to Saitama. It helped lesson the fear a little, though she's sure it's also because she's beside the strongest man ever.
"Oh ok, well keep at it." Saitama takes a sip of his drink through a straw.
"Y-Yes!" Hammerhead straightens, just a little, "S-So, are you ready to order?"
"I think I'll go for some fries." Saitama, taking in Tomoko's advice and decides to not have her pay for his meal, it's also out of guilt if he thinks to even do so. He looks to Tomoko, "You?"
"U-uh," Tomoko looks over the menu, still taken by surprise that an ex-criminal is before her, but then again, this wouldn't be the first time. She certainly hopes that she won't come across any more villains, retired or not. "I-I'll have a burger, and a s-side of fries."
Hammerhead hastily wrote down the orders, and hurried out of their sights. "So, you actually let him go? What was the reason again?" Tomoko asked.
"He reminded me when I was a kid." Saitama explains, "We were alike, not wanting to work. I could have easily followed the same path as he did."
That was something to think about, Tomoko was speechless. "So, you were saying?" Getting back into topic, Tomoko couldn't be smooth in transitioning from her stunned feelings to going back in giving dating advice. She tried to, and it was going ok, and then when Saitama was busy writing stuff down, Tomoko out of curiosity, looks over the booth to see the Hammerhead guy again. She discovers him talking with the waitress, saying something but she couldn't tell what, then the waitress starts going from table to table. It looks like they switched roles.
At the thought that the cute waitress might be coming to them, Tomoko sat back down and faced Saitama, "Okay, listen very closely. We're going to put your dating knowledge to the test. That waitress might come here with our orders, take that as a chance to work on what I've taught you."
"...what, now?"
"Right when she comes." Tomoko looks over, "And she's coming this way, get ready!"
"oh, uh, um," Saitama attempted to ask for what he should say, until the waitress came. "Here are your orders!" She happily states, placing the two plates of fries and a plate of burger on the table, the look she had at noticing Saitama seems to be gone.
Tomoko stares at Saitama, and that was his cue to say something, anything that pops into his mind. "Oh, thanks," he began, he looks down to his fries, and just as the waitress started to leave, he then added, "Ah, and also..."
The waitress stops, and waits for whatever Saitama has to say. Tomoko hid her anticipation behind her arms which rests upon the table, and she observes.
"Also..."
"Yes?" The waitress smile drops and she simply blinks.
...
...
Saitama takes a fry from his plate and held it up, "Do you guys even know how to make this thin and soft?"
...
...
...WHAT?!
Tomoko stared in utter disbelief at the stupid saying, the waitress was confused.
"Oh, and also you're cute."
ARE YOU KIDDING?! Tomoko, or anyone she knows, could EVER be that direct!
"...That's about it." He finished.
The waitress had no training whatsoever to know how to respond to that, "U-um. Thank you? I-I'll go and ask about your order." With that, she quickly went to escape.
"...How was that?" Saitama turns to Tomoko, just in time for her to grabs his cheeks and stretch them.
"Let me see if there's a bigger idiot under this mask."
Saitama simply blinked, "That's my actual skin."
"Then I guess you're just an alien!" Tomoko lets go and grunts in frustration, mixed in having to laugh at such a failure and embarrassed that anyone has saw this. "Seriously, what the hell was that?! There's no way she's gonna want to talk with you anymore!"
"...You think so?"
"Are you that weird?!" Tomoko questions. Saitama frowned slightly, "I tried my best. If this didn't work out there's other girls out there."
"Right, and it would be a miracle that you can get one of them with that tactic of yours," The girl burst in sarcasm, "Geez, you're gonna take a lot of work." She takes a fry and threw it in her mouth, frowning to show her disapproval to the bald man.
"...Did you just take my fry?"
Tomoko stopped chewing, "Did I?" She looks to where she grabbed, "Oh, I guess I did. Well call that punishment for your bad first attempt, you Martian." She swallowed, "A good example too."
She didn't see a vein pop from Saitama's bald head, what she did noticed however was the finger coming closer to her forehead. One tap, an annoying tap.
"First of all, don't take another man's fry."
Two taps, this time it hurt.
"Don't eat a man's fry."
Three taps and Tomoko cried out at each small hits.
"And especially, don't take the only fry I like that's thin and soft!" Saitama ends his scold with a final tap and Tomoko fell back with a cry. Pressing her palms to her forehead, she sat back up with struggle, "Y-You jerk! I've been nothing but help to you! This is the thanks I get?!" She whined so to sooth her pained forehead.
"All you've been doing is being all pushy, it's another level though, to take another man's fry." Saitama defends.
"It was just a fry you jerk!"
"No fry is just a fry when I have them."
Back and forth they bitter and bitter, until they decide to stop just so they can eat their food, grumpily, and Tomoko moved far away from Saitama in the same booth. When they completed their meal, Tomoko and Saitama paid their food, left the restaurant with the shopping bags in hand, and head for home. Not one spoke up on the way there.
This was there first argument that truly got heated on both parties, over a simple single French fry.
They reach home just as the sun was setting, and walk up the stairs to the door that belongs to Tomoko. Saitama knocks on it and calls out to Genos, the door opens, and Genos is revealed. "Just in time Master, I've finished renovating every room." They come in to see if it was true, and it was, especially the kitchen and living room. It all looks so brand new, Tomoko is really looking forward to moving here. Definitely, so that she can see less of the hobbyist.
"Better put up the stuff we have for this place then," Saitama said.
"No, it's fine," Tomoko steps up and takes the bags from Saitama's hands, "I can handle this myself. Thanks." Her gratitude was flat, still sour over the fry fiasco after all. Saitama watched her go and sat down, beginning to take out some things from the bags herself. "...Alright." There was no notable sound in his tone, just accepting this. "I'll...bring the bed over. Be right back." Saitama goes, with Genos following him. Tomoko watch their departure, and continues her unpacking.
"I can't believe that jerk. Over a fry even!" Tomoko bitters to herself often, all the way to putting food in her own fridge. "I'm glad I'm moving here! I was tired having to share everything anyway! Ha! Guess he'll still be dealing with that." It may also seem like it was unlucky for her since it's Genos, but this is an advantage for her, she won't have to be so scared to make herself look like a fool in front of him.
This certainly calls for a bowl of ice cream.
Saitama is a simple man, but sometimes he can be in between, for example, right now, he feels that maybe he reacted a bit much, but still also believed that it was a justifiable reaction. You don't just take another man's fry and be so inconsiderate about it. Still, he's to have made a grudge within Tomoko, even if his reaction to be angry was still justified, maybe he didn't have to tap her forehead so many times, she's a underweight, if he wasn't so careful, he really could have seriously hurt her.
After that thought came, Saitama now felt guilty.
'I should probably apologize.' He thought to himself as he rolled Tomoko's mattress and tied around it to hold it together, he gives one look to Genos who looks to be writing something, he pays not too much to it and goes back out to drop off the mattress. However, when he was just in front of Tomoko's door, he was having second thoughts of talking to her right now. 'She's probably, no, definitely still mad. She might not want to see me right now.' So he puts down the mattress, rings the doorbell, and then leaves.
He'll apologize tomorrow when Tomoko is in a better mood.
Having just turn on the TV with a bowl of ice cream in hand, the doorbell rang. Tomoko goes and opens the door an inch, only to see nobody but the mattress on her doorstep. 'Ch. Not man enough to face me? I thought you were to powerful to care about that.' Tomoko carries, with some difficulties, the mattress inside her new place, into the living room, and leaves it in a corner before sitting back down in front of the tv and enjoying her sweet cold treat.
Now this is living it right, just her and her own place, not having to see that hobbyist whom she's so angry at. Actually, she doesn't have to see anyone for that matter, yep this is totally awesome! Having to sleep in her own place by herself. With no one around her. She's...
Alone.
Tomoko froze, holding up the spoonful of ice cream.
She's alone. She finally has some space for herself, while this will bring more convenience for herself. She's by herself.
'I-I'm not scared! Th-This is going to be great! Yeah! It has too!'
The sky has darkened, and something came up on TV. Of all things, it has to show a horror movie, and immediately gets into a scary moment. Tomoko quickly shut the TV off with the remote, "Ah..Aha, ha ha, horror movies are so dumb. They're not even real, why should I be so scared..." She shook her head, "I need some other entertainment, like, Manga!"
She goes to her bag and picks out one manga she found in this world and hasn't read before, she started reading it, and was kind of put off by the plot, but this was nothing new, she's always use to reading mangas like this. She always have no trouble getting through with mangas that has bad plots, she's seen it all.
But something's different, not the manga itself, something just feels so off. Usually she really doesn't mind reading through this bad plot, but now it's getting harder and harder to bear through with it. There was just something missing. Something she's come to be accustom to.
A lack of company.
'No no! I'm totally fine by myself! I always had, even back home!' Back home, where she may never go back to, where no one here truly knows her here.
Everything stilled, and Tomoko started to shake.
This isn't good, this isn't right. She's by herself, in a world where literally there's no one else she can associate with, it's nothing new like back home only...There's no one she can complain to, or see a familiar face.
The first feeling she had when she realized her position was utter terror at the fact that she is without anyone in another world, it was a feeling she swore she could die from. Tomoko started to breathe heavily.
"I-I don't want this..." It was getting darker, though thanks to the lights being on, she hasn't completely lost it, yet the idea that the power could go out shook her very core.
"I-I need someone...I need to talk to someone..." She mutters.
There's only two people in this apartment she can socialize with. But can she really? Genos she couldn't talk for a minute without avoiding eye-contact, and Saitama is probably still bitter about her over the stupid French fry. But Tomoko couldn't handle another moment like this, she just can't. It didn't matter how angry he might still be, or how angry he made her, she needs someone right now.
With eyes starting to dwell with tears, Tomoko starts to the door.
Saitama was in the middle of scratching his butt while watching TV, also being weird out by Genos constant staring, he was surprised to hear the doorbell. "Is that Tomoko?"
Genos answered for him, "I detect similar readings like hers."
Saitama goes and answers the door. It was indeed Tomoko outside, but he blinked in surprise yet again when he sees her head down, eyes hidden by her bangs. "Yeah?" He asked.
Tomoko shuffled, "C-can y-you t-talk w-with m-me, f-for a s-sec, no, m-moment?" There was something in her tone, something which Saitama himself hadn't sound in a long time. There was definitely something going on for Tomoko to sound like how she use to when they first met.
He steps outside, leaving the door ajar by an inch. "Something wrong with the room?" Saitama has no idea what's going on with Tomoko, but he's starting to get worried.
Tomoko shook her head, "I-I just, needed to talk to s-someone."
He lowered himself, "What's up?" Tomoko hesitated, twisting her shirt and still not making eye-contact, it really is like the reset button was hit, and that really made Saitama concerned. "You can talk to me." He added.
Again she hesitated, "Um, well," Tomoko started, "H-How's Genos being?"
"Mmm...He's still weird, just kind of keeps writing down on his notebook. I don't know what he's writing about."
"Oh." Tomoko said, "A-Are you guys going to bed soon?"
"Yeah, pretty soon." Somehow that made Tomoko act even meeker. Saitama then knew, not exactly, but he knew that there's something really bothering Tomoko, there has to be if she had come to him despite his thoughts of her angry. Guess she's not anymore.
Even so, with Tomoko here, he's pushed himself to say it, "Hey, about the French fry." He scratch his cheek and looks aside, "I'm sorry. I overreacted." The girl flinched at his apology, she paused the twisting to her shirt.
"...You were being so dramatic, you jerk."
Saitama figured he'd take that, but Tomoko shook her head, "No, no. I'm...Sorry about that."
"It's fine." He said simply.
They stood there together, the silence growing, but Saitama noticed Tomoko being more relaxed, although there's still something else she has in her mind. He didn't know exactly what, and he's not sure how he can help, but he's still willing to try. What kind of hero would ignore anyone obviously in distress?
"You know, Tomoko," Saitama began, "If there's ever anything that's a problem to you, anything really. Come talk to me if you want." He hasn't got much to do even after being in the hero business now.
Tomoko finally looked up to her, and Saitama saw a hint of pink in her eyes. She asked, "Really?"
He answered, "Yeah. I mean if you're okay with us being friends," he doesn't know any teenager at Tomoko's age be friends with a twenty-five year old guy, usually it should be people at the same age group who would get along, but that didn't really matter to him now. "I'll listen whatever's on your mind."
Her eyes shone for some reason, and she looked down, her shoulders stiffened before they slumped like he'd lift a heavy boulder off of her shoulder. Well that's gotta be good, he thought.
"There's...not really anything on my mind right now. At least, not anymore." Tomoko looks back at him one more time, "So you are willing to spend a moment of your time just to have a conversation with me?" She questioned seriously.
"Weren't we doing that?" Saitama asked.
"No, I mean really talk, sure like how we usually do. But, problems." Tomoko realized herself gripping to her shirt and she lets go, "I'll admit, I've been having problems...talking to strangers. So, if you're really serious about conversing with me, I'll be taking that seriously to work up my social skills again."
Saitama had no problems with that, he shrugged and stand up straight, "I don't mind. You can still come over whenever you want, or hang out at your place."
A short pause, "Ok." She responds. "That's...really all I needed...Thanks."
The hobbyist gave her a small smile, "No problem. Night." He waves at her as Tomoko goes back to her new place, she returns his wave with her own, and they enter their homes.
"What did Kuroki-san wish to discuss?" Genos questioned when Saitama came in sight.
"Just a talk," The hero answers, "We should get to bed now."
"Yes." Genos agrees, or perhaps simply following someone he perceives as his teacher's orders. They unraveled their mattress, through the oddity of gaining a new roommate yet successfully dressing into their pajamas, turn of all electronics, and settled in their beds. However, the phone belonging to Saitama suddenly buzzed, it took him by surprise since he rarely gets messages, so it would make sense that he believes it was from Tomoko.
He checks his inbox, and he was right. A message from Tomoko, he reads it even though he's heard that it's bad to look at your phone up close in the dark.
'Hey, I know I said that I didn't had anything else to talk about. But something came in mind. I mean, it's too late anyway, I can just talk to you tomorrow.'
Saitama isn't necessarily that tired yet. He texts back, 'I don't mind. Go ahead.'
A moment of waiting, and he gets a response. 'Okay, so have you heard of this manga?' She sends the title. Saitama responds that he has, and Tomoko answers, 'This manga is so lame! I swear if it's popular this is the definition of overrated.'
He answers that he couldn't agree more. It is a half-assed story.
A friend. Saitama had called her a friend. Forget the age difference, she's made someone who she can see as a friend. It never was obvious to her, so for Saitama to call the both of them friends shocked her. After leaving him, she tried so hard not to cry or it may be so loud that he'll come back and check what was wrong, when really she's never been more happy in her life since she started high school.
The shock was so intense that Tomoko didn't think, when already in bed, she texted to Saitama. God she was such an idiot! She feels like she's this clingy girl who would text to their friends constantly and at inappropriate times! Thankfully, Saitama didn't mind, and they talked again through messaging. As friends.
Tomoko wasn't sure if she should be celebrating that she has actually gain a friend, or be so depressed that her first friend made in this new world is a character from a Manga. It's even sadder that it's with a guy who's in the same situation as her. Did he at least have one friend he knows in his life? It was scary how similar they really are...
At least it's somebody. That conclusion was enough to text to Saitama for an hour before falling asleep in peace.
Thank you for reading! Please leave a kind and honest review!