We're over budget this week. Noriko's eyes narrowed on the sheet of paper laying before her on the table. She looked through the receipts again, punching numbers into the calculator and trying to determine where they were overspending. A glance across the table at Saitama made her quirk an eyebrow. He's staring at me again. It had been a few days since her encounter with Sonic. She had managed to get away from him and get home just as they were about to leave to search for her. Now she was just trying to get things back to normal, but Saitama seemed convinced that something had happened to her while she was out that day. "Hn…what are you looking at?" she finally asked.

He leaned over to look at the budget sheet, his expression blank. "How's it look?"

"We're over budget this week." Her ears went back and she tapped the end of her pen against the table's surface. "I just…don't get it. Genos usually gets the groceries and pays the bills. He gave me his receipts so they add up, but there are some extras. Did he just pick them up off the street and mean to throw them away?"

"Huh? Wait, which ones?" Saitama lifted the stack of receipts that she pushed toward him and skimmed them briefly. "Oh, yeah. These are mine."

"Wh-what?! Saitama, why are you…I mean, why is there a receipt for so many snacks? Did they even make it to the apartment?"

He scratched his stomach beneath his shirt and shrugged. "I didn't think I got that many. Sheesh, I should pay better attention next time."

Just stop buying snacks! Why do you even buy them when I never see you eating them? You usually just take some of mine, don't you? Noriko set down her pen and sighed in frustration. She took a deep breath, trying to maintain a sense of calm, and felt him begin to pet behind her right ear.

"Don't worry about it. We fought more monsters recently, right?"

Despite her irritation, she began to purr and her tail curled in contentment. What's wrong with him? He's usually so good about not spending a lot of money. Did he just stop caring? Noriko pulled away and stood, stretching briefly. She had intended to go make tea, but when she saw the time she frowned. Genos still isn't back and it's getting close to dinner time. A glance around the apartment showed that it was a little messier than usual. He's only been gone since this morning. How did it get this bad this quickly?

"Are you going to the store? We should have something with seaweed for dinner."

"Hn…I'm going to the store and grabbing the mail," she replied. "Do you want to go with me?" It was clear when he picked up a manga that he had no intention of joining her. She pulled on a hooded jacket, settled her sheathed swords on her back, and left the apartment.

Outside, the weather was cooler than it had been for the past several days. It put her in a slightly better mood, but there was still plenty that was bothering her. After returning from her encounter with Sonic, guilt had started to gnaw at her psyche. The guilt of having murdered innocent people and the guilt of doing what she had done with Sonic. Genos was angry that she had been forced to fight Sonic, going completely by Mumen Rider's explanation of the events. Saitama was subtly trying to get more details from her.

At least I know Sonic won't use it as blackmail, she thought with a grim smile. He said it himself. He doesn't want to have to break me out of jail. If I'm in jail, he can't get to me as easily, right? Her tail swished back and forth lazily as she walked. The store clerk greeted her with a smile, which she returned casually. She got ingredients for dinner and left the store, yawning. Rubbing at her eyes, she could feel that she was being watched. Great, but who is it now? If it's Sonic…Her mouth twisted into a frown. What would I do if it was Sonic? Run? I don't like that every time I see him, we end up doing stuff. Not to mention the fact that I hardly even know him. She scratched the back of her neck and yawned again. Shrugging it off, she continued on her way back home.

Noriko was approaching the big box of mail that the Hero Association had sent when she felt an arm wrap around her to stop her in her tracks. Tilting her head back, she met a pair of gold and black eyes. Instantly, he face turned pink. "G-Genos…you're back."

"I did not mean to be gone for so long. I apologize for leaving you and Master Saitama behind." He looked from her to the box of mail. His day had started with a call to go after a monster, which led to some horrific damage to his body, which led to him spending most of the day getting repaired. The blonde had been glad when he was able to return to City Z and was just on his way to the apartment when he spotted her trying to get the mail. "Did anything happen in my absence?"

"Er…n-not really. Um…hn…well I went over the weekly budget and we're a little over," she confessed. Why is he still holding me? Her heart raced, wondering if he had somehow found out about the incident on the mountain. If he knows, wouldn't he just kill me? I know that he can. I know that he will if I get blacklisted by the Hero Association. To further fuel her fear, Noriko suddenly found herself being lifted and settled over his shoulder. "W-wait, what-?!"

He lifted the box of mail effortlessly and cast a glance behind him, down the street. There was no one in sight, but he could feel that they were being watched. Without a word, he started back to the apartment with Noriko slung over his shoulder. When he finally set her down, ignoring the questioning look Saitama gave him, Genos started sorting through the mail.

The girl's blush gradually faded as she started cooking dinner. So he doesn't know then? A glance over showed that his back was to her. He can't. He would have said something. I'm pretty sure he would have kicked me out of the apartment at the very least. Noriko tried to focus on the meal, hoping to distract herself from the thought of her boyfriend incinerating her. She was watching the meat cook when she heard a knock at the door. Immediately, she feared that it was a representative from the Hero Association.

Saitama crossed the room and opened the door, his dopey smile taking form. "I thought you might've lost track of time," he teased.

"Do you know how hard it is to get through a city without drawing attention to myself?!" a high-pitched female voice demanded. "Where's my big sister?"

"Working on dinner." He moved aside to let Koneko in and closed the door behind her. "Remember the rules."

The child narrowed her eyes at Genos, who merely glanced her way. "Yeah, I know." She hurried into the kitchen and grabbed Noriko in a hug. "Big sister! I came for dinner!"

Noriko's green eyes widened and she cautiously hugged back. "Koneko?" She saw Saitama appear in the doorway, giving her a sheepish look. "Saitama, what's going on?"

"The old guy…er…S-Saitama-san…has been visiting me a lot! He brings me food and manga and tells me stories and-!" Koneko's face turned pink. "Er…I mean, he's been keeping me company."

The older catgirl smirked at her roommate now. "So…is this why we're over budget this week? Why didn't you say so?"

"Are you kidding? I didn't want to look like a creep, but come on! She's just a kid! And she's living out in the woods so…I don't know. I thought I'd go cheer her up one day and it just became a habit," he admitted. "Also, how can you be twelve and never have had instant ramen?!"

Noriko rubbed behind one of Koneko's ears and frowned. "Um…her body looks twelve, but she's only existed for around three years."

"Don't treat me like a kid!" the child pouted. Her tail flicked in agitation.

She was glad when Koneko went to sit with Saitama in the other room. What she did not like was the way that her 'little sister' would occasionally turn to glower at Genos. He seemed to not mind, but it still worried her that the child might try to disembowel him. It would hurt her way more than it would hurt him, she thought. Noriko's left ear twitched as she heard Genos stand and leave the room. Her eyes settled on Koneko and Saitama. She felt guilty for leaving Koneko in the woods, but she was relieved that Saitama had been checking up on her. Watching them, she could tell that he was actually worried about her.

"So how was it today?"

"Hnhnhn~! My boss lady had me track a cow that got loose! It was so stupid; it almost got hit by a truck, but I saved it and got paid double!"

"What was that?" Noriko called from the kitchen.

"What? Oh, I introduced Koneko to this little old lady that has a ranch near the forest. She's been doing odd jobs to get money," Saitama replied casually.

What the hell?! Just how much have I missed out on? She tried to focus on the rest of their conversation, but a shiver ran down her spine. Someone's watching me again. Koneko? No. Those two seem pretty focused on their conversation and that anime that's on. Is it…? Noriko took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. "…Genos…?"

"You received a few threats in the mail today, but I disposed of them." He chose not to tell her about the obscene pictures that he had already burned. Standing behind her, he could see her tail hanging tensely. Her ears were perked forward in alertness, but she seemed lost in thought. She had seemed lost in thought since she returned from her fight with Sonic a few days prior.

Mumen Rider had explained everything to him; she had been accosted by the ninja while they were at the park and then she sacrificed her own safety to lead him away from citizens. A few things bothered him about it. The first being that she had been hanging out with Mumen Rider alone. He had not known that Noriko knew the man, let alone that they were apparently friends. The second thing that bothered him was that Mumen Rider described the way that Sonic looked at the girl as being 'lascivious'. That was what really had him angry.

Noriko turned her gaze to the food, hoping that it would be done soon. With Koneko acting the way she was, she doubted that Genos would return to the other room without her. She absently stirred the soup, wondering if Koneko would ever stop hating the blonde, when she felt an arm wrap around her waist from behind. A hard chest pressed against her back and she blushed red. "I-I'm sort of busy," she murmured, not wanting to draw attention to them.

He frowned and, moving as quietly as possible, turned her so her back was against the fridge. Leaning down, he stared into her eyes in a way meant to be loving, but it translated more as menacing. "I want you to be honest with me, Noriko."

"O-okay…" She bit the inside of her cheek, anxiety building fast. If he knows, he'll know if I'm lying. If I lie, what are the chances that he'll just kill me to get it over with? What about Koneko?! He doesn't have a connection to her so-!

"Did that pervert touch you?"

Her face went bright red and she blinked in surprise. "Wh-what?"

"If he touched you, I will have no choice but to annihilate him. Mumen Rider told me that he was looking at you a certain way and you have been acting different since your last fight with him. Tell me. Did he touch you?"

Instantly, she remembered everything that had transpired between her and the ninja. "N-no! He…he didn't touch me that way!" she lied, stomach aching with guilt. To her relief, Genos seemed content with this answer. He moved as if to pull away, but then leaned in closer again. What else does he want me to say? When he gets this close to me, it makes it hard for me to concentrate. Noriko shifted her gaze away from him. "I-if he ever does…I'll be sure to tell you."

"Good." He drew away from her and turned to leave the room.

Noriko wanted to sigh in relief, but feared that it would raise suspicion. She returned to the stove and started to portion out four meals when she once again felt eyes on her. A glance to her left showed Genos waiting patiently to carry the food out to the table. "Y-you know, I can handle this. You don't have to help me." She tried to focus, but her eyes kept shifting back to him. Why is he just standing there? Is he going to say anything? The girl jumped a little when she felt a hand on her rear, the violet fur on her tail puffing up in alarm. "G-Genos?!"

"What are you guys doing in there?" Saitama looked over in time to see the blonde pulling his hand away from the girl. Before Koneko could look, he quickly distracted her with a manga. "Is dinner almost done?"

"…almost…" Noriko finished portioning the food and carried it over. She sat between Genos and Koneko, not feeling entirely comfortable with the situation. The younger girl was looking around her at the blonde man, glaring and growling every so often. The cyborg ignored it. She looked outside and saw that the sky had grown dark since she returned from the store. Is Koneko going to be okay if it rains? It's starting to get kind of late.

When thunder boomed outside, the smaller catgirl immediately moved closer to Noriko. Saitama watched this and reached over to pat her on the head. "Hey, just stay here tonight. It's probably going to storm anyway."

Why are you so close with Koneko? How did you get her to trust you so much? Feeling the child cling at her side reminded her of the past, when Koneko would latch onto her during storms. "He's right. You're not going back to the forest in this weather."

Koneko's tail twitched. "I can sleep next to you?" She grinned when Noriko nodded. "I want to take a bath with you, big sister! Like we used to!"

"Hn…f-fine." Her ears went back and she ignored the way Saitama snickered. She's essentially only three years old; her body just looks twelve. Besides, I was the first person she ever spoke to. The only person who was constantly there until she killed Kenta and we were separated. Killed…? But he might not be dead. That's right. She felt Koneko hug her arm against her flat chest, trying to eat at the same time. "Hey…no one's been bothering you, right?"

"No one. Well, no one except for that blonde creep," the girl stated, glaring at Genos.

"He's not bothering you."

"He's bothering me by bothering you, big sister! You think I don't know?! I can tell what your relationship is! If he hurts you-!"

"That's enough." Noriko pulled away from Koneko, frowning. "What did I say last time?" Her voice was stern, her green eyes narrowed on the paler green eyes of the child.

Koneko glared up at her defiantly for a moment before slouching. Her eyes grew wet with tears. "You said that not all guys are bad. I know the old guy…er…Saitama-san…I know he's not bad, but you can't tell me that this one isn't! Look at him! He's taking you away from me, big sister!"