The confrontation with the Genos fan club could have been bloody. The fans seemed to want it to be bloody. Some of them came armed. Noriko stood for a short time, listening to their insults and threats. When one girl threw a glass bottle at her head, she swiftly leapt upon the girl and pressed a hand against her throat. "Listen, okay? Because I won't say this more than once…are you listening? I am not some weak-willed little girl that will let others dictate her life. Just because you signed a paper does not mean that I need to do what you say. Do you understand? Do all of you understand?!" She turned to glare at the rest of the group.

"Whoa. Nya-chan the badass," Saitama remarked.

"Noriko, you should refrain from hurting a citizen," Genos pointed out.

"I'm not hurting her." The catgirl's sharp green eyes narrowed upon the girl's dark ones. "I'm not hurting you, am I?" The girl beneath her shook her head vehemently. "Because you would say something if I was hurting you. But I'm not. Am I?" Again, she shook her head. Noriko leaned back on the girl's waist and smirked. "Good. So no one's hurt here. Everyone's fine. And what are you going to do now?"

"I-I'm going to go home…" the girl muttered, trembling violently.

"You are? Well, if you insist." She stood and wiped her hands on the legs of her jeans. When Noriko looked to her companions, she saw that they were staring. "Wh-what? I wanted to make the message clear."

Saitama smiled. "Wow, Genos. Must be nice to have so many girls fighting over you. I didn't think Nya-chan would ever do something like that."

She frowned, ignoring the way Genos continued to stare. "I-I just told you! I just wanted to give them a little scare!" she protested. The group was quickly dispersing, frightened by her abrupt outburst. I don't even care if I lose fans over this. I don't care if I lose a rank in the Hero Association. I just couldn't take any more of their taunting.

The bald hero patted her on the back, eyes shining with amusement. "That was intense, Nya-chan. I didn't think anything could get under your skin like that."

"Hn…I just didn't want them to keep bothering me."

"Noriko, by taking action against them you might have made them angrier." Genos looked toward the group of retreating fans and frowned. He began to wonder what might have happened if Noriko had been carrying her swords. If she had attacked the girl with a blade, he would have been forced to stop her. The thought of fighting her brought forth bad memories of their sparring sessions.

The three started walking back to the apartment with Noriko silently brooding between the two men. It's not like I meant to lose control like that, but when that bottle almost hit me…I just snapped. Maybe it's all of this stress piling up. What if it's making me crazy? She settled in her usual spot on the floor when they arrived back at the apartment.

Saitama sat nearby and turned on an anime, hoping to calm her down. He had seen her fight in a frenzied state, but that had been against Genos. There had been no danger to her opponent. Seeing her attack a defenseless citizen made him worry a little. After all, she did have some feline instincts and from what he knew, cats were sadistic when it came to prey. He cautiously reached over to pet behind her right ear and was relieved to hear her purr. "You okay?" The man got his answer when her cheek rubbed against his hand. "Don't worry about it. They were harassing you. A person can only take so much, right?"

"Noriko, what would you have done if you had your swords with you?"

She shifted her eyes to Genos and slouched. "I wouldn't have killed her. You should know that. Do you really think that I would try to kill an innocent person?" To her surprise, he sat beside her and drew her close against his side.

"I know that the human part of you would not want to hurt an innocent person, but the cat part of you is different. A cat's hunting instinct-"

"Hey, how about we just talk about something else?" Saitama interrupted. "What was that you were saying about those rat monsters?"

"Hn. They were part of my fan club, I guess." Noriko's feline ears flattened, her tail drooping at her side. She was thinking back to what she had said before. I have killed innocent people. That time on the mountain, when I had to help Sonic. I'm glad that Genos didn't bring that up, but it still makes me feel awful when I think about it.

"That's pretty cool. You have rat monster fans. Kind of weird though since you fight rat monsters. Did they want an autograph?"

The rest of the day went without incident, though Noriko spent most of the time worrying over when the next rat monster would appear. She woke the next morning to find Genos gone. Sitting up, the girl ran her fingers through her long purple hair and sighed. There was a note sitting next to her, stating that he had gone to fight a monster. Great…huh? She blinked, realizing that Saitama was sitting just a short distance away. "Uh…were you awake when he left?" Noriko scratched at her ear, frowning.

"Yeah. I told him I could just tell you where he went."

"Hn. He sure likes fighting monsters." She stretched her arms over her head and yawned, her tail flicking back and forth. "So…did you already have breakfast?"

"Nope. I know you like cooking," he said with a dopey smile.

The catgirl scowled when she realized that she was still wearing what she slept in; a black tank top and panties. With a sigh, she started rummaging in her bag for a clean shirt. A sharp yelp escaped her when a sweatshirt landed over her head. "S-Saitama, what-?!"

"You were looking for a shirt, right? Just use that."

She pulled it off of her head and examined it with a frown. It was his 'oppai' sweatshirt that he seemed to be so fond of. "Hn. I don't think so."

"I just washed it," he argued. "It's not like there's something wrong with it."

No, but it's weird for a girl to wear something like this. Not about to keep the argument going, Noriko pulled it on over her tank top. It reached to just below her thighs, efficiently covering her panties and hiding them from sight. "I guess I could wear it, but don't laugh at me."

He glanced over from the television, watching her walk to the kitchen. "Why would I laugh? You look cute in that."

"I look ridiculous." She stepped into the kitchen and looked around, trying to decide what to cook. Omelet with rice? Or I could do something else, I guess. I wish Genos was still here. Collecting some ingredients, she settled on omelets. "You know…it's like he can't refuse a request from the Hero Association."

"You've never turned down a request, have you?"

"No, but I don't just disappear like he does." Noriko frowned, trying not to sound angry. It's just frustrating to wake up to find him gone like this. He left a note, but…I worry about him. I know he's a cyborg so he doesn't get hurt as easily, but still! She jumped a little, feeling a hand on her back. "Hn. Don't sneak up on me like that, Saitama."

"What are you making?" He leaned over the pan and smiled. "That looks good."

"I make this all the time. It's nothing special. So do you have plans today?"

"I'm visiting Koneko later and we're going to King's to play some games. What? You want to go with me?" Saitama's smile grew. "Do you miss Genos already?"

"I was just curious. I know he's coming back." Her tail puffed up in alarm when she felt his hand slip a little lower down her spine. What is he doing? He's getting too close to the base of my tail. I don't want a repeat of what happened last time. That was so embarrassing!

He watched her cook, having nothing better to do. When she seemed to relax a little more, her tail started to absently shift behind her. It curled at the end and lifted a little, dragging up the hem of the sweatshirt. To his surprise, she appeared completely oblivious to the sudden exposure of the back of her pale thighs and her black panties. "I'm surprised you haven't been called to any monster fights lately. I heard there were a lot of dog monsters in the other cities."

She shrugged and started plating their meals. "Yeah, well it's probably for the best."

Saitama followed her to the table and sat next to her. "Yeah, but it's kind of personal, isn't it? I mean, it's pretty obvious. Kenta made them."

Noriko began to eat, trying not to think about it. "Hn. Not so much 'made'. The only thing he even partially created on his own was Koneko and even then, he apparently took something from me to create her. For them, he just altered feral dogs."

He lifted a forkful of food to his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. "I keep forgetting that she's your kid. It's weird to think of it that way."

She bowed her head and continued eating. Speaking of Koneko, she'll need new supplies soon. A better tent. Or maybe I could pay the old rancher rent so Koneko can stay in her house. She's going to need winter clothes, too. Saitama said that the old woman gave her some of her old clothes, but Koneko deserves her own stuff. Noriko began considering all of the expenses as she ate, making notes once her meal had been devoured.

Saitama looked over and frowned. "You're going to stress yourself out if you keep worrying about things," he remarked. "Like Koneko. You know she's okay for now."

"I can't help but worry," she stated simply. "There's that, Kenta, the rat monster that's supposedly coming, Sonic, and a bunch of other things." Noriko sighed and closed her eyes when she felt a warm hand rubbing behind one of her feline ears. "Hn…that's not going to work this time. There's too much…" To her embarrassment, a loud purring issued from her throat and she nuzzled the top of her head against his fingers. Damn it. I'm pathetic.

"Good kitty. See? Just don't worry about it. Doesn't that feel good?"

She snickered. "That just…sounds wrong. Don't word it like that." Her body fell onto its side, relaxing across his lap. This only added to her humiliation, but when she felt his free hand run along her back she could not deny that it felt soothing. Eyes opening halfway, she looked at the television screen. An anime was playing, but it was one that she had seen before.

His gaze shifted from the anime to the girl lying across his lap. Her long violet hair was hanging over her face and felt soft when his fingertips brushed over it. The girl's tail curled at the end in bliss when he pushed his other hand beneath the hem of the sweatshirt and then the tank top. Her bare back felt soft and smooth under his fingers. It abruptly reminded him of the position he was in. Genos was out of the apartment and Noriko was sprawled across his lap with her head resting on his knee. With one hand up the back of her shirt and his other hand rubbing behind her ear. If someone were to walk in on them in their current position, it could look very bad. "Hey, Nya-chan?"

"Hn…sorry. Do you need me to move?"

"No. Never mind." He tried to focus on the anime, but her tail's movement drew his attention back to the girl. Her tail was slowly swaying side to side, drawing the back of the shirt up so her panties were visible. The man shifted a little in discomfort and it made her jolt.

"Are you sure you don't need me to move?" Noriko was enjoying her back and feline ears being rubbed, but knew at the back of her mind that what they were doing was weird. It feels really good though. Damn these feline tendencies. When he drew his hand away from her ear, she leaned up to rub her cheek against his fingers. "Hn. Sorry," she muttered, her face turning pink with shame. "It's…a cat thing."

"No, it's cool." His fingertips brushed beneath her chin, distracting her as his eyes settled on the area just above the base of her tail. "So that really feels good, huh?"

"Y-yeah. It's annoying though. It makes me seem less than human."

"You know, you're kind of more than human. You're human and cat. At least you don't get hairballs, right?" Saitama continued to stare at the spot above her tail, using every ounce of self-control to not touch it. "Besides, it's cute when you purr."

"I'm supposed to be a hero; not a housecat." Despite this, she continued to purr and rub her cheek against his hand. Kenta never even tried this. The thought didn't even cross his mind, I'll bet. So how did Saitama know that-? A low sound left her lips and her back arched so her rear lifted in the air. Pleasure raced along her spine and filled her body with a growing warmth as fingertips massaged the spot above her tail's base. "Ngh! S-Saitama, don't~"

"It's really that sensitive?" he asked, tilting his head. "I thought you might have just been overreacting last time, but you really can't control it, can you? Cats are interesting."

"S-stop…please…this is embarrassing~" The words left her in a moan, her back arching a little more and her nails digging into the floor beneath her.

"Huh? But this is so fun." Saitama looked up when he heard a pounding at the apartment door. "Genos? Did you forget your key?" He left Noriko, approaching the door with no hesitation whatsoever. When he opened it, he stared at the visitor with slight surprise. "What are you doing here?"

From her seat on the floor, still wearing Saitama's sweatshirt, Noriko could see Sonic standing in the hallway beyond. Damn it! What is he doing here?! She moved quickly, trying to hide near the balcony doors. At the same time, her phone began to ring in her bag.

"Send Noriko out. I know she's in there," the ninja demanded.

"Huh? Why do you need Noriko? And anyway, I'm pretty sure she doesn't want to talk to you. Go home, Sonic."

Noriko hurried to grab her phone, tripping and falling over the bag on her way back toward the balcony. Wincing and knowing that both men could see her panties now, she tried to answer her phone calmly. "Noriko here…er…Samurai Catgirl."

"Samurai Catgirl? I'm with the Hero Association. Is it true that you attacked a member of the Genos fan club yesterday in the middle of a busy street?"

She recognized the voice as the staff member who usually gave her requests and her ears drew back. "Hn…I didn't attack her. I had a talk with her."

"The girl, Yaya, is saying that you threw her down in the street and snapped her arm in half. Are you aware that you caused this injury? We don't take kindly to heroes injuring normal citizens, Samurai Catgirl. Starting today, you will be put on probation and suspended from pay for the next month. You can go on missions, but you will not be able to move up in rank or receive payment. If you commit a second offense against a citizen, you will be taken into police custody. We take attacks against citizens very seriously."