Miyu's face started to heat up to red and she turned away from the two heroes. Genos was arguing with Saitama behind her and she approached the edge of the roof, frowning as she tried to arrange her hair to cover her left eye. I just said something that embarrassing…right in front of him! This could only get worse…
Saitama stared down at her from where he was abruptly standing in front of Miyu and raised an eyebrow. "Oh, hey. What happened to your face? That looks pretty bad."
She stepped back, wincing when he poked at her bandaged cheek with a fingertip. "It's…it's nothing," she protested.
"Master. She jumped onto this rooftop," Genos spoke up, approaching them.
"Huh? What? Like…from the fire escape?" he asked, nodding toward the taller building.
"No. She-"
"I jumped up from the ground." Miyu lifted a shaking hand and pushed a strand of pink hair behind her ear, revealing her left eye. She quickly looked away when he tilted his head. "I got in a fight and…I scraped the side of my face. My eye turned red and..." She went on to explain the rest to the two heroes.
Genos appeared to be listening intently while Saitama almost looked like he was just zoning out. When she finished, the cyborg was the first one to speak again. "What sort of enhancement do you have? That big of a change can only be from cybernetic enhancement."
"Huh? I mean, I bet it's something she was probably born with." The bald hero rubbed at the back of his head and looked to Genos. "Right? What's the word? Like when something's asleep. Like a disease. Or like those big monsters that sleep under mountains in monster movies. Oh. Wait, maybe like a volcano?"
The cyborg blinked slowly. "Master, are you thinking of the word "dormant"?"
He smiled and smacked a fist against his open hand. "Yeah, that's it. Maybe the whole super jump thing was just an ability you were born with and it was just dormant. So almost getting killed woke it up." Saitama rested a hand on her shoulder and leaned down. "Or you were experimented on as a kid and it's some kind of science thing," he joked.
Miyu had to laugh. "N-no way! I really don't know what it is, but it's helping me so I'm not going to question it too much."
"Oh right. Your tests are coming up, right? What class do you think you'll get put into?"
"She is likely to be put into Class C, if she passes." Genos met his master's curious stare with a firm one. He looked down at the pink-haired girl and clearly showed his disdain for how much attention Saitama was giving her. "The hero test is about more than just physical ability."
She bristled a little, but managed to bite her tongue to stop herself from showing her annoyance. "I've been studying for months," she answered simply.
Saitama awkwardly stood between them and even more awkwardly changed the subject. "That eye looks pretty red. Doesn't it hurt?" He leaned down closer to get a better look.
Self-conscious again, she shifted her eyes to the side. "No. It doesn't hurt, it isn't dry, and when I used eye drops, it didn't change."
"Weird." His expression brightened a little and he straightened up. "Hey. I want to see how much you can do now. Let's play a game or something."
"A game? Master, are you talking about sparring-?"
"No way. I wouldn't want to fight Miyu anyway. I'm talking about a game. That's totally different."
The girl pushed her hands into her pockets, feeling a pang in her chest. She could not help but wonder if he was reluctant to fight her because he was sure she would be unable to keep up with him. "What kind of game?"
"How about tag?" Saitama walked away from both of them, moving toward the far edge of the rooftop and studying the horizon. Looking over his shoulder at them, his expression turned serious. "Whoever gets the closest to catching me wins. So both of you try your best."
Miyu blinked and he was gone. "Wait…that isn't fair-!"
"Show Master Saitama your skills if you're so confident in them," Genos spoke before blasting off using the boosters in his shoulders and elbows.
How does he even know where Saitama went?! She blinked again and gritted her teeth, hands curling into fists. How can I win this? I'm up against a cyborg! Even if Genos was normal…Saitama's amazing! There's no way I can keep up with him! Her vision started to distort on the left side as everything tinted red.
Sprinting along the rooftop, she knew she had to just do the best she could. Even if she was unable to catch Saitama, at least she could practice her jumps. Miyu leapt high onto the next roof and caught sight of Genos far ahead of her, searching for the older hero.
She frowned to herself as a sudden feeling came to her. Like an instinct. Miyu turned her gaze to the street below and saw a shock of red and white before Saitama disappeared and reappeared in front of her. A fingertip tapped her nose, making it twitch, and she leapt back. "What-?!"
He tilted his head, hands going into the pocket of his hoodie. "Huh? You know the point of the game is to try to catch me, right? You should've tried to grab my hand. You might've been able to win."
"That's…that's a cheap way to win," she argued.
His dopey expression turned serious again. "I'll take it easier on you so you don't get discouraged, but you have to give it your all."
"I can do it!" Miyu rushed forward as he leapt back and onto the next roof with ease; not taking his eyes off of her. She watched him closely to study his movements and hoped there would be some sort of pattern to when he dodged her hands, but it seemed to be random.
The girl saw Genos quickly approaching and felt her adrenaline surge. I have to win this! I can't let him beat me! I have to show them both that I have what it takes! Come on! Just…have to be faster! She surged forward and her eyes widened as she found herself getting within inches of Saitama before he disappeared and reappeared further back.
He stared at her curiously for a moment before his expression turned intense again. "That's more like it." As Genos got close, Saitama dodged and disappeared over the side of the building into an alley.
Miyu watched Genos pursue him and her gut told her not to go that way. Instead, she leapt up onto the next ledge with ease and observed the scene below. In the narrow alley, the cyborg was making quick grabs at Saitama to try to catch him, but he was unable to get even slightly close. When the bald hero seemed to get bored, he jumped up and that was when Miyu made her move.
The pink-haired girl leapt outwards with her arms out, intending to grab onto him. If nothing else, he would catch her if she pretended to be falling. She just knew it. He was one of the most amazing heroes she had ever seen so he had to get close to help her.
This was not the case. Either he was too caught up in the game or he thought she would save herself because Saitama let her drop through the air toward the alley below. Miyu made a frantic grab for the ledge of a windowsill and instead felt her fingers brush over warm skin. She lifted her head to see what this was, but before her brain could register anything, she was suddenly standing upright on the windowsill and looking down at Genos.
What…just happened? That wasn't Saitama. She knew it was not Saitama; he had been above her saying something to Genos. Miyu looked at her hand and her nose twitched. What happened? She lifted her gaze to Saitama up above as she leapt to the next roof.
Not about to let this brief instance of weirdness stop her from winning, she ran at Saitama to grab at him. Her eyes widened as her fingertips swiped across his sleeve and saw a slice open in the fabric. Wait. What? What did I just-?
"Why'd you have to take it out on my sweatshirt? If you wanted to play, too, you could've just said something," he spoke, looking down at the damage done to his hoodie. The hero lifted his head and appeared to be looking at Miyu at first, but then his stare fixed on something behind her.
Saitama's mouth curled into that dopey smile of his. "You wanted to play with us, right? That's why you did this to my sweatshirt. Why didn't you just say so? Oh. Wait. Sorry. You didn't tell her yet, did you?"
Miyu felt a tingle run along her spine as she sensed something directly behind her. It was just for a split second before a metal projectile flew past Saitama's head, glinting in the sunlight. What is behind me?! She turned her head, but it was too late. Whatever it was, it had disappeared without a trace.
Genos came bursting out of the alley, making a grab for Saitama and missing by inches. He twisted in mid-air and landed on the rooftop in a crouched position, the boosters on his shoulders blazing orange and ready to send him flying at the bald hero again. "I am not going to lose this game. Master, I will prove to you that-"
The hero yawned widely and tucked his hands into his pocket. "I think I'm done. It was kinda fun for a while, but I want to go home and check the news for monster sightings." He hopped over the edge of the roof and the two teenagers followed behind him; too curious to walk away so soon. Saitama glanced back at them and quirked an eyebrow. "What's up?"
"Master, who was the winner?"
"Huh? I mean, isn't it obvious? Miyu's the winner here. She actually touched me and that's about as close to catching me as either of you could probably get. I'm not saying you can't get better at it, though. Genos, you probably would've done better if you didn't spend so much time trying to plan a strategy. She just went with her instincts, right, Miyu?"
She jolted a little, having been lost in thought. Still curious about the thing that had been behind her and the way Saitama talked to it. "Yeah. Um…I just went with my gut," she replied.
"Not that I'm saying her technique was perfect," Saitama continued. "Miyu's pretty fast, but her overall strength isn't great. Not to mention she's not a cyborg. So you both had your own strengths and weaknesses here." He gave them a thumbs-up and said without blinking, "Hey, if you fused, you'd make a pretty decent fighter, right?"
Genos stared at him for a long moment before nodding like Saitama had said something profound. Like it was somehow the best idea he had ever heard. "Yes. Master, if I were to fuse with Miyu, I would gain her instincts and-"
"Seriously? It was a joke." He shook his head and looked at Miyu. "You okay?"
"Yeah. I'm fine," she lied. The girl put on a small smile, but it did not reach her eyes. She was so worried about the thing that had been behind her earlier that she was distracted from the fact that she had actually beaten Genos at something. "Sorry about your sleeve."
This drew the cyborg's attention to Saitama's hoodie and he frowned. "Master, what happened to your sleeve? I was sure that she was unarmed-"
"What? This?" Saitama lifted his arm to give them both a better view. "It's not a big deal. Besides, it wasn't Miyu's fault. I think he just got jealous and couldn't help himself."
"Um…what?" Miyu glanced over at Genos, but quickly dismissed the idea that he had done something. Genos wouldn't do anything like that to Saitama. He looks up to him too much. Maybe he meant a monster that he plays games with?
Just thinking about that feeling earlier made her shiver. The feeling of someone or something right behind her. Goose bumps formed on her skin and the hair stood up on the back of her neck. The girl felt a tingle run along her spine and subconsciously looked over her shoulder just to make sure no one was there.
"That is unacceptable. If she is going to associate with people like him-"
"I don't think she knew he was here," Saitama interrupted. "Hey, Miyu. You came alone, right?"
She shook out of her thoughts and nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I came here alone. Um…I should go home. My friend is probably waiting for me," she explained. The girl bowed slightly to the two heroes. "Thank you for playing that game with me. I feel like it helped me get better at controlling my speed and jumps."
Her friend nodded back. "Any time. Hey, do you want me to walk with you to the fence? The sun's coming up more so there might be more monsters than when you came in."
"No, it's okay! I actually…kind of want to see if I can fight one. I won't look for one, but if I come across one…"
"You're really fired up, huh? Alright. Good luck, Miyu."
She jogged down the street, her pulse beating faster as the vision on her left turned red. The girl was on high alert now that she was alone. What was behind me earlier? Whatever it was, Saitama didn't seem concerned with it. Not that anything really seems to scare him. But what did he mean when he was talking about someone being jealous?