Chapter 15: Lunch x Omen x Troll.
Provisional preliminary note:
Greetings, before you start reading this chapter, dear anonymous reader, it is necessary to clarify one thing, do you remember the indications in the preamble? I want to ask you the favor that, if you remember them, you partially forget them during reading. The following chapter is provisionally and temporarily written in another format in order to assess the desirability of a possible format adjustment.
Dialogues:
"Your fingers just press buttons, my fingers dance on the gamepad," Kingu said. "You understand? We are not the same."
Non-Indirect internal dialogues:
«The monsters are stopping appearing,» Tatsumaki thought suspiciously. «They can't stop showing up just like that, they must be somewhere.»
One year, five months, three weeks and six days before Vaccine Man's attack.
Early in the morning, in a rented apartment in Z-City, an ordinary man, bland, unremarkable, unqualified, untalented and unremarkable, woke up from his dream.
Saitama instantly got up from his bed like a zombie waking up from his grave and went to the bathroom to take a shower. His body felt slightly colder than normal. Certainly leaving that toilet clogged up in the women's restroom at the shelter was an unpleasant and traumatic experience. Fortunately, no one found out, and he was able to get out without having to pay anything. A victory.
Saitama turned on the faucet, the bathtub filled with water and the entire bathroom was covered in thick steam. After several minutes, Saitama got out of the water, pulled the plug on the bathtub drain to let the water out and it slowly started to drain away. Saitama then grabbed the towel, dried himself off and put on his blue exercise suit. He went to look in the mirror to brush his teeth but it was cloudy with moisture, so using his towel, he cleaned the mirror and there he saw something shocking.
He went bald.
…
"WHERE DID MY HAIR GO?!"
At that moment, the sound of the drain resounded in Saitama's ears, drawing his attention. And there… he could see the remains of his hair going down the drain.
Saitama reacted suddenly and reached his arm towards the bathtub drain to try to catch even a single strand of his hair. But it was in vain.
Everything was gone.
…
Saitama just walked out of the bathroom and prepared to wander the streets aimlessly, perhaps in search of an occasional profit or an old newspaper with unclaimed coupons.
Then, at lunchtime...
The streets of N-City were enjoying wonderful peace and quiet, something rare considering that it was the home city of the 'Iron Fisuto' gang. But whatever the reason, no one would miss the opportunity to enjoy the day and above all, a good lunch.
And walking through the crowd, was Kingu, seeking, as always, to go as unnoticed as possible while he went to the meeting place indicated by Silver Fang...
'Will you be busy at noon?... I'd like to treat you to lunch... JC-Stafu Restaurant in N-City...'
Of course, he, as usual, didn't even have time to say 'no' to such an engagement before Silver Fang walked off, leaving him alone with a new item on his agenda. And while he could easily be an asshole and miss the appointment, the truth is that he's not so evil as to turn down the free food.
Unless this was one of those strange invitations, which he had seen in his dating simulators, where everyone paid for their own food. Although, if so, that wouldn't be a problem either; the association would pay for it.
Nevertheless…
Suddenly interrupting his thoughts, Kingu's stomach growled. The message was clear: 'stop thinking about moral issues and think about what we will eat'.
«Well, where the stomach rules, the brain doesn't,» Kingu thought, assuming the reality of things.
Also, seeing things from another perspective, what's wrong with an invitation to lunch? Nothing. This is not a duel to the death with pistols and sabers. This isn't an encounter with Tornado of Terror or being locked in a shower with Puri Puri Prisoner. This is just a friendly get together to eat and have a nice time. What other reason would Silver Fang have to talk to him about something?
Unless… Nah, it's not possible. No one knows that he was the one who killed the giant bug yesterday in Z-City; Kingu was sure of that. Besides, even if anyone knew about it, no one could reclaim him for causing collateral damage. Those buildings the monster fell on didn't collapse, so they can't lay a finger on him!
Kingu finally reached the meeting point and entered the restaurant. It was a place with a good atmosphere, it almost seemed like a temple dedicated to food and dragons. Neither very fine nor very ordinary; an excellent middle ground. The smell of soy sauce, teriyaki and sweet and sour filled the entire environment; a perfect musk to awaken hunger even in those who were already satiated to the point of being fed up. But something was missing...
Kingu looked from side to side, searching. Where is Silver...?
"Yo, Kingu, you made it!" Silver Fang said, appearing behind Kingu and taking him by surprise.
"Silver Fang!" Kingu exclaimed after turning around and receiving that scare from Bang.
"Oi, you don't have to be so formal. You can call me Bang, okay?"
"Okay."
"Very well, then let's not waste any more time and secure a couple of chairs before someone leaves us without a seat."
Kingu and Bang took a seat at one of the long shared tables in the place, more like a bar counter than anything else. Once seated, a waiter attended to them and, without giving the matter a second thought, they both ordered the house special. For Bang, this was nothing new. To Kingu, this was like playing roulette in an X-City casino with his eyes closed, but when it came to food there was nothing to worry about.
"By the way, during the meeting, you never told us your name," Bang pointed out. "If you don't mind, what's your real name?"
Kingu remained silent.
*Thump* *Thump* *Thump*
In parallel...
At Y-City's most prestigious school, Iden Academy, elementary students in one classroom were using all their young brain cells to count, like atomic clocks, the minutes until the bell rang signaling that lunch time had come.
"And that ends the topic of today's class…" Sekirijo, the course's history teacher, announced.
The students celebrated with euphoria.
"…Time for a quick oral evaluation."
The students snorted in annoyance.
"Well, since I see the geniuses are so motivated, then instead of bonuses for participation, there will be penalties for answering wrong."
Immediately, the teacher located, like a missile system, his first victim; a curly-haired student with his head in his book doing anything but reading.
"First victim, Minoru-kun!"
The call traveled like a bullet and scared Minoru, who slammed his book shut.
"Tell me, Minoru-kun, by what other name is the First Great War also known?"
Minoru muttered and stammered before finally remembering the answer.
"War of the two coalitions, Sekirijo-sensei."
"How well do you remember, and what were the sides involved?"
"The Northern Alliance against the Southern League."
"Right, and what was the result?"
"Tie."
"Not exactly, the final result, to be more exact, was 'indeterminate'."
The teacher went back to explain again that both sides signed an armistice to end hostilities due to the levels of devastation. As far as Minoru cared, much to his relief, he didn't end up receiving negative points; Sekirijo wasn't bad enough to crucify the boy for something so minor.
With things cleared up, the teacher continued his hunt, and the next victim was a lavender-haired girl too interested in her cell phone to prepare for the impending attack.
"Second victim, Minori-chan!"
Minori looked up from the phone and saw the teacher without the slightest interest.
"Which were the warring sides in the Second Great War?"
"Well…" Minori said quietly as she continued to discreetly use her cell phone before holding it up to respond appropriately. "The savages who used to live in Amasiat against the coalition."
"'Original Inhabitants', Minori, more respect for your heritage, and how did it end?"
"With the victory of the coalition, sensei."
"And…?"
"And with the… the civilization of the 'Rainbow Tribes'."
"'Assimilation', Minori-chan. The tribes were assimilated into modern society."
As a sequel to the previous explanation, the teacher reminded his students that all those who were born with gray, blue, purple, red, pink and green hair are descendants of those tribes, and that the fact that today they exist in society, it was proof that the process was a success and that coexistence and integration are possible.
Naturally, the students were uninterested enough to question this speech, courtesy of the establishment.
"Alright then, the latest victim is..."
The teacher scanned all of his students, looking for anyone who was distracted, too nervous, or trying to hide. And then, the last prey of the day appeared.
"Isamu-kun!"
Isamu put down his notebook full of schematics and looked the professor in the eye.
"What were the consequences of the Third Great War?"
"The disappearance and/or occupation of the separatist regions."
"Excellent, and who were the main figures?"
"Gral. Vega Bison at the head of the Latinum coalition… and… Mifune at the head of the Diacritic Alliance."
"You forget about Okata…" the strange and quiet girl in the room interrupted in a low voice.
Isamu looked at his partner.
"Anything to say, Tomoko-chan?" Sekirijo asked.
They all turned to see her. Instantly, Tomoko was filled with anxiety and hugged her book to her chest. Her mouth was trembling and she was stammering inaudible things.
"What are you waiting for? We all want to hear you, lice girl," Minori said, making several of her classmates laugh.
The teacher imposed his authority and everyone fell silent.
"Tomoko-chan, do you have something to contribute?" Sekirijo asked gently.
"I'm just saying that, well, you know, sensei, the Ninja God was also an important figure, he fought to avenge his people…
But then, before the girl could elaborate further, the bell rang and the students hurried out without waiting for the teacher's order. Only two students stayed behind as they organized their belongings. Taking advantage of the fact that they were alone, the Sekirijo approached Tomoko.
"Tomoko-chan..."
Hearing her teacher's voice, the girl became nervous.
"I said something wrong?" Tomoko replied.
"Don't worry, I just want to know, where did you read about that?"
"About what?"
"About Okata…"
Tomoko pressed her book closer to her chest and Sekirijo thought he had the answer.
"Would you let me see that book, Tomoko-chan?"
With no other options, the girl obeyed and handed the book to the teacher. Sekirijo quickly recognized it.
'I am Okata'
Upon opening the book and seeing the inside cover, the teacher realized that more than being that book he read in college, it was a manga that adapted the Ninja God's autobiography. Fueled by curiosity as to what it looked like, Sekirijo turned a page later and saw the words of the preamble, written in Okata's own handwriting.
'Green as the leaves, it's the cursed mark I was born with.'
'Black as coal, it is the armor that protects me.'
'Red like apples, is the blood that feeds me.'
- o -
'I am a mortal among gods and a god among mortals.'
'I am the only one who understands love and pain.'
'I am an orphan and a brother.'
- o -
'Purpose, what keeps me alive.'
'Purpose, what gives me strength.'
'Purpose, what will never be taken from me.'
Sekirijo decided not to read any more. He closed the book, handed it back to Tomoko, and put his hand on the girl's shoulder.
"Listen Tomoko, it's good that you're interested in books, but it would be better if you didn't bring this book to school."
"Excuse me, professor, I didn't want to, but I really like it, and..."
"Tomoko, it's okay for you to read it, you're not doing anything wrong, but that manga is too expensive for you to lose it here one of these days," Sekirijo said, pointing to the manga's price tag. "So you better keep it in a safe place, okay?"
Tomoko calmed down, smiled, nodded, put her sleeve in her backpack and went to lunch.
When the girl left, the smile on Sekirijo's face disappeared and it was replaced by a serious countenance. He never imagined that one of his students would be curious about books like that. Not that having that kind of material was illegal, at least today, but everything related to the Ninja God, murderer of millions with his bare hands, was still very sensitive in various regions. And in cases like these, it was better to be safe than sorry.
It seems that some things never change, no matter how much time passes.
Something tugged at the professor's pants, drawing his attention and making him return to his friendly smile. It was a little girl with pink hair.
"Sekirijo-sensei, I have a question."
"Tell me, Anya-chan."
"Just now you said that among the rainbow peoples there were people with green hair, so why don't any of my classmates have green hair?"
Unfortunately for both of them, Sekirijo didn't have an answer for his less bright student's peculiar question. Because he himself did not know.
Returning to Kingu...
After a brief discussion of names and preferences that concluded that from now on Bang would refer to Kingu as… well… Kingu… the dishes of the two heroes in recess arrived and they both set about eating with vigor.
However, while Kingu ate, Bang was doing intelligence work. One part of his brain was analyzing Kingu, while the other was enjoying the Hot Pot.
«Oh, from the way he eats the Hot Pot like a starving man unsure when his next meal will be, it seems that his training has a strong ascetic component,» Bang thought curiously as he touched his mustache with one hand and ate with the other, without looking away from Kingu at any time. «Still, what kind of training allowed Kingu to wield that level of power as naturally as breathing?»
Kingu continued to stuff his mouth with food without looking at Bang; however, deep down, he was trying hard not to express his discomfort.
«Great, just great! First I had to justify at the level of a politician not having to say my name and now this!» Kingu thought, perfectly aware that he was being watched, but resisting the urge to make eye contact as he continued to eat as if he had Pig God's appetite. «Besides, how the hell can Bang look at me and eat at the same time?»
Kingu continued eating, he wanted to eat faster but his mouth was slow; tasting the food. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't swallow the Hot Pot like it was cheap ramen. This was the best he had tasted in a long time! Not savoring every bite would be sacrilege.
It was a fact. They were both reveling in the Hot Pot. Anyone could see it.
«At least it's good to know there are other Hot Pot lovers in the S class,» the old master concluded in his mind, determined to enjoy the food as well.
The minutes passed until finally the plates of both were empty. Kingu thought that lunch was over and that he could finally go to his house, unaware that now the most important part of it was coming: the talk to digest. But he still didn't know.
"You know, Kingu, I'd like to thank you for coming to my call for support," Bang chimed in out of the blue. "If it wasn't for you, that insect in Z-City would have continued to wreak havoc for many hours..."
Now Kingu felt a little uncomfortable. Technically, what Bang said was right and wrong at the same time. He had come to the city at the right time, true, but not to help Bang, but rather to escape Tornado. And actually, thinking about it carefully, that was pathetic. Dealing with the monster was a fluke, and even more an accident, rather than a proper heroic act born of sheer will.
But here he was, receiving praise from a true hero...
"And it's not to be nosy after such a good meal, but could you tell me how you did it?" Bang asked.
"How I did it?" Kingu repeated, confused as to what he wanted to know Bang.
"Yes, what is your fighting style? How did you learn it? Who was your mentor? You know, that kind of thing."
Hearing that, Kingu put his hands on the table as if he was going to pray, lowered his head to rest on them and immediately closed his eyes. To Bang, this was a clear sign that the man in front of him was considering telling him about his martial art. Which was perfectly understandable; a fighting style and the way to master it say a lot about a person, even things that they themselves do not want to say, or remember, or are even completely unaware of.
It is never easy to talk about your own style, especially when you are young and want to hide any hint of weakness from potential opponents.
As for Kingu...
«Now it turns out that I'm a martial artist...» Kingu thought, with a face that couldn't decide if he wanted to smile or vomit. «No, well, how can I tell you, Bang, my style is 'Consecutive Intense Flashing Finger'; I learned it in the M-City arcade, practicing day after day until all my fingers bled; and my mentor, well, it was everyone and no one at the same time...»
So if there was no way to answer those questions, what to say to Bang?
...
Maybe, just maybe...
This was an occasion to talk honestly and open up a bit.
Kingu began to feel a bit strange, although the situation felt, paradoxically, familiar. It was like one of those classic anime scenes where the protagonist has to share his past and information about his powers to the viewers but he refused because the plot demanded it. However, this is not an anime but real life and he is not an anime character, just a filler character in the story of life.
A filler character who, for better or worse, had not yet fully understood his own strength and powers.
Kingu, head still down and face still hidden, sighed inaudibly. He opened his eyes again and straightened his posture, meeting Bang's eyes.
"Well, you see Bang, I…"
Bang was expectant, was the rookie really going to be honest with him?
"The truth is that…"
If so, that would be completely unusual though not inconceivable; for every Tatsumaki, tight-lipped and reserved, there is a Kamikaze, open and carefree.
"I never had a teacher."
This is unexpected. Bang was tempted to interrupt but, aware that Kingu still had things to tell him, he resisted the urge to express surprise at meeting someone with such strength without ever having had a teacher. A true self-taught martial artist! Every sensei's dream.
"Everything that made me what I am now, I learned away from society..."
Of course, Kingu was saying that from the perspective of an otaku, hikikomori, and hermit, but Bang understood something else. To the old master's ears, he was facing someone who grew up alone and faced the world alone, living in the parallel society that exists in the underworld. A tragedy, certainly, but how did someone from that world end up here?
"For years I pushed myself to my limits without caring about anything else, until one day, so to speak, my luck ran out..."
Obviously, Kingu spoke of his own limits as a freak, incapable of doing anything good for society other than satisfying the artistic perversions of some internet goblins until "that day". As for Bang, the imaginary dots in his mind were organizing and connecting; an event strong enough to mark a before and after in the life of someone with the strength of Kingu should not be a small thing. Was it the cause of his scar?
"I gave myself some time and moved further away from civilization…"
Kingu knew what he was referring to, but Bang only concluded that, whatever the event that marked Kingu had been, it was something shocking enough to make him meditate and seek the so famous enlightened peace. A path that not even he could undertake; giving up fun when you're young was not for ordinary people.
"I reached a lost place where I had to ascend many times and expel everything from myself for a long time, until I felt liberated…"
A big picture began to take shape in Bang's mind. A clandestine place far from civilization where he vowed to rise to the top no matter what? That sounds very familiar… Does it…? Of course!
"And so…"
The answer was so obvious that Bang couldn't listen anymore and stole the word.
"Oh! You're talking about the Saiyan Towers, right?" Bang interrupted.
«The what?» thought a now bewildered Kingu.
Bang laughed playfully.
"Good heavens, I haven't heard of that place in a long time, I still remember the first time I went there..."
Bang then began to tell Kingu the story of his first visit to that place.
"One day, Suicho took me and my brother to the Saiyan Towers, a clandestine lost place in the 'Y Region Corridor' —which once corresponded to the ephemeral Ä-City—, to improve our fighting skills…"
"Although, here between us, I think Suicho was doing Bomb a favor by taking me there, perhaps to saturate me with a bucket of my favorite hedonistic medicine until I was sick…"
"The three of us went in with nothing in our pockets and came out not only full of glory for saving everyone from the hedonistic martial artist hunter, Rosanofu, but also with a lot of money in our pockets, new techniques, new fighting moves, a fresh take on the world and, in Suicho's case, straight to a betrothal..."
"Time passed, we celebrated Suicho's wedding in one of the towers and that was the last time I had anything to do with that place…"
For Kingu, the story deserved an 8 out of 10. It's not that the story was bad or didn't have interesting elements, but it needed more… 'spicy'; that combination of elements that, for lack of better words to group them together, makes a good story for Kingu's tastes.
"I never thought I'd meet that world again, but to tell you the truth, I'm glad I did," Bang declared, almost relieved and with a smile behind his mustache. "It fills me with optimism to know that a world like that was able to spawn someone with a heroic heart like you."
With his characteristic stoic countenance, Kingu only nodded his head.
For Bang, the gesture conveyed a clear and forceful message: 'Thank you for listening.'. But to Kingu, his own gesture was only the reflection of a mind that he was on the verge of stopping thinking.
Why bother organizing ideas, finding the right words, and coming clean if people are going to keep not only misunderstanding but also interrupting before he's done talking?
For what?!
The small talk continued unimportantly until finally the lunch meeting came to an end, this time for real; they both said goodbye politely and went their separate ways.
Bang left quite satisfied and pleased. In his opinion, he had not only paid off a debt with whom he answered his request for help, but he had also obtained much more than he expected; for the price of a Hot Pot, he had managed to befriend a fellow martial artist and now rookie hero. Still, what surprised Bang the most was not learning about Kingu's past but seeing himself so reflected in it.
It was almost terrifying...
Kingu, on the other hand, left with a bittersweet taste; convinced that, from now on, it would be best to just keep quiet in any conversation and try not to reveal anything to avoid gaining an even crazier backstory than before...
Suddenly, Kingu stopped and lowered his head.
«Who am I kidding, even if I do that, surely someone will think I'm anything but myself,» Kingu concluded with resignation, standing where he stopped while the other people around him continued forward.
Kingu looked up and saw that he was next to a grocery store and, knowing that the afternoon was still long and that he deserved a little treat after all, he decided to go inside to buy boxes of fruit juice.
Later on...
The afternoon was as sunny as if it was still noon and after a long morning, Kingu was finally at the gates of his beloved city, M-City, ready to call it a day. Unfortunately, there was a problem...
The whole city was on fire!
…
More or less...
…
The entire city was covered with a kind of vaporous green fire that danced in the wind. And the strangest thing was not that it suddenly appeared before his eyes just as they tensed as he approached the edge of the city, but seeing the people immersed in it continuing their activities normally. Thus increasing Kingu's bewilderment.
His eyes told him that nothing would happen. But his common sense warned him that walking into the fire would be a bad idea.
Questions of all kinds related to what he saw began to flood Kingu's mind. Making him nervous.
*Thump* *Thump* *Thump* *Thump* *Thump* *Thump*
Is it a good idea to cover himself with the golden fire before entering?
Kingu's hand surrounded itself with golden fire and he stretched it out to the green fire, but then his insides screamed at him to stop and he obeyed. A hunch told him that doing something like that might be worse than making naked contact.
The seconds passed and Kingu decided to take the risk, partly tired of weighing the situation and partly willing not to let something seemingly innocuous like this ruin his afternoon pleasure.
Kingu took a couple of steps and entered the green fire... Nothing happened.
Quickly, he began to inspect himself but, except for the very subtle shade of green with which he now saw everything around him, he didn't feel any different from a few moments ago. It seems like it was all on his mind the whole time, what a relief.
Kingu relaxed, his eyes stopped channeling aura and the green hue around him began to dissipate until it disappeared, allowing him to see the world as usual.
«Well, if it doesn't hurt, it doesn't matter,» Kingu concluded in his mind. «Who knows, maybe all this green stuff was always here and I barely even noticed it.»
Once completely reassured and without delay, Kingu undertook the direct route to his apartment, deciding to use the route on the roofs of the buildings.
A fatal mistake.
Almost nothing happened before Kingu reached the foot of his building, but then, before he could leap onto the balcony of his apartment, the pavement slabs in front of him rose up and formed a wall, surrounded by a green glow, which prevented him from moving forward.
"What the…?" King muttered.
"Hey!" shouted a female voice, at this point, unmistakable.
Tornado of Terror, Tatsumaki.
Professional hero; S-class, rank #2
Style: Controller.
«Here we go again...» Kingu thought, annoyed and bored with life.
Keeping his face serious, expressionless, hard and emotionless, Kingu turned to face Tornado. There, he could see her, as if it wasn't routine at this point, floating at a certain height to appear taller than him.
*Thump* *Thump* *Thump* *Thump* *Thump*
"Would you mind explaining to me?" Tornado demanded, with a disgusted face.
"Explain what?" King answered.
"I don't know," Tornado said, feigning calm and sophistication, before bursting into anger. "Maybe why are you hiding from me?!"
"No, I don't."
"Really? Do not mess with me! When I patrol, nothing escapes me! I felt perfectly when you camouflaged that unbearable presence of yours to try to go unnoticed!"
With those words, everything made sense to Kingu. In fact, he now felt like a fool for not guessing earlier. Who else could all that green fire, or steam, belong to?
"...Next time, if you don't want to stand out, don't jump on roofs like a cat!" Tornado scolded, pointing her finger at Kingu, while shaking it in front of his face with intensity, before putting her hand on her hip again.
If there was one thing Tornado couldn't stand in her colleagues, it was seeing them make rookie mistakes like these. Although deep down, she enjoyed seeing them make mistakes, so she had the opportunity to reprimand them for their incompetence and set an example of the great heroine and better person she was.
However, something was not right for Tornado. There were many contradictions in the actions of this man. Contradictions that only made him look suspicious in her eyes.
For his part, Kingu was just silently making a mental note to avoid a sequel to this encounter in the future.
Then, Tornado realized that Kingu was carrying a plastic bag in his hand, arousing her curiosity and her suspicion even more.
"What's that?" Tornado asked, pointing to the bag. "What do you have in that bag?"
"Groceries," Kingu answered dryly.
"I'll decide that."
Tornado raised her hand and with it, her finger. The bag in Kingu's hand was covered in a green glow and began to be pulled in Tornado's direction. Kingu obviously resisted and the bag eventually broke.
«Was that really necessary?» Kingu thought.
Tornado brought the contents of the bag closer and realized that it was a six-pack of flavored milk cartons.
Upon closer inspection, she could see the name of the product.
'Make-Ya-Tall Milk'
Sure enough, Kingu was telling the truth. Maybe she was wrong and there was nothing weird here...
Suddenly, as if she had been struck by lightning, Tornado realized something… This was all part of a ruse to make fun of her. And she fell round! Now she can see it as clear as day. Aware of how she is, Kingu acted in such a way to attract her so that she would see the milk crates. But why?
Of course, to have fun at her expense!
There can be no other explanation...
Tornado's mind began to imagine all sorts of ridiculous things, including Kingu sneering.
«'Here, for you…'»
«'Although I think that package will not be enough to fix you…'»
«'He he he he…'»
Scoundrel…
Tornado's eyes and eyelids trembled. This was just offensive and disrespectful. Slowly, Tornado's aura began to stir and seethe with her pent-up rage. One more push and she'll explode.
"And this for what?" Tornado asked, almost as if he was having a hard time getting the words out.
"They are for me, I like to accompany the food with something to drink."
Just hearing those words left Tornado completely disarmed. Did she hear right? Had Kingu, knowing that anyone could make fun of him, had admitted that he likes to drink boxes of flavored milk for children? If so, why can't she tease him right now the same way he would have teased her?!
Even so, bile continued to circulate in Tornado's blood and she couldn't end this without letting out even just a drop to feel calm again.
"Anyway, your poor diet doesn't matter," Tornado said, lowering the milk cartons into Kingu's hands. "Where are you going?"
"I'm on my way home," Kingu replied, securing his precious supplies.
"So what are you doing here?"
"I live here," Kingu said, jerking his thumb at the building behind him.
Immediately, Tornado's face wavered. Not because her question had been silly —something unthinkable for her— but because she had never expected that there would be another S-class hero living in the same city as her. That only raised more questions...
Questions that she is not going to leave unanswered at this very moment.
"So you live here, huh? All right, prove it."
"What?"
"Come on, show me you live in M-City, show me your house."
…
«What?!» Kingu thought in horror.
*Thump* *Thump* *Thump* *Thump* *Thump* *Thump* *Thump*
Despite all his efforts to keep his temper and calm in the face of Tornado, that sudden demand for truth caught Kingu off guard, allowing more of his anxiety to spill out. Given this, Tornado got the idea that she now had Kingu on the ropes. Only those with something to hide get so upset at a perfectly reasonable request like that.
"Or are you lying, hmmm?" Tornado asked with annoyance, despite wanting, deep down, to give a smug smile.
Kingu just remained silent, not breaking eye contact with Tornado.
«There's no easy way out of this, is there?» Kingu concluded in his mind, ready to let himself be carried by the current towards the imminent free fall that accompanied the waterfall at the end of the river.
Then Kingu closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
The atmosphere began to relax again —or rather, Kingu managed to calm down enough to calm his presence again and bring it to levels indistinguishable from a normal person—. Next, he lowered his head, exhaled, and raised it again to reestablish eye contact with Tornado.
"If you wish, I'll show you," Kingu stated, turning around and walking straight towards his apartment.
Incredulous, Tornado remained where she was for a few seconds before moving forward and following Kingu.
Both entered the lobby of the building. Immediately, Tornado began to inspect out of the corner of her eye. There was no reception, no porter, no nothing. Just a fairly large space with a couple of pieces of furniture to sit on and a picture on the wall indicating the residents of the building and its map. Does he really live here?
With nothing else to see, Tornado returned to focus on what she had in front of her, and then...
"Oh no, we're not going to go up that way," Tornado complained, seeing that Kingu was about to go up the stairs.
Kingu turned to look at Tornado, but before he could say anything, she kept talking.
"You're not going to waste my time slowly climbing all the stairs. Let's take the elevator!" Tornado ordered.
And with not many options on the table, Kingu just complied.
Kingu pressed a button and, luckily for him, the elevator was already on the first floor. They both entered and he dialed the 22nd floor. The elevator closed its doors and began to ascend. Marking with it the most awkward thirty seconds of Kingu's life, so far.
Eventually, they reached the 22nd floor. The elevator door opened and Tornado saw a long corridor with doors on the sides and a large opening at the end that led outside, letting in light and breeze.
They both got out of the elevator and, after a couple of steps, they reached the door of Kingu's apartment.
"Here we are, this is my home," Kingu pointed out, turning his back on the closed door of his apartment and presenting it with his hand as if it were a work of art.
Tornado remained silent and waiting. However, nothing happened. Kingu hoped that the ordeal would end right here. And easily, that could happen, if not because Tornado's intelligence did its thing.
"Well?" Tornado asked.
"'Well' what?"
"What are you waiting for?" Tornado demanded, willing not to be fooled by a simple door that could easily be someone else's apartment. "Prove that it is yours."
Kingu was beginning to run out of options.
How else does she want him to do that? Does she want to see the title deed? Is he supposed to show her his tax record with the M-City mayor? Since when did this become an IRS inspection? What is she…?
…
Wait, does she want to see his apartment?!
*THUMP* *THUMP* *THUMP* *THUMP* *THUMP* *THUMP* *THUMP *THUMP* *THUMP* *THUMP* *THUMP* *THUMP* *THUMP*
Kingu's aura output suddenly and exponentially increased with a burst so sudden that it almost managed to catch Tornado off guard. The woman responded in the same way, enveloping the entire building and containing with some difficulty —due to fatigue from the prolonged use of her aura spread over the entire city— Kingu's thick and concentrated aura, thereby avoiding physical damage to the building. .
Tornado had no time to interpret the event as a provocation or an attack when something more unusual caught her eye: the apartment behind Kingu.
With her expanded aura, she could feel everything in the building, from the activities of the people to the layout of the furniture. However, there was a part that she couldn't feel. An apartment that was permeated with a foul-smelling residual aura too condensed for Tornado's aura to penetrate and scan. And that apartment was the one behind Kingu.
It seems that this answered a question, but at the same time generated another. What is Kingu hiding that he doesn't want her or anyone else to see so as to shield his apartment and respond with that aura output?
But as Tornado grew more and more expectant, Kingu just wanted to escape to his GameGuy and hide like a turtle.
«How did I end up in this?!» Kingu thought, almost in a panic. «No, more importantly, how the hell do I get out of this?!»
If he lets her see his house… He can be considered socially dead —although for that, he had to be socially alive in the first place—. And if he doesn't answer her question satisfactorily —if indeed there is a way to satisfy the Tornado of Terror—, she will just walk all over him to get what she wants.
«So, this is how it feels to be between a rock and a hard place, isn't it?» Kingu concluded in his mind, accompanied by a small worried and disturbed mental laugh.
Unfortunately, there was no time to procrastinate, Kingu had to make a decision and he did.
First, he calmed down, at least enough.
*Thump* *Thump* *Thump* *Thump* *Thump*
Then, he turned around and proceeded to look for his keys to open the door.
Between social death and keeping the apartment door intact, there was nothing to decide. At least then he could lock himself back in his lair without fear of being seen or having a repair bill to worry about.
Kingu inserted the key and unlocked the door without opening it.
Click
Next, he turned the knob and slowly began to open the door.
It seems that everything is over...
But then, a revelation came to Kingu. Something on the level of divine enlightenment that can only be reached in the middle of a shower or sitting on the toilet.
This whole situation...
It's ridiculous!
And he…
He is pathetic!
Pathetic for letting the situation get to this point…
Pathetic for being carried away by fear, perfectly justified and collectively shared, of this woman...
Pathetic for not standing his ground or being able to put a stop to things...
…
Enough with passivity! If privacy is not something worth protecting, then what is? Time to stand up and defend the most valuable thing in his life against this terrifying and dangerous woman!
…
With dignity, moderation and much, much respect, of course...
…
Kingu pushed the door a little and suddenly slammed it hard. Accomplishing something impossible: making Tornado jump.
Taking advantage of the fact that Kingu could not see her reaction, Tornado regained her composure and quickly demanded an explanation for such an act.
"Hey! Wait a minute, what was that for?" Tornado asked.
"I think that's enough to show that this is my home," Kingu said after turning around to face Tornado again. "I hope you are satisfied with that."
"Obviously not! And why so much secrecy?! What do you have to hide?!"
"Nothing, I just want to keep my privacy private…"
Kingu was drawing courage from where he never had before. His throat wanted to seize up, and at any other time he would have let that happen, but he didn't let that happen. Not until he finished what he had to say.
"But… if you want to see my house, then, I think that, later, I should also see yours… to be equal."
Those words were enough to uncover the blender full of emotions at full power that was Tornado, letting out a milkshake of indignation.
"Wha-what?! Who do you think you are?! What makes you think you're so special?! Do you really think that pigsty you surely call home is even worthy of my presence?! I'd rather be in a dumpster!"
Ouch. That did hurt...
"And what is this about asking me to show you my house and my things just like that? What makes you think you have the right to invade my privacy? You can't just impose your whims on others, what's wrong with you?!"
Tornado finally stopped and stared into Kingu's eyes, even seeing, for an instant, her own reflection in them.
Immediately, she pulled away from him and averted her gaze completely. At the same time, the intensity of her aura flickered briefly before rapidly diminishing.
"Hmph, you know what? You've already wasted too much of my valuable time," Tornado announced smugly, without facing Kingu. "I'm out of here."
Tornado floated to the other end of the hallway and out through the opening that led outside.
Kingu was so stunned that he was frozen to the spot. Had Tornado really just left like that? Had he really stood his ground against her? Seriously, all of him had gone off without a hitch?!
…
Of course yes!
Without waiting another second, Kingu entered his apartment like a marmot hiding from his shadow in his burrow and locked the door. Once inside, instead of moving forward and sitting on the sofa as usual, he stayed flat against the door, as if something was going to push from the other side, and slowly dropped down until he ended up sitting on the floor and leaning against the door, without letting go of the milk carton six-pack.
Kingu felt exhausted and tired like never before... But at the same time like a champion! Was it that good for him to stand his ground and pass through trials by fire? It's a wonderful feeling!
But then the shaky smile on his face faded to a serious countenance as a new thought flashed through his mind. What was that sudden change in Tornado? It might have been a brief thing, but he was able to notice it long enough; a change in Tornado's countenance. As if her anger had cooled down a bit, but not quite cool.
Maybe it was just things from his imagination...
Kingu stood up again and looked at his apartment from side to side.
It's true, his apartment was not a magazine one. There were things scattered on one side and on the other. But it's not a pigsty. It's his home! And even if it was even a cubbyhole, it would still be his. Why? Because no matter what, he wasn't a tenant doomed to live in fear of his landlord, he owns property!
Kingu continued to rejoice as he remembered the reality of his own situation until he landed his eyes on the most beautiful thing in the world, beside his GameGuy, his video game console in front of his television.
"Well, the afternoon is young and the meat is ready, time to have a good time."
Kingu left the shoes at the entrance, went to the console, turned it on, took the gamepad and sat down on his sofa. Leaving the milk cartons aside.
As the console's web interface loaded, Kingu considered whether to summon his GameGuy to talk to Himiko for a bit and tell her about today. However, that issue could not be resolved when the console interface finished loading and a message appeared in his inbox that caught his attention.
It was a voicemail from...
"Hello Mr. LolitaBrattLover…"
Daddy_BRST0…
Kingu, now knowing who it was, was about to delete the message, when suddenly, he was taken by surprise...
"First, take your finger off the delete button…"
Kingu obeyed the recorded message. At least out of respect for the merit that it had just done a Billy Joestar on him, predicting his next move...
"Second, this time I'm not here to insult you or anything. I'm here to invite you to a little reflection…"
Kingu was now all ears.
"Tell me, aren't you tired of the same old thing? Whenever we play on the Rast server, I do something, then you come later, destroy my stuff, I see what you did, then look for you, we fight, you kill me using bugs, I disconnect, send you a hate message and we don't see each other again for a week or two before we do all this again."
Kingu had to admit that he has a point... Maybe...
"I propose that once and for all we put an end to our differences as gentlemen. I challenge you to the F.R.I.V. 99!"
Wow, wow, an invite like that is a lot of elegance coming from a gacha addicted troll. Too bad he doesn't have that game on...
"And before you ask, I sent you a copy of the game. See it as a gift from one gentleman to another. I await your reply. You may keep the game in any case."
The voicemail ended.
Kingu went straight to Daddy_BRST0's profile and confirmed that he was online. The moment was ideal. He put the gamepad aside, took one of the milk boxes, opened it and began to drink from it, pretending it was a glass of wine, taking advantage of the fact that he was alone and that no one could see him.
Next, Kingu put the box aside, moved his neck to release tension, making it crack, and hardened his eyes.
"Very well, Mr. Daddy_BRST0, I accept your challenge" Kingu said to nothing, with determination and cracking his knuckles.
Several hours later...
For centuries, gamers and gaming enthusiasts of all kinds have sought ways to challenge themselves and others; test the limits of their skills and abilities in all areas, to see who was the best.
Games of all kinds became battlefields between minds with lots of free time and little to do. But no game, or set of games, was enough to settle the matter and determine who was absolutely superior.
Or so it was until the best minds got together and, after studying the more than 20 million games that have been born since the first appearance almost 6000 years ago, they found the perfect combination; the ultimate group of games to end gaming competition once and for all.
The game above all games.
The F.R.I.V. 99!
A pack of games of variable duration that, although they could not be called masterpieces of entertainment like the GameGuy's games were, were perfect to fulfill the objectives of their architects:
#1. Offer a means for anyone interested to test the limits of their mental abilities.
#2. Give a collectively accepted and unquestionable evaluation.
#3. Have fun with simple but effective games for all peoples and for all times.
Why Kingu hadn't played it until now was a mystery, even to him. Perhaps it was due to the lack of friends, after all, this was a game pack made by friends to join and separate friends.
But now, Kingu, under the avatar of LolitaBrattLover, and his opponent, Daddy_BRST0, after playing 98 different games and both with microphones on, were at the climax of the challenge.
F.R.I.V 99
Scoreboard:
LolitaBrattLover vs Daddy_BRST0
98 - 0
Game #99: Chess.
Daddy_BRST0 (White): Did you really believe it would be this easy?!
White rook on A1 advances to E1; black rook at E1 is eliminated.
Daddy_BRST0 (White): Your struggle is futile, Lolis' lover, accept your fate.
LolitaBrattLover (Black): Ho ho…
A loud inhalation sound, coming from LolitaBrattLover's microphone, resounded.
LolitaBrattLover (Black): Nope.
Black bishop on E8 advances to D4; white Knight on D4 is eliminated.
Daddy_BRST0 (White): Damn it! That was good, but you're just delaying the inevitable.
White queen on F2 advances to D4; black's bishop on d4 is eliminated.
Daddy_BRST0 (White): Get ready, when I beat you in this last game, I'll become the only one who's ever beaten you at anything and you'll have to live with that forever. Now, make your move!
LolitaBrattLover (Black): Ok. Checkmate.
Black queen on H3 advances to G2; checkmate white king on G1.
Daddy_BRST0 (White): Wait, what?!
A sound of celebration and party took over the screen, which was filled with balloons and confetti.
F.R.I.V. 99: Completed.
Final scoreboard:
LolitaBrattLover vs Daddy_BRST0
99 - 0
LolitaBrattLover: Divine Sublime Champion!
Daddy_BRST0: Do humanity a favor and don't play the game again!
Kingu felt completely pleased and satisfied. Almost as much as his first experience watching the superclassic 'Rorita Animu', after receiving it from a troll as payment for supposedly drawing him fucking his friend's mom.
Unfortunately, the rejoicing was short-lived. A call request through the console appeared on the screen.
"Daddy_BRST0 is calling…"
And Kingu, like a good winner, answered the call of the defeated.
Initiating call...
Daddy_BRST0: You cheated, I know it!
LolitaBrattLover: Being a better player is not cheating.
Daddy_BRST0: Oh, so very sure of yourself, huh? If we were face to face you wouldn't talk to me like that.
LolitaBrattLover: Right, I would tell your parents to stop giving you credit card access. The amount of money you spend on micro-transactions and gacha is worrying.
Daddy_BRST0: Enough! Let's fix this once and for all.
LolitaBrattLover: Isn't that what we just did?
Daddy_BRST0: I'm talking man to man.
LolitaBrattLover: More like asshole to man.
Daddy_BRST0: That's what you are! That's what you are, a fucking asshole! Let's end this face-to-face in a real, bare-knuckle fight.
Kingu was silent. He was never a violent person. He never in his life got involved, for better or worse, in a bare-knuckle fight with another person. And usually he was looking to avoid situations that will lead to that. However, whether it was the confidence of the moment or his newly acquired strength, Kingu made a move that would once have been inconceivable to him.
LolitaBrattLover: Sounds good to me.
Daddy_BRST0: That's the way I like it. Tonight. On the roof of the casino-hotel, Kakeguri Empire, in X-City!
LolitaBrattLover: Ok, I'll be there.
Daddy_BRST0: You better.
The call was about to end when Kingu realized that an important part of the supposed meeting had yet to be agreed upon.
LolitaBrattLover: Hey!
Daddy_BRST0: What?!
LolitaBrattLover: What time tonight? It's almost dark already.
Suddenly, the fury of a few moments ago vanished.
Daddy_BRST0: That's right, how about 7pm?
LolitaBrattLover: Sounds good to me.
Daddy_BRST0: No, wait, I can't at that time. How about 8pm?
LolitaBrattLover: It's still fine.
Daddy_BRST0: …
LolitaBrattLover: …
Now everything was clear to Kingu, but for some reason Daddy_BRST0 wouldn't hang up.
Kingu hurried over and proceeded to end the call to end the awkward silence, but Daddy_BRST0 spoke again.
Daddy_BRST0: Do you have a way to get there?
LolitaBrattLover: Yes, yes, don't worry
Daddy_BRST0: …
LolitaBrattLover: …
Once again, there was an awkward silence on the call, and again this was broken by Daddy_BRST0.
Daddy_BRST0: If you want, we can agree on another place.
LolitaBrattLover: No, no, don't worry.
Daddy_BRST0: …
LolitaBrattLover: …
For the third time, a new silence took over the communication channel, but luckily this was the shortest, being interrupted by the dramatic cry of Daddy_BRST0.
Daddy_BRST0: See you there then!
End of the call.
Kingu dropped the gamepad and leaned back against the sofa, hands behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling.
He had just accepted a fight with a complete stranger in X-City, the city of gambling and millionaires, for something as small as a game.
Why did he do it?
To defend his own honor?
Hilarious…
The only honor Kingu cares about defending is his honor as a gamer. As for his personal honor… There's no use worrying about defending something that doesn't exist in him.
If it wasn't that, maybe it was the possibility that the meeting offered to give the troll what he wanted and get rid of him once and for all?
Absurd…
The best way to combat this and other trolls is to ignore them. Attention is what feeds them and gives them strength.
And it's not like he couldn't have proceeded that way.
He could easily turn down Daddy_BRST0's duel, but he didn't.
He can miss the match and the only price to pay would be to receive spam from Daddy_BRST0. Which he could fix by blocking it.
Still, he willingly wants to attend the duel.
Why? Is it the attraction of the potential danger that such an encounter can entail?
…
Ok, that sounds like something a deranged person would want.
Situations like that can only end one of two ways: with one of them dead in a forgotten alley, or with both of them in court sponsored by the most dangerous weapon any man can have, a lawyer ready to file a lawsuit for wrongful assault.
And for practical purposes, Kingu had to assume that, unlike him, Daddy_BRST0 did have such a weapon at his disposal.
So… what led him to accept?! Destiny? Come on, this isn't Daffy Bizarre Adventures; people are not meant to attract each other like magnets, no matter how extraordinary or extravagant they are…
Smoke began to rise from Kingu's ears as his mind struggled to find an answer.
«Fuck, I just want to know why I want to go! I'm not denying myself, I just want to understand,» Kingu thought with intensity and frustration. «Is that too much to ask?.»
And it was there, when the jumbled ideas in Kingu's mind were ordered enough to allow him to see an answer...
…
An unsatisfactory answer that only allowed him to remember how fickle, capricious and reckless he can be...
And that scared him a bit...
…
Kingu sighed.
"Calm down, we're just going to give Daddy_BRST0 a little scare," Kingu said to himself. "There is no need to find out if going further would keep us awake at night or not..."
In the evening...
X-City's night sky was completely clear and devoid of stars. The city, on the other hand, was so bright by itself that it seemed to be daytime at street level. Nobody needed to rest, there was always something to do; especially business and gambling.
As for Kingu, he was sitting on a hermetic water tank on the roof of the casino-hotel, Kakeguri Empire, concentrating on his GameGuy while waiting for his opponent, who was already 30 minutes late.
But Kingu was not in a hurry, all this waiting time had served him to test the artificial intelligence of the bots created by Himiko in the GameGuy. If in the end the troll did not arrive, there would be no problem either; the coward would be someone else, not him. In fact, the prospect was extremely attractive. Win a duel by default; sure that would feel like a delight.
Out of nowhere and without warning, snapping Kingu out of his fantasies, a dazzling glow appeared on a part of the roof.
Cuantic Bubble: Cuantic Jump.
The glow transformed into a sphere of light from which a great wave of breeze, both cold and hot, began to emanate. Kingu tried to see the strange object, but he couldn't. His eyes burned with the simple act of trying to look; as if they were looking directly at the sun.
The glow faded and disappeared, leaving behind a black-haired man in a formal suit who had his back to Kingu.
The man cracked his neck and looked from side to side without turning as he muttered something inaudible.
Not knowing what to expect from the whole situation, now more surreal than ever, Kingu put his GameGuy in his sweatshirt but without making it disappear, perhaps with the innocent hope of being able to use it again soon.
Then, the man turned around and ended up seeing Kingu, after which he put a hand to his face, touching what seemed to be a pair of glasses, and began to slowly approach him. As the man got closer, Kingu noticed that the man was wearing black sunglasses… Who the hell wears black glasses at night?
It's not possible that this man is Daddy_BRST0, is it?
The man stopped and looked down at Kingu, touching his glasses and a smile on his face. For his part, Kingu noticed that the man had a large diagonal scar on his face.
"Well, well, look what we have here!" the man said, lifting his glasses and revealing his eyes. "Let me guess, Kingu, right?"
"Err... Yeah, how do you know?"
"News flies, mate," the man declared, lowering his glasses again. "Especially when it comes to the new member of the S-class heroes."
It seems that Kingu is already a celebrity…
"The name is Daichi," Daichi said out of nowhere, waving his hand in greeting. "Nice to meet you."
Kingu remained silent and only returned the wave of greeting.
"And tell me, Kingu, what are you doing here?"
"Well…"
"Let me guess, patrolling, right?"
"In fact…"
"I don't mean to be flippant, but could you move your lookout somewhere else? I have a very important business to resolve here."
Kingu swallowed hard.
"Wha-what kind of business?"
"It's something private, I don't want to give many details but I'm going to give a loli-loving bastard what he deserves."
IT'S HIM!
*THUMP* *THUMP* *THUMP* *THUMP* *THUMP* *THUMP* *THUMP *THUMP*
A large and sudden wave of aura came out of Kingu, crashing head-on into Daichi and knocking him back a couple of steps though he quickly pulled himself together.
"Woah, woah, woah, woah, take it easy, Kingu," Daichi said, waving his hands in concern trying to defuse the situation. "Don't freak out, I'll take care of that bastard, I promise, you don't have to make a Tatsumaki here."
Certainly, Kingu expected something else from whoever was the troll behind Daddy_BRST0, anything but what was in front of, or rather below, him. There is something wrong with Daichi, and he didn't need his eyes to show him something to feel it. Perhaps, coupled with Kingu's recently overlooked fact that a hero can't fight a civilian for no reason, it would be best not to fight Daichi, walk away, and stick to the barrage of spam.
Kingu dropped from where he was and landed on the roof floor.
"What are you doing, Kingu?"
"I'm going to find another lookout post."
"Hey, don't worry, I know I asked you to go somewhere else, but it doesn't have to be now..."
Kingu has a bad feeling about where this is all going...
"I don't know when that bastard will arrive, so let's pass the time with a chat until he arrives, what do you say?"
Kingu didn't even have time to do what comes naturally to him, lie, when suddenly, in the blink of an eye, an arm went right behind his neck and over his shoulders, giving him a kind of sideways hug, as if they were both lifelong friends. The responsible? Daichi.
"Come on, don't be shy, Kingu. I bet you have a lot to say about the other S class heroes."
Daichi's grip was quite strong, but that was not what caught Kingu's attention the most, but another question, how and when did Daichi get so close and so fast? It was, like, instant! He couldn't even hear a single footstep!
"So tell me, what do you think of them?" Daichi asked. "Extraordinary people? Necessary antisocials? A gang of bastards? Or maybe all of them?"
Subtly, Kingu saw Daichi's smiling face. Obviously, refusing would do no good. But does he really have to start the conversation by answering that question?
Author's note:
Thank you very much for the wait. Is the only thing I can say. Perhaps at this point they are already worn words, but in the absence of better ones, the only thing left is to repeat them. Time is short but, fortunately, not the willingness to continue. Let's see if I can pick up the pace.
I hope you liked it, feel free to comment, even if I can't answer, I read them.
Edition log:
Last edit (13/Oct/2022)