"Caped Baldy," a male Hero Association employee greeted them from Inichi's blue bubble transport. Several of the men there actually paused to stare at Mitsumi's youthful form with complete shock. She paid it no mind, but Saitama had a very firm arm around her side to show she was not single.
"Um...can you call me Saitama? I really hate that name. Caped Baldy. Ugh..." Saitama grimaced.
"Oh. Ah...sure," the employee nodded and led them inside.
"I see you repaired the hole. Nice," Zenchu nodded.
"Yes. We have a few areas for stock piling materials," the employee nodded. As they walked through the building now, Saitama noticed a rather intense number of heroes starting to follow them.
"What's going on?" Saitama asked now.
"Well, Caped...I mean, Saitama, many are very curious on your strength," the employee said. "However, civilians aren't-"
"Don't finish that or you will repair another hole," Saitama warned. "I want Mitsumi with me at all times. Including the monsters in my presence. I don't care what else is said. If that is not the case, then I will leave. Right now."
"Ah..." the employee paused and was quick to grab a phone.
"I'm here," King said when he stormed up to them. The odd thing was that he moved right to Kianna's side. Then he put a protective hand on her shoulder to pull her to his side. "I'm saying yes to your question."
"Really? Oh! How delightful!" she chuckled. "We'll talk more later?"
"We will," he nodded with a small smile.
"So...is this where the term 'fur babies' comes from?" Zenchu mused in a soft mutter. Now Kianna looked at him with shock. King found himself grimacing and hiding his face to keep from laughing outright.
"I am going to slap you when we are out of here!" Kianna hissed at him.
"Oh...um..." Mitsumi found herself hiding her face against Saitama's neck to keep from laughing out hard.
"What?!" Zenchu asked. Rendor cringed and shook his head at him now.
"Your timing in such cases is truly impeccable!" Inichi muttered with complete humor at the whole thing.
"That's just...wow..." Saitama blinked. "Now...I'm curious..."
"Shut up!" Kianna hissed at him with complete embarrassment.
"The board would like to speak with you," the employee said now.
"Fine," Saitama said with a small eye roll.
"Mind if I walk with you?" an elderly man with a bushy mustache and mildly spiked grey hair asked. He walked with a slight hunch, but he still looked fit and in his prime in the martial arts black shirt and white pants.
"Ah. Bane? Of course," Genos nodded.
"You're quite the center of attention, Saitama. What trouble did you get yourself into?" the old man asked.
"I'm not trying to get into any trouble. I'm just trying to help prove that people are too skeptical and don't understand reason when it's in front of them," Saitama said blankly. Bane looked at him curiously now before looking at Mitsumi with a small look of confusion.
"I was old during the day before. Saitama cured me of that. I no longer need to be old anymore," Mitsumi said softly. "You may have seen Zenchu here escorting an old lady during the day. I was her."
"I can vouch for it," Genos nodded. "As can Sneck, Satoru and Fubuki."
"Oh?! That must be relieving to you to no longer feel such a thing," Bane admitted. "How did it stop?"
"I killed the snake bracelet. It was a monster," Saitama said while they walked. "Genos can give you the details later. I don't like talking about it."
"Oh..." Bane frowned. He glanced over to see another hero walking over. This one appeared to be a swordsman wearing a hooded red cloak with an atom symbol on the back. It was draped over an open blue haori. A loose-fitting white robe tied with a white sash and two haori himos were neatly underneath it. He chewed on a small bit of splintered wood and tilted his head at them all, but he kept his swords sheathed to show he was only there to talk for now.
"What's going on? I heard there was ruckus...and these monsters are still alive?" he frowned. His black hair was tied up in a top ponytail, and he scratched at his mild goatee. Finally, Mitsumi sighed hard and turned to face the oncoming heroes by stopping directly in her tracks.
"My name is Mitsumi. These monsters are not your enemies!" she finally said sternly to get them all pausing and gaping at her intense beauty. "They are my family and want to become human again! If any of you think of wanting to hurt them, come forward. NOW!"
"Well..." another lower classed hero started.
"SHUT UP!" Saitama suddenly seethed out and glared. "How many times do we have to go over this?! They help people! They protect us! And you all still want to have it out for them?! What's wrong with you people?!"
"It was a mistake to come here," Mitsumi said sadly. "Saitama, please escort us out. If their board members really want to talk to me, then they can come to the Neutral Grounds restaurant. I will not be made a fool of anymore."
"Fine. Let's go," Saitama said.
"Wait!" the employee said.
"No. I'm done," Mitsumi said with intense hurt in her tone. "We came here out of trust. And what do we get? Slapped in the face. We prove over and over again of our good intentions, but...just because they are monsters...some forced to become their current state! I just...I can't. I can't."
"Hmm..." King frowned. "I'll help you leave."
"But...wait!" the employee tried to plead with him.
"Why? It's only obvious that no one wants them here. I've actually hung out with them. They have no issues with me," King said bluntly.
"It is true that all monsters need to die," another hero said that had long, ice blond hair and sharp blue eyes. He almost seemed to sparkle in his attire of cloth and armor. "Yet...none of us have been attacked by any of you. I've been keeping a close eye on all of you in the background. You have been speaking true so far. And the video we saw that Genos gave us was...fascinating. It does appear to be true that you can break a monster of their killing habits. They clearly protected you in full. And, as heroes, it is our habit to be...skeptical at all times. I vote to give them a chance."
"And you are?" Zenchu asked.
"I am Flashy Flash," he nodded.
"We've gotten the short end of the stick everywhere we went," Zenchu now said to address them all. "True...I did a lot of shit before Lady Mitsumi woke me up. I regret all of it. Every single bit of it. In fact...I was known by another name. The Murdering Shadow."
"That was...you?!" a C class hero gaped.
"Yup. Notice how two years ago it all suddenly stopped? That was when I met Lady Mitsumi. That was when I realized how much of a waste everything that I did was. How stupid I was," Zenchu frowned. "I vowed to never do such a thing again unless it was to protect her, to protect others and to protect my family. So if you all still have it out for me..."
"You go through me," Saitama said with a rather dark look on his face. "He has redeemed himself in my eyes. I find no more faults with him."
"And you can make that call?" the swordsman asked.
"Kamikaze..." Bane sighed. "He made the holes in the floor from yesterday."
"What...?!" the man gaped now. "That's just...how?"
"They wanted to test my strength today, apparently. I don't care who wants to see it. But I'm not gonna sit here and watch Mitsumi get insulted anymore," Saitama said and let her press into him. Then they all looked over to see two of the board members walking over quickly to address the situation.
"Caped Baldy, can you and your party please follow us?" the first board member asked. Saitama grumbled at the name, but Mitsumi squeezed him with understanding. "We know things are very tense. Can we try to make things a bit more neutral now?"
"As long as the association stops pursuing us to size us up," Rendor snorted in his gravelly tone. "If I had the chance to revert back into a human, I would. Until then, I'm stuck like this. And, yes, I would trade my strength out to just live a normal life."
"As would I," Kianna nodded. King just kept his hand on her shoulder and mildly glared at any others around them. Inichi kept an eye on all the thoughts in the room. When any showed doubts, he gestured to speak.
"I am Inichi. I am an incredibly powerful monster with ESP. Much like your own Terrible Tornado and Blizzard of Hell. If none have seen the video that shows how we worked together with Demon Cyborg, Blizzard of Hell and Mr. Saitama, please raise your hands. I can project a visual directly to you," Inichi nodded. He noticed how Saitama gave a small smile that his name was used.
"Will that tax you?" Mitsumi frowned.
"No, Lady Mitsumi. I will be fine," he vowed. At this, everyone, whether they saw the video or not, raised their hands. Inichi gave out the powerful mental broadcast. Jaws were dropped. Fists were clenched with shock. When it came to what Saitama did to the monster, it was pure silence. The vision ended when the aftermath of what the punch did was revealed.
"He should be an S class..." a whisper was heard.
"He did that?! With one punch?!" another hissed out. Saitama simply held Mitsumi close and finally pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"What is it, Saitama?" she asked softly.
"If they don't tell me what they want to do in five minutes, we'll leave," he muttered in a low tone.
"Do we really need to strength test him again?" the second board member whispered now to his colleague.
"I...I don't know..." the first board member said and cleared his throat.
"He's almost like Blast!" a hero finally seemed to squeal out.
"Master Saitama," Genos frowned.
"Hmm?" Saitama looked at him now. Genos now looked at Inichi to think out directly to him. Inichi only nodded to relay the message to Saitama. "Oh. Okay. Whatever you want to do."
"What...?" Bane frowned.
"I wanted to tell him something privately. Inichi relayed the message for me," Genos nodded. "I trust him completely."
"Oh!" Bane blinked. "What was it?"
Genos nodded to Inichi for the powerful monster to focus on Bane. :It is I, Inichi. Genos has optioned that, if Mr. Saitama is ordered to leave the Hero Association permanently, he will follow.:
"Ah...wait! I don't think that will happen," Bane said. "And I can already see how everyone here can play an important part of things."
"Oh?" Zenchu asked.
"I won't get into it right now. But, please, let me talk to you all later," Bane insisted. "Kamikaze, I will want you with me to hear me out later, too."
"Okay. I just saw something...that I still can't explain. I felt like I was there. Like... right there! And I just..." Kamikaze frowned hard. Then he looked at Saitama with a critical eye. "What are you?"
"A hero for fun," Saitama shrugged with a blank expression.
"A protector, too?" Mitsumi smiled softly.
"Always," he nodded and now turned to face the board members. "So, what are we doing? Are we continuing here? Or am I leaving with them? I can already tell you that I have no plans to leave her by herself here. And I won't leave her family on their own here, either. Everyone looks at them and just wants them dead without any other questions. If they attacked on sight, then I'd agree. But they don't. They think just like us. And they also want to become human again. Maybe, instead of trying to kill them, we could try to cure them."
"Like with me," Mitsumi nodded.
"It would still be good to utilize their strengths in other ways, though," Bane said. "I see intense potential here. They could help us find other strong monsters that can be put down."
"Only if they don't see reason with Lady Mitsumi," Zenchu said. "We let her talk to them first. If they don't care, then we let you kill them. There are not that many of us with her. That's how few and far between we are that remember our past humanity. So, most monsters do get killed. The ones that are with Lady Mitsumi don't want to be monsters anymore. No matter how strong we are. We're done with it."
"Hmm..." Kamikaze frowned.
"Wait!" Fubuki said when she ran over now. "I'm here! Are you all okay?"
"So far," Kianna sighed and got hugged by her. The gesture of friendship actually surprised many of the heroes watching them now. "Things are highly tense right now."
"I can tell," Fubuki frowned. She looked over to see Sneck and Satoru coming over now to stand with them.
"We were able to see that vision," Satoru grimaced.
"I can vouch for them," Sneck now said to the board members. "I saw her transformation first-hand. That bracelet...?"
"It's gone," Saitama nodded.
"Yes. I watched him destroy it. It led us to that guy he killed," Fubuki frowned. She found herself nodding to Inichi, and he mentally gave her the entire rundown of what happened. She found herself appalled at the whole thing. "Is the restaurant okay?"
"It is fine," Genos nodded. "As is the home."
"Good," Fubuki sighed. "What's going on now?"
"We're not sure," Saitama shrugged and continued to hold Mitsumi close. "I said what I had to say. I'm starting to get confused on what's going on. I just think we should leave."
"But you just got here," Bane frowned.
"And look at what happened," Rendor sighed.
"Hey!" Tanktop Master said when he walked over now. "So...this is what you were keeping me from?"
"Oh. I shoved you out from breaking down her door," Saitama blinked at him. "Yeah. Now you know. Mitsumi was transforming at the time. She's done with that now."
"Ah...oh..." Tanktop Master blinked.
"Tanktop Master!" Tanktop Black Hole said when he jogged over. "I...never told you, but I was also at the restaurant. Yeah. I wasn't attacked and given some pretty awesome food."
"You never told me? Or the rest of the Tanktop Army?!" Tanktop Master gaped. "I need a report from you!"
"I didn't know how to say it!" Tanktop Black Hole admitted.
"Come on..." Saitama groaned and rested his head against Mitsumi's shoulder. "What are we doing now?!"
"Do you have the deeds for my restaurant?" Mitsumi now asked the board members. "If you do, I need to sign them. Then we'll see what you want with Saitama. If things are finally coming around to neutrality, then I won't drop this window of opportunity to get things done."
"Right," the first board member finally agreed. "Let's go."
"I'll go with you," Fubuki nodded.
"They should all die!" Terrible Tornado growled when they walked past her. Then she blinked when Mitsumi walked over and gave her a fortune cookie.
"Inside the cookie is not only a fortune. But it's a pass for a free week of dining regardless of the dish," Mitsumi smiled softly. "Your sister is an amazing woman. I hope to see you as nothing more than the same."
"Ah...well..." the green haired girl blinked.
"Tatsumaki, please give them a chance. For me?" Fubuki seemed to beg her. A small glare was given, but she said nothing else when the group passed by. But no one missed the sigh of sheer delight when the cookie was actually eaten to show how amazing it tasted.
"When did you get cookies on you?" Zenchu asked. "You don't have a purse or a bag..."
"Thank Inichi," Mitsumi winked. "I was thinking about getting a few just to hand out. He brought some to me. Rendor is holding them."
"Here," Rendor chuckled and gave one to Fubuki.
"Oh! Thank you!" she blinked and laughed with surprise.
"We need taste testers, too," Mitsumi nodded. "Orotsu is our chef. He handmade all of these."
"Oh?" Bane asked got one to break open to take out the precious paper. Then he tried the crisp wafer cookie. His eyes popped open. "He's a monster, too? This is incredible!"
"I can tell everyone all the details later," Genos nodded. When they finally reached their destination, the board members regarded the massive following.
"We can only allow the ones needed to come in," the first board member said. That got groans and complaints now. "How about this. We have built an auditorium for heroes to test their strength. If you all head there now, we will show up right after this. So you can all see about getting seats."
"However, I am unsure if Saitama can do his strength testing with anyone near him. This is for safety," the second board member cautioned.
"Can you make a viewing section away from the rest? That will suffice," Inichi said. "As long as Mr. Saitama has us in his view, then it will be well."
"We can do that," the first board member agreed.
"Let's find us a seat and some popcorn," Kamikaze mused. Saitama did watch the others leave, but he didn't like how Flashy Flash kept glancing at Mitsumi now and then. :Inichi. If any of them gain interest in Mitsumi, help change their minds. Or I'll have to punch them.:
:Ah! Mr. Saitama! I can fully agree and will inform.: Inichi said in response. Saitama sighed and moved to walk into the boardroom to get this important bit of business done with Mitsumi at last.