It was two hours before sunset when the last group of recruits finally appeared. Tanktop Master stayed with them through the rest of it and even found himself eyeing a few that looked like they could work with the Tanktop Army. There were also five other Secret Skins that were found and directed to where they would be further examined with the other two found earlier in the day.
"I love you," Mitsumi said to Saitama and got a heavy kiss in response.
"I love you, too. Let's finish this up and go home. We have a nice walk to do after this. Don't we?" he smiled and pressed a loving kiss to her forehead.
"No. We have to see to the other recruits first," she frowned.
"Ah. Okay. I'll, eh...assess them all quickly," he nodded to keep the true talk of what he had to do down. She nodded and snuggled into him with a yawn.
"Finally!" a slender, well-built man walked over and gaped at the sight of the powerful heroes and monsters. "Wow!"
"Hi. Nice to meet you. Good luck in the training assessment," Saitama nodded. When the man didn't move, Mitsumi frowned. She studied him and noticed that his dark brown hair was long and tied back to keep out of his light blue eyes. His face looked chiseled, his body was tanned and he wore only a set of torn up jeans with sandals.
"Sorry. I've just been such a big fan of yours, Caped Baldy! And to see you here with Fan Dancer?! It's like...a dream come true!" the man said. Now Saitama blinked with sudden interest at this.
"Huh? Oh. A fan? Nice!" Saitama grinned. "What's your name?"
"Yasui, sir. Yasui Yukio," he said.
"Good! Nice to make your acquaintance," Saitama chuckled.
"I would love to be your disciple!" he admitted. Mitsumi giggled at Saitama's small roll of his eyes, but he sighed and started his prepared speech.
"Oh. Well...we are making a dojo, but I have a strict requirement. You have to last against Zenchu for five minutes. The monster here. He won't kill you, but he tests your resolve. No, you won't get tested here. As to how I got so strong, I got this way with strict self-training. Not through martial arts or magic potions. If you become a hero, then good. It's a start to see how well you can do. If not, well, you can come by Neutral Grounds for an arrangement, anyways," Saitama said and had Zenchu give the man a card and a cookie. There were a few eager men that wanted to try to become disciples. As much as Saitama was slightly against it.
"I'm proud of you," Mitsumi chuckled at Saitama and kissed him softly.
"Eh..." he sighed and watched the hopeful man walk off quickly. "I really don't want disciples..."
"I know. But it's still good practice for our future children," she smiled and got squeezed.
"I need to tell you. We'll be doing this again next week," the board member said. Now Saitama glared at him with annoyance.
"May I suggest that, if there are repeat recruits, then there is no need to bring them to us? It may lessen our services here," Mitsumi said.
"That can be done! But...you said recruitment by other means is possible...?" the board member frowned.
"Craaaap..." Saitama groaned. "Can't we just group the ones we already met with in a different place and have her fans fly over them?"
"That might work," Zenchu mused. "Repeat recruit tryouts can go into a different room. Her fans just fly over them with a small display of being pretty. They saw her fans before, so they won't be surprised. The new ones...we should meet them one at a time. The old ones we already met."
"I'll inform the rest of the board and staffing," the board member agreed.
"And, if there are new heroes, each of them should have the secret mission to listen for 'job well done' while on patrol. However, we should only tell the ones about this that appear to be the most trusting," Mitsumi said.
"Wait. We may have to extend that out another week. It was informed by Wind Crane that Saitama may have to stay home with Lady Mitsumi for a couple days. It's unavoidable. So, if that happens, I will have Inichi notify you of when it happens. Then you can plan for this event to happen again a day after it's done," Zenchu said quickly. Tanktop Master looked at them curiously. The board member was just as confused on this. "Okay. I tried the short, discreet version. They want kids. Lady Mitsumi has a small time frame to have kids. That's their time to try for it. Saitama may not have her leave the bedroom for two days."
"Oh!" the board member said and coughed with complete understanding.
"Ah...that makes sense," Tanktop Master nodded.
"Saitama also won't marry Lady Mitsumi unless she's pregnant. If the Hero Association wants unlimited funding, you will have to let them have two days to try and have kids," Zenchu said further. Now Wind Crane clacked her beak at him to shut up. The board member was already showing he understood.
"I get it now! As for the next recruiting that's needed, I don't mind being here for the next one, too," Tanktop Master said.
"That would help," Mitsumi smiled. She looked over to see a rather tall, extravagant man walking over, and he was dressed head to toe in various silks. She couldn't even make out the color of his eyes from the sheer veil he had over his face. He gave a bow to them and regarded them.
"I am Silk Man! I can wrap anything in silk faster than anyone can blink!" he boasted. Saitama gave him a blank stare and yawned.
"How quaint! Good luck in the assessments!" Mitsumi smiled.
"That's it? I get dragged up here just to be told good luck?" the man grimaced. "I should wrap you all in silk to teach you a lesson!"
"You can try," Zenchu grinned. Wind Crane cocked her head and clacked her beak with a touch of her own disappointment.
"Really? That's your attitude to other heroes?" Tanktop Master frowned. "Huh. I thought I've seen everything..."
"A shame," Mitsumi frowned. "Maybe our next meeting will be better."
"Who do you think you all are? S class heroes?" the man smirked.
"Actually, yeah. I'm rank 3 and she's rank 4," Saitama shrugged.
"I'm rank 18 now," Tanktop Master said. The man paused with shock and pulled out his phone to check the rosters. He found himself completely speechless.
"Did he eat his foot yet? Wrapped it in silk first, maybe?" Zenchu asked Wind Crane to get a soft chuckle in response.
"I will become an S class hero, too!" Silk Man insisted.
"That's nice. Take care," Saitama waved with a bit of boredom.
"You should be in awe of me!" he said.
"Okay. Zenchu, see if he can wrap you in silk before you shred it away," Saitama mused. Zenchu looked at him and flicked his tail with annoyance.
"I'd rather not," Zenchu muttered.
"For me, please?" Mitsumi smiled softly.
"But..." he started before seeing and smelling the white silk flower. He sighed hard. "Not fair to pull the flower deal. Fine."
He walked over to stand next to Silk Man and crossed his arms over his chest. Silk Man cracked his knuckles and swiftly ran around him using the silk cloth that was on his body to neatly wrap Zenchu up within seconds. He still had plenty of silk to keep himself covered with, too, when he was done.
"Not bad. But...is that supposed to detain? Or is that all you can do?" Saitama asked. "Strong monsters like Zenchu can easily get out of silk."
"Like this!" Zenchu said in a muffled tone and used his tail and claws to easily rip it to shreds off his body. "Tacki would be pissed at the waste of this fabric. She loves working with silk!"
"Ah...well..." Silk Man cringed.
"You could use stronger material. Another option is to travel with a small group that can help take out what you wrap up. Not too bad!" Mitsumi chuckled.
"And what can you do, dear lady?" Silk Man asked. She pointed at the fans above her head and let them flick the blades out with their deadly display. "Oh..."
"I can fly with them, too," she winked. Saitama pressed a kiss to her cheek and let her lean into him to get a loving nuzzle to her forehead.
"I love you," Saitama muttered in her ear.
"I love you, too," she smiled and got a kiss pressed to her mouth before he looked at Silk Man.
"We have a few others waiting to meet us. Good luck in becoming a hero," Saitama nodded.
"Is there a way I can find you again?" he asked. Zenchu handed him a restaurant card and a cookie.
"We work there. These two own the place. We may be there tomorrow. Heroes eat for free," Zenchu said. That had Silk Man gasping with delight before he finally walked away to follow the employee.
"How many are left?" Saitama asked.
"Three. Ah...why are they all...?" the board member frowned at the three burly men that walked over to stand in front of them. All three were wearing scuba suits and sneakers which suggested they came in as a group. They all had headgear on, so it was difficult to make out their features.
"We got tired of waiting. You see us. We're going now," the middle man said. "Besides, women shouldn't be heroes."
"Neither should arrogant men that have no regards for rules," Mitsumi said evenly to get the three of them to pause and stare at her. "Anyways, we're done here, too. Come on."
"Yes, Lady Mitsumi," Zenchu nodded. Wind Crane stretched out her massive set of wings and glared at the three men. They knew they couldn't even touch her from how strong she was. Tanktop Master just sighed and shook his head. He was clearly disgusted with them.
"How do we get Wind Crane underground?" Saitama asked the board member. "She wants to evaluate the others to see how strong they are."
"Ah. We actually did make a lift to bring down supplies easier from the tunnel you made. She can use that," the board member said. He made a phone call to have it ready for use.
"Anyways, yeah. Like she said. You can go," Saitama said to the three men before them and lifted Mitsumi into his arms. "We're done."
"What hero rank are you?" one them asked.
"S class. Look it up. Bye," Saitama grunted out and was quick take her to the edge of the building rooftop. He whispered to Mitsumi to get her laughing before jumping off the building with her fans quickly flicking out and becoming the massive crane wings. She now flew back up with Saitama clinging to her with a massive grin on her face to swoop past the roof in a playful display of majestic flight. The three men could only gape with shock at what they saw.
"Where are we going?" Zenchu asked the board member. The location was given and shared with Inichi to give to Mitsumi. Wind Crane was quick to collect Zenchu, and then she nodded to Tanktop Master to hop up, too. Then she looked at the board member and opened up her claws to let him sit in them.
"Follow the employee, please," the board member said to the three bewildered men before Wind Crane took off to follow Mitsumi.
"Suiryu will meet us there. Inichi told him where to go," Saitama muttered in Mitsumi's ear. "I really want to know if it's possible to..."
"I will drop you and make you walk," she warned to get him laughing softly. "I know you won't get hurt, but don't you dare distract me in a crowded place."
"I'd just jump back up to you," he grinned and planted a solid kiss on her mouth. "Hmm...I should make a fly hole in my pants..."
"Shut up!" she cringed and laughed hard. She saw where the destination was and was quick to land. Anyone that didn't see the display of fan wings now was in total shock on what she was able to do. Saitama jumped down first to pull her into his arms. Then he watched the fans reform into the floating set of circular sets of ten to hover over her neatly.
"They really won't back down until it's done, eh?" he mused. Wind Crane landed and let Tanktop Master down. Then she opened her claws to gently let the board member out to show she was a full ally. Zenchu jumped down from her neck and led her over to Mitsumi.
"Monster!" a hero shouted and leapt at Wind Crane.
"Nope!" Saitama said to sprint over and slap him away with Mitsumi in his free arm to hold her close while he did this. "She's an ally. You should know this. Don't do it again!"
"Question him. He saw me travel with Wind Crane," the board member said to the security staff. "This way, please. And you have my utmost apology."
Wind Crane gave out a soft cluck of agreement and followed him with the others. When they saw Sweet Mask, the group stopped to address him.
"I saw what happened. He's very new. And he doesn't read bulletins," Sweet Mask sighed. "I wish to help assess this group."
"Fine," Saitama shrugged and continued to carry Mitsumi. Wind Crane looked at Mitsumi and clapped her beak softly.
"I see. Okay, we'll get you something to eat when we are done here," Mitsumi nodded.
"What does she eat?" Sweet Mask asked.
"Tons of fish. Mainly," Saitama said. "She was starving to death when we found her. It was why we had to find all the fans quickly. She stressed urgency, but didn't say why. We had to save her."
"Oh!" Sweet Mask frowned. Then he paused at the feather Wind Crane gave over. "Ah...thanks?"
"Her feathers are armor. Only she can snip them in half. And Saitama can break them easily. No one else can break them that I know of," Mitsumi chuckled. Sweet Mask frowned and tried to bend the feather. He was shocked.
"Can I get an armor cloak?" he had to ask.
"Tacki can do that with enough feathers," Mitsumi nodded.
"I'm here!" Suiryu said when he jogged over to them. "Master, I have to say...um...it's getting easier to run. I'm...very surprised!"
"Good! We'll see how you are at the end of the month. If it feels even easier, I may have Zenchu do surprise spars. Maybe," Saitama nodded.
"You are gonna let me play with your disciples? Okay. That's actually pretty cool," Zenchu grinned lightly. Suiryu seemed to pale at this, but he didn't disagree with it. When another hero shouted and ran at Wind Crane, a blue bubble was quick to lift up the lesser hero.
"I see I arrived just in time," Inichi sighed and brought the hero to Sweet Mask. "I kept getting random thoughts that pretty much said, 'If I performed acts of bravery against strong monsters, then I would get a better promotion.' And this was even when I tried to interject that we were allies. Quite saddening. Please do not let any of them write scripts for you."
"Ah...I won't," Sweet Mask coughed and regarded the hero. "You know these monsters work for the Hero Association. Don't you?"
"But...well...yeah..." the faulty hero frowned. Inichi let him go to run off and pout that he got scolded.
"Can you just bend a rule and make a list of Hero Monsters? Subject to change if they become cured? This is getting to be too much!" Mitsumi sighed. "Hell, I'll even fund that branch of the association! Right now! I'll write up a check, or even do a wire transaction. This way, my family will legitimately be part of the Hero Association and it would be stupid for other heroes to fight them if they are part of the same association!"
"You would?" the board member blinked.
"Yes. We can work on a contract, too. I'm just done with the random attacks on my family after we have fully proven that we are no threat. We help people! They get cured and returned to human form! I just...I'm done with it," Mitsumi said and looked at Saitama with a touch of despair.
"Do it," Saitama said without even thinking.
"The others fully agree. If you need signatures, we can have that done later tonight with a contract. Rendor will gladly hold onto any parchment documents, too," Inichi said. The board member found the other three men of the board waiting by the lift, and he was quick to tell them of this new idea.
"I agree," the second board member nodded.
"You have my vote!" the third board member smiled.
"To know that we have monsters that can help us kill other monsters? Even to detect them? We need this! Yes. We can get something set up," the fourth board member said.
"I did have a small request," the first board member said.
"What's that?" Mitsumi asked.
"Wind Crane's feathers are practically unbreakable. Can we get a set of coats made with them to help protect important figures?" the first board member asked. "I can see it as a huge benefit for complete protection."
"We'll think about it. Granted, Wind Crane has intense regenerative abilities. We can harvest her feathers, but it takes a good hour for them to grow back in full. And she must agree to this," Mitsumi said and looked at her. Wind Crane thought on it and seemed to huff.
:THE ONLY WAY THAT WILL WORK IS IF I EVALUATE WHO IS TO RECEIVE MY PROTECTIVE COAT. IF IT IS ONE THAT HAS A FALSE HEART, IT WILL BE DENIED. I DON'T CARE HOW IMPORTANT THEY ARE. MY COAT IS PRICELESS. IT IS GIVEN AS A GIFT TO THOSE THAT I TRUST. IF MY TRUST IS ABUSED, IT SHALL BE REVOKED AND TAKEN BACK.:
"Ah..." the second board member gaped at the intense voice that filled his mind. She had reached out to all of them there that were asking.
"Family is always trusted. But outside people? She will be skeptical until she tests their loyalty," Mitsumi nodded.
"As much as I can help assess, Wind Crane will judge in full," Inichi nodded. "I fully agree with her reasoning."
"I agree with her, too. Her feathers. Her rules. No arguments from me," Saitama said with a neutral gaze. Then he looked over when Wind Crane pecked at his arm. "What? I can't feel that. Why are you doing that? Stop it! Don't tear my suit! Tacki will have to fix it!"
"You can't feel that?!" Zenchu gaped.
"Nope," Saitama shrugged. Wind Crane clapped her beak together and he nodded. "Right. You were trying to get my attention. We have to take care of the other group now. Then we need to get home. She's getting very hungry. Shedding feathers and growing them back out takes up her energy. We need to finish this up now."
"If she eats monster parts, we still have a few crates of it," Sweet Mask said. Wind Crane looked at him and nodded. "Okay. I'll have those prepared to come by here. You can eat them all."
"Right. Because that other family is done. We should still save some for other things, though," Zenchu mused.
"We will. We just have a surplus," Sweet Mask said and led them all to the lift. He pressed a red button to have it go down. There was an elevator for quicker deliveries, but this was for Wind Crane. Tanktop Master and Suiryu were impressed at the layout of the underground training area. They were in the supply tunnel part, though. The actual training area was a bit closer to the main headquarter underground entrance. Zenchu was clearly amused at how they utilized the tunnel Saitama made.
"Master! This tunnel is...wow! Was it always here?" Suiryu asked.
"Nope. I made it to prove my strength to get moved into S class," Saitama said with boredom. Suiryu's jaw dropped.
"I was there! I saw it," Tanktop Master nodded.
"We all were there," Inichi grinned and sent Suiryu the images.
"Wow..." Suiryu blinked.
"So, where are the others we need to look at?" Saitama asked and set Mitsumi down. "Also, eh...may need to make this quick. You have replacements for all this?"
"Um..." the third board member paused.
"I can replace it all. Inichi, please make a mental note?" Mitsumi asked.
"Yes, Lady Mitsumi," Inichi agreed. "Ah...hmm...hold on..."
"What?" Saitama frowned. Then he saw the smaller elevator open to reveal Rendor, Tatsumaki and Fubuki walking out.
"We wanted to clean up your mess," Tatsumaki said.
"Contain it," Rendor corrected to get her to blush at him.
"Sorry. Force of habit," she sighed and got a loving squeeze. "Your ring fits fine? It's okay?"
"If I know I have to change into a monster, I'll put it in my pocket. It's fine," he chuckled. "I can also wear it with the necklace pendant."
"Okay," she nodded.
"Oh! You have promise rings now?" Mitsumi smiled.
"Yes. We agreed to it," Rendor chuckled.
"I want him around," Tatsumaki nodded. "All the time."
"I'm proud of her," Fubuki smiled and let Inichi hover over her to rest a hand on her shoulder. "As it stands, we need to get this done."
"Right," Sweet Mask nodded. He gestured to the right where the main tunnel led back to the association. "We just need to walk down this way. It's about a quarter of a mile."
"How long is the tunnel?" Suiryu asked.
"Five miles," Saitama said neutrally and carried Mitsumi. Suiryu stopped walking and gaped with complete shock. "Come on! Don't just stand there!"
"Ah! Right, Master!" Suiryu said and quickly jogged to catch up. When they heard people working out and training, they slowed down to see how to get around them. Sweet Mask pressed a button to open a hidden pathway. This was now utilized, and it brought them to the main entrance hallway to the training room. Mitsumi rose her brows with amusement.
"Quite clever," Zenchu grinned. "And it's even large enough for Wind Crane! What made you decide to do that?"
"It was Drive Knight's idea for discreet delivery drops and such," Sweet Mask said and glanced over at Mitsumi to see her in a loving kiss with Saitama. Inichi poked at him to keep moving. It was when he heard a mental thought that he fully intervened. :Sweet Mask. Stop it. Now. Do you want to get killed?:
:Sorry...: Sweet Mask grimaced. :If I just...knew more about her then...:
:Shut up!: Inichi hissed in warning. :There was something she actually did tell Mr. Saitama. She loves him and values him because he gave her a chance. In return to him, she proved herself to him and more. He fell in love with her the moment he saw her crying her eyes out at night from her mind deteriorating from the age.
:He trusted her, and in doing so he trusted us. He stopped Genos from attacking. He said he believed her when she defended us from the attack. She jumped in the way of Genos! So, I'm going to ask this. If you knew she was befriending monsters and what she already did now, would you have given her a chance? Or tossed her aside with disgust?:
:I...damn it...:
:Exactly. Mr. Saitama believed in us when no one else would. He earned his place with her in full. Do not forget that.: Inichi sighed.
:YOU CAN SEE HER AS FAMILY. AS A YOUNG SISTER. CAN YOU NOT? YOU ALREADY PROTECT US NOW. IT COULD BE DONE.:
Sweet Mask paused at the massive voice that entered his mind. Wind Crane listened to my conversation with Inichi?! I just...how?! But...to see her as a sister...I think...yes. I can try and do that. I'll do my best to do that.
"We're here," the first board member said and led them all to the specialized training room where the seven Secret Skins were. Their attention was called for now, and they all looked up at them. "Thank you for remaining here! There is one final test we must do before your assessment is complete."
"Yes," Mitsumi nodded. Then her fans came to life and split up into the triple parts for the blades to flick out. "I am the last of the Wind Crane Clan! You all were found to be possible Secret Skins! I need to see if this is true!"
"Shit!" the thin man in blue hissed out. The others gaped with shock, and Inichi quickly blocked out any warnings that they tried to send out to others. Now she darted swiftly around them all with the fans circling, slicing and fluttering around each person. She was too fast to be caught, and the fans were too distracting to let anyone get a clear glimpse of her. When she was back at Saitama's side and in his arms, he snapped his fingers.
Every single person had clothing and skin fall off. All of them turned into various monsters of intense proportions. The others with Saitama gasped and backed away, but he had Mitsumi stand behind him. Her fans weren't charged, but he had Wind Crane to back him up this time.
"WIND CRANE CLAN PUNCH!" he shouted and punched out with a fury. Wind Crane added her vocal sonic blast to it now to fully enhance the sonic force he released.
"Ah...what...is this...?!" Sweet Mask gaped with shock. Zenchu watched with his jaw dropped as every single monster there simply melted, vaporized and deteriorated down the tunnel. Even more was all the weight training equipment did the same thing. Then they felt the cave shudder to show it stretched out even more under the surface to show another mile or two was possibly added on.
"I think we should do this again outside," the fourth board member swallowed. "Take them to a discreet place for 'specialized training'."
"I would have to agree," the first board member nodded with the others.
"Nothing to clean up?" Tatsumaki smirked.
"Nope. It's vaporized," Rendor said with a bit of a stunned look on his face.
"The monsters are just...they're all gone..." Suiryu said with a twitch in his eye. Inichi sent the information to them all. Genos was pissed that he wasn't there to record it, but he realized the camera feed from the hidden room caught it all for him. He was quick to glean it and store it for his own needs now.
"Okay. Home now," Saitama nodded and turned to scoop up Mitsumi to kiss her in his ravenous way to show he was proud of her.
"Yeah," Zenchu nodded. Tanktop Master was lightly poked at by a board member to bring him around. He knew he had to report to his crew.
"I'll see about coming back over. I have to get with the Tanktop Army," Tanktop Master sighed hard and shook his head. "Nothing like it. I swear..."
"Well, now you can make others jealous that you saw it and they didn't," Zenchu grinned. Tanktop Master paused and grinned back at that thought.
"You know others will want to see this," Fubuki chuckled.
"No more super powered monkeys..." Saitama rolled his eyes and got Mitsumi giggling at him. They were able to leave down the tunnel and through the lift for Wind Crane to get out. The board members left through the main association, so Sweet Mask was able to escort the others out. The moment they got outside, he was able to collect his thoughts.
"We do plan to do this again. I'll get with them to arrange when," he said.
"A little over a week," Inichi said. "The board member with us knows why. Speak with him."
"I will," Sweet Mask nodded and watched them all leave by flight. Mitsumi activated her flight to carry back Saitama. Wind Crane was able to carry the others with her easily, and Inichi dropped off Tanktop Master on his way home. All Saitama could think of on the flight home was to feed Wind Crane and enjoy his walk along the main road with Mitsumi and Fumio. He wanted it done, and he knew he would see to it the moment he was able to.