A/N: So, the newest YandereDev video... all I can say is: Blonde Ayano. Blonde. Ayano. Ahhhhhh
Will Yan-chan be joining the delinquents in One Punch Simulator? Not gonna say. Maybe yes, maybe no. *evil hands* You will see...
"Oh, come on. Her house is bigger than mine?"
Saitama and Genos were standing in front of Ayano's house, in City Z Suburbia. The bald man crossed his arms, gazing at the average-sized house. While it was not the biggest house in the Suburbia, it out-sized Saitama's apartment by a long shot.
"Maybe you should stay here, Genos," Saitama said. "This place obviously has more room."
The teen let the men inside, where they sat down at a wooden table, beside the open kitchen. The floor was a dusty light brown and the walls were beige. There were two dark brown couches in the living room, which surrounded a khaki coffee table. On the table there was a remote; a TV and a potted plant were located in the top right corner. A bouquet of flowers was in the bottom corner, looking fresh out of an Akademi High Memorial Service. After all, 3 students had been pronounced dead.
"And her house is nicer than mine too," Saitama grumbled. "Just fantastic."
Ayano served Saitama and Genos some green tea, in small white mugs.
"Thanks," Saitama said, sipping his tea.
Ayano sat opposite to the males, her own cup of tea in front of her. There was an awkward silence.
"So…" Saitama cleared his throat. "You live by yourself?"
Ayano nodded.
"What about your parents?" Saitama asked.
"Business trip." Ayano answered.
"Oh," Saitama said. "Any siblings?"
"No." Ayano said.
"So it really is just you, huh?" Saitama asked. "Wow… you're pretty independent."
"Thank you." Ayano replied.
Genos stared at his tea. He had a question of his own, but suddenly, his phone rang.
"Excuse me." he said, getting up. He walked away to answer the phone. Ayano and Saitama waited in yet another awkward silence.
The cyborg soon returned.
"Master, Ayano," Genos said. "For some reason, the Hero Association wants me to come in. I will meet you two at Master Saitama's apartment later."
"Okay," Saitama said, waving a hand. "Maybe you're getting fired."
He laughed crudely at his own joke. Genos then left the house. Another silence surrounded the two.
"So…" Saitama scratched his head. "Why do you think he got called in?"
Ayano shrugged. More silence.
Saitama sighed. While he found Genos' commentary and unnecessary evaluations to be annoying, he wasn't sure he appreciated Ayano's never-ending silence, either. Usually, Saitama wasn't the one to carry a conversation, but with Ayano, it was a different story. He had to work double-time to even get her to make any sort of vocal noise.
"Man, this is awkward," he coughed. "Wanna watch some TV?"
Genos arrived at the Hero Association building at last, suitcase in hand. The sun was starting to set. The rays of sunlight bled through the windows all around the building. The marble floor glimmered as Genos stepped over an imprint of the Hero Association logo.
"Ah," an old man's voice said. "You must be Genos."
Genos turned and faced an elderly man standing in the corner. He had a hunch in his back, silver hair, and bright blue eyes. He wore a long-sleeved black martial arts jumpsuit, light-coloured pants, and Tai Chi slippers.
"It's nice to make your acquaintance," the man said. "I'm Bang."
Class S rank 4, Genos thought, aka Silver Fang. He possesses true skill.
"The Association called me in," Genos said.
"Everyone else is over at headquarters," Bang explained. "This branch office is empty now. Every Class S hero got the call to come here, but you and I are the only ones who showed up."
"Why is that?" Genos asked.
"Perhaps this branch is too far away," Bang answered, "or perhaps they are too busy. Of course, some of the more cold-blooded ones just don't bother. Though, I am surprised Goddess isn't here. Like us, she lives in City Z. Out of all the Class S heroes, she has to be the most dedicated to her job."
"Goddess," Genos repeated. "She is Class S rank 2, am I correct?"
"Indeed," Bang replied. "You should've met her. She likes to introduce herself to all new Class S heroes."
"I'm afraid I have not met her," Genos responded.
"Hmm," Bang mused. "How odd. She has been strangely distant these past few weeks." He coughed. "Anyway, we are getting off-topic. Us S Class heroes are only called when there is an impossible problem to deal with, and today's dilemma is no exception. The threat level is dragon, meaning it's a worse case scenario. In 35 minutes, a huge meteorite will strike City Z. Us Class S heroes were called to see if we could do anything about it."
Genos tch-ed. "Meteor?"
"Apparently, it suddenly changed paths," Bang continued. "The new trajectory means the end for us. The impact will wipe out City Z. I'm afraid there's nothing we can do this time. You should think about evacuating with your loved ones."
"Do the citizens know?" Genos asked.
"I was told the Association would send out an evacuation orders thirty minutes before it hits," Bang answered.
Right on cue, alarm sirens began going off.
"Attention," a woman's voice boomed. "This is an important announcement from the Hero Association."
Bang chuckled. "People are surely going to panic."
"And you, old fellow?" Genos asked.
"Old fellow, is it?" Bang asked. "I told you, call me Bang."
"You are not evacuating?" Genos asked.
"There's a dojo for martial arts here that's been in my family for generations," Bang said. "I cannot abandon it."
He moved his arms around, creating a series of movements.
"Fist of flowing water, crushed rock," he said. "Have you heard of it?"
But Genos was already gone.
To say City Z Suburbia was in a panic would be an understatement. Various Akademi High students were running around and screaming. Others were throwing as many valuables into their car as they could. A few students had passed out.
"Holy crap," Saitama muttered to Ayano. "They don't look too happy."
Ayano didn't respond. She saw the vice president of the Student Council, as well as the Class A rank 2 hero, 'Black Turtle', whose real name was Kuroko Kamenga, put a megaphone to her lips. The serious girl had a pair of glasses and long, straight, black hair to match her grim expression.
"Everyone, calm down!" she ordered. "We need to evacuate in a safe and orderly fashion!"
Some students stopped and stared at her.
"Me and the other Student Council members will aid those in need," Kuroko continued. "Does anyone need help?"
"I do," a shrill voice answered. "My bags can't carry themselves!"
The voice belonged to president of the Drama Club, Kizana Sunobu, who was surrounded by a ridiculous number of duffel bags. She had purple twin-drills held up by two red roses, and matching purple eyes. She was wearing a long, glittery, purple coat that was not appropriate at all for an evacuation.
Kuroko adjusted her glasses. "With all due respect, Miss Sunobu, you should lighten your load. Those bags will slow you down."
"Excuse me?" Kizana screeched. "I refuse to leave my darlings behind!"
While Kizana continued causing drama worthy of her club, Ayano helped some of her fellow students. She carried Midori's favourite Miyuki figurine, which was a metre and a half long for some reason, and put Kuu's bag over her shoulder. She kept gazing up at the meteor. While the thing would throw a wrench in her plans, it wouldn't stop her from getting stronger.
Ayano turned back to her sensei, who was walking away.
"Master!" she exclaimed. "Where are you going?"
"Well," he gazed at the sky, "someone's gotta stop that thing."
Ayano held up a hand, her voice croaking.
"See ya later, Ayano," Saitama said. "Protect these kids."
He ran off at light-speed. Ayano stared at where he'd just been for a few moments, before regaining her composure. After all, she was lugging around tons of baggage. Despite that, a weight seemed to come off her shoulders. If Saitama was going after that meteor, it didn't stand a chance. Perhaps the city would be saved. Ayano had no feelings, but it would still be a shame to lose City Z.
Ayano noticed Taro Yamada trying to drag his bag along the ground. Raibaru was carrying a bag over her shoulder. Ayano walked over to Taro, and hoisted his bag off the ground.
Taro blushed. "Oh, thanks!"
"You're welcome, Senpai," Ayano said.
Taro sighed, miserably. "This is awful, Yan-chan. First, Unagi, Osana and Asu died, Saki became a psychopath, and now a freaking meteor is about to crash on my town!"
"It's okay, Senpai…" a quiet voice said, beside him. "We'll get out of here safely."
The voice belonged to Amai Odayaka, who was holding a plastic container full of cupcakes, probably in order to calm people down. She offered one to Taro.
"Thanks, Amai-chan," he said, smiling weakly. He bit into the cupcake. "Wow, this is really good…"
Amai blushed. "Thank you."
Ayano stared at the meteor. The fiery red rock was getting closer and closer. An instinct inside her told her to brace herself.
"Yan-chan!" Midori grabbed her shoulder. "We've gotta go! If we stay here any longer, it's game over!"
"You go," Ayano told her. "I have to help more people."
"Ayano!" Midori cried.
And then the meteor exploded.
A blue explosion shattered across the heavens, clearing the skies. There was a complete silence as the students stared up at the heavens. Then, fiery pieces of rock began to rain down from the sky, headed straight towards the suburbia. Students started to scream and panic once again. Kizana tripped over her own cloak, and fell on her side. A flaming rock came soaring towards her.
"No!" she screamed. "I'm too beautiful to die!"
Ayano pulled out a sword. She took a step towards Kizana.
"A-Ayano, no," Kuu stammered, grabbing her friend's arm. Her voice was full of concern, for the first time ever. "You'll die!"
Ayano ignored her, and raced towards the president of the Drama Club.
"Ayano!" Kuu shouted.
Kizana screamed once more. And then Ayano was in front of her. The hero sliced the rock with her sword, shattering it into fiery dust.
"Ba… ba…" Kizana's voice trailed off. Ayano was already gone, racing towards another flaming rock. Like its former, the rock was shattered into dust.
"Oh my God…" Taro gasped, getting out of his stupor. "She shattered them!"
"Whoa…" Amai blinked. "She's amazing…!"
"Go Yan-chan!" Midori cheered.
More and more rocks came flying towards the suburbia. Ayano kept on her emotionless face. No, she didn't care about this town, or these people. But she did care about her image. She needed these people to love her.
Ayano jumped into the air, destroying another rock with a BOOM! Her arms had some harsh burns, and her eyes were watering from the heat, but they weren't enough to stop her. By now, the other students were standing up and cheering for her. Even the Student Council was impressed by her work.
"That's the one she mentioned, isn't it?" Kuroko asked Shiromi.
The silver-haired girl nodded. "Yep, that's her, alright."
Ayano saw quite a large rock approaching. It was the biggest one yet.
Kuu gasped. "Will she be strong enough to stop it?"
"Of course she will!" Midori chirped. "She's Yan-chan, a hero!"
Ayano's hands glowed red. Small, red lines appeared all over her skin. They weren't veins, Ayano knew that much. They wrapped around the sword, as well. She gazed at the flaming rock, and jumped into the air. With one mighty slash, the rock exploded into bright orange dust. Ayano fell from the sky, landing safely. Her clothes were burned and her skin was red, but she was alive.
There was a silence. Then the students cheered and clapped like it was the end of a concert. Ayano wiped the ash off her forehead, arms stinging. Her work here was done.
"I thought she was just some quiet girl," a male student named Otohiko Meichi commented, waking up from being unconscious. "But she's amazing!"
"Yeah, Yan-chan's amazing!" Taro agreed. He gasped. "Hey, maybe Yan-chan should be her hero name!"
The other students looked at each other.
"Has a cute ring to it, I suppose..." Kizana muttered.
A chorus of agreement arose from the other students.
"Yan-chan!" they chanted. "Yan-chan!"
"Although City Z was able to avoid total destruction from the meteor, the city was still relentlessly devastated, with the destructive effects of the giant fireballs visible everywhere. According to…"
"Look at this," Genos muttered, glaring at the TV screen. "If only the Hero Association had called you to help instead of me, Master. If you had been assigned to work with Metal Knight, all the damage caused could've easily been minimised."
"But you said that Metal Knight guy wasn't interested in helping at all, didn't you?" Saitama asked, looking up from his manga. He sat up. "So stop worrying about it. I think we kept the damage to a minimum. Since no one died, we should call it a win."
Genos frowned, a shadow passing over his face. Saitama was right. If he hadn't shattered the meteor, the shockwave would've destroyed the city. His punch had been nothing short of a miracle.
"After all, City Z Suburbia was almost completely undamaged, thanks to Ayano," Saitama said, nodding at his female disciple. "So we all put our part in."
Ayano nodded back. Thanks to the whole meteor incident, she was very popular at Akademi.
"By the way," Saitama asked, "do you think what happened moved us up in the ranking?"
"Yes," Genos answered. "In fact, it did. I progressed from Class S rank 18 to 17. Metal Knight moved up from rank 8 to 7. Ayano moved up from Class B rank 86 to rank 10."
"Whoa, rank 10?" Saitama turned to Ayano. "That's pretty freakin' impressive!"
Ayano smiled. "Thank you, Master."
"And as for you, Master," Genos turned to Saitama, "you shot up from Class C rank 342 to rank 5."
"Rank 5?!" Saitama shouted. "Rank 342 to 5? Whoa, what the Hell?! That's crazy!"
"Well," Genos smiled, "honestly, your performance was worthy of Class A, or even Class S. I mean, the threat level to this event was dragon."
"Yeah?" Saitama asked.
"If there had been no damage, I am sure you would be at Class S rank 5," Genos continued. "Smashing the meteor alone would earn a jump from Class C to Class A. But… I think the Hero Association must have assumed that Metal Knight and I played a big role in the tide of events that occurred." He paused. "This is a similar case for Ayano. Her performance was definitely worthy of at least the upper ranks of Class A, maybe even Class S. However, since there were some other Class A heroes there, the Association assumed they assisted her."
Ayano nodded in agreement. If she'd been the only hero there, she'd be in Class S for sure. Still, the A Class heroes had helped, just a little bit. She had to admit that much. She stared at the bandages on her arms. Even if she still wasn't in Class A, her popularity and reputation had skyrocketed. She was now one of the most popular students at school.
"By the way, they always refer to threat levels as 'demon', or 'tiger', and stuff," Saitama said. "Does that actually mean anything?"
Genos nodded. "It does. Tiger: a crisis threatening massive loss of life. Demon: a crisis threatening to hold the functioning of an entire city. Dragon: a crisis threatening the destruction of multiple cities. God: a crisis threatening human extinction."
Saitama read over an official threat level guide. "Wow. I had no idea."
"I believe that heroes normally take these threat levels into consideration when deciding whether or not to respond to a call," Genos said. He gave Saitama a small smile. "But I guess such things do not matter to you."
"Of course they don't," Saitama waved it off. "If heroes run away, who's left to help?"
Ayano almost smiled. Despite everything, she had a twisted sort of respect for Saitama. Once she got strong enough, she hoped to engage in combat with him one day. Defeating him would be her ultimate ascension to godhood.
Meanwhile, Genos was writing Saitama's 'words of wisdom'.
"Well, anyway," Saitama shrugged, "it wasn't much for such a huge jump in rankings. Right." He stood up. "I'll be out for a bit."
"You are going out, Master?" Genos asked. "Hold on, Ayano and myself will come with you!"
"You guys stay here," Saitama said, adjusting his belt. "If something heroic happens, you'll get all the credit again."
Genos watched his master leave, an astonished look on his face.
"Master is truly incredible," he commented.
"Indeed." Ayano agreed.
There was a silence.
"Excuse me, Genos," Ayano spoke up. "Since you had to leave my house early, how about I treat you to some takoyaki to make up for it? We can celebrate our increase in ranks."
Genos nodded. "Very well. It's almost lunchtime anyway."
Genos and Ayano made their way to a takoyaki stand. Ayano paid for the takoyaki and sat beside Genos in some fancy seating. They ate their takoyaki in silence.
"Master is quite incredible," Ayano said, after a while. She hadn't touched much of her takoyaki, since she still didn't enjoy eating. She'd only had enough to look 'normal'. After all, going out for lunch was what normal people did, right?
"Indeed," Genos said. He looked up from his food. "When we first met, it seemed you already knew Master beforehand. Where did you meet him?"
"Walking to school, a week before I met you," Ayano responded. "He saved me from a monster."
"I see," Genos said. "You attend Akademi High, yes?"
Ayano nodded.
"It is said to be the most famous and one of the best schools on the entire planet," Genos said. "Apparently, Traveller attended the school when she was a teenager."
"Traveller," Ayano repeated, quietly.
"You know who she is, yes?" Genos asked.
"Yes," Ayano said. "She was a well-known vigilante, and is considered to be one of the first superheroes, I believe. Her father founded Akademi High."
"She is said to be worthy of S Class rank 1," Genos added. "However, around ten years ago, she mysteriously disappeared, and no one has seen her since. Some speculate that she is dead, while others believe she is still travelling the planet, looking for something. Or… someone."
Ayano frowned. If Traveller really was worthy of S Class rank 1, Ayano would have to keep an eye out for her. She could be just as much of a threat as Saitama himself. There were plenty of rumours about Traveller at school, after all. If Ayano could do some more digging…
"I battled Master Saitama the other day," Genos admitted. "He did not take the battle seriously, while I put my all into it. In the end, he only showed me a glimpse of his true power. I want to get stronger, Yan-chan. While I deeply respect Master Saitama, sometimes it seems he doesn't really care."
"I understand," Ayano replied. "You are strong in a different way than he is, Genos. You are a cyborg. When it comes to physical strength, there isn't much he can teach you, since he's on an entirely different level."
Genos stared at her.
Ayano bowed her head. "I don't mean to offend you, I am only stating the truth."
"You are lucky," Genos said, begrudgingly. "You are a human, like him. He can 'assist' you in that way."
"I mainly do training by myself," Ayano said. "Saitama gives me advice. But I believe that while having immense physical strength is important, having intelligence is also mandatory to be a powerful hero."
"Indeed," Genos agreed. "You seem to be quite powerful already. If you keep it up, you will be in Class S in no time."
"Thank you," Ayano said. "And to you too. Your rank will increase."
"It is a pleasure to work alongside you," Genos replied, "even if I sometimes do consider you to be a rival."
"Of course," Ayano said. She held up a cup of water. "Cheers, to being rivals."
"Yes," Genos grinned, "cheers."
They clinked their drinks together.
"Will you follow Master Saitama, no matter how much the public detests him?" Genos asked.
"Yes," Ayano said. "Absolutely."
Genos nodded. "I am glad we are on the same page."
Still, Genos thought, there is something strange about her. She seems to be an ordinary girl, according to my scans. But that still doesn't explain why she didn't appear on my sensors when we first met. She is definitely hiding something.