For those unaware, I started an SI story in Pokemon. It's called "Obligatory Odyssey" and it's definitely not going to be edgy nuh uh. Haha yeah… anyway, here's a new chapter.
Also did I mention that Taiga has her old hairstyle? Yeah, this is an AU. Yeah, I like ponytails.
Chapter 7 — Older sisters will always whoop your ass no matter how strong you get.
"Come on, where the hell did that idiot go?" she muttered.
Deep into the night at the Emiya household, a young pony-tailed woman paced back and forth in the living room impatiently, staring at the phone in her hands with great intensity. Normally at this hour she would have been fast asleep but doing that is the last thing in her mind right now.
Because she was waiting for a certain stubborn-headed dumbass of a younger brother to return home.
"Where are you, Saitama?" Fujimura Taiga muttered, biting her lip in worry.
It was normal for Saitama to go walking at night. The kid said it was his stupid hobby or whatever, and while it was strange, she allowed it so long as he didn't stay out too late. He'd usually be at the house just in time for dinner normally… but it was already past midnight, and he still wasn't back.
Damn it, that kid probably landed in some trouble again!
Reports of kidnapping started to become common these past few weeks. Her grandfather thought that it was a kidnapping group that were newcomers in the city and wasn't aware yet of the pecking order. While kidnappers like them are worrying, she dismissed them in her mind thinking that her grandfather was going to do something about it.
She grit her teeth. And now that complacent attitude bit me on the ass.
Add in the fact that her men found out in their investigation that recently, Saitama got a million yen out of nowhere in his bank account. Despite him disappearing out of nowhere and leaving Saitama alone as a child, Saitama was left with a lot of money for him and a million yen is a paltry amount compared to it. Despite that, a high schooler like him doesn't have the means to get that amount of money in the first place.
It was clear; there was some scheme going on, and Saitama got caught up on it.
You're supposed to be his guardian. Why didn't you notice much sooner!? Stupid, stupid!
Her self-loathing was forced to the side when she saw her phone lit up as it received a message. She didn't waste time and immediately read it. The message was from one of her grandfather's men who she ordered to search the city for Saitama. Her eyes trail across the words and…
"They can't find him!?" she raged. "How hard is it to search for one person!? You've done this job a thousand times!"
Before she could type out a message to her grandfather to ask more of his men to find Saitama, her phone vibrated as she received a call. She looked at the caller and frowned.
While her grandfather tries not to involve her with his Yakuza business, as her granddaughter she still has some responsibility to do in the family. Nothing malicious, since her grandfather doesn't deal with crime like that, but she still had to involve herself in some ways.
At some point, she stumbled upon some files that were clearly confidential. She thought it was some heinous secret, but when it began detailing some kind of magic conspiracy going inside the city, she thought her grandfather had gone completely senile. However, the more she read those files the more distrubed she became with how everything fit in place. And what's more, it involved the man who had the gall to call himself as Saitama's father…
Though even if there was a disturbingly large amount of sense in that explanation, it was still a conspiracy, one with little evidence to prove. She thought it was best to dismiss it. At least, until a girl approached her claiming as the 'Second Owner' of Fuyuki City and completely validated the theory into truth.
A girl named Tohsaka Rin negotiated for their manpower to help 'defend the city from magical threats'. In exchange Taiga had wanted more explanation of the magical world, from learning knowledge or spells. They had some kind of business partnership with each other for a few years at least.
And the girl was calling her right now. Usually she'd be fine with her calling but Saitama is missing. She wants nothing more than to tell her to get lost.
Still, she picked it up. "What is it? I'm busy right now." she said, her tone irritated.
"I just finished uprooting an entire magi organization that was sitting under our noses. Believe me, its something important." the voice of her usual client, Tohsaka Rin, sighed out. "I'm going to need the usual clean up, and also a small favor."
"Well that can wait—"
"Look, it'll just be simple really." the girl interrupted, much to Taiga's annoyance. "I just need you to make a cover up situation for a colleague so that whoever's with him won't get worried. Just a few papers to make it legitimate."
"Tch, yeah fine whatever, just tell his name." she really needs to get going—
"Emiya Saitama."
Her mind froze.
"Eh?"
"He's a schoolmate in Homurahara." the girl continued, not noticing her reaction. "I think you're familiar with him? I seem to remember you calling for him at the opening ceremony. I just need you to make an excuse for him to be out overnight."
"..."
"...Hello? Are you still there?" there was a slight shuffle. "Did I hang up by mistake…?" the girl on the other end asked in a muffled voice.
The call ended, and Taiga was left staring at the contact in her phone. Unlike her frantic self earlier, right now she looked utterly still.
Her mind however, is in complete turmoil.
Saitama… he wasn't kidnapped? He's safe?
But wait, she said that he's with him? With the magus?
…What!?
Saitama groans as he wakes up from his slumber. His body felt like lead, and every single muscle that he had was in pain. It was a pain that he was used to; one that he had enough practice ignoring. That doesn't make it any less enticing to just stay lying down though, especially considering how soft and comfy the bed he was lying in.
He can do his workout after a few minutes of sleep, right? It's not like it'll be a bother to anyone…
"..."
Wait. he thought. I own a futon. I don't have a bed.
Saitama opened his eyes.
He was greeted with the sight of an unfamiliar room. Wherever he is, it's not in the Emiya household. It looked like one of those fancy hotels that he was sure that he couldn't afford with the money he had in hand.
"Where am I right now…?" he muttered as he sat up.
The blanket covering him slid off, and he realized that he was half-naked and only in his boxers. Bandages were wrapped tightly in his upper body and he could see some spots of dried blood here and there. He unwound the bandages, revealing his bare upper body that was already completely healed. It was still a bit sore though, since he winced when he tried to move his body around to get off the bed.
Still, he managed to do it even with a little difficulty. Wincing, he limped towards the door as he desperately tried to remember what led to him waking up here.
…No wait, he's remembering now. He fought that weird cloaked dude, didn't he? He just remembers punching really hard when the guy shot an energy beam of all things. After that things started to become blurry, so it probably meant that he passed out.
Crap. He needs to know what happened to Tohsaka and the people who got kidnapped. He didn't even know if he beat that guy or not. And if he didn't…
Reaching out for the knob, he opened the door and—
Saitama blinked and looked down, where Tohsaka had an outstretched hand reaching for the door just like he was. She was wearing her usual red sweatshirt and miniskirt, but it was a bit disheveled and there were clear bags under her eyes. They stood almost face-to-face with each other, or rather due to the height difference, her face to his chest.
They remained still for a couple of seconds.
"Ah. Sup, Tohsaka." he finally greeted, his tenseness leaving him when he realized that they weren't in any danger. "Good thing you were safe. I was worried there for a second."
"..." the girl was silent as she was still staring at his chest.
"...Tohsaka?"
The girl broke out from her trance and snapped up to look at him, but oddly her face was rapidly turning into a shade of red. Saitama was about to ask, then out of nowhere, she sported an angry look on her face.
"Go wear a shirt now!" she shouted and slammed the door on his face.
Saitama looked down at his half-naked self and blanched as he realized that, yes, he just flashed Tohsaka like some weirdo. Crap… this is just embarrassing. Hope she doesn't hold it against me.
Though, even if she did say that… he looked around the room. "Where are my clothes?" he muttered.
The door opened and something soft impacted his face, and before he could register what was happening the door slammed shut again. His hand reached up to grab the offending object from his face, and he saw that it was his tracksuit's jacket.
Saitama looked at the door, then shrugged. Swiftly he put it on while withholding his winces from his incredibly sore body. Then after zipping it up he opened the door, revealing a cross-armed Tohsaka waiting on the other side.
"Are you decent now?" she asked, looking anywhere but at him.
He scratched his head. "Yeah, uh, sorry about that."
She coughed. "...Nevermind about that." she dismissed, then she turned to look at him straight. "I thought you were in critical condition when I brought you here, but it's good you were standing already with just a night's rest."
"I feel sore and my body hurts all over, but I can get over the pain." Saitama stated as he rolled his shoulder, wincing a bit. Then he turned to Tohsaka. "By the way, where are we? I need to stop by my house to see my guardian. She must be worried sick."
"Oh, don't worry. I already dealt with that. The only thing you need to worry about is getting your school uniform. If you're planning to go to school, that is. Even if you were injured not just a few hours ago." she waved his concerns off.
She turned around and gestured for him to follow her. Saitama does so, and he looks around in wonder as they walk down a carpeted hall. He could see a chandelier hanging from the ceiling and paintings displayed in the walls. Then, when they walked at the end of the corridor he was greeted with a sight of a grand spiraling staircase that looked incredibly fancy.
"This is the Tohsaka Mansion. I brought you here last night because you were too injured. Really, with the way you were bleeding I thought I'd have to use plenty of gems to fix you." she said, before muttering something under her breath. "Turns out you can heal quickly. Which is just ridiculous, since you literally aren't using magecraft even when I checked."
Saitama's attention went from the spiraling staircase to Tohsaka. "Sorry, what was that? Didn't hear."
She sighed. "Nothing important." she shook her head and walked down the stairs. She pointed at a large door. "Anyway, if you're fine, this way's the exit. We're at the other side of Miyami right now—I take it that you know the way to your house from here?"
At that, Saitama nodded. Tohsaka sent him a smile in response. "Great, then I'll—"
Tohsaka stopped. Her expression was like a deer in headlights as she saw something when she looked at the side.
Saitama blinks, then follows her gaze.
There was a woman there. Almost like a copy of Tohsaka, but much older and… fuller. Unlike Tohsaka's twintails however, the woman had her hair flowing down straight. She wore a casual dress that complimented her figure. But the most eye catching thing of all… was the fact that she was on a wheelchair.
Tohsaka's sister maybe? Saitama thought as the woman stared at them with a hand covering her mouth in shock.
"Oh my! Rin, is what I'm seeing what I think it is?" she asked. "Did you finally bring a boy home!?"
Saitama froze. "Eh?"
"N-No! This isn't—! I mean—!" Tohsaka floundered, before catching a hold of herself and taking a deep breath. Then, marching towards him and grabbing his arm, the girl pulled him in surprising strength and forced him towards the door. "I think it's time for you to go Emiya-kun. I believe you'll be late if you don't hurry home?" she said with gritted teeth.
"Uh, okay." he looks at the shoe rack at the entrance and—Oh, there's my shoes.
"Leaving so soon already? Can we at least have breakfast with him?" Saitama hears the woman ask as he wears his shoes and prepares to go outside.
"No, it's fine! We have a project in school that we need to do today! It's the reason why he was here, and nothing else!" she answered back, emphasizing on the last part. Then she turned to him and gave him a fixed smile that he could see was fake from a mile away. "Do go on, Emiya-kun. I'll talk to you later, alright?"
He nodded. Tohsaka opened the door for him and he stepped out.
"Oh, and Emiya-kun." he stopped as her voice suddenly went from forced, to uncharacteristically soft. He turned around and saw the girl hanging by the door, her face turned away from him.
"Yeah?"
"…Thank you. For all that you've done."
With that, she closed the door.
Saitama stood there, caught off guard. He was silent for a moment before shaking his head and he went on his way.
His body felt lighter though, like some of the pain had disappeared. Or maybe he just couldn't care less.
Saitama left the place with a smile that morning.
…
…
Saitama went home to get his uniform. Just as Tohsaka said, she had handled the excuse on why he was out overnight, so there was no worried Taiga waiting for him at the door. In fact, she wasn't even in the house, sitting in the living room and demanding for him to make breakfast. As a result, he managed to arrive in school on time—probably even earlier than his usual.
He wondered what sort of excuse that Tohsaka made to do that. When he started out earlier in his training and arrived late at night because he battled monsters, Taiga was incredibly worried so he had to lie about it every single time. He was sure the woman didn't believe any of it.
Anyway, right now he arrived at the entrance of the school As he entered, Saitama heard a familiar voice.
"Senpai!" Sakura calls out to him while running, and she stops just in front of him. "Senpai, you're fine! I was so worried when Fujimura-sensei called yesterday saying you weren't home!"
"Y-Yeah, something happened." Tohsaka never did tell what his excuse was, so he was left keeping it vague. "It's all good now though." he reassured.
"What happened, senpai?"
"You know, just… stuff."
Sakura frowned. "Senpai…"
"I just got carried away and spent the whole night out. I forgot to tell Taiga because I was dead tired." that was technically the truth. "It's okay though, she knows what happened and thinks it's fine."
"Are you sure, senpai? She was very worried when I heard her yesterday." what Sakura told him made Saitama involuntarily let out a wince. He didn't really like worrying Taiga like that. "I was also very worried too… I feared for the worst, and…"
He put a hand on her shoulder, stopping the girl from becoming more and more downcast. "Hey, Sakura. I told you, everything is fine. You don't have to worry anymore."
She gave a tiny nod. "Okay, senpai…" she muttered softly
Saitama looks around, searching for anything to change the subject, when he spots a familiar twin-tailed girl enter the school while discreetly looking at the two of them.
Both of them lock eyes, and before he could voice out something Tohsaka looks away. Saitama watches as she walks a bit faster towards school after that.
Weird. Saitama thought.
"...Senpai." he freezes at Sakura's tone of voice, and he turns to look back at Sakura—who now has an uncharacteristically dark look on her face. "Just what was that?"
He blinked.
Crap, she saw that?
He tried not to react. "What was what?"
She turns to look behind her—where Tohsaka was. "Do you know… her?"
Time seemed to freeze as Saitama considered how to properly answer the question.
Should I play dumb? This whole magus thing we had going on is supposed to be a secret. Should I just say I don't know her? He thought as he kept his face blank. But it would be really suspicious if I say I don't know her, wouldn't it? That's like saying yes, but worse.
In the end, he decided to take the safer route. "Yeah, we're acquaintances."
"I see…" the girl trailed off. "Senpai, do you mind walking me to my classroom?"
"Uh, I'd like to, but I'm a bit sore right now." Sakura twitched at that. "So, uh, sorry."
"Sore…?" Sakura mutters something he didn't hear under her breath, mood rapidly growing worse. "Just what did you two…"
"S-Sakura?"
She abruptly paused, making him gulp nervously.
"Saitama." his heart froze in dread. "You'll accompany me to my club later, is that clear?"
He nodded frantically. "Yeah! Of course, of course!"
"Great!" and just like that, Sakura was back smiling. "I'll see you later then, senpai!"
Saitama watched her go, holding his breath, before sighing when she was finally out of view. Sakura rarely got angry, but if she did it was a very scary sight indeed. Even Taiga herself wouldn't risk incurring her wrath if she can help it.
Still though, with how angry she was… he scratched his head.
"Did I do something wrong?" he asked himself.
A whole day of school went by and class proceeded like normal. It was almost as if he almost didn't die yesterday under the hands of the magus-turned-monster with how normal and mundane everything is. Most would think that heroes would get a reward, sung praises and given glory after a fight and saving people. Not for him though—for him, the world continued on, as if the fight didn't really happen.
It's not an uncommon thought for him to think even at the early days he started to be a hero. He didn't really mind it though, satisfied with the fact that he beat the monster and saved others. It was his hobby after all. As long as he gets a kick out of it, he's good.
Also things were a bit different these days—Tohsaka and her pay helped things a lot in that regard. Still, things didn't get any less mundane.
The only considerable thing that happened is that Taiga was absent. He was slightly worried since he never did get to see her in the house. Tohsaka having dealt with the excuse did mollify him but she never said what it really was.
She's probably fine though. That woman cannot be stopped. She's a force of nature no one can contest with.
Nevertheless, the day went by quickly. The next thing he knew class was already over, and it was time to leave.
Sakura waited for him after class, not giving him a chance to escape on his promise to be with her club. Not like he was planning on not delivering on his promise or anything—but Saitama was more than a bit surprised when the girl was actually just outside waiting for him at the hall the moment he left the classroom.
He was sure that there were people staring at them and there were a few whispers thrown here and there. Saitama wasn't an idiot—he knew the picture that was being painted. A girl waiting for him after class? That implies a relationship.
Of course, with his shitty reputation he was sure that there would be bad things thrown in the mix. Some students were glaring darkly at him as they walked through the halls. With the way Sakura was frowning, it looked like she noticed too.
"I don't really have to accompany you, you know? I don't think you'll get any favors with me showing up there." Saitama told her as they walked.
"Aren't you the one that told me that what they think doesn't matter, senpai?" she asked.
"I mean, I did, but it's different when it's you." he explained. "Most people have a bad impression of me already so I wouldn't deal with anything new. For you though, things might get worse from now on. I wouldn't want to let you deal with something like that because you force yourself to hang out with me."
Sakura was silent for a few seconds, before speaking.
"Senpai, you idiot." she stated flatly.
"Oi, what's with the sudden insult."
She shook her head, staying silent and never expanding on it. Saitama was about to say something before closing his mouth when she stopped abruptly. He blinked, before noticing that they were finally at their destination.
They were at the school's archery. It was a small, quaint building that looked nothing special. He never really set foot here before, so he was curious on how it looked on the inside.
"Here we are, senpai. This is the archery club." Sakura said as she opened the door and entered. Saitama followed suit and he took the opportunity to look around.
It looked like his house except there was an open space in the middle. He guessed that's where they shoot their bows. And the targets are kinda far away from them as well. If they could hit that from this distance, it would be honestly impressive.
There were already people here, dressed up in kyudo uniforms. Most of them had their bows and arrows out. None of them were shooting though, but rather nocking the arrow and repeating the process. It looked honestly weird in Saitama's opinion.
There were some of them that were just walking around and guiding others. One of them was a girl with short brown hair, and another was a boy that resembled her quite a bit. Both of them turned to their direction when they entered.
"Sakura!" the girl called out. "I thought it was strange when you weren't here when I arrived. You're usually early."
Sakura bowed slightly. "I'm sorry if I was late, Mitsuzuri-senpai. I'll try not to do it again."
The girl—who Saitama now knew as Mitsuzuri—waved it off. "Eh, no worries. You're not really that late. And at least you bother to show up regularly unlike your brother."
While the two girls were talking, the boy with Mitsuzuri (her brother maybe?) glared at him.
What's this guy's problem? Saitama thought as he stared back with his face blank. Somehow, that made him glare even harder.
"Umm, speaking of him… is nii-san around…?" Sakura softly asked, looking around.
"No. He's out doing something with his girlfriends or whatever. Or at least from what I've heard." she shook her head. "Honestly, at this point I just wonder where he gets those idiot girls he surrounds himself with… anyway, who's that guy beside you?"
"Actually Mitsuzuri-senpai, the reason why I'm late is because I brought someone here." Sakura replied.
"Oh?" the girl raised her brow and turned to him. "If our ace wanted to bring someone here then they must be good… wait, you're kinda familiar." she muttered.
"Nee-san, it's that guy. It's the delinquent." the guy beside her piped up. "Matou-san, are you being forced by that guy? Don't let him take advantage of your kindness; that guy has all these terrible rumors surrounding him."
The Mitsuzuri girl blinked. "Wait, really?"
Saitama's face twitched. "Oi, I'm not a delinquent! Those rumors are absolutely false. Also I'm not forcing anything to Sakura."
The guy growled at him and angrily stepped forward. "Don't refer to her in such an overly familiar way. Matou-san, please move away from him. I'll deal with this guy."
"The hell is your problem? You wanna go or—"
"Please stop." a firm voice interrupted the both of them.
Saitama turned to the side and saw Sakura's angry face looking at the guy. "Mitsuzuri-kun. I meant what I said—I brought senpai here in my own volition and not because I was being forced or anything. What you said was really rude, and I don't appreciate it." she scolded. "You should know better than just blindly believing rumors."
"M-Matou-san…?" the guy's face was a mix of emotions—from shock, to disbelief, realization, and then finally settling in shame. He hung his head downcast and stepped back. "...I'm sorry, Matou-san. That was out of line."
He turned his head to look at Saitama to apologize, before freezing he saw his smug face. Yeah, that's what you get.
The guy lost all traces of regret and he looked like he was doing all that he could to restrain himself to not deck Saitama's face right then and there.
Mitsuzuri whistled as she looked between Sakura and Saitama. "Wow, I think that's the first time I saw Sakura stand up for herself ever. You two must be really close, huh?"
Sakura went from scolding to blushing in an instant. She waved her arms in front of her. "M-Mitsuzuri-senpai! You've got the wrong idea! It's just that…! Umm…!"
Mitsuzuri's brother choked, then glared at Saitama much more intensely. Saitama has no idea what's his problem now this time.
Mitsuzuri laughed at Sakura, who spluttered some more. "Oh, this is a treat! I'm getting to see sides of Sakura that I've never seen before. Looks like you're a really interesting guy… uh, Emiya Saitama right?"
Are my rumors really that well-known? Saitama thought as he nodded.
The girl smiled. "I'm Mitsuzuri Ayako, the captain of the archery club." she pointed at the still glaring boy beside her. "This is my little brother, Mitsuzuri Minori. You'll have to excuse him for what he said earlier."
He shrugged. "It's alright." her brother blinked.
"So! If Sakura brought you here then you must at least have some potential in you. Also, we'll see if you're as truthful as you say you are regarding those rumors." the girl said to him, making Sakura gasp.
"Mitsuzuri-senpai—!"
"Oh don't worry Sakura. I know you're telling the truth. It's just that sometimes you just have to see for yourself, you know?" Mitsuzuri interrupted, then walked over to hand something to him. "Here."
On her hand was a bow and arrow. Saitama took it from her hand, and he held it in an unfamiliar way.
It was the first time Saitama held a bow in his life. It felt strange to hold such a long thing. He tugged on the bowstring, trying to figure out how to draw an arrow and shoot with it.
"So what am I supposed to do?" he asked Mitsuzuri.
"Try shooting it." she stated simply.
"…What does that have to do with me not being like the rumors?"
The girl simply smiled. "You learn a lot from how a person moves, you know? I like martial arts. There's plenty of things you can tell from someone, say, fighting. Or in this case, shooting an arrow from a bow."
He didn't really get it, but he nodded. "Alright."
Saitama walked to the open space where the targets were. He took a deep breath then raised the bow.
I guess I just draw it like this and put the arrow there? I don't really know how to do this. Saitama did what he thought was the proper draw of a bow based on what he saw from TV. It was a bit awkward, especially with lining the arrow straight, but he managed to do it. Well, here goes nothing.
He released his hold and the arrow flew.
Then it landed nowhere near the target.
"...Wow, that sucked." Mitsuzuri bluntly stated.
Saitama turned to her, mildly embarrassed. "Hey, I'm a beginner here! I don't know how to draw a bow in the first place!"
Mitsuzuri blinked. "Really? Here I thought we'd get another talented ace in our club." she turned to Sakura. "Sakura, why did you even bring this guy?"
"Umm, I just wanted senpai to check out the club to see if he's interested in joining it since I think he has potential…"
Mitsuzuri's brother looked smug at his attempt at archery, and Saitama's brow twitched slightly at his annoying expression. The guy's face went back to neutral when the two girls looked back at them though.
"Hmm, well I'm not opposed if this guy would join. He has strength in his movements that's different from the average person, so I think there really is potential in him." Mitsuzuri pondered. "But is that really the true reason why you brought him here?"
"W-What do you mean, Mitsuzuri-senpai?" Sakura stuttered.
The girl grinned. "Are you sure it's not just because you want to spend time—" Sakura spluttered. "—pfft, just kidding. Oh, this is too cute… You know, I might just keep this guy here if it meant you being like this all the time."
Sakura paled. For what reason, Saitama doesn't know. "S-Senpai! Thank you for bringing me here. I really appreciate it." the girl hurriedly said to him. "But I think that you should be going now…?"
Saitama scratched his head, his face blank. "Yeah, I think I need to go home too." Taiga might be home already, so I think I should go back. She must be worried sick.
"You sure? You could stay a little bit longer." Mitsuzuri said teasingly, looking at the flustered Sakura.
"Uh, sorry, but I really do need to get home." Saitama handed back the bow to Mitsuzuri. "Here."
"I see. Then if you're gonna go, it's nice to see you Emiya-kun." the girl smiled at him. "And I've got to say; you're not as bad as the rumors say you are."
Saitama gave her a flat stare. "Thanks, I guess." he turns to Sakura. "See you tomorrow, Sakura."
"See you tomorrow, senpai." the girl replied with a soft smile.
He gave the other two a wordless nod. Mitsuzuri gave him a polite grin while her brother just didn't say anything. He turned around.
With that, he finally went home.
…
…
"Hmm, maybe I already have eggs at home…" Saitama muttered as he looked at the bag of groceries he was carrying.
Even though he did want to go straight back home, he took a slight detour when he noticed a store that had a sale. He wasn't quite sure if they had enough food left at home, so he didn't really want to miss the chance.
Sure, he may be getting paid millions of yen by Tohsaka for the past week, but it's a good habit to have. Money is important, so you need to save it as much as you can if possible. And it's good that he can splurge while it being affordable at the same time.
Saitama looked ahead and saw that he was already at his compound. Walking at the door, he brought out his keys to open the entrance.
But before he could do so, there was a sound of an approaching car. Saitama paused and turned around.
He saw a fancy black limo driving down the road. He didn't recognize the car anywhere, but it was probably just passing by. Saitama was about to mind his own business again but stopped when he realized that the car was slowing down.
Then, it pulled over to stop just in front of the house. Right in front of him.
Saitama straightened and his normally blank face was replaced with a cautious expression.
Then the car's door opened.
What stepped out was a beautiful woman in a ponytail dressed in a black sharp outfit, with a fur coat draped across her shoulders. She looked exactly like a mob boss in one of the dramas on TV and had the air of one. The feeling only got more correct when men wearing suits followed behind her as bodyguards.
The woman stared at him intensely, and for some reason Saitama thinks that there was something strange in this situation. Like he was missing something but can't put his finger on it. In fact, there was something about this woman that seemed familiar…
Then the woman opened her mouth and spoke.
"Saitama, get in the car. Let's have a talk."
He froze. Wait.
"T-Taiga!?"
Thus the start of a new arc, and Saitama's hobby was exposed! This guy honestly just can't catch a break. It's one thing to deal with the monsters, but it's another to deal with Taiga of all people. Also yes, she's in her Yakuza Princess mode right now—like the Stage 4 Jaguar Man illustration (just with less booba in sight haha… unless?).
Honestly it was only a matter of time for her to find out. In this AU, Taiga is very much aware of the supernatural happenings of the city. I mean, lots of casualties occured in the 4th grail war, and a giant monster thing fucking appeared and got obliterated by a beam of light one time. It's a miracle there's a divide between the moonlit world and the mundane one if this stuff happens—maybe that's one of the True Magics in the Fateverse.
On another note, 3 weeks for a 5K word chapter is pretty disappointing in my opinion. I'll try to do better, though. The past few weeks haven't been very productive for me.
That's all really. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Thank you for reading.
