"I can't…believe this…" Fubuki managed to hiss out from where she sat on the long couch.

"Another will be here shortly. I also sent over this information," Inichi said. At a knock on the door, he nodded to Rendor to let in Sweet Mask. He walked in and found a place to sit a bit away from the others as a form of tolerable neutrality. Saitama frowned and kept Mitsumi at his side. She blinked at him with a small shrug of confusion.

"I thought I recognized you," Sweet Mask said to Mitsumi. "Your mother wanted me to…propose to you. This was after your father had passed on. I found it odd, but I also knew how she was. I knew how I was. I also recalled something I was told long ago. I politely declined."

"She…wanted you to…?" Mitsumi blinked with surprise.

"Granted, the political fields for popularity would have sky-rocketed me to even further grounds. But…I knew how she was. She would have used me and tried to…dispatch me right after you. Your father had warned me beforehand. He feared that she would try something. He strictly told me that anything involving you should be rejected and avoided at all costs. He and I…we weren't close friends. But we were a bit of allies in respected areas. The moment I saw you approach the Hero Association as you look now…I kept thinking that I knew you from somewhere…"

"You knew my father?" she asked softly.

"I did. He sort of…mentored me a bit. Then he started to warn me of things. He told me he had a new outlook on how things should be. And how things shouldn't be. In all honesty, I knew I had no time for marriage or children. As much as I knew I would have enjoyed it, my career held no time for it. As well as my place as a hero. And with how your mother needed to hold all the cards, well…I needed all of mine, too," Sweet Mask frowned.

"Has she tried to reach out to you at all?" Mitsumi asked and got held closer to Saitama. He had a neutral look on his face, but he was ready to defend her the moment the wrong thing happened.

"Funny you asked," Sweet Mask said with a small grin. "She sent me an email politely asking for me to cease trying to investigate her for fraudulent credibility with the Hero Association. I replied back asking why one of our board members was tasked with killing her daughter. I even sent her the copied text message. I haven't gotten a response yet."

"You won't," Inichi muttered. "She knows we are on to her."

"Oh? Can you hear her?" Genos asked.

"Hmm. She is a political figure…ah. Turn on the television," Inichi said. Zenchu used the remote to let them all watch the news. At the report that the Takashi family was mildly retreating from the public eye due to breaking news of their fraudulent deeds and lies, Inichi was quick to catch a glimpse of what the vile woman looked like. "I see. Black hair, brown eyes…rather fat…"

"Yes. She loves her food," Mitsumi sighed. "Father often berated her for it. Kept telling her she would lose her figure."

"She lost it and then some," Zenchu smirked.

:Inichi! Help me!: Shenjou mentally cried out.

"Shenjou!" Inichi hissed and burst open the door to rush out. Mitsumi gasped and Zenchu was soon out the door to help his monster brethren. Saitama gathered her up and was quickly out with them to see what happened.

"So…I play with a monster and I get all of you?" Sonic smirked from where he stood over Shenjou's temporary enclosure.

"Zenchu…" Saitama nodded and let him hold Mitsumi. Before Sonic could even blink, Saitama was right behind him and back-handing him onto the ground in the middle of them all. Then Inichi encased the man in a blue bubble.

"How…was he that fast…?" Sweet Mask could only blink from where he watched in the doorway.

"Master!" Genos said and moved to see to Shenjou. "There is a blade in his side. I don't know if I can remove it."

"Shenjou!" Mitsumi said and rushed over to him.

"Let me try something," Richoo said and moved to where the blade was embedded. Mitsumi let Shenjou rest his head in her lap and he winced when Richoo pushed his jelly body over the weapon. Very slowly, he was able to apply pressure and ease the blade out. Kamiko was soon there to administer a shot of medicine and medical sutures in case regeneration was not possible.

"He hurt our brother," Zenchu hissed at Sonic.

"There is another reason why he is here," Inichi sighed sadly. "Mitsumi's mother signed a contract with him. You can only guess why."

"Remove your bubble," Saitama said with one of the darkest looks that anyone would ever see. Sonic actually paled at this.

"I'll be fine," Shenjou sighed. "I do have some…regeneration. Enough to stop the main damage. It comes with eating stuff from my venom."

"I'll still give you a shot to keep back infection," Kamiko said and did just that. "We'll monitor you through the night."

"Saitama!" Mitsumi called for him. He looked over and his mood shifted from dark to concern. He was at her side within a second to hug her and look over Shenjou. He noticed where the blade struck. Luckily it severed no arteries. It looks like his hide took most of the damage. Much like a pinched nerve.

"You sure you'll be fine?" Saitama asked.

"Yes," Shenjou sighed and accepted the small pat he got on the top of his head. "I was told that I would only be a lure. He was right. My hide is too thick for blades. But it's still painful."

"Give me the blade," Saitama said. He was given the short sword and nodded to Mitsumi. He led her back to where Sonic was trapped in the blue bubble. Now he lifted up the blade and bit it in half to shatter it.

"I just made that!" Sonic scowled.

"And now it's junk!" Saitama growled when he spat out the ruined pieces.

"He…bit a sword…in half…" Flashy Flash gaped.

"Nope. He's not getting any of mine," Kamikaze shook his head.

"Sweet Mask! You want a real monster? Here you go!" Saitama said and poked a thumb at Sonic. "I don't care if he's the last of his village anymore. He has it out for my girl. You can have him."

"Hmm. As he now has a contract with the one in question, this can be valuable information. Inichi, I'm going to give you a thought to a rather…undisclosed location. Take him there," Sweet Mask nodded and sent it.

"I will need to travel there. The distance is great. Behave yourself," Inichi warned Sweet Mask and was quick to speed off with Sonic.

"I plan to. In fact, I now have to leave to try and get some rest. I drove over as fast as I could," Sweet Mask muttered. "I may stop by the restaurant for lunch. Ah, if you have a private room for specialty meetings, it can help."

"Oh? Hmm. We can definitely see about building that. We'll need to expand, though. If you can arrange for us to purchase a spot next door on either side, then that can help," Zenchu said.

"Interesting. Very well. I'll see what strings I can pull. Until then," Sweet Mask said and was quick to leave. They watched him leave, and Mitsumi finally gave a yawn of complete exhaustion.

"Yeah. It's time for bed," Saitama nodded and kissed her forehead. "Is Shenjou going to be okay?"

"He will," Kamiko nodded. "His hide is very tough. It will be like nothing happened in the morning. I'll monitor him."

"Thank you," Mitsumi nodded and yawned again. Saitama found himself yawning now, and everyone began to disperse for the night.

"So, what do you think of it all now?" Rendor asked Lightning Max.

"I...yeah…" Lightning Max frowned.

"Just know that we only spoke the truth," Tacki said with a beaky smile. "I want to become human again. But…I don't know if I can."

"Oh? Wanna talk about it?" he asked.

"Sure," she nodded and led him inside to settle on a couch near him.

"You heading home?" Kianna asked King.

"Yeah. I'll hitch a ride from Inichi," King nodded and let her hug him tight. "I'll likely be at the restaurant for breakfast. Or whenever it opens."

"Sounds good," Kianna chuckled.

"Hmm…" Zenchu watched Saitama kick the bedroom door closed after carrying Mitsumi into the room with him.

"What's on your mind?" Fumio asked.

"They need to fuck already," Zenchu sighed. Fumio gaped at him and hid his face in his webbed hands. "What? They do!"

"Are you serious?!" Fubuki asked him from where she sat on the couch.

"They plan to get married. Just do it! I want a niece or nephew!" he grumbled. "And with how everyone wants them married fast, she'll likely be in her first month of pregnancy when they do get married. She'll still fit in a wedding dress just fine."

"When Master Saitama is ready for that part of his relationship with Mitsumi, it will happen. Some things cannot be forced," Genos said calmly. "We can only give it time. With how things are going, anyways, I doubt the wait will be much longer for it to happen. I have been watching for subtle signs."

"Have you? Hmm. Okay. We'll see if it doesn't happen in the next two days," Zenchu said. That was when Genos gave him a small smile.

"Or by morning," he said with a small grin. "As I said, I have been watching the signs. Master Saitama is…a bit more predictable when it comes to this part of his moods. He just doesn't know it."

"If you're right," Zenchu grinned widely. "I will drink an entire bottle of sake! And that's just for celebration!"

As they now continued to talk about possible wedding plans and restaurant expansion, Saitama was in the process of removing his hero suit to hang up. Mitsumi had moved behind a small set of room dividers to change into a light pink nightgown with spaghetti straps. He didn't bother to put a shirt on and only had his boxers on. When she approached the bed, she paused at him. "What is it?"

"Oh. I just thought you'd be dressed in your pajamas," she smiled and moved to recline next to him. "Ah! They installed a television in here! And there's a game console, too!"

"Really? Huh! Well, maybe later I'll see what they got us. Right now…I really want to ask you something," he said and pulled her close. "Do you really want to wait until a tenth date before doing something?"

"Huh?!" she blinked and gasped when he kissed her passionately. "I mean…we're not…married yet…"

"But we will be," he muttered and moved his mouth down her neck.

"And…if children…?" she whispered. She knew she was losing the fight. He also knew it and rose up over her to caress her cheek with his thumb.

"If it happens, then let it," he smiled and kissed her again with an intense hunger. Time had no meaning now. Nothing else could break any form of mental thoughts they held right then and there. She didn't feel the nightgown slip off. She barely felt her panties get frantically pulled down and cast aside. She didn't know when he had removed his boxers. It was the stabbing pain next that had her gasp when it caught her by surprise.

"Saitama!" she hissed. He hugged her to calm her down. He was already panting to show what happened the moment it was done. They were both gasping for air now, but it was as though a sense of peace came with it.

"No one else will touch you," he said and pressed his face into her hair. "And no one else will touch me."

"Saitama…" she breathed and got gently kissed.

"I love you," he smiled gently at her.

"I love you, too," she smiled back and gasped when he started another round. When they heard Zenchu whoop with joy and demand a bottle of sake, Saitama could only growl. "Huh?"

"I think I'm going to slap him when we are done," he muttered.

"Maybe I'll have you forget you said that," she smiled and kissed him passionately. Now with the two of them neatly preoccupied for the rest of the night, Fubuki was in deep thought from where her small guest room was. She had a large bag with her, and she pulled out a sleeping gown of light green. After she changed into it, there was a small knock on the door. She chuckled and let Inichi in.

"Hey! I thought you'd be celebrating with Zenchu," she grinned softly.

"Oh, no. As elated that I am that Lady Mitsumi and Mr. Saitama are fully cementing their bond, so to speak, I am not one for alcoholic fraternizing," he shrugged. "As it is, you wished to speak privately?"

"I did," she nodded, closed the door behind him and settled on the bed for him to hover close by. "Sweet Mask said before that he knew you. Who…were you?"

"I know I can trust you with this information," Inichi sighed. "You may recall a background editor for various associations by the name of…Junpei."

"Junpei?! That…that's you?!" she gasped.

"Yes. The rather…arrogant and brash editor that believed that only perfect literature and intellect was the way of life. If I saw myself then with how I am now, I would have back-handed myself for my utter stupidity!" he grumbled.

"Oh, really?" she found herself giggling at it. "Well, in all honesty…I'm glad you had that attitude. Because I don't think we would have ever met."

"I fear you may be right," he admitted.

"I was never one to really be interested in looks, anyways. I was always more into one's thought process. I also didn't like feeling inferior. I was always overshadowed by my sister. I kept thinking to keep others around me weaker than myself to feel in more control. Of course, Saitama proved how wrong I was with that," she sighed.

"I can believe that," he chuckled. "I do wonder what I would be doing now. That is…if I didn't become this way."

"You would likely be sitting in your back room editing crap?" she grinned.

"Ah…yes. You're right," he grinned back. "Hmm. Tomorrow will be a full moon. Lady Mitsumi may want to do her fan dancing. It is considered…a very rare and special event. Would you…like to watch it with me?"

"Oh! In truth, I've never even heard of it. I would love to," Fubuki smiled.

"I may need to help her with a few of her acrobatic moves," he chuckled.

"What? I…interesting!" she smiled. "Let me know when it happens."

"Yes. Was there…anything else you wished to discuss?" Inichi asked.

"Well…I did want to ask. I doubt we ever met…but…if we did…what would you have thought of me?"

"I was never one to consider dating. Much less conversing for long unless the talk truly grasped my attention. Even then, I always stayed out of the crowds. I may have had a polite chat with you. Likely left it at that," he admitted. "My mind was just too overwhelmed with work and getting more refined in my arts."

"Inichi…Junpei…" she said softly and rose up to grasp his small hands in hers. "I'm glad that I know you now."

"I am very much the same. I did not even imagine that our meeting like this could have led to…but…I am not human."

"Do you think I care about that?" she asked directly.

"But…well…I don't know how much more I can do…" he seemed to grimace and gently squeezed her hands with his lightly clawed three fingered ones.

:Hey! Get out here! They're both going for round three! We're gonna have kids!: Zenchu mentally called out to him. :And if they don't have kids this month, I know they'll be doing it again!:

:I am having a very in-depth discussion with Miss Fubuki. You can keep congratulating them on my behalf. I shall be out there later.: Inichi stated calmly.

:What? Oh! Are you gonna have kids, too?!: Zenchu asked.

:I beg your pardon?! No! You are drunk. Completely intoxicated. Go eat some food!: Inichi scowled and huffed. "Zenchu is completely intoxicated and making intense slanderous remarks…"

"About who?" Fubuki asked. Now Inichi glanced at her with a shake of his head. Her jaw dropped. "I am going to ask Saitama to hit him!"

"He has it in his alcohol-ridden mind that we are also going to…have children…" Inichi seemed to shrug. "If he keeps it up, I fear that only Mr. Saitama's direct face slap to him will cure it."

"That we…um…" Fubuki found herself laughing softly over it and shaking her head. "I know what you're talking about. But…well…I know you said you don't know how to proceed. I did have a small idea. Maybe."

"Hmm? Oh! Ah…hmm…" Inichi found himself in thought. "I never really tried to make anything like that form of sensation before. Most of the sensations I would give out would be calming and neutral. But…to make one feel a pleasuring stimulation…I am unsure."

"I never said I wasn't willing to try. I know that…children may not come of it. I don't think I'm ready for them. But to have a little fun with someone I like and respect? Why not?" she smiled.

"I don't know. I only say this because…if it is successful, I doubt I will want you to, ah, have fun with anyone else. Other than me," he admitted.

"I'm fine with that," she winked. "Why do you think I'm suggesting it?"

"Oh! Well…I would say to wait for the others to sleep, but…" Inichi frowned. Now Fubuki moved and lay back in the bed.

"Try and make me soar," she whispered.

"I'll try," he nodded and gently focused on her. "Try and keep quiet?"

"If Mitsumi and Saitama aren't, then why should I?" she chuckled.

"We would be a surprise," Inichi said.

"Just shut up and focus. If talk happens, then it will just show how happy I am with you. Okay?" Fubuki said to reassure him. Inichi found himself grinning and focusing on her now. At the gasp of shock she gave out, he could only smile softly. Don't worry, my dear. I'll make you intensely happy with me. You have my word.