"I want Tacki to be with me," Mitsumi said when they landed in front of the association. "All monsters need to stay with me."
"Hmm. Okay," Kamikaze nodded. "Ah, crap! I sent Iaian out to get me more grilled eel! Damn!"
"I can retrieve him," Inichi chuckled. He focused slightly and brought the stunned young hero to them. Kamikaze got his grilled eel dish at last, and Iaian was just in shock that he was transported so quickly. When they walked in, Tacki and Kamiko were quickly evaluated by other heroes. Genos finally put an arm around Kamiko's waist to show she was fine. Kamikaze did the same with Tacki and didn't fail to notice the small glare that Lightning Max did.
"Master," Iaian whispered to Kamikaze.
"Eh?" he asked and chewed on the stick in his mouth before starting on his eel dish to wolf it down.
"You're sure about…?" he started until Kamikaze made a motion for him to stop with a snap of his fingers.
"It's fine," Kamikaze said and sighed heavily. "I have no issues about it. You shouldn't either. Besides, they found the urn that changed her. I hope it can change her back. In fact, why don't you track down someone that may have an idea, eh? I know Child Emperor may have some ideas, but more information is always important. Right? Inichi can show you the urn with a mental image."
"Oh! Yes. I'll see who I can find, Master," Iaian nodded and made his way off to see if he could track down more information about the urn.
"It will be different?" Tacki asked softly. "Dating me as a monster?"
"Just in looks," he shrugged. "And it may change, too."
"It's true," Kianna nodded. "But we are still girls. Just…different on the outside. Not much else to say."
"True," King nodded and kept his arm around Kianna before glaring at a group of lesser heroes.
"I thought heroes were to kill monsters! Not date them!" a hero grimaced. Then he gaped at the fan blades that were barely an inch away from his face within a split second of him voicing it.
"Don't you dare insult my family again!" Mitsumi spat out. "They didn't want this! It was forced on them!"
"Most of them…" Zenchu muttered, but let Saitama swiftly calm her down.
"Honey…it's okay," Saitama said and gently lowered her arm to help her close the fan up. He kissed her forehead and squeeze her to comfort her even more. Tatsumaki now looked at the faulty hero and glanced at Rendor from where she was on his shoulder. Rendor shook his head for her to pay no mind and continued to walk with the group.
"Some monsters should not be called monsters," Inichi said calmly as he floated past him. "Sweet Mask admitted this to me. We have our minds. We are true allies. If you have questions, you can reach out to your board staff. Also, do be wary of how you speak to us. Lady Mitsumi is to become class S. At rank 4. And all save Blizzard of Hell here are from S class as well."
"Like he said," Kamikaze growled and kept an arm around Tacki.
"Hmm…" King glared mildly with Kianna on his arm.
"Oh…" the hero blinked and walked off quickly.
"She is a very different girl with those fans," Zenchu mused. "I like it."
"Why?" Mitsumi frowned.
"Because it shows how much you love us. You protect us back," Zenchu smiled and got hugged by her now. "I know you will never hurt anyone. You are fully honoring what your mentor asked. To not hurt with them. You can warn and protect. You don't need to hurt out of spite."
"Thank you," she smiled softly and got hugged back tightly.
"Although, eh…as your big brother, you should let me protect you again. Maybe a little?" he grinned lightly to laugh at her small poke to his gut.
"Oh! Can I poke him, too?" Saitama grinned.
"Hell no! Shut up! Keep walking!" Zenchu hissed and shook his head. That got the others to laugh and snicker while they moved to the elevator. Lightning Max was soon noticed by other heroes and called over. He sighed, but he knew he likely wasn't going to be able to continue further on with them.
"Hey. I'll meet up with you all later," he said.
"Okay!" Tacki nodded. Kamikaze chewed on his stick and grunted while walking along with her. "What's wrong?"
"He likes you. That's what's wrong," Kamikaze frowned.
"Oh. Well…you liked me first," she shrugged.
"Damn straight," he muttered and squeezed her a bit closer.
"We are going to the jungle after this?" Kamiko asked when they got to the elevator. "I need to remember where it was I was given the charm…"
"Let me know when you recall it," Inichi said. Kamiko nodded, but she still looked worried. Genos looked at her and moved to let her lightly lean into him.
"Everything will be fine. You will have myself and Master Saitama with you," he said with a sharp nod. "Nothing will go wrong."
"I hope so," she said and sighed. Saitama kept a blank stare throughout the whole elevator ride, but he kept Mitsumi close to him. She was resting her head against his neck with her arms around him. When the doors opened, she squeaked when he suddenly scooped her up into his arms to carry her.
"Hey…" Mitsumi said and tapped on his chest.
"Hmm?" Saitama looked at her.
"What's in that mind of yours?" she asked softly.
"What angle to punch if they keep us for too long," he said to get her cracking up softly with laughter. "I'm serious."
"I know," she said and snuggled into him to get squeezed back. He kissed her forehead and continued to carry her with him.
"Thank you for appearing! All heroes, other than Caped Baldy, need to wait out here," the important man said on arriving to meet with them.
"Other than the name, they at least got the request right," Saitama muttered.
"If there is any foul play, you will be notified," Inichi said.
"Am I late?" Bane said when he finally caught up to them from another elevator. "I got here as quickly as I could."
"We just arrived," Kamikaze nodded. He actually moved to press a kiss to Tacki's cheek to make her blush hard. "I'll be right out here."
"Okay…" she nodded.
"I guess it's official?" Bane chuckled at his friend.
"Yeah. It is," Kamikaze nodded. "And only because I get as mad as Saitama does when someone else looks at my girl."
"Thanks for understanding," Saitama nodded and carried Mitsumi into the board room. Rendor pat Tatsumaki's back to show he would be right out and let her float down to wait for him.
"I'm giving you twenty minutes. Tops," she said and crossed her arms over her chest. Rendor chuckled and squeezed her shoulder now to show he understood. "I mean it!"
"I know you do," he said in his gravely tone. Fubuki nodded to Inichi where she was, and King let Kianna head off with the others. Inichi would let them all know what was going on in case they had to barge in. When the group moved into the meeting room, they settled in the chairs in front of the four board members.
"Miss Mitsumi Takashi, we are set to include you into the S class at rank 4. Your hero name will be as you suggested. Fan Dancer. It's very suitable to you," the first board member said.
"Good. I'm not one to be in the public eye, so Social Butterfly would not have worked. I understand it may have been based off my performance. Fan Dancer is far more true to form," Mitsumi nodded from where she sat in Saitama's lap. He refused to let her go at any time.
"I really hate Caped Baldy…" Saitama muttered.
"One Punch Wonder would be better," Mitsumi said.
"I like that!" Saitama said.
"Unfortunately we can't change it," the third board member said.
"Damn…" Saitama grumbled and accepted the kiss from her to calm him back down. "Anyways, what's next?"
"We need her photo for a profile. Then we need to set her profile with what she can do," the second board member said.
"Just put that I mesmerize with fans and know how to use bladed fan weapons. That I was highly trained in the arts of fan dancing, attack and defense. That should be all we need to let the public know. I don't want them to know that I was trained by an assassin. I may be sought out for the wrong things. I don't need that," Mitsumi said.
"That may work. Okay. As for your photo, we do have a small room for that over here…" the fourth board member said and gestured to a separate room with glass walls for light exposure.
"Oh. Put down that she is the wife of…Caped Baldy," Saitama muttered.
"What?" the first board member asked.
"I'm marrying her. Likely in two months. Technically, she's my wife. You put that somewhere with her profile," Saitama said sternly.
"Can we put 'soon to be married to Caped Baldy' until it happens?" the third board member asked.
"That is fine," Inichi said. "We just want to safeguard her marital status. If we do not do this, then Mr. Saitama may not be able to control his anger when others come out to try and think they have a chance with her. Think on it."
"Ah. Right," the second board member said.
"It would also explain why they dress so similar," Zenchu pointed out. "They don't need to be thought of as brother and sister."
"I can understand that," the first board member said and wrote down on a notepad. "Okay. Your photo, please?"
"Very well," Mitsumi said and gracefully got up from Saitama's lap. He kept a close eye on her and watched her stand in the glass photo booth for the pictures. Tacki and Kamiko both followed her to ensure she looked presentable for the photos before sitting back in their seats. She took out the yellow fans to set on each side of her face for various poses for them to choose from. Right after that, she was able to walk out, sign an agreement to the Hero Academy terms and returned right to Saitama's side.
"Thank you, Fan Dancer! We'll get the new rosters sent out within the next 24 hours," the first board member nodded.
"Of course. And so you know, I don't need a paycheck," she smiled. "As the owner of Neutral Grounds, that will supply me. As well as yourselves. Also, my father, Etsuji Takashi, had made me the sole heir to his estate before his murder by my mother. This includes…everything. The mansion he had. The vast money in banks, stocks and equity. All of it. The moment I marry Saitama, I will have access to all of it and more according to his will. I plan to help become an anonymous funder to the Hero Association. If this appeals to you all, then Inichi can help set up the details with a separate contract from Neutral Grounds."
"Ah…what?!" the third board member gaped.
"You're…going to be…I…" the first board member was speechless.
"And that means I will also have access to everything she has. But I'm not gonna let it get to me," Saitama said with boredom.
"We'll live…simple to a point," she smiled and let him pull her close to kiss.
"You plan to marry in two months?" the second board member asked.
"From what I know, yes," Mitsumi nodded.
"Can you make it next week?" the fourth board member asked.
"I told you they would rush us," Saitama grinned and kissed her forehead.
"He and I pretty much just met…" Mitsumi blushed softly. "But our love…is already intensely strong."
"I would say to wait a month to let things set in. We still have her other family trying to kill her. We need them out of the picture," Rendor said.
"That's right…" the second board member frowned.
"They will scatter like the rats they are if we go after them," Zenchu said. "They need to come to us. We got her oldest sister. She still has an older brother, a younger sister and then the younger brother. Lady Mitsumi is the youngest of them all."
"It was my youngest brother that contacted me after that woman did," Mitsumi frowned. "I'm not going to refer to Miu as any form of family now. Considering how they treated me after Father died…"
"What's this?" the first board member asked.
"They treated her like a pet. And they even fed her the food like one," Inichi grumbled out. Tacki huffed at it and shook her head. Even Kamiko showed complete displeasure at the news. Kianna, Rendor and Zenchu had to stifle themselves from snarling with anger at it.
"They fed her…what?!" the second board member asked with disgust.
"Yeah. Luckily, she was able to feed herself. It's why we are supplying you guys with monster meat to feed to that family. To see if they become what they truly are. Sweet Mask said to go for it," Saitama nodded.
"So…that's what those crates were filled with…" the fourth board member blinked with shock.
"Did any of us open them?!" the first board member asked.
"Not that I know of, but I'll send an alert now," the second board member said. "I really hope no one got into them…"
"Pig God would be the only one able to eat it. But…" the third board member frowned. "They seriously fed you pet food, Fan Dancer?"
"They did. For six months…" Mitsumi frowned and got comforted by Saitama. "I sent all of it back to the kitchens and hid my own stash of food."
"Anyways, are we done here?" Saitama asked with a blank stare.
"Yes. We have everything in order. Welcome to class S, Fan Dancer!" the first board member said and gave her a slight bow of respect. Then the other board members did the same.
"Thank you," Mitsumi nodded and got lifted up in Saitama's arms. The moment he walked out of the board room with her and the others, the heroes waiting for them were quick to walk over.
"Is it done?" Bane asked.
"Yes. I am class S at rank 4," Mitsumi smiled. "My hero name is Fan Dancer. So I'm set."
"Good," Kamikaze said and let Tacki press into his side.
"Monsters!" a lower A class hero hissed and readied to attack.
"Forte! Class A and ranked at 31. Stop!" Genos said quickly, but it was already too late. Saitama glared lightly now.
"No," Mitsumi said and took out the bladed crane fans to flick all six out to defend against him. "Either you're new or you just don't care. They are my family and allies to the Hero Academy. They work in Neutral Grounds alongside the Hero Association. This is unjust!"
"Doesn't matter!" the hero spat and lunged. Mitsumi ducked and slashed all the fans out in various levels to shred the clothing the man wore. Kamikaze's jaw dropped that she didn't even shed a single drop of blood. Even Bane was surprised that it was purely a defensive warning. Forte fell to the ground in shock that he was still breathing and in one piece.
"Enough!" Saitama said and moved to block Forte from advancing if he got back up to try again. The young man looked up at him from his glasses and straightened out his headphones.
"You…" Forte gaped. Now Saitama knelt down to look him right in the eyes to show how pissed he was.
"These monsters are trying to become human again. Fan Dancer is to be my wife. She's S class and ranked at 4 as of now. What you did was sheer stupidity. Don't do it again. If you do, I'll have to get in your face with my fist as the first thing you see. Understand?" Saitama said carefully.
"Totally…" Forte swallowed. Saitama nodded and now looked up at Inichi when the blue monster gave a hard sigh.
"That…is strike one…" Inichi frowned.
"What?" Saitama asked and moved to calm down Mitsumi by hugging her close and helping her close the deadly fans.
"Our contract clearly states that if we were willingly attacked three times, then we were done. However, as Lady Mitsumi is now a registered hero…hmm…" Inichi paused in thought. He looked over with his red eyes with black cat pupils focusing in on the board members coming out when he sent the mental message.
"Please, can you let this one go?" the first board member asked. "We'll do all we can to keep this from happening again."
"Hmm. We can adjust the contract now that Lady Mitsumi is a registered S class hero. Let's do this now. And all of us here should witness it as both heroes and monsters," Inichi said intricately. Then he looked over to see Sweet Mask running over. He had to arrive the moment Mitsumi had become S class to approve it in full, and now Inichi informed him of what happened.
"Do it!" Sweet Mask demanded. Then he looked over at Forte with a heavy frown. "Don't do that again."
"I won't," Forte frowned.
"Every time…" Kamiko sighed and shook her head.
"There should be no further issues," Genos nodded and let her put an arm around his. "Come. Let's get the contract fixed."
"I want a new copy of it, then. So we can replace it with the old one," Rendor nodded. Tatsumaki was quick to float back up to settle on his shoulder. At the sight of the board members staring at her with confusion, she crossed her arms over her chest to glare at them.
"What are we waiting for?! Do it!" Tatsumaki snapped.
"Ah, right!" the third board member said quickly.
"Tatsi…" Rendor chuckled and shook his head.
"Idiots…" Tatsumaki sniffed.
"He's calling you…a nickname…?" Fubuki blinked at her sister.
"Well…yeah. I told him to," she shrugged.
"I need to tell you, Tatsi. I did leave a family behind as a monster. But they did reject me. Should I become human again…" Rendor started and she put her hand over his muzzle to gently quiet him.
"No. Let them think you're a monster. They didn't want you around anymore. I…" she paused and looked away a bit. "I want you around."
"I appreciate that," Rendor said with a soft nod. Forte was just in shock at how the monsters were. He realized how grave a mistake he made.
"Besides, I make your exploring easier," she started off. Rendor laughed a bit more and shook his head before following the others. Once they were in the board room again, the original contract was brought out to be revised.
"From what I can gather, there should be a limit," Inichi said eloquently. "How many times are we to be attacked before we know we are at a loss?"
"There will be no loss," Sweet Mask said from where he sat at the board meeting table. "If there is an attack, you tell me directly."
"On a condition," Saitama said now. Mitsumi frowned at him.
"Oh?" Sweet Mask asked.
"You hit me before. I need to slap you back," Saitama said with a piercing glare at the hero. "I won't punch you. But I should slap you. Then we would call it all even. If you say no, then I'll just know that I get a chance to slap you if you do something stupid around me again."
"I beg your pardon?!" Sweet Mask scowled at him.
"Ah…can we…let that one go?" the first board member asked.
"Saitama…" Mitsumi whispered and pressed into him. "For me. Let it go. Granted, if something happens…you know what to do. But…please?"
"Fine," Saitama muttered and pressed a kiss to her mouth. "Only because you asked. But…can I slap Zenchu then?"
"Shut up!" Zenchu scowled to get Saitama grinning at him. That got Mitsumi giggling with laughter at it with the others. Inichi just watched Sweet Mask from the corner of his eye. He knew his old friend was disturbed and narrowly escaped with his dignity.
"Very well. The contract is now altered to inform any major staffing of any attacks from this point forward. I shall be the one to relay the message to show it is of grave importance. Is this agreed on?" Inichi asked.
"Yes," the board members nodded and voiced as one.
"You have my consent. Ah, and, eh…a new script…" Sweet Mask said and lightly pushed it to Inichi from the table.
"Really? You want me to go through your hell in front of everyone here?" Inichi asked to get Sweet Mask to hide his face. "This was supposed to be discreet! Anyways…let me look it over…"
"Oh no…" Mitsumi grimaced and hid herself into Saitama's neck. Saitama was already grinning with anticipation. Even Fubuki cringed now.
"I knew him before. He…fixed up my acting scripts from other writers," Sweet Mask explained to the others in the room.
"Sweet Mask…" Inichi sighed as he flipped through the pages after retrieving it from his bubble. "You need to have this writer take up sky diving and leave the parachute behind. I'm sure the blood splatter on the ground would make up for the poor use of words and the butchering of the common word in itself."
"Ah…!" Sweet Mask started and coughed out laughter.
"Did…he just…?" the first board member asked before coughing out his own laughter with the others. Fubuki had to hide herself in her coat to keep from dying with laughter with the others.
"This writer…what the hell type of script is this supposed to be about?! A drama? Or is it a petting zoo? I can't tell if it's supposed to be between two consenting adult humans or if it's animals gathering over a plate of food! Sweet Mask…stop hiring idiots! Please!" Inichi seemed to beg him to get Sweet Mask in tears. "The couple in question has pets that are being fed together with them. Okay. But…wait a minute…"
"Hmm?" Mitsumi asked after she recovered.
"This writing…Lady Mitsumi…do you recognize this? Your memories of your prior family did mention something before," Inichi asked and showed her the script. As she looked it over she paused in shock.
"My oldest brother. He wrote like this. Serious in some parts and then lacked attention to detail in others. We told him to try writing and getting his works published. I guess he did? It looks like he improved some, but not by much. I mean…how did it get sent?" Mitsumi asked. Now Inichi turned to Sweet Mask with a concerned look.
"You're telling me…huh. It was an anonymous writer that sent it to me in an unlabeled parcel. I actually did find interest, but I wanted you to go over it first," Sweet Mask said.
"Where was it sent from?" Inichi asked now.
"I'll have to see about getting the parcel traced," Sweet Mask said.
"Other than plot holes all over like rodent holes in a field, the story does hold merit. But it came from one that abused Lady Mitsumi. I won't fix this one. Not until we get the writer to come forward with consent. So, you'll have to make a public scene over a script that you have interest in. However, as you don't know who the writer is, you cannot use it until you have permission," Inichi said.
"I can do that," Sweet Mask said and took the script back. "I'll get on that the moment I get to my studio."
"Good. The rats are slowly coming out of the woodwork. We need to set some baited traps somewhere. As it stands, the contract is finalized and set. We will likely be at Neutral Grounds tomorrow. Until we meet again," Inichi nodded to the staff and settled to follow Mitsumi. They all parted ways, but the group of heroes and monsters moved to the elevators to leave. Once they got to the main floor to head out, Genos noticed that Kamiko was nervous.
"Jungles now?" Kamiko asked as they started to walk out of the Hero Academy. Tacki beamed and nodded with the others.
"Yes. Let's see what happens," Mitsumi nodded. Saitama let the small group crowd around him for Inichi to gather them up and head off to Kamiko's mental coordinates.
