"Hey," Saitama whispered and gently roused his wife.
"Hmm?" she stretched lightly.
"Want to watch an idiot run around like crazy?" he grinned. She echoed his grin and got kissed passionately. "We napped for an hour. They needed the extra time to set up seating."
"Oh! Okay," she nodded. "Um…can I get a ginger cookie?"
"You feel sick?!" he blinked. Cold Snap was quick to push his hand into the fan dome on reading their thoughts. Saitama took up the lightly iced-over cookie to give to her. "Thanks, son!"
"No problem, Dad," Cold Snap chuckled.
"You know…" Mitsumi sighed and leaned into Saitama.
"What?" he gazed at her.
"Can we…just watch what happens here? I mean…" she frowned.
"Talk to me," he said and rested his hand on her belly a bit more.
"I really don't want to be in the same room as that guy," she grimaced. "I'd rather lay in bed with you and watch on a screen. I'm sure our pets can torture him without even being in the same area, too."
"Hmm…" Saitama thought about this and waved at the fans around them to disperse and settle back on her fan belt. "Stable Rock. Do you have to be in the same room as that guy to pick on him?"
"No…" the earth monster grunted. He leaned up to rest his head on Mitsumi's lap to enjoy some light petting. "I can…be…here…"
"All of us could," Bright Bolt nodded.
"As much as I would prefer to watch everything up close, I don't want Mitsumi to be stressed. We can do small teleports to set up a few things and be back here," Tangled Vine said and jumped over to settle on them. He was reclining on his plant branch until they were done resting. "So, ah, Metal Knight? The track for tormenting is ready?"
"Just about! It only needs your finishing touches," Metal Knight said.
"Mom! Dad! Um…I kinda have to be there to chase that guy with Rover. So…maybe we can compromise a bit?" Cold Snap asked.
"What do you have in mind?" Saitama asked. Kamikaze and King looked over with small grins. Bane glanced over at Zombieman with his own curious thoughts on what was to be done.
"We'll get you both a couch to lay back on. Inichi told me how you and Mom would lay back on one at the main home. I haven't been there yet, so he had to show me with visions. This way Mom can rest on you with no problem," Cold Snap said with a small smile.
"That would be something we can do. We can even make a small room and make it look like you're watching through a screen," Zenchu chuckled. "Hmm. I wonder if Tsuruga would want to show up and chase that guy, too…"
"He wants to be the one to challenge him at the finish line," Wind Crane grinned a bit wickedly from where she sat.
"Can we get some popcorn?" Kamikaze asked to get the others laughing.
"I love you," Mitsumi whispered to her husband.
"I love you, too," Saitama smiled and kissed her forehead. "It's okay. We'll work with this. I'm sure part of this is from my growing son. Hmm. It'll be tricky for missions. I know I plan to have you with me, anyways. Oh. Wind Crane. Were there any specialty costumes for pregnant members?"
"Yes! There was!" Wind Crane blinked at the recalled memory. "I shall have Inichi sketch out a blueprint for Tacki. There was a specialty costume that had protective covering for the growing womb. It was more like stretch mesh, but I'm sure there is better covering now."
"There is!" Metal Knight confirmed. "I will send some material to Tacki to inspect it. I can also make it any color she would need."
"Awesome!" Tacki grinned from Kamikaze's lap.
"Send the image to Genos. He can sketch it out better," Saitama suggested. This was now done, and Mitsumi was able to finish off her cookie.
"You can head down there now. The room will be ready for you by the time you arrive," Metal Knight said from his stationary robot.
"Lady Mitsumi! The basic training room works again in that chamber. I was able to fully test it out," Siren said from the robot in her gravelly tone.
"Thank you!" Mitsumi beamed at the robotic camera.
"I also think it may help to have specialized tunnels from each training room to the main home in City Z. We can map it out to further protect them," she said.
"I like that. Stable Rock can get that done fast," Saitama chuckled. He reached over to scratch between his pet monster's ears.
"Ooooh!" Stable Rock swooned with delight. Saitama chuckled again and paused at what his keen eyesight suddenly revealed to him. When he moved to trace along a nearly invisible slit in the central top of Stable Rock's shell, the powerful monster turned quickly to lightly slap his hand away. "No. Not yet."
"Ah! A secret?!" Saitama blinked.
"Yes. Dangerous…" Stable Rock warned. "Not…to you…but…others…"
"Oh! I get it. Okay. You'll tell me, though?" he asked.
"In secret…yes…" Stable Rock nodded and accepted Mitsumi's cuddle.
"We still have to talk, too. There's a lot we need to do. Just been so damned busy," Saitama sighed. When his phone rang from his pocket, he paused and was quick to answer it. "Hello? This is Saitama."
"Hello! I am Dr. Kuseno. I am the one that fixes Genos," an older, confident voice said over the phone. Saitama moved the phone for Mitsumi to listen in to show importance.
"Oh! Yes! Ah…thanks for everything you do for him," Saitama said.
"Of course. We keep meaning to speak, and I do want to see what can be done for me to build a new lab close by," Dr. Kuseno said. "And Genos was kind enough to give me your number."
"That's fine. Yeah, we do need to talk. We plan to be at City Z tomorrow. We'll let the others know of your arrival," Saitama agreed.
"Oh, please let Genos know of how much funding you will need. I am Mitsumi Takashi, so you know. Money is nothing to me," Mitsumi chuckled. "I'm sitting with Saitama, so I overheard who you are. Also, I look forward to meeting with you and making your acquaintance. I'm sure we can easily set up a place for you to reside with no issues at all."
"I am delighted and looking forward to the same. Just keep knowledge of me discreet. As much as I want to meet you both, I'm a highly secretive person like many others," Dr. Kuseno chuckled before disconnecting the call. Saitama and Mitsumi nodded to each other on this. Mitsumi set the number on Saitama's phone, and he pocketed his phone right after to show he was ready to start moving.
"What do we do now?" Mitsumi asked when she got lifted up and carried.
"Let's check out where we have to…go…?" Saitama found himself watching Stable Rock lumbering into the bedroom to check out the bed.
"Stupid…" the powerful monster grunted. "Tangled Vine…?"
"Ah. I see what you want from your vision," the plant monster chuckled and leapt down to trot over. Cold Snap and Blue Ripple were called for to help. Bright Bolt tilted his head curiously and watched more pots with earth brought in to be set up. Tangled Vine started to study the way the large bed was displayed, and Tacki bounced over to help. She was given images of what was needed, and the frame of the bed was moved away to show it was no longer required.
"I'll send this home," Cold Snap said and sent it off with a flickering spark.
"Thanks," Tangled Vine said with a nod. He let several strong plants emerge from the pots around the bed outline grow out and move around the mattress. He was using the mattress mainly as a template for where the sturdy vines had to be. The vines now lifted up the mattress under Tangled Vine's mental guidance to be two feet off the floor. Stable Rock moved in before the vines sealed up to get under the mattress. If Saitama's eyes could bug out of his head, they likely would have with all the gold and gems that filled up the bottom below the soft mattress fabric.
"Hmm…" Stable Rock snorted and looked at Bright Bolt through a space in one of the vines. A mental suggestion was given now, and Bright Bolt jumped around with complete delight.
"Aw, yeah! I get to show off something!" the electrical monster snickered. He grew a bit larger and started to shake his head and tail tuft furiously. Tacki's jaw dropped at all the hair that was now loosened to become the new mattress over the wealth. Cold Snap sent the large, original mattress home now, and Stable Rock filled up the rest of the frame with his intense wealth. He crawled out easily and watched how Tacki marveled that Bright Bolt made a thick, luxurious sheet of creamy white coloring out of his mane and tail hair.
"Why didn't you tell me you could do this?!" Tacki gaped and studied how the hair simply inter-locked itself into a fine, pristine sheet. "This is like…ultra-fine spun silk! It's just…wow…!"
"I only want Mitsumi to have it," Bright Bolt said.
"That's fine. I can make sooo many costumes for her with this!" Tacki giggled. Kamikaze looked over and sighed before laughing softly. Then she asked, "Is it possible to set this on a spindle? Like for single thread?"
"Yep! I can make it that way when I produce it. You can even change it to any color you need, too," Bright Bolt nodded. "Just use it only for her. It also protects her against electricity. I know she won't get hurt, anyways, but this is just like, um…ah! Added protection. She'll never get static cling again! It even absorbs excess electricity, too, and discharges safely. It's pretty neat!"
"So…we can't have any of it?" Fumio asked.
"Well…hmm…" Bright Bolt thought. "You know what? Only family. Tight friends. No one else."
"That works!" Tacki nodded.
"Mitsumi. We have another treasure bed," Saitama said with a form of neutral, stupefied wonder. "This is awesome."
"Saitamaaa…!" Mitsumi groaned and hung her head with a small laugh.
"Lay her down on my hair!" Bright Bolt said. Saitama was quick to do just that. Now Mitsumi paused with shock that she didn't even feel the hard gold and gems below her from the fine monster hair. It wasn't even that thick at being half an inch in width, but it felt exactly like luxurious, ultra-soft foam padding.
"This is crazy!" she said with complete shock.
"Tacki. Bed sheets made from his hair," Saitama grinned.
"I already planned on it!" Tacki grinned back. Then they all gaped at how the plant frame stretched up at the corners to make a beautiful dark green covering of fine leaves and vibrant moss. It joined together like a canopy, and large, fragrant blossoms of various colors sprouted all over it. Mossy curtains coated down like fine lace that was easy to part and gave off a rich, aromatic scent.
Even more were the vines that dangled down for edible fruit to be seen within the curtain, and some of them were flavored like ginger cookies. They varied in size and color from large peaches to bunches of grapes. They were perfect for emergency cravings and snacking. Saitama plucked a large plum and tossed it to Tacki to try. Other fruits were given over to help curb some hunger and quickly replenished on the lush vines.
"This. Right here. Every bed needs this for a couple planning to have a kid," Saitama nodded and fed Mitsumi a small grape. "Just the fruit vines, though. That should be enough."
"I can agree," Tangled Vine nodded and leapt back up into Mitsumi's arms for snuggling. She squeezed him gently with complete appreciation.
"Thank you so much," Mitsumi whispered and laughed at the purring nuzzle she got. She noticed that Bright Bolt's hair covered and layered over all of the wealth neatly. She also noticed that it would definitely zap anyone that tried to peek under the layer. That had Saitama grinning with complete amusement.
"Okay. Do you think we can have a movable couch that's like the bed? This is so we can move it around wherever we go?" Saitama had to ask. He grinned at Mitsumi's glare of disbelief. Then he said, "This spoils me. You always want me spoiled. Don't deny me this."
"Really?" she asked and got everyone laughing at them.
"Just knowing that I can look underneath me and play with large bits of treasure whenever I want is absolutely awesome! I will not say no to it!" he grinned a bit more and finally started to move out of the apartment with her in his arms again. "Doggy! All of my pets! Let's go!"
Overgrown Rover huffed and trotted behind him obediently. It even held its leash in its mouth for Saitama to take up. As the others moved to follow him while he carried Mitsumi, he found himself stopped by Suiryu and Do-S.
"Master! Ah, where are you going?" Suiryu asked.
"We interviewed reporters. They were dumb. One of them blamed Mitsumi for murdering her father. He's going to be chased around by my pets. Even though my dog has the guy smelling like its farts. If you want to watch the guy get chased, eh…should be fine. And you? What's up with you?" Saitama asked Do-S. She blinked and looked away.
"I wanted to…apologize. For my actions," she said softly.
"Forgiven," Mitsumi said with a warm smile. That got Do-S to gasp and reach over to hug her. "It's okay now, sister. You're safe. What do you plan to do now? You're free to do whatever you want."
"Well…Suiryu and I…would like to try and see how things go. Together," Do-S said with a small blush and backed away after the hug was given.
"Okay. Maybe he'll like being whipped by you," Saitama said with a small grin. That got Suiryu's jaw to drop. Do-S found herself pausing with the idea.
"I'd need a different whip," she chuckled. That had Mitsumi dying with laughter at Suiryu's stuttering. Zenchu had to stop and laugh hard with Garou at the comment.
"I can help!" Tacki grinned and beamed at Kamikaze's look of shock. "What? You want me to whip you?"
"No," Kamikaze said flatly to get Bane dying with laughter. "You do enough with what you say."
"But, honey, it would totally help me keep you on your toes," she started before squeaking with laughter at how he gathered her up in his arms.
"Shut up," he grinned and kissed her.
"It feels so different now," Do-S admitted while walking with them. Overgrown Rover grunted and huffed at Saitama for attention.
"What, doggy?" he asked and found himself getting looked at with all six eyes. They got to the elevator to go down, and the monster dog whined at him. "I don't get what you say. You know I can't understand you."
"We'll meet you all down below," King chuckled. Saitama, Mitsumi, Cold Snap, Fumio and the monster pets went down in one elevator together. While they were heading down, Saitama was pawed at by his dog.
It yapped at him to start arguing, and Cold Snap started laughing. Saitama looked at him, and Cold Snap said, "It called you…a giant, hairless baldy…"
"What?!" Saitama asked to get Mitsumi in tears of laughter with the others. Overgrown Rover grunted and pawed at him. "No! I am not to be called that!"
It yapped at him with disagreement to get Cold Snap sitting on the floor with laughter. Now Saitama stood there yelling at his dog through the entire elevator ride. Cold Snap was happily telling his dad every single name that Overgrown Rover was referring to him as. And all of them targeted him as being bald. Saitama was clearly not happy and only got madder and madder at his dog.
"Hey," Mitsumi finally had to intervene to get Saitama to look at him. "The elevator stopped. See?"
"My dog and I are still going to talk. I will win this argument no matter what," Saitama growled. Overgrown Rover yapped at him to get Cold Snap laughing all over again. At the glance Cold Snap was given, he knew he was being asked on what was said.
"It…it said…" Cold Snap gasped for air. "the only time…you'll win…is if you…grow any hair…"
"Damn you, doggy!" Saitama said and Mitsumi burst out laughing. He scooped up his dog and grumbled at the healthy lick it gave him. "I will slap you!"
It huffed and nuzzled into him happily. Tangled Vine was wisely staying quiet, but he understood everything the monster dog was saying, too. All of the pet monsters understood Overgrown Rover.
When they walked out of the elevator, Overgrown Rover yapped at Saitama. Fire Flight was walking over to meet them, and she paused before turning quickly to cough out the laughter that spilled from her. Wind Crane blinked and bit back her laugh. Zenchu was mentally told what was said to get him falling to his knees in laughter. Cold Snap was in tears all over again and struggling to breathe.
"Don't tell him what was said," Mitsumi gently pleaded.
"Nope. What did my dog say?" Saitama looked at Cold Snap.
"It…called you…a hairless…super powered monkey…" his son weakly managed to squeak out. Now Saitama glared at his dog to get a small lick to his nose given in response. Mitsumi was cringing and hiding her face in Tangled Vine's fur. She was also shaking hard from laughing intensely. Everyone was struggling to keep from laughing, and Fubuki was hiding herself in her coat.
"We're not done having this conversation," Saitama said to his dog. Overgrown Rover tilted its head cutely and licked at his cheek. "Stop it."
It huffed and licked at him again before snuggling into him with a happy yawn. It clearly knew that Saitama wouldn't hurt it, and it was immensely pleased that it was keeping Mitsumi happy. Inichi was calmly telling Saitama what it was thinking, and the bald hero could only sigh with a shake of his head. Black Sperm was grinning at the whole thing and clinging to Fumio's back.
"So, Do-S, I need to ask you," Zenchu said after everyone calmed down. "Do you see Lady Mitsumi as a sister? How do you plan to call her by name?"
"Oh. Well…she graciously accepted me. And she…she did free me…" Do-S said softly. Garou nodded and squeezed Lily close to his side.
"Just call her Lady Mitsumi," Kamiko chuckled. "Even though I was cured from being a monster, I still do this."
"Yep! It's a good habit," Tacki nodded. "She said we weren't bound to her. But she also saved us! She helped us get cured! And we all protect each other."
"We're family," Fumio smiled.
"I never…had…" Do-S swallowed and looked at Mitsumi in Saitama's arms. "I…Lady Mitsumi…thank you…"
"You're welcome, Do-S," Mitsumi chuckled. "Come and join us! We're going to watch someone that wronged me in the past get his just desserts!"
"I wonder if I should whip him," Do-S mused.
"But, then you'll have a love slave," Suiryu frowned. "You told me that's what your whip does."
"Oh. True. I did…promise you that I wouldn't use it unless it was for an emergency. I sort of…don't want to use it around you. So…" Do-S said with a soft smile. "I know I'll need a new whip that doesn't have that effect."
"I can make you one," Tacki nodded. "I can make you different colors, too! Even different designs! We'll make plans later."
"That sounds exciting!" Do-S giggled. Suiryu just swallowed at what he was likely in for. When Sweet Mask walked over with Tajima on his arm, Do-S gave a small smile at them. Then she moved to settle next to Suiryu.
"Good luck with her," Sweet Mask said with a small smirk.
"I know," Suiryu said and got Do-S giggling softly. They all made their way to the new underground track, and a chamber lit up for Saitama and Mitsumi to walk over to. It had a large viewing window, and Tangled Vine was quick to study the brown leather couch centered in the middle of the small chamber. It was incredibly plush and soft to the touch, but the monster pets had other ideas.
"I can attempt to recreate the frame for Stable Rock to fill it. Bright Bolt, do you plan to cover the furniture again?" Tangled Vine asked. Cold Snap was already focusing to bring in more pots for plants. Then he decided to bring in a large, circular, portable swimming pool for the base.
"What's this for?" Blue Ripple asked when it appeared. He was able to levitate the couch to make more space and hold it steady with his thoughts.
"I think it would be easier to move around than trying to focus on several pots holding up a couch in one piece," Cold Snap explained. "Tangled Vine can have the plants grow up from the pool interior after it's filled with soil. That way the couch is sitting on a ground base and not bound down in multiple spots. It will be easier for transport. I'm sure we can make the base something else later, but this was the easiest thing to get for now."
"That is a very good idea!" Tangled Vine blinked and watched Stable Rock fill the pool with rich soil.
"Do you need the couch outline?" Blue Ripple asked and set the couch down on the soil. Tangled Vine jumped up onto the couch to study it and judge the height. Slender vines came out to start circling around the couch carefully.
"I can leave some space to remove the couch," Tangled Vine said.
"Ah, no. I can handle that. You work on the couch design. When you're done, I can easily transport it out," Cold Snap said with a small grin. Then he laughed when Saitama quickly scooped up his son to hold him with his wife and dog. Fumio stood next to them and laughed at Black Sperm when he moved a bit more onto his back to stay secure.
"We should get a group photo," Mitsumi mused. Now the others looked at her and clamored with delight.
"Yes! And personalized photos with autographs!" Tacki beamed.
"We'll talk about it later," Saitama nodded and cut his gaze right to Mitsumi when she coughed. He quickly set down his son and dog to assess her. "Mitsumi? Are you okay? Do you feel sick? What's wrong?"
"I need to lie down," she frowned. He was quick to scoop her up to carry her. Kamiko was called in to check on her.
"She's just drained from the growing child. She is warmer, but her body temperature is known to go up from this, too. Any one of us will have this condition, but it's harder with Mitsumi. Cold Snap, she needs to be cooled down. This will help her," Kamiko said. Cold Snap was quick to put his hand on her back. Mitsumi gave out a gasp of relief and sighed hard.
"Hmm. Sister Wind Crane, can you create a constant cool breeze around her when her body starts to warm?" Fire Flight asked. Wind Crane mused at this and looked at the controlling fans on Mitsumi's belt. They rose up at her mental command for help, and she charged them up with the needed breeze.
"There. Now the eleventh fan set will create an unnatural breeze for her whenever she needs it. They can hover around her to be a part of her costume element. Blue Ripple, you should also have this done with your fans. We can make a bit of a misting effect for her," Wind Crane smiled lightly.
"I fully agree," Blue Ripple said and focused for his controlling fan set to exhume a fine mist when they came out to hover. Now Mitsumi was sighing with complete relief and feeling much better.
"So, it's just heat from my growing son?" Saitama asked.
"Yes. She'll be fine now that she's cooled. I wonder if you could sort of, oh, link to her this way to see if she needs to be cooled…" Kamiko thought aloud.
"Eh…" Saitama grimaced and looked at Mitsumi. "I really can't feel heat anymore. I can't even feel lava."
"But you can feel me," Mitsumi smiled. "Touch my forehead."
"Okay," Saitama was able to set her down and ran a hand over her forehead. "Huh! Okay. I can…actually feel your body heat. I think. Make the fans stop so I can try something. I want to see if I can feel you get hot."
Mitsumi nodded and had them settle back down. As they watched the couch get formed from plant growth, she started to wince. Now he felt her forehead and gestured for the fans to start up again. Cold Snap added his touch to help her even more and asked, "You felt her, Dad?"
"I did. She was definitely getting too warm. I'll be fine in any weather around her. I just want her to be comfortable. So, if this is what we need to do, then fine. We'll do it. I'll work with it."
"Fire Flight, I thought you made her immune to heat?" Shenjou frowned.
"I did. But this was for outside elements. Not internal," Fire Flight said. "Her growing son has his own heat. I cannot do anything to calm it. That is from Saitama's power. However, this will help balance it from what her fans can do. I shall need mine to be made to assist if she starts to feels too cold internally."
"Mine will have static cling unlike anything else! And they will zap hard if it's built up!" Bright Bolt said to get Mitsumi laughing at the thought. "Oh! And if you wear my hair, I told you that it can absorb static electricity. I can have it transfer over to the fans! That will be awesome!"
"Hmm…" Stable Rock grunted. "Mine…will…blind…with gold…and gems…"
"A reflective distraction! Nice!" Saitama grinned.
"There should be something else, too," Tangled Vine said and watched Cold Snap remove the unneeded couch. Stable Rock moved into the vines to start filling up the gap with wealth. "I would say to have your fans make dust storms. Much like tossing dirt in one's eyes, they can also help conceal Mitsumi. Like clouds of dust that will only blind the enemy."
"I will…think…on that…" Stable Rock mused.
"What would yours do?" Fumio asked Tangled Vine.
"Mine will create extra thorns along where the blades are. Then they can be flicked out like darts to poison the enemy slightly," Tangled Vine chuckled.
"That is like what my chameleon form did with my tail!" Kamiko blinked.
"Is that so? Hmm. That can give me some ideas later on," Tangled Vine mused in thought.
"What will yours do, son?" Saitama asked Cold Snap.
"Intensely cold air to a point that enemies will get mild frost bite if they linger around them too long," Cold Snap grinned. "Also, if Blue Ripple's will mist, he can have his make condensation in the air. Then mine can sort of collect it and make ice spikes to form and fling out."
"Mine could use that moisture to make a boiling sensation. Like intense humidity," Fire Flight grinned a bit wickedly.
"Honey, we need to get home after this. I have some work to do. So…" Tacki started before going quiet at Kamikaze's glare. He knew exactly what she was going to suggest to have.
"No. Coffee. Ever," he said to get her grinning widely at him. Bane was snickering hard with Garou and Zenchu. "You don't sleep when you have coffee. After the kids are out, fine. You can have it. Not when you're pregnant."
"Okay, okay…" she pouted and laughed at his loving squeeze.
"I mean it. Okay?" Kamikaze said. "I know you need to get the fans done. Even some new outfits. Just…pace yourself. Please?"
"I know. I need to get the fans done, though. That is important. I'll see how long it takes to do one fan set. If it's not long, then I'll get that set done quick. It's just putting them together with the right materials and making the blueprints. I have the mechanisms, but I also need to fit them around the teeth. Each tooth is different. Oh! I also have to make your sword! Are we ready to run that reporter into the ground yet?!" Tacki asked with a sense of urgency now.
"Tacki, come here," Mitsumi said. Tacki looked over and moved to her side. Then she paused when Mitsumi put both of her hands on her shoulders and smiled warmly. "Remember this. Breathe. Take your time, okay? Just relax. I know. There's a lot we need to do, but you're not a monster anymore. You're human and have limits. You're an expecting mother, too. Slow down just a bit. We don't need Kamikaze to stress over you. It won't be healthy for him. And it's not healthy for you. Work at your pace, but don't overdo it."
"I…yeah. Okay, Lady Mitsumi," Tacki said with a smile and they both hugged. "There's just so much I need to get done…"
"I know! Trust me. I know. Just take your time right now. We still have plenty of time to get things done. Just stay calm and focus on one task at a time," Mitsumi chuckled. "The next few months are really going to test us. Doing missions, being pregnant and even expanding our home grounds. We need to look out for each other on top of all of this."
"Yeah. We do," Tacki nodded and got hugged again. Kamikaze smiled with his own form of relief and found her back in his arms. "Of course, I still have to keep you on your toes and piss you off. That's a given."
"No," Kamikaze said at her beaming grin.
"The couch is done," Tangled Vine said and watched Stable Rock leave the vines before they sealed up. Bright Bolt trotted over to shake again and cover the couch with his hair. Once that was done, Saitama moved to sit on the couch with Mitsumi next to him. There was plenty of room for her to lay back with her head on his lap. He rested a hand on her belly and watched the pets find places around them to settle in.
"Fix up the track," Saitama said with a neutral gaze out the large viewing window. Stable Rock snickered and climbed up onto the couch to settle against his side. Saitama rested an arm on his shell and watched the long track about a half mile long get revealed. It resembled a high school running track, and Stable Rock was quick to set in small trigger traps of earth to spike up.
"Hmm…" Bright Bolt studied the track. "Can we get some light poles in place? I can zap with them."
"Oh, I can definitely set that up," Metal Knight said from a hovering robot. This was done swiftly and there was a static charge that quickly built up around the light fixtures.
"That guy already has static cling. This will really zap him when he runs by them!" Bright Bolt snickered mischievously. Overgrown Rover huffed and jumped up onto the couch to lay down on Saitama's hand to firmly be on Mitsumi's belly. Then it looked at Cold Snap to grumble.
"Yep! We'll see if it gets to the point that we can chase him," Cold Snap nodded. Saitama nodded and glanced down to see Mitsumi lightly closing her eyes to rest. He smiled softly and watched Fire Flight heat up certain parts of the track. Tsuruga was brought in with Tanktop Girl to play as bouncers at the end point. She had Chikao running the greeting booth until she got back.
"She looks completely wiped out," Himiko said when she was able walk over to see her sister.
"Yeah. Can't be helped, I guess," Saitama shrugged.
"Not much we can do, eh?" Zombieman frowned.
"Not really. We just need to work with it," Saitama nodded. He watched Wind Crane set up a barrier of wind right before Tsuruga's area. Then Blue Ripple had an idea to set up a wall of mist in front of Tsuruga. That got everyone laughing with anticipation.
"Hmm?" Mitsumi blinked awake.
"Getting ready for the show to start," Saitama chuckled. She nodded and rose up to rest against him. He kissed her forehead and let her snuggle into him. "You don't have to watch if you don't want to."
"I do. Just…tired," she sighed. He pressed a soft kiss to her mouth and rested his chin against her forehead. A canopy sprouted up from all four corners of the couch, and a vine dangled down to sprout some fruit for her. She was quick to snag some grapes to snack on. Saitama ate a few with her and saw the association security appear with the traumatized reporter.
The man looked around, saw the track and cringed. Then he saw all the heroes in the seating to witness his physical trial. He did see the window where Mitsumi and Saitama were watched, but it was blacked out. He thought it was another form of security judging him. In a sense, it was. The board members were seated with the important man and his assistant. The first board member said, "As the first part of your sentence, you need to run through this track and complete it."
"Can you just…send me to jail…?" the reporter said on staring at the track.
"You would rather give yourself up?" Sweet Mask asked from where he sat with Tajima. "You know you would be imprisoned for several years. If you go through this track, well…your sentence may be lightened to only a year."
"Should be a life sentence," Mitsumi mumbled. Overgrown Rover huffed and jumped down. It was now silently getting ready to pounce at the man. Cold Snap grinned lightly and shifted into his ice wolf form. He only sat by the couch for now, though. He was going to wait for the signal. Mitsumi smiled at him, and he moved to rest his head in her arms with a contented sigh.
"Does he help cool you off like this?" Saitama asked.
"He actually does," she chuckled.
"Okay. If you see her getting too hot for the fans to handle, you'll need to step in to help like this," Saitama nodded. Cold Snap grunted with understanding and yawned with relaxation.
"Did you want to chase him, too?" Tatsumaki asked Rendor from where they sat in the stadium seating.
"Hmm. Nah. They got it," Rendor chuckled. She whispered softly to him and got him laughing hard at it. "We'll see!"
"So, what's going on? Is that guy running or not?" Saitama frowned with boredom. "If he's not gonna do anything, then I want to go back to my room."
They were just about to have the reporter returned to his holding room when Overgrown Rover yapped out with a hard snarl. The man turned and shrieked before running for his life. The monster dog grew three times larger and kept snarling while it ran. Cold Snap was quick to dash out of the room to join in the chase with his own chilling howl to show the hunt was on.
"Shit!" the reporter squealed out. Bright Bolt let each light fixture zap at the man on passing them. Stable Rock had small spikes suddenly launch up back down after they were dodged. Tangled Vine now had large, prickly bushes lining a part of the path to force the man to squeeze through them with intense discomfort. When the track started to heat up, the man yelped with alarm and forced himself to run faster. Overgrown Rover and Cold Snap had actually veered off the track and loped over to join with Tsuruga to shock the man.
As he neared the end of the track, Wind Crane's heavy wind barrier smacked into him. He grimaced and forced himself to move past it. Saitama realized the track wasn't as difficult as his was in City Z, but that track was made for possible disciples and intense training. This one was made for annoying punishments.
"Hey," Saitama said and nuzzled into Mitsumi's forehead.
"Hmm?" she asked and watched the man stumble through the thick mist before the finish line.
"I kinda want to take him home and put him through our track," he grinned.
"Really?" she mused at the idea.
"Or for really bad ones. This track is like…it's for kids. Mine would give nightmares," he snickered softly.
"Hmm. I really don't want him anywhere near our home, though. I would say to use our track for heroes that think they have what it takes to challenge any of us," she said with a small grin. "And, if any of them pass the track, they can get any meal they want from Neutral Grounds free of charge."
"Oh?" Saitama blinked at the idea. Then he looked over to grin widely at the sight of the reporter screaming from Tsuruga, Overgrown Rover and Cold Snap chasing him back through the track in the opposite direction.
"It's been a while since we've seen Richoo," Mitsumi frowned.
"He is assisting at Neutral Grounds with his family," Metal Knight said from his robot. "He is helping Anno and Takeda in the kitchen."
"Ah! Okay! I'm glad that he's doing so well now," she chuckled. Saitama nodded and watched Inichi bubble the reporter to deliver directly to the waiting security detail. The moment he was escorted away, Saitama showed he was ready to go back into his room.
"Lunch time and relaxation! No missions!" Saitama said on coming out of the chamber with Mitsumi in his arms.
"Actually, there was something that had to be addressed," the second board member said. Saitama gave him a blank stare. "We did get a notice that a monster was rampaging through City U. We were hoping you could investigate it."
"What?! Why?!" Saitama pouted.
"Could be a new monster family member. We also don't have any homes there," Mitsumi smiled softly.
"But…but…treasure bed! Relax! Hungry!" Saitama started before Cold Snap ran over in his child form to produce a small slice of iced-over cake. "Ah…"
"I got you, Dad!" Cold Snap beamed. "I wanna check this out, too. Orotsu is still making lunch, so this will give him more time. He's cooking for the entire association! He wanted the challenge."
"Wow!" Mitsumi blinked.
"Eh…fine…" Saitama sighed and took up the cake slice to share with Mitsumi. He was amazed that it was rich slice of cherry cheesecake with a touch of whipped cream topping.
"We shall meet outside," Wind Crane nodded and started to guide the main group out. Saitama sighed, but he looked at Mitsumi's hopeful smile for new family. Well…I suppose I have no choice. But she's not attacking! Her fans can do that. I'll just stand in the way and let the pets take care of it. Unless something changes. I guess.
