City Z. A modern-day ghost town. For as long as anyone could remember, the city was plagued by constant monster attacks and disasters. Was it a curse? Did one of its residents incur the wrath of an evil god? None knew the answer.

But then, as if it were a gift from the Heavens themselves, a savior was delivered. At first, no one thought much of him. A black-haired man in a blue tracksuit. That sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?

Yet, that's how the savior began. He was no more than your average businessman trying to make a living in the corporate world. Then after a run-in with a crab monster, everything changed. From that day forward, he became known as the first hero, and eventually, he'd be the strongest.

However, City Z still found itself unusually frequented by Mysterious Beings and natural phenomena. The presence of the hero didn't change that. But now, no one needed to worry. Whenever City Z or its citizens found themselves in danger, they knew with absolute certainty they would be saved.

Unfortunately, this did cause a massive problem for the hero. He lived in City Z and had no intention of leaving since he enjoyed his humble apartment. So, anyone who knew that could go to his residence and be a nuisance. This had become a daily issue.

The Hero Association did its best to help the hero. They had guards stationed on the premises, installed security cameras aimed at the streets, and they made it abundantly clear that the hero wanted to be left alone. Of course, when they choose, people have selective hearing. So, the crowd only got bigger with each passing day.

Every sort of person gathered around the hero's apartment building. Fans. Reporters. Occasionally, there'd even be a few stalkers or self-proclaimed soulmates. Luckily, the Association's security personnel were top-notch, so no one ever managed to make it to the stairwell, let alone to the hero's unit.

Even so, this, as one would assume, made the hero savor moments of silence. No cheering. No hounding for interviews. No pleas to respond to a declaration of love. During these fleeting quiet instances, the hero reminisced about the days when he was still a nobody.

"Would it have been better had Agoni never sought me out?" Saitama pondered as he walked through empty streets. Despite his residency and protection of City Z, many people still didn't wish to live in such a renowned hotspot for danger, which was understandable. "Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful. With his help, I reached my dream in no time. I even got things like a fan club and action figures. But none of us would've guessed I'd get so strong. Maybe, if nobody knew who I was, I could still have this strength and not feel so suffocated." He continued, considering that possibility. "Although, if I'm being honest, whether or not everyone knows about me, this strength has become depressing. I used to be excited about fighting monsters, villains, organized syndicates, and whatever else came my way. I had to struggle and put forward a real effort to win. But now, everything goes down after a single strike. If anything, I'm not sure I need to do that much. A flick from my finger could kill a monster, regardless of size. So, what do I do? How can you make fighting fun again when there's no chance of you losing?" He wondered.

Such a conundrum had been dwelling on the hero's mind for a while now. With time, Saitama observed himself changing. Godly strength, speed, durability, reflexes, perception, the list of powers went on. But those weren't the only things that made him different from his past self.

Ignoring his hair loss (a sensitive topic), Saitama progressively lost his emotions. He could still express them here and there, but mainly in outbursts. In the way of constantly feeling them, for example, throughout the day, that was lost to him. In his pursuit of power, to become a hero who could defeat any foe with a single blow, had he unknowingly traded an essential part of being a person?

"Okay, enough thinking for now," Saitama told himself with a sigh. "I can't let my mind wander like that. I've got enough to deal with; I don't need my head feeling heavy." He said.

After that, Saitama tilted his head back. The sky was a beautiful blue with a few white clouds in view. Honestly, a nice peaceful walk with a gorgeous day was just what he needed to dispel his troubles for now. Sadly, his apartment building was around the next corner at the end of this road, meaning he needed to ready himself for the HORDE.

"Remember, be polite," Saitama whispered as he prepared. His head was still leaned back as he believed avoiding eye contact would help make this easier.

Step by step, Saitama got closer to his destination. With his hands in his pockets and his eyes on the sky, he braced for someone to notice his arrival. Yet when the voice came, he was met with a surprise. He recognized it.

"One Punch Man! Glad to see you, sir!"

"...Mountain Ape?" Saitama questioned, finally looking forward again.

Sure enough, standing where the two streets met was none other than the B-class hero Mountain Ape. However, he did not stand alone. Next to the large man was his typical partner, another B-class hero named Eyelashes. Both were dressed in their uniforms, which were dress suits.

Add that detail with their rank, and anyone who knew anything about heroes was aware of whom these two men served in addition to the Association.

"Ah! You remembered me! I'm honored!" Mountain Ape responded with a smile.

"Dude, I always remember. Why do you keep acting surprised?" Saitama asked.

"Because you're you, sir! Someone of your status must meet with many people, important and otherwise, all the time. So, it makes sense that you wouldn't remember every name. Especially not that of a B-rank hero." Mountain Ape answered.

"...You do realize your boss is B-rank, too, right?" Saitama inquired with a raised brow.

"Of course! But miss Blizzard's far greater than anyone else in our rank! If she wanted, she could easily make it in A! Heck; she could go the distance and get into S!" Mountain Ape exclaimed.

As expected, one of the closest people to Blizzard wasn't without his undying support for her. Every "Blizzard Group" member saw their leader as a flawless figure to rally behind. In their eyes, only one person surpassed her as the defining image of a hero. Take a wild guess as to who that was.

"Right," Saitama said. There was nothing else to add to that. They've had this exact conversation multiple times in the past. "So, Eyelashes, why are the two of you standing on one of the street corners around my apartment building?" He asked, moving his focus to the other man.

"Because our lady wished to see you, sir." Eyelashes answered. "We all watched your encounter with that purple brute on the news. Once he was vanquished and the child was safe in your arms, miss Blizzard insisted that she see you right away." He informed him.

"Oh," Saitama replied, only to then realize something. "Wait. If you guys are here, does that mean?..." He trailed off. There was a hopeful tone present in his voice.

"Yes, sir. We've taken care of the loiterers in the area. If even one of them dares to come a foot closer than the perimeter we specified, they'll be dealt with swiftly." Eyelashes confirmed with a nod.

Mountain Ape and Eyelashes then witnessed a rare sight. With a small smile and a light expression of joy, Saitama breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thanks, guys," Saitama told them, GREATLY appreciative of their actions.

"No! Please! Don't thank us, sir! We were happy to do it!" Mountain Ape exclaimed, feeling undeserving of such praise.

"Agreed. Furthermore, if I might say as much, sir, even without the order from miss Blizzard, we would've been compelled to do something." Eyelashes said as he looked around. "Truthfully, I admire your patience and kindness, One Punch Man. Anyone else, even S-class heroes, would've gotten forceful with the civilians if they were even a fourth of the annoyance to them as they are to you." He confessed.

"It's because they don't mean to be a nuisance. At least, I hope they don't." Saitama started as his face went back to its usual blank state. "Maybe some reporters don't care if they're being rude, but not the fans. I can't fault them for wanting to show their appreciation. I wish that whenever I ask them to calm down, they don't go overboard in the opposite direction and assume I'm about to lose my mind and start swinging at them. But that can't be helped with my strength and all. Plus, the Association does its best to help out. So, it could be MUCH worse." He explained.

For a moment, Mountain Ape and Eyelashes were speechless. Saitama didn't say anything that was breathtakingly inspiring. Yet for some reason, WHENEVER situations or conversations like this came up, it was always perceived that way. Thankfully, the duo quickly snapped out of it, unlike his fans or the press.

"Er, anyway!" Mountain Ape exclaimed once he was back to normal. "Miss Blizzard's waiting for you in your apartment, sir! She said you wouldn't mind if she went inside." He told him.

"Of course not. Fubuki's a friend, after all." Saitama said before he walked past the men. "Again, thanks for keeping the crowd at bay." He repeated while departing.

Instead of a verbal reply, Mountain Ape and Eyelashes bowed their heads to show appreciation. When that was done, they resumed their guard duties while Saitama headed for his building's stairwell. Even though the Hero Association MORE than fairly compensated the world's strongest hero for his good deeds and efforts, he chose to remain in this everyday apartment complex.

To the public, this was another show of the hero's humble nature and how despite his unbelievable power, he didn't see himself as better than the common person. The heroes in classes C through A shared this perception. They also saw it as Saitama wanting to set yet another example for them to follow. Let not your ego grow, remember that we are all people, regardless of ability.

Then, there were the S-class heroes. Their feelings about how Saitama lived his life and how he used his ever-growing immense wealth were separated into three categories. The first believed he was being too modest; the world's strongest hero deserved a life of luxury. The second had the same mindset as the public and other heroes.

As for the third, they assumed that, in secret, One Punch Man was using his resources to further aid the people and the Association through generous donations. However, those who knew him personally, which was a VERY small number, knew the truth. Saitama's only reason for remaining in his apartment was that he wanted to stay there. Truly, that was it.

He liked the location, didn't need that much space, and IF he ever wanted or needed anything more, all of the other units in the building were vacant. They'd been abandoned LONG before Saitama became One Punch Man due to all the monster attacks and whatnot. On top of that, Saitama had been given the property by its former owner. That's right, GIVEN, not SOLD.

Admittedly, that didn't sit well with Saitama for a while. He insisted that IF he were to be given an ENTIRE building to himself, he would pay for it, but the owner refused to accept ANY payment. In their words: "To ask the world's strongest hero to pay ME for the building he's staying in would be the WORST thing I'd EVER do in my LIFE!" After that, well, there wasn't much room for discussion.

Luckily, so Saitama wouldn't have to add another concern to his pile, the Association took care of all the expenses. Heating, electricity, water, etc. Allowing the hero to enjoy living where he wanted without worrying about paying bills on top of dealing with the never-dispersing crowd outside his home. Although, for transparency's sake, the Association covered the costs by taking the required amount from what they paid him.

But considering the number of said payments would make most people froth at the mouth and faint, the price of upkeeping an apartment complex was literal pocket change.

"Welcome Home, Saitama."

An elegant voice greeted the hero as he opened the door to his abode. Yet, Saitama didn't need to see who it belonged to.

"Hey, Fubuki," Saitama replied while walking in. "Thanks for having your people deal with everyone." He said.

A woman was sitting at a small table barely above the floor in the apartment's sole room. She had dark green hair with contrasting light green eyes. Adorning her body was a form-fitting dress that matched her hair in color. Some might say it was a little TOO well-measured as it displayed certain "qualities" she possessed, but she didn't care if anyone noticed.

...Actually, that's not true. There was one person she hoped would look at her with longing and desire. A love that she knew might never be returned, yet she couldn't cast away her feelings. Oh, how she yearned for this adoration to be acknowledged and-

"Fubuki?"

"Ah!" The woman exclaimed in surprise, slightly jumping from the shock.

For a few seconds, the woman named Fubuki had been lost in thought. It was so intense that she didn't even see Saitama casually stroll over to the table and sit across from her until he said something.

"Are you okay?" Saitama asked. "You seemed out of it. Are you sick?" He followed up with.

"N-No! I'm sorry, Saitama. I allowed my mind to wander." Fubuki apologized with an intense blush, horrifically embarrassed by this.

"Oh. Is that a problem for Espers? Do your powers overwhelm you sometimes, and you need a moment to collect yourselves?" Saitama inquired.

"Y-Yes! That's very perceptive of you!" Fubuki complimented him with a smile while confirming his theory. In secret, she was lying. But a little white lie was INFINITELY better than saying ANYTHING about what had happened.

"Huh. I bet it gets bad for Tatsumaki, then. I hope that doesn't happen when she's fighting monsters." Saitama said, thinking about the other Esper he knew.

"Oh...trust me...it doesn't..." Fubuki muttered while looking away. She tried calming herself down. Hoping to get rid of this HORRID red tint across her cheeks.

"Do you want something to eat?" Saitama offered. "Maybe you're just light-headed and could use a snack?" He suggested.

"What a wonderful idea!" Fubuki exclaimed, grateful for the opportunity to regain her composure.

Waiting until Saitama was gone from the table and inside his kitchen, Fubuki quickly smacked herself to stop being flustered.

"What was that?" Saitama asked. He didn't turn around as he was busy pouring some small cookies into a bowl.

"...A mosquito!" Fubuki answered, having to come up with an excuse immediately.

"Ah. I heard they were getting worse lately." Saitama said.

"He...has?..." Fubuki wondered, surprised by that response. "Oh? I guess I haven't heard that. Was it on the news?" She inquired, now curious to hear more.

"Mhm. Some hikers found a few wild animals drained completely dry. They were even missing their organs. I think the scientist on the news said the corpses were mummified, too." Saitama told her while coming back with the snacks.

"And...they're sure it was a type of mosquito that did that? Not a monster?" Fubuki questioned as he sat down. The thought of something like a mosquito, regardless of species or number, doing such a thing was hard to believe.

"It could be a monster. Who's to say they can't be tiny like mosquitos?" Saitama replied, now setting the bowl in the middle of the table. "But they're pretty sure it's nothing too outrageous. Of all the crazy things that happen in the world, discovering a new species is the most normal." He said.

"Hm, you've got me there," Fubuki admitted before picking up a few cookies from the bowl.

"...So, Fubuki." Saitama began as she started munching on her obtained snacks. "Why'd you suddenly decide to come and see me?" He asked.

"We all saw your fight against Vaccine Man. Since it went down with one attack, I assumed you'd be stressed afterward." Fubuki answered.

"Ah. So, you wanted to make sure I was okay?" Saitama guessed.

"I did," Fubuki confirmed with a nod.

"Well, don't worry. I'm not stressed." Saitama assured.

However, despite this, Fubuki stared at him. It wasn't an intense or accusatory look, yet it was still unnerving.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" Saitama inquired.

"Saitama, don't lie to me." Fubuki scolded as she folded her arms. In doing so, she used her ESP to eat her cookies. "Those who know you personally know EXACTLY how you get ANY time you encounter a monster. You might not be the most expressive person in the world, but it's clear as day that it bothers you." She told him.

"Wouldn't it bother you?" Saitama asked while resting his head on his hand.

"No. I'd give anything you to be powerful like you or my sister. So would everyone else in the world." Fubuki answered.

"That's easy for you to say, though. You don't know what it's like." Saitama argued. "Tornado's probably the closest. I can't say much about Blast since I've never seen him fight, and he's barely around. Still, none of you can take out a monster the size of a skyscraper with a slap. You have to put forward some level of effort to win a fight, even if it's small. But me? I accidentally win battles ALL the time. Something will try and ambush me. I won't register that it's a monster. Then I'll try to swat it away with a wave of my hand since I think it's a fly or a gnat. Only to discover a lot of blood of some color splashed across the ground beside me a second later. Even worse, I've gotten some monsters to surrender without even realizing anything was going on! That happens all of the time, too! A few days ago, I was going to a sale out of town, and apparently, these two brothers were causing trouble nearby. But right as they were getting close to the city, they saw me coming out of the supermarket and immediately surrendered. Like, what the hell?!" He ranted, slowly getting frustrated.

Now, most people might feel bad for Saitama. Clearly, the lack of any challenge was a burden for him. However, Fubuki had an interesting point of view. If he were getting worked up, he'd need someone to help calm him down, and since she was the only one here...

"You know, Saitama..." Fubuki started with a warm smile. "There are other things you could do to help take your mind off this." She said.

"Yeah, King says the same thing," Saitama responded with a sigh. "Right now, he's trying to help me get better at video games. Since he's constantly kicking my ass..." He told her, muttering that last part.

"It is good to have hobbies like that. But there ARE other things besides playing games to help with relaxation." Fubuki replied.

"Such as?" Saitama inquired, curious to know more.

"Well, for starters, you could socialize with others more. I'm not talking about the public or your fans; I mean with those close to you. Spend time with them." Fubuki suggested.

"But we hang out all the time." Saitama pointed out, confused by that idea.

"Yes, but it's as a group. You could spend more time alone with your friends and get to know them better." Fubuki clarified.

For a moment, Saitama didn't say anything. Furthermore, after a few seconds, his expression changed to a smirk, which was alarming to the Esper.

"Crap. Did I lay it on too thick?" Fubuki thought with widened eyes. She could've sworn she was being subtle!

"I see what's going on here..." Saitama opened with before raising his hand to point at her. "You're jealous because King and I haven't been including you when we play games." He stated.

Now, it was Fubuki's turn to be silent. Half of herself was relieved Saitama didn't figure it out. But the other half was screaming at her for being so non-specific with her wording. Then, as if the universe sought to make this situation a tragic comedy, the front door to Saitama's apartment was suddenly opened. Of all the people who could've walked in, it had to be HIM.

"Hey, Saitama. Hey, Fubuki." King greeted while entering. Similarly to the Esper, Saitama didn't mind if he let himself in.

"Hey, King. Perfect timing." Saitama replied as he turned his head to look at him while simultaneously pointing at Fubuki with his thumb. "Guess what? Fubuki's jealous of our gaming sessions! She wants to join in!" He exclaimed.

"Wait, seriously?" King questioned with an excited smile. "I didn't take you for a gamer, Fubuki. It didn't seem like your scene." He confessed.

"...Yeah...uh-huh..." Fubuki barely responded. The lights were on, but no one was home.

"That's perfect! I figured Saitama could use some cheering up after another easy victory, so I brought enough games to last us until tomorrow." King told them as he removed the backpack he had brought and opened it. Inside, there was a treasure trove of digital delights.

"Oh, awesome!" Saitama exclaimed, quickly getting to his feet to look at them. "We can catch you up on what we've been playing lately. That way, you won't waste time learning the controls or playing tutorials." Saitama said.

"...Cool..." Fubuki replied. Her gaze stared forward without direction. She did not see Saitama, King, or the apartment. Only her opportunity as it floated away on the winds of fortune.