It was later in the day that they finally emerged from the bedroom to eat. Zenchu served them lemon water, a bowl of egg fried rice and a thick slice of steak. This was set in front of each of them on the table trays from their place on the couch. Saitama gave him a puzzled look.
"It was advised to keep up her protein count in her blood. Just as a safety precaution. It's Wagyu beef," Zenchu said. Another dish of Peking duck pieces with all the bones removed was given next. "I know, Lady Mitsumi. You like to peel it off the bones. But, for now, it's all for safety."
"Okay," Mitsumi nodded. Saitama was already cutting up the meat on her plate for her to help feed her. She looked at him oddly. "I can feed myself."
"I know. I just…want to do this," Saitama shrugged. Zenchu cracked a grin and went back into the kitchen to prepare another dish for them. Mitsumi sighed and found herself laughing. They took turns eating now, and Saitama turned on the television. While they relaxed and watched a cartoon show, he glanced down at his phone when it rang. He had it set near where he sat with her before and it never moved. "Hello? Um…what? Uh…no. I'm not at the restaurant right now. Why? Oh? Huh. No, she's not there, either. Who is this? What do you mean 'not important'? How did you get my number? Not important again, eh? Well, maybe it's important for me to find you. I'm sure I can…"
:Inichi, who is Saitama talking to?: Zenchu asked.
:Hmm. Oh-ho! It appears to be Lady Mitsumi's oldest sister. Keep her talking.: Inichi said and started to focus. :I will try and track where she is…:
Zenchu wrote out a note to show Saitama. He glanced up with a small grin and let Mitsumi get comfortable against him. "Anyways, I'm sure you're not worth finding. Eh…I'm actually a hero. Quite strong. S class. Yep. Well, I plan to marry Mitsumi. Less than a week. I'm in love with her. Doesn't matter. Don't care. What's it to you, anyways? Are you related to her? Ah. Now you're quiet. Are you…jealous? That she found true love in under a week and you haven't?"
"Darling, who are you talking to?" Mitsumi crooned softly to him loud enough for the other participant on the phone to hear.
"Darling? First time you called me that! I like it," Saitama grinned and kissed her. Just as the kiss started to intensify, the woman on the other end started to rant for answers. "Oh. You're still there? I'll put you on speaker."
"No! Don't put me on-!" the shrill voice started.
"Oh. It's Atsuko. She ignored me when I waved at her during my time of torment. She was hoping to live off my inheritance if I died in Ajito's experiments," Mitsumi sniffed. Now Saitama looked at her as though not hearing her right. The phone abruptly hung up. Zenchu now looked over at her and hissed.
"Call her back," he said.
"No," she shrugged.
:She is correct. The phone was a dummy line. But I know where she is. She plans to go to the restaurant to cause a scene. If you leave now you will get there before she does. I'll have other heroes there, too.: Inichi said with pure amusement. :You can head back home to rest after she is out of commission.:
"I guess we need to dress and take care of stuff," Saitama muttered.
"I like you in your hero suit, though," she smiled. "I'll wear my fan dancing dress for you."
"Hmm. Okay," he grinned and kissed her passionately. It took them ten minutes to get ready, and Kianna was able to arrive with Inichi's help to style her hair and set her with makeup and jewelry. Zenchu locked up the apartment and set the cameras that Genos was able to install during one of the nights.
When they walked into the restaurant, Mitsumi was led right over to her usual table in the back. It was set up a bit higher with stairs now and a dark red velvet curtain to show importance. Saitama kissed her forehead and had her seated on his lap. Inichi had even brought their unfinished meals to them to carefully set in front of them. Mitsumi beamed at this. "Thank you, Inichi!"
"Of course, Lady Mitsumi," Inichi chuckled from where he hovered over Fubuki. Now Inichi sent out the mass broadcast that trouble was afoot soon at Neutral Grounds. The place was quickly swarmed with heroes that wanted to know what was going on. Bane was quick to appear. So was Kamikaze.
"It's about lunch time, anyways," Sneck mused and found a seat. Then he was approached by several civilians for autographs. Zenchu was quick to have lines formed for this now, and specialized raffles were quickly set in place to see what lucky person was able to eat with their favorite hero.
"I don't know why I agreed to this," Tatsumaki frowned at the eager crowd.
"Because heroes should learn to appreciate who they are protecting. Just smile, answer a few questions and sign an autograph or two. You get free meals, anyways," Bane chuckled. He paused when several children appeared with fliers to sign up for possible discipleship. He agreed to let them try and would set up small courses to see how they would do. Even Kamikaze had a few eager boys that wanted to take up sword fighting.
"Here. Thank you for coming by," Rendor said and set a massive bowl of empty fortune cookies at Tatsumaki's table. She gasped and grabbed one to eat with sheer delight. Then she looked at him.
"Why do you…give me all this?" she asked.
"Why not?" he chuckled in his gravelly tone and moved to greet the other people coming in. She looked over to see her younger sister chatting pleasantly with Inichi. She saw others sitting down and talking with friendly vibes all around. She frowned, looked over at Rendor and used her power to lift him up and sit him with her. "Oh?! Ah…what's this about?"
"Here. Eat some with me," she said and used her power to mildly push the cookie mound towards the center between them. "Tell me about yourself."
"Ah. I can do that," Rendor nodded. Now that she was in shock on learning that he was a famous explorer before his transformation, Mitsumi found herself looking at the entrance of the restaurant.
"She showed up," Mitsumi whispered to Saitama.
"Hmm?" he asked while cutting into his steak. He glanced over to see the plump, somewhat tall woman with coiffed up black hair stride in. The makeup on her face nearly rivaled Tacki's peacock feathering. She was wearing a dark purple cloak of stretch velvet over a matching color dress of satin. It barely did anything to make her look slender, and it only outlined how plump her figure was. She looked over the small crowd and seemed to smirk.
"This restaurant is hereby owned by the Takashi family!" she belted out. "If you are not an established member of any major party, you need to leave."
"No," Mitsumi smiled. "This restaurant is to be enjoyed by all. Granted, my last name is Takashi. But I no longer truly consider myself a member of your family. Father trained me on avoiding all that. He tried to talk to you. You slighted him. Just like Mother. You look so much like her! Just a few more pounds and you could share her clothing, too. You didn't really have to try so hard, you know?"
"How dare you!" she growled.
"Oh, come now, Atsuko. You do know that there are heroes here. Right? Even my fiancée is an S class. He's rank 3 now. In fact, you talked to him earlier on his phone! Other S class heroes are here, too. They really want to know why you let me suffer in the hands of a madman with malpractice suits against him. Can you…clarify that for us?" Mitsumi asked.
"Oh? Hmm. Yes, that does need some explanation," Bane said and rose up to walk over calmly. Genos was recording the whole thing with the other cameras in the restaurant.
"You were worthless!" Atsuko said. "No value at all!"
"You're right. She isn't worth anything. She's priceless," Zenchu said from where he now stood over Mitsumi and Saitama. He snapped his tail out to show irritation. He also showed he was a monster. "She freed all of us in this restaurant. She has no value. She is an artifact above what you call 'wealth'. This young, brave, amazing lady here…she is a flawless diamond. You…you're a chunk of useless change tossed at a street vendor."
"What?!" the large woman gaped.
"Ouch…" Kamikaze snickered. "Yeah. Definitely not my type. I bet if I took her out to dinner she'd eat my share and bite my head off, too."
"I beg your pardon!" she fumed.
"Excuse me," King muttered and moved past her to sit at a table with Kianna. She whispered to him, and he looked at her like she was crazy. "Really? Huh. I can't see a resemblance. Are you sure?"
That got snickers all over the place. Now Atsuko said, "It doesn't matter! This restaurant owes my family 70% of the proceeds! And Mitsumi needs to return home!"
"Why? And where is the contract that states this?" Mitsumi asked and accepted a cup of tea. "And return 'home'? This is my home. Why would I return to a group of people that slighted me and just want to use me to watch me die?"
"Verbal contracts are just as legally binding," her sister growled.
"They are not," Genos said with a yellow-eyed glowing glare. "They are the acts of fraud and lies. You should be going to jail. Considering you have made a lot of fraudulent bank accounts using the names and identities of others. Identity theft is a very illegal trade. Money laundering and smuggling illegal goods is also considered punishable by law. You made a mistake to come here."
"Ah…what?" Atsuko paused.
"I scanned your face through a rather intense database for money lenders and debtors. You have come up with warnings to not be trusted," Genos said. "I am the hero known as Demon Cyborg. I am in class S with Master Saitama. Furthermore, you supported Hatashi Koutetsu. Also known as 'Ajito'. He was one that was wanted for illegal medicine practice.
"Did you know that when Miss Mitsumi was drugged by him to be incapacitated that he harvested parts of her body from her without her consent? If it wasn't for her transformations to fully heal her of this, she likely would have died. Did you also know that he raped her after each transformation as this also reverted her back to being pure? And that he did this…constantly?"
"What?" Kamikaze now looked at the woman with a twitching eye.
"I…well…they were to be married, anyways…" Atsuko faltered.
"No. He lied about that. And you knew it," Mitsumi frowned. "You also knew what he was doing to me. When I left him a month later, you were the first one to beg me to go back to him. I was better off dead so Mother could get the will fulfilled to gain Father's vast inheritance. I wouldn't be surprised if you were the one sending out men to kill me after I left. And you know she murdered Father. You always served him his tea. You let Mother serve it that night. Didn't you?"
Atsuko stammered and tried to speak out her innocence. It simply fell on deaf ears. Bane was staring with complete shock at the lady now. Inichi was also whispering mental confirmations on what Mitsumi said and assumed. That started to piss off Saitama to a whole new level. He placed a finger to Mitsumi's mouth and squeezed her gently to show he was going to handle it. He let her press into him and snuggle into his neck for comfort to let him know it was his turn. He turned to glare at Atsuko to get her attention.
"She's getting sad. If she gets sad…then I get mad…" Saitama said with a darkened look on his features. Now the room got tense and quiet. "I leveled five buildings from rage alone when I learned this. Five. Buildings. I destroyed a solid steel training room with one punch and left a five mile long hole under the city. I killed the one that raped her. With one punch. After he became a monster. I would slap you. But I might kill you. I'd let the monsters attack you. But they have a contract to not hurt people. So…there is only one thing left to do."
"And what's that?" Atsuko seemed to pale.
"I give you over to the other heroes that are here. They'll…accompany you to the local jail where you belong," Saitama nodded to the next hero to walk in.
"Yes. Please accompany me, Atsuko Takashi. We have quite a bit to discuss," Sweet Mask said when he walked in. Now she gaped at him.
"You were out of town!" she cringed.
"And now I'm back in town. I returned when I learned you were going to arrive here. To a restaurant that is partnered with the Hero Association. So, please come with me peacefully. With what dignity you have left, that is," Sweet Mask coolly and gestured to his car. When she was about to argue, several men from the Hero Association appeared in suits to help escort her.
"I see it appears that I have no choice. Very well. We shall go. And Mitsumi. I will not be the last one to find you," Atsuko sniffed.
"That's fine. My family wants to meet yours. Badly," Mitsumi smiled softly. Rendor gave a growl from where he sat with Tatsumaki. Even the girl gave a small glare.
"If she doesn't leave, I can help her leave," Tatsumaki said. "I don't mind doing that."
"And what is a child going to do to me?" Atsuko snorted.
"Ah…that's Terrible Tornado. She is S class and rank 2. You just pissed her off," Sweet Mask sighed at the shrill scream that came from the green-haired girl. Inichi opened the door to the car just as Tatsumaki lifted the woman in the air to toss her into it with sheer ESP strength. Sweet Mask now left with the other men from the association to quickly take the offending woman away.
"Can I crush the car into a marble, too?!" Tatsumaki seethed.
"Easy," Rendor said and gently pat her back. She looked at him and shivered, but she found herself calming down. "You did enough. Let them handle it now. If you like, I can tell you where I went that caused my transformation."
"Oh?" she blinked and turned to nod at him.
"I…don't believe it…" Fubuki blinked. "She's never…well…"
"She likes him. Secretly," Inichi chuckled.
"I think it's time to go home," Mitsumi said softly.
"Hey," Saitama said and tilted her face gently to his to kiss her tenderly. "Just remember that I'm right here with you. No longer will you ever face those things alone. Zenchu is absolutely correct about you. You are priceless. No amount of money will ever hold any value to you. Just know that. Okay?"
"I love you," she whispered and let him hug her close.
"I love you, too," he said and gently ran a gloved hand through a loose lock of her hair. He glanced up at the sight of a small robot hovering in.
"Saitama. It is I, Metal Knight. You…really did a number on every device in my home when the force simply stopped everything from working. I am finally getting back up to working capacity. I hate to admit that I cannot measure the amount of power in your punch. I want to try again, but I cannot do so at my current location. Are you willing to try again when I get a better location?"
"Eh. I guess," Saitama shrugged.
"Metal Knight, please check the feeds from the restaurant. The Takashi family members are starting to try and make false claims," Genos said to the hovering robot.
"I haven't heard that name in a while. They are…a slimy bunch. No offense to you, Miss Mitsumi. You are in a separate class than them," Metal Knight said. She just smiled softly.
"I know. And I'm glad I am," she nodded. "No offense taken at all. Feel free to spy on them all you like. Although, I do wonder if you can do a small favor for me. A possible challenge, if you want to call it that. If you succeed, I'll ensure you get the very best dish you can ask for."
"Oh?" Metal Knight asked.
"My father had a computer in his study. On it were files that were heavily encrypted. One of the files held the deed to the family home. It was secretly put in my name," Mitsumi said with a small smile. Now everyone in the restaurant looked at her.
"You never told me that," Zenchu said.
"Ah…I never tried to listen for this…" Inichi said with surprise.
"The entire estate was to be left to me. His fortune. His legacy. But we have some…rats…living in the home. If you can help me find a way to run them out, I can help fund some of your research on the side," she said.
"I see. Hmm. Is there a time limit?" Metal Knight asked.
"Not at all. Unless they increase their security," she shrugged. That got him laughing a touch deviously.
"I accept your challenge! Give me…a week."
"Of course," she nodded. "Ah! Is your robot able to carry things to you?"
"It can," he agreed. Orotsu now handed over a small container of freshly made pulled pork, Peking duck pieces, Wagyu beef strips and all sautéed with fresh vegetables with a touch of teriyaki glaze.
"Please enjoy this," Orotsu said and let the robot take it up.
"Oh! Thank you!" Metal Knight said with a touch of surprise and had the robot quickly zoom off with it.
"You…own that house…?" Kamikaze asked. "The massive one near the middle of City X?"
"As my father wanted me to…I do," she said softly.
"That place is like a luxury resort! I mean…wow…" Kamikaze blinked. "I was only there once to help as an escort. How many floors are in that place?"
"About eleven. Five underground and five on top with a main entry floor between the five levels," Mitsumi shrugged. "Father liked his space. Each bedroom was like a master bedroom with its own bath. So…yeah. I could say it's like resort hotel. I never thought of it that way before. I don't know if I'd rent it out like that, though. I think it all depends on how the place is. Even so…I don't know if I'd want to live there. The only good memories I have are from my father when he wanted me to see the truth."
"You know, I'm happy where we are," Saitama admitted. "Of course…I wouldn't mind moving…"
"Lots of others have multiple homes if they can afford it. We could have a home in each city at this rate," she chuckled. "But…I think I would want our apartment to be our primary home. It's…where we met."
"Yeah," he smiled and squeezed her.
"Oh. Um…speaking of which…since we're in town, we need to do something really quick while I'm thinking about it," she grinned.
"What's that?" Saitama asked.
"Lady Mitsumi! Are you sure?" Inichi chuckled.
"More than ever. No one else is living in that complex. Why not?" she shrugged. "Then we can do whatever we want with it. I'm made known now. I don't have to hide anymore."
"What are you talking about?" Saitama asked.
"I want to buy that apartment complex we are living in. The entire building," she grinned wickedly. Now he gave her a neutral stare. She looked at him with a beaming smile.
"Well. It's your money," he seemed to shrug.
"It's yours, too," she said softly. Now he looked at her before lifting her up into his arms to carry her out of the restaurant. Genos and Zenchu were quick to follow to help out. Inichi would be listening in and appearing when he needed to.
"You're right. Let's buy us a complex and turn it into a full blown house," he smirked now. "I just have one question, though."
"Hmm?" she smiled.
"What room should we have?" he chuckled.
"Well…we could do a penthouse. Make it a real challenge to have others reach us that way. Lay out traps and such in a small maze," she mused.
"Hmm. We'll see," he nodded. She laughed softly and got kissed heavily by him now. "I don't want to let all this money get to us, though."
"I know. I just…want to secure where we met. I really want to make that our main home," she said softly. "Everything else…we can talk about later. I don't want to let it get to me, either."
"We do need a solid home. Especially if we are going to be having more monsters join the family," Zenchu said. "There could be more monsters like Shenjou that are too big for normal housing."
"True. Maybe I can purchase a couple more buildings for cheap," she mused. "We can turn City Z into a bit of a monster rehabilitation center. But only if I break them free. Those that want to revert back to human, we can have Child Emperor examine. You think?"
"We'll have to see," Saitama said. "We need to go slow."
"I know," she sighed. "Just…big dreams now."
"The restaurant is a major success, but we must still move carefully," Genos said. "You will be tested even more. Now that your biological family is watching your motives and trying to muscle their way into your life, you should not do too much to draw attention to areas you cannot fully defend. Let us proceed and branch out slowly. The moment your mother is caught is when we should be safe. Unless she has hidden supporters."
"If we catch her, then the web is destroyed. She has a lot of blackmail on so many around her! All she has to do is call in a favor in exchange for something to be removed. Even then, I doubt she would remove it," Mitsumi frowned. "That is the type of person she is. She will make a promise. She never keeps it."
"I hate people like that," Saitama muttered and held her close. He kissed her forehead and found himself in front of the building they were at before from the three men that tried to manipulate them out of the restaurant ownership. "This place again? Really?"
"It's the only main place in City Z for such things," Genos nodded. On walking in, the main manager was now approaching them directly.
"Ah, can we help you?" the rounded man asked with a slight fuzz of black hair on his head. He seemed to be sweating at the sight of Zenchu.
"I want to purchase a very specific building," Mitsumi said. "And possibly another one. I am Mitsumi Takashi."
"Ah…oh! Well…" the man blinked at the last name.
"I am not like my family. I have separated from them. However, I was gifted with some funds. Can we talk, please?" she asked. He led them into his office and she pointed out the building she wanted as well as the surrounding land. At the estimated sizeof five miles, the manager was shocked at what was asked for. It's over half of the southern part of City Z! At talk of the amount, she simply signed a waiver for the man to take to a local bank branch for legal binding. She did call the bank manager, though, and the funds were able to be wired without any issues. She signed the documents needed, and Genos ensured that everything was true to form.
"Enjoy your new buildings!" the man smiled. She nodded and Saitama was able to carry her out. Zenchu took up the paperwork and would ensure that Rendor got them. As they walked back to the restaurant, Saitama got a call on his phone.
"Hmm? Hello?" he asked while holding Mitsumi easily with one arm. "Um...I was sort of hoping for the day off. Oh? I see. You think she can talk to it? I don't know. If it was a true monster to begin with, it may be better to just kill it. Eh...you can get another hero. Can't you? Fine. How far away is it? Ah...it's down the street from me? Okay. I'll be there shortly."
"A mission, Master?" Genos asked.
"Yeah. They don't know if this monster was human or not. Ah, Genos, can you scout ahead?" Saitama asked.
:Don't bother. The monster is a true monster. Lady Mitsumi cannot do anything. She may be able to talk to it, but you may need to kill it. I shall assist with Miss Fubuki. Stay where you are.: Inichi said.
"Hmm. Inichi is showing up with Fubuki," Saitama frowned.
"As he said," Mitsumi frowned as well. "What are we to do?"
"If it's causing problems then we should stop it," Saitama said.
"Okay," Genos said. He looked over to see Rendor and Tatsumaki also appearing to help.
"He wanted to join. I decided I would, too. Just to watch you all mess up," she said. Zenchu looked at Rendor to get rewarded with a shrug.
"So, are you both going to date, too?" Mitsumi asked with a small smile.
"What?!" Tatsumaki gaped.
"Ah..." Rendor paused and looked at her. "I don't know if she'd want that."
"Well...I'll think about it," Tatsumaki huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. That had Rendor blink with surprise. Then she looked at him and said, "If you want to."
"Well...I won't say no..." Rendor admitted.
"Okay. We'll talk more later," she said and now moved to float up and settle to sit on his shoulder. "Let's go."
"I...actually like this," Rendor chuckled. She gave a shadow of a smile now and looked over when Fubuki and Inichi appeared.
"Just down the street?" Fubuki asked.
"That's what we know," Saitama nodded and continued to carry Mitsumi. "Also, Mitsumi bought the complex we're in. The whole thing."
"I actually purchased five miles of the city for my own uses. The area was completely abandoned, so now we can convert those buildings for larger monster living when I free them," Mitsumi smiled and got kissed. "We may need to see about securing the boundaries, though."
"We can work on that when we have time," Saitama agreed.
"Amazing!" Fubuki said. "Do you think I could move in?"
"I don't see why not. We can make plenty of rooms now," Mitsumi nodded. "Anyways, ah, a monster?"
"Right," Saitama nodded and led them all down the street.