Hello dear readers, thank you for the support given! Now, as promised, here's the first (technically second) chapter! But first some responses:
To Supernatural enthusiast 2866:thank you, it means a lot to me, especially since english is my second language (my first one is italian if you were wondering). Apart from that i hope this story won't fail your expectations!
To Anatolianin:yes, things will be interesting and if you wanted to know in advance i will modify the storyline a little bit (but not too much, i promise). As for Shinko...he's in a weird position (he has broken his limit, but limited himself afterwards in order not lose hair).
Obvious warning about me not owning OPM is obvious
It was a short trip, to say the least:Shinko did not take into account that he also had to cross D city and this oversight made things a little bit harder (especially if him being self-conscious about not having a shirt on was taken into consideration), but he did not let this discourage him.
It turned out fine though because of his speed (if anybody saw him running they would barely notice a blur) and because of a monster attack that resulted in a smashed dress shop.
As he defeated the monster by punching it while running, Shinko took the lucky opportunity and stole a black hoodie along with some money (6000 yen to be precise).
He felt guilty about this action, but he needed something to wear and some money to get food.
After this he continued running even faster to get out of D city before the cops found out about his cowardly robbery.
After 13 minutes of marathon-level running (accentuated by the fear of getting thrown into jail) he arrived in Z city, but not quite at his destination.
He decided to do some shopping at a food market (he didn't eat for hours) and buy a new pair of shoes (the ones he was wearing were consumed by all that running and close to disintegration).
So he went towards the nearest shop, which happened to be a mall.
The mall was well-illuminated and had a cheerful background music that lifted Shinko's spirits. He took a nearby shopping cart, but then realized that he did not have a shopping list, nor did he think what to buy beforehand.
So he decided to take what his mum always bought:bread was a must and Shinko took two bags of it (600 yen), then he moved to the fruit stand and took five oranges (400 yen) while also glaring at the bananas.
'stupid fruit' he venomously though as he glared at them, earning a few weird looks by other people (NOT because of the tattered clothes), he then resumed his current task as he took a bag containing six bottles of natural water (500 yen), four bags of salad (700 yen) and some eggs (400 yen).
He was then counting the money needed to pay for the food (2600 yen) and he had just enough for another thing since he wanted to at least spare half of not-really-his money, therefore it had to be cheap.
He immediately snapped his head in the direction of the meat stand, where a succulent steak was left and the best thing is that it was on sale.
Being a pround meat lover he launched himself to take it and, upon touching the awaited prize, he touched another hand which belonged to quite a strange sight.
X X X
Saitama was once again shopping happily as he scavenged for anything edible, as long as it was on sale of course.
After taking various foods such as eggs and rice he turned to face the meat stand where a big steak was waiting for a buyer and, not wanting to leave it alone, he lunged to grab it, but something else happened instead:he touched a hand belonging to a kid with white hair and light blue eyes who also seemed to want the steak as much as him.
He had a black hoodie, short blue jeans with a few tears (maybe that was a new trend?) and almost-broken shoes, but what catched his attention (and rather annoyed him) was that he was staring at his bald head.
Shinko was wondering how could a man that young be bald, but the 'bald man' in question did not seem to appreciate the attention on that condition of his and he looked about to yell at him...which he did.
"What are you staring at? Have you never seen someone bald before?" asked a rather annoyed Saitama.
"S-sorry sir, but you looked rather young..." said Shinko trying to not upset the man any further.
"...Ok then" said Saitama, feeling weird about such an answer, then went to grab the steak for himself...
...but he stopped as the boy's hand did not budge. If anything, it strengthened his grip.
Saitama realized the boy was trying to seize the steak for himself, but this would not stop him in the slightest.
X X X
Meanwhile Shinko was a bit surprised that the man's hand did not budge since his strength and agility would allow him to snatch anything from anyone (he definitely did NOT use this as an advantage over everyone else), but this did not discourage the fluffy headed boy:if this was a challenge he would not back down and the determined look on the man's blank face told him he wouldn't either.
It started slow as Shinko would snatch the juicy meat from Saitama just to lose it temporarily to the bald man, but this was nothing since they were using only one hand each.
Then, after 20 minutes of back-and-forth, both of them were annoyed with each other's resistance and lack of fatigue, so they started using two hands each really fast succeeding in only annoying each other more and prolonging the 'conflict'.
20 other minutes later and patience was getting scarce on both sides:now it was a full-on-scale war.
And so their hands started going so fast they created dozens of after-images, creating small ripples in the air around them and pounding repeatedly the steel basket where the prized steak was.
The 'battle' interrupted by a young female worker who was furious at them for the damage done and made them pay 500 yen each for the damage AND the ruckus caused.
Saitama and Shinko both left the mall yearning for the steak, but it was too late for that.
X X X
Having left the mall with his shopping bag in the left hand and entered the 'ghost town', Shinko was already in a bad humor having only 2900 yen left and food which could satiate him for a week.
He also couldn't find an open shop to buy shoes, which just irritated him further (especially since shopping for clothing bored ever since he was little).
But what came next truly shattered his patience:he was too focused on his thoughts and he did not notice the large body of a monster approaching to attack, when he DID notice he could only protect the bag as the being attacked him with surprising speed for his size, slashing his whole upper body with his 6 sharp tentacles, tearing his hoodie apart and leaving him shirtless once again.
The monster was a purple, roundish thing with stubby legs, three eyes, three horns on its head, a big tail and a height which made six times higher than Shinko.
It did not seem to notice that his vicious slashes did not even scratch his 'victim' and so it started to gloat "So you still stand, half-pint? You will soon cower before the might of..." the monster was cut off when Shinko suddenly disappeared.
"THAT" Shinko shouted as he swept the monster's legs off the ground with a swift movement of his leg.
"WAS" Shinko continued as he grabbed the monster's tail, threatening to make it pop by the sheer pressure alone.
"MY" Shinko kept going as he started to swing the monster (the action creating a circular tornado).
"HOODIE!" Shinko roared throwing the huge monster several meters in the air in a way that sent him several kilometers into the heart of the 'ghost town'.
He then inspired and released a deep breath to calm himself down, he then glanced at the tattered remains of his hoodie and at his bare, toned and muscular upper body.
'Great, now stealing that hoodie wasn't even worth it' though Shinko bitterly, feeling bad for his illegal action.
'At least i got food now' though Shinko to cheer himself up, looking down to the bags of food.
He would also find a good home, he just had to keep enduring and never stop trying.
X X X
Likewise Shinko, Saitama was also bothered by a monster which resembled a cross between a human and a car, his name was Super Custom...
Both Saitama and the Author forgot the other part of his name as the he made his way to his house.
He was pissed because the damn thing broke his eggs (which also reminded him of the loss of the meat) , he would be more pissed if he actually remembered the name of that boy (but he had a feeling they did not exchange names).
All things considered it was a """normal""" day (for Saitama's standards) until his attention was drawn by a scream making him stop by a crossroad, it was apparently coming from the sky and it was becoming louder.
Saitama was getting bored when the source of the scream, being a huge monster, came crashing into the ground cannonballing into a nearby building on the left.
The impact caused a loud wrecking sound and lots of debris scattered in random directions, leaving the body of the monster completely covered by the building's destroyed remains, save for his central eye.
"I'm...fine..." came the reply under that mess, but fate felt rather childish today and decided that a steel pipe (from the building's roof) would fall on the monster's eye, which drawed a pained grunt and making it drift into unconsciousness.
Saitama decided he had enough for today and went to his home, but was interrupted almost immediately by another monster, this one reaching his knees in height.
"Sorry, passing through" was the monster's only reply and Saitama went home.
X X X
Living was not easy for a normal monster and it was especially hard for a wolf-level monster.
These were the two principles Monoculor kept in mind aside from his faraway brother, Belphomet.
But that same brother, who was afraid of everything, told him by letter that Shinko, an extremely powerful HUMAN boy who was apparently his friend, was coming to the abandoned part of Z city.
Monoculor was no stranger to weird life-threatening situations (his share would crush someone's sanity), however in front of such information he thought he lost it.
But when he got informed by wolf and demon-levels alike that this Shinko truly existed at that he was a crazy-strong, but friendly boy he decided to believe them.
Now he was running around the city not even knowing for who to look, but after witnessing a demon-level flying through the city he knew where to search.
After 3 minutes of running he came across a lone figure.
Shinko was starting to worry because he did not find an intact house to inhabit and it was starting to get dark (the latter on being a huge deal).
But then he came across a small monster:he was a dark-reddish, one-black-eyed creature with small human-like limbs, a round body and two tiny horns on the sides of his head.
"Hey, are you Shinko?" the monster asked him.
"Yes, i am" replied Shinko with confidence.
'Maybe he's friendly' Shinko hoped while the monster suddenly smiled.
"So you are the famous 'fighter of the outskirts' Belphomet kept talking about!" Monoculor exclaimed "He told me you would probably set home here after the incident in E city...".
"You know Belphomet? He's one of my best friends!" Shinko replied with a big smile on his face, maybe he would get to see him again and apologize for the sudden escape...
"Anyway what's your name?" Shinko asked eagerly, wanting to be friends with him too.
"Name's Monoculor and i gotta thank you for keeping my brother safe, we had to live in different cities in order to not be preyed on daily" the small cyclop said as Shinko remembered the fate of wolf-level monsters...
"Now that the introductions are out of the way let's get a place to live, night's pretty dangerous around here especially with that bag of food you got there" he gestured to his full shopping bag.
"Oh ok then" Shinko said hastily before getting guided by an even more hasty Monoculor.
While getting to the apartments Monoculor though of how weird this human was:he though strong humans were usually as cocky or even more cocky that monsters, but he was always friendly, polite and had this aura of kindness around him, he also had a more hidden aura which "showed" that, in terms of power, he was on a whole other level compared to any monster (or any remotely strong creature Monoculor encountered in his time).
He concluded that he was a wierd but good company to have.
On the short trip it was dark, but Monoculor's super sight kept him on track.
Shinko did not seem to have any problems with the darkess as the white haired boy was looking at his surroundings like he was in broad daylight!
This surprised Monoculor, not by much since he could do it too.
X X X
They arrived the Shinko's new apartment within six minutes and, at a random door, Monoculor pulled a key.
"Hey, where did you get that?" Shinko asked curiously.
"I snatched a few from the landlady while she wasn't looking" the small monster replied matter-of-factly.
Shinko was not really surprised about this since this was how most monsters acted, but instead he asked a question.
"Why don't you live in one of these then?" Shinko questioned while gesturing at the door.
Monoculor became a bit uneasy and put his left hand his head "Because...i'm not tall enough to reach the doorknob...and because some of this apartments are infested by vicious monsters" Monoculor answered sadly, feeling self-conscious about his height.
"Don't worry about it! I'll share it if you want" Shinko replied in a calming tone "And if a monster attacks, i'll handle it!" Shinko then answered proudly while jerking a thumb at the centre of his chest.
Monoculor smiled too, having been infected by Shinko's contagious happiness.
'my brother sure knows which friends to pick' Monoculor though seriously under that smile and said "I trust you, let's enter!"
Monoculor gave Shinko the key,the human boy thrusted it into the keyhole and, as Shinko turned it...the door didn't budge.
The small monster raised his eyebrow and Shinko had a stunned expression.
"I must have turned it the wrong way!" Shinko said in an embarassed tone and then turned it the other way, opening the door.
The apartment was small, but both roommates expected it to be that way, the door lead to a short corridor leading to a small kitchen with the bare minimum and a fridge on the right, a table with four chairs in the centre, a white door leading to the bathroom on the bottom left, the farthest door (on the top right) was locked by a locket and a brown door was on the top left.
On the bottom right the house gave way to a living room with a large sofa which could sit four/five people, a TV in front of it and a large window on the left of the sofa.
After putting the food safely in the fridge, Shinko and Monoculor decided to check the top left door first.
Upon entering there was a bedroom:it had some futons on the left under a large window, a wardrobe on the front with a lot of shirts (Shinko sighed in relief), a broken alarm clock near the futons and a note.
Shinko became interested and opened the note:
"If you're reading this then go away immediately!
I don't know what hides in this house, but it comes out at night and has already took my wife...
Not a big deal because we just divorced, but still!
I don't know where it is hiding, but i won't return to that place!
If someone finds only this note, then know i may have been killed".
The note had a distinct bloodstain on the lower right part.
X X X
Monoculor felt uneasy about all of this:the lights functioned properly, there were clothes, the fridge worked...
It all seemed so suspicious.
Then a noise of cracking wood started echoing and Shinko gulped as he finished reading the note.
Suddenly the piece of floor in front of Monoculor exploded, revealing a monster that he could describe as a swamp-green mass of sharp tentacles, they also had bulging veins signaling the presence of a powerful poison.
And it was pointing straight at Monoculor.
As it prepared to attack Shinko sharply turned and prepared to confront the threat.
"Look out!" shouted Shinko as he pushed Monoculor behind him to keep him safe.
The monster's dangerous tentacles lunged at him, crashing aganist his bare torso.
Shinko then lunged at the monster who in turn sent more sharp tentacles and revealed his eyeless, snake-like head.
In Monoculor's experience, the last move was a mistake that could turn fatal.
And it did, as the tentacles broke when hitting his chest, Shinko grabbed the monster's large neck and, with a light grip, crushed it, killing the monster instantly.
Shinko then turned around and asked worriedly "Are you alright?".
Monoculor couldn't believe his big eye:Shinko's torso was completely unarmed even though it was slashed by more than ten poisoned tentacles.
Monoculor had a hard time answering, being shocked by his display of durability and power.
"Y-yeah, i'm fine" Monoculor answered finally "Also thanks for the save" he then added.
"Don't thank me, it was nothing!" Shinko replied with the air of someone who fought countless other opponents.
He then turned to the hole and said "I'm going down to see if there are others who might give us trouble" he didn't want more deaths on him since they apparently crossed the territory of whatever monster lived here, but Shinko and his friend needed a home and he wouldn't let anybody else endanger Monoculor's life.
"Wait!" Monoculor said hastily, but already jumped in the hole.
He then heard other voices "Yes! Another prey!" "Tricking these humans is so easy!" "Let's kill it and go for the other one above" Monoculor shivered at the last one.
He then heard the sound of a fight that lasted mere seconds and Shinko jumped back in front of Monoculor.
His torso and forearms were covered in blood, which made him worry, but then Shinko reassured the small cyclop that it wasn't his, and it was true since there were no injuries on the boy.
Monoculor couldn't believe that this boy was that strong, but then again he saw strong heroes in battle, so he though his strenght was plausible (but still wierd).
X X X
Shinko, in the meantime, went to the shower to wash away the blood on his body.
He was not very happy about what he had done, but he made himself remember that those monster were not only tricking humans to kill them, but were also going for Monoculor.
That thought helped lift his uneasiness and decided that a good night's sleep was ideal for the two of them.
He would think about repairing the hole later.
X X X
The next day Shinko and Monoculor woke up hearing commotion on the streets and when they went to the balcony they saw (or rather Shinko saw) some small monsters coming out of a small hole guided by a slightly bigger one who was dancing while spouting something about conquering the world.
Shinko though it was funny and decided to let them be since they didn't seem able to hurt a fly even with their combined efforts.
But then something fast came out of the balcony next to his and planted his foot on the leader's head.
"LET'S FIGHT!" shouted the bald newcomer, dressed in a hero suit, expecting some kind of legendary showdown.
Instead the tiny monster shrieked, retreated to their hole and extracting a white flag, showing their instant surrender.
After some second the bald man's face turned to a scowl of utter disappointment and Shinko recognized him as the guy that mettled with his shopping.
Saitama then turned his head to him and simply said "Oh, i didn't know i had a new neighbour".
"Good morning! I just moved in yesterday" said Shinko happily after noticing, with relief, that the bald man did not recognized him.
For Shinko, this was going to be the start of a new life for him, and he was excited no matter how weird it would get.
And that's the end of the chapter, so now i can finally explain how do i publish the chapters:basically i write them beforehand and then post them, of course i will always upload them so that i still have pre-written chapters to fall back on (if wanted to know i have finished writing the chapter that covers the Deep Sea King and the alien arc is supposed to be finished by the end of the next week).
Now that this info dump is over i can finally rest (for now that is).