The dining hall was massive with the centerpiece being a thirty foot, polished, ultra-long, dark red oak table with intense wood carvings of vines along the sides and legs. It was the same type of table that was usually seen in luxurious castle rooms for mass dining that filled the center of the long room. Wall sconces that nearly resembled the ones in Neutral Grounds lined the walls neatly to give a soft, gentle glow of light to the room. Large, gilded gold fans with cream-colored light fixtures were evenly spread over the ivory colored ceiling above the table to provide airflow and adequate lighting. Large three-foot tall, sky blue, marble vases filled with fresh cut, multi-colored summer flowers now perfumed the air along the long walls to add a touch of romance.
Beautiful portraits and tapestries of various people and landscapes lined the walls neatly and covered most of the gold and red designed wall paper. The carpet was a rich, velvety dark red that was carefully maintained by the staff after Tacki had cleaned the place out earlier when they first arrived. Even Richoo went over all the furniture to ensure not a single speck of dust was left on anything. The dining room, on taking it all in, gave off an aura of beauty, power and intense respect the moment one walked in.
The table was fully set up with fine china dishes of pristine white with gold etching, sterling silver flatware, crystal drinking flutes and elegantly designed cloth napkins with expert care. Various appetizers were set out already to start appeasing various hunger needs with glass pitchers of water. Mitsumi and Saitama were seated at the very head of the table at the far back wall in a massive chair that matched the table, and he had her in his lap. The velvet red back, arm and seat cushions were extremely comfortable, much to Saitama's delight. Mitsumi's fans were seated back along her belt to show there was no current threat.
Her brother and sister were seated next in line on the right side in lesser chairs of matching status that were along the rest of the table. Zombieman sat next to Himiko, and the others were soon seated comfortably. Fumio was the first in line on the left side and eating a soft, buttery breadstick with a form of joy. The rest of the heroes and family members were seated along either side of the long table. Sweet Mask was pleased at the room, and even Flashy Flash was a bit surprised at the show of wealth the room held. Tanktop Master and his two recruits felt slightly underdressed in the dining room, but they calmed down at the basic banters the monsters did to each other and their human companions.
"Miss Mitsumi. Mr. Saitama," Anno said on bringing out their meals personally on a serving cart. "Orotsu confessed that he always wanted to cook in a kitchen like the one we have here. He will be requesting to have the kitchen at Neutral Grounds expanded and able to mirror image what is here. I offered to assist in any way. I have also suggested a far more private dining room with the same features of our dining room here to attract in the wealthier crowds."
"That's fine. If we need to expand, we can work with the Hero Association to ensure we get the space we need," Mitsumi nodded and gasped with delight at the dish of lightly grilled Peking duck, sautéed beef and light layers of various ocean fish with vegetables when the serving lid was removed. Saitama was now eating a hearty bowl of udon noodles with a side of white rice. Of course, he had to sample what she was eating, too. A light sake was given to them both, but Mitsumi felt a need to substitute it for regular water. Saitama noticed this and was quick to request a cold soda. She was able to move off his lap slightly to sit next to him in the large chair fairly comfortably to keep sharing the same chair with him.
"In the future, no alcohol for her, please. We don't know if she's pregnant from me, and I'm not one to drink much, anyways. It's not often that we do, and I'd like to support her by not drinking around her," Saitama said to Anno. The chef paused at this news and made a mental note. The light sake was given over to other heroes that enjoyed it.
"When do we head home?" King asked over his dish of takoyaki squid.
"We plan to stay the night here. There's lots of empty rooms, or Inichi can take you back," Saitama said. At the sound of his phone ringing, he sighed and answered it. "Hello? Oh. You're that gorilla guy, right? Yeah. Neutral Grounds will be open tomorrow. Yeah, Orotsu will be there. That's fine. I may not be there with Mitsumi. Um…maybe? I don't know. I might have my parents over, so…I don't know. Well, I'm not bound in the bedroom, so…I guess?"
"What's going on?" Mitsumi frowned. He rolled his eyes at her to show he was mildly annoyed at the call and kept talking on the phone.
"Just come by in the afternoon if you want to try cooking us dinner with your boss. Okay. Bye. It was that gorilla man with the other restaurant," Saitama said and put his phone down. "They want to cook us dinner tomorrow to help them get some good dishes picked out."
"Ah. Okay," she smiled and got kissed softly by him before going back to eating their meals.
"If I could have eel cooked like this every day…" Kamikaze grinned.
"You could!" Mitsumi laughed softly.
"So, Fan Dancer, have you always eaten at this table?" Sweet Mask asked.
"Actually…this is my first time…" Mitsumi admitted. Himiko sighed and looked away slightly. "Why would I want to eat with those that didn't like me? Father always had meals with me privately, too. I never had friends. I never had family that really cared about me. I mean…what else is there to say?"
"Miss Mitsumi," the head butler of the staff in respectable dress for the part including white gloves and coattails on his coat walked over to show a silver tray with a card on it for her. "A calling card was just given to us by a courier."
"Oh?" Mitsumi frowned and took up the card.
"That is so weird," Saitama said. "No phone calls? They send cards?"
"I know. It's what rich people do now and then from an older standing. But this card…it's from my grandparents. From my mother's side. They are formally requesting to come over. Heh. You know what? Please shred this. They never called on us before. I'm sure they're not even asking for me. So, if they don't ask for me directly, I don't want them here," Mitsumi said.
"Not sure why they would want to come over…" Daiki frowned. "I can call them and ask them."
"Go for it. I'm not talking to them," Mitsumi said and got squeezed by Saitama with full understanding. Then she handed the card to Daiki to let him handle it. "They didn't bother to try and help me. I never even got to visit them, so I don't even know them. I don't even think they even know who I truly am other than being 'that daughter that Miu didn't like'. So, you can tell them that Mother is dead. That she was a monster in disguise and had to get killed. They can grieve and do what they will for the daughter they once had, and you can tell them anything they need to know if they ask about it.
"If they want to come over to inspect the house, though, decline them. This house is in my name and they need to ask me directly for permission to visit. Unless Saitama or myself are here, no others are to step foot in this house. I won't have them thinking they can snoop around. Also, if they don't believe you about our fake mother, then, Inichi, I would appreciate it if you sent them the visions."
"Hmm. I shall asses their minds first to see if it should be done," Inichi nodded. "Allow me to make that call?"
"That's fine," Mitsumi nodded.
"You have such a different demeanor…" Flashy Flash mused at her. "What I mean is how…proper and instructive you are. It's not like you at all."
"Hmm? Oh. Well…I'm the 'Lady of the House', as they say. I know how to act when I need to. I've seen how others are at playing the hostess when parties are catered to in their homes and events. I don't have to do it. It just sort of…happens. A bit instinctive on how to properly respond to things," Mitsumi shrugged. Then she seemed to sigh and poke at a piece of beef.
"What's wrong?" Saitama asked.
"I think…I want to go home…" she said softly. "Being in this place again…I have memories. But no real happy ones. New ones? Yeah. But old ones? I mean…I remember wanting to come into this room. I was always told I'd make it dirty. That I'd be careless and break something. That only real family was allowed. I never understood why it had to be that way…"
"Do I need to eat something gross to try and make up for it?" Daiki asked.
"What?! Why?" Mitsumi grimaced.
"I would totally watch you do it," Zenchu grinned.
"I know that I was a big part of it. I mean…" Daiki sighed. "Do I need to do something stupid now to show how sorry I am?"
"No. But I need a large bowl of cubed ice, please. Small pieces only," Mitsumi smiled and gestured to the waiting servant. Anno was the one who took care of the need, though, and had the waiting man work with the others.
"Why?" Himiko asked with a puzzled look.
"You'll see when I get the ice," she said calmly. It was quickly delivered, and she looked at Daiki. Now she stood up and raised her voice to call everyone to attention. "You were the one that always said that I would be the one to misbehave and make the family look bad. That I would be an embarrassment to all of you. So, you know what? You're right!"
"What?!" Daiki gaped and soon found several cubes of ice thrown at him in a harmless, playful manner much to his shock.
"ICE FIGHT!" Mitsumi shouted and got everyone dying with laughter when she tossed more ice at everyone. For five full minutes, the small cubes of ice were thrown around, dunked down tops and flicked up and down the massive table like hockey pucks. As much as Tacki was a bit perplexed on the ice melting everywhere, she knew it was just water. And she knew why Mitsumi chose to do this for easy cleanup and wouldn't harm anything at all. The type of ice used was also hollow, so it wasn't very dense and not much water got everywhere, too. When the ice fight finally died down, everyone was still giggling and laughing at the whole thing like crazy.
"Genos!" Kamiko gasped when he made a perfectly calculated shot down the front of her low-cut blouse. "Absolutely terrible!"
"Okay. That was fun. And very cool," Saitama grinned and kissed her forehead. Then he took a stray piece of ice to flick it straight down the long table and it smacked into the wall to break into pieces. The waiting staff was grateful that the main entry to the room was just off to the left and not in the center of the wall where the ice hit. Zenchu was sure the ice would have gone through the swinging doors and right into the kitchen if it did.
"I can't believe you did that!" Himiko said while wiping away tears from laughing. Then she gasped when Zombieman found a stray piece of ice to slip down her top. "Zombieman! Seriously?!"
"Well, if we move to another planet…" he started and grinned when she fished out the ice carefully to toss in his face.
"There's nothing wrong with having some fun," Tanktop Master chuckled.
"My parents would have been so mad! But that's after they laughed," Child Emperor giggled at the whole thing.
"Dad isn't fair! He kept aiming some of the ice at me!" Fumio grumbled.
"As you are my son, I had to," Saitama chuckled and leaned over to ruffle his son's hair. Then he kissed Mitsumi's temple and squeezed her gently. She blushed and leaned into him with a sigh.
"Oh, Daiki, I plan to do this to any 'sophisticated' event we get invited to. If we get invited to them, that is. I want to make it so that I'm never invited to events ever again," Mitsumi smirked. "As an S class hero, they can't say anything mean to me. They just won't invite me to such events."
"I see," Daiki sighed and laughed softly.
"We should have an ice fight at Neutral Grounds once a week…" Saitama mused. "It can be a tradition of sorts."
"Oh? I can see that," she grinned at him.
"I've never had an ice fight before," Lily chuckled.
"Same," Garou grinned and set aside his tenth empty plate.
"Did Shenjou need anything?" Mitsumi asked.
"We delivered a vast amount to him. It was the same with Wind Crane. We have plenty and even more will be purchased to be flash-frozen," Anno said from where he stood nearby. He was ensuring to see to all her food needs personally.
"Garou's the same, as you can see," Saitama nodded. "I get full pretty fast, though. Not much else to say."
"And I don't mind that," Mitsumi smiled and cuddled into him. "It lets me know you're real. Not all about strength."
"Yeah," he chuckled and was able to finish off his bowl of noodles. He was able to consume the rice after that and drink down his soda. Then he paused at the chocolate lava cake that was sprinkled with powdered sugar set down in front of him and Mitsumi. Anno was able to cut open the lightly crunchy outer layer to expose the soft, liquid chocolate centering for them in an expert way. "Okay. This I can get used to!"
"Anno! This was one of my favorite desserts back then! You knew?!" Mitsumi asked him now with surprise.
"I did. Your father made sure I always had one ready for you. I wanted to serve it to you for so long after…well…you know," Anno frowned. Daiki sighed hard and looked away to show that he kept it from happening. Mitsumi didn't miss the gesture at all to show she saw the guilt.
"I see…" Mitsumi frowned and thought about it. Didn't he beat up Anno, too? And he kept my note from Anno that showed my appreciation! I think I know how to let Daiki get a form of humility and let Anno get some form of revenge at last… "Anno, can you please make another one and smash it into Daiki's face?"
"What?!" Daiki gaped while the others died laughing and gasped with shock. "But…well…why?!"
"Because you beat up Anno. So, after this, I want Anno to beat you up with cake! You might want to protect that nice, white shirt. Hmm?" she smiled slyly.
"I would take that over getting slapped," Himiko said softly.
"She's right," Saitama said.
"Ah, Miss Mitsumi, I would rather not waste one of your favorite desserts. May I substitute a banana cream pie instead? We do have a few of them freshly made. It would be softer, too, and easier to handle. It's also much wider to ensure it would satisfy what you are asking me to do," Anno said calmly. Daiki's jaw dropped even more at this.
"I suppose. But have it heavily coated with warmed chocolate sauce to make it extra messy," she nodded. "Also, I want you to really smear it good all over his face, ears and hair! Don't hold back!"
"But…that's just…!" Daiki stammered as more laughter happened all over.
"If you don't let this happen, I won't let you live here. I'll also have my husband slap you if you reject the pie," Mitsumi said with a small nod to get Daiki's mutter of complete disbelief. He knew he had no choice now. The heroes in the room were bearing witness and knew it was justified. Anno was simply listening and would gladly follow her orders with a touch of pride the moment he was told to proceed.
"I want a slice of it before it hits you," Saitama said with a neutral gaze.
"I shall have a small dessert plate prepared from a separate pie. It shall be served to the others to leave his pie unblemished," Anno nodded.
"Do I really have to go this far to show how sorry I am on what I did before?! I already regret everything I did!" Daiki argued lightly.
"So, you'd rather get slapped by my husband, kicked out of my home and not get a pie in the face? And you did tell me just a bit ago that you would do something stupid, too, to make up for your actions. Are you saying that's a lie?" Mitsumi asked Daiki carefully to get Himiko gasping with laughter and hiding in Zombieman's arms. "I would think you'd want to be able to take a hot shower for fifteen minutes in your own room. Unless you'd want to sport a handprint on your face for a week while being homeless…"
"Damn it…! Where's the pie…?!" Daiki groaned and watched Anno leave to get the requested dessert. No one missed the slightly wicked grin he gave on knowing that he was finally going to be able to get some form of payback at last for being beaten down.
"Oh, Mr. Anno," Inichi said to get the chef's nod of attention. "I am bringing in a rather intensely large tuna right now. Give Wind Crane any parts you don't need and the best parts to Lady Mitsumi and Mr. Saitama. With the rest of it, please create it into fantastic dishes of sushi for the rest of us."
"Ah! Of course! Let me see to Miss Mitsumi's request and I'll get right to the tuna cutting. We can make it a bit of a show," Anno beamed and was quick to head off into the kitchen.
"Make sure to get a plastic bag to catch anything that falls!" Tacki called out. "Maybe a trash bag with a loop to tie around his neck! Even a tarp!"
"I can't believe this…" Daiki cringed.
"Well, I could make it even worse by having you doused in various soft foods, such as custard, and rolled around in it every day for a month," Mitsumi said with a small grin of her own to make him cringe even more.
"Just make him a small swimming pool of chocolate sauce," Saitama shrugged and shared the lava cake with her.
"I could do that!" she gasped with delight despite her brother's look of complete shock. "We can have him stand in the freezer to let it chill, paint eyes and such on him and then let him break free to clean up!"
"Wait a minute!" Daiki seemed to argue despite everyone else dying with laughter at the thought of it all. "Don't I have a say-so?"
"You had that my whole life. It's my turn to make your life a bit of a living Hell," Mitsumi nodded and got nods from the others with agreement. "And you have S class heroes agreeing with me."
"May I record such events for later needs?" Genos asked.
"Definitely!" Mitsumi beamed to get Daiki swearing out softly.
"Um…maybe we could lessen the punishment…?" Himiko asked.
"Why? Did you want the same thing?" Mitsumi asked to get her sister gasping with shock. Zombieman gave her a look of surprise. "Think about it, Zombieman. You can nibble the chocolate bits off her. I wouldn't touch her hair, though. Long hair is a pain to clean! But skin? That's easy to clean off."
"Ah…oh…" Zombieman blinked and found Himiko blushing a bright, beet red at the whole thing. "I'll definitely think about that!"
"Lady Mitsumi, can we set up something at home for those of us that want to, oh…experiment?" Garou asked and glanced at Lily. Her jaw dropped at this.
"We can see about something…" Mitsumi mused at the idea.
"So…it would count for you?" Saitama asked her. Now she looked at his wide grin of delight to get Daiki cracking up laughter.
"We'll talk about it. It can go both ways…" Mitsumi said with a slightly wicked grin and nipped his jaw. Saitama glanced at her with a small grin of his own and pulled her into his lap. A kiss was placed on her mouth now before breaking it and letting her snuggle into him with sheer delight and comfort.
"Let's finish dessert. We can go swimming after," Saitama nodded.
"Not until we see the tuna cutting! I loved watching that!" Mitsumi beamed.
"Oh…I suppose. Then we can go swimming," he chuckled.
"Um, don't you have to wait thirty minutes after eating?" Zenchu asked.
"Nope. I'm fine. Mitsumi might have to wait. I'm good, though. And if we watch someone cut up tuna, she'll be fine," Saitama retorted and finished off the luxurious dessert. He looked over at the small serving cart with the massive banana cream pie on it, and he realized he had to witness this event to see Daiki's reaction. He grinned at the small slice now given to him with a touch of chocolate sauce, whipped cream and a small cherry on top.
"I like this form of decoration. Please ensure Daiki gets the same?" Mitsumi chuckled and took in a mouthful of the pie slice to swoon at the flavors. Daiki just stared at her with complete disbelief.
"Here," Kamiko said to Tacki and handed over the swimsuit fabrics.
"Okay! Um, Saitama? What color swimming trunks did you want?" Tacki asked and had the area in front of her cleared out. "And your color, Lady Mitsumi? I can work on this quick."
"I'd like a shimmery dark green," Mitsumi smiled.
"Make mine match hers," he said and looked over to see Anno preparing a bag around Daiki's neck to catch any stray pie pieces. It was a bit like a parka with a hole in the center, and other servants were there to help detain the mess if it got out of control. Daiki took in a deep breath and looked over to see Anno pumping several healthy pumps of warmed chocolate sauce all over the pie. Genos moved to stand in front of them to record everything. Metal Knight was paying close attention with complete mirth at the event through the cameras.
"Her orders, Mr. Daiki," Anno muttered.
"I know. Don't enjoy it too much," Daiki grunted.
"Are you kidding? I plan to enjoy every bit of it," the chef grinned and slammed the pie right into his face to get everyone dying with laughter once again. Mitsumi watched her employed chef rub the pie all over Daiki's head, hair and ears. Then he took up the chocolate pump to let four large squirts of chocolate sauce coat down over Daiki's stunned form. A shaker of whipped cream was now taken and used to coat over his hair before placing a small cherry on top.
"Very good," Mitsumi nodded.
"This is good pie," Saitama chuckled and ate the rest of his small piece.
"Please guide him to his room and clean him up. Some got on the floor, but it should be easy to clean," Mitsumi sighed. Several cleaning staff were snickering with joy at the event, but they returned to being proper at her gentle order to help her brother recollect himself. He was escorted away carefully to where the elevator was, and another servant was moving ahead to get a hot shower started for him. Anno was all too pleased with the outcome, and he was quick to clean up the serving cart before pushing it back into the kitchen.
"I can help clean this," Richoo chuckled. "My wife and daughter aren't here, but I'd love to send some of this food to them."
"I can do so," Inichi nodded. The staff was impressed at how Richoo just lifted all the food and particles off the floor with no effort at all. He rinsed himself off in warm water for everything to wash away.
"Can we ask for you with really tough situations to clean?" a young cleaning girl asked. "Some places just won't scrub out!"
"Show me where," Richoo nodded. "Later on, though."
"Of course! We'll mark down the areas that need attention the most," she agreed and was quick to inform the head of the cleaning staff.
"Master Saitama, I did have a request. Actually, I should be asking you, Miss Mitsumi. If I may?" Genos asked respectfully. Kamiko looked at him with a smile and listened curiously to what he wanted.
"Oh! What do you need? I'll see if I can help," Mitsumi smiled.
"Dr. Kuseno's laboratory is intense and far outdoes any other biomechanical laboratory I have ever seen. I would like to see if we can build his laboratory here. Maybe even on our home grounds. He's very secretive, but I feel I need to protect him now. Would this be possible? He's the one that repairs me and made me stronger when I was near death," Genos said.
"Ah! Well…if he has intense secrets, then the decision would ultimately belong to him. So, if he agrees to it, then I will gladly give him funds that he would need to replicate and procure more for his research and needs," Mitsumi nodded. Genos smiled and nodded before getting up to make the important phone call. It's too important to put aside until later. I must contact him now to let him make the decision. I'm sure he will take time to consider it, but he may just wish to have excess funding to help me get stronger and fuel his research. I do hope he agrees to having other laboratories he can go to for safety. Oh! I wonder if he can use the laboratory that we had destroyed before...
:Genos, I would advise caution on Ajito's former laboratory. While I agree it would be an amazing location for your Dr. Kuseno, it is also well-known to our enemies. Do remember this.: Inichi said gently when he caught Genos's thoughts.
:True. I do not wish for Dr. Kuseno to become compromised. I shall mention this, but I do feel he may also go with what you are suggesting, too. It would not hurt to mention it. Hmm. He may also wish to turn that location into a 'baited' laboratory. To put in false experiments that harm rather than cure…: Genos mused at the idea now.
:That would be something, wouldn't it? See what he thinks.: Inichi chuckled a bit darkly at the thought.
Saitama was gently running his black gloved hand down Mitsumi's back while he calmly watched over his friends, fellow heroes and family. His other hand moved to rest over her belly, and he sighed with a form of soft contentment. He felt nothing out of the ordinary at all, and he chuckled when Mitsumi snuggled into him with complete comfort. Then Zenchu pointed at him with a hiss of outright fear at seeing the dark red glow and flicker of fiery coals in his pupils. Saitama grimaced and said, "It's the red crap?"
"Yes! It's there! Like…there!" Zenchu said.
"I don't see it," Kamikaze frowned.
"Hmm…oh! Wow. I see it now!" Garou blinked at the red haze around Saitama. "It wasn't there until Zenchu said something!"
"I see it…" Fubuki cringed.
"Are you okay?" Tatsumaki asked from where she hovered over Rendor.
"I feel fine. Hmm. Okay," Saitama said and easily shoved the heavy chair back with his feet. He looked at the fans on Mitsumi's belt holders to regard them. "Can you all help me real quick?"
The fans were quick to come alive and circle the chair in full force to make a sightless and sound-proof dome barrier. Mitsumi pulled him close to kiss him passionately and let him settle her directly in his lap to help remove the excess power. After five minutes, the fans reformed in their hovering way to reveal them sitting innocently in the chair again.
"You're still glowing," Tanktop Master frowned.
"Craaaap…" Saitama sighed. "Okay. I'll go punch into the air. That should get rid of it for now. I'll do this from the roof. We'll be right back."
"Have Anno wait to cut the tuna if he's ready?" Mitsumi smiled and let Saitama carry her outside. He rushed to the elevator and hit for the top floor to get to the roof. On seeing Wind Crane, she nodded to show she was aware.
:HMM. PUNCH OUTWARDS AND I WILL SQUAWK WITH YOU TO SEND ANOTHER WARNING?:
"Oh! We can do that…" Saitama grinned and had Mitsumi settle behind him to control the fans.
"Um, will it wake up the one we have quarantined?" Mitsumi asked.
"That…I don't know…" Saitama blinked.
:IF THAT ONE WAKES, WE CAN PUT IT BACK TO SLEEP.:
"Okay," Mitsumi smiled. Then she thought to Inichi. :Can you please have Siren tell Metal Knight to keep watch on the captive Secret Skins? Wind Crane wants to send another warning out with Saitama's punch. We don't know if it will wake that one up and cause issues.:
:I see. Yes, I will have this done now.: Inichi confirmed. She thanked him and moved to press herself against Saitama's back. The fans were fully separated out into their semi-circle sets of three to fill the sky and flicked out the deadly blades. They charged up on his excess power, and he shouted while he punched out. Wind Crane was quick to squawk out to shatter the punch blast.
This time, the cranes that appeared were dark red and sent out waves of power while they flew over and past various cities at break-neck speeds. There was no true destruction, but the effect sent people screaming and running for cover before pausing when the odd birds didn't attack. It was when other people that were hidden Secret Skins stared with horror and ran off when the red cranes openly attacked them. The attacked ones also didn't bleed out, much to the shock of the regular people watching the attacks happen. Reports were coming out all over now, and Sweet Mask was quick to get on his phone to calm down his association from the onslaught of reports.
"What did Caped Baldy do?!" Sweet Mask now had to ask.
"I punched with Mitsumi's fans. Wind Crane broke up the power and made more cranes. Why?" Saitama said when he quickly reappeared with Mitsumi in his arms. "Are they causing destruction to people like they did before?"
"People are getting attacked!" Sweet Mask said.
"Everyone?" Saitama asked calmly with his usual blank stare. Now Sweet Mask paused and gaped with realization. "Yeah. It looks like those cranes really can find Secret Skins."
"I need to make a phone call!" Sweet Mask said quickly and walked off to a secluded room for in-depth discussion with security personnel. He wanted to see if the cranes could help locate the 'strong' ones and invite those people picked to become possible recruits. This will help us gather them up faster with a way to try and lure them in discreetly!
:I just heard you, Sweet Mask. It may work. If one shows indecision, think to me with an image of the one in question. I will assist in changing that one's mind to appear for the evaluation.: Inichi said to his old friend. :You can make it sound like the cranes picked out the ones with intensely powerful abilities.:
:And if they figure out that it's a trap?: Sweet Mask asked.
:Well, if they are in a hospital, we can sedate them…: Inichi suggested. That had Sweet Mask musing that the idea may work. :Quarantine them in a room for the same attacks for evaluation. Tell them they are being transferred to another location for intense study. Have heroes with you to 'protect' the ones being transferred. Then all Lady Mitsumi and Mr. Saitama need to do is show up and remedy the problem.:
:I'll get a team on that and see what we can do.: Sweet Mask agreed. He watched Saitama get seated back in the massive chair with Mitsumi in his lap. Anno was now bringing out a different table with one of the largest tunas he had ever seen. Suiryu was now able to help him to ensure all the parts would go straight to Orotsu.
Mitsumi clapped her hands with delight and looked over to see Daiki walking back in to get seated. He had on a fresh set of clothes and a look of embarrassment on his face. She simply nodded at this and redirected her gaze at the tuna cutting. Saitama hadn't really paid much attention to these things, so he was quite curious despite the neutral look on his face.
Anno sharpened a filet knife and was quick to cut open the belly with an unmatched skill that could rival Orotsu. The innards were carefully removed, and he took an opening clamp out to fully open up the belly of the fish to a point that it was easy to inspect at a glance. He did notice that Tacki was paying close attention to this, and he looked at her with a warm smile. "Would you like to learn? It's not difficult with what you can do from what I've witnessed."
"Oh! Sure!" Tacki beamed.
"She's pregnant with my twins," Kamikaze said and got up with her in his arms to let the chair be adjusted for easier viewing. "She cleans, mends...even uses swords…"
"Really?! Hmm. I know Suiryu is learning from Master Orotsu. And your name is…?" Anno asked lightly.
"It's Tacki. I was a peacock monster until I got cured," she smiled and got up to inspect the fish carefully. Then she looked at his white chef's uniform, took out a spool of thread and fixed a loose button. "Sorry. This is a habit."
"Ah! Huh! I didn't know that was loose!" Anno blinked with surprise.
"Yeah, it's something I always do. I tore out that nasty room, too, and redid it. So rude!" Tacki growled.
"Room?" Anno asked and gaped at the image Inichi showed him now. "I…I have no words…"
"None of us did," Saitama said and kissed Mitsumi's temple.
"So many just wanted to hurt Mom," Fumio frowned.
"Mom?" Anno said with confusion.
"I'm adopted. I was a fish monster, and she adopted me with Dad after I got cured," Fumio chuckled. "My own mom didn't want me anymore. I'm happy with my parents and family now. Not complaining!"
"I see…" Anno frowned.
"You'll learn all about us in time," Kamiko said. "Inichi can show you everything. Just ask him."
"I shall," Anno promised and went back to the tuna cutting. He showed how he removed the fins, cut the head off and did the classic face in the mouth. He then proceeded to cut the massive fish up into various parts and finally started to portion out the best cuts and pieces to be stored away. All of the excess, unneeded parts were set aside for Wind Crane. A very light tasting of the tuna was now done, and Saitama was intensely pleased with the various tastes he got.
"It's been a very long time since I've had this," Mitsumi smiled. "Father would take me to such events when he was invited. He made sure I was always at his side and able to sample everything. If someone complained that a child was in the room, or as an uninvited guest, Father would write them a small check or even give a wad of cash to shut them up. Then they'd see I was far more well-behaved than others. Father was always very protective of me."
"As he should be," Saitama agreed. "Anyways, I think it's time to swim and see what else there is before bed."
"Okay," she agreed. Tacki was able to hand over the finished swimsuits shortly after, and the fans swirled around the couple to let them change easily. When Saitama saw what she looked like in her bikini, he frowned hard. "What is it, love? Is something wrong?"
"I want your fans to cover us until we get to the pool. Or we get robes on. You'll get stared at way too much," he said. The fans vibrated and were ready to move when he was. He called out from the protective fans, "We aren't coming out of here until we get to the pool! Because I said so!"
"Fine, fine…" Zombieman smirked.
"Late night pool party!" Mitsumi called out to get everyone ecstatic.
"I have some swimsuits to make!" Tacki giggled and hopped right back into Kamikaze's lap to get to work. The servants now moved to prepare the pool for guests, and Anno was quick to oversee small refreshments with Orotsu instructing easily. Saitama already planned to slap anyone that stared at Mitsumi for too long. And he intended to have Zenchu and Garou kick them away when they came around.