"Grandmother, just admit it! You knew who's parts you got!" Daiki pleaded with the elderly woman. She was still denying the fact that she and her husband had gotten a crate of Mitsumi's organs. Atsuko was still sitting there silently to bear witness. Himiko was just shocked at how her grandparents were behaving. It was Genos that arrived shortly after to gesture to a newly set up television screen that got their attention.
"Please watch this video. Tell me if this is what you received. Master Saitama, please shield Miss Mitsumi," Genos said calmly and focused to let the television catch the wireless transmit. When the scene at the mansion of what was discovered on the grounds was revealed, Saitama was already keeping Mitsumi calm in the middle of all her shielding fans.
"Ah…yes…we got one of those…" the elderly husband said. Now the woman at his side gave him a small glare.
"A small DNA test proved the organs to be from Miss Mitsumi. So you clearly knew who you were experimenting on," Genos said and let the television shut off. "Why are you lying to us?"
"Continuously lying," Inichi growled. Fubuki kept a hand on his floating top to keep him calm. She knew he was ready to rip them apart.
"Daiki, I need to ask you something," Mitsumi said lightly after the fans lifted away to reveal her again.
"What's up?" he asked.
"Whatever happened to my family ring? We found the one on Fumihiro when he invaded the lab. I think that's still back at the apartment in City Z. But my ring was missing from my old jewelry items unless that was truly confiscated," she frowned. "Do you know what happened to it?"
"It's…in my room in City X with mine…" Daiki grimaced.
"I got it," Cold Snap said and let a flickering spark disperse in his opened hand. "I got the other rings he thought of, too. Two of the rings were hidden in a treasure room? I think?"
"Ah. The bedroom treasury. It would make sense they were there. How did you guess on where to check?" Saitama asked.
"It's weird with me. If I know something is needed, then I know where to check. It's how I was able to sneak around humans for so long to study them," Cold Snap nodded. He gave the rings over to Saitama and pressed into Mitsumi with complete affection from a son to his mother.
"Thank you," Mitsumi smiled.
"You got mine?! It was locked away in my bedroom!" Atsuko gasped.
"I had mine in a lockbox!" Himiko blinked.
"Yeah. I was able to get them. Remember what type of monster I am, okay? And I don't just steal things. This was important for Mom. She needed them. I saw why she wanted them. There's a secret to the rings," Cold Snap said.
"There is?" Daiki asked with complete surprise.
"A secret?" Atsuko frowned. Himiko was just as confused.
"Yes," Mitsumi nodded. "Father told me something, but he never really showed me. He said I'd know when the time was right to do it. So, this is the time. Cold Snap, dear, focus on what I need next?"
"Yes, Mom," he smiled and focused slightly for a small box with various circular engravings to appear in front of them on the ground. It was made of marble with dark green coloring, had a golden top and even the locks and hinges were gold. It wasn't very tall at all at two feet in height, and it stood upright on four golden lion-clawed legs. It looked beautiful and extremely elegant. Saitama examined the rings closely to study them and noticed that each one had a specific look to them. These are keys! Each one has a different ridge design! So cool!
"That box…?" Atsuko frowned. "I've never seen it before."
"I know. I was shown where it was hidden. And it was in Father's study in another area under the floor," Mitsumi nodded. She took up all seven family rings and set them in their designated places. "This lock was upgraded each time one of us was born. I was the last one, obviously. Each ring is a key. Mother knew of this box, but only that it was being created to hold family secrets. She never knew what it was for or what was inside it. Even where it was hidden. I'm sure she had completely forgotten about it, too, but Father told me everything."
"How interesting!" Sweet Mask admitted and saw Tajima jotting down an idea. He chuckled at that and saw how the rings sunk down into the top mechanism. After a few whirring clicks were given, the lock on the front popped open. Inside the small hollow was a pristine white scroll bound in a velvet red ribbon. She took it out and looked at her grandparents.
"I was told to only reveal this if a severe wrong was done by someone outside the family," Mitsumi said with a small smirk. "This paper shows that my mother was adopted by you both. I am not blood related to you at all."
"WHAT?!" the old woman shrieked.
"None of us are blood related to you. You are outsiders trying to steal from the family vault," Mitsumi growled. "All you knew of me was that I was worthless. You went by what that fat thing said. You knew all about her change, too. Why else would you agree to getting parts of one that she didn't care about? Much less come to my rescue? I was your personal guinea pig in a safe way. So, now I'm going to ask you this before I sue you for stealing parts of me without my consent. And I will take everything you own! What were you testing my parts with and why?"
"You…wouldn't dare…!" the woman hissed.
"I think she can do it," Saitama nodded.
"Oh, I know I can. I know who to hire for various lawyers, and I don't mind waiting for a court date. So, start talking. Do remember who is in front of you," Mitsumi said and gestured to the heroes and monsters around them.
"I like the box, though. Can we keep the box?" Saitama whispered to her with a small grin. Stable Rock was already examining it thoroughly with interest.
"Of course we can, dear," Mitsumi chuckled. "We'll talk about it later. I want to know the answer to my question."
"I'm eating them both," Blue Ripple seethed. "I saw their thoughts."
"As did I…" Inichi said darkly. "They were trying to fully clone you to continue giving your organs to the Secret Skins. And if not you, it would have been your organs. In case something did happen to you. Not only was it to test volatile chemicals of all kinds to see their effects, but they were hoping to achieve the impossible. They wanted to clone a human strictly for organ harvesting. All attempts were failing, though. The venom in your system saw to that. They tried and kept failing to remove the venom."
"I told you that we should never have agreed!" the older man said to his wife. "I warned you that this would destroy us!"
"Shut up!" the woman growled. "What other option did we have at the time? Did you already forget?!"
"Then we should have told them everything!" the man argued.
"With how we were watched? Are you mad?!" she scowled.
"Our mother was truly adopted?" Daiki had to ask.
"Yes. They couldn't have children. Something with their blood. So, they adopted a young girl. We have the rest from her upbringing," Mitsumi shrugged.
"How did Father know?" Himiko asked.
"He investigated her before he married her in secret. In case something like this was to happen," Mitsumi chuckled. Atsuko was beside herself with shock.
"I have an assessment," Zombieman said to get all attention directed to him. "On what I've heard already and witnessed, it's clear they knew what Miu became. I'm sure they were horrified. At first. Then they were given tons of money from their newly changed daughter. Likely as bribery to keep quiet. As they own an illegal medical facility, I'm sure she made some form of a contract with them.
"However, I don't know if they also became what Miu was, but I kinda doubt that. Just the fact that they got a crate of organs and KNEW who they came from…that labels them as guilty in my eyes. I was also there when they sent the calling card the moment the mansion was getting inhabited again. Daiki, what did you tell them when you called them?"
"I told them that Mitsumi was free of her ailments and engaged for marriage. That she would soon become the true heiress to Father's vast estate and fortune as per Father's instructions in his will. I also told them that they needed to speak with her if they planned to visit at any time. Otherwise, it was nice to talk to them and to leave Mitsumi alone," Daiki nodded. Inichi gave a confirming sound to show it was all truth.
"Then why did they approach me on my wedding day? Other than to ask for money to fund their business?" Mitsumi asked with a small edge in her tone.
"Oh! Mom! I'm gonna freeze them!" Cold Snap hissed.
"Son, stop. What did you hear?" Saitama said and placed a stern hand on his shoulder. "Just calm down and talk to us."
"They were gonna show her a tour of their place and try to drug her! Then take fresh samples of her for their research!" Cold Snap growled. Fumio's jaw dropped. Black Sperm and Overgrown Rover moved swiftly to stand in front of Mitsumi and Saitama. All of the monsters there were now completely enraged with protective anger. The pets were especially pissed off.
"Pets. Back down. Now," Saitama said with his own form of quiet rage. Overgrown Rover whined, but it jumped back up into Mitsumi's lap to be with her. Even Tangled Vine moved aside for it. Black Sperm had a heavy frown on his face, but he moved aside when Saitama stood up. He looked at Mitsumi and kissed her lovingly. He pressed his hand against her belly to chuckle at her blush. "Just stand behind me. I know you need my touch. Okay?"
"What are you going to do?" she asked and set the monster pets down that were in her arms. She settled to stand behind him to press into him gratefully.
"I'm going to be your overly-protective husband," Saitama said with a nod. Then he turned sharply to glare at the guilty couple. His red haze of power flooded out visibly from his form, and his pupils flickered with fiery coals of rage.
"Wait!" the man said quickly. "I'll tell you everything!"
"But…!" the woman grimaced and went quiet at her husband's glare.
"Nagai, don't. The time has come," the man said calmly.
"I…of course, Kaba," the woman sighed.
"Please. Talk," Saitama grounded out.
"It's true that Miu was adopted. My wife and I had many complications when it came to having children. After some time, it was just best to adopt and groom a delicate girl into the world of high society. We did have our medical business, and it was profitable. It wasn't illegal at all. At the time, that is. And I'll get to that. Initially, we supplied hospitals and local clinics daily. But, when the heroes came to power and made far better cures, well…our profit started to decline," Kaba sighed hard. "They made it easier to harvest from plants and other areas that were hard to reach."
"As it may have been," Metal Knight said from his hovering robot. "But that is a partial truth. We tried to work with you. You refused to work with the association with a partnership."
"True," Kaba agreed. "As it stood, we did have backup funding from some political means. We turned to providing medication to the wealthy. We were doing fine, actually. It was after Miu was courted lightly by Etsuji that things started to change for the better. We knew him very well, as he tended to give small bits of funding to us for our causes. He was also incredibly well-known in politics at such a young age. He came around more and more to visit with us. We had a feeling it was mainly because of Miu, too."
"She did start to talk about him fondly after a while," Nagai smiled at the memory. "It was good to see young love. Or what we thought was love. But we were invited to many social standing events. Even more from Etsuji and how his family was completely steeped in politics."
"Okay, fine. Fast forward. I want to know about Mitsumi and why you did what you did," Saitama said. Not once did he lower his gaze.
"Right, right," Kaba grimaced. "When it came to the grandchildren, we always sent gifts. We heard about Mitsumi's birth, and, as always, we were overjoyed. We did send gifts fit for newborns, but then Miu came to us a couple months later. She said she didn't want her daughter. We found it…odd! On asking why, she said a pitiful baby was too much of a burden on her now. It did worry us. She never talked like that about any of her children before."
"We did reach out to Etsuji. He…admitted that something was strange with Miu. Something was clearly wrong. He told us he was doing everything he could for Mitsumi's care, but that he had to break contact with us. For how long, we didn't know. But he hinted it was for our safety.
"What we didn't know was that Miu was starting to blackmail us. Us! The ones who raised her! She showed up and set out several documents that we did long ago that were far from legal means. She told us that she'd reveal them to the public unless we helped her with things," Nagai swallowed nervously. "I mean…what were we to do?"
"Okay. You were both blackmailed by a monster. When did you learn she was a Secret Skins?" Saitama asked.
"It was after Etsuji's death," Kaba frowned. "She came to us. She showed us what she was. She said that we had a choice. To help her organization or become like her. I mean…we didn't want to change! What other choice did we have? We told her that such research was costly, and she laughed before saying she'd handle the funds. Then she told us that Mitsumi was going to be paying a price for the family. That she was in the way of things, so she had only one use left. And that was for various experiments until she was dead."
"Ah…!" Mitsumi's jaw dropped at this news. Saitama turned quickly to keep her calm and focused on him.
"I killed that thing. You're with me now. Okay? This is a story you're listening to. A bad script from Sugar Face. Okay?" Saitama asked to get her to burst out with laughter at the whole thing.
"What?! But…that…shit…!" Sweet Mask scowled hard at Inichi's abrupt laughter at the whole thing. Even the other heroes were dying with laughter now.
"She did need to laugh," Zenchu snickered with Garou.
"Right…" Sweet Mask grimaced. Tajima chuckled and leaned into him to show she appreciated him regardless.
"Continue," Saitama said the elderly couple after Mitsumi calmed down.
"We didn't know how her organs were harvested. We would have said something, but we didn't know who to talk to. We didn't want to get in even further trouble. We asked what to do with them. Miu said to try and make more of them. That…they were valuable to her needs. She told us how Mitsumi was being harvested by Ajito, but we knew that Ajito wouldn't tell us all of his secrets. He gave us a list of ingredients to help him keep stock of. All we could do was supply the demands or we'd get turned into monsters. We still don't really know what the chemicals did," Kaba said.
"He put them in a snake bracelet that attached to her wrist. It was another monster. Every time it bit her…it reversed her age around. It poisoned her to rejuvenate at dusk and age her into an old lady at dawn. It did this every day for two years," Inichi said. "When she was bitten, her organs came back. Her original body blueprint came back. The venom regenerated her body, but altered her age with each bite. And, as she always returned back to the state before she was bitten, she was a virgin every single time."
"That means he…no…!" Nagai gasped.
"He did," Mitsumi said with a shake of her head.
"So now you know. But I want to know why you kept the lies going until Saitama was ready to kill you," Zombieman said to them directly.
"It was fear, really. We didn't want to sink even further into disgrace. As much as we wanted to help Mitsumi…the blackmail…" Nagai cringed.
"My main problem was you came to our wedding hoping to get samples of my wife," Saitama growled. "And fund your nasty business."
"Because we were approached by others of Miu's organization!" Kaba said. "They were ready to turn us in unless we tried to recreate Mitsumi's organs!"
"They saw me as a rare delicacy now," Mitsumi said with disgust. "And I'm sure you wanted fresh samples from me to enhance your production testing?"
"That was the plan. As disgusting as it was," Kaba frowned.
"When do you get visited by these things?" Garou asked.
"Once a week now," Nagai said.
"Hmm. Do they come into your store?" Saitama asked.
"No. We always agree to meet in an open place. But we have nothing to give them. As I'm sure you may have seen…everything failed from the venom that was in use," Kaba explained. "We couldn't get rid of it. And we didn't know how Ajito did things, either."
"I had his notes from his computer. We made the antidote when Miss Mitsumi started to age from residual venom. She's fully cured of it now, but all of us will refuse to let her step foot anywhere near your facility. It should get torn down," Genos said and crossed his arms over his chest.
"We have enough funding to slip away gently. You can destroy the building. There are some medicines there that are beneficial, though. Please get them to various hospitals. We'll even sign ownership over to the Hero Association in full. It's still functional, and it's already set for any form of medical needs. It's in a good location, too, but this way we can finally retire," Kaba nodded.
"I just worry about the ones that want to see us," Nagai admitted.
"Leave them to us. Come down below and we'll get the paperwork done. We can help you slip out of the picture, and we will set up specialized staffing in the pharmacy. Of course, anything illegal will be confiscated and destroyed. And this will include anything belonging to Fan Dancer. Those others that want to meet up? They will meet with the Hero Association," Sweet Mask said. After they left, Mitsumi found herself looking at Atsuko. Saitama was still livid on everything, but the red haze died back down to show he was calm for now.
"What are your thoughts now?" Mitsumi asked her sister. "Do you still have it out for me? Do you still want to see me dead?"
"Mother…I can't believe…" Atsuko trembled.
"Your mind is in shambles. Maybe you need mental treatment instead of jailing," Blue Ripple grunted. "You still cannot give up the fact that Mitsumi is not your enemy. You still feel that she is something weak that you can step on. She is trained as a Wind Crane Clan assassin! You may not have a monster living under your skin, but you think like a monster in your thoughts!"
"I do not!" Atsuko grounded out.
"Prove it. Get up and give Mitsumi a hug. Like a sister would," Zenchu said and flicked his tail. "If you falter at any time, I'll know you will never be able to see Mitsumi as family."
"All these years…I was told…to not care about her…" Atsuko frowned hard. "That she was never a true sister…"
"They were all lies, Atsuko. You know this. You saw Mother come home with her from the hospital. You saw her with Mother for that month before things changed. You heard Mother say that Mitsumi was going to be one of the prettiest little girls she ever had with us! I remember her saying that. And it was a few nights after that first month that I heard Mother say that she couldn't take care of an ugly brat anymore," Himiko frowned and shivered.
"I…oh…" Atsuko trembled.
"Father tried to show us how wrong things were. I was supposed to protect her! And Fumihiro was just…he was also neglected to a point," Daiki frowned. "Our family was definitely being torn apart from the inside. Father saw this. He tried to warn us. He tried to protect us. He could only protect Mitsumi. And this was only because Mother tossed her aside."
"That would explain why he saw things differently in the political field, too," Inichi mused aloud. "It was to keep Mitsumi safe from all of it."
"Yes," Mitsumi nodded. Then she looked at Atsuko. "I want to forgive you. But I don't think I can. Not yet, anyways. You still want me to hurt. You are too ingrained in our fake mother's ways. Until you break free of that…I don't think you will heal. I do wonder though…"
"Hmm?" Saitama looked at her. Her fans came alive to twirl through the air and swirl around her sister. Then they swirled around Daiki and Himiko before settling back to hover around Mitsumi.
"That…smell is so…!" Himiko gasped and burst into tears from the guilt she had built up. Zombieman found himself feeling intense respect for Mitsumi at the scent and was hugging Himiko to calm her down.
"I was so stupid. And blind…" Daiki grimaced and ran a hand over his face.
"Full of regret, too," Inichi nodded. Then he turned his hovering body to Atsuko. She had a look of horror on her face now. "Ah. Now you finally see things as they are? Interesting. I do sense guilt, but a lot of resentment, too. However, you cannot blame Mitsumi for your faults. You were the one that discovered what bank fraud was. She had nothing to do with any of that. You are on your own there."
"It was Mother's idea. As a way to increase our funds. As if we needed it! But, now that I think about it, it was also a way for Mother to find certain people. Ones that lived alone, down on their luck or even just…desperate for help. I think…she said she was planning to find ways to help them…" Atsuko blinked at the realization. "I gave her files of those that I felt needed her help!"
"That's how the Secret Skins also recruited! Not only by stealing identities, but to pick the best ones for their needs!" Zenchu hissed out.
"I still don't really know what a Secret Skins is," Atsuko admitted.
"Can we bring Iwasaki here?" Mitsumi asked.
"As long as that glittery guy behaves with her," Saitama said.
"He shall. I can bring them now," Inichi agreed and focused slightly. Cold Snap grinned, but he let Inichi bring them over.
"So much more is being uncovered now," Mitsumi frowned hard and leaned into his arms. "So many secrets. It's just…disgusting…"
"I know," Saitama agreed and kissed her temple. "We'll uncover all of them and clean them up. Oh. What of your dad's parents?"
"They both passed on in my youth, sadly. They got ill with something. I never knew what, though," Mitsumi said softly.
"They got sick at the same time?" Saitama asked her. She nodded and he frowned. "Same symptoms?"
"What are you getting at?" Zombieman asked.
"Think about it. They died after she was born. While the other grandparents had access to illegal medicine. How did they die? Do we know?" Saitama asked.
"I recall there was some form of an illness hitting the populace at one point. A bad cold that settled in the lungs. But…if I recall the headlines…it didn't affect anyone too badly. No one really knew what happened to everyone," Inichi sighed while focusing on bringing the others to them.
"Who was their doctor?" Mitsumi asked.
"We can find out," Rendor said and took the scroll from Mitsumi to hide away with the other scrolls he carried. "And that box. I want one in my room. I think I can use the pendants that Tatsi and I have as the keys."
"Oh! That would be wonderful!" Tatsumaki said with delight. "This way we know that no one can take our keys!"
"We should all have a specific key on us," Zenchu grinned. "Of course, we'd need an emergency way in for safety."
"My ring will be that key," Saitama said with a small grin. "It has a fist. Let that key be the emergency need. This way others will think they need keys from me and Mitsumi. It will actually be from the entire family."
"There should be a specialty lock for all of our keys together to be used. Hmm. Oh! For the scepter!" Mitsumi beamed.
"That works," Zenchu nodded. Even Wind Crane was clapping her beak with agreement. Flashy Flash and Iwasaki had soon arrived, and they were caught up on what they missed.
"I can become my monster form when ready," Iwasaki nodded. "Should I do this now?"
"Wait…" Stable Rock grunted. He already had some ideas on what to do first. He looked up at Saitama and nudged his hand for attention.
"Hmm?" Saitama looked down at him.
"Our…teeth…now?" Stable Rock asked.
"Oh! You think so? Hmm. Then after…they can see what a Secret Skins is. You think?" Saitama looked at Mitsumi.
"Yes. Atsuko, it may be good for you to watch this, too. I want you to see who is protecting me now. And how strong my husband really is," Mitsumi said. "We'll need help levitating a few of my pets for this."
"I can help," Tatsumaki nodded.
"Thank you!" Mitsumi smiled and nodded back respectfully.
"Me…first…" Stable Rock grunted and got levitated with a green glow. Tacki was called for and she appeared with Kamikaze to help collect the teeth.
"We need at least eight inches of the straightest teeth you can give, and they need to split into three parts. And I would need to have a hundred and sixty of those teeth in total to match the other fans. Even if we don't use all of them, the extra teeth would be good to have. Orotsu is having Inichi work on bringing up food for you now," Tacki said and smiled at Cold Snap. He had brought over a few large baskets for the tooth collection.
"I'll give you mine after the others," Cold Snap nodded. Stable Rock snorted and focused to grow larger. Then even larger. At the report of a massive monster now starting to hover over the Hero Association, the board members appeared with other members of security.
"Stop," Saitama said with a mild glare. "My pets have to give me their teeth for Mitsumi's future fans. You can watch. Don't get in the way. Or I'll get in your way. Got it?"
"Oh!" the first board member gaped. When Stable Rock could have easily towered over the largest hill, he opened his mouth. Saitama's jaw dropped that the teeth were made of solid gold. Even Stable Rock's shell was glittering with a fantastic assortment of gems and ores of all types with intricate patterns of gold all through it. He was completely in shock.
"You need to do something when we get back home!" Saitama said and got Stable Rock snickering with intense agreement.
: I KNOW I DO.:
"That mental voice is just…wow…" Saitama had to blink at it. "Okay. Let me grab your teeth. Food is ready for him?"
"Yep!" Tacki beamed. Saitama held Mitsumi in one arm and reached up to pull at the located teeth needed. Food was given over at every interval of twenty teeth provided until it was done. Before Stable Rock shrunk small, he let a raw, fiery diamond of pink tones fall from his shell to land on the roof next to Saitama. It stood up to his knee in height, and the bald hero was stammering with intense joy at the sight of it.
"That goes home. To the bedroom in City Z. Next to the bed. Right now!" Saitama said to Cold Snap. "You can hide it better in traveling."
"Okay, Dad," Cold Snap giggled and sent it away with a blue spark. Stable Rock moved to sit next to Saitama's feet and swooned at the intense head scratching to show he did a great job.
"Next monster," Saitama said and looked at Tangled Vine.
"I suppose," the strong plant monster chuckled. He started to grow in size and revealed his true shape in the form of a monster with bark-like skin with hanging moss all over. His height could have easily rivaled the tallest redwood tree, and small spines of thorns were soon sprouting all over his bark-like hide. He could have resembled a large lizard, but it was crossed with that of a weasel. His glowing emerald eyes gazed down at Mitsumi protectively while Tatsumaki hovered him in the air, and he opened his mouth to offer up his teeth.
"How interesting! Your teeth are like…pine needles from an evergreen tree?" Mitsumi mused on watching the needle-like teeth get pulled.
"These monsters…they are truly the strongest I've ever seen…!" the second board member swallowed. "I'm glad they are allies!"
"You would think so," Garou nodded and let Lily snuggle into him.
"I need a cookie," Lily winced. Tacki was told of the fruit tree in their midst, and she was quick to pluck a fruit to give over. "Ah! Thanks!"
"We need more of these trees," Tacki said. Tangled Vine gave a confirming sound with his mouth open. Right after the needed teeth were pulled, the strong plant monster shrunk back down into his furry cat-like form. He got scooped up and snuggled by Mitsumi, and she fed him small pieces of delicately grilled fish. He licked her cheek to get her giggling at him.
"Hmm?" she blinked and saw how her fans were swirling around Lily. "Ah! Let me check her. Come here."
"Oh," Lily said and moved over to her. Mitsumi set down Tangled Vine to take up a fan set. She moved them over her before they vibrated fiercely.
"Garou, you need to marry her," Saitama said.
"Indeed. She's pregnant," Inichi confirmed.
"Ah…how many…?" Garou had to ask and let Lily lean into him. Wind Crane clacked her beak once to show only one was there. "Okay."
"Hello? Kamiko?! Are you…okay. Calm down. Medicine? Oh! You need the capsules that Miss Mitsumi has? Including her liners for undergarments? Okay. Ah…" Genos had answered his phone and looked over to see Inichi already focusing to help. "Inichi is assisting. Okay. Tanktop Girl is there and will cover you? Right. No, I agree that you should not work until your cramping is done. Yes. I will have you join me here when you're ready."
"Oh! No, she shouldn't have to work until most of the pain is gone. She won't focus right. At least not until the medication kicks in. We'll see how she is tomorrow. Cold Snap, can you bring her here when she's ready? She can rest with Genos," Mitsumi said and got hugged by him. He nodded to show he was ready to help. "Thank you."
"You would think she would have reached out to him directly," Blue Ripple sighed. "But, if she is in pain, I wouldn't doubt her mind was not properly focused. Speaking of focus, what do you plan to do?"
"Oh…" Atsuko frowned when she was regarded. Then her jaw dropped at how Bright Bolt became a massive, skeletal horse-like creature that towered nearly forty feet into the air. He was able to levitate himself easily, and he lowered his jaw for Saitama to start pulling out the teeth needed.
"Can I get a bit of your mane for fan decorations?" Tacki asked. He gave a consenting grunt while getting his teeth pulled. Food was given for him to regenerate them back, and this even included the hair Tacki was able to collect. "Ah, maybe a few bits of your antlers?"
He lowered his head a bit more for her to shear off some of the outer part of them. When he shrunk smaller after giving over the teeth, he nudged her. "I'll have Saitama pull a couple sets of my antlers out for you. They may make decent handles for the fans. Just, um…more food, please."
"Definitely!" Tacki beamed and watched Saitama carefully pull the antlers free. Bright Bolt regrew them three times before letting Tacki announce there was enough. More baskets were brought over to house the precious parts, and Zenchu stood watch over them with Wind Crane.
"Okay, where is Fire Flight?" Saitama asked. Stable Rock focused to have her appear with Shenjou within several minutes.
"I am here. You may harvest some scales and feathers after this is done," Fire Flight chuckled at Tacki. When Saitama looked at Fire Flight, she nodded that she was ready. She grew a bit larger in size and opened up her mouth after creating the teeth needed to get pulled.
"We need more food up here," Shenjou sighed.
"Easily remedied," Tangled Vine said and focused on his tree. Even more fruit appeared of various sizes to be harvested and cut up into various portions. The board members could only stare at everything with silent shock. When Sweet Mask came back up to the roof, he paused with amazement at what was being done. Fire Flight gave a warning growl before calming herself at Mitsumi's gentle pat to her muzzle.
"You're doing amazing. Thank you," Mitsumi said softly. Right after the teeth were given, Fire Flight ate a few large pieces of fruit and snuggled into Mitsumi's arms with delight. Then she shuddered to free up various scales and feathers for harvesting. After those were collected and more food was eaten, she returned to Shenjou's side with relief.
"Okay, my turn. I'll turn into my gentle side first to give over the antlers and fur. Then my dangerous side for the teeth. Maybe the claws, too," Cold Snap nodded. "I'm sure they would work for other things."
"Okay," Saitama agreed.
"You'll get a good meal after," Mitsumi chuckled and laughed when Cold Snap kissed her cheek. "Maybe we can all have a good meal."
"I'd like that!" Saitama grinned. He watched his son shimmer and reform into his regal stag form. He snorted his icy breath at Tacki before focusing on his antlers. She caught each one when they fell off his head, and Kamikaze had to get up to help her set them down carefully.
"That's insane," Daiki said at the massive size of the antlers.
"Right?!" Tacki beamed.
"Can I make a knife handle out of one the spikes?" Kamikaze asked. Cold Snap danced around lightly to show it was agreed. "Sweet!"
Cold Snap shimmered again to reform into the stag to regrow out the antlers again. Tacki was able to carefully shear off quite a bit of the soft fur to set into a waiting basket to create his fans with. When she was ready after that, he let the antlers fall off carefully before reforming into his child form. "I need to eat first. I'm a bit drained. Then I can become the wolf to help with my teeth."
"Of course, dear," Mitsumi chuckled. She moved to sit down with him in her lap, and she held a plate of fruit for him. Saitama moved to stand behind them, and he rested his gloved hands on her shoulders. When Cold Snap had enough food to regenerate what he needed, he looked up at Saitama to nod. Then he jumped out of Mitsumi's lap to shimmer and become a massive wolf made of ice.
"Ah!" Atsuko gasped when Cold Snap snarled viciously at her thoughts.
"Hey! No!" Saitama said quickly to get the ice wolf to sit and look at him obediently. "I know. We all know. Let me handle it. Okay?"
Cold Snap whined and sighed. Overgrown Rover trotted over to him to sit next to him and snort. Cold Snap blinked his ice blue eyes and looked over at Atsuko. Then back to it with a huff of ice breath. Mitsumi smiled and said, "Not now, puppy. I think I know what you want to do. But let's wait until after Cold Snap gives over his teeth."
Overgrown Rover yapped and ran over to jump into her lap to lick her face happily. She laughed and gently squeezed it like she would a plush doll with a form of sheer delight. It even stuck out its tongue a bit in a cute way when she did this to get Tajima giggling with laughter with the others. Saitama snapped his fingers at Cold Snap to show he was ready for teeth pulling. The ice wolf sighed, but he opened his mouth.
"Remember that they need to split into three. Are they at least 8 inches long?" Tacki asked. Cold Snap closed his mouth and looked at her. Then he looked at Saitama before getting up to stand and brace himself. He focused and let his form grow and quadruple in size. Then he opened his mouth to reveal the teeth needed. He squeezed his eyes shut when Saitama began to tug them free, and he was quick to eat when a hearty meat dish was given to him. After the teeth were given, he ate again. But he looked at Saitama to snort at him.
"Ah. He wants you to remove one of his fangs. He has a reason for this," Inichi chuckled. Saitama nodded and was quick to tug it free. "Grab three of his claws, too. The main front ones."
"Okay," Saitama nodded and was able to carefully tug them free now. Cold Snap was quick to eat and regenerate before reforming back into his child form.
"Ow!" Cold Snap grimaced from where he was still healing.
"Oh! My poor dear!" Mitsumi frowned and was quick to move to his side. She hugged him and coddled him lightly until he sighed with relief that he was better again in full. "It's okay. You did very well!"
"Thanks, Mom…" Cold Snap sighed and got lifted up in her arms when she stood up with him. Saitama pulled her close and chuckled at Cold Snap's exhausted form.
"Okay. My turn," Iwasaki said and let the fans form around her. Flashy Flash was ready to retrieve her clothes and gently fold up the discarded skin for now. When she revealed herself in her graceful bird form, she found herself glaring at Atsuko. "This is what a Secret Skins is. Thankfully, I was able to keep my mind from being tricked into becoming this. It's a long story of how it happened, but that is what Secret Skins are. We are monsters that wear the skins of those we take over. There is more to it, but this is the rundown."
"What?!" Atsuko gasped with horror. At how Flashy Flash revealed the face of the skin being Iwasaki's human nature, she found herself getting woozy at the sight of it. Iwasaki ruffled her feathers and chuckled at how Tacki held up an empty basket for feathers. She shook off a few loosened feathers now and looked at Flashy Flash with a small nod. The fans reformed around her to let her get back into her skin and clothing.
"That's what Mother became?! She really was…a monster…?!" Daiki grimaced with shock.
"I saw what she looked like," Himiko winced and pressed into Zombieman. "She was horrific, though. A red snake. I saw wings, too."
"She didn't have wings. Her hair was like tendrils. If she had wings, likely too small for me to see. Even then, I, eh…punched her and splattered her everywhere," Saitama shrugged. Himiko's jaw dropped at the news.
"That room was so gross! Monster guts all over!" Tacki scowled at the memory. "But that was also when I told Kamikaze that I thought I was pregnant."
"I know," Kamikaze chuckled and kept chewing on the stick he had.
"Oh! Did puppy want to give over some teeth?" Mitsumi smiled. Overgrown Rover yapped at Saitama and ran around him happily. It sat up on its hind legs to look at him for appeasement with a cute blink of its eyes.
"If that's a yes, get larger for me. I need some good teeth. I'll just pull ten of them, okay?" Saitama chuckled.
"I gotta wonder, though. Could I get a monster fang katana?" Kamikaze mused. "It's bound to be sharper than anything made out there, right?"
Inichi relayed the idea, and the monster dog huffed with agreement. It trotted a bit away from them to grow to nearly full size. Then it opened its mouth to reveal the ultra-large fangs for harvesting.
"Okay, doggy! Hold still!" Saitama said. Overgrown Rover gave a grunt of understanding. It didn't even budge when eleven full teeth were removed, and it shrunk back small to enjoy a waiting dish of food.
"Now this is a tooth!" Kamikaze grinned at the three-foot long tooth. "Yeah, I can make this easily into a sword."
"Want me to do that?" Tacki grinned.
"Huh. Sure. Show me what ya got later," Kamikaze nodded. With the pets resting after giving over their teeth and various bits of material for future fans, Mitsumi reclined in Saitama's lap at last. Then she looked over to regard Atsuko.
"Now you see who I keep in my company. I will treat you with complete neutrality. But I will warn you this once. Don't cross me. Not now. Not ever again. I will not be so merciful if you slight me even once. You have some decisions to make. I would suggest to consult with Sweet Mask on your options," she said softly. Atsuko cringed at this, but she also nodded with understanding. She knew she had one fighting chance left for freedom. I'll see what I can do and how to make amends. I have to!
*Author's Note - I decided to add this note to grumble a bit. I wanted to change the text to reflect Stable Rock's mental voice. It wouldn't let me. I can't even make the text larger! The goal was to make the text a couple sizes bigger and add an elaborate font. Sadly, I could only underline the text. So lame!*