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"How long are they going to remain like that?" Jinzuren asked, referring to Geryuganshoop and the Association's executives.
Ever since the others left, Boros and Jinzuren have been relaxing in silence. Boros kept her feet on the table as she closed her eye. Jinzuren checked on other matters and tended to some smaller tasks that had piled up. All-in-all, it was nice.
"Getting restless?" Boros assumed, keeping her eye closed.
"No, I'm just curious. I didn't think Geryuganshoop would take so long." Jinzuren explained.
"Heh, fair," Boros chuckled. "Knowing him, Geryuganshoop is lecturing your bosses. Speaking from personal experience, that is a lengthy process." She shared.
"Hm, maybe we should have let him show them Saitama's strength," Jinzuren admitted.
"Eh, seeing as how we're still waiting for the current lecture to finish, had we given Geryuganshoop reign over that, we could be here all day." Boros replied.
shick
The air was so quiet that Boros and Jinzuren could hear the low sound of the room's entrance opening. Jinzuren was the only one to look at who had arrived since Boros knew who it likely was. Had it been someone new, Jinzuren would've reacted, and then Boros would've felt compelled to change from her comfortable lounging position.
"Welcome back," Jinzuren greeted the others as they entered. "Since Genus is with you, I can guess that he's agreed to help us," He said.
"Yes, but we have a more important matter to discuss before Geryuganshoop brings the execs back to reality." Busho revealed.
"Did something happen? Did Genus' creations try to break out?" Jinzuren inquired.
"If they did, I'd smell the scent of blood on Melzargard at the very least," Boros commented.
"Be patient, m'lady." "There could still be some blood spilled." Two of Melzargard's heads told her.
Upon hearing that, the energy in the room changed. Even Genus, who was often very stoic, expressed nervousness as a sharp bolt of fear struck him. Boros slowly removed her feet from the table and put them on the floor. Then, she turned her chair around and looked at Melzargard.
"Elaborate." Boros commanded, arms folded over her chest.
"Groribas pre-emptively revealed your plans for the House of Evolution, mam." Only one of Melzargard's heads spoke.
When Boros moved her focus to Groribas, it nearly caused him to crumple. His mistress never expressed anger or disappointment in a boisterous way. If eyes were the window to the soul, then that's what Boros used to convey her emotions to others. Somehow, as impossible as it may seem, that was far more terrifying than if she straight-up beat you.
"I have three mouths, and all of them have a hard time staying shut," Goribas meekly said, knowing he screwed up. "It just happened, m'lady. I have no greater explanation than that. I'm deeply regretful of my error." He continued, going so far as to bow.
"..." Boros closed her eye and sighed. A moment later, she spoke directly to Busho and Jinzuren. "Let me begin by saying this wasn't an underhanded way of getting something without consulting you. What I wanted to do was offer those of notable intelligence, which includes Kuseno and Genus, the opportunity to come aboard my ship and study what we can provide. It was meant to be an incentive to establish a friendly relationship that would hopefully make this process of earning each other's trust a bit easier. If that proved successful, I would then offer the prison we have within our ship as a way to safely contain the more dangerous monsters that your organization might have in captivity, such as those made by Genus. For the sake of transparency, I will confess that I was motivated to make the prison proposition to get a small amount of payback for the hassle Genus and his creations caused Saitama. Even so, the ultimate goal was to try and appeal myself to your superiors so they wouldn't be AS scared of me and my crew." She shared.
"Wow, that's very considerate of you, Lady Boros." Busho responded.
"Thank you, but it is the LITERAL least I can do. Also, I didn't tell you about this because I only conceived the idea if it was needed. Sincerely, I didn't expect these people would be dumb enough to think I wanted to hurt them. Yet, they did, so here we are." Boros said.
"On that note, when is Geryuganshoop going to be finished?" Busho asked, getting back on track.
"It's impossible to determine. All we can do is be patient," Boros answered. A second later, an idea formed in her mind. "Since we'll be waiting, could I borrow one of your phones? I'd like to call Saitama and talk to him." She requested.
"You have his number memorized?" Busho questioned as he handed her the device.
"Of course I do. We've had many long-distance chats. I didn't want Saitama to feel as though I only cared about his strength. Additionally, since we're going to be here for an unknowable length of time, it only made sense to become more familiar with him." Boros explained while taking the phone.
In fairness, Boros' reasoning wasn't outlandish or anything. It's just that Busho, as well as Jinzuren, couldn't imagine someone as menacingly powerful and dominant as her doing something so mundane. They also wouldn't have thought that Boros would be the one to initiate the start of her and Saitama's relationship.
Anyway, Boros swiftly inputted the number. She used the tips of her well-manicured nails for precision and to prevent any accidental damage from pressing her fingers into the device's keypad. Once done, Boros held the phone up to her ear. Whether intentionally or not, she had an adorably excited smile on her face. She REALLY would prefer hanging out with Saitama than being here dealing with ignoramuses.
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"Huh, he might be sleeping..." Boros muttered, surprised that it was taking so long.
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Boros began swaying her head from side to side. Come on, Saitama, don't leave her hanging!
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"He..."
...Uh...okay. So, the call was answered, but the first thing Boros heard was that. It sounded like the start of hello, but the rest of the word wasn't received.
"Saitama?" Boros spoke with a slightly confused expression.
"B...ca...hea...m..."
"Oh, dear..." Boros said with a frown as she looked at the cell phone. "Either something's wrong with this thing, or Saitama's experiencing technical difficulties." She told the others.
"My phone's a brand new model issued by the Association. I've not had any problems at all, so it's probably on his end," Busho replied.
"Saitama!" Boros exclaimed, raising her voice. "If you can hear me, I can just barely hear anything you say. There might be something wrong with your phone! Or, perhaps, it's the connection!" She informed him.
Boros was met with silence. The call hadn't died, so Saitama was being quiet. Maybe he was attempting to fix the issue.
"...F...Fi...Fi...Fi..."
"Saitama? Are you repeating something?" Boros assumed.
"Fi...Fi...Fir...Fire!...Fire!...Fire!..."
At last, something came through. Unfortunately, it was something that sounded VERY bad. Boros' mind immediately went to every possible worst-case scenario. You know where this is going.
"Ah!" Busho reacted, having to move himself quickly. The rest of the group needed to do the same as Boros suddenly stood from her seat and hurried passed them.
"M'lady! What's going on?!" Groribas inquired, voicing the question they all had.
"SOMETHING'S WRONG WITH SAITAMA!" Boros shouted. Whoa. That was a tone of voice none of them, including her elites, had ever heard. "SAITAMA SAID FIRE! IT'S WHY THE CONNECTION'S BAD!" She explained, halfway to the door.
"A fire?! Master's in trouble?!" Genos questioned with widened eyes, instantly following after her. "We must go to City Z right now!" He decided.
"W-Wait! Hold on!" Busho called out, wanting to stop them somehow.
In reply, Boros chucked Busho's phone, which was still in her possession, at him. Worry not; even in this panicked state, she didn't recklessly throw the device with enough strength to harm the man. It hit Busho's chest with a decent THUMP, but he felt no soreness and swiftly caught the device before it could reach the floor. By the time he looked back at the room's entrance, all he saw was it closing as Boros and Genos made their exit.
A Few Seconds Prior, In City Z...
"Fire! Fire! Fire! Fire! Fire! Fire! Fire!" Saitama repeated, hoping that one of these would come out clearly.
Miraculously, Saitama suddenly heard the sound of his cell phone ringing within the ashes of his former dwelling. Now, when I say that the device survived, I want you to understand the severity of that. This poor thing was blacker than a burnt tire. The slightest movements caused a cacophony of crinkling sounds. Sometimes, dead is better.
However, Saitama, who had to remove the head of the mascot costume he was wearing, was grateful for this microscopic silver lining. He didn't want to disrupt Boros' meeting with the Heroes Association, but he felt that his apartment building becoming a pile of powder was a good excuse.
"I hope those got through..." Saitama whispered, looking at the charred corpse of his phone. "If not, maybe the spotty connection will be enough to get their attention..." He reasoned.
With a sigh, Saitama put the phone out of its misery. Using little effort, he crushed the device. The lack of strength needed wasn't solely due to Saitama's power. Given the state of the phone, even a child could've turned it into crumbs.
Afterward, Saitama, with the mascot's head under his left arm, turned around and looked at the entity responsible for his misfortune. The Subterranean Queen was still unconscious. Good. Saitama didn't need someone who BURNT HIS FREAKING APARTMENT TO THE GROUND to act as though they had ANY right to be ang-
BOOM
A sonic boom spontaneously occurred overhead. Yet, when Saitama looked upward in reaction, he discovered it wasn't an unexplainable phenomenon.
"SAITAMA!" Boros, nearly screaming, called out to him from above as she descended. Surprisingly, she wasn't alone. Genos was riding on her back with his arms wrapped around her neck.
"MASTER!" Genos called out, too. When the duo reached the pavement, they ran over to Saitama.
"HOLD ON!" Saitama reactively held up his arms to keep the pair at bay. "Let's take a deep breath, okay? The energy is INTENSE. It'll do us no good if we're jumpy," He advised.
Although Boros and Genos were desperate for information, they were still able to understand and agree with Saitama. So, the trio spent the next few seconds ensuring that they were composed.
"You guys alright?" Saitama asked.
"Yes, we are," Boros answered, maintaining her rhythm. "Now then, WHAT HAPPENED?!" She screeched. Whelp, so much for calm and collected.
"My apartment building burned down," Saitama revealed, pointing behind himself with his thumb.
In their rattled conditions, neither Boros nor Genos noticed the absence of the structure during the descent. Each of them was too fixated on Saitama's status.
"Master!" Genos exclaimed, moving his gaze back to the bald man. "Is that why you're wearing that outfit?" He inquired, now pointing at the costume.
"Yup. The fire was so intense that it torched my clothes. I couldn't stand around naked, so I had to find something from nearby." Saitama explained. "But hey, at least my cactus is okay." He added as a positive while looking at the potted plant on the sidewalk.
"Saitama, I'm so sorry," Boros said, conveying every bit of sorrow that she could produce. "Do you know what the cause was?" She asked.
Without uttering a word, Saitama's right arm instantly aimed itself at the arsonist. Like the apartment building, Boros and Genos didn't notice the thirteen-foot-tall entity that was bound in metal bindings lying in the middle of the road.
"That psychopath is responsible," Saitama began, rightfully annoyed. "I was minding my business when out of nowhere, she starts yelling about some crap I can't remember. I planned to ignore her, but then she set the building on fire. It wasn't a slow burn, either. It was as if the building had been doused in gasoline beforehand, which it wasn't. Once I realized everything was going up in smoke, I grabbed my cactus and leaped from the balcony. A moment later, that lunatic jumped over the building from the other side, landed in front of me, and nearly called me a pervert, even though SHE was the reason I was naked. So, I slapped her, knocked her out, and then grabbed a bunch of signs and poles to restrain her. The rest I've already told you." He answered.
Boros and Genos silently stared at the unconscious non-human lifeform. Just when Saitama was about to say something else due to their lack of response, each of them raised one of their arms and prepared an attack.
"HEY!" Saitama shouted, hastily getting between them and the entity. "What're you two doing?!" He questioned.
"Elimination./Extermination." Genos & Boros replied simultaneously. The combined coldness and animosity they expressed could unsettle the reaper.
"Geez, you two are ruthless..." Saitama sighed.
"Why should vermin be allowed to live? It'll only cause another problem later," Boros told him.
"Agreed. This creature made their choice when they decided to attack unjustifiably. If we do not deal with it now, Master, it could cause you further strife." Genos stated.
"Well, Genos, considering the only thing I have left to my name is my cactus and a dog costume, I don't think there's much more that can be done to me," Saitama argued. "More importantly, whoever this is, they're subdued. I am not an executioner. But, if you two need a greater reason to leave her alive, I think she's royalty." He said.
"And? Do you have any idea how many empires, kingdoms, and regimes I've erased from the pages of history?" Boros challenged, crossing her arms.
"If this whackjob IS royalty, that means she can fix the damage she's done by building me a new home. Or, if not that, give me compensation to get someone else to do it." Saitama explained.
"Bah. That's a waste of time. Geryuganshoop could easily erect you a new domicile. Even if your desires are incredibly specific, he'll achieve each of them without fail." Boros countered.
"No. I'm putting my foot down, Boros. I'm not letting you or your elites do anything if it can be avoided." Saitama asserted.
"What?! Why?! That's stupid!" Boros exclaimed, putting a hand on her chest. "I have infinite resources available to me! Helping you isn't an inconvenience!" She insisted.
"I know, but I'm already going to need your help, so I don't want to rely on it more if, as I said, it can be avoided." Saitama responded.
"..." Boros looked puzzled. "Elaborate," She requested.
"Above all else, I need clothes and a place to stay. I don't have any money since it went up with everything else. So, if it's not too much trouble, I'd REALLY appreciate it if I could live with you on your ship until we get this sorted. As for my wardrobe, I remembered that your elites make your clothes. At least, Geryuganshoop does. If he'd be okay with it, I'd like him to make clothes for me." Saitama told her.
Upon hearing that, Boros' eye widened. Her posture also seemed to stiffen. When she didn't speak for a few seconds, it prompted Saitama to continue.
"Boros?" Saitama called, surprised by the silence.
"..." Boros was dazed. It's as if someone detonated a flashbang in her head. "...Just...so I grasp the proposal..." She started, not blinking all the while. "You...Saitama...would like to live with me..." She repeated.
"And have Geryuganshoop make me some clothes." Saitama added.
"Right, yeah, clothes..." Boros muttered.
"Is something wrong, Boros?" Saitama inquired. "Do you not want me to-"
"NO!" Boros interrupted him, but she didn't mean to do it at that volume. "Er, sorry. It's just...I...have never had someone else who isn't a part of my crew stay on the ship. Plus, it'd be extremely casual. We'd eat, sleep, and live together. The notion does not put me off; it's just so new and unexpected." She explained.
"Ah, gotcha," Saitama assured. "So, you do approve of that idea then?" He asked.
"Uh, yup. Mhm. We are all good." Boros answered, accompanied by a nod. "In fact, I'll return to the others and let them know about this wonderful development." She decided.
Before anything else could be said, Boros rocketed into the air and flew away.
"Genos," Saitama spoke, getting the cyborg's attention. "Do you think I made Boros uncomfortable? Maybe I shouldn't have said that." He inquired.
"No, sir! Boros isn't the kind of person to be dishonest or hide things from others. She prefers to be blunt, so if you did upset her, she would've said as much." Genos replied.
"Yeah, that's true. Thanks, Genos." Saitama said, grateful to have someone here to talk with.
"Ugh..." The Subterranean Queen suddenly groaned, gaining the men's attention. "What...What is this? Why...am I..."
THWAP
In the blink of an eye, Saitama used his free hand to strike the Subterranean Queen's head, returning her to dreamland.
"Hey, Genos," Saitama spoke again afterward. "Could you keep an eye on her for me? I need to find a bathroom." He requested.
"Absolutely!" Genos accepted, even standing straight like a soldier.
"Awesome. Thanks, man." Saitama replied before walking away. "Oh, and if she starts waking up again, feel free to bop her." He instructed.
"You can count me, sir!" Genos vowed. When Saitama was out of sight, he stared at the Subterranean Queen and refused to look away. If she showed any signs of consciousness, he'd be sure to fix that!