You know, there was something to appreciate about being the only people in the entirety of a city district. Saitama, Boros, and Genos walked through the silent Ghost Town. Each of them took in the silence and stillness of their surroundings. It was a haunting tranquility that, while potentially unnerving, was still calming.
"Master," Genos spoke. No words had been exchanged since the trio left the ravine. "Might I ask you a question?" He requested.
"Yeah, sure." Saitama permitted.
"You stated that no one else lives here. That includes your apartment building, correct?" Genos inquired.
"...Uh...yes..." Saitama confirmed. A chill ran down his spine. Where was this going?
"Excellent. I will move into one of the units next to yours, then." Genos decided.
Immediately, Saitama halted. Boros and Genos did the same so they wouldn't get ahead of him.
"..." Saitama stood there with a wide-eyed expression. His brain was doing its best to process what was going on all of a sudden.
"Master? Are you alright?" Genos asked.
"..." Saitama stayed quiet. He just kept staring in front of him, yet he didn't look at what was before him. His gaze went past any object or structure and into the infinite horizon.
"Hey, Genos," Boros spoke, entering the conversation. "May I ask you a question as you have with Saitama?" She requested.
"Of course, Boros." Genos permitted, turning his focus to her.
"Is there anyone else in your life? Is there someone you hold a high opinion? Maybe even care about?" Boros inquired.
"Yes. Doctor Kuseno. He's the man who saved my life by turning me into a cyborg. I met him a few years ago when I was fifteen. The circumstances of our encounter were, unfortunately, grim. You see, Doctor Kuseno is on a mission for justice. He has been seeking-"
"Hold it." Boros interrupted him while holding up her hand. "We can get the full story later. Let's remain on topic, okay?" She suggested.
"Right. My apologies." Genos agreed.
"Good. Now, as for why I asked that question, I don't think it'd be appropriate for you to move into Saitama's apartment building before discussing it with Doctor Kuseno. Furthermore, he needs to meet Saitama and I. It would be irresponsible of us to continue spending time with you without meeting someone who clearly is an important figure in your life. Yet, even if he didn't, Doctor Kuseno is still the man who saved you. We wouldn't want him to worry that you're associating with people that could be dangerous, right? We need to show that we are safe and that we won't put you in risky situations. At least, not intentionally." Boros told him.
Wow. That's what Saitama thought as he looked at Boros. His gaze had shifted to the mono-eyed woman when she took command of the conversation. But after hearing that, Saitama continued to stare for a different reason. He was impressed by Boros's maturity and grateful for her help in preventing him from obtaining a new neighbor out of nowhere.
"That makes sense." Genos agreed again. "However, Doctor Kuseno is busy not only attending to me but to other important matters. I will also need to properly prepare him for meeting the two of you, specifically Boros. To do so, I will need to inform him of who and what you are, as well as all that you have shared about your crew and history. Do I have your permission?" He asked.
"Absolutely. That's all reasonable." Boros answered with an approving smile.
"Thank you," Genos replied with a bow. "I shall take my leave now. I will be sure to contact both of you as soon as I can." He promised.
"Take your time. There's no rush. It's not like we'd suddenly forget about you." Boros assured.
With a nod to show he understood, Genos departed, leaving Saitama and Boros alone.
"...Thanks," Saitama spoke after a few seconds. He knew he needed to. "Also, sorry for what I said back at the ravine." He added.
Before verbally responding, Boros put her hand on Saitama's shoulder. Doing so got him to look directly at her, where he saw another smile on her face. However, this one was different.
"First of all, don't say sorry. I was the one who teased you and acted like a child when you hit me with a damn good comeback." Boros told him. Her new smile was warm and caring. "Second of all, don't thank me. We're friends, Saitama. And while I am becoming fond of Genos, I wouldn't have supported his idea to become your neighbor. At least, not yet. We still need to learn more about him as he does about us." She continued, moving her hands to her hips. "Besides, I've already been beaten by one of my elites as the first person in your apartment. I won't let someone we've just met beat me in being next door to you. That'd be mortifying." She concluded with a smirk, hoping that'd lighten the mood.
Fortunately, it did. Saitama let out a chuckle and felt his shoulders relax. However, Boros's comforting smile also helped a great deal.
"Yeah, we can't have that." Saitama agreed, moving his hands to the back of his head. "If let Genos move in, you'd never shut up about it." He joked, making her laugh.
"Damn, straight! I'd be furious!" Boros exclaimed, playing into it. "I'd demand that I become your roommate to try and one-up him! It'd be the only way to resolve my irritation!" She went on with a grin.
Despite being in jest, the idea of Boros living with Saitama as a roommate did flash in each of their minds. Saitama's imagination painted a picture where they were watching TV together. Boros's imagination painted a picture where they were relaxing as the sun set in the evening.
When this happened, both became quiet. Neither commented on the other's sudden silence. Saitama and Boros were far too focused on those brief images and were wondering why they happened.
"MASTER!"
The alarmed voice of Genos snapped the duo back to reality. Before they could say or do anything, the pair saw the blonde-haired cyborg running toward them at top speed.
"Genos? What's going on?" Saitama asked as the frantic young man reached him.
"Master! There are two shady people at your apartment building!" Genos answered. "Also, before you ask, I wasn't going there to look at the units. To verify your trustworthiness to Doctor Kuseno, I wanted to take a picture of your residency so he would know it wasn't suspicious." He informed him.
"Huh. That's a remarkably normal reason..." Saitama commented, expecting a far more outlandish explanation as that seemed to be the cyborg's general energy. "Anyway, who are they? The guys, I mean. Burglars? Salesman? People looking for donations to their new-age religion?" He inquired.
"If I had to pick one, I'd say salesman." Genos responded. "They were dressed in matching black suits. They arrived in a vehicle, as indicated by the parked black car in front of the building." He stated.
"...Oh..." Boros spoke with a squint. She realized what was going on. "It's them...the pests..." She grumbled, her fists tightening.
"Pests?" Genos questioned, also tightening his fists. "Do you want me to deal with them, Master? I could use this as an opportunity to show you my skills!" He proposed.
"Alright. Both of you, calm down." Saitama ordered. "Genos, there will be no need for you to get violent. That goes for you, too, Miss Murder." He said, now looking at the mono-eyed woman.
"Aw, come on!" Boros exclaimed with a pout. "Those two cretins don't deserve such respect, Saitama! They showed neither of us any! So, why should we?" She challenged.
"That is factually not correct." Saitama began, folding his arms. "But even if it was, those guys are from some big government organization, right? So, to some extent, they're important. We can't just ignore them. If we did, it'd be a major hassle." He told her.
"How so?" Boros questioned, also folding her arms as a gesture of defiance.
"Well, for starters, they could look into my living situation. While I do pay rent, it is ABSOLUTELY below the standard amount for apartments like mine due to where I live. Now, I'm not an expert on these things, but it could lead to some big investigation into my landlord. If that happened, it could come back to me, which could then get me temporarily evicted or even force me to look for a new residency. I'm not hurting for cash, but that doesn't mean I'd be able to find an affordable place to live on such short notice. I might even have to go to another city to find one." Saitama explained.
"Pfft, that's not an issue!" Boros scoffed. "If you were forced to leave your apartment due to the laws of your people, you'd come and live with me!" She reasoned.
Upon saying that, Boros and Saitama experienced the same phenomenon as before. Saitama's imagination painted a picture of him and Boros playing games on an insanely hi-tech alien game console. Boros's imagination painted a picture of her and Saitama moving his stuff into her room. Seriously, what was causing this?!
Thankfully, an even weirder occurrence brought the duo back to reality. Looking at where Genos once stood, they saw that the cyborg was no longer present. Given why he suddenly came back, Saitama and Boros reached the same conclusion.
"GENOS! WAIT!" Both called out before booking it to Saitama's apartment building.
Despite only having a small head-start, roughly about a minute, Genos managed to cover a LOT of ground INSANELY quickly. When the apartment building came into view, the duo could see that their cyborg companion was already there. Not only that, but he was also speaking to the men in suits.
"HEY!" Saitama shouted, getting their attention. "WHATEVER HE'S SAID, IT'S NOT TRUE! DON'T LISTEN TO HIM!" He yelled, assuming that Genos would've let his mouth run like usual.
'"Ah, Master!" Genos greeted, bowing as Saitama and Boros reached him and the men. "I was just asking why these men have come looking for you." He said.
"Oh, we KNOW why..." Boros started with a glare, pointing at the pair of well-dressed gents. "You two are here to try and use whatever authority you believe you have over Saitama, aren't you? You're going to say that he must keep himself a secret. That the strongest warrior in your world must spare the fragile minds of your pathetic masses because they cannot handle the greatness that is him." She accused.
"...Uh...no..." Busho replied. He knew that Boros wouldn't be too happy to see them, but he wasn't expecting such an earful. "It's the exact opposite, actually. We wanted to talk to Saitama about becoming a properly recognized hero." He stated.
...
...
"Oh?" Boros said after a few seconds. She looked at Busho and Jinzuren with a mixed expression of surprise and intrigue.
"Allow us to explain." Jinzruen requested before looking at Saitama. "Please. All we'd like to do is offer an idea. We can do it here and now. If you do not like it, we'll take our leave. Or, better yet, you can tell us how it can be improved. What we want is a positive relationship. We're not here to force you to do anything, even if we could." He explained.
"Sure. I don't see why not." Saitama approved, putting his hands into his pockets. "Breathe easy, guys. Things might've ended awkwardly between you and Boros, but we're cool. Plus, you seem polite. You're not acting pushy or like one of those high-and-mighty types. If all you need is a few minutes, that's easy enough to give." He said.
"Thank you. Sincerely. We cannot express how grateful we are." Jinzuren responded. "However, before we proceed, there's something we must know. Saitama, do you have any ideas as to why you've gone unnoticed this entire time?" He asked.
"Honestly? I've had my theories. It's kind of hard not to..." Saitama began, giving it some thought. "The one that makes the most sense is that I've always left before people realized I was the one who saved them. Which, to be fair, isn't hard to believe since a lot of the time I fight monsters or villains causing large-scale destruction. In fact, before Boros reached out to me, I took down a giant naked man while I was out shopping." He shared.
"We know about that. But only because Lady Boros told us." Jinzuren revealed. "Unfortunately, the credit for that has been given to an S-Class hero by the name of King. His title also happens to be the strongest man in the world." He informed them.
"WHAT?" Boros questioned. Somehow, her eye widened even more. However, her tone and expression changed from surprise. If there was a way to describe the difference, it was neutrality teetering on hostility.
"Please! Remain calm!" Busho swiftly interjected. "King happened to be in the area when Saitama defeated the monster! Furthermore, with King being a registered hero AND having his title, naturally, everyone would make that assumption! The only eye-witness to Saitama's victory is you, Lady Boros. And you still haven't been introduced to our superiors, in addition to being unknown to the public. Unfortunately, we can't have you suddenly show up on the news and clarify things. It'd cause mass panic for MULTIPLE reasons!" He explained.
"...I...guess that makes sense..." Boros muttered. Although her expression was irritation, it held no trace of potential violence like before.
"...Hold on," Saitama said, something donning on him. "You said this King guy is a registered hero. What does that mean?" He inquired.
"Master," Genos spoke, getting his attention. "Have you heard of an organization known as the Hero Association?" He asked.
"No. I haven't." Saitama answered.
"...Oh my god..." Busho sighed, throwing his head back and putting a hand over his eyes.
"Careful, scruffy." Boros warned, unsure of why he was reacting this way.
"No, Lady Boros. My exasperation isn't because of Saitama." Busho promised, now looking at her. "Every since we saw his strength for ourselves, we've been wracking our brains trying to understand how someone like Saitama wasn't in our database. But, just to be sure I've got it all sorted, one final question needs to be addressed." He said, moving his focus to the bald man. "Saitama, when did you first begin your efforts to become a hero?" He asked.
"Three years ago." Saitama answered.
"Three years?..." Jinzuren questioned. "Forgive how rude this may sound, Saitama. But you're sure of that amount of time, correct? You're not just making a rough estimate, are you?" He pressed.
"I mean, I couldn't give you the date or time of year off the top of my head, but I am sure that it was three years ago. I was your average salary man when I ran into a crab monster that was hunting a kid with an INSANELY huge cleft chin. Like, the chin alone was bigger than the rest of the kid's skull. Long story short, I couldn't stand by and let him get killed, even if the whole mess WAS his fault. So, I fought the crab monster, won, and decided I'd pursue my childhood dream of becoming a hero who could defeat my enemies in one punch." Saitama recalled. "Sadly, I got precisely what I wanted..." He sighed afterward.
For a moment, there was a pause in the conversation. Busho and Jinzuren felt an odd familiarity with that story. A sense of deja vu far stranger than any other. But why?
"You guys alright?" Boros inquired, noticing their sudden silence.
"Er, yes. Sorry. We were just thinking about Saitama's story." Busho said.
"On that note, why did you need to hear my Master's story? What benefit was there?" Genos asked.
"Simple. The Hero Association, the organization we work for, was founded roughly three years ago." Jinzuren answered. "To be precise, the organization was in the process of becoming a recognized and legitimate body of law enforcement. More accurately, the Hero Association wouldn't be as it is now until a full year later when we had a trusted roster of employed heroes and many more constantly applying to join the ranks." He clarified.
"Ah, I get it." Boros realized with a snap of her fingers. "Saitama's first act of heroism was conducted before your organization was truly something of note. Not an insult, I promise. Furthermore, as Saitama continued to train and make himself stronger, he did so privately. Thus, there was never a moment where he crossed paths with anyone from the Hero Association." She stated.
"Yes. That's the only way any of this can make sense." Busho confirmed with a nod. "However, bringing the conversation back to why we've come here today, Saitama, we'd like to register you officially. That's our proposal." He said.
"What would I have to do?" Saitama inquired.
"Nothing complicated. We'd need you to take the hero's exam to earn the approval of our superiors. Now, I know a LOT of questions immediately come to mind. Firstly, why do you need to take the tests at all? Why don't we just make a video showcasing your strength? Well, you see, people often try to earn their hero status with false incidents that make them seem impressive. In short, they stage a performance and frame it as though it were real. Thus, only those who take the official exam at an approved testing facility and pass will be granted entry into the Association." Busho explained.
"Secondly, we can't just take you to our superiors and have you demonstrate your strength to them. There are far too many complications, protocols, and channels that we, as employees of the Hero Association, would have to go through to get approval. If we attempted to force our way into a meeting, we'd be apprehended by security, regardless of our clearance levels, and detained for questioning. Yet, even if we DID make it to our superiors, how could we safely show them Saitama's strength? Even if he used a small amount of his power, it could lead to potential injuries or costly damages. Which, as absurd as it sounds, would be what our superiors focused on rather than the display itself. Only the same god-like demonstration you gave for us in front of Lady Boros's ship would instantly convince them. Yet, as stated, there's no way to make that happen." Jinzuren told him.
"What about me?" Boros suggested, pointing to herself. "I know I've not met your superiors yet. But if I did, they'd learn about my status, history, and power. Surely, afterward, my claim that Saitama is the strongest member of your species would have undeniable merit." She reasoned.
"True. However, much like with Saitama, we can't just barge in there. There'd be no subtlety, and it'd cause far too many issues. We genuinely believe the best approach is to have Saitama perform a private exam conducted by us at the City Z testing facility. This way, not only would we obtain irrefutable proof with official devices and tools approved by the Association, but we could present it after we set up a meeting between you and our bosses. Two birds, one stone, as controlled and optimal as we could hope for." Busho replied.
"Hm, a surprise attack..." Boros hummed, her warrior instincts briefly showing themselves. "...I...like it." She decided. "Of course, it still is up to Saitama. I will support whatever his decision is." She added.
"As will I." Genos chimed in.
Saitama, genuinely glad to have Boros and Genos on his side, took the next few minutes to consider this choice carefully. At the very least, he wasn't going to dismiss Busho and Jinzuren. But was there a better way to go about this? If there was, could Saitama think of it?
...
...
"Nah," Saitama said with a smile. "No matter how I look at it, you guys presented what is probably our best plan. Plus, as you said, we'll take care of introducing Boros and myself in one go. We can't do much better than that I feel." He told them.
In reaction, Busho and Jinzuren breathed sighs of relief. They were prepared for a nuclear outcome, as outlandish as that might sound. But, even if we removed a certain fiery alien from the equation, Saitama was a chill dude. He had no reason to reject Busho and Jinzuren especially when they've been nothing but polite to him. Going along with their idea not only made sense, but it was also the least he could do.
"Okay!" Busho exclaimed, clapping his hands. "We'll need the rest of today to get everything ready. Is that acceptable?" He requested.
"Sure. It'll give me time to prepare for the exam." Saitama accepted. "I assume there'll be physical activities?" He guessed.
"Yes. There are two parts to the exam. However, we'll be ignoring the other one since all we need is proof your strength." Jinzuren explained.
"This is also good for us," Boros interjected. "I need to inform my elites, and Genos needs to attend to other matters." She said.
Thus, a plan was set into motion. Everyone parted ways to see to their tasks. Unbeknownst to the group, nearby, someone had been listening in. Yet, no one would have seen them as they were burrowed beneath the street.