Disclaimer: I do not own One Punch Man or any of the characters associated with the title. All rights belong to their respective owners.

(A few minutes ago)

Saitama stared at his reflection in the sliding glass door of his convenience store. A door that should've opened the moment he stepped in range. His eyes drifted to the warning sign taped off to the side.

'Dragon Level Threat! Find Shelter!'

'... oh... that means the store's gonna be closed until at least the next shift...' And he was actually looking forward to coming back in. Now, he had nothing to do.

"... hm?" In the reflection of the glass, he saw that one green-haired kid who was always on the news flying overhead, back in the direction he came from. 'Oh... I guess there was a monster around here somewhere...' He picked his ear and began walking back. If there was really nothing to do, then, '... Guess I'll just go home...'

(Present time)

"Oh... COME ON!" King yelled out in exasperation. His King engine blared as he backed into the wall, trying to keep as far away from the petite flying woman he knew could kill him without lifting a finger. "no-no-No! Please! I'm so sorry, Miss Tornado!" Tossing what little pride he had, he shamefully dropped down into a low bow with his forehead pressed firmly to the cement.

Tatsumaki stared at him through the railing, watching as he muttered apologies for something she wasn't even concerned with. Her pointed gaze shifted all around his form, examining every part of him. His physique somewhat checked out. Though, he seemed far taller than the silhouette of the man she saw. She was lying on her back though...

"... Please!" his muffled cry for forgiveness came pounding out.

She narrowed her gaze. The physique alone was a red flag, but... his voice didn't quite match either. '... I knew it,' she thought with a scowl. 'There's no way it could be this idiot...'

"Ah-!" King yelped. With a flick of her wrist, Tatsumaki yanked him from his submissive pose. The force of her telekinesis had him pinned against the wall, five feet off the ground. "t-Tornado... Please...! Please, i-... I'm sorr-!"

"Shut up," she coldly cut his begging short. With a daring look in her eyes, she slowly started drifting toward him. He may not be who she was looking for, but the fact that he was wearing that suit meant he had to know something... Before she could demand the answers she needed, her view of the cowardly man was suddenly blocked by Genos.

The cyborg stood in front of King as if to protect him. He didn't get into a defensive position, but the threat was implied.

Tatsumaki locked eyes with him for a tense moment. "... Move," she demanded in a menacing tone.

Genos did not. He met her fiery glare with his own unwavering look of defiance. "You are attempting to harm a civilian. As the S-Class, rank-1 hero, I am sure you realize this is against the law..."

"... I said, move..."

Genos pulled his hands from his pockets and suddenly squared off. "If you seek to harm him, I ask that you clear away from my Master's apartment complex."

"g-Genos!?" King cried out, hurt by his lack of empathy for the situation.

'His master?' Tatsumaki mulled. '... Hmph, probably the one who built this useless junk,' she figured. "I didn't come here to attack him..." Her eyes shifted back to King. "I'm here to question him."

Still, the Cyborg was unrelenting. "Then do so away from my Master's apartment building."

Tatsumaki looked back at him with a dangerous look in her eye. She could just let it slide and oblige, but... there's always been something about this worthless bot that she didn't like. "Who the hell do you think you are to tell me what I can and can't do?"

"... I will not allow you to do as you please here when my Master's not home..." As if he could feel the tension rising, Genos slowly bald his fists and prepared to fight.

"g-g.. g-g-gen- os..." King stuttered out, shaking his head vehemently. He knew very well what this small woman was capable of. Genos is strong in his own right, but Tatsumaki was on a whole new level of power.

The esper uncrossed her arms and stuck her nose in the air with a look of absolute supremacy as she floated over them. She lifted a hand in their direction and stared at Genos through the gaps in her fingers. "... I won't say it again..."

Genos slowly sunk into a defensive stance. "... Neither will I..." His arms started charging up with a whizzing sound that seemed to accent the pounding of King's fear-stricken heartbeat. "You abuse your position as an S-Class hero to get your way wherever you wish. My master's apartment is the exception. If you intend t-.."

"Tatsumaki?" A feminine voice called out, drawing their attention.

Tatsuamki couldn't believe what she was seeing...

There was Fubuki... walking out of this apartment, pulling her fur scarf back onto her shoulders...

They stared at each other for what felt like an eternity. Her mind was trying to piece this all together. With what she had, the conclusion was something she did not like one bit.

'His master's apartment...?' She had never really known where it was Fubuki actually lived... If Genos were B-Class, she'd understand as that was what her whole little band of weaklings were, but... he's S-Class... and, all of her underlings have only ever called her 'Boss', not 'Master'...

Her face went through many different expressions before a disturbed realization started dawning on her. "... You... You... sick, PERVERT!" Without even trying, one of the street lamps behind her came shooting over her head in a straight shot for the cyborg. The shouts of her sister and King were lost on her.

Saitama stepped through the gate of City-Z with a lazy stride. His ever-present look of disinterest was in place as he thought about what to do with his day. His walk was as quiet as usual. A perk to living in a city that others were too afraid to go to, he supposed. Oddly enough, he got a strange feeling, like someone was following him.

"... Hm?" He stopped in his tracks and looked back over his shoulder. To his surprise, there was someone there. Someone he was quite familiar with. '... Crap... What was his name again...?'

Bang came walking up with his hands clasped behind his back. "Oh, Saitama-boy. Pleasure seeing you again," his elderly voice called out making the bald man internally groan.

'Great... he knows my name. Now, I'll look like a total jerk." He held his composure well and coughed into his fist. "o-Oh... yeah. Good to see you too... uh... s-... Sir..." He was flooded with relief, 'Whew, that was close...'

Bang chuckled lightly. "Hmhmhm..." An awkward silence followed. '... He's forgotten my name...' This realization brought about a playfulness that Bang wasn't particularly known for. The situation was just too tempting. "Ah, none of that Saitama-boy. I feel we've met enough for you to call me by my name..." A challenging glint came to his sharp eyes.

Saitama smiled lightly to hide his own seriousness. "Heh-heh... I suppose you're right..." He tried to leave it there, but by the looks of it, the Old man wasn't gonna give him a chance to escape. He looked at him with a serious glare. 'So, that's how it is... Alright... I guess I'll just have to figure it out,' he decided. It's been a long time since he'd been challenged like this. "... You know, I don't think I've ever been able to pronounce it quite right. How do you say it again?" he asked. 'Heh, a technique I used in school many times. It never fails.'

"There's only really one way to say it," Bang replied with that kind elderly smile. "I'm actually quite curious to see how it can be mispronounced."

Saitama was shocked. 'Uh-...! A reversal...!? He's good...' He narrowed his gaze and locked eyes with the wise old man as he thought up another plan. When he got it, a cocky smirk slipped onto his face. "Actually... I don't remember you ever telling me your name before. I mean, we've only met a few times. Maybe it slipped your mind..."

'Ah,' Bang thought. '... A bold move, but it's not good enough.' He smiled again. "I must have. After all, it's common courtesy to give one's own name when greeting someone... Seeing as I know yours, it is only logical to assume you have heard mine as well."

'... Tch-! Even that...!?' Saitama watched him for any cracks in that sharp look of his. '... He's really good...'

Bang's victory was almost assured. He just needed to drive it home. "Ah... I must say, I'm... honestly, quite hurt. I had assumed we were fair acquaintances by now. I suppose I am just forgettable these days..." The old man feigned a hurt tone as if he were genuinely distraught about the situation. 'Hmph...! What'll you do now, boy...?'

Saitama was no fool. He saw that challenging glint from miles away. But, with a move like that, there was really no way to wiggle out... Now, he had to do the impossible... guess...

With a sigh, he focused closer on his face, trying to draw a name from thin air. The face itself was very recognizable. Old man, with wrinkles, and white hair. '... B...' For some reason, that letter popped into his head. Then, a bit more. 'yeah... yeah, that must be it...'

Bang watched him struggle through it for a moment before he grew tired of their little game. It was impromptu, and there were really no stakes, so it wasn't like he'd be genuinely upset if he were to win or lose. 'Hm-hm... Saitama-boy, you are truly a character...'

"o-Oh," the bald man suddenly uttered, drawing his attention back. Saitama looked up to the sky as if he were still thinking. "... Yeah, yeah, I do remember... You're a hero who goes by one name. I remember seeing you on the news a few times."

Bang was shocked by his sudden shift in confidence. Again, he wasn't really invested in the outcome, but...

"Your name is..."

The old man smiled. 'It seems he really does remember... For some reason, I'm almost flattered... To think, a man of his ledger remembering a poor old fool like me... It really warms my hea-..'

"-Band-aid..." The silence that followed Saitama's poor guess was so thick that he just knew he got it wrong. "n-.. no, wait... That doesn't sound right..." Great, he's already tried once and misfired. The only option now was to just apologize and ask. "h-Hey man, I uh..." Saitama suddenly lost his words when he turned back to see the old man sulking on the side of the road as if he were truly hurt.

"It's... Bang," his withered voice muttered quietly.

"o-Oh, yeah... Bang... How are you?" he asked casually.

As if nothing happened, Bang sighed and rejoined him on their trek through the barren streets. "I am well, Saitama-boy. Just returning from City-Y," he explained. "I was alerted of a monster sighting, but it seems to have been dealt with already."

"Oh... Okay..."

Bang continued to match his stride, step for step. "... I see you are dressed for work," he noted. "I assume the monster alert shut your store down for a few hours?"

"Uh... Yeah," Saitama replied, throwing him a curious look for some unknown reason.

Bang nodded. "... There was quite a mess back there," he stated, side-eyeing the bald man. "I assume that was you who defeated the monster?"

"Hm...?" Saitama hummed. "... Oh, uh... yeah, I ran into one, but... it really wasn't that strong..."

'Hmh-hmh... I do not think you would consider any creature that strong,' Bang mulled. "Ah, I see... The report was for a Demon level, potential Dragon."

For a long moment, the bald man didn't reply, as if he were lost in thought. Eventually, he caught his words. "o-Oh... uh, yeah. I don't think it was me then. That one kid was there when I was leaving, though," he said. "Uh... hurricane of horror er-... something?"

Bang thought it over for a moment. '... Tatsumaki...? What could she be doing down here...?' Bang kept pace with the bald man next to him, not even caring that he was already off his path to his dojo. In truth, he was seeking to gain some insight into Saitama during this time. "Ah... Tornado of Terror, you mean," he corrected him. "She is quite formidable when it comes to taking down high-level threats. It was possibly her."

"Yup..."

"She's the S-Class rank 1 hero, you know," Bang said as if giving out a fun fact.

Saitama simply raised a curious brow. Bang assumed it was by such a surprising fact. It was no question she seemed far younger than she was. To hear someone like that is so powerful, it would shock a lot of people.

In truth, Saitama wasn't interested at all. '... Is he just gonna follow me home...?' He turned back to the road ahead and continued on. "Uh... cool..."

"There are a lot of powerful heroes in the S-Class rank... Some are far more adept at it than myself, yet somehow I've claimed the Rank 2 position, heh-heh."

"Heh," Saitama awkwardly mimicked his chuckle. "Yeah..."

"... Your disciple," Bang spoke again, cracking the brief silence. "Genos...? He's quite an interesting young man, isn't he?"

Saitama peaked over at him with an almost suspicious look in his eyes. '... He's still following me...' He looked back to the road and considered his words. "Interesting how? All he talks about is getting stronger..."

Bang chuckled a bit. "Hohoh. Well, that is something that all disciples reach for, isn't it?"

"... Well... I guess," he shrugged. "I don't see the point in it though. Getting stronger just makes everything... kinda boring..."

Bang smiled slightly. "I suppose so. Overwhelming strength can be quite a nuisance when you've got no way to go from there."

"...Yeah..."

"... So, am I right to assume that that is why you no longer wish to be a hero?" Bang asked, finally getting down to the root of his inquiries.

Saitama fed him another curious look. "... uh... Yeah, I guess so... Plus, I didn't have the patience to go out and meet that quota er-.. whatever, every week..."

Bang furrowed his brow in confusion. '... Quota...? Ah... I see...' Bang was brought in as an automatic S-Class, much like Genos. It was only the C-class heroes who had to meet that quota. It was more to weed out those who weren't serious about pursuing a career in actual hero work. Those who sought only the recognition of being a hero. "... You know, Saitama-boy," Bang said, drawing his attention, "That whole Quota business is only for the C-class heroes. If you were to make a higher ranking... say, S-Class, you wouldn't need to worry about such a thing... You'd simply be called upon for the major threats when they arise..."

If he was surprised by that revelation, Saitama didn't show it. "Oh... o-Okay...?"

"... So, do you think you'd be interested in something like that?" Bang asked. He was asking for the sake of Tatsumaki. A young girl who was as tough as they come on the outside, but her actions within the past few weeks have shown him a different side of her. A side that would rather seek the help – albeit indirectly – of another to alleviate the pressure on her own shoulders. That's what this week-long shut-in of hers really boiled down to... her own fear of failure...

With Garou running amuck and the rise in high-threat level monsters, her being focused was a necessity... even if it meant helping in the endeavor of convincing the strongest being he's ever known to rejoin their ranks.

Saitama almost seemed to think it over for a second. "... Mm... Nah, It'd still be boring," he shot him down.

Bang smiled slightly. There was a time when he thought the same. Back before when he knew less about the world than he would've liked. Back when the rush of the fight still mattered... The thrill of possible defeat. Before he knew the true meaning... "Well, there is more to being a hero than a good fight, Saitama-boy... You know... civilians are far more fragile than we S-Class heroes could ever imagine... Yet, to them, there is no such thing as unbeatable evil..."

Saitama watched him out the side of his eye. '... Uh... What's he talking about?'

"... -because they have us." Bang finished, giving him a small smile. "That aside, we've been reminded twice in the past month that we heroes are far more fragile than a man of your strength could ever imagine... and twice, we've seen that there is no such thing as unbeatable evil... because of you..."

Saitama still didn't fully understand, but he got the gist of it. For some reason, the old man wanted him to rejoin the Hero Association. That was something he'd been thinking about for quite some time, but what good would it do? Nothing would change. He'd still beat every monster he came up against in one punch, it didn't pay that much, and it was just all-around boring. Sure, his new job was more or less the same in terms of difficulty, but at least it was close enough to home, and it had set hours with multiple benefits. "... Uh, I get what you're trying to say, old man... but, honestly, I don't think I want to do hero work anymore... I mean... maybe one day, I will, but... right now, I kinda like where I am..."

"LOOK OUT!" a feminine shriek cried out, catching their attention.

"Hm?" Saitama looked up to see a bus come flying down from the sky. It was stopped in mid-air by a blue hue of light only a few feet above him before it was tossed aside.

"Oh, Fubuki," Bang said with a hint of surprise in his tone. "How are you? You seem troubled."

"Bang, it's my sister!" she yelled in a panic. "She's attacking Demon Cyborg! They'll end up tearing this city apart if we don't do something!"

Bang looked down the street just as the ground beneath them flexed at the sound of a big impact. "... Oh," he said. "That is troubling..."

Tatsumaki held her superior pose with her arms crossed over her chest keeping far out of reach of the eager cyborg below. He really wasn't even worth the effort. She'd been playing with him from the start. If she wanted to, she could crush him like a car in a junkyard, but that would only cause more trouble for her with the association. "Pervert," she growled, eyeing him down with a daring look. "Who do you think you are, taking advantage of my sister? You're nothing but scum!"

Genos was crouched down below, waiting to evade the next attack. His body was tattered and unkempt with loose wires and sparks fidgeting and jutting out of the exposed crevasses of his outer armor. No matter what he did, Tatsumaki had no exploitable openings. If anything, he could definitely say she was worthy of her rank, but her intelligence was something to be determined. "You have... misunderstood the situation," he informed her.

His words fell on deaf ears. Tatsumaki launched another loose bulky item from nearby his way, and she watched him struggle to avoid it and maintain their line of sight. Before he could get his footing, she snatched him with her psychic grip.

"Tch!" Forcing his arm up, Genos tried to shoot a blast her way in hopes of freeing himself, but his shot was simply caught in a bubble and tossed aside.

With little care for the matter as a whole, Tatsumaki flung him back down to the ground. She watched as his body implanted into the chipping asphalt. Slowly, she descended until her own feet touched down a few yards away from him.

For a moment, Genos stayed on his back and assessed his damages. Then, he pushed himself up, struggling his way back to his feet. "ergh-...!"

"Your excuses don't matter to me," Tatsumaki said. "... You don't even deserve to die by my hand, you sick demented perverted freak..." The look in her eyes was chilling. It was so cold and piercing that it was almost like she was looking right through him.

Genos snarled. He was usually fairly level-headed, but this woman had a way of pushing his buttons. "Your sister... is not my master... The master I speak of is a man... and he is not a sexual deviant whom I serve. He is the greatest hero to ever exist. He is teaching me to unlock my full potential. To break my limits and surpass my previous self. So that I can find him, and avenge m-.."

"Yeah-yeah-yeah," Tatsumaki rushed him, physically shooing his words away with her hand. "Whatever. I don't need to hear your backstory." She stared at him curiously. '... Greatest hero to ever exist...?' Her mind got to working here. The suit on King of all people, an S-Class hero claiming his master lives in those crappy apartments... the only thing that threw a wrench into things was Fubuki's presence, but there were many things that could've happened there. "... Who is this 'Master' of yours...? What's his name...?"

Genos narrowed his gaze. "... My master... is none of your concern... He doesn't like uninvited company... and he needn't worry himself with the likes of you..."

Now, he was just starting to annoy her. With a sigh and a flick of her wrist, Genos was yanked off his feet at break-neck toward the green-haired esper. Tatsumaki stopped him three feet away and floated up so they were at eye level. "... I won't... ask again... What – is – his – name?"

Genos considered his options. He could tell her, but then she would only begin to pester Master Saitama just as the other girl. Things were already getting quite crowded around the apartment. With someone like her, there was bound to be more trouble. He could give her a fake name, but she would only look to her sister to confirm it. He couldn't move his limbs, so attacking in that way was a no-go. Though, at this distance, there was one new attack he could try. He's never shown it, so she would have no knowledge of it. If there was ever a time to try it out, it was now.

"My master... m-... my master..."

Tatsumaki stared at him with a dumb look as she watched steam start pouring out of gaps on his body. 'Tch... What the hell is this...?'

"My-... My Master...! Is the GREATEST HERO TO EVER LI-..!"

(Thew!)

There was a loud popping sound like someone hit the back of a metal pan and let it ring. Tatsumaki furrowed her brow when she saw Genos's eyes start rolling back. She didn't even realize she was still holding him up until his head fell limply but his body didn't follow. Confused, she released him and watched him fall over with a clunky mechanical thud. As his body fell, the person behind him came into view.

"Genos... You were gonna blow the whole block apart," Saitama said with his hands in his pockets, looking down at his student.

"... m-... Master..."

Like a bullet full of revelations shot straight threw her head, Tatsumaki's eyes grew in surprise. The audio she heard just before she fled the conference room. That's what was being said, and... and this is who said it. '... h-He... He was there...! When I was pinned by that octopus freaks gravity technique! He was thrown through the top of the ship! I remember that...! So... putting two and two together...' Her eyes traveled up the body of the man standing behind him...

He had the right build...

"Hergh... I sure hope you kept this little sparring match away from my apartment building," Saitama muttered as he helped Genos to his feet.

Right voice...

"I apologize, Master. I was successful in minimizing damages... t-.. to a certain degree."

"A certain degree!? w-What the heck does that mean!? What did you break!?"

Genos put his head down in shame. "There is... some damage to the kitchen..."

"... Someone's gonna have to pay for that..."

"You...!"

The two looked up to see Tatsumaki hovering above them, staring down at Saitama with a scrutinizing look. "... Hm? Do I know you?"

Now that she could see his face, she started recognizing him more and more. '... That bald head... those uninterested eyes... the uniform...?' Her eyes shot open in shock. "You're the idiot from the corner store...!"

"... uh... Me...? Did I get your change wrong or something?"

The more she looked at him, the more confused she became. 'n... no... I was so sure... There's... there's no way this guy could possibly...'

"Master Saitama. The damage was done by a light pole thrown by this woman. She is the Rank-1 S-class hero, Tornado of Terror, Tatsumaki. Statistically speaking, the highest-paid hero behind Rank-1 A-Class hero, Amai Mask," Genos explained.

Saitama's mind boggled the information for a moment. "Oh... Then, she's gonna pay for it?"

"That would be the fairest solution to this situation," Genos said. With a stiff point of his finger, he made his demand with an authoritative boom to his voice, "Tornado. You were the one responsible for the damages to Master Saitama's apartment complex. It is only right that you take responsibility and pay the damage fee while also putting up a place to accommodate him until the damage is fixed. Noncompliance is not an option. I will give you three seconds t-.."

(WHOOSH BANG!)

Genos was swept off his feet faster than he could comprehend, smacking into one of the vacant buildings off to the side. Saitama didn't care to track the movement initially, so he lost sight of him. He looked around until he spotted his fidgeting legs sticking out of a fresh hole in a nearby building. "Hm...? Genos...? What happened? Did you slip?"

Bang and Fubuki floated down next to the defeated cyborg and immediately started helping him.

"You," Tatsumaki's voice growled out again.

Saitama looked at her again, still confused about what just happened.

That casual look of his irked her for some reason. As she ran through her checklist, he fit damn near everything she could pinpoint, but... it just felt... wrong. So wrong, in fact, that she was sure this was all just a big misunderstanding... Even so... she just had to know for sure. "... Fight me..."

Saitama's blank stare was plastered on her. He heard the request, loud and clear, but it came so suddenly that he couldn't understand what was happening. "... uh... what...? Fight you? Why would I do that?"

"Because I said so...! Fight me!" she demanded again.

A look of amusement overcame him as if he understood the situation, or at least what her intentions were. "Eheh, look. There's no need for that, really. You can just pay the damages and we can end it there. We don't have to f-.." He stuck his right arm out, catching the small baseball-sized chunk of rock she tried to hurl at the side of his head.

Obviously, she wasn't trying to kill him. It was just to test the waters-see if he really was more than a civilian.

Saitama pulled the rock in front of him and stared at it as if he expected it to explode or something. "Oh..." He tossed it up a few times as if checking its weight. "More rock throwing huh...?"

Tatsumaki narrowed her gaze. Why did he sound so... disappointed...? There really was something off about this man. "... Fight me..."

"Uh... Look... I really don't wanna get in trouble or anything," he said, tossing the stone aside. "I know you're a hero and all, but..."

She sighed, thinking that was all there was to it. Of course, he wouldn't fight her. Any way she looked at it, it would just be a bad wrap for him. If he really is powerful, then he'd be seen as nothing more than a criminal, win or lose. She was ready to just give up, until... he finished his comment.

"-I don't really want to be arrested for fighting a kid or anything..."

"..."

Fubuki gasped. She, Genos, and Bang froze, looking between the two as if they could sense the impending doom. It was so quiet, they could hear the electrified snaps of the cyborgs malfunctioning interior. Three collective minds had very similar thoughts, all at once and all in the same knowing tone, '... shit...'

Saitama was blissfully unaware of the danger he just unleashed as his plain look continued watching the girl who seemed to be... glowing a lot brighter now... and her hair was starting to rise. '...w-... Wait... I do know her...'