AN: Welcome back! Before you read, I apologize for how long I've been taking. I have honestly been fighting through writer's block for a while. When I finally broke through, it was hard for me to find a good end to this chapter, so it's longer than I'd like it to be, but hopefully not too boring. As previously stated, I am re-working my older chapters as I go along, so before this story is finished I will definitely be going through a few of these newer entries to trim the fat a bit. Thank you to everyone that has read and reviewed, I really appreciate it.

Also, I've gotten this question a few times, so I'll answer it here. No, Code is not 'God' from the canon storyline. He is a completely original character, though I can see why people would draw that conclusion. Hopefully, I do him justice with the plan I have in mind. That being said, please enjoy the chapter.

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

Saitama strolled around the impressive robotics lab of the young genius who was darting around, eagerly working on different projects all at once while he searched for what he was looking for... and he was still talking... From the moment they met in the hall, he had not stopped talking...

"In here, no one really bothers me too much! I can pretty much build whatever I want! It's not as big as my main lab in City-Y, so I can't go too crazy, but...!"

Saitama watched as he snatched a screwdriver off a table and started tinkering with different bots and devices along his way.

"They bring me all kinds of scrap from different cyborg creatures and evil robots that they clean up around the cities! Sometimes I find some cool new pieces to reinforce my own stuff, it's really cool!"

The bald hero slowly paced alongside the many odd or incompleted projects as if he were visiting a museum. "Uhhh... yeah..." He stopped at a table that had a collection of glowing orbs spilling out of a tipped-over box. When he picked one up to examine it, he could feel it vibrating in the palm of his hand as if it were boiling.

"Those are grenades I'm gonna put in one of my exo-suits!" the kid exclaimed, excitedly. "I actually collected that energy from the metal of that alien ship that destroyed this city! You remember that Boros guy you beat!?"

With a squinted gaze, he brought the strange little orb closer to his face for a better view. "I think so," he said, tapping at the glass.

"That energy from his final blast was still lingering in some of the metal of that ship!"

"... Hm," Saitama hummed as he set it down and continued on.

"It's super potent! I was actually thinking of a way to power my equipment with it, but it's a little too volatile in its raw state! A single one of those bombs is like a mini-nuke! It's really cool!"

Saitama watched him digging through some crates for a bit until the kid popped up victoriously.

"Found it!" He ran over to a corner where his main computer was set up and Saitama wordlessly followed him, hoping to get whatever this was over with quickly. The kid plopped down in his computer chair and started furiously typing something out as he continued talking about the grenade. "If I can synthesize that energy, I might actually be able to clean it and make it into a sustainable power source for more than just weapons."

Saitama picked up a discarded robot arm and flopped it around a few times. "You mean like for microwaves and stuff...?" He accidentally triggered something and the arm shot off a blast of energy at the wall. His gaze shifted over to the kid to see if he was looking. "Oops..."

"Yeah," Child Emperor said, ignoring the commotion as he continued typing like a madman, "or... like maybe even like fighter jets!"

Saitama walked over and joined him at his computer. "Well... that's still a weapon."

"Alright, check this out," the kid ignored him, spinning around in his seat with something in his hands. "Catch!"

Saitama did as instructed and examined what he tossed at him. "Hm...? What's this? A metal ball...?"

"Heh! It's not just any metal! It's also from that alien ship!" He spun back around and began typing again as he further explained. "I ran some tests on it and it's actually the strongest metal on this planet by a mile! Nearly a hundred times stronger than titanium! See, I have a mask that I use to scan a person's body that tells me how physically strong they are. I scanned you when we were leaving our first meeting together, but I couldn't get a good enough read on you for some reason. At first, I thought it was because you were too weak, but now I think you may have just completely out-charted the limits of the device, which is insane!"

Saitama tossed the ball up in the air a few times with a confused look. "... okay?"

"With that ball, I might be able to get an accurate read on you. The way the metal was used on the ship was kinda counterintuitive to its components, making it considerably weaker than it should have been, which is why we were able to cut into it at all. It took me a while, but I was able to dissect its key components and completely cleanse it of its foreign properties. Now, it's in its pure form which, if I'm correct, is nearly invulnerable!"

Saitama stared at his reflection in the metal for a moment. 'Invulnerable...? Whoa...' He squeezed it a few times as if to test it, but it just seemed like a regular metal ball... so, he squeezed a bit harder... and much to his shock, it completely shattered in his palm. '... oops...'

"At least I think it is," Child Emperor continued, "but I won't know until I test it, which is why you're here! That's got a pressure plate at its core, so I just gotta sink it back up to my computer so that we can see how much pressure you can apply to it. So far, I've tested it with Darkshine and Tanktop Master, and I got some good data, but-.."

"Um..."

Child Emperor spun back around in his seat and stared at the bits of metal in his palm.

"I... kinda broke it... Sorry..."

"Heh... heh-heh," the kid chuckled, shaking his head. "That's... amazing!" He hopped out of his seat and ran over to examine the damage. "Oh man, they couldn't even dent that thing, and you shattered it!"

Saitama watched him pick around the bits with a confused look on his face. "... So... is that a good thing...?"

"Good? It's unbelievable!" His young eyes were sparkling in admiration as he stepped back and plopped down in his seat with a sigh. "You really might be the strongest hero in the entire world..." He spun back around and got back to typing.

Saitama didn't respond to that. Instead, he looked around his cluttered little workspace until he spotted something of interest tucked away in the corner. Glancing back at the young genius to see if he was watching, he casually plodded over.

"That's why I thought you were definitely gonna be number 1 after that mission," Child Emperor stated.

Saitama almost didn't process what he said as he opened the door to a mini-fridge. To his delight, there were some solid options. "... what?"

"In the ranking," he clarified. "I mean... Tornado's strong and all but, she's kind of uh... immature..."

Saitama raised a brow at the irony of that statement coming from a literal child, but he decided not to speak on it as he raided his food.

"She's always just doing things her own way all the time. Even when we have missions together... I know it doesn't happen often, but when it does, she just refuses to cooperate more than anyone else. It's super annoying when they expect me to come up with a plan. I mean... she really is like a tornado. I just never know what she's gonna do, ya know...?"

"... uh... yeah," Saitama muttered. "Do you have any jelly?"

"Huh?" Child Emperor turned around to see him spreading peanut butter on a slice of bread. "Oh... yeah, I think so. Check in the back."

"Thanks..." Saitama dug around a bit until he found what he needed. "... She's pretty strong, though," he said, giving his two cents on the former topic. "It seems like she always does something useful."

Child Emperor shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, sometimes... I mean, don't get me wrong, she's a great hero... In fact, if I'm unbiased, she's probably the best... statistically speaking..."

"Statistically...?" Saitama muttered taking a bite of his sandwich. Suddenly, a video popped up on the big monitor the kid was working on. It was a live news report of the attack they weren't yet aware of.

Lightning Max had his eyes clenched shut as he heroically used his body to shield Spring Mustachio from the blast... only, he wasn't feeling any pain, even after the ungodly rumble died down. "... huh...?" When he opened his eyes, they were encased in a green bubble.

"Tornado!" Stinger shouted, looking up to the sky. "She saved us all!"

With a strong swirl of the wind, the area was cleared of smoke, revealing the scene in its entirety.

Tatsumaki's daring gaze darted around the province, ensuring she was able to protect everyone. There were barriers surrounding every building in range along with the three lingering lower-class heroes. She huffed a sigh of relief and returned her attention to the monster. It was now oozing that golden energy from fissures all around its body, and its red glowing eyes were set right on her.

"RRRAAAARRRRRGGGHHHHH!" With a roar, it fired a beam in her direction.

"Tch," she scoffed when it collided with her barrier. She stuck her hand out and shut her fist again.

"AAAAARRRRGGGHHHHH!" The entire right side of the monster was crushed in a second. "RRRAAAAARRRRGGGHHHHH!" The creature toppled over, still firing that deadly beam from its bloated throat in every direction.

"Shit!" she exclaimed when the careless attacks managed to carve out the ground beneath one of the buildings. It immediately began to topple over before she caught it. The moment she did, she had to drop down to avoid another beam coming her way too fast for her to block. It cost her a split second of focus and the building began to tilt over again. As soon as she caught her bearings, she seized it again and stood it upright. The sudden motion of the unsteady building incited panicked shouts from within, and much to her irritation, a man suddenly stumbled out of one of the windows, screaming in terror as he fell from the 15th floor.

"ah-! AHHHHHH-!"

Tatsumaki zoomed over and snatched him by the collar of his throat, cutting his scream short.

"Huh...?" the horrified man's gaze found its way up to his savior. "t-Tornado! You saved me!"

Tatsumaki spared him a single glance before she gently tossed him back into the nearest window.

"th-Thank you!" he shouted.

With her power, she tore chunks from the destroyed field nearby and piled them under the vacated undercarriage of the building to hold it steady.

"There," she huffed before returning her steel-like glare to the beast responsible. With half of its body now a mushy pile, it was doing all it could to climb into a defensive position. It still had three good arms left and a leg, but it was clearly just a sitting duck against the hero it was facing.

Tatsumaki stuck her hand out and again started to slowly clench her fist. With every twitch of her fingers, the body of the beast was imploding into itself. "Don't get up again..."

Child Emperor and Saitama watched the news coverage intensely as the latter munched on his peanut butter and jelly sandwich. "Statistically speaking," the boy continued, "Tornado has the highest civilian protection rate out of any hero in the organization... by like... a very wide margin. It's calculated based on a number of different factors from when a hero arrives at the scene of a mission. For one, how dangerous the threat is, and since she's been in the top two of S-Class for a few years now, she really only gets called for the super dangerous situations. Then, there's the civilian survivability rate based on when a hero arrives, and to put it simply, anytime she's on the scene, the odds of civilian casualties are decreased by about 97%... which is insane..."

Saitama chewed a bite of his sandwich as he stared at the image of the woman in question on the screen. She was heroically staring down at the crushed body of the monster she had just been fighting. '... Wow,' he thought. '... I knew she was a good hero, but hearing those numbers really puts it into perspective...'

"It's the highest of any hero ever officially recorded," Child Emperor tacked on. Despite his words of her accomplishments, he was still glaring at her image, as if the mere sight of her was giving him a headache. She was a pain in the neck, but he couldn't deny her effectiveness when it came to hero work.

"... So, why shouldn't she be number 1?" Saitama asked.

The question caught him off guard and he blinked away his daze. "... I don't know," he said with a shrug of his shoulders. "... She's just..." Instead of finishing his thought, he shook his head, "I just think it should be you, is all... Heh... I guess I'm... kind of a fan of yours..."

Saitama stared down at the kid with no reaction to that news. '... so, he's a fanboy...' He took another bite of his sandwich and looked back up at the screen when something else started happening. It looked like the crushed body of the monster was somehow healing itself, again. "... Is that live?"

"Yeah..."

Saitama nodded... and then took another bite. "... Think we should go help...?"

Child Emperor watched the monster morph into some kind of huge blob of ever-growing arms. When they first cut the broadcast on, the creature had a somewhat humanoid shape. Now, it was like a wad of glowing bubble gum with hands popping out of itself at nearly every angle. It was evolving like some kind of video game boss that just refused to die. Still, it wasn't a match for the hero it, unfortunately, matched up with, no matter how many times it morphed. "... Nah, Tornado's got it covered... Kinda impressive it keeps gettin' up though, right?"

Saitama chewed his latest bite down with a shrug. "Guess so..."

"Hey," Child Emperor called out, turning back around in his seat.

Saitama watched him contemplate his words for a moment, absentmindedly peeking back up at the screen above him a few times.

"... Do you... do you even care about the ranking...?"

"Hm...?"

"The ranking," he repeated. "... I mean... at that press conference, you kinda stuck up for Tornado, pretty hard... It almost seemed like you didn't even want to be number 1..."

Saitama took the last bite of his sandwich and dusted his gloves off before he shrugged. "Not really... I mean, it doesn't really matter once you're in S-Class, right? It seems like everyone's pretty strong..." His gaze shifted back to the screen, and again, he stared at the image of the small woman facing off against the disgusting blob of flesh. There wasn't a shred of urgency in her unwavering pose of dominance, and if anything was familiar about what he was seeing, she almost looked bored. "I guess... it just seems rude that no one thinks she can do the job, is all..."

Tatsumaki's disinterested look watched the ugly mess of extending arms thrash around and roar its agonized cries. She couldn't understand why it kept getting back up. Was there something about it specifically that she had to destroy, or was it just a matter of reducing it to ash completely? Every evolution it made seemed to be tearing its body apart, but it also seemed to be growing in strength despite its depleted form. So, would destroying it more only trigger another empowered evolution? '... I wonder what he would do...' She shook her head with a small chuckle. That answer was almost too obvious...

Code watched her from the window with a bowl of noodles that he was casually slurping. "Hm-hm," he chuckled as he chewed his food. "Still not even fazed, huh...?" He looked around at the surrounding buildings for a moment as he twirled his noodles. "You really are amazing... I like you..." His gaze shifted back to the blob of flesh on the other side of the field.

Tatsumaki narrowed her eyes when the monster suddenly stopped its agonized thrashing. It suddenly locked onto her from a distance before it started to look around. Before she was ready for it to make such an intelligent move, it suddenly began shooting beams from all around its body at the bases of the buildings in every direction. Within a flash, there were now six or seven toppling over, inciting more screams of terror from the people left inside. As quick as she could, she got ahold of all of them and swiftly stood them upright again. In response, the monster toppled more.

"Shit!" she exclaimed, snatching those as well. It was a shock because the beast had shown little in the way of strategic thinking. This was the first sign of any intelligence, whatsoever.

Code took another slurp of his noodles even as the building he was in toppled over. They were nearly at a 45-degree angle with the ground below before she caught them. "Hm-hm... Nice..." When he took one more bite, he tossed his bowl aside and stood to his feet. In a blink, he was in a different room. The lights in the building were all out at this point, but he could clearly see a group of civilians piled into the bathroom, desperately screaming as they listened to the sounds of the ongoing calamity.

Without a shred of hesitation, he snatched a woman by the back of her shirt and tossed her out the window.

"AHHHHH!"

Tatsumaki locked onto the falling woman and grabbed her from a distance, slowly lifting her back to a window...

"AHHHHHH!"

"Huh?" Her gaze shot to another building when a man came crashing through the glass of a room on the top floor. She grabbed him as well.

"AHHHHHH!"

"HEEEELLLPPP!"

"WHOOOAAA!"

Suddenly, there were people just flying through the windows of the buildings in every direction, nearly too fast for her to act. Somehow, she managed to grab them all as they fell, one after the other, and just when she thought she had a handle on the situation...

"STINGER!" Lightning Max shouted when the monster started shooting its beam in the direction of his fellow A-Class member.

Stinger was masterfully ducking and dodging the beam from the street he was on. He ran along the sides of the buildings and slid under and over the vacated cars in his way. Still, he was only narrowly avoiding the never-ending attack, and every time he did, the beam of destructive energy was zooming passed him, destroying everything it touched in its path.

It only took one slip for him to see his entire life flash before his eyes. The death beam was closing in on him fast, and he didn't even have the option of trying to avoid it. His gaze shifted over to Lightning Max who was still supporting the weight of Spring Mustachio. Just when he thought he was done for, the beam of energy slid right around him when that familiar green glow encased him in a bubble of protection.

"Huh-!?" Suddenly, he was lifted up into the air and tossed into one of the nearby buildings Tatsumaki was still holding up.

"Get out of the way!" he heard her shout from a distance.

"Ergh-!" With a groan, he rolled over to his hands and knees to catch his breath. He was still shell-shocked at nearly dying just a second ago... and then, he realized he wasn't alone in this dark room.

"Uck-! Ack-!"

With a flash of light from outside, a startling sight was revealed to him on the other side of the room. A strange man with a scraggly beard and curly hair was holding another man up by his neck with a glowing hand.

"h-Hey!" he shouted. "Put him d-.."

The man's lazy glare shifted over to him without a shred of care for being caught in the act.

"... Put him down..."

Code stared at the young hero for a long moment before he flashed him a small smirk. "... heh... no problem..."

(Woosh)

"AHHHH!"

He threw the man out the window.

"Shit!" Stinger immediately jumped for the window he came through to try and save him, but before he could make it out, his foot was suddenly snatched in a vice-like grip.

Code swung him back inside and slammed him into the wall, breaking through to the next room over, plowing through dry wall, a desk, and bed. He didn't stop until he hit the other wall with a painful smack.

"Ergh-!" Stinger slid down to his butt as his vision blurred.

'... inger... St.. ger...! Stinger!' Lightning Max's voice came crackling in through his earpiece. 'Stinger, are you there!?'

"Err-... I'm... I'm here!" he shouted back.

'Oh, thank god! I thought you were-..'

"Max!" he cut him off as he used the wall behind him to push himself back to his feet. "There's...! There's someone else h-..!"

(BOOM)

Before he could finish, his head was slammed back against the wall by Code who had a hand clasped over his mouth. "Mmph-! Mmmph!"

Code stared at the man with that lazy glare of his before he pulled the earpiece from his ear and crushed it with a pinch of his fingers. "Ah-ah-ah," he sang in a daring tone as he leaned in and stared him in the eyes. "Can't have you ruining my entrance... hero..."

"Mmmmph!"

Tatsumaki gently lifted the last of the falling civilians back into one of the buildings before she finally had enough of this. Her glare returned to the monster that was now targeting the other lower-class heroes that were struggling to escape. With her powers, she snatched them a moment before they were vaporized by the monster's beam of light, just like the other one. Again, she tossed them into a nearby building before she rose higher in the air. With both hands out, she encased every building in range in a glowing light of protection and slowly started lifting them, completely uprooting them from their crumbling foundations until they were at a safer distance.

"RRAAAAAAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!" The monster roared at the sight of the flying constructs before its gaze again found its way to the woman responsible. "RAAAAAARRRRGGGHHHH!" With a roar, it fired a stream at her, hoping to catch her off guard.

With one hand, she stopped the blast before it came anywhere near her. Still, the look on her face was as disinterested as ever, as if such an impossible feat was simple child's play. As she held the energy back, she suddenly got an idea and immediately acted on it. With a gentle push of her hand, her barrier began wrapping around the blast of energy itself, pushing it back to the source.

The monster was still firing a continuous shot as if they were in some sort of power struggle that it was quickly losing. When her barrier reached the creature, she completely engulfed it in a reverse barrier. The blast of energy quickly started to fill the empty space before the entire inside of the glowing green orb was lit up in the odd source of power.

"AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH! AAAARRGGGHHH! AAAARRRRGGGHHH!" Immediately, she could tell from the sudden spike in the urgency of the monster's roars that the energy was burning the creature alive. With a slow squeeze of her hand, the reverse barrier was condensing, ramping up the vibrance of the light with every twitch of her fingers.

Saitama stared at the screen with a blank expression that didn't exactly express what he was feeling. He had seen many amazing powers and abilities throughout his days of hero work, and he was even impressed by this very woman before, but... seeing her effortlessly lift fifteen apartment complexes into the sky all while fighting a monster one-handed was kind of amazing to witness. Between that and the little twisty thing she did during their mission, he couldn't really say which was more impressive... in fact, he couldn't really think of anything to say other than, "... wow..."

On the flip side, Child Emperor wasn't at all as interested. He watched her condense the ball of light little by little until it shrank down to the size of a baseball and fizzled away, presumably reducing the monster to ash before their very eyes. Maybe he'd be more impressed if he didn't already know what Tornado was capable of. As much as he's seen, this was little more than a typical victory for her.

He used to watch her with wonder, just like everyone else, until he discovered what type of person she was. Maybe it was a little biased, but he still held firm in his opinion of her being unfit for the number 1 rank. Number 1 should be more than strength and statistics... Number 1 should be someone who inspires hope even in the bleakest of times... and as far as he was concerned, the one hero to do that over the past few months has been Saitama.

"Heh..."

The bald man chuckled behind him, drawing his attention away from the screen just as Tatsumaki was setting the buildings back down in their places. He looked up at him to see him smiling lightly at the monitor. Other than a small curl at the corners of his lips, his face was more or less set in that plain look... yet, that smile felt oddly genuine. More than that, it brought a number of questions to mind. 'What is it about Tornado that seems to impress Saitama so much...? Why does he vouch for her so heavily...? Why does he almost seem to... like her...?'

"She really is strong," Saitama said, essentially answering all of the questions the kid had as if he were reading his thoughts.

Child Emperor kept watching him for a moment before he turned back and saw crowds of people storming out of the buildings, all converging on the hero that saved their lives as she hovered close to the ground to make sure everyone was safe. The camera soon switched to a ground team of reporters shuffling through the charging crowd. "... yeah," he finally replied. "... I never said she wasn't..."

Saitama looked down at the kid, wondering where that statement came from. He didn't mean to imply anything about his view of her.

"Aside from you, she's definitely the strongest we have, but... there's a reason she doesn't have any friends..." Unconsciously, Child Emperor was glaring at the disinterested look of Tatsumaki when the camera view zoomed in for a close-up. "Give it time and... you'll see..."

Saitama raised a curious brow at the visible distaste on his face. This kid sounded like he more than disliked her. Was she really that bad? Of all the things he'd said so far, the one thing that stuck out was, '... She doesn't have friends...?'

"Tornado! Over here!"'

"You did it!"

"That's why you're number 1!"

"You're the greatest!"

"Can we get a comment!?"

Tatsumaki was being ambushed by a sea of reaching hands and heartfelt praise in every direction. "Hold on," she tried to shush them. "Is anyone hurt?"

"Tornado! Right here!"

"Sign my shirt!"

"What?" She looked around for anyone that might have gotten injured when she uprooted the buildings. It was a dangerous maneuver, but it was all she could think to do to get them all out of range of the attacks. "Hey, hang on, for a second!"

"We love you!"

"You're the best!"

She huffed out a frustrated breath when their camera's started flooding out all at once, pestering her vision with their blinding flashes, and soon enough, the usual media clowns started breaking through to the front.

"Tornado! Tornado, over here!"

Her roaming eyes just so happened to land on a reporter yelling into his own microphone. As soon as they locked eyes, the man asked her a question that she almost wished she didn't hear.

"What do you think about the outcry of people that disagree with the ranking!?"

"I-.. I don't kn-.."

"Tornado!" another shouted. "Did you see the press conference!?"

"Do you agree with your rank!?"

"Do you think you're a better hero than One-Punch-Man!?"

"Huh?" she reeled at the badgering questions.

"Any thoughts on the rumors about you and One-Punch-Man!?"

"What!?"

"Tornado! Is the city going to reimburse these people for their destroyed homes!?"

With that, she finally had enough and rolled her eyes before she blasted off into the sky. As soon as she did, the crowd of fans cheered even louder for their hero.

Code stood on top of one of the off-kilter buildings, watching her leave. Even though his mission was essentially a failure from the start, he couldn't help but be impressed with the outcome... Whatever the outcome was, anyways. "... Hm... not bad, princess... Not fuckin' bad..." When she was out of sight, he looked down at the gold coin in the palm of his hand. There was no number on it, anymore. Now, it was just a useless piece of metal with no markings or ridges. Again, he flipped it up into the air with a ting, but this time, he was gone before it hit the ledge of the rooftop and tumbled down to the street below.

"ergh-... errrggghhh," Stinger groaned as he awoke to the sound of the deafening cheers in the distance. The room around him was pitch black and his head was spinning. There was a loud ringing at the back of his head that he couldn't seem to shake away... and beneath that ringing, there was a voice that he wasn't familiar with... a voice he had never heard before... and regardless of how clear it was, he couldn't decipher what it was saying. Slowly, his senses were returning to him, and he could feel and hear the rumble of approaching footsteps.

"-inger! Stinger...! I found him!"

He squinted his eyes when someone from the hallway flashed a light at his face. "I'm here," he meekly called, trying to push himself up to his feet.

"Hey-hey-hey-!" the man said, helping him before he toppled over. "Are you okay? Are you injured?"

"Ergh," he groaned. "You're Mumen Rider... right?"

"Yeah," he said with a smile. "I'm surprised you've heard of me, but... I'm really glad I found you."

"Heh... yeah, so am I." They limped over to the door before someone came zipping by. It was Lightning Max with his own flashlight who quickly put the brakes on and backtracked when he noticed them.

"Stinger!" he shouted, rushing to his side and draping his other arm across his shoulders. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"Huh...? I... I uh..."

"Who'd you see?" he asked.

Again, a very confused look crossed his face as if Lightning Max were speaking a completely different language. "... I... No one, I..."

"But... you said that there was someone else before you cut out..."

"I... I don't remember... I just kinda remember Tornado saving me and then... I... think I hit my head, and... it's all blank after that..."

"He's likely concussed," Mumen Rider offered as they led him down the hall. "Don't worry, we'll get you some medical care and ask you again, later, okay?"

Stinger just dragged his feet along with every step they took and stared into the darkness around them. '... There was... someone else...?'

The next morning, Genos stared at the note in his hands for a moment as he stood in the hall of his master's condo. Not in front of Saitama's door, but the door directly across the way... the home of Tornado, if King's information was correct. What kind of odd coincidence was it that she lived right across the hall?

He was caught in a momentary stupor as he reviewed the plan in his mind again and again for anything that could possibly jeopardize the outcome of this mission. There were many unknowns, but nothing that they could accurately account for. As it stood, this was their best course of action. He sat the note down and rang the doorbell before immediately turning around and entering the door on the other side.

When he stepped in, he saw Saitama lazily sitting on his couch with a manga in his hands and the TV set on a news station talking about yesterday's attack. The kitchen was a mess of empty wrappers and food cartons.

When he found a good break in his story, Saitama turned around to see his student peeking through the peephole for some unknown reason. "... Oh, Genos," he said with a hint of surprise.

Through the peephole, Genos watched as Tatsumaki opened the door and looked up and down the hall with a confused look as if she had just woken up. When she didn't see anyone, her gaze briefly flickered to Saitama's door before finally noticing the letter sitting at the foot of her threshold.

"... What are you doing?" Saitama wondered, raising a brow from his spot on the couch.

His question nearly startled the cyborg who turned back around. They stared at each other for a long moment before Genos found his words. "Good morning, Master," he said with a bow. "I apologize for my absence. I was doing some... training..."

"... um... sure, no worries," Saitama waved him off. He watched as the cyborg started cleaning his mess from last night's room service feast. "You don't really have to do that, I was gonna clean it after this chapter."

"It is no trouble, Master. It will only take me a moment..."

"... uh... okay, then... Thanks..." He sat there and thought about whether or not he should help, but true to his word, Genos was nearly done already, so he sat back on his couch and picked up where he left off in his reading material. "So," he called out over the rustle of shifting garbage behind him as he flipped the page, "you're back in action today, right?"

"I am," Genos replied as he wiped the counter down with a rag. "As I understand it, every hero in the organization is once again on the active roster."

"Heh, that's good," Saitama said with a small smile. "Hopefully, nothing big happens. I'm supposed to have the day off, today."

"... Actually," Genos said on his way to the living room. He pulled another note out of his pocket and read it over as if it was his first time. "I found this letter at your door. It seems that there will be an S-Class meeting today at noon... It says it is not a mission, but attendance is mandatory."

"Oh," Saitama muttered, not even turning around to confirm.

Genos watched him from behind the couch trying to gauge his reaction.

"... well, that sucks," the bald man muttered under his breath.

Immediately, the cyborg felt a pang of guilt at ruining his time off, but he held his tongue. It was for the sake of the mission... and it was likely the most vital piece to the start of the plan. Simply because, depending on how things go, there might not be a plan. "... I... I do not think it will be too long. This note says it is only a briefing on the mission assignments moving forward."

"... Yeah, okay," Saitama said with a shrug. "I kinda just planned on sitting around all day, anyways. Yesterday was super long."

"With missions?"

"Kids," he replied, confusing the cyborg. "They just kept popping up everywhere, asking questions and stuff... I kinda felt like a nanny or something."

"Hmh," Genos chuckled lightly through his grin. That wasn't out of the ordinary for him. He would often get stopped by young fans when he was out and about, and he was nowhere near the level of Saitama's fame. Safe to say, he likely got stopped often, and he was far too kind to ignore a child.

After that, they sat in silence for a while, giving Genos more time to consider his mission. Over the past few days, Bang, King, and himself had done all the planning they could possibly do. They spent hour after hour locked in King's apartment running and re-running the simulation every time they failed and watching films tailored to this unusual mission they were undertaking. Even though King and Bang seemed convinced of their goal, he still wasn't completely sold on this being the solution to his master's issue. He didn't want to be a negative voice in the group, so he held his tongue, but the so-called chemistry between the two always eluded him.

'... Does Master really like Tornado...?' Even now that he had a better understanding of the concept of romantic attraction, he couldn't connect the dots regarding Saitama and Tatsumaki. There was almost no evidence that suggested Saitama even thought about the hotheaded woman.

'If Master is craving companionship, surely he could do better than her,' he thought as he stared at the top of his head. Tatsumaki didn't fit into any of the main love interest stereotypes he's observed over the past few weeks. Well, not the ones he found to be realistic. She was actually the one archetype that he couldn't make sense of. The rude girl that is initially cold to the main character who, for some reason, falls in love with her anyways. In those movies, the guy was almost always the weaker side of the relationship. A stepping stone for the woman in power who eventually grew to realize his strengths. That clearly wasn't the dynamic between Saitama and Tatsumaki, so what exactly were they banking on?

Despite his hesitation, his part in this mission was clear. He was to set up this meeting and observe the two in an isolated environment and watch for the signs of a budding romance. Their training had prepared him for this, and he was intent on being as thorough as possible... even though he doubted the validity of the claims. Now, he just wondered how long it would take to draw a conclusion.

"Hey... Genos...?" Saitama called out, snagging his attention.

"Yes, Master...?" Now that he wasn't lost in thought, he noticed that he wasn't actually reading his manga, anymore. He was staring over at the TV for some reason, almost locked in a daze.

"... What do you think about Tatsumaki...?"

'... huh?' Genos was hit with a rush of whiplash at the sudden, unprompted question. 'He... brought her up out of the blue...' That was a common trope in many of their film studies, and it was something that King said was a good indication of romantic attraction. He followed his gaze over to the television to see it was a news broadcast where the anchors were debating who should be the top hero; a hot-button issue that seemed to dominate every talk show he saw these days.

"One of the kids yesterday said that I should be number 1," Saitama continued. His face was still as plain as ever. "Everyone keeps saying that, but... I don't understand why..." Truth be told, it was plaguing his thoughts more than ever after his talk with Child Emperor. Before, it was something he didn't really pay much attention to, but hearing it from another S-Class member who... wasn't Genos really had him thinking about it. It seemed like the entire world was enthralled by this topic more than anything else. To him, it was almost ridiculous, especially after hearing more about her achievements and statistics regarding hero work. "She's a really good hero... right...?"

Genos blinked away his daze when Saitama turned back to him, waiting for a reply. "... She is..."

Saitama's gaze lingered on him for a beat before he turned back. "... It feels like no one really likes her, though..."

"... Tornado has many fans," Genos said as if to refute his claim.

"... Well... guess that's true," he muttered, quietly. "... But... do you like her...?"

Genos nearly reeled at the sudden question but managed to hold his composure when Saitama turned back and stared at him again. His eyes were as plain as ever, but for some reason, Genos felt an unknown pressure, as if Saitama were visually scrutinizing his reaction. Should he lie for the sake of the mission, or be transparent with his thoughts? What if his answer were to influence the outcome? "... I do not," he finally admitted.

Saitama kept watching him for a moment more before he asked, "... why not?"

"She destroyed your apartment, attacked you when you were no longer a registered hero, makes fun of your baldness, constantly belittles your superior intelligence, and unrightfully accepts the rank 1 position..."

Again, Saitama stared at him for a bit as if judging his response before he turned back and stared at the TV. "... Oh..." The conversation the anchors were having slipped right by him as he watched the video of Tatsumaki lifting the buildings into the sky. Despite everything Genos just said, and his conversation with Child Emperor the day before, he had a different view of their number 1 hero. In truth, he didn't fully understand what it was, but he just didn't see her as everyone else did.

When they called her rude, he remembered her fighting even though she was unconscious just to save everyone she could during that big mission. When they said she was immature, he thought about the fact that she got him a steady job after destroying his home, just to right her wrong. For every bad thing they came up with, he felt like they were missing the good. Was she really just so mean that they couldn't see past it? "... I don't think she's that bad..."

That statement completely baffled his cybernetic protege who continued to examine the side of his face. What did that mean? Not that bad wasn't a clear enough indication, but... it did convince him there was a chance... Even if there was, did it matter? Despite his Master's possible interest, a romantic relationship works two ways, and Tornado was... Tornado... As far as he could tell, she absolutely despised Saitama. Genos could only guess it was due to her jealousy of his superior abilities and popularity. In the absence of Blast, she had been the top hero for some time and, with his reveal, Saitama was obviously on a fast track to usurping her spot.

Then again... King reminded him that Saitama saved her life on multiple occasions just as he had done for them. Could Tornado really disregard such an act out of jealousy, or was she secretly hiding her true feelings out of shame...? Today was the day Genos would uncover the truth...

Tatsumaki sat in her seat in the meeting room with her arms crossed, staring at the empty chairs in front of her with an irritated look. It was already ten past noon, so where was everyone? Who the hell scheduled this meeting, and why did they inform her via note left on her doorstep? If she hadn't been up all night, maybe she would've questioned those things before even leaving home.

'What the hell is this? Some kind of prank...?' If it was, it wasn't a good one. All it did was waste her time by getting her out of the house. In a way, it was almost helpful. She wasn't reduced to staring at the TV screen watching reporters and talk shows debate about her and Saitama... especially now that she was aware of the bubbling rumors...

Apparently, there was an entire legion of fans who had this crazy theory that Saitama liked her. It was solely based on his little idiotic statement during that press conference where he called her 'amazing'. 'Pfft... yeah, right...' Why on earth would he like her, considering all the things she's done? Destroying his home, forcing him back to a job he didn't like, calling him names, she'd done pretty much everything short of spitting in his face. So, no... she couldn't believe for a second that Saitama liked her.

'... I didn't wanna lose you...'

Yet, his voice saying those words always seemed to come back to her. If he didn't like her, even a little, then, '... why did he say that...?' When that thought came and went, she glanced back up at the clock with an irritated sigh. It didn't seem like anyone was coming, so she decided to leave. Before she could, the door finally opened. Her breath hitched when she saw it was Saitama strolling in with his little robot sidekick.

"I don't know," he was saying, "I guess it could've been a cyborg bear or something. It did have a metal eye."

"I see," Genos replied, rubbing his chin in thought. "Perhaps it was just a regular bear with cybernetic enhancements." It was then he noted the other presence in the room.

"Heh, well... it was like 20 feet tall... Hey, where's everyone at?"

"... Master," Genos said with his gaze flickering to Tatsumaki a few times. "We should wait in our assigned seats."

"Hm...?" He turned around to see what Genos kept looking at and spotted green haired woman. The second they locked eyes, she averted his gaze and glared at a spot on the table with an irritated scowl. Saitama stopped and watched her for a long moment. He thought about his previous conversations now that he was standing a few feet away from the woman, herself, just to see if he felt any different. '... She doesn't have friends, huh...?' He silently walked away, leaving Genos to watch them from his spot in the middle of the long table.

Tatsumaki heard every step he took on the way over, and as stupid as it seemed, she had to mentally prepare herself for an interaction as she did her best to maintain her look of casual frustration. 'Okay, okay. Just calm down... Breathe...' Maybe if she looked frustrated enough, he wouldn't even say anything.

"Hey," Saitama said, as soon as he sat down. "What's up...?"

Tatsumaki glanced his way, still sporting her mildly frustrated sneer. "... Hi..."

Saitama smiled and watched as she looked away. He could tell she was upset by the look on her face, and he figured he knew why. "... So, I guess everyone's kinda late, huh...?" She didn't reply. "... That's weird..."

Tatsumaki continued shifting her frustrated glare around the room... anywhere but toward the bald man next to her. Her gaze found its way to the cyborg in the center of the table who was watching them with an intent look on his face before he was caught. The second they locked eyes, he turned away as if he was never looking.

"Did your note say noon, too?" Saitama asked.

She turned back to see him still staring at her with that same blank expression of his. "What...?"

"Hm...? You didn't get a note...?"

Tatsumaki was so unreasonably aware of the beat of her heart that she almost didn't hear him again. Could he tell she was nervous...? Did that stupid robot have some kind of x-ray vision? "... I... I did... It said noon," she finally said, hoping that was the end of it.

"Hm... wonder where everyone is, then..." Again, she said nothing to further the conversation, so they sat in silence.

Genos continued to watch them from his seat, wondering what he was supposed to be looking for. In all the movies they had watched in preparation, he was confident he could pinpoint a few tell-tale signs, but they weren't doing any of it. Saitama was staring blankly at the wall in front of him, and Tatsumaki seemed to be adamantly avoiding looking in his direction. 'They are not speaking... King said I should not direct the conversation in any way, but if there is no conversation, does that mean the mission is failed...?'

Saitama looked around the empty room, dribbling his fingers across the table a few times to try and stave his growing boredom. He again looked over at the small woman next to him to see her still scowling at nothing in particular. He couldn't say for sure, but it was starting to seem like she didn't like him very much. Was it the way he smelled or something? Maybe she just didn't like bald people. Child Emperor said there was a reason... could that be it...?

She still seemed pretty normal, despite all the things he had heard. Honestly, there was something about her that kind of reminded him of himself. Watching her on TV, it was clear she wasn't a fan of her job, and to hear she had no friends, his younger self came to mind. It really wasn't a good feeling to be ignored by all of your coworkers for no reason, so he couldn't imagine being hated.

"... heh... I wish they had a button for coffee or something," he said in a playful tone.

Tatsumaki glanced his way for a split second with a confused look on her face. Before she even had a chance to say anything, the cyborg in the middle of the table abruptly stood to his feet.

"Master, what size would you like?"

Saitama turned to him with a confused look. "... Huh?

"You said you wanted coffee. I can retrieve it from the shop in the lobby. What size? Hot or cold?"

"wh-Whoa," he tried to stop him.

"Any snacks? They sell scones, pastries, cookies, pies, cakes-.."

Tatsumaki stared at the weird mechanical man as he continued to list every item on the menu as if he had studied it beforehand. He was like an eager dog ready to please its owner at all costs. Was he a student or a glorified assistant? When she peeked at Saitama he seemed just as confused as her.

"Uh... no, that's fine," he finally stopped him. "I guess just a coffee is cool..."

Genos gave him a stiff bow at the waist. "Understood, Master! Leave it to me!" He vaulted over the table and prepared to dart for the door before Saitama stopped him.

"Oh, hold on." He looked back at Tatsumaki who was still watching the eager cyborg with a confused look. "... uh... Do you want something?"

"... no," she muttered.

"You sure...? I can pay."

"I'm fine..."

'huh... I guess she doesn't like coffee...' he assumed. He turned back to his student with a nod. "Just one then. And get one for yourself, too."

"Understood," he said again on his way out.

Saitama sighed and sat back in his seat with a stretch. Tatsumaki watched him for a moment and pushed her hair behind her ear, suddenly feeling a lot more nervous now that they were alone. Everything about the situation somehow felt a lot harder. It was harder to breathe, harder to decide what to do with her hands, harder to even look in his general direction... and it pissed her off. 'Just fucking act normal, you idiot!' With a deep breath, her gaze slowly shifted across the table in front of her until she could see his interlocked gloves. She hesitated again before glancing at his face... and of course, he was staring right at her. "s-... So... Demon Cyborg is your student...?"

Saitama was surprised by the sudden question. "Hm...? Genos...?" He still wasn't used to the hero name of his protege. It always took a while to click. "Yeah, I guess so..."

"... How did that happen?"

Before he answered, he watched her with a curious look in his bland eyes. Was she really trying to have a conversation, now? For a moment there, he was starting to understand what Child Emperor meant about why she didn't have friends, but... she really wasn't that bad, after all. "Uh... I don't really know," he admitted. "I... met him a few months ago when he was fighting some kind of mosquito monster... or was it bees...? I think he was gonna blow himself up before I saved him. Then, he asked to be my disciple..."

"... oh," she muttered.

"I would've said no, but I didn't really hear him at first..."

Tatsumaki again couldn't hold his gaze for too long, before she replied. "... You can still say no..."

Saitama looked down at the table, considering her words. That was true, but after all this time, he liked to consider himself and Genos as more than just a teacher and a student. "... I guess, I just kinda see us as friends, at this point..."

The more they talked, the easier it was becoming for Tatsumaki to meet his eyeline, especially after he said that. Why on earth would someone as strong as him associate himself with someone as weak as the friends he held? Demon Cyborg was bad enough, but remembering her run-in with that spineless fraud King only confused her that much more. They seemed like really good friends, but it just didn't make sense. The only logical reasoning she was able to come up with was that he was stupid enough to be used by anyone. She scoffed under her breath and shook her head. Why did it have to be him that she liked...?

Saitama raised a brow at her dismissive look. He thought they were conversing pretty smoothly just now. Was it something he said? "...I... saw you on the news yesterday."

A silent panic flushed through her when she turned back to him. Was he an avid news watcher? Had he seen those fan theories fluttering about? "... yeah?"

"The way you lifted those buildings in the air was really cool."

She stared at him for a moment before turning away again, embarrassed by his sudden praise. There was that damned ticklish feeling in her cheeks again. She could almost feel her blush as if it were something she could wipe away. "... thanks..."

Saitama stared at the side of her face for a beat, surprised by her reply. He wasn't expecting that. There was something different about her today. She wasn't being mean... Nothing she said was necessarily nice, but it wasn't mean, either... and it oddly made him smile a bit. If there really was a reason she didn't have friends, he definitely didn't see it, now. He watched as a transponder suddenly floated out from a pocket on her dress. She stuck her nose in it and began swiping around the screen. Hopefully, she wasn't clocking out of their conversation. There was a question on his mind. Something that he had been thinking about as he watched her fight yesterday. "... Can I ask you something...?"

Tatsumaki again peeked at him before she went back to mindlessly swiping around her device to seem busy. Why the hell was he being so talkative today? "s-.. sure..."

"... Do you think this job is fun...?"

"What?"

"Being a hero," he clarified. "Is it fun...?" He took her confused look as a sign she still didn't understand what he was asking. "I mean, I saw you fighting yesterday, and you just kinda looked bored, is all..."

She stared at the blank notification tab in her transponder with a narrowing gaze. What the hell was he saying? Surely, not what she thought he was."... It's not supposed to be fun. It's a job..."

"... Yeah, I guess," he said with a shrug. He could feel an unpleasant shift in her tone and decided to drop that topic for the time being. Unfortunately, she wasn't gonna give him the chance.

"Was it more exciting working at that corner store, or something?"

"No... but with a job like this, doesn't it feel like it should be a little more challenging? That first mission wasn't bad, but... It just feels like the monsters are getting weaker and weaker..."

Her eyes finally shifted back to him with a dangerous glint. That statement felt like a slap to the face considering all that had happened over the past month or so. It felt like he was mocking the other heroes... more importantly, herself. "Are you saying... you want the monsters to get stronger...?"

Suddenly, there was a new tension in the air. The awkwardness was gone, replaced by a foreboding pressure. Staring blankly into those narrowed green eyes of hers, he almost didn't want to respond. "Uh... yeah...?"

"... That's... so stupid...!"

Saitama just blinked at her with a dumb look, as if he didn't understand what she meant.

"Why the hell would you want something like that!? Was that first mission not exciting enough!?"

"... uh-.."

"What's so fun about everyone almost dying!? That is such a stupid thing to say! What the hell is wrong with you!?" He nearly made to defend himself before she cut him off again. "Are you ACTUALLY stupid!? If the monsters are getting weaker, that means we're doing our JOB!"

'... Well... guess that makes sense,' he reasoned.

"You're not taking this seriously, at all, are you!? I mean, that's literally the dumbest thing I've ever heard! What the hell is wrong with you!? Didn't your so-called 'student' almost die like three times!?"

'... Genos always almost dies...'

"And you think the monsters should get stronger! That makes perfect sense, you stupid idiot!" If her words were reaching him at all, she couldn't tell. He had that same dumb look of his as if he wasn't even phased, and it only pissed her off even more. Her face was boiling for a much different reason than just a few moments ago. 'Tch-! And I really thought he should be number 1! This idiot's not even interested in the job...! Does he even care about being a hero!?'

"... oh," he muttered. "... Now, I see it..."

His words snapped her from her sudden outburst of rage immediately. Though his expression never changed, there was something different about his presence. He suddenly seemed a lot less inviting, somehow. What did he mean by that...? Did he finally see how stupid he was being...? Or was it something else...?

Saitama looked up at the clock to see it was nearly half an hour past the time they were given. It was clear no one was coming, at this point, so he pushed his chair out with a sigh. "Yeah, I think I'm gonna head home, now..."

Tatsumaki watched him walk to the door with an indescribable feeling welling up in the pit of her stomach. It was like just then she realized how unreasonable her reaction was. What he said was dumb, but was it really enough for her to blow up at him like that...? That was really mean...

Saitama made it halfway before he stopped in his tracks. He stared at the door for a moment before he gave her some parting words. "... Sorry... I didn't mean to offend you or anything... I guess that's just how I feel, sometimes..." He turned his head to the side a bit to talk over his shoulder. "And, also... if you were a little nicer, I think everyone would believe in you more as the number 1 hero... I mean, after all that-"

Tatsumaki held her breath when he suddenly turned more to look her in the eye, and oddly enough, he was smiling a little.

"I do..."

The green-haired woman was caught in the beam of his gaze, and she couldn't think of anything to say. Even after she just verbally abused him, he was still being this friendly...? The guilt in the pit of her stomach was rising up, again heating her face for a different reason. How many different shades of red had her face gone through in the last few minutes?

"Well," Saitama muttered, turning back around. "... I'll see you around..."

Tatsumaki watched him go for a moment. She stared at the back of his head with so many different feelings swirling around in her mind. Before she could make sense of things, Genos came darting in from the hall in an apparent panic with two cups of coffee snuggled in his metal grips.

"Master! There's...!" he stopped when he locked eyes with Tatsumaki. There was an odd look on her face, and just from that glimpse alone, he knew he must've missed something important.

"Hm...?" Saitama hummed, taking one of the beverages from his hand. "What is it?"

"There's an attack," a new voice answered from behind Genos. It was Sekingar swooping in with a tablet in his hands and a stern look on his face.

Sitch wasn't too far behind him. "We're glad you're here, Saitama," he said as they immediately went to work, setting up a slapstick base of operations at the center of the table.

"What's going on?" Tatsumaki asked, floating out of her seat with her arms crossed.

"Tornado," Sekingar said with clear relief in his tone. "I don't know why you're both here, but it's a blessing in disguise. There are currently three attacks happening simultaneously."

"All three are guaranteed Demon-level threats, and one has the potential to reach Dragon," Sitch continued.

"Where?" Tatsumaki immediately demanded.

"Cities J, F, and B," Sekingar said as he began typing on his laptop. Suddenly, the screens around them cut on all at once, displaying shoddy recordings of each attack.

Tatsumaki and Genos tensed at the sights they were seeing as Saitama casually took a sip of his coffee.

"Demon Cyborg," Sitch said, grabbing his attention. "We're sending you to City-B. The monster is being contained in the Shinra prefecture by Drive Knight and a group of A-class heroes. They urgently need your assistance. Please be swift."

"Understood!" he shouted with a stern nod before he took off back down the hall.

Sekingar picked it up from there. "Atomic Samurai and Flashy Flash are already closing in on City-F, so we ask that you two head for City-J, immediately."

Tatsumaki narrowed her gaze and peeked over at the bald man. '... Both of us...?'

"Saitama," Sitch began. "We understand that you're supposed to be on leave today, but we ask that you assist in this mission. This creature in particular is the potential Dragon-level threat. It has already taken down Darkshine, Pig God, and for the time-being, Zombieman, as well."

"Um... Sure," he said with a shrug. "I don't mind..."

"Thank you," Sekingar said with a nod. "Unfortunately, our air units are doing maintenance. We don't have any choppers left to get you there, so you will have to make your way on your own."

Hearing that, he peeked over to Tatsumaki who was already floating toward the exit.

"Tornado," Sitch said, stopping her before she left. "We're sending both of you because this creature seems to share a similar pattern of behavior to the monster you defeated yesterday."

"What do you mean?" she demanded.

Sitch glanced at Sekingar for a moment before he turned back. "It... was killed twice already," he explained. "Somehow, it keeps reviving in an evolved state... and it's not behaving as erratically as the others... We can't know for sure, but it... almost seems to be looking for something..."

"Or someone," Sekingar added. "Regardless, it's tearing the city apart, so the mission remains the same... Neutralize the target..."

Saitama took another sip of his coffee as he listened in on the explanation. When it was finished, he again glanced at the small woman floating near the hall. She still seemed upset about their conversation a moment ago. He could tell from the look she sent his way. Hopefully, things weren't too awkward that he couldn't ask her for a favor.

"Be careful," Sitch said, drawing their attention once more. "I don't doubt you'll get the job done, but... this creature is persistent."

Tatsumaki scoffed and drifted out the door. Saitama followed right behind her. She wasn't zooming away for some reason, so he figured she was probably planning on sticking together. "Uh... hey," he called out as they went. She didn't slow down, but he could tell she heard him. "Any chance I can get a lift...?"

AN: Okay! Thanks for reading! Hopefully, I don't take too long with the next chapter. It's already partially outlined, so I've got a solid jump on what comes next. Share your thoughts in a review if you have time. If you ask me a question, I will respond via PM. Till next time!