"—d!" Tatsumaki growled.
"Let's talk tomorrow," Sitch replied, bowing. He smiled thinly and made to walk away, sure that Fubuki's arrival would be enough to distract the S-Class hero. "I'm sure you've been wanting to meet your sister since the crash."
After the raven-haired girl's sudden announcement of arrival (she hadn't exactly been invited), the man had spent most of the day making preparations upon preparations for her — and some of her subordinates' — lodging. Suffice to say, Sitch was not in the mood to be berated by Tatsumaki after all that hard work. He hatched a plan quickly, figuring that the smaller esper's attention would be caught for at least a day.
Even if Fubuki wasn't enough, the celebration with the S-Class would be. Sitch knew that Tatsumaki wouldn't cause a stir surrounded by all the other heroes. The information was top secret, after all. Just twenty-or-so minutes of Fubuki's distraction was all he needed to escape.
Alas, the man's plan was foiled the moment he took his very first step. A ring of green energy tied his arms to his waist and froze him mid-walk.
"You stay here," Tatsumaki said, pointing a finger at him.
The man nodded slowly. He… hadn't taken that into account.
With the matter settled, the green-haired esper slowly turned to face her sister. Fubuki instinctively looked away under her sister's fierce gaze.
.
The younger esper was a ball of anxiety. Days upon days of thinking and worrying had taken a toll on her. From the moment of the explosion her sister's powers, of which the raven-haired girl usually had no problem sensing, had practically vanished into nothing. The news assured her that the heroes would find the girl, but she had her doubts. What felt like an eternity passed, and nothing still. Fubuki strained her psychic senses, trying to feel something — anything — that could possibly be from her sister.
Then it happened. On a search around the outskirts of a city, she felt it. A little blip of psychic energy — just enough to lift an egg — but it was there somewhere. And undoubtedly her sister's.
'She's alive!' Fubuki thought.
A few seconds passed.
'She's… alive…'
Fubuki's initial feelings quickly melted into fear — as it often did when she was confronted with the idea of talking to her older sister. A dozen questions floated around in her head like bits of bubbles floating along in a torrent. The very thought of talking to Tatsumaki made Fubuki churn.
But she had to know.
The apology, the explosion.
It felt like she had gotten the closest she'd ever been to learning about her sister's true feelings right at that moment. A hope within a hope resided in her that Tatsumaki would finally open up to her once they met. That they could have a real talk for once.
Sitch had personally contacted her before the media announced the green-haired girl's safety. When she asked for details, the man only said:
"Tatsumaki has informed us that she has escaped the ship unharmed. Her location is undisclosed at the moment."
That wasn't much to go off of. Fubuki opened her mouth to ask more about the matter, but the line had already disconnected.
"Find out where she is, pronto!" Fubuki turned around and said loudly, making her subordinates jump.
About a day later, they found out about the 'hot spring' meetup the S-Class heroes were having. A few pulled strings, a few hushed conversations, and the Fubuki Group had arranged the perfect meeting place for the raven-haired esper and her older sister.
It was difficult convincing Sitch to let her come, but seeing as to how Atomic Samurai had seen to the A-Class Iaian's inclusion, Fubuki knew it wasn't impossible. It was quickly prepared. A letter, a few days, and a car ride later, she had arrived.
It was time to talk to her sister. She had to find out the truth behind Tatsumaki's words that horrible day.
'Fubuki, I'm sorry.'
What did it mean?
.
There she was, barely two meters away from her goal.
"Sister, I-I—" the raven-haired girl began.
"Fubuki," said Tatsumaki. Her face was stony, as it always was. "I wasn't told that you were coming."
"W-well, no." The younger girl's heart was pounding. "I wasn't supposed to, b-but I had to see you!"
"Why?" Tatsumaki frowned. The air turned cold.
'What did Sitch tell her?' the green-haired girl thought. Of course, that was only one of her worries — there were a dozen things that could have gone wrong. But she couldn't show anything on the outside. Letting her sister see her being weak was an absolute impossibility.
"Because…" Fubuki shied away from her sister's gaze once more. "B-because…"
'Because of what you said,' she wanted to say. 'Why did you apologize? What happened on the ship that day?'
Those vivid green eyes bore into her. They churned her stomach, pooled sweat around her forehead.
"I just wanted to say that I'm glad you're okay," the younger girl said breathlessly. She looked down and winced.
The girl couldn't do it.
Tatsumaki sighed and walked off, promptly dropping Sitch to the floor.
Eyelashes and Lily walked over to their leader. They had been watching the interaction warily from the sidelines, and kept an eye on the two sisters in case anything started to become dicey. Thankfully, nothing much had occurred.
Lily quickly went over to comfort Fubuki, but Eyelashes didn't move. He was frowning.
"It's okay," Lily said, holding the raven-haired esper's shoulder. She had been one of Fubuki's only confidants during the time she had been looking for her sister. "You can ask her any time you want."
Before Fubuki could reply, Eyelashes spoke up. His gaze was directed at the stairwell Tatsumaki went up.
"Did you see that, Miss?" he said, still trying to figure out what had just happened.
"See what?" Fubuki asked, slowly pulling Lily's hand away.
"Your sister let Sitch go," he said. "And just walked away."
The B-Class esper's eyes widened.
'You stay here,' Tatsumaki had said before binding the man. Instead of seeing through to her plan to talk to Sitch, she'd left. Instead of floating, as the green-haired girl usually did, she walked.
The last time Fubuki had seen Tatsumaki walk anywhere was when she'd been having headaches years ago. Something was going on.
Unfortunately, the esper didn't have much time to think about it.
"Ah, you must be our honored guest!" a middle-aged man spoke, coming from nowhere. His sharp clothing gave Fubuki indication that he was important. "I am Ona, the owner of this humble hot spring."
"Thank you for having us," Fubuki bowed, immediately switching gears. Her two subordinates followed suit. "I apologize for our rushed arrival."
"I'm not the type to hold grudges," the man smiled, waving his hand dismissively. "Besides, I am fully aware of why you've come."
"You are?" Fubuki raised an eyebrow.
"Yes." Ona rubbed his hands together. "You've come to be able to talk with your sister. Is that correct?"
Fubuki nodded. So he was the type to do research on his own customers. How flattering. And creepy.
"Then I may be able to help," the man said. He gestured for her to come closer. "You see," he whispered. "I have learned that your sister is the type to… cause trouble around establishments like this — especially when other heroes are involved…"
Despite the situation, Fubuki smirked. Popular as her sister was, it seemed that her reputation was bad in at least one way.
"But it seems you are able to calm her down whenever things get out of hand," he continued. "If you can assure me that she doesn't cause trouble after you speak to her — like I said, I can help you."
The man had shown his cards, and it was then that Fubuki was left with a choice. What Ona said about her was true: she was someone her sister would at least hear out before doing anything rash. Usually things turned out well enough, but there was something going on with the older esper that Fubuki couldn't quite piece together. Tatsumaki was in a fouler mood than she normally was in, and it seemed she had no intention of talking to anyone about it.
If Fubuki accepted Ona's request and couldn't keep her word, her reputation would be muddied. The man obviously had connections, and bad gossip spread around like lightning.
If she rejected it — and the girl was fully confident that she could do it while maintaining her grace — she would be left without help.
The girl tapped a finger to her chin as the man waited. Her two lackeys watched, confused.
A few moments later, Fubuki made up her mind. Her main priority was set in stone. Risky as it was, the best way to be able to do things was with the help of the resort's owner himself.
Tatsumaki was acting strange. An outburst was quite possible if Fubuki so much as stepped one foot in the wrong place. Her whole plan hinged on the chance that Fubuki could calm her unexplainably cranky sister down. She would be walking on a burning tightrope.
The young esper steeled herself. So be it.
"What kind of help did you have in mind?"
.
"Hi…? Um, what're you doing here?"
A blue-yukata'd Saitama, halfway ready to go outside and find something to do, was met with a little green esper opening his fusuma angrily.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" she muttered, letting herself in. She looked quite breathless. "I should have talked to him either way! Tch!"
"Hello?" Saitama turned to face the esper as she walked past him.
"I need someplace to hide! Just leave or whatever!"
Saitama's frown was almost imperceptible. Wasn't the esper supposed to be strong? Who in the world would make her want to hide?
"Hide? From what?" he asked. "Like a monster or something?"
Tatsumaki looked at him like he'd suddenly grown hair.
"Don't be stupid," was all she said before beginning to mutter again.
Saitama shrugged. If there was one thing he'd learned about the esper, it was that she really liked being left alone.
"Don't get my toothpaste," the bald man said as he left. The sliding door closed with a soft thunk.
Tatsumaki absentmindedly paced the room. The clock read 18:12. She had exactly eighteen minutes to think of a plan.
If she'd known Fubuki would be coming, she would never have even thought about going on a trip. Celebration for her or not, she would have rather stayed in the box-like apartment alone than be in a world-class hot spring with her sister.
The alien's — Boros' — planet-killing attack began to smolder in her mind; hot, searing coals of memory eating away at Tatsumaki more than she would like to admit. The sense of despair she felt at that moment was absolute. A battering ram that slammed into her. And she'd crumbled. Under the weight of it all, the esper had let slip something that should never have reached her younger sister's ears.
'Fubuki, I'm sorry.'
The words made her nauseous.
She apologized. The esper basically admitted her complete powerlessness to stop an enemy — to the person she vowed never to show weakness to. And to top it all off, she was saved! By a damned B-Class nobody!
Tatsumaki found herself sitting alone in the center of the room, bathing in the wonderful sensation of feeling like garbage.
She had no plan to confront Fubuki. Any sense of her infallibility was thrown away the moment she said those three stupid words. All she could do was pretend. Pretend she was still strong. Pretend nothing ever happened on top of that horrible ship.
But they'll find out.
You're weak.
You lost.
You were saved.
The thoughts she suppressed were leaking out faster and faster. There was no manga, no TV, no eggs nor eggheads — nothing — to distract her from the growing flood in her mind. Fubuki's mere appearance had prodded holes in her that even the stupid baldy couldn't!
The clock read 18:29. One minute left.
Tatsumaki stood up like a puppet on a string. She couldn't escape; her little psychic binding on Sitch had been more taxing than she realized. And if she stayed inside, they would look for her. There really was no choice.
The green-haired esper opened the door and took a deep breath.
.
.
"… And above all, we can't forget the hero that made all this possible." Sitch raised a glass merrily. "To Tatsumaki!"
"To Tatsumaki!"
The small gathering of heroes on the third floor raised their cups in celebration, expectantly looking to the esper for a response.
"Yay," Tatsumaki said. She raised her cup halfheartedly.
"Yeah!" "Woo!" The heroes chuckled at the completely expected reaction from the girl, clinking their saké cups together and taking a swig in unison.
With the opening speech done, the chatter soon settled down into a low buzz. Groups of heroes split up from the main circle and socialized in their own, odd little sets. Silverfang and Atomic Samurai exchanged stories of their pupils' endeavors, Puri Puri, Tank-Top Master and Darkshine were trying to see who could rip their blue yukatas the quickest just by flexing, Zombieman poured some apple juice for Child Emperor, et cetera et cetera. It was a mishmash of positive interactions that frankly made Tatsumaki sick.
The girl took a sip of her saké and winced as the liquid burned hot down her throat.
"Ugh."
The esper wasn't usually partial to drinking. One horrible, vomit-filled night in the past was enough for the esper to learn that she was a complete lightweight, and she rarely drank ever since. Key word 'rarely.'
As it was, the small, clear cup seemed to call to her that night. A wispy, flittering promise of thoughtlessness danced around inside the glass. The girl, who was swirling with muddied feelings, found it hard to resist. She raised the saké to her lips.
"Hey." Saitama punched through her quiet thoughts, nearly making the esper spill her drink. He seemed to be in a good mood. "Why don't you get something to eat? All you've been doing is sip from that little cup of yours."
"Go away," she said.
"You're tipsy," the bald man noticed a small slur in her voice. "From just one drink?"
"Go away!"
Saitama frowned. Gears turned in his head but, just as before, he knew that it was a waste of time trying to get her to talk.
"You'll regret drinking too much tomorrow," he said, walking away. Genos followed briskly behind him, balancing his master's enormous pile of food with surprising grace.
"Whatever."
Tatsumaki refilled her little o-choko glass and drank it in one go. It went down much better than the first.
.
"That's her fifth one," Fubuki half-muttered to her two colleagues, passing a bottle of saké to them. The girl eyed her green-haired sister, drinking alone across the room. Knowing Tatsumaki's constitution, she was practically drowning herself in rice wine.
"Do you think talking to her would make things worse, Miss?" Lily asked, pushing the bottle gently away. She wasn't old enough to drink yet.
"I don't know." Fubuki frowned.
"I think you should go for it," Eyelashes said, downing his seventh shot. "Talk to her before she drinks even more. Who cares about what that Ona guy said?"
"Hmm…" the esper bit her lip. "Maybe I should wait a little longer."
The raven-haired girl looked around, trying to catch a glimpse of the man anywhere in the celebration hall. Or was she supposed to be waiting for somebody else? The girl didn't know. Her conversation with the middle-aged man was cryptic, to say the least.
'"Does your sister like parties?" he asked her.
"No."
"Good. I'll arrange for something she can't refuse."
The girl frowned. "And that's supposed to help me, how, exactly?"
The man smiled. "Just wait and see."'
And so the raven-haired esper was left waiting, trying her hardest to stifle the swarm of butterflies in her stomach.
.
Saitama walked past the straight-haired esper, wondering why she was holding her belly when her plate was clean as a whistle. He wason a roll; the bald man had been filling and emptying plates almost at will, taking full advantage of the free food the resort was offering to the heroes that saved A-City.
He walked over to the buffet, ready to strike.
Empty.
He frowned, opening another metal food holder.
Empty.
Much to his dismay, it seemed that in the past few minutes, someone else was doing the exact same thing. It was the third chafing dish in a row that had been cleaned out before he could even take a single bit of food from it.
"What?! Where'd the food go?" Saitama asked, opening another dish frantically. "What's happening?!"
"It seems that S-Class hero Pig God is on a similar conquest, master," Genos said. He pointed to the enormously-built man across the room, carrying the metal chafing dishes and dumping its contents in his mouth. "Should we attempt to contest him?"
There was a long pause.
"No. No… no, no," Saitama shook his head. He looked profoundly affected by the sight of the S-Class Rank 10 hero eating fried drumsticks in one go — including the bones. "I think I'm… ugh… good now."
"Very well, sensei."
As the two went back to their small floor-cushion and short wooden tray setup, a voice called out to them.
"Saitama!"
"Huh? Oh, Bang!" The bald man walked over to his older acquaintance. "How's it going?"
"Kamikaze here wants you to regale him with your story in A-City," Bang said, gesturing to Atomic Samurai. Noticing the bald man not understanding, the man quickly explained. "You see, I informed him that you had been able to go aboard the ship. At least, I assume you did?"
"Oh, yeah," Saitama confirmed, catching the samurai's attention.
"Astounding!" Atomic laughed. "It's astounding how adaptable B-Class heroes are! So you were able to find a way aboard while we distracted the big boss down below, hah!"
"Sure," Saitama said, already not liking how the conversation was going. "Is that all? Because I've still got some food that might get cold."
"No, no," Atomic Samurai waved a hand. "What I really want to know is what the enemies were like aboard the ship. Were any of them strong?"
"Nah, most of them were kinda boring, to be honest," Saitama said. The swordmaster looked unconvinced.
"Are you sure?" he scratched his chin. "Well, Tatsumaki was on board, too. Maybe she beat all the strong enemies for you, eh?"
"Maybe. But — there was one really strong dude I fought," Saitama said, raising a finger. Atomic Samurai's ears perked up. "He had all these power modes and regeneration and stuff, kind of a cool guy."
"But you beat him?" the older man raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah," the baldy's tone turned just the tiniest smidge sour. "Yeah, I did."
"Congrats, then!" Atomic Samurai smiled widely, not seeming to notice. "I'm glad there are some B-Class with guts! Not enough to fight the big boss down below, but still!"
"Thanks, I guess," Saitama replied, and Atomic Samurai began to laugh once more. Bang looked apologetic. "Well, I'll be off then."
The two older heroes raised a hand in farewell.
"That guy's kinda stuck up, huh, Genos?" Saitama said, turning to his disciple.
But he wasn't there.
'Probably went to the bathroom or something,' the baldy thought, not really taking into account that cyborgs didn't need to pee.
'Ah whatever. This party's getting kinda boring anyways. Maybe I should just go and take a dip in the hot spring… it is free, isn't it?'
.
The pale-skinned Zombieman prided his sharp ear above all else. As an investigator, he found that making a hobby of listening intently was useful in his line of work.
As soon as he heard the words 'aboard the ship' and 'Tatsumaki,' he knew that he'd found a person of interest. The man made his way to the simple-looking baldy talking to Atomic Samurai, ready to ask him a few questions.
Unfortunately, a metallic hand stopped him.
"Sensei is in a conversation," said Genos, the newly-appointed S-Class. "Please do not disrupt him."
"Oh, hey," Zombieman smiled, filing the word 'sensei' into his mental vault. "You're the newbie cyborg — Genos, right?"
"Correct. What business do you have with sensei?"
"Nothing important," Zombieman said, scratching his head. "Just wanted to chat around."
The cyborg didn't respond.
"Well, speaking of chatting around," the pale hero decided to change the subject. "I heard you blew up the House of Evolution."
"Yes. What of it?"
Zombieman perked up. Even though it wasn't related to the odd happenings with Tatsumaki, the subject of the group that made him their labrat wasn't something he'd pass up. "I have — had — personal beef to settle with them. Mind if I ask you about it?"
Genos looked over to his master, who was still talking to the two older heroes.
"Make it quick."
"Great! Let me just grab my notebook…"
.
.
Nine. Ten drinks. Eleven.
Tatsumaki was calming down. A warm, languid fog surrounded her. The nagging voices that worried her were muffled and distant. Fubuki didn't like approaching her when she drank. Everything was fine.
At least, that was what she told herself.
Before the esper could fill another cup, however, she felt a quick tap on her shoulder.
"Miss?" The voice belonged to the attendant that greeted the girl a few hours before.
Tatsumaki didn't respond.
"Um, you seem not to be enjoying the celebration," she said. "So we have prepared the hot spring just for you."
The green-haired esper turned to face the girl.
"Prepared… as in… empty?"
"Yes. You can relax in complete peace," The attendant nodded.
Tatsumaki stood up, a little wobbly.
"F… fine."
The two left the celebration hall, walking down two flights of stairs to the hot spring. Tatsumaki stumbled more than a little, but refused the help of her companion.
As two reached the first floor, the green-haired esper was led into a path directly ahead; if one came through from the main entrance, it was at the end of the hall and to the left. The pair then turned right, heading towards the back of the building. From there, the path split in two. The male and female bathing areas, of course. Two curtains billowed softly in the night wind — the pair took to the red-colored one.
As soon as Tatsumaki pushed through the rather wide entranceway, she was met with a blast of chilly air. As a traditional outdoor hot spring, there was no changing room in sight. A simple row of baskets on shelves lined the wall beside them. The showers were directly ahead. Finally, beyond the walls of the shower room lay the famed spring itself: a steamy little pool lined by rocks and bamboo, which overlooked the dark hillside to their right.
"I'll leave it to you, then, miss," the assistant said, bowing carefully out of sight. The curtain waved slowly as she left.
Finally.
For the first time in a long while, the esper was truly alone. No heroes, no baldies to annoy her. No aliens nor sisters to worry about. No Sitch. No Ona. Just a warm, perfect onsen waiting for her to take a dip.
"Haah…"
And dip she did.
The water was perfect.
.
When Fubuki saw her sister being led out of the room, she followed stiffly, unsure of what was about to transpire. The signal was sending a girl to lead a drunk Tatsumaki away from the only group in the world that could possibly stop her? What was Ona thinking?
The girl trailed behind, eventually reaching a red curtain swaying gracefully in the wind. A voice that wasn't her sister's muttered something, then carefully opened the curtain. She looked at Fubuki.
"Ona wishes you the best of luck," she said, hurrying off.
The raven haired girl took a deep breath, peeking through the fabric into the hot spring.
There she was. The small green-haired girl that stood nearly atop the hero world, her shoulders and hair glinting in the moonlight — the relatively milky onsen waters lapping gently against her skin. It was like setting eyes upon a strange creature in a forest. The serene look didn't suit Tatsumaki at all.
The raven-haired esper bit her lip.
Fubuki always had a hard time approaching her sister. Ever since they were little, the older girl would always be the one who decided when the two would talk. And considering how Tatsumaki wasn't too keen on social interactions, they rarely ever had a conversation.
The raven-haired esper was completely fine with all of that, of course. It was something she had her whole life to get used to. Her sister dealt with things alone — that was the first thing she learned. Whenever Fubuki spoke first, ninety-nine out of a hundred times she was told off. The remaining one percent were arguments. Not a good set of statistics, everything considered.
But she'd never seen Tatsumaki so off before. Walking instead of flying, basking in silence instead of finding something to do — it was unlike her! The circumstances were different, so it just made sense that the statistics would be, too. Right?
"Ugh…"
The girl stepped forward, feeling the heavy curtain push down against her.
.
"I… was told I'd be alone," Tatsumaki said, looking at the straight-haired esper across from her. It had been five minutes since her younger sister had joined her without speaking a word. "Why aren't I?"
Fubuki shook her head.
"I-I need to talk to you."
"Ged-get out," Tatsumaki said, stifling a hiccup.
"P-please, sister. I want to talk."
"I'm not in the… ugh… best mood, Fubuki."
The girl shut her eyes and took a deep breath.
"I know something happened to you on that ship."
…
"Sister," the younger esper said. "I want to know."
…
"I-I want to know why—"
Fubuki froze under her sister's gaze.
'I'm sorry.'
Was that really something that the girl in front of her would say? The icy sister that never once acknowledged her, much less found the need to explain herself. A breath of doubt broke into Fubuki. Had she imagined it all? What if it was all a trick of the mind?
The girl sighed as she sank herself down into the water, bubbles rising up into her hair.
'Why can't I do this?'
.
"If you've… hic!…. got nothing to say, 'den leave," Tatsumaki said slowly. Her state of mind — already cloudy — was especially overcast now. "I'm not puttin' up with your nonsense."
"Did you… say it… or not?" Fubuki managed, clutching her stomach. She wouldn't meet her sister's gaze.
"What are you talking about?" the esper replied, carefully making sure to get her words right.
"T-the day A-City got destroyed!" Fubuki was flustered. "You said- you— ugh, you apologized!"
"Absoludely not," the green-haired girl shook her head. "I beat them and the ship exploded and thad's that."
Nothing was making sense. Fubuki shook her head. "Then why—"
"Fubuki…" Tatsumaki warned.
"Sister…"
"Leave."
The younger girl shook her head. She had found her voice, however small it may be.
"Please," she began. "I need to—"
Tatsumaki didn't care.
"You need nothin'!" the esper spat. "You jus' want — hic! —to prove to yourself that I'm weak! Thad maybe you can help me wid some dumb words and… and your lid'l stupid group! Ged real!"
Fubuki abruptly stood up.
"I see…" she said, face covered in shadow. "I'll keep it in mind."
"Goddamm rite," Tatsumaki said.
The raven-haired girl changed and left, not uttering a single word. The red curtain billowed in the breeze.
Before Fubuki could make it around the corner, a worried-looking attendant appeared in front of her.
"Was it a success, ma'am?"
Fubuki scoffed.
"It's clear that there's only one thing she hates here," the esper spat, walking past the girl.
Covered in scars and burns, the only thing that would make someone arrogant enough to lie despite it all — was pure spite.
.
The waters of the onsen rippled gently in the moonlight. Pillowy steam rose from the milky depths and into the sloping hills surrounding the spring, carried by the cold breath of the night.
Basking in the sight — the drunk esper vomited.
.
.
"Thanks for the info, Genos." Zombieman smiled, tucking his notebook inside his yukata.
"It was no big deal," the cyborg replied, standing up from their little face-to-face.
The rookie hero was surprised how persuasive his S-Class colleague was. The pale-skinned hero had managed to acquire a plethora of details about the illegal experimentation site, and had even pulled off a deduction of the possible whereabouts of Genus. According to the S-Class, there was another genetic experimentation group he was investigating. There was little doubt that the scientist, his facility destroyed, would set his sights on that other group next. The regenerating hero was a good listener, and Genos was embarrassed to admit that he'd used quite a bit more than the optimal twenty words while talking.
The cyborg would be even more surprised if he'd known what the detective hero was actually doing. While listening to Genos' story, the man had also been taking notes of the chat between Saitama and Atomic Samurai across the room. Of course, once that conversation ended, he focused back on the rookie cyborg and his tale.
As Genos walked away looking for his master, Zombieman's smile melted away.
"Something's definitely up here…" he said.
.
.
In the center table of the room, Tatsumaki sat silently. She thought she would feel relieved. The trouble was gone. Everything was settled. Talking to Sitch would be a simple matter come the next day.
Even still, there was a pit in her stomach — and it wasn't because she just threw up.
'Fubuki, I'm busy!'
'Don't talk to them — they're not like us.'
'You're not good enough, so stay out of this!'
'Don't play hero if you can't even beat something this weak.'
Not once had the esper ever regretted telling her sister anything. After all, hadn't those very words — those very experiences made her strong? Facing the horrible world, Tatsumaki vowed to teach Fubuki how to overcome it all, just like she did. Even if she was a tad bit harsh, that was the older sister's utmost belief.
Everything she'd said to her sister in the past was scathing. Each word was blunt, hurtful — exactly the things that Tatsumaki thought would make her sister stronger.
But not once had she lied.
The green-haired esper thought it wouldn't matter. After all, what was just one little lie? It was a fixing of a mistake. A mere correction.
"Grh!" The esper voiced her frustration.
So why?! Why was she feeling so—
"Tats? You here?"
It was Saitama. The voice came from the bathroom.
"H—ah?!" the girl's head whipped to face the sound.
Room. The baldy's room. The girl tried to stand, but couldn't manage the grace to keep herself upright. She watched, helpless, as the sliding door opened and the baldy appeared. He was wearing his (free) blue yukata and sported a laughably useless towel over his head.
The man who 'saved' her. Memories of that final attack flashed in the esper's dazed head. He was the last person she wanted to see.
"You wanna talk?" Saitama asked.
"N — hic! — no," the esper managed.
"Why're you here, then?" the baldy frowned.
'Because I got the wrong room. Because I'm drunk. Because…'
The esper didn't respond.
"You know," Saitama began, taking a seat across from her. "You should really be more aware of your surroundings, shouting like that. People want to relax in an onsen, you know?"
The girl's eyes widened.
"You… they said I'd be alone!"
The man shrugged.
"Gh! I'll kill… hic!… kill them!"
The esper stood herself, fueled by drunken anger. The fusuma burst open, and Tatsumaki made her way to the third floor. Sitch — Ona — the girl didn't care. She was furious.
Saitama sighed and stood up, too. The girl liked being alone, but now was not the time to respect that preference.
"Hey, you really shouldn't be walking right now!" the baldy called out as Tatsumaki went up the flight of stairs.
"Oh, shud up!" Tatsumaki replied, forcing her unsteady legs up the steps. "You-you tried to sdop me last time — you can'd — hic — do it again now!"
The esper stubbornly kept going. Saitama didn't really care if she shouted, but the moment he saw the esper begin to use her powers, he would step in.
Tatsumaki was the first to reach the top of the stairs.
"Sitch!" the girl's voice blared. "Come here and ex—"
The hall was empty. The heroes had finished their party and left, the pile of weapons in the 'safety box' still quite full.
Saitama appeared soon after, realizing why Tatsumaki had gone silent. Well, this was awkward.
"Uhh," Saitama began. "Hey, look…"
The girl knelt down, hands clenched.
"…horrible," she muttered. "H-horrible…"
.
Saitama had never been one to relate with others. Even as a student, he didn't understand why people did what they did. Bullies stealing money, cheating on tests, girls — it just wasn't as important to him as other people seemed to find it. As he got stronger, the feeling just grew. Soon enough, his life just seemed to be… boring. A perfectly straight line among the chaotic shapes everyone else seemed to be taking.
Then Genos came. A rather odd kid that shook that straight path up. After they'd met, he had gone through a plethora of experiences. Joining the Hero Association, meeing all different kinds of people — it was, everything considered, fun.
After him was Boros. An even stranger being that brought him crashing back into reality. His speech rattled the hero unbelievably, no matter how he seemed to look on the outside.
'You're far too strong.'
No doubt those words would have grown into something horrible, if not for the esper.
Even though initially, the girl was hostile and infuriating, she calmed down just as quickly. Even though she always criticized his taste in manga — she read them from start to finish. She complained about his cooking, but ate it anyways, trying to hide a smile.
Tatsumaki was a mess of a line that he'd come across almost by chance. And she'd somehow managed to get tangled up with him at an unreasonably good time. The girl might not have known it, but she had saved him just as much as he did her.
Seeing her so downtrodden, drunk as she may be, pulled on Saitama more than it should have.
.
The green-haired esper felt a hand on her shoulder, but didn't care to look back. She knew who it was. He was always, frustratingly, somehow there at the worst possible moments.
"Just… go away," Tatsumaki said. "You're the… ugh… the last thing I want to see right now."
The hand lingered a little while longer.
"You'll figure… whatever this is… out," he said. "Don't forget to drink some water before you sleep."
He pulled away and quietly went back downstairs.
Tatsumaki stayed there for a while. She could still feel the warmth on her shoulder.
.
"Mind if I chat with you a bit?" A deeper voice spoke respectfully, coming from nowhere.
A pale hero sat down in front of the esper. Out of all the heroes, Tatsumaki probably respected Zombieman more than most.
But she just wasn't in the mood to talk.
.
Tatsumaki made her way into her room, holding a glass of water and pitcher in either hand. The girl's mood was still on the lower end of the scale, but at least she managed to let a little steam off before going to bed. Her head was too cloudy to stay awake for much longer.
The fusuma opened in spurts as the esper girl legged her way inside.
The water went down her throat with difficulty. It tasted horrible.
'Was it 'cuz I barfed?' she thought groggily.
Probably.
The green-haired esper made her way into the bathroom to brush her teeth. A small voice at the back of her mind telling her she was missing something.
Her eyes widened in realization.
"… Stupid… baldy."
A full tube was placed neatly beside the sink.
.
.
This chapter… was kind of an ordeal. I never stopped writing, it just took so, so long to get it right — and I'm not even sure if I did it justice. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed. This'll probably be the second to last chapter.
Of the first part of the story.
Gotcha!
After the 'OVA,' Season 2 will probably be covered next. Dunno how I'll write King or Garou into this mess, but wish me luck. I'll do my best!
Stay warm out there boys.
— bonfireboy