"And now let us discuss the recent training activity sensei has given for me," Genos said. "On our way home from buying groceries, we encountered a dangerous robot which called itself Machine God G4. It wanted to assess the powers of King, who happened to be there as well. However, due to the fact that King needed to use the restroom, I decided to intercept it for him. The battle was—"
"Wait, wait," Fubuki said, shaking her head in both confusion and fatigue. "You missed something."
The raven-haired esper raised an eyebrow at the cyborg. She'd listened all this time, just for him to skip over one of the reasons she was willing to put up with his speeches in the first place? No way.
"You know, the whole alien invasion incident." Fubuki frowned, trying to jog the cyborg's memory. "The reason why Saitama was invited to the hot spring? He did participate in the battle, did he not?"
"Indeed," Genos said. "However, sensei was out of sight from the moment the ship laid waste to A-City. I find it best to discuss matters that I have personally been able to witness, first and foremost. Theories and guesswork will be entertained, but only after I have given sufficient information to aid in our analysis."
"C'mon!" Fubuki groaned. "What can I possibly not know about him at this point? Or why not talk about the hot spring? Surely he had something to say about the whole matter with Zombieman."
At that, the cyborg had no response. True, he had discussed most everything he knew about his sensei's deeds, as well as the teachings he'd learned from the bald hero's words and actions. While it was unavoidable that there were minute details he could have added, such as his master's proclivity to read action manga rather than romance manga or the deviations between how long he brushes his teeth on weekends and weekdays — it was not central to being able to guess his master's actions aboard the alien ship.
The real reason was his refusal to admit the Tornado of Terror into the conversation.
It was not a rational feeling, he knew. At least, not completely. Tatsumaki had definitely caused a downturn in Saitama's hero work while they were accommodating her. And the amount Genos had learned during that time was not much to speak for as well. Not to mention the fact that he had to respect his master's decision to take the blame for stabbing the S-Class hero during their vacation.
Tatsumaki had caused a change in the bald hero… and the cyborg did not yet know why.
An instinct in his gut told him that telling the esper's younger sister about the matter would not do any good in his investigation.
"Sensei's actions during the alien invasion and the following hot springs trip deeply affected his mental state. As we know," Genos clenched his jaw. "Master was unable to control his drinking and attacked Zombieman. The topic is one I do not enjoy discussing."
"Mmm…"
Fubuki put down her pencil.
"Let's take a break for a while," she said, sighing deeply. The girl shook her head.
It didn't make sense! After all Genos had talked about, it was quite clear that Saitama wasn't the type to cause an uproar in the hot springs. He wasn't one to drink much, either — considering how clean the man's diet was — not to mention the abnormal amount of self-control he had. Maybe he'd become depressed after failing to save so many in the invasion?
No, that wasn't it. The destruction of A-City was a tragedy, that was unquestionable, but the stories Genos told portrayed a man who was immensely sober. A hero, but not one who was unrealistic. A man who, despite any inner turmoil, would come out on top and back to how he always was.
So what. The hell. Happened?
"Feel free to stretch your legs," Genos said, closing his notebook.
Blabbermouth as he was, the cyborg certainly showed no interest in talking about the subject. All she'd gained from this conversation was a headache.
"Saitama sensei is a man that is easy to hate," Genos said. "One who many would consider 'an idiot.' Or unpopular. A loner. Easy to overlook."
Fubuki glanced at him, surprised.
"That is what I learned during the time you seemed so concerned about. Not many would say that they want anything from him," the cyborg continued. "But he will still give. Even to those who don't deserve it, or those who doubt his ability to succeed."
Genos looked her in the eyes.
"This interest in Saitama sensei is not a common thing — however genuine it may be," he said. "Despite that interest, it is difficult to have him open up. But if, on the occasion it happens, have your notebook at the ready."
"…" Fubuki jotted his words down and walked outside. The door opened and closed with a gentle 'clack.'
King looked up from his game.
"Wow," the scar-faced hero said. "That was… quite something."
"She probably needs time to take that in," Genos replied. "That was the case for me as well."
"Or maybe you've finally gotten her to snap."
"That outcome is acceptable as well," he said. "Considering her temperament, I was sure she would leave after I brought out the fourth notebook."
"You're… kinda mean, Genos."
The cyborg shook his head.
"Her dedication has earned her my patience, at the very least," he said. "Her interest was genuine after a point."
"You did put in some good points during that dialogue dump," King said. "Especially that last one."
"It was put in words that she would be familiar with," he said.
"I'll take your word for it," the scar-faced hero shrugged.
The apartment went quiet. Beeping sounds from King's video game and the monotonous whirring of the electric fan helped only to exacerbate the newfound emptiness of the room.
"Ah. I forgot to summarize things to twenty words or less," Genos noted ruefully.
"Dude. You should've remembered three hours ago."
.
.
"Miss Fubuki sure is taking her time with that damned baldy," Eyelashes said, wiping sweat off his brow. "D'you think they got into another fight?"
"No. I think it's a good sign, actually," Lily said, staff in hand. "Besides, it just gives us more time to get points."
The girl stabbed a crimson-colored monster they had just defeated, as if to prove her point. Seeing it lie motionless, Eyelashes nodded.
"All clear here!" the man called to the other members of the Fubuki Group, dotted here and there around the park. Of all places for monsters to appear, a scenic strolling area in Z-City was the last place they'd expect them to be. Its positioning was a little suspect, that much was clear; the Z-City ghost town was only a few kilometers away — but it was more of speculation than anything. Despite the absurd amount of monsters loitering in the park, their job that day wasn't to investigate. It was simply to clear the area.
And even if they did want to conduct an investigation, Fubuki would never allow them to go on dangerous expeditions in the ghost town — not after the incident with Spring Mustachio and Golden Ball. Her trips to meet Saitama within the ghost town's border were the only exception as of late, which left the rest of the Fubuki Group a little on-edge.
"Nothing we can do but keep fighting," Eyelashes said. "And it's a good time for newbies to get a feel for coordination."
"You sure don't look too happy about it. Maybe we shou—"
"Monster sighted!" Mountain Ape called, a few meters away. The pair of Fubuki Group veterans whipped their heads, instantly on high-alert. Their colleague pointed towards the crest of a small hill. The back of a hairy monster was barely visible behind it, mottled dirt-brown and mossy green. Judging from its size alone, it looked to be a Tiger-level threat — and on the higher end of the spectrum, at that. The Fubuki Group was warned by Fubuki about taking those on without her.
"What'd you think, Eyelashes?" Lily said cautiously.
"I say we look around the hill," the man replied. "Scope the scene and see what it is we're dealing with here."
Lily nodded. She raised an arm and pointed her open hand towards a large cluster of trees located a distance away. It would provide them a perfect vantage point to see the monster without being detected.
The rest of the group saw the signal and made their way slowly towards it.
The Fubuki Group, which had been idly chatting in small clusters while dealing with Wolf-level threats, were now absolutely quiet. A strong breeze blew past them, sending the tall grass up and down in large waves. They had strayed quite a bit away from the neatly-trimmed paths of the park, and this distance seemed all the more clear as they made their way even deeper into the wide plains and closing in on the more rugged, forest-like area — the edge of which the Tiger-level monster was placed. Like a guardian.
As they drew closer, the size of the creature was made even more apparent. The hill it hid behind covered a large portion of its body, and it was clear that the monster was not just relying on the sloped heights of the land to appear larger than it actually was. The fur on its back appeared to be steaming with heat, and the sounds from the monster led the onlookers to assume it feasting.
A low growl from the monster set the group on edge, setting the ground below to tremor. The line of trees was still quite far away. Had it already noticed their presence?
Lily held up a closed fist — a signal for the group to stop.
'What's going on?' she thought. Something in the air felt… off.
The girl felt her stomach drop as the monster stood up, roaring at the sky.
It was an enormous bear. Or rather, many, many, many bears mashed together in a wild, snapping heap. Heads and paws jutted out of the creature in all directions, but the largest set of limbs set it upright — standing around four storeys tall on two legs.
'GGOOOOAAAHHHRR!'
When it roared, each head trumpeted with different, distinguishable rage. Smoke billowed from its many mouths. Its hair was raised, obviously a bad sign.
"STEEL YOURSELVES!" Eyelashes screamed. Beads of sweat dripped down his forehead. It was too late to run away now.
He knew it in his gut that this creature was the worst-case scenario. Worse than they could have possibly prepared for.
A Demon-level threat.
"Surround it! Attack as one!" Lily said.
It was proper protocol for the Fubuki Group to take advantage of their numbers. Surrounding a monster instilled a certain fear in it, and emboldened the group to attack with fierceness and whip back into position as another teammate took the monster's attention.
Despite it being a tried-and-true method, Lily knew it wasn't going to work this time. All they could do was buy time for a hero to arrive.
The girl stumbled frantically in her pocket for her emergency transmitter.
It was too late. The creature pounced, hovering in the air for an impossibly long time.
'GOOOOAAAAAARRRHH!'
"STEP BACK AND STRIKE WHEN IT LANDS!" Mountain Ape roared back, staring the monster down with incredible resolve. "WE'RE TAKING THIS THING DOW—!"
A meteor and a trail of scattered earth crashed into the monster.
It exploded magnificently and died.
A shower of blood and smoke rained down on the bewildered members of the Fubuki Group.
Rising up from the entrails of the Demon-level threat, completely unblemished, was an overwhelming presence. One that the Fubuki Group was intimately familiar with.
"Miss Tatsumaki…" muttered Lily, wide-eyed.
The entire field was silent.
But not for long.
"Hey, that's cheating!" Another voice from behind the hill made the onlookers jump. It was quite muffled. "You can't just pull the monster up to make me miss!"
"I never said you couldn't interfere with one another!" the esper said, crossing her arms haughtily. "That's a point for me!"
It was a few moments before the esper noticed that she had company. She stifled a gasp as she recognized the formally-dressed heroes scattered around her.
"Fubuki's lackeys!? Grh…! Get out of here!" she snapped at them. "I should've known that the 'group of heroes' they sent out were you lot! Bunch of weak, good-for-nothing…"
.
Saitama sighed as he stepped out of the steaming gunk.
"Fine," he muttered to himself as Tatsumaki droned on. "If that's gonna be how it is…"
The man jumped into the air, catching Tatsumaki in his arms as he rocketed upwards.
.
"I'm taking over now! Y—hya!?" was all the members of the Fubuki Group heard as Tatsumaki disappeared into thin air. A second wave of monster carcass splashed into the wind as she left.
After a few moments, Eyelashes patted his shirt down and wiped the sweat from his brow. Lily gulped and put her transmitter back in her pocket.
Fubuki, they knew, had a bit of a complex when it came to her sister gaining credit — especially while she was busy trying to increase her own. If she heard from anyone that Tatsumaki was here… well, who knew how things would turn out.
The two B-Class heroes nodded in unison.
"I guess that's that," Eyelashes said, monotone.
"Yup," Lily replied.
"You hungry?"
"Yup."
The Fubuki Group left to eat some fries.
.
"Baldy!" Tatsumaki said frantically as they flew through the sky. "Let go of me!"
He didn't respond.
The girl felt herself squeeze against him.
"Saitama…!" she complained again. A little more weakly than she would've liked.
There was a pause.
And then they started falling.
As the two plummeted down, Tatsumaki felt Saitama adjust his grip. With one arm free, he extended it forward and formed a fist…
Straight down to an unsuspecting monster.
It splattered on the ground like a badly squeezed paint tube. Modern art.
"That's one for me," he said.
"Alright, we're even," Tatsumaki huffed breathlessly in the baldy's grip. "Now let me g—yaahh!"
But Saitama jumped again, having spotted a sword-wielding monster in the distance. The esper lifted a finger, trying to destroy it before—
Saitama clamped his hand down on hers.
The esper felt herself short-circuit.
Another pause. Another plummet.
"Alright!" the girl shouted, red-faced — with the wind howling around them. "N-No more interfering with each other from now on! Just let go of me!"
He crashed, shiny bald head like a meteor, straight on top of the armed monster. Its remains splashed everywhere, forming a ring around the newly-formed crater on the ground.
He stood up, arms placed on her back and atop her head to protect her from any damage.
"That's two," he said. And promptly let go.
The girl dropped down, touching her head. She felt lightheaded.
"We still doing this?" Saitama asked, face blank.
Tatsumaki gave him a weak thumbs-up.
"Yep," she said. "You're… you're going down."
The esper turned her gesture earthward, and the ground under Saitama caved in.
"I meant what I said about not interfering," Tatsumaki said as the baldy fell into the void. "But you didn't let go in time. Now we're even."
The esper dusted herself off, sealing the ground where the baldy used to be.
"So competitive." Tatsumaki shook her head.
The girl hovered above the air, took one last look at the patch of land Saitama used to be, wondering only for a moment if he would be okay — remembering that of course he would be — then took off.
"Stupid baldy."
.
.
Fubuki loitered about in the barren apartment entrance, mind occupied with what Genos had said.
'Open up…' the raven-haired esper mulled. The cyborg spoke as if he'd expected the baldy to have done that with her somehow.
That was impossible. They'd only met once. And in that time they managed to end up fighting — quite violently as well.
"Hmm…"
The girl brought out her notebook, scanning the neatly-written lines and symbols she used to summarize the cyborg's teachings.
Being a very organized person had led her to enjoy quite a number of things the average person would find tedious. Planning missions, writing contracts, surveying newspapers for signs of her recognition — Fubuki found a special type of comfort in things she could control.
Genos' lessons, though mind-numbing at times, contained a great amount of information about Saitama. She found herself surprised at the amount of attention she paid to the cyborg at points. Not often, but sometimes.
"Let's see…" Fubuki muttered, scanning through the book.
'You baldies!'
A small, page-corner doodle with those words plastered in a speech bubble caught her eye.
It was an egg-like Saitama, having a verbal scuffle with the poorly-drawn townspeople of Z-City.
'I don't do this hero-thing for admiration!' Genos relayed his sensei's speech word-for-word. 'I do it because I want to!'
After destroying a meteor single-handedly, Saitama had been taunted by two heroes. They goaded the crowd, chanting for him to give it up. Give up being a hero. Give up after saving the town. Genos counted 79-and-a-half times the bald hero was told to resign, but that was only speculation based on the chant's general tempo and averaged out between the offbeat crowd.
Fubuki shook her head, appalled that she remembered that.
Either way, that inhuman treatment enacted upon Saitama would be enough to make most people cower and quit. Live out the rest of their lives traumatized and resentful towards the people they saved.
But Saitama stood and spoke his mind. Against the ungrateful masses and against the system of bullying so common within the lower ranks. It left a sour taste in Saitama's mouth, Genos said. It was an event the bald man wouldn't soon forget.
'Speaking his mind, huh,' Fubuki thought.
Did that count as opening up?
It was hard to forget what Saitama had told her the day she visited his apartment. He sent a punch — one that Fubuki was eternally grateful didn't connect — directly towards her. And claimed that one day, a monster would appear just like that — and her group wouldn't be able to handle it.
'Because you're distracted,' he said.
If Fubuki hadn't been so shocked then, she would've snapped back at him, telling him that he was being a hypocrite. At that moment, the man looked the most distracted he'd ever been.
Thinking back on it, Fubuki wondered if he was recalling his time with the two heroes and the crowd. A mass of hate. Jeering and putting him down.
Fubuki winced as she remembered what he said afterwards.
'If you've only got your eyes on controlling the rankings and using people for your own gain, stop calling yourself a hero!'
The raven-haired esper hung her head low.
Opening up through anger, huh. That wasn't the first time she'd experienced that.
'Ged-get out!'
She thought she'd gotten over it. But that night in the hot spring seemed to be just a small part of something bigger.
Saitama and Tatsumaki… those she considered strong. Both opened up to her by beratement. By dousing her aspirations.
In her eyes, her sister was infallible.
In the cyborg's — his sensei.
The two were strong and effortlessly tuned to being heroic — and they both told her to change.
The girl looked at the door to Saitama's apartment.
She could wait. Get the truth for herself, straight from the bald hero's mouth.
Or stop delaying. And act upon her feelings.
.
Genos glanced at the doorway.
"It seems Fubuki has decided to leave," he said, detecting her presence fading.
"You look disappointed," King teased. "What's that about, Genos?"
"Do not mistake my lack of reaction for disappointment," the cyborg said. "I don't care either way."
"Wow. You really are mean."
"Perhaps." The cyborg stood up and returned his notebooks back to their shelves. After doing so, he sat back down. "Though I do wish to have known her reaction to that last quote."
'Aha!' King thought, chuckling. He picked up his video game and continued playing, suspicions confirmed.
"It was her sister's insight, after all," the cyborg added, standing up.
"Mhm," King said distractedly.
The scar-faced hero took a full five minutes to realize what Genos had just said.
The bald man's disciple heard the clattering of a video game to the ground as he did housework.
.
.
"That's five," Tatsumaki said to herself, splattering a horned monster into oblivion.
The monsters were pathetically weak. The stains splashing onto her dress posed more of an actual threat than the monsters themselves.
How was she going to bring around their carcasses, though? Saitama was still nowhere to be seen — she needed to bring the proof to him, somehow. Floating the monsters' bodies was a disgusting idea, but the only one that would definitely work.
They should've thought things through.
And there wasn't really a time limit, either. For all the baldy knew, they could keep going until he had a lead. Then the steak was his.
Really should've thought things through.
"Tats!" The voice made the esper jump. Turning around, she was greeted with the sight of Saitama, dragging a bunch of splattered monster remains behind him.
"I'm at five," he said, throwing the bodies down. Three pairs of eyeballs rolled near her feet. "So do I win?"
The esper lifted her leg up as they continued rolling to her.
"No you don't win," she said, annoyed. "Didn't you listen to the rules?"
"What rules?" he asked. "You made rules?"
"No."
"So what gives?!"
"Shut up! We're making them now!"
"I just want steak," the man said, holding his stomach. "Can we just have steak?"
"If you answer my question," Tatsumaki said.
"Ah," Saitama put a hand against his chin. "No."
"Wh— you don't even know what I'm gonna ask!"
"Probably something weird, and then you'll tell everyone!" Saitama said defensively. "Like, if I sleep all-natural or something! That's how those questions work — don't try and trick me!"
"Are you stupi—" Tatsumaki paused suddenly.
She went silent for a while.
Saitama went wide-eyed and gasped.
"You…! You're thinking about it! I knew it! I knew it!"
Tatsumaki turned red at the accusation.
"You brought it up! And your guess was so wrong!"
"It's too late. That's what you'll ask no—" The bald man's gaze snapped elsewhere. He dashed away. And punched a monster climbing a tree in the distance.
He ran over a hill and didn't come back.
"Oi!" Tatsumaki shouted. "OI, BALDY!"
The esper heard loud impacts in the distance.
Tatsumaki snarled, flying off to beat more monsters herself.
There would be no rules. Just a slugfest until there were no monsters left in the park.
Fine by her.
.
.
"Where? Ah. I see. Stay put. Bye," Fubuki said, tapping on her phone to end the call. Apparently her group had decided to go on an outing to a fast-food restaurant without her. It wasn't too far, so she didn't feel the need to be picked up. Walking would also help her clear her thoughts.
The exit to Z-City ghost town was quite empty. A few cars meandered along the roads, even fewer people passed by, entering the undoubtedly cheap apartments surrounding the prohibited area's edge. The sun, while not completely overbearing, still left a soft singe on the esper's skin. Not having her coat helped with the heat, at least. She'd lost it somehow after her first encounter with Saitama — and she didn't feel like she was getting it back. 'Confiscated,' Genos said. Knowing the baldy, he'd already sold it.
Fubuki shrugged. Not that it mattered, anyway. She had so much more things on her plate.
"A-Class," the girl muttered. "Hmm…"
Moving up the ranks was an option given to her by the Association on many occasions. As Tatsumaki's sister, and as a hero with many accomplishments herself, she had received a letter to move up at least once every two weeks. Being known as an A-Rank hero was considered an honor. A golden badge that only the most prolific, successful heroes could hope to attain. S-Class monsters aside, the A-Class was a veritable hotpot for the strong.
Being known as the highest-ranked B-Class hero had its benefits — some of the lower rungs in A-Class were basically nameless, after all. It came with status and prestige, as well as responsibilities given to the poster child of that rank. Fubuki considered herself perfect for the role. Watching out for potential up-and-coming heroes and recruiting them into the Fubuki Group was a perk, and she knew that the Association recognized her efforts to keeping the A-Class only to the elite.
Was it really time to change that…?
"Thanks for the haul!" A loud voice echoing from afar broke Fubuki's train of thought. It came from a man wearing a red, sleeveless shirt, sporting hair to match. He had just exited a small grocery, with both hands full, carrying a box of leafy greens and fruits.
'Tank-Top Vegetarian?' The girl narrowed her eyes.
A member of her rival group, the Tank-Topper Army. While smaller in number, their heroes were definitely quality material, ranging in Class from C all the way to S.
Tank-Top Vegetarian, in particular, was A-Class Rank 9. Second only to the legendary Tank-Top Master.
Immediately, the girl's competitive nature flared up. She wondered if he was here to investigate the reports of a monster infestation in the Z-City park — as well as if any of the other Tank-Toppers were there.
Fubuki gasped.
Was that why her group had suddenly left the scene? Had the Tank-Top Army driven them out to gain points for themselves?
Any and all introspection put on hold, Fubuki quietly decided to follow the A-Class hero.
.
'He seems… unbothered,' the esper thought.
She'd been trailing the man for twenty-five minutes. Covertly dashing into alleys and positioning herself far behind Tank-Top Vegetarian, she soon found out that he was just on a shopping spree. No other Tank-Toppers in sight.
In half an hour's time, the man had been able to locate and buy different produce from two more stores — at absolutely unbelievable prices.
The red-haired man was on his way towards the third store, and Fubuki decided to leave. He'd set his teetering boxes against a narrow alley wall and was waiting on an employee to give him some potatoes.
"Tch." The girl turned away and shook her head, annoyed that she wasted her ti—
.
"Hey." A young man's voice pierced the air.
.
A single word wasn't something Fubuki would usually find strange, but the sharpness of its delivery was eerie. It was accusing. Confident. Undeniably confrontational. The esper slowly turned back around.
Tank-Top Vegetarian flew through the air as if in slow-motion, straight into an alley. He'd been sent flying by a man dressed in black, a single punch enough to knock the wind out of the hero's lungs.
'CRASH!'
Out of sight, Fubuki heard the red-haired hero mutter something.
"Tank-Top Vegetarian, A-Class Rank 9," the black-clad figure spat as if reciting from a script. "I stumbled across you by chance…"
The young man tied his belt habitually, walking towards the hero as if taking a stroll.
"You…!" Tank-Top Vegetarian shouted. "You'll find out what happens when you cross heroes!"
His attacker's next strike sounded like a gunshot, and the A-Class hero went silent.
.
"I'm looking forward to it," the martial artist muttered to himself, smiling.
.
"I can't wait to fight a monster-class hero!"
The young man howled, sending a shiver up Fubuki's spine.
She fled the scene.
'That's him,' the esper said, frantically making her way towards her group. 'The Human Monster…!'
.
Garou.
.
.
Ah. There he is. I bet you guys could tell from the title.
Introducing... GAROU! WOO! The v-haired man himself. Incredible. What an entrance.
Anyway, nice! I got this done in a reasonable amount of time (please don't count on this happening again), and surprisingly, I enjoyed writing this chapter! Sorry I couldn't end Saitama and Tatsumaki's little competition in a single chapter, but Fubuki unexpectedly took up a lot of screen—er, word time. Hope you don't mind!
Stay warm as always (also I'm posting this like, right before the next chapter drops — I'm shaking with excitement)!
-bb
P.S. Check your inboxes for replies to your reviews! I do make an effort to answer within a few days — just wanted you to know :))