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...Mmm...
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...I...feel...wonderful...
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...My head...isn't throbbing...I'm not tired...am I...better?...
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...I...should open my eyes...I need to see...what's going on...
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Everything was white. Light flooded into view and hid everything else in its brightness. Slowly, as the eyes adjusted, shapes and outlines could be discerned. But right as the picture started clearing, something unexpected appeared.
"Oh! Good! You're awake!" A blue creature with glowing yellow eyes exclaimed. Its face was so close. Too close. "I was worried you might stay out for several more-"
POW
THUD
A punch had been thrown purely on instinct. The blue creature disappeared as a red-skinned fist struck his cheek and sent him flying away. The owner of the appendage blinked her eyes and quickly ascertained her situation. As she did, she sat upright.
The location was a room filled with strange objects that possessed many lights and colors while simultaneously producing a variety of noises. There was also an odd yet pleasant smell in the air. The puncher had been resting in a comfortable pod of some sort. After quickly examining herself, she released a small gasp.
Firstly, the body. It was restored to pristine condition—no injuries, dried blood, dirt, or anything else. The hair had also been thoroughly brushed and laid straight against the back.
Secondly, the clothes were fully repaired. Upon closer inspection, they'd been modified slightly to provide better coverage of certain areas without sacrificing style and comfort. The outfit felt better now than it ever did during the days prior!
However, that brings us to a very important question. Who was it that did all this? That blonde stranger from before was nowhere to be seen. So, if we are to assume correctly, that meant the one responsible was the blue-colored, yellow-eyed creature. You know, the one that had been forced to the floor by a solid straight strike to the head.
"Good heavens!" The woman who struck the creature exclaimed as she realized her error. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you! It was a reflex!" She explained, kneeling beside it.
"No, no, the fault is all mine," The creature assured her, surprisingly no worse for wear. "I should've known better than to surprise you like that. Please, don't worry yourself. I'm much more durable than my slender shape would have you believe." It promised her.
"Even so, that was terribly rude," The woman said, helping the creature get up from the ground. "Would you like to lie down now?" She offered, making it laugh.
"You're the one who should be resting. I'm YOUR caretaker," It replied.
"Oh, so you are the one who has healed me, then." The woman noted, receiving a nod.
"Correct. I am Geryuganshoop. It's a mouthful, I know. Just call me Geryu." Geryuganshoop confirmed while also introducing himself.
"Greetings, sir Gery," The woman responded with a slight bow. "I'm sorry to continue my rudeness, but I don't know my name right now. Thus, I cannot provide it." She said.
"Of course. You took a nasty blow to the head. It's honestly impressive that you're acting so normally." Geryuganshoop admitted. "Still, you need to relax and stay motionless for now. You have been healed, yes, but we need to keep monitoring you for a while." He advised.
"Are you sure you are fit to continue your duty? I hit you so hard..." The woman asked with a mixed expression of worry and regret.
"Miss, I'm fine," Geryuganshoop answered with a smile. "Now come on. Lay down. You are my patient, and I am here to tend to your every need." He proudly stated.
The woman listened and lay back down. When she did, she appreciated just how nice this pod-like thing was.
"Good. Now that you're settled, we need to discuss your name," Geryuganshoop began when their eyes met once more. "I can't just call you Miss or Lady, especially since that will complicate things with someone else. But it wouldn't be right for me to pick something without your input. So, if you have any suggestions or ideas, please, provide them now." He said, ending with a request.
"Umm..." The woman hummed, closing her eyes as she did.
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"I'm sorry," The woman apologized, restoring her vision. "My head...it's like a cloud...nothing is forming..." She explained, looking sad.
"It's alright, don't think poorly of yourself," Geryuganshoop replied. "Genos, the young man who found you, said that you resembled a mythical creature known as a Tengu. Before I proceed, does that stir anything?" He inquired.
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"No..." The woman sighed in disappointment.
"Hm, unfortunate," Geryuganshoop commented with a sympathetic smile. "Anyway, I researched the subject while you were sleeping. The Tengu originates from a race of humans referred to as the Japanese. I think it would be fun if your temporary name came from the Japanese dialect." He proposed, showing his nerdier qualities a little.
"Well, I don't really have any preferences in my current condition, so I'll just hear what you've come up with and we'll go from there," The woman decided.
"Excellent!" Geryuganshoop excitedly exclaimed. "The best candidate for you, in my opinion, is Akari. Depending on how it is written, it can refer to something that is or is similar to a red jewel, at least if my research is to be trusted." He said.
"Red jewel?..." The woman questioned as she looked at herself. "Do you...think that describes me?" She asked.
"Absolutely. Your skin already had an attractive glow when you were brought to us. But now that you are fully healed, your body shines like a well-polished ruby. If a name meaning red jewel doesn't suit you, I don't know what will." Geryuganshoop answered.
Upon hearing that, the woman blushed. You'd think it'd be impossible to see, but no. Whether it was the blood itself or another aspect of the woman's biology, her blush was a distinct shade of bright pink, which paired well with her crimson hue.
"A fever?" Geryuganshoop reacted to the warmth in her cheeks as though it were an affliction. "Could it be caused by our environment? Maybe I need to isolate you..." He muttered, coming in closer to study the coloration.
The sudden proximity change made the woman blush more, which Geryuganshoop perceived as a rapid escalation of this unexpected ailment. Thankfully for the poor lady, an intervention arrived just in the nick of time.
"HEY! Geryuganshoop!" Groribas called as he stuck his head through the medical bay entrance.
"What?" Geryuganshoop turned toward his comrade, allowing the woman to breathe and avert her gaze from him.
"I need to run something by you! Get over here!" Groribas beckoned.
"..." Geryuganshoop expressed bewilderment in silence. "Groribas, just come over here," He countered.
"No! That bird lady will hear us!" Groribas exclaimed before looking at her. "Speaking of, glad to see you're awake!" He added with a smile.
Knowing the plant man's stubbornness well, Geryuganshoop played along and went out into the connected corridor. That gave the woman the time she needed to settle her nerves and dispel the pink color on her face.
"Groribas, if this is anything less than urgent, I will turn you into a pile of grass clippings," Geryuganshoop warned when it was just the two of them.
"Hey, cool your jets," Groribas started. "Listen, we were talking earlier about orchestrating a scenario that would naturally force Lady Boros to realize and address her feelings toward Saitama." He reminded him.
"..." Geryuganshoop merely stared with half-lidded eyes, waiting for the point.
"Glad to see you're paying attention," Groribas continued, unfazed by the apparent boredom. "Just like how you've been doing research, I, too, have been studying. When I went to talk to Saitama back at his old place, we ended up playing this incredibly fun video game. That made me curious about human culture and what it contained, so I dived headfirst into it all. Among the sea of endless experiences waiting to be had, I-"
Geryuganshoop was turning around. His patience meter had hit zero.
"HOLD ON!" Groribas cried out, rushing around to the front of him. "Geez, first you complimented me, now you treat me like I'm no better than the common house plant." He said.
"I thought that was your official position among our ranks," Geryuganshoop remarked with a deadpan tone.
"Go ahead, take your cheap shots, squid boy," Groribas welcomed as he folded his arms. "We'll see who's laughing when my brilliant plan to help our mistress succeeds!" He proclaimed.
"Is this why you came to me? To gloat?" Geryuganshoop guessed.
"No, it isn't. And if you'd just let me say what I want, we'd be done by now! So, keep your lips closed and your ears open!" Groribas ordered. "Look, humans are obsessed with beaches. Do you know how much of their media includes SOME portrayal of people at the beach? Nearly all of it! They LOVE seeing their females in perverted outfits running around on the sand or splashing in the water, only for a perfectly timed accident to occur that will expose them. If we want Lady Boros to be backed into a corner with nowhere to flee, THIS is IT!" He revealed.
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"Groribas..." Geryuganshoop began with a scrutinizing gaze. "Are you suggesting that we orchestrate an event where our mistress is made nude for Saitama to see?..." He inquired
"What?! No! You're not listening!" Groribas responded, DEEPLY offended. "I'm saying that humans are so fixated on beaches and creating scenarios where women become flustered and emotionally unstable that all we need to do is cut out all the lewd crap, and we have ourselves a bottomless list of options! We don't need to do the work, as humanity's horniness has done it for us!" He explained.
"..." To Groribas' delight, Geryuganshoop appeared sincerely interested. "...That's...not terrible..." He confessed.
"Right?! Praise be humans and their insatiable lust for the female form!" Groribas exclaimed.
THWIP
"QUIET." Geryuganshoop sternly scolded after he wrapped some of his tendrils around Groribas' mouths. "Don't say such nonsense when there is a woman IN THE NEXT ROOM." He told him.
"Eh, that's fair," Groribas replied in his head, knowing the Esper would hear it. Afterward, his mouths were freed. "In all seriousness, are you on board with the plan?" He asked.
"I think calling it a plan is being rather generous. Step one, we go to a beach. Step two, we secretly torment our mistress until she has an emotional crisis her brain can't handle." Geryuganshoop answered before raising a tendril to keep Groribas from speaking. "With that said, the initiative and effort you're showing is admirable, Groribas. I'm glad you're working with us rather than rooting yourself on the floor to avoid participating. I'll do whatever you need of me." He promised.
"YES! AWESOME!" Groribas cheered, reveling in his victory. "Okay, so I'm gonna go find Melzargard and run him through it. What I need from you, when you have a spare moment from the bird lady, is to find us the PERFECT destination on the planet. A desert island would be preferred, but a BIG empty coastline that'd give us plenty of room to work with is also suitable." He instructed.
"Aye, aye, skipper," Geryuganshoop jokingly replied. He even went so far as to provide a salute.
With their business done, the men parted ways. When Geryuganshoop came back, the woman's face brightened.
"Sorry for that, Miss," Geryuganshoop apologized when he drew near.
"That's not necessary. You were needed for something important from the sounds of it." The woman assured him.
"Oh? How much of that did you hear?" Geryuganshoop inquired.
"It was mostly just noise from where I'm at. But I think I heard your friend say that something was insatiable..." The woman replied.
"Note: Slap Groribas later," Geryuganshoop thought. "Let's not dwell on that. We need to get back to your temporary name." He said.
"O-Oh, right..." The woman muttered, unable to keep herself from remembering how close they had been before he left. "It was...Akari, right? The name you chose for me." She asked.
"Yes. Do you like it?" Geryuganshoop answered, followed by a question.
"..." The woman looked down at her lap. Now, her mind recalled how he had described her skin and the way it shone. "...I...do..." She whispered.
"Then Akari it is!" Geryuganshoop exclaimed with a smile. "From now until your memories come back, I'll address you as Akari." He clarified.
"Right. Thank you, Geryu," Akari responded, smiling as well.
From here, these two proceeded to lose themselves in conversation. Before long, Geryuganshoop prepared some food for Akari as he knew she was hungry. Yet, she didn't feel right being the only one to enjoy a meal. Thus, the duo settled in for an early lunch, continuing to talk as they ate. The first step in becoming this mysterious woman's friend was a resounding success!