At the Hero Association building, shock was evident on the administrator's face as he watched the latest recruits taking the hero association test.
The first candidate was Ginos, the robot. They had been monitoring him since his debut, so they were satisfied to see him decide to join. The second recruit surprised them; they weren't used to seeing someone wanting to join, but it wasn't entirely out of the ordinary. It was Mosquito Girl. The third was a mysterious red-haired woman who had no prior information associated with her, making her an enigma. The last one, however, stunned them completely.
It was Jack—the last known Tornado of Hells Blizzard. Ever since he vanished eight years ago, Tornado's team had been pushing to find him, with little success given the vastness of the cities and his potential to be moving around. Now, they had recent intel on his whereabouts—where he was living and his current location.
"Is this accurate?" whispered a shadowy figure.
"Yes, it is. He's the one we've been looking for," replied another.
"Siri, should I call her?" asked one of the examiners.
"No, I'll handle it myself," he said, picking up the phone and dialing Tatsumaki.
Tatsumaki, a 28-year-old woman of small stature with green puffy hair, green eyes, and a black dress that highlighted her thighs, was currently on her way to confront a dragon-level monster via helicopter. As she flew, her mind drifted back to her little brother—a memory fueled by concern.
"Jack, you stupid boy, you shouldn't have run off. I was just trying to protect you," she thought bitterly, recalling her past kidnapping and her overprotectiveness of her siblings, especially realizing Jack was the weakest among them.
Unbeknownst to her, she had a complex obsession with her brother, cloaked in a yandere-like mentality, reminiscent of Clare from "Eminence in Shadow."
Lost in her thoughts, her phone suddenly rang, disturbing her. She answered with irritation.
"Seriously? I haven't even finished the job, and you're already calling about another?" she said impatiently, pouring her frustration onto her comrades.
They explained that they had news about her brother that might interest her. Her expression shifted from frustration to shock, then to a happy smile as her thoughts raced.
"Really? You found him? Where is he?" she asked eagerly.
"Not so fast. You still have a job to do," replied the voice over the intercom.
"What did you just say?" she demanded, furious.
"Finish the job first. After that, head back to HQ. I'll tell you where he is," the voice said.
Fed up, Tatsumaki ended the call and directed the pilot, "You're moving too slow. I'll handle this."
She leapt out of the helicopter, using her psychokinesis to fly rapidly toward the monster's location, dispatching it with ease. Afterward, she returned to the Hero Association building.
Meanwhile, our main characters were going about their own routines.
Jake had just come home, carrying grocery bags.
**Jake's POV:**
I returned with a few bags of snacks, meat, and essentials. As I entered, I noticed Mosquito Girl and Kushina's bright smiles.
"What's got you two so happy?" I asked, noting they'd usually be arguing by now.
"Because we finally found a job we all enjoy," Mosquito Girl replied.
"Really? What is it?" I asked, curious.
"With Ginos's help, we signed up for the Hero Association exam—so we can get paid for taking down monsters," Kushina explained.
Hearing this, I dropped the bags, a pale look washing over me as I processed the news.
"Jack, are you okay?" Mosquito Girl asked, noticing my expression.
"No, I'm not. You have no idea what you just did," I mumbled, rushing toward the bedroom and hurriedly packing my things, with no one following.
"Master, what's wrong?" Genos inquired, sensing my unusual behavior.
"You should've waited for me to get home before signing up. She's probably on her way here," I said, still packing rapidly.
"Who are you talking about?" both girls asked, confused.
"I'll contact you when I'm safe. Right now, I need to get out of here before she arrives," I said, grabbing my suitcase and rushing out. Just as I stepped outside, a voice called out.
"Jake! Long time no see! Where are you rushing off to so fast?" asked Tatsumaki. I looked up and recognized her, standing with her imposing presence.
"Hey, Tatsumaki. It's been a while. I'm just going for a walk," I replied. Suddenly, a green glow swooped over, lifting my suitcase into the air.
"Really? You're going for a walk with your suitcase? Are you Trying to hide from me?" she teased.
"Of course not," I stammered, following her footsteps as she approached.
"You're the ones keeping him here?" she questioned, eyes narrowing.
"Master Jack, who is this child?" Ginos asked.
"What did you call me?" Tatsumaki snapped, ready to unleash her power.
"There's no need for that.this is my older sister Tatsumaki, these are my friends—Genos, Kushina, and Mosquito Girl," I explained, shocking them all at the sudden revelation.
"You have a sister and didn't tell us?" Kushina said, hurt that I hadn't trusted her enough.
"Really? You didn't tell your friends about me? That's hurts—especially since I'm the second-strongest hero. Well, I guess it doesn't matter. Time to go home," Tatsumaki said dismissively.
"What? Take him home? Why does he have to leave, and why were you so rushy before she arrived?" Kushina asked.
"Because I ran away from home at 18. Living with my sisters was suffocating," I started to explain.
Before I could finish, she cut me off.
"Wait, you said sisters? As in more than one?" Kushina asked in surprise.
"Yes. My older sister, Fubuki, the number one hero of class B, commands a whole gang of heroes. But that's not important now. As I was saying, I left home because they were overly controlling—they didn't even let me go outside or be alone for a second," I said.
"That doesn't quite add up, given your current abilities. You should be able to handle at least demon-level threats," Genos pointed out.
"What are you talking about? Last time I checked, he was pretty weak—he couldn't even handle a Tiger-level monster," she said, raising an eyebrow.
"Wait, so you're saying you didn't have these powers before?" Kushina asked.
"You'll get a full explanation once we're home," Tatsumaki declared, lifting me into the air with her psychokinesis. I quickly used my own powers to pull myself back down, causing her to exert more force. Soon, she had me pinned to the ground.
"You know, I can rip you out of the ground at any moment," she threatened, clearly annoyed that I refused to go home willingly. She looked at her surroundings, dismissing the weaklings and those with ulterior motives.
"That's true, but if you do that, you'll rip my legs off. I don't think you want to do that," I said, smirking as she released her hold.
"What will it take for you to come with me willingly?" she asked, her tone softer than usual. Usually, she'd force her way, but with her brother, she preferred he come willingly.
"Let's make it a challenge. If we win, one hit on you, and you let me stay here without forcing me to go home. But if you can incapacitate us or knock us out, I'll come willingly," I proposed. She hesitated, then nodded.
"Let's modify that. If you win, you visit every Saturday for check-ins so I can see how you're doing," she said, giving a small concession.
"Deal. Just give us five minutes to plan," I replied, turning to my friends.
"I know I lied about this, but please help me. I'm not sure I can beat her on my own yet," I begged, looking at their hesitant faces. Despite their anger, they cared deeply.
"So, what's the plan?" Mosquito Girl asked.
Over the next ten minutes, we devised a solid plan. I equipped Mosquito Girl with two blood patches to enhance her form, allowing her to fight like Ginos in her insectoid state. Kushina changed into her ninja outfit, and we grabbed a few water ninja scrolls. Genos stayed by my side; I knew I couldn't do this alone.
"Time's up, brother. Let's hope you and your friends can pull this off, unlike your sister's little team," Tatsumaki said, preparing for the fight.
I nodded. Kushina made a few hand signs, activating her water technique.
"Water Style: Water Bullet!" she shouted, releasing water projectiles that evaporated quickly with the fire she ignited. I responded by creating a massive steam cloud.
"That's clever, brother, but it won't do much," Tatsumaki said, flying out of the steam. Before she could attack, she was obstructed by Mosquito Girl.
"So you're one of my brother's acquaintances? I don't see what he sees in someone like you," she sneered, looking down.
"I'm just a distraction," Mosquito Girl replied confidently, smirking. Tatsumaki was about to say something when a fire blast came past—nearly hitting her—while more attacks burst from the steam. Ginos appeared next, trying to hold her back but was swiftly slammed into a building, knocking him out of the fight.
"Two down, two to go, and you're supposed to be strong," Tatsumaki taunted. The red-haired girl from earlier charged at her, but was easily stopped.
Tatsumaki floated down to her level.
"Did you really think you could beat me?" she challenged. Kushina, meanwhile, acting quickly, summoned her clones and attacked with water, using her telekinesis to push them back. Her effort created a huge wave of force, destroying the clones and revealing the real opponent—her brother.
"Did you really think that trick would work? That's a point for me, with everyone else down," Tatsumaki smirked.
"Are you sure about that?" came a voice from behind her. Turning around, she saw her brother. She spun back to where he'd been, only to find her opponent had turned into a carbon copy of the redhead.
"That's cheating!" she yelled.
"No, we didn't. You never said we couldn't use our powers. You were planning to use yours, after all. It's only fair," I said, smirking.
She hesitated, then sighed.
"Fine, I will kept my end of the deal. But this isn't over, little brother. Far from it. Still, I'm glad you're surrounded by strong people," she said, stepping back before she disappeared into the distance.