"Sister!!"
Fubuki ignored the sense of pressure and anxiously pushed open the door, bursting inside.
There was a bulge under the duvet on the bed.
There was no reaction to Fubuki's intrusion.
Fubuki sat on the edge of the bed, placing her hand on it as she asked with concern:
"Sister, are you okay?! I saw the... clothes in the bag outside. You and Aokiji..."
She stuttered for a while, unable to find the right words.
Finally, she asked euphemistically:
"Are you hurt? Do you need treatment?"
The bulge under the duvet wriggled a couple of times, and Tatsumaki's head peeked out from the edge.
Her expression was a mix of shame, annoyance, and inner conflict.
"That guy and I didn't do anything!!"
"But sister... the clothes?"
"I bought new ones while shopping and just changed out of them!"
Seeing that her sister still didn't quite believe her,
Tatsumaki simply threw off the duvet to show that her clothes were perfectly intact.
Fubuki finally believed her.
But soon, she realized something was off.
"Sister, you went shopping with Aokiji today? And you even brought back a doll?"
"Could it be... you two were on a date today??"
"Ah, er..."
Tatsumaki silently pulled the duvet back, covering her flushing skin.
Seeing her reaction, Fubuki became even more curious.
"I hit the nail on the head?"
"I want to sleep! Fubuki, get out!"
"No!"
Fubuki grabbed the corner of the duvet, preventing her from retreating.
She leaned in and asked curiously.
————
"What exactly happened when you went to see Aokiji today?"
Genus stood up, leaning on his chair, and asked in surprise.
The dejected Mosquito Girl did not answer.
She simply repeated her request.
"Doctor, change my limbs to human-like ones."
She had been reflecting on her way back.
She believed there was absolutely nothing wrong with her looks.
After thinking it over repeatedly,
she felt it must be because of her non-human limbs with sharp claws.
That was why Aokiji was snatched away by that hussy who appeared halfway!
As long as she replaced them with limbs that met human aesthetic standards, she could win over Aokiji and drain his blood!
Mosquito Girl was fully convinced by this idea.
Genus adjusted his glasses by the temples, the lenses reflecting light.
With his world-shaking intellect, he began his analysis.
It was known that Mosquito Girl needed to suck blood, and Aokiji's blood was an excellent choice.
But based on her previous performance, she clearly lacked the courage to obtain it by force.
After returning, Mosquito Girl proactively requested a limb replacement.
Based on these facts, he made a simple deduction:
Mosquito Girl wanted Aokiji's blood but didn't dare use force, so she tried to seduce him with her looks, only to be rejected, dealing a blow to her self-confidence.
Genus was rendered speechless by her stupidity.
It wasn't because of her seduction plan.
But rather, that she actually went to find Aokiji on her own just to suck blood?!
What if it was perceived as a hostile act and led to the annihilation of the House of Evolution?!
Carnage Kabuto wasn't even finished yet!
The House of Evolution currently had no way of resisting him!
Fortunately, it didn't escalate to that... Genus felt a wave of lingering fear; they had nearly been wiped out for no reason.
However, Mosquito Girl's idea did hold some potential.
The fact that she could return in one piece
at least proved that Aokiji didn't harbor any hostility toward her actions.
If she continued, even if she didn't succeed, her attentiveness could at least serve to lull the opponent's guard.
Finally, Genus nodded slowly and said:
"...I will use your genes to cultivate perfect limbs; your combat power won't be significantly affected."
"I grant you the right to come and go freely, but...!"
Genus warned sternly.
"You must never expose us!"
——Z-City, Old Town——
"Thank you, Saitama-kun."
An uncle dressed in simple, traditional clothes took the deed to his shop.
Saitama was still wearing that blue tracksuit, which looked dirty as if he had just been in a fight.
Saitama often came to this quaint clothing store to repair his tracksuit, which frequently got damaged in battle.
As the owner, the uncle saw Saitama as a poor but righteous hero and had never charged him for the repairs.
Recently, to keep the shop running, the uncle had taken out a high-interest loan from a gang.
When he couldn't pay it back, they took the deed to his shop.
Today, Saitama went to help him get it back.
He unexpectedly discovered that the gang's hideout was in his own apartment building.
Furthermore, the gang leader was a Monster.
Not only did he get the deed back,
but Saitama also caught the entire group of wanted criminals.
He planned to use the reward money to pay his rent.
It turned out the old landlady had known about the group's identity all along.
But she didn't care, thinking it was fine as long as they paid their rent on time.
Now that Saitama had caught them and handed them over to the police, she had lost a source of rent.
In the end, she still kicked Saitama out of the apartment.
"I'm so sorry, Saitama-kun. Because of my situation, you've been kicked out of your home," the uncle sighed, pouring some barley tea for Saitama.
"Don't worry about it. I didn't want to live in a place like that anyway," Saitama said nonchalantly.
He never expected that in the apartment where he had lived for so long,
his neighbors were either counterfeiters, loan sharks, or even Monsters.
He was actually quite shocked.
Saitama took a sip of barley tea and said:
"I'll find a place to stay eventually."
"Besides, the Hero Association's recruitment is starting soon. Once I become a professional hero, I'll have a salary."
"Even though Aokiji told me to maintain my current pace of life and training schedule, renting a place should be fine."
The clothing store uncle remarked:
"The top hero of the Hero Association, huh? I've heard some rumors about him. I didn't expect you to actually know him, Saitama-kun."
"So, where do you plan to live before you become a professional hero and get your salary?"
"Well, I haven't thought that far ahead yet," Saitama mused, stroking his chin.
"Uncle, do you have any space in your shop? I could just sleep on the floor."
"Well..." The uncle hesitated and spoke helplessly.
"Actually, I plan to close the shop and return to my hometown."
"Pfft—cough, cough—" Saitama choked and spat out his barley tea.
I went through all that trouble to get the deed to your shop back,
and you're still closing the shop to go back to your hometown?!
With a look of reminiscence, the uncle stroked the deed on the table.
It was as if he weren't just touching a piece of paper, but the past few decades of his life.
"I've reached an age where my strength is failing me."
"...I see. Then there's no helping it."
Saitama didn't complain; he just agreed.
He didn't become a hero for rewards.
Since the uncle had decided to close the shop, Saitama naturally respected his choice.
"I originally wanted to suggest a place for you to stay, Saitama-kun," the uncle spoke again.
"There's a Ghost Town area within the Old Town. The public security is terrible, and Monsters appear frequently, so all the residents have fled."
"The Ghost Town area used to keep expanding; eventually, the entire Old Town might have become deserted."
"But ever since that hero—your friend Aokiji—moved nearby, that trend has stopped."
"I was going to say that if you had nowhere else to go, you could move to the Ghost Town as a temporary transition."
"But since Aokiji is your friend, there's no harm in asking him for help."
Saitama was wiping up the spilled barley tea.
Hearing the uncle's words, he scratched his head.
In truth, Saitama hadn't formed deep relationships with others since he was a child.
And he rarely sought help from anyone.
But... it seemed there was no better way for now.
"Oh, right, Saitama-kun!"
The uncle suddenly remembered something.
He pulled out a neatly folded garment from the wardrobe.
"It's okay if you don't wear it; I just sincerely hope you'll accept it."
Saitama took it and unfolded it.
A hero suit with a white cape came into view.
...
(Throw some stones)