Happy New Year everyoneđđđ
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"Glug... Glug..."
Tatsumaki's throat bobbed as she tilted her head back, gulping down water to rehydrate.
She placed the glass down next to the plate she had licked clean.
Her gaze swept over the familiar furnishings of the villa, and memories of her vision from various angles involuntarily surfaced in her mind.
A heat of shame surged through her entire body, bringing an inexplicable itch to her skin.
"Perverted bastard..." Tatsumaki muttered in embarrassed annoyance.
She didn't want to stay here for even a second longer.
Because the memories in her head kept popping up uncontrollably.
A figure radiating a fluorescent green light flew off into the distance, its movements slightly stiff.
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Knock, knock, knock!
A steady knocking sound came from the door.
Saitama, who was still having a headache over packing his luggage, looked toward the door in confusion.
He had only moved into this apartment yesterday; why would anyone be visiting?
Knock, knock, knockâ
The knocking sounded again.
"Coming, coming."
Saitama had no choice but to put down his half-unpacked luggage and go to open the door.
Pushing the door open, Saitama poked his head out. "If it's insurance sales, I'm not interested."
"Saitama, it's me."
The person standing outside wore a helmet that completely encased his face, adorned with a decoration in the shape of a question mark.
He was similarly clad in full-body armor, with the word "SECRET" engraved on the chest.
"You are...?"
Saitama pinched his chin, his expression contorted in a struggle to remember.
Suddenly, his expression relaxed as he realized:
"Oh, you're the hero from the party yesterday! Your name is... 'Magic Mask', right?"
"It's 'Mysterious Mask'," the other party corrected.
"Close enough," Saitama waved his hand.
"Come to think of it, you didn't take off your helmet at the party yesterday either."
"Are you here to ask for money because you're upset about having to split the bill despite not drinking?" Saitama guessed hesitantly.
"...It's not about that."
Even though the helmet muffled Mysterious Mask's voice, the helplessness in his tone was still audible.
He was a B-Class hero now; there was no way he'd be stingy over the cost of one meal.
Mysterious Mask continued:
"I want to ask you for a favor. I'd like to consult with Mr. Aokiji about something."
"I heard yesterday that you and Mr. Aokiji are friends. Could you introduce me?"
Saitama scratched his head. "Well, I can, and I was actually planning to invite Aokiji over for dinner today anyway, but what do you want to consult him about?"
Mysterious Mask fell silent for a long time.
He turned his head left and right to observe his surroundings.
The apartment Saitama rented wasn't anything luxurious, and it was located in the Old Town.
It was very close to a supermarket that frequently held discount sales.
At the same time, it was also near an area where Monsters frequently appeared, so there were very few residents.
But even so, after looking around, Mysterious Mask still didn't feel at ease.
He spoke to Saitama with a hint of pleading in his voice:
"Can we go inside to talk... I'd rather not discuss this outside."
"Oh, then come in." Saitama opened the door wide.
"But I haven't finished packing yet, so it's a bit messy inside, and I haven't prepared any tea."
"It's fine, thank you."
Once inside the apartment, he relaxed significantly.
Sitting on the tatami by the dining table, Mysterious Mask fell silent for another long while, seemingly preparing himself mentally.
Saitama had no idea what he wanted to say, so he silently served two glasses of water and sat opposite him to wait.
Mysterious Mask's hand rose and then fell again.
He looked exceptionally conflicted.
After this was repeated several times, Saitama finally couldn't help but say:
"What exactly do you want to say? If you're a hero, be more decisive."
"Whew... Saitama, I hope you won't tell anyone about this."
Mysterious Mask finally made up his mind.
He raised his hands and slowly took off his helmet.
An exceptionally hideous face appeared.
Eyes of different sizes, a clearly asymmetrical face, and dense clusters of acne; not a single feature of his face fell within the normal range.
His gaze was directed downward, staring intently at the dining table, not daring to look up at the other person's eyes.
"Haha, pretty ugly, right?" He was the first to mock himself.
"Even plenty of Monsters look better than me, right? Hahaha, I haven't met anyone uglier than me in all this time. If I've scared you, I'm sorry..."
Before he became a hero and started living with a helmet on.
This was how he had always done things.
Before others could cast contemptuous looks, before he heard the sounds of mockery and abuse, before he was driven away in disgust.
Before experiencing all that, he would first mock and ridicule himself ruthlessly.
That way, it wouldn't hurt as much.
"It's very uncomfortable to look at, isn't it? I'd better put the helmet back on..."
"It's fine, isn't this pretty good?" Saitama pushed the glass of water toward him and said plainly.
"It's hard to hear you when you're wearing that helmet, and you can't drink or eat anything. It's too much of a hassle. Didn't you not touch a single thing at the party yesterday?"
Mysterious Mask raised his head slightly, then quickly lowered it again.
He confirmed that Saitama didn't show any strange expression.
Only then did he hesitantly set the helmet down in his hands.
"If I had taken off my helmet yesterday, everyone's mood for drinking would have been ruined."
"Hey, everyone there yesterday was a hero," Saitama naturally countered. "Anyone who would think that way can't really be called a hero."
"It has nothing to do with being a hero; it's just the subconscious aversion people have toward ugly things."
He spoke with a forced air of nonchalance.
His hands unconsciously gripped the glass of water, his fingers rubbing against it.
"But for someone like you, Saitama, to have no reaction at all... is very rare."
"Well, because I don't really care about looks and stuff anyway," Saitama scratched his head.
"Everyone gets old eventually, and we all end up looking about the same in the end."
"Like me." Saitama pointed at his own head.
"Lately, I feel like my hair is thinning in one spot. Who knows, maybe I'll go bald when I'm older."
Mysterious Mask subconsciously laughed along.
This was a habit he had developed in the past.
Even if he was despised, by relying on a humble, catering smile, he could at least prove he had no ill intent.
But this time.
His laugh was somewhat relaxed.
Saitama took a sip of water and said, "So, what do you want to consult Aokiji about?"
Mysterious Mask considered his wording and said:
"The Association has officially announced that the form Mr. Aokiji displayed yesterday is a newly developed Psychic Power."
"Since it's possible to transform into creatures from mythology..."
"I was thinking, if I could learn even a little bit, maybe I could slightly change my appearance."
"At least enough so that I can raise my head and look others in the eye."
It wasn't that he hadn't considered plastic surgery.
After becoming a hero and receiving a generous salary, he immediately went to a plastic surgery hospital.
But the results were despairing.
The ugliness of his appearance wasn't just a matter of disharmony.
It was a bizarre deformity he was born with.
Even the best plastic surgery hospital could only go so far as to touch up the skin.
The level of difficulty in fixing the deformities of other parts...
Undergoing surgery for reconstruction had an almost 100% mortality rate.
The chance of success was slim, and no hospital was willing to take the case.
Mysterious Mask's hopes were now entirely pinned on the unfamiliar Domain of Psychic Power.
Saitama nodded and sent a message to Aokiji.
He briefly explained that he wanted to treat him to dinner as thanks for letting him stay before, and mentioned Mysterious Mask's request.
Soon, he received a reply from Aokiji.
"He says he's feeding some small animals and will be over in a bit."
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"Ugh, glug... *burp*~~. (đđ)