Chapter 144: Someone who has always followed the rules like you, I wouldn't dare imagine...
"Lord Aokiji?! Why are you here... and who are these people?"
The young lady working at the reception of the Association branch stood up respectfully.
Aokiji placed the unconscious Suiryu on the front desk and casually pointed to the two people behind him.
"A few promising young people here to join the Hero Association. Register them."
Young people... 22-year-old Sonic stared at him silently.
You don't look much older than me, how can you say the words "young people" so naturally?
The receptionist was dazed for a moment before immediately reacting.
She immediately contacted her colleagues in the Human Resources department.
When the HR staff heard that Aokiji, the S-Class Rank 1, had come to the door and brought three newcomers to join the Association...
They all rushed down as if they had gone mad.
Who would turn down a boost to their performance metrics!!
Newcomers personally brought by Lord Aokiji, according to the Association's reformed standards, are guaranteed to be at least A-Class level combatants!
When the elevator reached the first floor, the crowd that was almost squeezed into a compressed can instantly tumbled out as the doors opened.
However, they discovered in despair that several colleagues who had jumped frantically down the stairs had already seized the initiative.
"Whew, whew... this last gentleman is named Suiryu, right? Successor of the Void Fist..." an employee asked professionally, sounding like they were having an asthma attack.
"Alright, it's already been recorded in the Hero Registry!"
Striking the keyboard one last time, the employee smiled with a sense of relief.
Haha! Performance points secured!!
At the same time, Aokiji heard the System prompt.
[Progress bar unlock conditions have been met]
Next, he only needed to wait for Genus to breed more Monsters and maintain high-intensity hero activities in the meantime, and he would soon be able to unlock the next template.
With his goal achieved, Aokiji instantly lost that appearance of a Senior leading newcomers.
"The registration is done, arrange things yourselves."
He waved his hand and left without hesitation.
Garou and Sonic were both left stunned.
You spent all that effort bringing us here to register and then you just don't care?!
Before they could speak, Aokiji's figure flashed and completely disappeared from their sight.
Garou and Sonic looked at Suiryu, who was passed out on the front desk.
Then they looked at each other.
"This guy..."
"This small fry..."
Silence.
Having confirmed each other's tone, they were both people who didn't want to meddle in others' business.
The two shut their mouths, ignored the staff members trying to strike up a conversation, and walked out of the branch building to go their separate ways.
Leaving Suiryu alone, still unconscious on the front desk.
With his eyes rolled back, dust and debris still clinging to his face and clothes, and a head of dusty, messy long hair...
He looked like a homeless man having a seizure from who-knows-where.
"If Brother becomes a hero, he should have a better life than before. It's much better than wandering around like a hobo."
Suiko, who was packing her luggage, muttered to herself thoughtfully.
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"I'm back."
Aokiji pushed open the door and returned to the villa carrying a large bag of snacks.
The first thing he saw was a slightly flustered Tatsumaki.
"Don't you know to knock first, you pervert!"
She was wrapped in a pure white bath towel, which perfectly covered the area from below her collarbone to above her thighs.
She didn't forget to stand up and block Fubuki, who was also only wrapped in a bath towel, hiding her sister's breathtaking curves.
It was unclear whether she wanted to protect her sister or if she just didn't want Aokiji to see someone else's body.
Sister, there's no need... Fubuki looked at Aokiji with a complex gaze from behind her.
Anyway, what should be seen and what shouldn't be seen...
...have all been played with.
"Why would I knock coming into my own home?"
Aokiji ignored them and placed the snacks on the coffee table.
"On the other hand, is it really okay for you two to be so relaxed in someone else's house?"
"Hmph!" Tatsumaki snorted inwardly.
Even though she knew he only said it because Fubuki was there, hearing Aokiji say "someone else's house" still made her very unhappy.
"None of your business, pervert! Go away, go away, we're going to change!"
"Suit yourselves. I'm going to cook. Any dietary restrictions? Can you eat spicy food?"
"Whatever, whatever!"
"I'm fine with anything too."
Aokiji took several large pieces of meat from the cold storage.
With his appetite, making stir-fry until he was full would take too much time.
Hotpot and barbecue, where you can eat while cooking as long as there are ingredients, were the best choices.
However, rice still needed to be prepared, along with ingredient processing, seasoning preparation, and washing and selecting side dishes.
Tatsumaki and Fubuki changed back into their regular clothes.
Hearing the movement from the kitchen, Fubuki hesitated for a moment and lowered her head to say to Tatsumaki:
"Sister, it's not good to let Aokiji prepare everything alone. I'll go help."
"Why bother with that guy... fine, go ahead."
Tatsumaki waved her hand and continued to curl up on the sofa with a pillow, watching TV.
Entering the kitchen and closing the sliding door.
Fubuki leaned in behind Aokiji:
"Is there anything I can help with?"
"No need, it'll be processed soon."
"...Oh."
Fubuki gave a low response but didn't leave.
She carefully looked back to observe Tatsumaki, confirming her sister was still watching TV and not paying attention to this side.
Her earlobes turned red, she swallowed, and reached out to handle the ingredients.
Aokiji: "?"
He looked down at the hands reaching from behind.
A soft touch also came from his back.
"Shh..." Fubuki rested her forehead against his spine.
"You two were happy making me listen for so long earlier, did you forget about me?"
Having taken care of her life-cripple of a sister, Fubuki had clearly done plenty of housework; her technique for handling ingredients was quite skilled.
Aokiji couldn't help but feel surprised by her.
"It seems that saying was indeed correct."
"What saying?" Fubuki pressed even closer.
"For someone like you who has been overshadowed by your sister's brilliance since childhood and has always been honest and followed the rules, I wouldn't dare imagine how hentai your fetishes are."
"What are you talking about!" Fubuki was a bit annoyed, yet also seemed amused.
"You're so accurate... I never thought it would be like this either."
She leaned against his broad back, gently inhaling his scent.
"But I just can't help it."
"Be my guest." Aokiji used his Observation Haki to predict the future, observing Tatsumaki's movements outside in advance.
Every time before Tatsumaki was about to turn her head to look over...
...with Aokiji's reminder, Fubuki would return to normal.
With this kind of gourmet experience, Fubuki thought with a flushed face and a surging heart, how could she resist not finishing it all... "Why is it taking so long?" Tatsumaki complained as she floated to the dining table.
She scanned the table, which was almost overflowing with ingredients, and the hotpot in the middle which looked petite by comparison.
Tatsumaki's eye twitched as she said disdainfully:
"Glutton, you eat so much every time. I bet all your salary goes toward buying food."
"Not really, Monster meat is free."
Aokiji handed bowls with prepared dipping sauce to the two of them.
Natural Monsters and animals turned into Monsters made up a large proportion, and as ingredients, they were definitely sufficient.
Moreover, after being processed, most of them tasted exquisite.
This could be seen by Tatsumaki unconsciously speeding up her eating.
"Fubuki, you're not eating?" Tatsumaki chewed on several slices of meat rolls stuffed in her mouth, looking at Fubuki in confusion.
"N-no." Fubuki's eyes shifted imperceptibly as she touched her bloated stomach, "I'm already full."
"But you only ate a little." Tatsumaki frowned, "Is it a side effect of using that device?"
"No, no." Fubuki waved her hands repeatedly.
"Maybe I just don't have much of an appetite, I got full all of a sudden."
"...Alright." Tatsumaki still stared at her strangely, "Tell me early if you feel any discomfort."
Dinner ended.
Aokiji watched a few movies with the sisters before resting.
The sisters were each arranged a guest room.
Around midnight.
(Whispering) "Hey pervert... Aokiji, open the door."
The bedroom door opened, and soon closed again...
Around 3:30 AM.
A faint knock sounded at the door.
"Is Sister asleep?"