Recognized Hero

Chapter 10: Baldy Meets Shorty

Slurp!

Saitama ate his udon greedily. Nothing was left wasted when he finished, not even the crumbs were left behind. The bald hero placed the bowl on the table with a satisfied sigh. He patted his belly a few times and remembered the bill, it was the part he hated most when going out, spending his hard-earned cash was always a bother.

Though, he couldn't say it wasn't worth it. The udon was great. Saitama gazed his eyes directly in front of him and stared at the child accompanying him. She happily ate the bowl of udon he bought for her. This was a strange sight to him, just earlier she had killed two monsters effortlessly and consumed their blood. So shouldn't that have filled her belly?

Anyways, that's not something he should be concerned about. He stood up and left the bill on the table, he gestured at the child and left the shop.

"Let's go."

The white-haired child was surprised by the sudden departure and immediately swallowed the bowl of udon down her throat then jumped off the chair and followed behind Saitama. He casually walked along the tattered roads of City-Z, the stench of the monster did not bother him anymore. It didn't smell too bad as when he just started this hobby thing three years ago.

He extended his left hand and offered the child to hold it. Saitama wasn't an irresponsible guy, he wouldn't leave a child unattended in such a dangerous place, even if she were to be powerful, the monsters around here were at least twenty times stronger than the average human. Still, with their physical abilities alone, monsters and heroes alike tend to have a powerful ability or two.

Yet only a few monsters have managed to enter the Threat Level Dragon of the HA. Currently, there are five levels. Wolf, tiger, demon, dragon, and God. Even though God level sounds a bit exaggerated, it was a possibility the HA wouldn't pass by.

This became even more prominent with the help of madame Shibabawa's predictions. The HA trusted her a lot with her predictions having a 100% chance of being true.

The child held his hand firmly, as if afraid of letting it go. "Oh right, I haven't asked your name yet." Saitama suddenly said out of the blue, he only thought of it now. All this time, he hasn't called the kid by a proper name.

The kid stopped, along with Saitama who didn't know why she suddenly did. He tugged slightly at the child's hand, yet she did not budge an inch. "Hey what's up with you?"

"En..." The girl suddenly muttered.

"En?"

"Ena... Just Ena." Ena said her voice mature. "Oh, well nice to meet you, Ena. I'm Saitama, just a hero for fun." Saitama extended his right hand when he realized she was still holding onto his left. Ena stared at his extended hand, she did not know the gesture of a handshake. Saitama did not have a choice but to drop his hand awkwardly.

They continued their walk while Saitama suddenly thought, 'I hope this isn't considered kidnapping...' A sweat drops down his head.

...

A knock reverberated throughout Saitama's small apartment, he knew exactly who it was and didn't bother getting the door. As it creaked open, a familiar voice broke the silence. "Sensei, I've had my repairs." He said then greeted his master.

"That was fast," Saitama said, surprised. "Yes, Dr Kuseno recently made surprising progress in his technology. Hence my repair took less time." The cyborg said and sat down. His master placed two cups of tea on the small table, one for him and one for his disciple. Genos thanked his master and took a sip, not forgetting to compliment his master's brewing skills.

They talked about minor things and some other stuff. Even though they have been masters and disciples for a while, they still rarely get a chance to talk like this. "Sensei, regarding the task that HA gave us..." Genos said seriously and placed down his cup of tea. Saitama raised an eyebrow, is this about Ena?

"I have come to the conclusion that she must be eliminated. We do know not what she is capable of, citizens may be exposed to danger once she gets out in the public." Genos glanced at the small girl sleeping on Saitama's futon. She had a relaxed and peaceful face, contradicting her cruel and merciless side.

Genos felt conflicted. On one hand, he vowed to eliminate as many monsters as he could. On the other, the thought of killing a child goes beyond his moral compass. In the end, he did not have the final say in this matter. His master had decided to take the child in, so he naturally have to comply. He would not have a choice once his master decides against that idea.

"Dude. She's a kid, what's she supposed to do out there? Buy some candies?" Saitama said, fully against Genos's idea. Genos sighed, he saw this coming. With his master's heroic self, of course, he wouldn't be cold enough to kill a kid. Besides, the girl looked too human and not some kind of monster.

"Then... I leave everything to you, master." Genos said and stood up. "I will be gone for a while, we need to stock up on our food supplies." He said and grabbed a spare bag to hold some of the items he'll buy. "Take care, sensei." He respectfully said and closed the door to the apartment quietly.

Clink!

The door locked by itself and soon enough, quietness returned inside the apartment. Saitama shrugged and picked a manga to read. He did not have anything much better to do. As he read, Saitama grabbed the remote and turned on the television. He scrolled to find something note while on the news.

"On today's report, there have been certain rumours that S-Class rank two hero The Tornado of Terror helped a hero rise to S-Class. The vast majority of people doubted this idea, some says that she was paid to do so, while other think she was getting blackmailed. Come on now guys, deep in our hearts, we know that ain't true—Ahem! I'm sorry for going off-topic,  some still believe that a conspiracy is behind all of this, but rumours are just rumours folks!"

'Oh... must be about me,' Saitama thought casually. Though, it's not like he cared. Not at all.

...

Clack! Clack! Clack!

Footsteps reverberated throughout the hallway, the person walked as if in a hurry.

"M-miss Fubuki..! Do we really need to meet Tornado of Terror right now..?" A suited person asked nervously. A meeting with the second-strongest hero sent shivers down his spine... it never ends well. "Not now Eyelash! My sister rarely calls me, let alone chats with me! This is very important to me, okay?" Fubuki wore a dark green form-fitting V-neck dress with a high collar, thigh-high black boots and several white pearl necklaces that enhanced her busty appearance.

She insisted on meeting her sister even though it usually go to a bitter end. Even if that was the case, Fubuki still looks up to her sister and even admire her. She was secretly Tatsumaki's biggest admirer. A bitter smile formed on her sweet face. Her sister had texted her to meet at a certain restaurant, they both frequent this place when they were still in school. It was a huge surprise to see the building still intact and in one piece.

Fubuki entered her car and instructed her driver to the location. She arrived at the restaurant in less than ten minutes, nervousness filled her system and couldn't help but involuntarily gulp. With a deep breath, she built the courage to enter the small restaurant and immediately saw her sister. With her peculiar body and hair, it wasn't hard to spot her.

"S-sister, why did you call for me..?" She asked nervously. Tatsumaki stared at her sister in disbelief, "What? Why can't I call my sister for a family dinner?" She questioned but harshly shushed her. "I just wanna eat with someone today, okay?" She said. Hoping that his little sister wouldn't question her about anything.

Even though Tatsumaki treats her sister harshly, deep down, she was still her sister and the only surviving blood relative of her. So Tatsumaki deeply cared for Fubuki, though, she wouldn't dare admit that. She'd rather fight ten dragon-level monsters than tell her sister about her real feelings.

"Let's order some—" She stopped her own words when the door opened and a familiar face appeared...

'I-it's that bald guy...!' She inwardly thought and looked directly into his eyes, to which he responded in kind by also staring at hers. Fubuki was confused why her sister suddenly acted weird, she turned around and realized the reason why.