139: Tatsumaki

Whether it was ingredients from the Four Seas or the Grand Line, every kind could be found in this massive kitchen.

The finest chefs, earning top-tier salaries, worked with the highest-quality ingredients in the best kitchen, constantly pushing the limits of culinary excellence.

Even compared to the chefs kept by the Celestial Dragons, these cooks were just as skilled—if not better. After all, a significant number of them had originally been won from the Celestial Dragons themselves in high-stakes gambles.

Kizaru and Gild Tesoro both despised the Celestial Dragons, but that never stopped them from making money off them.

There wasn't a bigger group of gullible suckers in the world.

That said, the restaurant Fubuki spoke so highly of was indeed impressive.

Even someone as spoiled by top-tier cuisine as Kizaru was willing to give the head chef's signature dish a passing grade.

That seventy- or eighty-year-old head chef might even qualify to work in the kitchens of the Golden Ship—though only as an assistant.

"Tastes pretty good."

Kizaru gave an honest evaluation.

If he weren't so accustomed to fine dining, his praise might have been higher.

"Just 'pretty good'?"

Fubuki was unconvinced.

This was the best steak she'd ever had!

And maybe it was just her imagination, but… today's steak tasted even better than usual.

It was truly an exquisite dish.

Kizaru simply smiled without arguing.

Instead, he made a mental note to take Fubuki to the Golden Ship sometime—so she could experience what real "shining" cuisine was.

But just as he was thinking that, his expression shifted slightly.

He turned toward the kitchen.

Boom!

A violent explosion erupted from the restaurant's kitchen.

A monster fused with an oven burst through the kitchen wall, dragging the elderly head chef in one hand.

"Not tasty! Not tasty! Not tasty! How could my steak not be tasty?! Eat it! Say my steak is delicious!"

The oven monster roared in fury as he tried to force-feed a freshly grilled steak to the struggling head chef.

The scorching-hot meat seared the old man's face, making him grunt in pain—but he refused to open his mouth.

"A monster!"

Fubuki instantly shifted into combat mode, using her psychic powers to hurl chairs and tables at the oven monster, trying to free the chef.

Attacks like this weren't uncommon.

Most of the time, by the time the Hero Association even realized a monster had appeared, the heroes had already dealt with it.

There was simply no way to monitor every part of all the cities at once.

BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!

A barrage of furniture smashed into the oven monster.

Caught off guard, he howled in pain and accidentally let go of the chef.

"Hmm… seems like just a Wolf-level or Tiger-level monster…"

Fubuki exhaled in relief, continuing her telekinetic assault with bricks and rubble.

She also wanted to prove herself in front of Kizaru—unfortunately, the opponent was too weak to really show off her strength.

Then again, weak wasn't always bad.

If it were a Demon-level monster, she wasn't sure she could win.

"Damn it! And all you customers deserve to die too! Always complaining about me!

My steaks are just as good as that old bastard's—why are none of you satisfied?!"

The oven monster howled in rage and charged straight at Fubuki.

Like most monsters, its vitality was ridiculously strong.

As long as it could endure the pain, it would be hard for Fubuki to finish it off quickly.

"Hell Storm!"

Fubuki had already unleashed her ultimate move. Every table, chair, and piece of debris in the restaurant flew at the oven monster under her telekinetic control.

But even that wasn't enough to stop the monster's charge.

Kizaru, on the other hand, remained calm as he casually wiped his mouth, as if he hadn't noticed that Fubuki was in danger.

Boom!

A massive eighteen-wheeler truck suddenly crashed into the restaurant at an astonishing speed, slamming straight into the oven monster.

The once-raging creature was instantly crushed into a pulp.

"I knew you'd be here."

A green-haired, twintailed girl in a black slit dress descended from the air.

She looked like a young girl—practically a child—but her presence was overwhelmingly strong as she faced Fubuki.

"It's been a while, and you're still playing these childish games? Just disband your little B-Class fan club already. Your strength is getting weaker and weaker…"

Fubuki clenched her teeth.

She had always felt inferior when standing before her older sister, Tatsumaki, who was a thousand times stronger than her.

What made it worse was that the group she took pride in—The Blizzard Group—was nothing more than a "B-Class fan club" in her sister's eyes.

It was infuriating.

"And you!"

Tatsumaki's sharp gaze landed on Kizaru.

"You're that 'Swift Flash' guy, right? The new Rank 9 S-Class hero?

I'm warning you—stay away from my sister!

Otherwise…"

She glared fiercely at him.

If there was one thing she absolutely couldn't stand, it was people getting too close to Fubuki.

The moment she heard rumors about Fubuki and the new S-Class hero getting too close, she had abandoned her monster investigation just to come and confirm the situation herself.

But before she could finish her sentence—

A faint flash of light flickered.

Tatsumaki's reflexes were instant. She activated her psychic defenses—

Only to realize a single strand of her hair had already been cut.

It silently floated down… past her chest… and onto the floor.

Tatsumaki's expression darkened.

She was already twenty-eight years old, a full five years older than Fubuki.

And yet, compared to her younger sister's mature, beautiful figure, she still looked like an underaged girl.

For a moment, rage burned inside her.

Then she locked eyes with Kizaru.

That bastard.

That attack just now—it was him!

That speed… Even she couldn't react in time.

So this is "Swift Flash"…

"Chef, we've got more guests. Mind preparing a few more of your specialties?"

Kizaru casually turned to the dazed head chef.

The old man seemed to have some complicated emotions about the oven monster.

But Kizaru wasn't particularly interested.

In the world of One Punch, humans often mutated into monsters due to emotional triggers.

And most of the time, those monsters were beyond saving.

Killing them wasn't something to feel bad about.

"Sigh… Kenjiro was actually a talented chef. I just… wanted him to improve…

Ah, never mind. Please wait a moment."

The old chef seemed like he wanted to explain something about the oven monster.

But seeing that the creature had already been flattened by a truck, he chose to drop the subject.

"Why don't you sit down and eat with us?"

Kizaru looked up at Tatsumaki, who was still on high alert.

"It's been a while since you had a meal with Fubuki, hasn't it?"

While Kizaru personally preferred Fubuki's type, he had to admit—legal lolis had their own appeal.

Tatsumaki, who had been ready to fight, suddenly froze.

She had already prepared herself for an all-out battle with Kizaru.

But instead, he invited her to sit down?

And eat?

With her beloved little sister?

"…Hmph!"

She crossed her arms.

"Just so we're clear—I'm not afraid of you.

I just don't want to cause a scene in front of Fubuki right now."

Slowly, she lowered herself from the air and sat down with a huff.

Fubuki, meanwhile, looked absolutely stunned—like a cat with all its fur standing on end.

She stared at Tatsumaki in disbelief.

Her sister had never compromised on anything.

Even when it came to her own family, she always acted unreasonably, issuing commands instead of holding conversations.

That wasn't communication—it was one-sided dictation.

Tatsumaki had spent her childhood imprisoned and experimented on by a mysterious organization.

As a result, she never saw value in forming connections with others.

Yet here she was—sitting down, willing to have a conversation.

But Fubuki, still full of self-doubt, didn't realize that Tatsumaki's actions were because of her.

Instead, she assumed it was because of Kizaru's strength.

As expected—only the truly powerful could make her sister take them seriously.

No matter what, she had to recruit Kizaru into The Blizzard Group.

She had to prove to Tatsumaki that her group was more than just some "B-Class fan club!"

Kizaru leaned back.

"So, what do you want to eat?"

Kizaru simply chuckled as he handed over the menu, his gaze lingering on Tatsumaki's childlike face with amusement.

Even when Nami first joined him, she was already a well-developed young woman.

If he didn't know for a fact that Tatsumaki was already twenty-eight, it would've been difficult to justify making a move on her based on appearance alone.

"I'll have the seafood cheese pasta…

Now tell me, who the hell are you? And why are you getting close to Fubuki?"

Tatsumaki clearly wasn't unfamiliar with this restaurant—one of Fubuki's favorites.

She didn't even need to check the menu before ordering something she regularly ate.

Then, without blinking, she locked eyes with Kizaru, trying to read him.

She may look like a naive child, but she was far from it.

Tatsumaki had been locked away and experimented on since childhood.

Her immense power made communication unnecessary, which led to the development of her infuriating personality—one even Fubuki couldn't tolerate.

But now, facing someone just as strong as her, she couldn't afford to act superior without consequences.

"Kizaru is my friend!"

Fubuki's voice was full of frustration.

What she hated the most was Tatsumaki interfering in every aspect of her life.

That overbearing protectiveness was suffocating.

"Friend?" Tatsumaki scoffed.

"This guy's strength isn't much weaker than mine!"

She had already reviewed the Hero Association's recordings of Kizaru's battle against Vaccine Man before coming here.

His ability to effortlessly crush a Dragon-level monster—

His godlike speed, fast enough to bypass even her telekinesis—

It all proved that Kizaru was an absolute powerhouse.

Even she wasn't sure if she could definitely beat him in a straight fight.

And now, someone that powerful was lowering himself to be Fubuki's "friend"?

If it wasn't because he was lusting after her, then what?

For that ridiculous B-Class fan club?

Honestly, Tatsumaki's suspicion wasn't wrong at all.

What she didn't realize was—

Kizaru wasn't just after Fubuki.

He wanted the big sister, too.

"So what?

Am I not allowed to have strong friends?"

Fubuki snapped back, genuinely furious for once.

She was sick of Tatsumaki's unreasonable attitude.

She was twenty-three, not the thirteen-year-old little girl Tatsumaki treated her as!

"What's with that tone?! I'm your big sister!"

Tatsumaki slammed her hands on the table.

Before she could continue, Kizaru laughed out loud.

Even though he already knew they were sisters, watching a loli slam the table and scold her sister was…

Hilarious.

Tatsumaki's eyes twitched, and she glared daggers at Kizaru.

Unfortunately, her petite stature and inability to threaten him properly made her look less intimidating and more like…

A little girl throwing a tantrum.

From Tatsumaki's perspective, Kizaru was far too dangerous.

That one attack that carved through half of City A, piercing the sky itself—

Even she had to admit—

She couldn't match that level of destruction.

As a psychic, she specialized in widespread devastation, yet not even a meteor crash could create something on that scale.

If she weren't so versatile, she would seriously doubt whether she could even win against him.

And now, this guy was sticking around Fubuki?

Even if he had no bad intentions, he was still a massive source of danger.

Tatsumaki had to put a stop to it.

"Just because you're my sister doesn't mean you get to control who I befriend!"

For the first time, Fubuki was fighting back.

She had never defied Tatsumaki before.

Even if it was just words, it was still a monumental moment for her.

The shock on Tatsumaki's face said it all.

She hadn't expected this at all.

Her sister wasn't even in danger yet, and she was already defying her?

°°°

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