Chapter 32: Master Shinji! (Bonus)

"Please, tell me your name!"

Genos earnestly repeated his request, eyes locked on Shinji.

"...?"

Shinji blinked, confused, then silently pointed to himself like he wasn't sure he'd heard right. Instead of replying, he grabbed Saitama by the shoulder and pushed him forward like a human shield.

From Genos's posture and intensity, it was painfully clear what he wanted. He was looking for a master, and in Shinji's mind, that role clearly belonged to Saitama.

"What's going on here?" Now front and center, Saitama looked around, baffled by the sudden attention.

"No, not you. I meant the one with blood-red eyes." Genos quickly clarified, eyes still fixed on Shinji.

"You hear that? He's talking to you," Saitama said as he turned back toward him.

"...My name is Shinji," Shinji finally answered, clearly reluctant but with no way out.

"Master Shinji! Please accept me as your disciple!"

Genos's voice rang with conviction, practically trembling with emotion.

"Me?"

Shinji pointed at himself again, still not quite believing it. Something felt seriously off. Wasn't Genos supposed to become Saitama's student? That was how the story was supposed to go, right?

He hadn't even done anything impressive in the fight just now. He'd deliberately left Mosquito Girl to Vaccine Man and stayed out of it. It was because he didn't want any glitch in timeline where Saitama fails to save Genos. If Genos had any sense, he should've chosen someone like Saitama, or even Vaccine Man, over him.

It wasn't that he thought Genos was beneath him. He just had absolutely nothing useful to teach.

His own abilities came from the system. His strength was built on stat boosts, his techniques were cheats like dual Kamui and the Flying Thunder God Technique, none of which a cyborg like Genos could replicate.

He wasn't trying to act modest. He truly didn't suit the role of a teacher. And yet, Genos still picked him.

Was it... because of that slap earlier? The one he gave to Vaccine Man?

"Yes! Please take me as your student!" Genos repeated, tone even firmer, like he was ready to kneel on broken glass if it came to that.

"Let's not talk about that right now. You should go get yourself repaired first," Shinji replied quickly, steering the conversation away.

Genos had been torn apart by Mosquito Girl, his body a mess of shattered plating and exposed wires. One of his mechanical eyes was even hanging from its socket like a broken camera lens. But as long as his core was undamaged, Dr. Kuseno would be able to rebuild and upgrade him, probably better than before.

"I'm fine. Please, take me as your disciple first!"

Genos, however, wasn't having it. He completely ignored Shinji's deflection, his priorities nailed firmly into place.

…

"Saitama, I'll leave this one to you. I've got something to handle."

With no better solution, Shinji handed Genos off like a parcel he didn't want to sign for. In his mind, Saitama was clearly the better candidate for a teacher anyway, more grounded, stronger, and honestly more patient.

"Hmm... Wait, huh? Hold on a sec!"

Saitama finally realized something was off and tried to stop him, but by the time the words left his mouth, Shinji had already disappeared with Vaccine Man in tow.

"Master!"

Genos called out, whipping his head around. But Shinji was gone, completely vanished without a trace.

That sealed it. There was no doubt in Genos's mind anymore. This man had to be the master of that terrifying monster. Not only was Vaccine Man following his orders, but Shinji's speed was so astonishing that Genos couldn't even track when or how he left.

"Um... do you want me to take you to the hospital… mechanic? You're Genos, right?"

Saitama scratched his cheek awkwardly and asked, clearly unsure what to do next.

"No need. Thank you for your concern. The doctor will come to pick me up," Genos replied with polite composure.

Even while answering, he studied the bald man closely. Something about him wasn't normal.

When Genos had triggered his massive 500-meter incineration blast, this man had been standing right beside him, yet he emerged completely unharmed. Only his clothes had been vaporized.

And he seemed to know that red-eyed youth named Shinji too. Could it be… he was another disciple of Master Shinji?

Of course, Shinji could never have guessed that Genos had now mistaken Saitama for his own student. The irony was almost too perfect. The idea that Shinji, of all people, could be Saitama's teacher?

Complete bullshit.

"Alright then, I'll be heading back," Saitama said casually, waving a hand as he turned to leave. He could already tell Genos was the clingy type and wanted no part of that situation.

Fortunately, this was an uninhabited district of Z-City, so even without clothes, there was no one around to report a naked man strolling off. Still, he felt a pang of regret about his shirt.

His beloved T-shirt, the one that had "hage" printed across it in big English letters, was now gone. Whether Saitama understood that it was a romanized version of ハゲ, meaning "bald," or wore it as some ironic fashion statement, was anyone's guess.

Once Saitama disappeared from view, Genos blinked and muttered to himself.

"Damn, I forgot to ask Master Shinji where he lives...!"

But he shook it off almost immediately. "Oh well. This is the uninhabited zone of Z-City. I heard barely anyone lives out here. If I ask around, I should be able to figure out which houses are active."

With that, Genos pulled out his communicator and contacted Dr. Kuseno, requesting pickup. At the moment, he was too damaged to move on his own.

Meanwhile, Shinji and Vaccine Man had already returned home.

"That guy just now, was he trying to become your student? Why didn't you accept him?" Vaccine Man asked curiously as he floated through the living room.

"You're asking me that? Why don't you take him as your student instead?" Shinji rolled his eyes, flopping onto the couch.

"Yeah... no thanks." Vaccine Man replied without hesitation. His tone was sharp, and the disdain in his voice was clear. He still carried a deep-rooted prejudice against humans, and the idea of taking one as a disciple was downright repulsive to him… although the said human was a cyborg now.

"Let's just hope he doesn't come knocking. Though... that's probably wishful thinking," Shinji muttered with a sigh.

He already had a feeling that Genos would find him. It wasn't exactly difficult. The uninhabited zone of Z-City barely had any residents, and even without asking around, Genos probably had built-in sensors capable of picking up life signatures.

...

Sure enough, a few days later, there came a loud voice from outside their home.

"Master! Master Shinji!"

He was shouting Shinji's name like a fanboy at a concert.

"Is that the cyborg guy again? Should we open the door?" Saitama asked without even pausing his game. He and Vaccine Man were deep into a match, eyes locked on the screen, controllers in hand.

"Guess I have no choice..." Shinji stood with a resigned expression and went to open the door. He couldn't keep Genos out there yelling forever.

"You know... I think there's been some misunderstanding," Shinji said as soon as he cracked the door open. "I'm really not that strong, and I don't have anything I can teach you."

"Master Shinji, I've come to study under you." Genos replied earnestly, standing tall despite his still-healing frame.

"And I'm telling you, I really have nothing to teach..."

Shinji sighed and rubbed his temples. "Well, since you're already here, come in for some tea, and then you can be on your way."

He didn't want to be rude. Slamming the door in Genos's face would've been cruel.

"..."

Genos said nothing. His silence wasn't agreement, it was resolve. It was clear he had no intention of leaving after a single cup of tea.

The moment he stepped inside, his eyes swept across the room and locked onto the scene before him.

Saitama and Vaccine Man sat in front of the TV, both intensely focused on their game, their hands flying over the controllers. And in that moment, Genos's theory was once again confirmed.

This overwhelmingly powerful bald man and the human-like monster were both disciples of Master Shinji.

If he could join their ranks and become a student of Master Shinji, he would gain the strength needed to crush all evil in his way.