Chapter 39: The Bald Pervert

Back when Fubuki had unleashed her so-called "Hell Storm,"

Vaccine Man had just wrapped up a gaming session and was stretching lazily in the living room. He glanced toward the window, frowning at the distant ruckus outside. "Something's going on out there. Did you hear that?"

"That kinda stuff happens all the time. Don't worry about it. Let's do another round. You only won that last one because I got distracted."

Saitama had just taken an embarrassing L and wasn't in the mood to investigate mysterious booms or airborne debris. His pride was on the line, and all he wanted was a redemption match.

"...All right."

Vaccine Man reluctantly dropped the topic. After all, Shinji lived right next door. If something was going down, it wasn't their problem, since Shinji could handle it. Probably better than either of them.

Sure enough, even though the sound of chaos outside got louder for a while, it didn't last long. The noise faded, peace returned, and the two of them quickly forgot about the whole thing.

…

"Beep... beep... beep…"

At that very moment, Iron Gorilla was hunched over, quietly transmitting data through the micro-satellite embedded in his brain. A direct link to Dr. Genus. He assumed Shinji had left already, so he tried to send a full report before anyone noticed.

Then,

Clack.

Shinji appeared again out of nowhere.

"!!"

Startled, Iron Gorilla slammed his skull hatch shut, snapping the compartment over the micro-satellite like he was hiding snacks from a teacher. A cold metallic sweat trickled down his body as his systems screamed in panic.

Shinji gave him a blank look, then suddenly let out a sigh.

"You tell me... when a woman's being unbelievably stubborn, how do you get her to realize she's wrong?"

The question dropped from his mouth like a philosophical bomb.

Iron Gorilla blinked. He had absolutely no idea what Shinji was talking about, but he wasn't taking any chances. Instantly, he dropped into a deep dogeza.

"I-I'm just a dumb gorilla, sir! I know nothing of women!"

A pause.

"I-is she beautiful…?"

Shinji just stared at him for a second, then looked away. He didn't bother pushing the matter.

After a short silence, he disappeared once again, back into the Kamui dimension.

…

Inside Kamui space, the atmosphere had shifted completely.

Fubuki was no longer sprawled on the ground. She now sat curled up, knees hugged to her chest, chin resting against her arms. Her face had gone pale. Her expression was blank. She looked like someone who'd just had her world quietly dismantled, piece by piece.

Her psychic storm was gone. Her pride, gone with it.

Shinji observed her quietly.

"You cooled off yet? Or do you want to stew a little longer?"

"…I want to leave."

Her voice was faint, almost a whisper. No trace of her earlier defiance remained.

Without a word, Shinji brought her back into the real world.

…

The moment she returned, the smell of blood hit her nose. The first thing she saw was Beast King's body, what was left of it, split clean into three jagged pieces. Not far from him, Iron Gorilla remained on his knees, forehead pressed to the ground like a man begging for his life.

Fubuki stood frozen.

These two monsters had been terrifying. She'd felt utterly helpless just moments ago.

And yet…

They're already dead?

Not only had Shinji not run away, he had wiped the floor with them. Alone.

A strange tightness formed in her chest, her pride clashing violently with reality.

Just then, footsteps approached.

"Master Shinji, what happened here?"

Genos arrived, his usual calm expression vanishing the second he saw the carnage. His eyes scanned the ruined street, the scattered bodies, the half-toppled buildings.

"...What happened?"

"!!"

Fubuki's eyes widened.

That's Genos, the S-Class hero?!

And more importantly,

Did he just call Shinji… "master"?

A cascade of revelations hit Fubuki like a storm. Just moments ago, her spirit had been crushed, but now, something had shifted. The dull haze in her eyes cleared, replaced by a faint glimmer of curiosity as she quietly stared at Shinji.

"I think some guy named Genus has his eye on me," Shinji said casually, scratching his head. "Sent a bunch of monsters to try and nab me, but... well, that's taken care of."

Genos narrowed his eyes. "Genus... could it be the same Dr. Genus from the House of Evolution?"

Shinji gave a light nod. "That's the one. Sounds like you know him too."

"I've heard plenty," Genos replied grimly. "They're not just a research lab, they're a full-blown cult. Their whole goal is to create a new world through forced evolution. If Genus is interested in your body, it's not going to end with one attack. He'll come back. Probably harder next time."

Shinji sighed. "Yeah? Then maybe he should've gone after Saitama instead. Now that would've been a fun research subject."

At that moment, Iron Gorilla finally spoke up, his voice trembling. "Actually… our boss did have two targets. One was you. The other was… uh… a bald pervert who doesn't wear clothes."

"Bald pervert...?"

Shinji froze.

Then nearly doubled over laughing.

There was absolutely no doubt who the so-called "pervert" was, Saitama. During a past scuffle, Genos had accidentally incinerated Saitama's outfit mid-fight, and for a solid five minutes, their beloved hero had been chasing monsters in nothing but his gloves and boots. Truly unfortunate timing.

Shinji paused to offer Saitama a silent moment of condolence.

Meanwhile, Genos had been watching Iron Gorilla like a hawk. Now, his tone turned sharper as he began probing with quiet intensity.

"You're a modified human, aren't you? Has the House of Evolution been manufacturing cyborgs for four years now? Are there others like you? Was your organization responsible for the destruction of City D, or City G?"

Genos's voice was calm, but the palm of his hand had already opened, glowing with the light of his internal cannon.

Four years ago, his entire town, and his family, had been annihilated by a rogue cyborg. That moment had defined the path he walked to this day. And now, if this gorilla turned out to be connected…

Iron Gorilla dropped into a low bow, visibly trembling. "I swear I don't know how long the boss has been making cyborgs. I just know I'm the only combat-type model produced under the House of Evolution."

He knew resisting was useless. And honestly, between Shinji and Genos, he didn't stand a chance.

Genos held his aim for a few seconds longer, then slowly powered down. Judging by the gorilla's jittery posture and his simplistic manner of speech, he didn't seem like the mastermind. Just a cog in the machine.

"…Understood. I'll verify the rest later."

A brief silence followed.

Then Fubuki finally spoke, her voice quiet but steady.

"Shinji… do you know any other S-Class heroes?"

It was the first time she had spoken since returning from Kamui space.

Genos, who hadn't even noticed her standing there until now, turned and gave a polite nod. Seeing she seemed to know Shinji, he introduced himself properly.

"I'm Master Shinji's disciple. My name is Genos."

"Disciple…?"

Fubuki's eyes widened. An S-Class hero... calling a B-Class hero his teacher?

That made no sense. It shouldn't make sense.

But Genos didn't seem the least bit sarcastic or confused. He wasn't just saying it, he meant it. Completely and sincerely.

Genos hadn't been active in the Hero Association for long and wasn't yet familiar with every ranking. He didn't recognize Fubuki as B-Class Rank 1, "Hell's Blizzard." He simply glanced at her and asked with genuine curiosity, "You know Master Shinji?"

"I…"

Fubuki opened her mouth, then stopped. She hesitated.

The truth was… not only were they not close, she had literally come here today to intimidate him into joining the Blizzard Group. And then gotten caught up in a complete mess with the House of Evolution. If Genos knew the full story, he might see her as an enemy.

Before she could answer, Shinji spoke on her behalf. "We're not close, but you could call her a guest. She came knocking earlier with a few others, just happened to get caught up in this mess."

Fubuki's breath caught in her throat.

He was... covering for her?

He could've just told the truth, could've humiliated her right then and there. But instead, he'd brushed it off like nothing happened.

She glanced at him, unsure of what to think.

Genos, meanwhile, had already shifted his attention back to the topic at hand. "Speaking of the House of Evolution... Master Shinji, since they've made you a target, I believe it's best we strike first. Eradicate the threat at its root."

His eyes narrowed. "First the Mosquito monster. Now these cyborgs. If we don't end this now, they'll just keep coming."

"You're right," Shinji replied. "We should go on the offensive."

Then he turned back to Fubuki.

"But before that…"

His eyes locked onto hers.

"Fubuki. I assume today's events were enough for you to learn a lesson?"

"…Fubuki?"

Genos tilted his head, the name triggering something. He quickly pulled out his phone and ran a search on the Hero Association's public site.

A few taps later,

B-Class Rank 1 Hero: Blizzard of Hell.

Genos blinked, piecing it together.

So that was why Master Shinji had said she "came with others." And this was the leader of the Blizzard Group, the one infamous for suppressing promising new heroes in B-Class.

His expression darkened with mild amusement.

"So you're the head of the Blizzard Group? You even tried to suppress Master?"

Then he glanced at the wrecked battlefield behind them, the pieces of Beast King still smoking on the ground, and Iron Gorilla still kneeling, trembling.

"And in the end… you were the one who had to be saved by him?"

His lips curled into a quiet smirk. Not cruel, but definitely not sympathetic either.