That's wrong, he thought. The chaos from last night was still crackling faintly in the back of his mind. Getting a free meal at a high-end restaurant was fine. But the telepathic scream that had pierced straight into his skull, and the sensation of Fubuki's legs — those had left something clinging to the corner of his chest, something he couldn't just dismiss with his usual "what a pain." Early Saturday morning. Outside the window, it was still dim. Saitama woke to the cawing of crows echoing from beyond the ruins. He reached for the sale flyer by his pillow. "...Meat Day, huh." Today was the once-a-month special sale. Not just pork scraps. Chicken thighs, ground beef and pork mix — all thirty percent cheaper than usual. That's when it happened. *Bzzzt.* The hero communicator on the kotatsu table vibrated, cold and mechanical. "Hm?" He picked it up. The screen displayed the Hero Association logo and a brief directive. *Emergency deployment order. S-Class Rank 2: Tatsumaki, B-Class Rank 1: Fubuki — joint mission in Z-City's Old Downtown Ruins. B-Class: Saitama is to provide escort and combat support for both. Rendezvous on-site. No delays permitted.* Saitama stared at the screen in silence. (*Escort? Those two?*) The day after yesterday. It couldn't be a coincidence. But... what a pain. "...Well, whatever. The sale's not till the afternoon anyway." Without giving it much thought, he pulled on his yellow jersey. ◇ A-City. The Hero Association headquarters building stretched toward the sky. In one of its upper-floor rooms, a heavy stillness hung in the air. Only the pale blue glow of a monitor illuminated the space. A single figure sat deep in a chair, gazing at that light. Long silver-white hair tied back. An aged face marked with countless old scars. Stern features, and silver eyes that gleamed sharply. A thin scar running from the corner of his mouth twisted into a crooked smile with every slight movement. S-Class Rank 3: Silverfang. Spread before him was a copy of a top-secret report — one he had submitted to the Association's upper echelon only moments ago. The title read: *Analysis of S-Class Esper Tatsumaki's Ability Rampage and Emotional Dependency on a Specific Individual*. "...Hmm." He operated the monitor. The screen displayed a map of Z-City and three glowing points. Signals indicating the current locations of Saitama, Tatsumaki, and Fubuki. "The greater the emotional turbulence, the richer the data. This is a fine opportunity." He murmured this in a perfectly composed voice, then opened another window. Displayed there was information indicating that multiple Demon-level monster signatures had been detected in Z-City's Old Downtown Ruins just this morning. "If he accompanies them, there should be no issue. The question is how far the sisters' emotions will be thrown into disarray." His fingers tapped the keyboard. The trio's deployment route. The predicted points of contact with monsters. And the enclosed spaces where emotional rampage was most likely to occur. Everything was calculated. Before long, a notification identical to the one sent to Saitama's hero communicator reached the sisters in their luxury apartment in A-City. "Three pieces, in position." Silverfang leaned back in his chair and fixed his gaze on the screen. ◇ Before departure. For some reason, Saitama's feet carried him toward the Silverfang Dojo on the outskirts of Z-City. No particular reason. Just a whim. (*That old man said something, didn't he. Come by for a meal sometime.*) As he passed through the dojo's heavy wooden gate, the white-haired martial artist was quietly sipping tea. "...Oh, you came." Silverfang looked up, a knowing smile crossing his face. There was no trace of the calculating expression he'd worn at the Association just earlier. Only the face of a gentle old man. "Just felt like I got called here or something." "That is most welcome." Silverfang took a sip of tea. "The stronger one is, the harder it is to settle the turmoil in one's own heart. How about you, Saitama-kun?" "Turmoil in my heart?" Saitama blinked, a blank look on his face, and thought for a moment. "...Oh, right. Yesterday, at the pork scrap sale, I was kinda torn about whether to buy cabbage too. I mean, I've still got some in the fridge. But with Meat Day today, I might buy more, so maybe I should clear some space—" Silverfang simply listened in silence. His silver eyes quietly observed Saitama's expression, the tone of his voice, every little movement. (*His emotional fluctuations are extremely small. So this is his mental fortitude. But—*) "To have your worries end at pork scraps... I must say, I envy you." Silverfang stood and gave Saitama a light pat on the shoulder. Saitama furrowed his brow, just slightly. (*This old man... I'm not great with him.*) No hostility. But there was something unsettling about it — like someone probing, searching for something. "Well, do your best out there." "...Do my best at what?" "You'll understand soon enough." ◇ Z-City Old Downtown Ruins. Cracked earth, with crumbling buildings towering here and there. Monster disasters in this place were practically routine by now. "[angry]Why are YOU here?!" Her emerald-green hair bristling, her golden eyes blazing with fury, Tatsumaki screamed from midair. "That's my line, dear sister. This time, I, a B-Class, am the lead. Why would an S-Class like you be in a place like this?" On the ground, Fubuki fixed her cold, pale-blue eyes on her sister. Her black combat suit accentuated the mature lines of her body. Just then, from beyond the rubble — three grotesque shadows. Demon-level monsters. Massive bodies three times the size of a human, countless tentacles, skin boiling like molten lava. "Here they come." Saitama took one step forward. That's when it happened. "[angry]You stay back! I can handle this by myself!" With a thunderous roar, Tatsumaki's psychic power sent the surrounding debris flying. She had unconsciously moved ahead, trying to protect Saitama. "[cold]You're the one who should stay out of the way, sister. This time, I will be the one to help him." Fubuki, too, positioned herself as if shielding Saitama with her back. The two competed against each other, as if coordination had never been part of the plan from the start. "...I don't really need protecting, you know." Saitama's mutter didn't reach either of their ears. The battle began. Fubuki's psychokinesis sliced through the monsters' tentacles. Tatsumaki's psychic power hurled the wreckage of a massive building. Saitama casually punched a nearby monster, sending it flying in one hit. That's when it happened. Tatsumaki's emotions surged, and her power exceeded its limit. A sharp *shnnk* — a ringing in the ears. A voice echoed directly inside Saitama's head. *'Don't you die... you, of all people...'* Saitama's movements stopped. *'If you disappear... I'll break...'* The voice was trembling. A sob, a scream, a prayer. (*Break... she says...*) Saitama found himself turning to look at Tatsumaki, as naturally as breathing. At that moment, a new monster lunged from the side. "Look out!" Fubuki threw herself against Saitama's back, clinging to him. Her body heat. The scent of her perfume — sweet, with just a hint of spice. "[whispers]...I'm enough, aren't I? Even without my sister around." She whispered it right by his ear, her breath hot. Fubuki's barrier deflected the monster's attack, and Saitama, almost unconsciously, pulverized the creature with a single blow. A sickening *crunch* — the sensation of bones shattering. But more than that— (*What... is this?*) The soft sensation of her body pressed against his back, and the sound of another woman crying directly inside his head — together, they stirred something deep in Saitama's chest. A restlessness he had never felt before. A final explosion — *BOOM*. All three monsters were obliterated. But the shockwave caused a nearby abandoned building to tilt heavily— And collapse. Debris rained down on the three of them like a storm. "—!" Tatsumaki reflexively threw up a barrier, but her exhaustion made its range narrow. Before they knew it, the three of them were trapped inside the collapsed building, in a tiny space where both ceiling and walls had crumbled away. Barely two meters square. In the darkness, the sound of each other's breathing was unnervingly loud. "[sad]...Idiot. I used too much power." Tatsumaki slumped down beside Saitama. Her shoulders trembled faintly from fatigue. *'I was scared... I was really, really scared...'* Her telepathic waves reached Saitama's heart with startling clarity in the darkness. "[gentle]A slight miscalculation, it seems. But with you here, Saitama-san, we'll be out of this rubble in no time." Fubuki sat facing him, hugging her knees, her gaze fixed on Saitama. Even in the dim light, he could clearly see her pale-blue eyes glistening. Her voice was calm — but carried the faintest tremor — as she spoke. "[serious]Unlike my sister, I can actually say what I feel." "[surprised]Wha— Fubuki!" "I need you, Saitama-san." The words were direct. *'Not fair... not fair... I... I too...'* Tatsumaki's telepathic waves, accompanied by something like the sound of grinding teeth, flowed into Saitama alone. (*...What am I supposed to do here?*) For the first time, Saitama was genuinely bewildered. His invincible fists could smash rubble to dust. But he had absolutely no idea what to do about the hearts of the two women before him right now. And yet, even in his confusion, there was something he felt with absolute clarity. (*I don't want to see them in danger.*) It was a more certain "emotion" than anything he had felt in all his boring days. A few minutes later, Saitama punched through the rubble, and the light from outside streamed in. ◇ On the streets of Z-City. No injuries. But all three were silent. "[angry]It's not like I was worried or anything! Idiot!" Her face bright red, Tatsumaki said just that, then floated lightly into the air and flew off in the blink of an eye. "[gentle]...Until we meet again." Fubuki pressed a business card into Saitama's hand, then brought her lips close to his ear. "[whispers]Next time... come alone." And with that, she turned her back and walked away. Left behind, Saitama looked down at the card. (*Missed the sale, huh.*) The thought that would normally come first — right now, he couldn't care less. He looked up at the sky. Something was still stirring deep in his chest. Saitama didn't yet know the name of this feeling. ◇ A-City, Hero Association Headquarters. Before the monitor showing the three who had returned, Silverfang sat alone, a smirk playing on his lips. "Magnificent. The waveform data is perfect. Tatsumaki's rampage patterns, Saitama's behavioral changes, Fubuki's action patterns. With this much, it should be sufficient." He opened another file. There, a new plan. Data on a certain enclosed space — the next place he intended to send the three of them — existed quietly, but undeniably. "Now then... shall we move on to the next phase?" His cold voice reached no one. Under the skies of Z-City, Saitama still couldn't grasp the true nature of the restlessness in his chest. He had no way of knowing that, lurking in the shadows, the next trap was already closing in.