They climbed the stairs from the underground darkness toward the surface. Saitama still held Tatsumaki's hand. Her fingers were still cold, trembling faintly. But the strength with which she gripped back was just a little firmer than before. The pale blue light of the emergency lamps stretched their shadows long across the stairwell walls. "...Let go already." Tatsumaki muttered it under her breath. Her voice was still hoarse. "Don't feel like it." Saitama didn't release her hand. And Tatsumaki didn't shake him off, either. They climbed to the top of the stairs. The moment they pushed open the heavy iron door— The cold night air struck their faces all at once. The buildings of City A spread out beneath the moonlight. The late-night city was quiet. In the distance, the faint wail of police sirens could be heard. Probably a flood of calls after that tremor earlier. But that wasn't all. —*Shff.* Countless footsteps. Black shadows had surrounded the building. Black armor covering their entire bodies. Visors concealing their faces. A combat unit of over twenty soldiers, their muzzles aimed at the two of them. The guns had an unusual shape, their barrels glowing with pale blue light. "[cold]Detain both targets. Seal the esper with the device. The man—kill him if you must." The mechanical voice of the man who seemed to be their leader. Tatsumaki gritted her teeth. Her emerald-green hair bristled faintly. Her body still hadn't fully recovered. Large-scale attacks were out of the question. Saitama stepped in front of Tatsumaki. "[serious]I'll handle this." He said just that, and nothing more. The squad opened fire all at once. Bullets of pale blue light tore through the darkness of the night, surging toward them— Saitama saw all of it. Every single trajectory traced lines in his head like slow motion. *What a pain.* But behind him stood a woman who still couldn't stand on her own. —*BOOM.* Saitama vanished. In the next instant, the soldier at the very front was sent flying. He cratered into the ground. His black armor crumpled, cracks racing across his visor. A second shot, a third—with every swing of his fist, soldiers were slammed into walls, into the ground, into the outer faces of the buildings. "[angry]What the hell is this guy...!!" A scream rang out. But Saitama alone couldn't keep up. The squad had numbers. Shadows were circling around from both flanks. That was when— "[angry]...Don't get cocky!!" Tatsumaki thrust both hands forward. She wrung out what remained of her psychic power. Her whole body screamed in protest. A sharp pain stabbed deep inside her nose, and a trickle of blood spilled out. But she didn't care. —*GWOOOOOM!!* The air warped. Three soldiers floated into the air simultaneously. Their limbs flailed uselessly. And then, just like that— "Saitama!!" Tatsumaki shouted as she swung her arms. The soldiers were hurled right in front of Saitama. Without turning around, Saitama punched straight through them. —*THUD, THUD, THUD!!* Three hits. All of them embedded into the building wall. "[angry]Next!!" Four more this time. Saitama swatted them out of the air. Two more. Buried into the wall. They were in perfect sync. Their bodies moved without thinking. Tatsumaki lifted the enemies, and Saitama put them down with a single punch. The cycle continued, flowing seamlessly. It was like a battlefield dance meant only for the two of them. That was when—Tatsumaki's telepathic wave flowed into Saitama's mind. *'...I don't... think you're cool or anything... I definitely don't think that...'* Her voice was trembling. Saitama, wordlessly, let the corner of his mouth relax just a little. "[serious]Yeah." He let that single word slip toward the sky. Tatsumaki turned bright red all the way to her ears. "[angry]Wh-What do you mean, 'yeah'!!" She screamed as she hurled the last two into the air together. Saitama jumped and punched both of them flying at the same time. —*BOOOOOM!!* A sound like a fighter jet roared, and the two vanished beyond the sky. The squad was completely annihilated. The crumpled wreckage of black armor and unconscious soldiers lay scattered across the ground. Only the cold night wind blew through the canyon of buildings. Tatsumaki swayed. Saitama quickly reached out an arm and supported her by the waist. "...Let go." "Don't push yourself." "[angry]I-I'm not pushing myself..." That was when— —*THUPTHUPTHUPTHUP...!!* The rotor sound of a helicopter descended from above. They looked up. From the rooftop helipad of the Hero Association headquarters building—the 50th floor—an evacuation helicopter was attempting to take off. The Hero Association emblem was emblazoned on its fuselage. And sitting in the cockpit was— Silver hair streaked with white. Sharp, silver eyes. A thin scar near the corner of his mouth. Silverfang. "[cold]...You think I'm letting you go?" Saitama was about to step forward— "[angry]I'll do it." Tatsumaki's voice resonated, low and deep. She raised both hands toward the sky. A pale blue light raced across her entire body. A dense torrent of power, incomparable to anything before. Her hair stood on end, and her golden eyes began to glow. —*GWAAAAAAAAAAN...!!* The surrounding air trembled. The ground shook. And then— The Hero Association headquarters building was ripped from its foundation. The colossal fifty-story structure floated up from the ground as if it were a toy block. Every window shattered at once, and documents from inside danced into the night sky like snow. The concrete of the base crumbled, and underground pipes snapped, spraying water into the air. "[angry]Big Sister, what are you...!!" From inside the building, the remaining Association staff fled, screaming. But Tatsumaki didn't stop. "[angry]Don't screw with me...!!" A full release of her psychic power. Blood from her nose dripped down her chin. Her legs trembled. Her vision blurred. But—she absolutely would not let go. The helicopter tried to escape, tilting its fuselage. But it was already too late. Lifted into the air along with the entire building, the helipad could no longer serve as a launch point. Silverfang leaped from the cockpit. He fell from the height of fifty stories. "[cold]Let's go." Saitama pulled Tatsumaki's waist tightly against him. With one arm. "...!!" Tatsumaki's body jolted. Saitama raised his other fist toward the heavens. —*Thud.* He kicked off the ground. Their bodies soared into the sky. They reached the height of fifty stories in an instant. Silverfang's silver eyes, mid-fall, widened in shock for just a moment. Saitama's fist sank into his abdomen. —*ZDOOOOOOOOOM!!!* The shockwave tore through the air. Silverfang's body was slammed into the ground like an artillery shell. And then—the building floating in midair lost control and collapsed. Fifty stories' worth of steel beams and concrete fell, forming a massive mountain of debris. A roar. A cloud of dust. Everything was over. ◇ Morning came. Atop the ruins where the dust had settled, Saitama stood holding Tatsumaki in his arms. Tatsumaki had lost consciousness. Her face, stained with blood from her nose, rested against Saitama's shoulder as she breathed quietly in her sleep. Saitama looked up at the sky. The eastern sky was beginning to lighten. The so-called justice faction of the Hero Association was bustling about, pulling documents and video records from beneath the rubble. Silverfang had apparently been captured with severe injuries. That was already over and done with. "[gentle]Let's go home." He murmured the words and adjusted his hold on Tatsumaki. Saitama began walking, heading straight for City Z. ◇ Monday night. Room 203 of Green Heights Z. Two cups of instant miso soup sat side by side on the low table. Steam rose from them in gentle, wavering ribbons. The room's lights were off. Only the moonlight streaming through the window illuminated the Japanese-style room in pale blue. Saitama sat a little distance away. Tatsumaki sat formally in front of the table, her gaze fixed on the rising steam. Her complexion was still a bit pale. Her hair remained disheveled, and she had borrowed a spare T-shirt from Saitama's place. It was far too big for her, threatening to slip off her shoulders. Silence stretched on for a while. Only the steam rose quietly. "...You're going to take responsibility, right?" Tatsumaki spoke without lifting her face. Her voice was trembling. "[surprised]Responsibility for what?" Saitama replied as he sipped his miso soup. Tatsumaki slowly raised her head. Her large, golden eyes were brimming with tears. They glittered and sparkled in the moonlight. "[crying]Because of you... how many times do you think I've lost my mind?" Her voice gradually grew louder. "[crying]My head, my psychic power—it's all your fault." "[crying]Because you... because you never look my way at all...!!" The last words came out as a sob. No telepathic waves leaked out anymore. She spoke directly, with her mouth, as words. Saitama took one more sip of his miso soup, then set the bowl down. "[serious]Got it. I'll take it." He answered curtly. In that instant— Tatsumaki's tears fell onto the tatami mat, one drop after another. Her body crumpled, and she pressed her forehead against Saitama's chest. Her small hands gripped the sleeves of his jersey tightly. "[crying]...Idiot..." Her voice sounded muffled. "[crying]...You're so late... idiot..." Saitama hesitated for a moment—then gently wrapped his arms around Tatsumaki's back. Her back was far smaller and more slender than he had imagined. The night deepened. Outside the window, the wind blew quietly. ◇ Tuesday morning. The ICU of City Z General Hospital. A white ceiling. IV tubes. The heart monitor beeped—*beep, beep*—in a steady, rhythmic electronic tone. The morning light streaming through the window cast long shadows across the clean linoleum floor. Fubuki slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry. She blinked several times until it came into focus. (*...Where am I?*) The smell of disinfectant. Cold air mixed with the scent of medicine. The final scene from her memory resurfaced in her mind—the sensation of a monster's claws tearing into her side. The moment she collapsed. Shielding her sister. (*Big Sister