Realizing she'd been spotted, Fubuki leaned her head fully out from where she was hiding.
Shinji casually flipped open the window. "So what were you sneaking around for?"
"I was checking if Psykos was here," Fubuki answered without missing a beat.
"She usually isn't around. Do you need something from her?" Shinji asked, puzzled.
"I just wanted to have a little chat with her. But if she's not here, that's fine too."
With that, Fubuki pulled her head back and walked calmly to the front door, expecting to be let in.
However, Shinji assumed she'd simply been looking for Psykos and, having failed to find her, was now leaving.
"Well then, safe travels," he called out without much thought.
Hearing that, Fubuki's tone immediately shifted into something more urgent. "Wait! Aren't you going to let me in?"
Shinji paused. Then, realizing the misunderstanding, he turned around and opened the door, looking at her with mild confusion. "Weren't you heading back?"
"I just wanted to check if Psykos was here. Her not being around doesn't mean I'm leaving," Fubuki explained, folding her arms gracefully in front of her.
Shinji's mouth twitched. "Well then... welcome, I guess?"
"Pardon the intrusion," she said politely, stepping inside.
As always, she removed her shoes at the entrance and made her way directly to the living room.
"So this place is your new hangout spot now?" Shinji commented as he watched her make herself comfortable on the couch he had just been sitting on. "Also, that was my seat just now."
It wasn't that he didn't want her sitting there, but something about someone immediately occupying a spot that was still warm felt... off. Maybe it was one of those strange childhood habits that stuck around, or maybe there was something to it.
"Ah... sorry." Fubuki shifted to the side quickly.
Since space was limited, and with Saitama, Genos, and Vaccine Man already occupying the other seats, she ended up squeezing onto the same couch as Shinji. They couldn't exactly let her sit on the floor. While it was common in Japan to sit directly on the ground, doing so in this setting, all alone, would've felt awkward.
After that, Shinji resumed chatting normally with Saitama and the others. Fubuki stayed quietly beside him, not joining the conversation, just listening.
Then Shinji's phone screen lit up. He had a new message.
[I heard you were the one who dealt with the Sea People last time too. You're amazing! I just realized you're already ranked 5th in S-Class!]
There was no need to guess, it was obviously Lily. She was still the only person he had added on LINE.
[It's alright, nothing special.]
Not quite sure how to respond, he just went with something simple.
[Come on, you're ranked 5th in S-Class! Even King, who's called the strongest man alive, is ranked lower than you!]
After expressing her admiration, Lily finally got to the point.
[Didn't you say you were free to hang out this week? What day exactly works for you?]
Shinji glanced at the time. It was just past 2 in the afternoon.
[How about today?]
It seemed like a good opportunity to casually clear up the misunderstanding Lily had about him.
Then he stood up and said to Saitama and the others, "I've got something to take care of. I'll probably be back before dinner."
"Sure," Saitama replied casually, but then his senses twitched, "Am I the only one hearing FBI sirens?"
"Master, are you going to fight someone? Or is it something else?" Genos asked immediately, ever attentive.
"Not a fight. Just going out to hang out with someone," Shinji replied plainly.
"Understood. Have a good time, Master," Genos said respectfully.
If it had been a battle, he certainly would've asked to tag along without hesitation.
Just then, Fubuki's phone buzzed in her pocket.
[Lady Fubuki, I'm going out to play this afternoon, so I'll have to delay the organization's work a bit.]
There was no mistaking the sender, it was Lily.
[Alright, it's fine. Go enjoy yourself.]
Fubuki replied, her tone thoughtful even in text. But a second later, a strange feeling crept up on her. Something didn't add up.
Why were both Lily and Shinji heading out to have fun at the exact same time?
Could it be...?
[Who are you going out with? Is it a guy?]
Fubuki quickly fired off another message to test her theory.
The message was marked as read almost immediately, though Lily seemed to hesitate before replying.
[Yes.]
She didn't specify who, just confirmed that it was a guy.
Fubuki didn't press further. She already had a good idea.
She had noticed a while ago that Lily and Shinji knew each other, and she was well aware that Lily almost never interacted with men. That made the odds of it being Shinji pretty high.
"Shinji, are you going out with Lily?" she asked him directly.
"Yeah," Shinji answered without any hesitation.
He was slightly taken aback that Fubuki had figured it out so easily.
"I see..." Fubuki murmured, her expression thoughtful.
She hadn't expected Shinji and Lily to be on such familiar terms. Still, more than anything, it just piqued her curiosity. She didn't really feel bothered.
"You better not bully Lily. She's a very good girl," she said with quiet emphasis.
"Of course I wouldn't. What kind of person do you think I am...?" Shinji replied, a little exasperated.
"As long as you won't, that's fine," Fubuki said with a nod, visibly relieved.
"So that's it... Master is going out with a girl?" Genos muttered, thinking aloud. "But it's not that Psykos lady from before. Lily sounds like one of Fubuki's subordinates... So she's not a fan of the support club after all. It seems Master is especially popular with women."
As he processed the situation, Genos pulled out his notebook and began jotting things down, scribbling a confused line that read: Women must be female. Men must be popular with women.
"That's nice, but if things blow up like last time, it'll be annoying," Saitama commented with a simple glance. Of course, he was referring to the previous incident involving Fubuki and Psykos clashing with each other.
"I really don't get you humans," Vaccine Man added, sounding genuinely confused.
Shinji was left speechless. Rather than try to explain anything, he simply turned and left the room.
After his departure, Fubuki sat there quietly, gradually becoming aware of something that didn't quite make sense.
Why was Lily so close with Shinji?
In her memory, they had only met once or twice at most. Lily was almost always at the Fubuki Group's base, and Fubuki kept close tabs on her movements. By comparison, Shinji still acted nonchalant and detached toward her.
So where exactly had things shifted between them?
Fubuki remained deep in thought but couldn't reach any conclusion. Eventually, she decided she would just have to ask Lily herself once she got the chance.