Bang waved cheerfully, but when he saw Johnson turn around with a grin, the smile instantly froze on his face. Sure enough, the young man bu
Bang waved cheerfully, but when he saw Johnson turn around with a grin, the smile instantly froze on his face.
Sure enough, the young man burst forth with the energy of the Water Stream Fist, his footwork turning him into a blur as he descended halfway down the mountain steps in an instant.
"..." Bang took a deep breath and turned back to the dojo with his hands behind his back, expressionless.
It's common sense to formally request a master before learning martial arts, you idiot!
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At home, Johnson cooked two packs of instant noodles, adding braised beef, vegetables, and five eggs for extra nutrition. Just as he lifted some noodles from the large pot for a taste, his phone rang in his pocket.
"Hello, this is Johnson."
[Johnson-kun, it's Saitama.]
"Oh, Saitama, what's up?"
Evening, at a phone booth. Saitama glanced at the monsters and bounty hunters tied up behind him.
[Well, I caught some bad guys, including a monster. Since you're a police officer, I thought I'd give you a call to report it.]
"A bunch of bad guys, and a monster?"
Johnson was puzzled by this sudden information — after all, the normal procedure wasn't to call a police friend's private number!
But understanding Saitama's way of thinking, he replied, "Alright, I got it. Where do you live? I'll come right over."
"I live at..."
Using his Psychic Powers to grab paper and pen, Johnson wrote down the address, then quickly devoured his noodles in a few bites. The scalding food went straight to his stomach, replenishing his energy after the special training.
After finishing his meal, he made two phone calls. Then he opened the balcony door, enveloped himself in blue Psychic Energy, and soared into the sky.
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Ten minutes later.
After receiving Johnson's information, the police station dispatched a SWAT team. Armored vehicles led the way, thundering through the streets until they reached Saitama's place — a row of simple two-story rental apartments.
Due to its remote location and cheap rent, the tenants were a mixed bunch, and the building had earned the nickname "Criminal Department Store" — a notorious den of criminals.
Only someone as oblivious as Saitama could live there so long without noticing anything suspicious. Of course, with his financial situation, he didn't have many better options.
A group of heavily armed SWAT officers filed out of their vehicles and swiftly took control of the situation. At the same time, the Hero Association, having received the news, rushed to the scene under Lanie's leadership. The two groups came face to face.
Meanwhile, Johnson pulled Saitama aside to ask about what happened.
It turned out that while getting his clothes repaired, Saitama learned that the clothing store owner had borrowed money from a loan shark due to cash flow problems. The owner had been forced to forfeit the shop as collateral. Driven by his sense of justice, Saitama decided to help solve the owner's troubles.
As fate would have it, the loan shark's office was right next door to his apartment. When confronted, the boss transformed into a Fish of Darkness Monster right before his eyes — not particularly strong, but disgusting nonetheless.
As a result, his newly repaired tracksuit was torn again.
"Loan sharks, underwear thieves, counterfeit money operations... who would've thought getting clothes fixed could lead to so much trouble? That's so you!"
"Hey, is that a compliment? Something feels off about that."
"Let's say it is." Johnson pulled Saitama over to where the police and Hero Association representatives were arguing, "Now, tell them what you just told me."
"Huh? Tell it again? What a pain!"
"Yare yare, now you know what a pain is? Stop complaining and get on with it!"
After some time and the same story told.
"The Association can coordinate directly with the police station for the rest."
"Thank you, Mr. Johnson. The Association is currently planning to build the world's most advanced Monster prison, and I'll convince the police to transfer that goldfish monster to us!" Lanie thrust out her chest proudly, looking grateful, "Please be sure to contact us if you have any more catches like this!"
"Yes, yes, certainly." Johnson thought of Saitama, who was giving his statement to avoid trouble, "By the way, Saitama single-handedly defeated this Monster, and he also took down the Frog Man before. Would you like to meet him?"
"Oh, he's Mr. Johnson's friend? Of course! I can even arrange a reward payment from the Association for such a helpful civilian."
"Ah? This isn't about money..."
Seeing that Lanie had no intention of recruiting Saitama, Johnson could only let it go.
As a friend, he didn't want his relationship with the future baldy to become just another monetary transaction.
(Saitama: No, I am vulgar!)
By the time everything wrapped up, it was late at night. After seeing off the police force, Saitama felt like he'd forgotten something important — but couldn't quite put his finger on it.
Oh well, forget it. He habitually blocked out trivial matters, including the news report about bounty hunters claiming rewards.
And so, the unlucky balding man missed out on another easy payday.
"Johnson, want to come up for a bit? My place isn't big, but I've got tea."
"Sure, after all this running around, tea sounds perfect." Johnson stretched, "Thanks for having me."
The two went upstairs to Saitama's room. True to his word, the place was small, with clutter sprawling from the entryway to the living room.
"Sorry about the mess..." A drop of cold sweat trickled down Saitama's forehead.
Living alone, he hadn't noticed before, but with a guest coming over, he suddenly realized just how messy his place was!
After frantically clearing a space to sit, he turned on the TV and busied himself with boiling water for tea. Knowing Saitama's financial situation, Johnson didn't mind and sat cross-legged.
Before he could get comfortable, there was a knock at the door.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Quite a forceful knock.
"Who could it be at this hour?"
Since Saitama was busy pouring water, Johnson got up to answer the door.
"Coming."
Opening the door revealed a gloomy-faced old lady. When she saw Johnson and recognized him as one of the police officers from earlier, her aggressive demeanor faltered, "...Eh, it's not that guy?"
"Are you looking for Saitama?" Seeing the old lady nod, Johnson called back into the room, "Saitama, someone's here for you!"
"Oh, coming..." Saitama finished preparing the tea and took a few steps to see who it was. His face fell when he saw the visitor.
The old lady's face darkened, her murderous aura returning, "Hey you, come out here and talk!"
"Ah, have to go outside? What a pain!" Saitama's face stiffened as he reluctantly headed out, "Um, Johnson, have a seat, the tea's ready. I'll be right back."
"No problem."
Bang!
The old lady slammed the door shut, and shrill yelling could be heard from outside.
Johnson picked up his teacup and took a few relaxed sips. Though the tea was nothing special, he wasn't picky — he simply enjoyed this peaceful moment.