An invisible pressure descended, and two elementary school students who had been chasing each other suddenly stopped playing. Their innocent
An invisible pressure descended, and two elementary school students who had been chasing each other suddenly stopped playing.
Their innocent wide eyes fixed on the strange man before them whose appearance had shifted to black and white, and their expressions gradually turned fearful...
"Mommy!" They cried in unison.
The two children ran away crying. Saitama's tightly clenched fist trembled slightly before he let out a sigh.
His entire being returned from black and white to normal coloring, and his face settled into a harmless expression of strength, "Well, I guess I'll have eggs over rice today~"
✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱
Back in A-City.
Just as Tatsumaki was about to eliminate the ugly monster with its annoying voice, her delicate brows furrowed as she turned her head toward the distance.
"Who's there?"
Being an esper herself, she immediately sensed she wasn't alone in the sky, her gaze sweeping coldly to the side.
"Who I am isn't important." Johnson moved slightly closer, unfazed by her aggressive gaze, and pointed to the Crane Monster below as it tried to reconnect its severed body, "The trouble isn't over yet, and there are still many civilians who need rescue."
"...How annoying!" Tatsumaki's brows furrowed as she noticed the many injured civilians. She immediately stopped bristling and let out a tsundere snort, "I'll handle that waste down there, I don't need your help!"
From below came the Crane Monster's grating metallic laughter:
"Gishishi kekeke, found you! You're the one who did this, aren't you, you little brat! Gishishi, just watch how this great one deals with you!!"
Tatsumaki: "..."
Little... Brat???
"What... did... you... say..." A certain legal loli's face darkened, her slender fingers glowing green as she pressed downward, "You're too noisy!!"
An unimaginable amount of Psychic Power poured forth. The formless mental energy solidified into something rivaling the world's hardest materials, instantly blanketing the entire sky.
Then, it came crashing down!
Johnson: "..."
This brat, using Psychic Power like this — isn't she worried about wasting it?
"Gishishi... huh?"
The sky above suddenly turned pitch black. The Crane Monster's wrecking ball attacks and metallic scraping laughter came to an abrupt halt. For the first time, the humanoid ugly face at the center of the crane arm showed a terrified expression.
"No—"
The Crane Monster that had been showing off moments ago was crushed like something in a hydraulic press. Its massive body, dozens of meters tall, flattened instantly. Its large face reduced to a bloody pulp, spewing black blood as thick as machine oil.
Seemingly disgusted by this sight, Tatsumaki's brows furrowed. The Psychic Power covering the sky shifted from pressing down to contracting inward. In seconds, the dimensionally crushed Crane Monster's corpse and the blood in the air compressed into an unrecognizable metal cube.
Johnson casually collected the monster's spirit to make an SR Monster Card. Seeing Tatsumaki smugly clapping her hands with pursed lips, he couldn't help but shake his head.
"I'm going down to rescue people."
Tatsumaki: "Ah..."
The green-haired esper girl looked down in the direction he descended, and the tragic scene below entered her view.
All along, she had only been responsible for eliminating monsters. Now that she had joined the Hero Association, she was just following in that man's footsteps.
"Tch, these weaklings getting caught in the crossfire... Fine, I get it, what a pain!" While grumbling, she turned her small face to the side, her expression unreadable.
Her fair, delicate hand rose, scallion-like fingers spreading in a casual wave.
Countless injured people were enveloped in transparent energy bubbles, lifting them from damaged hallways and windows before gently descending to the ground.
In the center of the ruins, Johnson used the same method to rescue civilians. Seeing the green psychic light that wasn't his own around him, he couldn't help but smile.
She's really not bad at heart after all.
The two espers worked in tandem, rescuing large numbers of civilians from the ruins. Many uninjured survivors, though covered in dust and dirt, voluntarily joined the rescue effort.
The Hero Association and other rescue teams arrived one after another, and the operation continued until late into the night. Finally, it was over.
Johnson let out a sigh of relief. After expending so much mental energy, even with his Constitution and Spirit, exhaustion had set in.
"Not bad — you managed to hold out this long."
A textbook tsundere voice spoke beside his ear. Johnson felt a headache coming on as he watched a certain green-haired girl wrapped in green light descend from the sky.
Her cute face beamed with satisfaction, clearly pleased with herself.
"You make it sound so easy..."
"Hmph, isn't it just a simple matter?"
"Yes, yes, yes, of course it's simple for you, Miss Tatsumaki."
"Hmph..." With a light snort, Tatsumaki preened at his flattery, "You're Johnson, right? Sitch told me you're also a hero."
Sitch, an executive in the Hero Association and Blast's contact person, meant that as a registered hero, Johnson's presence in A-City wasn't unusual.
"Yes, as a hero, I suppose I'm still a rookie."
"Hmph, boring humility. The Hero Association was only established half a year ago." Tatsumaki pouted, her dress fabric floating upward, "I'm leaving!"
With that, her tiny body, wrapped in green psychic light, floated skyward.
Johnson: Hm?
Talk about a quick change in attitude!
Suddenly, a golden light dropped from beneath Tatsumaki's feet, materializing into a fantasy card in midair.
Johnson instinctively caught it with his Psychic Power, and his pupils dilated in shock.
╔══════════════════════╗
FANTASY CARD: Psychic 100%
CARD TYPE: Ability Card
RARITY: SSR
┌─ SYSTEM DESCRIPTION ─┐
One of humanity's strongest psychic talents, from Tornado of Terror.
┌─ PRIMARY FUNCTION — BORN ESPER ─┐
Mental System Psychic Affinity max, faster Psychic Power activation, increased recovery, 90% reduced consumption.
┌─ SECONDARY FUNCTION — FORCE FIELD MONARCH ─┐
Freely construct and control various Psychic Force Fields, faster field generation, higher intensity.
┌─ TERTIARY FUNCTION — PSYCHIC STORM ─┐
Double power when using large-scale Psychic techniques.
┌─ QUATERNARY FUNCTION — OVERLOAD STATE ─┐
Entrust Psychic Power to instinct, unleash power beyond limits.
╚══════════════════════╝
Johnson: ...
Well, well... did Tatsumaki just drop her Psychic talent?
No need to say more — this loli truly is extraordinary!
He acted without hesitation. As her small green form disappeared into the distance, he pressed his first SSR card into his chest.
An unprecedented joy surged through his heart, and his newly transformed Mental Power began to boil once again.
Having experienced this sensation before, he instantly recognized what was coming and shot upward into the sky.
"Eh? They're gone already?"
A big-nosed man in a black suit reached out dramatically, watching the blue light vanish into the horizon, his face filled with regret.
"Why must psychic heroes be so headstrong? I suppose I'll have to wait for another chance to contact him."