The two walked down the street, chatting away, oblivious to the strange looks from passersby.
Saitama explained, "It's nothing special, but you've been taking care of me all this time. I earned some money from my part-time job recently and wanted to treat you to hot pot. Even though it might not be as spicy as your version, I'm still confident in my cooking skills!"
"Oh? That sounds great!" Johnson perked up at the offer, "Let's do it today — I just spent half a day on the train, and I'm getting hungry anyway."
"Eh... today?" Saitama's expression froze as he instinctively touched the pocket sewn inside his uniform.
"What's wrong, is it inconvenient?" Johnson saw right through him — judging by the sudden aura of poverty emanating from his friend, he was probably broke.
"Well, it's not exactly inconvenient..."
"No worries, let's go to my place instead. I'll provide the ingredients, and you'll do the cooking. How's that?"
"But I should be the one treating you..."
"Next time then."
"Alright, got it."
Having settled on hot pot, the two changed course toward a nearby supermarket.
They hadn't taken two steps when a reporter duo rushed over — a man with a shoulder-mounted camera and a woman brandishing a microphone at Johnson.
Now that's what you call professional.
"Excuse me, are you Mr. Johnson, the 'Wild Thunder', one of the heroes who resolved the monster disaster in A-City three days ago?"
"..." Johnson's face showed confusion.
Since when did he get this strange title 'Wild Thunder'?
"Well, if you're talking about the Crane Monster in A-City, yes, I was involved."
"Wonderful! We're reporters from Hero News, and your popularity online is skyrocketing, comparable to Miss 'Terrible Tornado'. Could you spare us some time for an exclusive interview?"
Johnson glanced at Saitama, who had stepped back, and said, "You can schedule an interview through the Hero Association, but not today."
"Eh?" The blonde reporter covered her mouth in shock but professionally lowered her microphone while signaling her partner to lower the camera, "Mr. Johnson, our show has very high ratings lately. It would really help your exposure. Won't you reconsider?"
"Sorry." Johnson shook his head and turned to walk toward Saitama.
"But why?" The female reporter grew anxious and blurted out, "Being seen with such a suspicious character could hurt your popularity if photos get out!"
"My friend is not a suspicious character." Johnson paused and turned back to face them seriously, "If you don't take back those words, I'll refuse your interview."
"S-sorry!"
After leaving the two reporters behind, Saitama suddenly said, "So you're working as a hero too, Johnson? I thought you were just a police officer."
"Yeah, being a hero is like a side job, but it's still very important work." Johnson nodded, then suggested, "Hey Saitama, why don't you come register with the Hero Association? With your current strength, you'd definitely qualify."
"The Hero Association? An organization that manages heroes?" Saitama scratched his head, imagining who knows what, then shuddered, "I'll pass. I just want to be a hero for fun. If a hobby becomes work, it would feel completely different from the original intention, you know?"
Hearing his response, Johnson swallowed the "the pay is pretty good" he was about to say.
"If that's how you feel, we'll talk about it another time."
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He spent a day selecting police officers and establishing the framework for the Special Affairs Division.
Since it was a newly established division, everything had to start from scratch. Johnson wasn't in a hurry, instructing them to handle the basic work. If a monster disaster occurred while he was away, Kyoko would serve as acting division chief and immediately coordinate with the Hero Association.
TL;DR: Calling for backup.
After arranging everything, Johnson contentedly became a hands-off manager, ignoring the complaints from Kyoko and the others.
Well, saving the police headquarters' higher-ups does come with its perks.
Meanwhile, he informed Chief Bear about his possible upcoming absence and began preparing for his world-traveling venture.
With his current abilities, he needed little preparation.
The nature of his Stand ability meant that items turned into cards would maintain their exact state — food, for instance, would never spoil once made into a card, and would even maintain its fresh-from-the-oven temperature when released.
His Fantasy Card deck was, theoretically, an unlimited storage space.
Since his first crossing between worlds, Johnson had maintained a well-stocked deck of daily necessities — water, ingredients, seasonings, and cooking utensils — ensuring he could maintain a normal life even during earthquakes, tsunamis, or other disasters.
This habit continued even now.
Due to his increasing fame, he rarely used his favorite road roller attack from his rookie days anymore. The method was too brutal and didn't suit a hero's image.
But in other worlds, he wouldn't have such concerns — after all, getting rolled is a badass move.
After replenishing some food and daily necessities, Johnson flew alone toward the outskirts of Z-City.
Although this wasn't his first time crossing worlds, his arrival in the One Punch world had been completely passive. This time, he was actively traveling to another world, so caution was necessary.
If the crossing caused too much commotion, any resulting damage would be counterproductive.
✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱
Flying beyond the uninhabited area, dense forest surrounded the city's outskirts.
Johnson found a flat piece of ground to land on, with a sparkling lake nearby where birds and wild animals gathered to drink and hunt, creating a peaceful environment.
It would make a nice spot for camping and fishing during leisure time.
He noted the location, snapped his fingers, and the 'Mysterious Cube Fragment' obtained in A-City appeared in his hand.
Stand ability, activate!
The white Fantasy Card gleamed with light, and the space before Johnson twisted and warped, forming a black portal that led into the void. At first glance, it looked unsettling — hopefully it wouldn't connect directly to some God's domain.
He shook his head. Even if "God" was still plotting their revival, any power sealed within the Fantasy Cards would remain under the control of the Stand ability.
Well then, let's go.
As Johnson stepped into the space-time passage, the black portal expanded briefly before vanishing.
✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱
Space-time gap.
The first sensation was weightlessness, as if the ground had disappeared beneath his feet. Johnson instinctively wrapped his body in Psychic Power, but it made no difference.
This falling force was simply beyond his current ability to resist!