Return to One Punch Man

When Higashino Makoto stepped out of the spatial rift, he landed on a gravel road in a deserted area of Z-City.

The abandoned buildings stood silently on both sides, their walls covered with vines and their windows dark and empty.

He knew this place from his memories of his past life.

Z-City, Ghost City, No Man's Land, Saitama's Home.

The man who broke the limiter lives somewhere in these ruins.

Of course, his original home was destroyed in the Monster Association storyline, and this is another house he found.

He walked forward following the address given by the Doppelganger.

Along the way, there were hardly any intact buildings to be seen; the ground was littered with rubble and trash.

A dilapidated apartment building located in the eastern part of Z-City, a sparsely populated "ghost town" due to the frequent occurrence of strange people.

Higashino Makoto stood at the doorway, his long, silvery-white hair swaying gently in the wind.

He was wearing a dark robe and was unarmed.

He was carrying a large bag of ingredients.

Hot pot ingredients: beef, lamb, fish balls, shrimp paste, tofu, mushrooms, cabbage, glass noodles, and a few bottles of beer.

He raised his hand and knocked on the door.

Thump, thump, thump.

Three strokes, neither hurried nor slow.

No one answered.

He knocked three more times.

Thump, thump, thump.

Still, no one answered.

Higashino Makoto stood outside the door, carrying a bag of hot pot ingredients, feeling like a food deliveryman.

Just as he was pondering where his intelligence might be flawed, a steady but listless voice came from downstairs.

"Here it comes! Here it comes!"

The sound came from the bottom of the stairs; the footsteps were heavy, making the wooden floorboards tremble slightly.

A person ran down the stairs.

Bald, wearing a yellow bodysuit, a white cape, and red gloves.

A round head, round eyes, no eyebrows, and no expression.

It looks like a hard-boiled egg, with eyes and a mouth drawn on it.

Saitama.

Standing at the top of the stairs, yellow eyes looked at Higashino Makoto.

Who are you? What are you doing here?

Higashino Makoto looked at him, his golden eyes holding a hint of scrutiny.

But his hand was tightening slightly.

This is Saitama, the man who can defeat any enemy with One Punch Man.

Standing in front of him, you don't feel any pressure; he's just like an ordinary person.

It was as if the other person was just an ordinary person wearing a tight-fitting suit.

"Caped Baldy, I'm your fan."

Saitama's expression didn't change much.

But Higashino Makoto noticed that his eyes widened slightly.

Well, it's just a little bit.

If it weren't for Higashino Makoto's exceptional observational skills, he would never have noticed it.

"... Fans? Me?"

I have followers now?

"Yes, your fans."

He stood there, scratching his head, seemingly never imagining that one day fans would come knocking on his door.

"Let's go inside. By the way, what did you bring?"

"Hot pot ingredients: beef, lamb, fish balls, shrimp paste, tofu, mushrooms, cabbage, glass noodles, and beer."

Saitama's apple bobbed, and he swallowed.

He was a Hero, the strongest human in the world.

But he lived in poverty almost the entire time, constantly struggling to make ends meet.

"Come on, come in and sit down."

He turned around, opened the door, and Higashino Makoto followed behind him.

Enter Saitama's room.

A bed, a table, a wardrobe; the blankets on the bed weren't folded, and the pillows were askew.

On the table was a bowl of empty instant noodles. The noodles had gone cold, and the remaining bits of noodles had swelled up quite a bit.

Saitama walked to the table, picked up the empty instant noodle box, and placed it on the ground.

Then he pulled a small stove out from under the table, with a pot on it.

There was still half a pot of water in the pot, with a few vegetable leaves floating on the surface.

"Is this what you usually eat?"

"Um."

Saitama's tone was flat.

"Instant noodles are cheap, and I sometimes add an egg. They taste pretty good; you should try them if you have the chance."

Actually, his life would have been much better when Genos was around.

But ever since he discovered that the doctor was actually the main villain, he has rarely appeared here.

(Based on the latest plot, there's a high probability that Dr. Kuseno is the villain; if he's Backstab, consider it a parallel universe.)

However, a fan actually showed up at the door, bringing a large amount of ingredients.

Lucky you!

Higashino Makoto placed the ingredients on the table and began to arrange them.

Beef, mutton, fish balls, shrimp paste, tofu, mushrooms, cabbage, and glass noodles were taken out of the bag one by one and laid out on the table.

Saitama stood to the side, looking at the ingredients, something gleaming in his yellow eyes.

"You bought so much?"

"Yeah. It's my first time meeting my idol, so I should bring something."

Saitama remained silent for a moment.

Higashino Makoto chuckled softly.

He turned on the stove, lit it, and blue flames leaped out from the burner.

The water began to bubble, making a gurgling sound that was particularly clear in the quiet room.

High-end ingredients often require only simple cooking methods.

Put the ingredients into a pot, add water, and wait for the water to boil.

Saitama's eyes were fixed on the food, as if he was ready to snatch it at any moment.

To be honest, Higashino Makoto couldn't quite understand it.

Despite possessing such immense power, they lived a life of extreme poverty.

If he possessed that kind of power, even if I don't eat beef, I would definitely make sure I lived a very comfortable life.

So this is why I can't be Hero?

Feeling a bit bored, I spoke up.

"By the way, what do you usually do?"

"He's a bit of an oddball; he occasionally goes out to buy groceries, stays home watching TV, and exercises."

"Exercise?"

"Yeah, it's a pretty brutal workout. One hundred push-ups, one hundred sit-ups, one hundred squats, and a ten-kilometer run every day. Most importantly, no air conditioning is ever turned on at home, regardless of the weather."

Higashino Makoto looked at him.

Although I already knew this, I still couldn't help but speak up when I actually heard that this kind of training could unlock the limiter.

"That's it..."

"What do you mean 'that's all'? This is extremely rigorous training!"

Higashino Makoto remained silent and did not respond.

Even my past self, if I knew the effects, could have barely managed to persevere with this kind of training.

Probably.

Before long, the water boiled.

Higashino Makoto poured the beef into the pot.

The beef tumbled and changed color in the boiling water, releasing a fragrant aroma. Saitama's nose twitched.

"Are you done?"

Not yet, wait a little longer.

Saitama stared intently at the meat in the pot, his yellow eyes unblinking.

Are you hungry?

I didn't eat breakfast, nor last night. Yesterday at noon, I only had a bowl of instant noodles.

Higashino Makoto scooped the beef out, placed it in a bowl, and handed it to Saitama.

Saitama took the bowl, picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of beef, and put it in his mouth.

I chewed it and swallowed it.

"It's delicious! Where did you buy these ingredients? If they're cheap, I'll buy some more when I have a little more money."

He picked up another piece, and then another.

They ate slowly, but chewed each piece carefully.

"The price is actually quite high, but I can give you some. Eat slowly, there's plenty more."

"Um."

Seeing that Higashino Makoto hadn't fired, Saitama slowed down.

He swallowed the beef, put down his chopsticks, and looked at Higashino Makoto.

What's your name?

Higashino Makoto.

"Higashino... Makoto, what a strange name."

The two remained silent for a moment, the water in the pot still bubbling, the aroma of beef filling the room.

"You just said you're my fan."

"Well, I guess so. But can you please remember what other people say? Didn't I just say that?"

"Why?"

Because you are strong.

"That's all?"

"That's it, what else can we do?"

Saitama looked at him, a hint of confusion in his yellow eyes.

Higashino Makoto didn't hide anything; after all, Saitama didn't care about most things and wouldn't talk nonsense.

No, what if he discovered a formidable enemy and became interested?

Maybe we can even get him to join us in fighting the Nine Luminaries World Devourer.