Treating

Night.

That barbecue restaurant is on the outskirts of Z-City.

The shop is small, sandwiched between a convenience store and a drugstore. The sign is orange and reads "Charcoal Grilled Pork".

The handwriting had been blurred by wind and rain, but Saitama said the meat here was delicious and cheap.

In any case, Higashino Makoto believes that deliciousness may only account for a small part; the most important thing is definitely that it's cheap.

Higashino Makoto pushed open the glass door, and the wind chimes on the door tinkled.

The restaurant was filled with the aroma of grilled meat, a blend of charcoal and grease that made your mouth water.

Several tables were scattered throughout the hall, with a few guests sitting haphazardly. The only sounds were the sizzling of grilled meat and the occasional clinking of glasses.

"Welcome, are you two?"

The shop assistant was a young woman wearing a white apron and with her hair in a ponytail.

She saw Saitama, paused for a moment, and then smiled.

"Mr. Saitama, it's been a long time."

"Yes, that's right."

Saitama walked straight to a table in the corner, and Higashino Makoto sat down opposite him.

The clerk brought over the menu, which Saitama took without even glancing at it, and immediately flipped to the page with the beef.

"Five portions of premium beef brisket, three portions of beef tongue, three portions of diaphragm, two portions of beef small intestine, and --"

He looked up at Higashino Makoto.

What do you want to eat?

"You can order it."

"Then bring five more servings of premium beef brisket, lettuce, garlic, and rice, in large bowls."

The clerk was rapidly pressing buttons on the order machine, her eyes wide with excitement.

After all, Saitama has never been so generous with his food here before.

"Mr. Saitama, what brings you here today...?"

"He asked."

Saitama pointed at Higashino Makoto.

The shop assistant looked at Higashino Makoto, Higashino Makoto nodded.

"Okay, please wait a moment."

She turned and walked away, her ponytail swaying gently behind her head.

Saitama placed his hands on the table, staring at Higashino Makoto with an expression that said, "I'm going to eat you out of house and home."

Unfortunately, with a small shop like this, unless he suddenly awakens his culinary talent, he could eat his way through a thousand years and still not go broke.

How is your injury?

Higashino Makoto looked at Saitama's thigh, which, after his treatment, looked as if it had never existed.

"Everything's perfectly fine! By the way, are you a doctor?"

I guess so.

In his view, anyone who knows healing magic can be called a doctor.

"Wow, that's amazing! You'd be very popular if you joined the Hero Association."

"Perhaps."

Saitama touched his head, then looked at his thighs, and fell silent.

"What can your magic cure?"

"Most external injuries, some diseases, Curse, and toxins can be cured as long as the person is still alive."

"Can you cure baldness?"

Higashino Makoto looked at him, at his bald head that gleamed under the light, and fell silent.

Although Overlord World, Higashino Makoto has never learned it.

Although I thought I could learn it, I always felt that Saitama should be bald, so I never had the intention of specifically learning it.

"... cannot."

"Oh."

Saitama's tone was calm, but Higashino Makoto noticed that his fingers tapped lightly on the table.

The shop assistant came over with charcoal and poured the glowing embers into the grill.

The heat hit me, carrying the dry aroma unique to charcoal.

Next came the meat. Plate after plate was brought out, filling the entire table.

Premium beef brisket, beef tongue, diaphragm, beef small intestine...

The red and white slices of meat glistened with an oily sheen under the light.

Saitama picked up the tongs, took a slice of beef brisket, and placed it on the grill.

Sizzle--

Oil dripped onto the charcoal fire, causing a small flame to leap up.

He flipped it over and over again, his movements so practiced it seemed like he'd done it countless times.

The grilled meat slices were dipped in the sauce before being stuffed into the mouth.

He squinted, chewed deeply, and then swallowed.

"Tasty."

He picked up another slice with astonishing speed.

Higashino Makoto picked up the tongs, took a slice of beef brisket, and placed it on the grill.

He doesn't really like offal food other than tripe and duck intestines.

The beef brisket curls up rapidly under high temperature, with the edges turning slightly browned.

He flipped it over, waited a few seconds, picked it up, dipped it in the sauce, and put it in his mouth.

The meat is springy and chewy, and the aroma of the fat melts on the tongue, carrying the unique smoky flavor of charcoal.

"Good."

"Of course it's good, this restaurant is delicious!"

Saitama picked up another piece of diaphragm.

The meat on the diaphragm is firmer than that on beef brisket, so it needs to be grilled for a longer time.

His eyes were fixed on the meat on the grill, not blinking.

Higashino Makoto watched him eat, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Are you hungry?

"It's alright, but barbecue is stored in a separate stomach."

What a strange statement.

Higashino Makoto was somewhat speechless.

"Okay, eat more."

Higashino Makoto placed the grilled meat into Saitama's bowl, one slice after another.

Saitama glanced at him.

Aren't you going to eat?

He's eaten plenty of good food, so the food here is just average; it doesn't matter to him whether he eats it or not.

"I'll eat, but I'm not in a hurry."

Saitama didn't stand on ceremony.

He lowered his head and continued eating.

An hour later, the empty plates on the table had piled up into a small mountain.

The staff came to collect the empty plates three times, and then brought out meat three times.

Saitama's pace of eating meat finally slowed down.

Two hours later, his movements slowed down noticeably.

If you pick up the meat slowly, you chew it slowly too.

Are you full?

"Not yet."

He picked up another piece of meat, grilled it, dipped it, and ate it.

Three hours later, Saitama put down his chopsticks, leaned back in his chair, and held his stomach with both hands.

"... It's no use."

He tilted his head back, looking at the ceiling, his eyes half-open and half-closed.

"I the Unassailable eat anymore."

Higashino Makoto looked at him, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Are you full?

Although Saitama really wanted to keep eating, he touched his stomach and realized he simply couldn't continue.

"I'm full."

"Sure?"

"... Sure."

Higashino Makoto waved to the shop assistant and paid the bill.

This amount was just a small sum for him.

He stood up and walked to Saitama's side.

Are you coming or not?

"... Wait, I can't move."

After a slight pause, he suddenly spoke.

"Higashino."

"Um."

Can your magic cure overeating?

Higashino Makoto looked at him, barely suppressing the urge to strike him.

Is this a plan to cure overeating and then continue?

"Cannot."

"Oh."

Saitama lowered his head and continued walking forward.

He took a few steps and then stopped.

"Genos treated me to barbecue at this restaurant before."

Higashino Makoto looked at him.

"Oh."

"But recently he said he was going to see Dr. Kuseno, and then he hasn't been coming much."

Higashino Makoto remained silent for a moment.

He certainly knew why, after all, the Doppelganger had rather excellent intelligence capabilities.

Dr. Kuseno is the main villain; he's the one who created that robot and destroyed Genos's hometown.

This was quite Higashino Makoto, who had always thought that Dr. Kuseno was a good guy and Metal Knight was a villain.

The result was a complete reversal of the two extremes.

Dr. Kuseno is the villain; Metal Knight has always been the true Hero.

How unpredictable life is!