One Rich Beauty, Two Poor Guys Trio

After dealing with that troublesome opponent, Serizawa checked the time. His face fell.

5:57.

Oh no. I'm going to be late.

Yoshiko's piano lesson ended at six, and picking up his little sister was the most important thing in the world to Serizawa.

As if he had forgotten he was injured all over, Serizawa found a fresh burst of strength and sprinted toward the piano school.

When he arrived, panting, Yoshiko was standing outside the school, glaring at him with puffed-up cheeks.

Yoshiko seemed entirely unsurprised by the blood covering him. "Masao, you got into another fight."

Serizawa scratched his head sheepishly. "Sorry, Yoshiko. You haven't been waiting long, have you...?"

Yoshiko held out her little hand and crooked a finger at him.

Serizawa looked helpless. "Come on, Yoshiko..."

His little sister's gaze was unwavering.

Serizawa could only shake his head and bend down.

Yoshiko grabbed his ear and shouted into it, "I told you to stop fighting! Why do you keep doing it, Masao?"

"I won't, I won't..." Serizawa pleaded.

Yoshiko let go and shot him a look. "Just look at you. You're hurt all over."

Yoshiko knew her brother had an unusual constitution. No matter how badly he was injured, he recovered in no time. But if he kept fighting like this, something was bound to go wrong one day.

Serizawa rubbed his ear, wiped his hand on his pant leg, then patted Yoshiko on the head with a fond smile. "Don't worry, Yoshiko. They're just little scratches."

Yoshiko took Serizawa's hand, and they started home.

The setting sun stretched their two shadows, one big and one small, far along the road.

"The bad guy you beat today must have been really strong," Yoshiko said suddenly.

Yoshiko knew that although her brother got into fights every few days, he never fought without a reason.

Her brother only fought bad guys.

She also knew that no matter how strong the bad guys were, her brother would always win.

But Yoshiko could tell that today, he was more badly hurt than usual.

He must have faced an opponent who was hard to beat.

"Yeah, he was a bit of a handful," Serizawa said thoughtfully, recalling the middle-aged man.

"Big brother." Yoshiko stopped walking.

"Hmm?" Serizawa looked down at her.

"I want oden," Yoshiko said.

Serizawa smiled. "Then let's go get some oden."

"I want lots."

"Don't worry. Your big brother's got plenty of money."

Everything Serizawa did to earn money while studying was for his little sister Yoshiko.

Whatever she asked for, he would do everything he could to give her.

The next day.

During his lunch break, Serizawa received a call from an unknown number.

He had accidentally dropped his Pineapple phone in water recently, and the screen had been acting up. It took him ages to answer.

"Hello?"

"Is this Mr. Serizawa Masao?" A fresh, sweet voice came through the receiver.

She must be a cute Girl.

Serizawa perked up. "Who's calling?"

"My name is Mitarai Fubuki. We both took part in the superhero selection competition Vought International held a few days ago."

Serizawa understood at once. Had the girl fallen for his handsome face during the competition and somehow gotten hold of his number?

"Oh. What can I do for you?" Serizawa lowered his voice, deliberately trying to sound like a cool, aloof heartthrob.

He had heard they all had deep, gravelly voices and had even practiced before, but he had never managed to pull it off.

"Vought International has its eye on you. They've made all of us targets, so I'd like to talk," Mitarai Fubuki said.

"Huh? How do you know Vought International is after me?" Serizawa asked, puzzled.

Why would an untouchable giant like Vought International hunt a broke nobody like him?

"You were attacked out of the blue by someone with Psychic Powers after the competition, weren't you?"

Serizawa thought hard and remembered the Young Man who used puppets.

It was the first time Serizawa had faced an opponent who fought with puppets, so the Young Man had left a strong impression.

The Young Man had given him a tough fight. Although Serizawa had won, his opponent's puppet techniques had been so skillful that he had escaped by fooling Serizawa with a lifelike decoy.

Serizawa had no idea that the Young Man was the Hundred-Ghost Machine Operator, ranked sixth among the Fear Nova, one of Vought International's trump cards.

Thinking of the Young Man, Serizawa answered, "I guess I was. Was that connected to Vought International?"

"Let's talk in person. When are you free?"

Serizawa hung up and opened his messages.

The Girl named Mitarai Fubuki had just sent him the address where they had agreed to meet.

Half an hour later.

Mitarai Fubuki, Luke, and Starlight sat around a table eating hot pot.

Luke's eyelid twitched again and again.

These two women... Looks really can be deceiving.

Luke had gritted his teeth and bought two trays of beef rolls on sale. In the blink of an eye, one tray was gone, and he had not managed to grab a single slice.

The two women were so fast with their chopsticks that even Luke had to admit defeat.

Of course, sitting down to hot pot with two beautiful women was a wonderful thing.

But Luke could not quite accept eating hot pot without getting any beef rolls.

In Luke's heart, good food and beautiful women were the two things one must never pass up.

Only now did he truly understand that he could not have both.

"Have some more kelp. There's plenty of kelp," Luke said, resorting to subtle tactics.

Mitarai Fubuki ignored him and opened the second tray of beef rolls, ready to add them to the pot.

Then came a knock at the door.

"He's here." Mitarai Fubuki finally remembered why they had gathered and went to open it.

Serizawa Masao froze when he saw that the Girl who opened the door was breathtakingly beautiful.

"Come in." Fubuki looked at the Young Man, who seemed only sixteen or seventeen, and was secretly startled herself.

She had not expected a contestant who survived an attack to be so young.

Serizawa came to his senses and looked into the room, only to be stunned again.

"Starlight?!"

Starlight and a bald man were sitting at the table eating hot pot.

Serizawa's mind went blank.

Before Serizawa Masao could sort out his thoroughly tangled thoughts, Fubuki pulled him over to the table and sat him down.

Then Fubuki told him exactly what had happened and what her investigation had uncovered.

"They did what?" Serizawa slammed a fist on the table, his face full of anger.

Luke and Starlight had been focused on the hot pot. Startled by the sudden blow, they both looked up at him.

"Hey, hey. Break my table and I'll break your head," Luke said irritably.

The table had cost Luke a hundred and fifty bucks. If Serizawa really smashed it, Luke could not guarantee he would not smash the boy's head.

"Huh?" Serizawa knew he was in the wrong, but he could not stand being challenged.

Try it, you damn Baldy.

Mitarai Fubuki hurriedly held Serizawa down and shot Luke a fierce glare.

We're trying to recruit him, you stupid Baldy. Don't ruin this.

Luke shrugged sheepishly, then quietly slid the tray of beef rolls toward himself.

Fubuki began explaining her plan to Serizawa and told him she hoped he would join the Blizzard Group.

Serizawa did not turn down Fubuki's invitation. She was right: unless they banded together, none of them could face a behemoth like Vought International alone.

Fubuki was still enthusiastically describing her plans for the Blizzard Group's future, but Serizawa's attention had already drifted to the hot pot.

He had not eaten lunch yet.

Luke spotted what he was after and dropped a blatant hint. "We're done talking. Shouldn't you head home?"

Serizawa ignored him and turned to Fubuki. "Could I get a bowl and chopsticks?"

Thrilled at having recruited a new member, Fubuki hurried off and fetched him a bowl and chopsticks.

Luke was speechless.

Making yourself at home, are you?

Serizawa Masao had always lived by one principle.

There was no such thing as a free lunch.

But if there was, Serizawa would never pass it up.

Serizawa took the bowl and chopsticks, then looked at Luke.

He had realized that Luke was the actual owner of the place.

"Did you cook any rice?"

Luke's face darkened. "No!"

"Huh?" Serizawa frowned. "How am I supposed to get full without rice?"

Luke rolled his eyes at him.

Luke could not tolerate the awful habit of eating a staple food with hot pot.

Eat hot pot with rice, and the hot pot lost its soul.

This guy really was destined to be poor.

When it came to scraping by, he was even worse off than Luke.

With Serizawa Masao's arrival, the Blizzard Group's core trio was officially formed.

In the years to come, younger members of the Blizzard Group gave the trio of Mitarai Fubuki, Luke, and Serizawa Masao a name that stuck.

The One Rich Beauty, Two Poor Guys Trio.

One beautiful, wealthy woman and two broke guys.

I got carried away. This chapter ran seriously long.

The author is exhausted. (Hands on hips)