Blizzard Arrives

"The naked bald pervert beside him is worth noting too. I don't know why he isn't wearing clothes, but there's something unusual about his physique."

Although Saitama hadn't shown his strength, and the video hadn't captured him emerging unscathed from Genos's wide-area attacks, he still caught Clone's attention.

"It's no extra trouble. Invite him over as well so we can examine his body."

Dr. Genus said coolly, "Send envoys to invite them. Especially that fellow who looks like he has pinkeye. Bring him back even if you have to use force..."

"Understood."

Clone nodded, then withdrew.

After Genos passed the exam and became an S-Class Hero, his fame began spreading even though he had yet to carry out any hero work.

Fan clubs for both Genos and Saitama had even begun forming.

After all, new S-Class Heroes were extremely rare. There had just been a few more than usual lately: first Saitama, then Genos only a few days later.

The two were also very similar. Neither would accept media interviews, and even getting footage of them was difficult.

Still, Genos was more popular. In the public's eyes, he was cooler and more handsome, while Saitama's bald head made him less appealing.

Not that Saitama himself cared about any of that.

Today,

the [Blizzard Group] also made its move.

Their tolerance for Bai Ye had reached its limit. He still hadn't come to pay his respects to Fubuki. A troublemaker who broke the rules like this needed to be put in his place, or they would struggle to maintain their firm grip on B-Class.

Fubuki arrived at the edge of No Man’s Land with two members of the [Blizzard Group].

Today, Fubuki was once again wearing a long, dark green dress, a fur coat draped over her shoulders, and her favorite high heels.

"Prepare to enter the target's hideout. If he shows even the slightest resistance... you both know what to do, don't you?"

Fubuki's expression was cold.

"We do!"

"We'll teach him a lesson he won't forget, so he'll never dare slight Miss Fubuki again!"

The two accompanying Fubuki were [Eyelashes], ranked second in B-Class, and [Mountain Ape], ranked third.

[Eyelashes] was a man with somewhat long hair tied into a braid. As his hero alias suggested, his most distinctive facial feature was his unusual eyelashes.

[Mountain Ape] was tall and burly, with a chin shaped a little like a butt and fists larger than a normal person's head.

Using brute force, [Mountain Ape] ripped the lock off the chain-link gate, and the three entered No Man’s Land.

A little over ten minutes later,

Bai Ye was sitting in his living room.

Vaccine Man was over at Saitama's place playing video games.

Genos hadn't moved to No Man’s Land yet, so he wasn't always at Bai Ye's home either.

Just then, voices suddenly came from outside the door.

"Bai Ye, B-Class rank four! We know you live here!"

[Eyelashes] shouted at the top of his lungs outside Bai Ye's door, "Come out! Miss Hellish Blizzard, B-Class rank one, has something to say to you!"

Bai Ye immediately realized that Fubuki had brought people to his doorstep.

What a lousy attitude, though. They could at least knock first. This was clearly disturbing the peace...

After grumbling inwardly, Bai Ye got up to answer the door.

"Hello. Would you like to come in for some tea first?"

Bai Ye greeted them with a smile.

"No need. Our Miss Fubuki is here on serious business, not to drink tea."

[Eyelashes] spoke bluntly.

Both [Eyelashes] and [Mountain Ape] looked unfriendly, as though they had come looking for trouble.

Fubuki was a little better, but not by much.

Her arms were folded across her chest, and her expression carried a hint of arrogance.

"A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Bai Ye, our newest rookie. I'm Hellish Blizzard. You've heard that name before, haven't you?"

By deliberately attaching "rookie" to Bai Ye's name and using that cold, haughty tone, she was already speaking to him as a superior.

"Sure. It sounds pretty impressive. So, what's this about?"

Bai Ye responded with a polite smile.

"..."

The atmosphere instantly froze.

Fubuki, [Eyelashes], and [Mountain Ape] all seemed to stiffen.

This guy... what arrogance...

Perhaps, in their eyes, anyone who knew Fubuki had come yet failed to immediately apologize and fawn over her was already an arrogant fool showing her disrespect.

"Miss Fubuki is a big shot, ranked first in B-Class. Has that still not sunk in?"

[Eyelashes]' reminder carried a warning, as though they would stop being polite if Bai Ye kept acting so arrogantly.

"I already said I know. Do you mean you want me to say something like, 'Miss Fubuki is so amazing'?"

Bai Ye sounded puzzled.

Japan did have a very strict hierarchy. To Japanese people, treating a senior Hero Association member like Fubuki with the utmost respect was perfectly normal. After all, the world of "One-Punch Man" was deeply intertwined with Japanese society. Even its currency was the yen.

But Bai Ye was from China. He would do whatever he pleased.

Saitama was the same. He disliked that troublesome hierarchy too.

"More or less, but you're being far too halfhearted."

Still dissatisfied, [Eyelashes] continued with an irritated expression, "And you don't seem to take us seriously at all. How dare a mere rookie act so arrogantly? Don't you know the first thing anyone promoted to B-Class Hero should do is pay their respects to Miss Fubuki?"

"Oh, that... no problem. I can greet her right now."

Bai Ye said expressionlessly, "Hello, my name is Bai Ye. I look forward to working with you."

"..."

That only irritated [Eyelashes] further. He felt that this fellow wasn't being sincere in the slightest.

"Forget it."

At that moment, Fubuki spoke up, cutting off [Eyelashes] just as he was about to launch into another tirade.

"You've only recently become a professional hero. You're still a rookie, so I can understand you not knowing all the rules. But you won't have a future if you keep this up."

Fubuki spoke slowly.

"That doesn't really matter. I'm happy to coast."

Bai Ye looked utterly casual.

"..."

[Eyelashes] and [Mountain Ape] stared in disbelief from the sidelines. This was the first time they had seen a rookie dare act so brazenly in front of Miss Fubuki.

Even Fubuki was left speechless. Still, she felt his talk of coasting was nonsense. No one could resist the temptation of rising above others.

After a moment, she spoke again. "You only want to coast because you're facing too many obstacles. Join my organization. I can make it easy for you to reach the top ranks of B-Class."

"That sounds interesting, but I refuse."

Bai Ye rejected her without hesitation.