The widow

He borrowed a jacket from someone in the crowd, pulled Mizuki up from where she sat dazed on the ground, and draped it over her shoulders.

Baicang couldn't help scolding her. "There were so many monsters, and you charged straight in without even waiting for me. Are you stupid?"

If he hadn't been there, even if Mizuki could have dealt with all those monsters alone, she probably wouldn't have escaped injury.

"It was an emergency. Someone was about to get hurt." Mizuki didn't think it was a big deal. To her, that was what heroes were supposed to do: brave danger and help those in need.

Baicang shook his head with a wry smile. Although he was a hero, he wasn't really a hero at heart, and he couldn't understand Mizuki's thinking.

Just then.

A middle-aged man at the scene said to Baicang and Mizuki, "You shouldn't have saved those bastards."

"Huh? Why?" Mizuki looked at him curiously, while Baicang beside her looked just as puzzled.

"Because they're all bad guys! If you saved bad guys, you're bad guys too!" A little boy squeezed out of the crowd and shouted at them.

"Harano, how could you say that! I'm so sorry. Please forgive him."

A woman ran up behind the little boy, grabbed his hand, and kept bowing to Baicang and Mizuki in apology.

Only after Baicang waved it off did the woman relax and rap the boy on the head.

She turned to right the overturned food cart. The boy, feeling a little wronged, saw what she was doing and went over to help, picking up the ingredients scattered across the ground.

Seeing this, the man came over to Baicang and let out a heavy, melancholy sigh. "It's so sad. Sachiko is a good woman, but unfortunately, her husband was a gambling addict. He owed money to loan sharks, then died in a monster attack not long afterward. The poor mother and son..."

"Stop!"

Baicang cut off the man before he could continue. He hated these tragic stories more than anything. Hearing them only made him uncomfortable, so he'd rather not listen.

It was simple: get rid of the villain in the story, and everything would be fine. Easy and efficient.

"Just tell me who those guys bullying them were," Baicang said to the man, who was pouting resentfully.

Do you think you're some pretty young girl, old man...?

"I'm not sure either. All I know is that they're with the Yamato Group."

Baicang slowly nodded and turned away from that wrinkled old face, committing the organization's name to memory.

Seeing that the mother and son had finished tidying up, Baicang thought for a moment, then slowly walked over. "Are you still open for business today?"

"I'm sorry, but today, I probably..." Sachiko had only just set up her stall when the thugs collecting her debt overturned her cart. She would have to take the fallen ingredients home and wash them again. With the morning rush already over, she probably wouldn't be able to do any business that day.

Baicang looked unconcerned. "I'll be running around here every day from now on, and I'll need breakfast anyway. Since you happen to sell it, I'll order three months' worth in advance. One serving... hmm... make that two."

"Mizuki!"

"Yes! What do you need, sir?" Mizuki immediately popped up beside Baicang and raised her hand.

"Pay her first."

"Yes!" Without asking why, Mizuki went straight over to pay.

"Huh? No, I couldn't. I couldn't." Sachiko couldn't make sense of what was happening and kept refusing as Mizuki approached. Harano, standing beside her, was more practical and quietly accepted the money from Mizuki.

As for why Baicang did this?

Well... Sachiko really was pretty, with a voluptuous figure and mature charm, not to mention the top-tier widow buff.

But Baicang didn't share Cao Cao's taste for other men's wives. He was only helping her because it was convenient. Besides, he wasn't the one paying.

Seeing that her child had already accepted the money, and knowing she really did need it to tide her over, she could only bow deeply to Baicang in thanks.

Just as Baicang was about to step forward and help Sachiko straighten up, he felt something familiar.

Someone was spying on him again!

He turned to find the source of the gaze and spotted several figures skulking beside a small truck by the road, sneaking looks in their direction.

Recalling what the man had said and what had happened to Sachiko, Baicang wondered, The Yamato Group?

For Sachiko's safety, Baicang turned back to her. "Could we stop by your house? My companion needs to clean herself up."

"Sir, I can just rinse off with the water at the park," Mizuki said, feeling there was no need to go to so much trouble.

"No. A hero's image is important too."

"Yes!"

Naturally, Sachiko readily agreed to Baicang's request. She called Harano over and led them toward her home.

Beside the small truck.

"Boss, that white-haired guy and the muscle woman seem to be going home with Sachiko. Should we keep following them?"

"Keep following, my ass! They're both heroes, and I think that white-haired brat spotted me. Let's go back and find the boss first." The lead thug punched the underling who had just spoken in the head.

The men slunk away from the truck.

They walked for about ten or fifteen minutes.

With Sachiko leading the way, Baicang and Mizuki arrived at a small, shabby two-story house.

"We're here. This is it. Mr. Baicang, Miss Mizuki, please come in." Sachiko had learned their names through their conversation on the way. She had Harano put away the food cart and the other things, then led Baicang and Mizuki inside.

"Miss Mizuki, let me show you to the bathroom." After pouring Baicang a cup of tea in the living room, Sachiko took Mizuki to the bathroom to wash off the grime.

Rather than sit down and wait over tea, Baicang got up and looked around the house.

The thugs who had been watching them earlier didn't seem to have followed. Apparently, they had successfully scared them off.

Noticing the black-and-white memorial portrait in the living room, Baicang grew thoughtful. This is something the anime never showed-a family left battered and scarred by a monster attack. I wonder if that's how Runo and I lost our families too.

"Sir, I'm done!" A freshly washed Mizuki returned to the living room with Sachiko.

Since the thugs hadn't followed them, Baicang had no reason to stay any longer. Despite Sachiko's attempts to persuade them to stay, he said goodbye and left with Mizuki.

"Sir! What's our next training exercise?" The moment they left Sachiko's home, Mizuki turned to Baicang and asked curiously.

Marveling at how little seemed to bother Mizuki, Baicang still spent the rest of the morning training with her according to Saitama's workout routine. They only stopped at noon, with Mizuki looking as though she wanted more.

Back home, Baicang remembered the advanced technology around Mizuki's neck and immediately called the Hero Association.

After learning that they didn't have a Barrett, Baicang lowered his expectations. When he was told they didn't have RPGs, Gatling guns, or cruise missiles either, he angrily hung up.

Such a huge association, yet they didn't have anything good. It looked like he would have to ask Genos to approach Dr. Kuseno when the time came. He set his sights on his future junior fellow disciple.

Baicang threw together a simple lunch, then went to Saitama's place to play video games that afternoon.

He played until evening before hurrying home to make dinner for Runo.

He had to admit that Saitama was pretty good at gaming. Baicang didn't have King's championship-level skill, so he lost more often than he won against Saitama. Every time the baldy won, he gave Baicang a smug look that really pissed him off.

Tonight was the night he had arranged to meet Kenta, so Baicang slipped out again once Runo fell asleep.

Meanwhile, Kenta sat on his motorcycle, shivering in the cold wind.

Since Baicang hadn't told Kenta what time to arrive last time, he had come at six in the evening for fear of missing him. Five hours had already passed. Afraid the poison would take effect, he had spent all five hours trembling in the wind.

When Baicang reached the intersection, he didn't ask about the two hardened trails of snot on Kenta's face. Instead, he asked in a low voice, "The Yamato Group. Do you know them?"