Skipping out on the bill

Gulp, gulp~

Ignoring Baicang's angry glare, Saitama lifted the bowl with both hands and poured the rest of the noodle soup into his mouth in one go.

"Ah~ So this is the deluxe seafood ramen! That was delicious. Thanks for treating me!"

Watching Saitama put on an act and deliberately avoid answering, Baicang fought the urge to give his bald head a hard whack.

He threatened, "Why did you send him my way? If you don't explain yourself, you can pay for your own meal."

"What?! I only ordered something this expensive because you said you were treating!" Saitama seethed at Baicang. He hadn't brought any money with him.

"You sold me out first. Now talk."

"Uh... well... because..." Saitama stammered, unable to get a complete sentence out.

At the time, Genos had been lying on the ground with his half-wrecked body, pleading with him over and over. Seeing the sorry state Genos was in, Saitama hadn't had the heart to refuse.

But then he'd decided it was too much trouble. Remembering that he already had a disciple he'd picked up on the cheap, he'd dragged Baicang into it to serve as his shield.

"Hmm?"

Baicang looked at the still-distracted Saitama, prompting him to hurry up and explain.

"Ahem!"

Saitama snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Baicang, his expression suddenly turning serious. Even his art style grew noticeably more chiseled.

He puffed out his chest, raised his chin, and declared in a deep voice, "As my eldest disciple, you have a duty to share some of your master's burdens. I'll leave this little matter to you!"

"Huh?"

Before Baicang could react, Saitama vanished from his seat. Only his voice drifted back from the distance.

"A monster showed up nearby. I'm off. Bye!"

Baicang slammed a hand on the table. "That damn baldy! How dare he skip out on the bill!"

With no other choice, Baicang paid for Saitama. Since he'd also spat ramen all over the owner's head, he handed over several extra large bills as compensation. The ramen vendor smiled and said not to worry, then snatched the money away in a flash, moving fast enough to rival Saitama's escape just now.

Baicang was about to stake out Saitama's home when his phone rang.

"Hello? What is it, Mizuki?"

"Good afternoon, senior! Hehe~"

"...Get to the point!"

"Well, Miss Sachiko and I are at the supermarket. She wanted me to ask if there's anything you or Runo can't eat." Noisy chatter came through from Mizuki's end, and Baicang remembered what they'd agreed on yesterday.

He quickly said there wasn't and hung up, then checked the time. It was already four in the afternoon.

Damn it, I almost forgot we were having dinner together tonight!

Baicang no longer had time to hunt Saitama down. Saitama's neighborhood was quite a distance from Q City. If he didn't hurry, he'd be late.

"Did Mr. Baicang say anything?" Sachiko asked Mizuki as she picked out vegetables for that evening.

"He said there's nothing they can't eat."

Mizuki's eyes were shining as she stared at an enormous ham hanging in the meat section. Heroes like her, who focused purely on training their bodies, burned through a lot of energy every day.

That was why she and Tanktop Girl were a little greedy when it came to food-and why Sachiko's delicious rice rolls had won them over.

"By the way, Miss Mizuki, why do you always call Mr. Baicang your senior?" Sachiko asked curiously.

She had always found it strange. Mizuki's hero rank was clearly higher than Baicang's C-Class rank. Shouldn't Baicang have been calling Mizuki his senior instead?

Why had Mizuki ended up following Baicang around? Even Tanktop Girl didn't act that way.

Could there be something between Mr. Baicang and Miss Mizuki...?

Sachiko's imagination began to run wild, and her cheeks gradually reddened.

"Because Senior Baicang is really dependable!" Oblivious to Sachiko's odd expression, Mizuki happily went on about Baicang.

"He trains with me and taught me how to become a proper, mature hero. He's the best senior ever!"

Seeing Mizuki's innocent, happy smile, Sachiko couldn't help feeling ashamed of the dirty thoughts she'd just been entertaining.

"Then how did you and Mr. Baicang meet?"

"Oh, we met at the Shopping Mall. Back then, he grabbed..." Mizuki's pretty face flushed as she remembered the misunderstanding during her first encounter with Baicang. He'd mistaken her for a monster and grabbed her...

No matter how easygoing Mizuki usually was, remembering how that had felt made her head swim and her face turn bright red.

"Miss Mizuki, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

When Mizuki suddenly turned away and fell silent, Sachiko thought something was wrong and hurried over to check on her.

"Ah, ah, ah! I'm fine! I... I'm just a little hot!"

Mizuki hastily explained, laughing awkwardly and doing a few warm-up exercises to prove she was fine.

But the two thin pieces of sportswear she had on, along with her strange behavior, only made it obvious that something was definitely wrong!

Noticing the lingering blush on Mizuki's face, Sachiko narrowed her eyes and let her imagination run wild again.

Looks like there really is something going on between Mr. Baicang and Miss Mizuki~

Sachiko didn't press her any further. Mizuki soon returned to her usual self, though the tips of her ears were still a little red.

"We're back~" Sachiko pushed open the front door. In the yard, Tanktop Girl was holding a cat and had just been about to greet them.

Mizuki popped out from behind Sachiko, hoisted several large bags of groceries over her head, and grinned at Tanktop Girl. "We bought loads of tasty stuff, including your favorite tofu!"

"Yes, yes, yes."

Speaking as though she were humoring a child, Tanktop Girl put down the cat in her arms and took the bags from Mizuki.

Sachiko looked around. "Where's Harano?"

"Oh, a little girl named Ling Ling came by just now and asked him to go out and play."

The moment Mizuki spotted the cat, she stuffed everything she was holding into her good friend's hands, leaving Tanktop Girl so irritated her chest felt tight.

"Should I carry some?" Sachiko reached for the bags, but Tanktop Girl quickly moved them out of reach.

"I'm a Professional Hero. This much weight is nothing."

She might have been a woman, but she was still a B-Class Hero, far stronger than an ordinary person. She could easily lift two Sachikos with one hand.

Hearing the same answer Mizuki had given her, Sachiko smiled helplessly.

The two of them put everything in the kitchen.

Seeing that it was getting late, Sachiko began preparing the ingredients. Worried that she might have too much to handle alone, Tanktop Girl offered to help.

It wouldn't be right to invite a guest over for dinner and then make her help prepare it. Sachiko politely declined. "Thank you, but there's no need. I can manage on my own."

"I... I won't do what I did last time! I'll only wash the vegetables this time, not cook!"

Tanktop Girl shouted indignantly, clearly having gotten the wrong idea. She thought the "rice rolls" she'd made had scared Sachiko so badly that she wouldn't let her help.

She'd only added too much soy sauce last time and used a little too much strength when shaping them. How was she supposed to know they'd turn out like that as she rolled them...? She'd been upset too, okay!

"Huh? That's not what I... all right. Thank you."

Looking at Tanktop Girl's flushed face, Sachiko had no choice but to agree.