Chapter 85: Choked to Death…
Under normal circumstances, the heroes would've demanded answers about this "golden-haired girl" and her eerie ability. But she appeared to be one of Tatsumaki's friends, and the meeting was about to start.
So they swallowed their questions and held them down.
But Yukari's display had still left its mark.
Under everyone's watchful gaze, she had casually pulled an entire set of chairs from her Gap corridors. Expensive-looking ones, too—decorated with seashell inlays and distinctly oceanic craftsmanship. Obviously souvenirs from Fish-Man Island in the One Piece world.
She'd produced exactly enough seats for the group, minus one. The Little Wandering Planet didn't get a chair—its weight was jaw-dropping even in its reduced state. Yukari figured a hundred chairs stacked together would still collapse under it.
* * *
"Is that a spatial storage ability? Or some kind of space-manipulating technology? Incredible… even Tatsumaki-nee-san's psychic powers can't touch spatial dimensions! Someone actually has an ability like this?"
Child Emperor—S-Class hero—had a lollipop clamped between his teeth, eyes wide with fascination as he stared unblinkingly at the Gap rift.
If this was spatial technology, it was world-shaking. Even Metal Knight—the most technologically advanced S-Class hero—hadn't cracked spatial manipulation. And Child Emperor, who'd once been Metal Knight's assistant, certainly hadn't either.
So seeing the Gap ability firsthand left him genuinely stunned.
"Space manipulation, huh? It seems little Tatsumaki's friends are far from ordinary…"
Bang, too, fixed his gaze on Yukari. Until now, his attention had been split between Ryū, Whitebeard, and Wolffy—Ryū because of Tatsumaki's oddly deferential attitude toward him, Whitebeard because of the overwhelmingly dangerous aura he radiated, and Wolffy because he looked like a monster.
Now his focus shifted to this "girl" who'd just casually demonstrated a power that felt deeply threatening even to him.
Any ability that could make S-Class Rank 3 Silver Fang feel endangered was no trifle.
Could she be an esper like little Tatsumaki? That's the only explanation for a power like this…
If that was the case, then the rest of this group—the ones who looked like ordinary humans—were probably hiding their own depths.
Where did little Tatsumaki find these people? And I've never heard of a single one of them. It's like they materialized out of thin air.
* * *
An awkward silence settled over the room. Neither side knew the other, which meant there was nothing to talk about. Everyone had taken their seats. The atmosphere was eerily, uncomfortably quiet—you could've heard a pin drop.
The most uncomfortable person in the room was probably Saitama.
He could feel multiple gazes fixed on him.
Understandable—he was the other oddity here. Among a roomful of S-Class heroes, he was the lone B-Class.
And regarding Saitama's identity and true strength, Ryū had already briefed the entire chat group. Every member knew: this "Caped Baldy" was a planet-buster.
The Little Wandering Planet had gone dead silent. It didn't dare utter a single word.
A planet-buster.
*trembles*
* * *
The grinding sound of metal on metal broke the silence as the sealed door opened once more. Three men in black suits strode in.
The two flanking figures looked like bodyguards. The one in the center was clearly the boss—his build was the most… prosperous of the three. As a rule, the person with that kind of prosperous physique was either a leader or a butcher. And given the venue, he was no butcher.
The man drew a deep breath—steadying himself—then spoke in a grave tone:
"Apologies for the delay. We couldn't locate Metal Knight or Blast. We can't wait any longer."
"This emergency meeting will now commence. I'll brief you on the situation. I'm Sitch, of the Hero Association. I'll dispense with pleasantries and get straight to the point."
"This time is different from usual. Normally, we ask you to protect individual cities. This time… I am begging all of you—to protect the Earth."
"The situation is extremely dangerous. Even S-Class heroes may lose their lives. I know that's an unpleasant thing to hear, but it is the reality."
"…"
* * *
Listening to Sitch's speech, Ryū—who'd been sitting in a borrowed chair off to the side, mind wandering from sheer boredom—suddenly perked up.
Because those lines were familiar. Very familiar.
This was straight from the original plot.
Right before the Boros arc kicked off in One-Punch Man, the Hero Association held exactly this kind of meeting. The content: a seer had prophesied that within six months, the Earth would face a catastrophic, extinction-level crisis. And then that seer, because of a sore throat, had taken a throat lozenge—and accidentally choked to death on it.
After that came the Season One climax: Boros's invasion of Earth.
The plot was straightforward, really. No twists, no convoluted schemes. Just aliens invading, trying to pick a fight with a certain bald overpowered protagonist—and getting obliterated for their trouble.
Simple as it gets.
Sitch continued, voice heavy:
"Therefore, everyone must be prepared. A crisis threatening the entire planet could occur at any moment."
An unfamiliar voice suddenly cut in:
"Gurararara! Any time within six months—meaning it could happen today, or it could happen tomorrow?"
The unfamiliar voice very successfully attracted Sitch's attention.
And then Sitch—one of the Hero Association's executives—found his brain short-circuiting.
Why was there a group of strangers in here?
Where did they come from?
Bang stepped in to explain: "These individuals are all friends of little Tatsumaki. Every one of them is trustworthy—Tatsumaki can vouch for them."
Sitch: "…"
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