Chapter 341: Chapter 42 – Who’s Watching?
Night fell.
After disbanding the Blizzard Group...
Ron followed Fubuki back to the villa.
Along the way, Fubuki didn’t say a word. Only when they entered the front door did she stop, turn her back to him, and quietly mutter—
"Th-thank you... for saving me today."
Then, without waiting for a reply, she clicked away in her tall heels, rushing upstairs to her room.
Ron couldn’t help but chuckle.
This girl... does saying thank you embarrass her that much?
She really doesn’t know how to be honest.
Fubuki shut her bedroom door behind her the moment she entered.
She leaned her back against it, then slid down to the floor, burying her flushed face in her palms.
"What’s wrong with me? Why is my face so hot? And my heart’s racing like crazy..."
"I only said a single sentence to him... So why do I feel so nervous and flustered?"
"And this weird... foreign feeling... what is it?"
At this moment, Fubuki was a far cry from the cold, commanding queen she had always been in front of her Blizzard Group subordinates. Now, she was more like a girl who had just discovered the trembling emotions of her first crush—anxious, flustered, and deeply confused.
"C-could it be... th-this is... lo–love?!"
She must’ve remembered something.
Because in the very next instant, her face flushed all the way from her neck to the tips of her ears, and a puff of steam practically hissed out from the top of her head.
Just like a kettle boiling over.
"No no no!"
"H-how could I possibly li-li-like that guy?!"
She shook her head wildly, trying to fling that chaotic feeling out of her system.
But her heart didn’t listen.
It still brought back tonight’s moment—over and over again.
That moonlit night.
That desperate moment when he suddenly appeared, saving her from the clutches of that bizarre creature.
Ron...
He was like a god descending from the heavens.
Fubuki hugged her knees, resting her chin on them.
Her mind drifted to their first meeting, everything that had happened since, and all the little moments they’d shared under the same roof.
Bit by bit, her expression turned dreamy.
Whether it was the mysterious black-haired young man Ron used to be, or the silver-haired, almost ethereal Ron he had become now...
She probably...
Liked them both.
She didn’t know when it started.
But now, she realized—
She really had fallen for him.
A soft breeze drifted in through the window, stirring the strands of hair beside her ear.
Fubuki opened her eyes, rose to her feet, and walked over to the full-length mirror.
She unzipped her green evening dress and let it fall away.
Inside the mirror stood a tall, fair-skinned beauty with short black hair and a striking figure.
Her curves were full and graceful, her face gorgeous, her presence noble.
Fubuki’s lips curled into a smile.
She might not be able to match her sister in raw psychic power...
But there were things she had that her sister didn’t.
Now that she had recognized and accepted her feelings, the queen who once ruled over the Blizzard Group...
Was back.
She gazed at the woman in the mirror—elegant, composed, breathtaking.
"If there’s something I want..."
"I’ll go after it."
...
From that night on—
Fubuki’s attitude toward Ron subtly changed.
She started seeking him out more often.
But Ron didn’t pay it much mind.
Because his attention was already drawn elsewhere.
Garou...
Had appeared.
...
At Bang’s Dojo.
"Garou, the Hero Hunter?"
Saitama slurped tofu from his hot pot, mumbling as he chewed.
"Yeah,"
Bang’s disciple, Charanko, nodded. "Word just got out these past two days. Master’s been worried sick about it."
"Bang? What’s he got to do with Garou?" Genos asked curiously.
"What? You guys don’t know?" Charanko looked genuinely shocked. "Garou was Master Bang’s top disciple! Though he was expelled a long time ago..."
Saitama and Genos exchanged a look.
"That’s news to me," said Saitama.
"Same here," Genos added.
Saitama turned toward Ron. "How about you, Ron-kun? Ever heard of him?"
Ron sipped from his endless flask and nodded. "Yeah."
"Huh? You have?" Charanko blinked in surprise at the silver-haired stranger sitting with them. This was his first time seeing Ron in this form, and he couldn’t quite connect him with the black-haired youth who had once come to spar with Bang.
"Is he strong?" Saitama asked.
"Never fought him, so I don’t know."
Ron spoke casually. "But he practices the same martial art as Bang. It’s based on redirecting force. Not super effective against monsters, but pretty good against heroes."
"Overall, I’d say he’s about as strong as Genos right now."
Genos: "..."
"If he’s on Genos’ level, then he’s pretty strong," Saitama mused, stroking his chin. "Martial arts, huh... I wonder what that’s like?"
"You interested in martial arts? Wanna join our school?" Charanko asked, eyes lighting up.
"Hmm... Nah, I’ll pass."
"...Oh."
Charanko looked a little deflated, but then perked up again. He pulled a paper from his pocket and handed it to Saitama.
"Here, take this."
"What’s this?" Saitama asked, accepting the sheet.
"It’s a registration form for the Martial Arts Tournament—it’s held once every three years. Loads of fighters show up to compete, and the winner gets a big cash prize. If you join, you’ll definitely get to see all kinds of martial arts."
"Huh... that so?"
Saitama looked at the form, clearly tempted.
"Genos, Ron-kun, you guys wanna enter with me?"
Genos shook his head. "No, Sensei. I seek destructive power, not technique. Martial arts aren’t for me."
Ron added, "I’m not interested either. But if you decide to go, I’ll come watch."
"I see..."
By the time the three of them left the dojo, Bang still hadn’t returned.
They walked along the path back toward Z-City’s deserted zone.
Saitama was still holding the entry form, lost in thought—wondering what martial art name to write down.
Bubble Carbonated Fist?
Or maybe Carbonated Bubble Fist...?
Meanwhile, Ron turned to Genos.
"I heard you fought Sweet Mask?"
Genos nodded. "Yes."
"Who won?"
"It ended in a draw," Genos said, clenching his fists. "He’s stronger than I expected. But if it were a fight to the death..."
"...He’d be the one to die."
Ron didn’t comment further.
Once they reached the abandoned zone, Saitama invited Ron over to play video games.
But Ron declined.
"I’ve got someplace I want to check out today."
"Is that so... Next time, then."
"Yeah."
After parting ways with Saitama and Genos—
Ron didn’t go far.
He suddenly kicked off the ground and soared into the sky.
A hundred meters above the city, he hovered.
Looking down at the sprawling, deserted district below.
His dual-colored gold-and-blue vertical pupils shimmered with a mysterious gleam.
Kenbunshoku Haki— Observation Haki—unleashed in all directions.
In just a few seconds—
It swept through the streets...
And into the underground.
Far beneath the abandoned zone, Monster King Orochi and the true body of Gyoro Gyoro—Psykos—both instantly felt it.
Psykos’s expression changed drastically. She jumped up from her sofa in alarm.
"Who is watching us?!"