Chapter 336: Chapter 37 – A Chance Encounter with KING
From that day onward, Ron temporarily moved into the Blizzard Sisters’ villa.
Tatsumaki was rarely home, and Fubuki would leave early in the morning to lead the Blizzard Group on hero activities.
With both of them gone, the villa felt a little too quiet.
In the spacious living room—
Ron lounged lazily on the couch, watching the news about the aftermath in City A on the television.
"According to the latest report from the Hero Association, the mysterious alien mothership has been dismantled. Its technology will be sent to various locations for analysis and research."
"Additionally, to prepare for potential future threats, the Foundation has announced it will invest heavily in a complete reconstruction of the devastated City A, centering around the Hero Association’s headquarters."
"The first step is transportation—a vast network will be built with the headquarters as its hub, spreading in all directions..."
Click.
The television screen broadcasting the reconstruction plans suddenly went black.
Ron put down the remote and let out a long yawn.
"So bored..."
"Guess I’ll go out for a walk."
...
After leaving the villa—
Ron strolled through the city, eating and drinking as he wandered about, drawing countless stares along the way.
Many women turned to look at the silver-haired youth walking past them, their eyes following his back long after he’d gone.
If it were the old Ron, he might’ve felt uncomfortable with all the attention.
But now? His heart remained calm, entirely unbothered.
...
Inside a dessert shop.
The moment Ron walked in, the whole place fell silent.
"I’ll have a large parfait."
"Y-Yes, of course! Please wait just a moment!"
The young shop assistant snapped back to reality, cheeks flushing as she scurried off.
Ron waited calmly at the counter.
"U-Um... are you an idol, by any chance?"
A pretty schoolgirl in uniform mustered her courage and asked him.
Ron glanced at her, then at the boy standing beside her—presumably her boyfriend.
The boy met Ron’s gaze for a split second, then instinctively took a step back.
Ron smiled gently at the girl. "I’m not. But... do you want to be one?"
The girl blinked, startled, then blushed deeply. "N-No way. Someone like me could never be an idol..."
"I think you could," Ron said offhandedly. "You’re actually kinda cute."
He didn’t notice it himself, but as those words left his lips, a subtle psychic ripple flowed from him, resonating with the girl’s heart like a stone dropped into still water.
"Here’s your... your large parfait, sir..."
"Oh, thanks."
Ron took the parfait from the beet-red assistant, turned, and walked out of the store.
He left behind a room full of dazed girls... and one stunned schoolgirl.
"Cute... Me? Someone like me... could be an idol?"
"Ninejo? What’s wrong?"
The boy beside her asked cautiously.
Snapping out of her daze, the girl bowed apologetically. "Miyamura-kun, I’m sorry... I realized I’m just not ready for a relationship yet. I was too hasty accepting your confession... Forgive me—I need to go."
And with that, she hurried out the door.
Leaving a thoroughly dumbfounded Miyamura standing there, completely frozen.
"Eh... Eh?!!"
Ron, of course, had no idea that a single casual comment of his had just ended a romance before it even began.
At that moment, he was simply enjoying his parfait as he wandered toward the uninhabited district.
As he passed a certain street and walked by a video game arcade, he suddenly felt a familiar presence.
He turned his head toward the store.
Inside, a burly figure in a baseball cap stood with his back to the entrance, focused intently on his game.
"That’s... KING?"
Recognition flashed across Ron’s eyes.
So it was him.
Just then, Mumen Rider happened to be passing by on his bicycle. He caught a glimpse of Ron standing on the roadside.
A silver-haired boy?
So handsome...
Wait...
That face... where have I seen it before?
As the thought surfaced, Mumen Rider suddenly remembered the mysterious swordmaster he had once encountered in J-City.
His heart skipped a beat.
With a sudden squeeze of the brakes, his bike skidded to a stop.
He whipped around—but the silver-haired boy was already gone.
...
Inside the arcade.
S-Class Rank 7 Hero, known as "The Strongest Man on Earth"—KING—was fully immersed in his game. His character, barely holding onto a sliver of health, unleashed a perfect combo.
[K~O!]
As the screen flashed "GAME OVER," KING exhaled and muttered with disappointment, "Seven wins in a row already... Is there really no worthy opponent out there?"
"You’re pretty good at games."
A voice from behind nearly made KING jump out of his skin.
He spun around in alarm.
Standing behind him was a silver-haired boy with heterochromatic eyes, eating from a cup of parfait with a relaxed air.
The moment KING turned, the boy smiled and said:
"You’re KING, S-Class Rank 7... right?"
Dun-dun-dun!
As the legendary "KING Engine" roared, cold sweat beaded on KING’s palms.
Staring warily at the silver-haired youth before him, he asked in a deep voice:
"Who... are you? A monster? You know who I am and still dare to show up in front of me? You’ve got guts, I’ll give you that..."