Chapter 319: Chapter 20 – The Meteor
While the outside world remained abuzz with speculation and rising tension, Ron, the very person at the heart of the storm, seemed completely unbothered by it all.
...
Z-City’s Central District – A Barbecue Restaurant
"Are you sure it’s alright?"
"Hm?"
After glancing around at the upscale interior of the restaurant, Saitama lowered his voice and looked across the table at Ron. "Bringing us here for barbecue... this place seems pricey, doesn’t it?"
Ron chuckled. "Relax, I can handle the bill."
Genos sat beside Saitama, using tongs to carefully place slices of meat onto the sizzling hot grill. Glancing at Ron, he asked, "But why the sudden invitation to barbecue?"
"No special reason. I just felt like eating some, and eating alone is kind of boring," Ron replied casually. "Besides, you guys have treated me more than a few times. And Saitama just got promoted to Class B—so let’s call it a celebration."
Saitama smiled at those words. "Is that so... well, don’t mind if I dig in then."
He picked up his chopsticks, eyeing the meat sizzling on the grill and releasing mouthwatering aromas. A suspicious liquid trickled from the corner of his lips.
"Genos, is it done yet?"
"Almost there, Sensei. Just ten more seconds."
Saitama’s gaze locked onto a juicy piece of beef tongue. "Calling dibs now—no one touches that tongue but me."
The moment the ten seconds were up, his chopsticks shot forward like a blur, snatching the beef tongue and popping it into his mouth.
"Hot! Hot! But damn, that’s good! Haven’t had anything this delicious in forever..."
He dove in without restraint, clearly in bliss.
Genos joined in too. Compared to the cheap supermarket cuts they usually bought, this high-grade beef was on another level—like heaven and earth.
"You didn’t invite Fubuki today?" Saitama asked, glancing at Ron while chewing.
Ron snipped some grilled meat into his bowl with a pair of scissors. "I did, but she’s apparently not in Z-City today—had something come up."
"I see..." Saitama sounded a bit sorry for Fubuki—missing out on such a heavenly barbecue must’ve been tragic.
Genos swallowed his bite and looked at Ron seriously. "The Hero Association has officially confirmed that you were the mysterious powerhouse who showed up in Z-City’s abandoned zone."
Ron nodded. "So that’s why the association assigned me a codename."
"The Swordmaster... why does Ron-kun get such a cool title when he’s not even a registered hero? Mine’s nothing like that..." Saitama muttered gloomily, thinking of his own ridiculous title—Caped Baldy.
Genos looked squarely at Ron. "The media and the Hero Association are both trying to dig up information about you. From what I’ve gathered, several S-Class heroes and even A-Class Rank 1—Sweet Mask—are already involved. The association probably wants to recruit you, but I suspect those heroes may have other agendas. What do you plan to do?"
Ron took a sip of ice-cold beer, his tone calm. "I’m not planning anything. The real question is what they plan to do. Just so we’re clear—I’m not becoming a hero. I only do what I want to do. So whether it’s the association, S-Class, or A-Class—if anyone dares mess with me..."
He set down the glass.
"They’ll face the consequences."
Genos said no more.
The three of them continued eating and chatting idly.
Suddenly—
Genos’s phone buzzed with a notification. He checked it and his expression immediately turned serious.
Saitama noticed. "What is it?"
"Ah... nothing major. The Hero Association branch sent me a notice. They want me to head over—now."
"Is it urgent?"
"Seems so. Something must’ve happened. Sensei, I’ll be off."
With that, Genos stood and quickly left the restaurant.
Saitama looked back from the doorway and picked up the tongs to place more meat on the grill. "That was sudden... what could it be?"
Ron looked up briefly, then returned to his food and chuckled, "Maybe a meteor’s about to fall."
"...A meteor? Nah, that’d be ridiculous..."
...
Hero Association Branch – Z-City
"A meteor?!" Genos exclaimed, stunned as he faced Bang.
The elderly martial artist stood with his hands clasped behind his back, shoulders hunched, and replied solemnly, "You didn’t know? A giant meteor suddenly shifted course. It’s set to crash into Z-City in thirty minutes."
"Disaster Level—Dragon. If it hits, Z-City will be obliterated."
Genos’s eyes narrowed sharply.
Bang walked past him slowly. "The association is trying to gather any nearby S-Class heroes to deal with it, but so far it’s just the two of us. This is beyond what we can handle alone. You should go—take the ones you care about and evacuate."
"What about the citizens?"
Bang closed his eyes. "An evacuation notice should be going out any moment now... though I fear it’ll only spark chaos. There’s not enough time."
As soon as he finished speaking, the public broadcast system buzzed to life.
"Attention all citizens: a large meteor is projected to impact Z-City in approximately 30 minutes. Please evacuate immediately. Repeating... a large meteor..."
People on the streets of Z-City heard the announcement and froze.
"A me-me-meteor?!"
"No way. That’s gotta be a prank..."
Skeptical eyes turned toward the sky—and what they saw made their hearts sink. A massive silhouette was growing larger and clearer by the second.
It was real. A meteor was really coming down.
Panic erupted.
Z-City plunged into chaos.
...
Outside the barbecue restaurant, Saitama and Ron stepped onto the street. The usually bustling central district was in complete disarray—cars jammed, people screaming and fleeing in all directions, pushing and shoving in fear.
Saitama shaded his eyes with one hand, staring at the ominous object in the sky. "So it was a meteor, huh. Ron-kun, you called it."
"Ah, there’s Genos."
Saitama spotted him darting from rooftop to rooftop at high speed.
Ron, hands still in his coat pockets, watched silently. "Looks like he’s trying to stop the meteor."
"Can Genos pull it off?"
"Probably not."
"...I see."
Saitama narrowed his eyes, looking up at the falling meteor.
Ron turned to him. "You going to make a move?"
"Of course," Saitama said, flexing his right arm. "Can’t just let a random meteor crash into the city I live in."
"After all... I am a hero, too."
Ron gave a small nod. "Alright then—I guess I’ll lend a hand."
The moment the words left his mouth, both of them kicked off the ground and vanished.