"You finally showed up. I've been waiting forever."
When Zuke opened the door to Tatsumaki's apartment and stepped inside, she was already standing in the center of the living room, as if she had been frozen in that position for a long time.
After all, she had gone out of her way to gather the Hero Association's higher-ups in the meeting hall specifically for Zuke. If he hadn't shown up, all her effort would've been wasted.
Ignoring Tatsumaki's grumbling, Zuke glanced curiously at her backside.
After a full day, it seemed her butt had recovered—she no longer needed to float using her psychic powers and could stand normally again.
".........You bastard, where are you looking!?"
Tatsumaki, of course, noticed where his gaze had landed. Her face flushed with a mix of embarrassment and anger, her expression twisting like an irritated cat.
Yesterday's spanking had left her unable to sit properly, marking one of the most humiliating moments of her life. Fortunately, there hadn't been many monster attacks, so her condition hadn't been exposed.
After Zuke left, Tatsumaki had only received a few scattered monster alerts—all weak enough that she could crush them effortlessly without moving much.
Had a Dragon-level threat appeared, she might've struggled to conceal her injury while dealing with it, risking public exposure.
"It's nothing."
Zuke smirked and averted his eyes. He wasn't cruel enough to keep Tatsumaki in pain forever—yesterday's punishment had just been a lesson.
Now that Tatsumaki was behaving, there was no need to repeat it.
Unless she acts up again. Then she might need another reminder.
"Are the Hero Association's executives already there?"
"They've been waiting at HQ for ages. When I speak, those bastards have no choice but to listen."
Tatsumaki crossed her arms, tilting her head up proudly—like a child seeking praise from a parent.
As an S-Class hero, her influence was undeniable. Though many of the Hero Association's higher-ups were corrupt, they knew their authority relied entirely on the strength of heroes like her.
So when Tatsumaki ordered them to assemble, they had no choice but to obey.
"Yeah, yeah, good job."
Zuke walked over and ruffled Tatsumaki's hair, just as he had praised Illya during their bath yesterday.
Despite being 28 years old, her petite, childlike stature made it impossible for Zuke not to treat her like a kid.
"Stop treating me like a brat!"
Tatsumaki bristled at his tone but didn't slap his hand away.
"By the way, where's Fubuki? She went looking for you with her group, right? She didn't do anything stupid, did she?"
Though Fubuki and the Blizzard Group had tried to keep their movements hidden, Tatsumaki wasn't oblivious.
She had noticed several of Fubuki's subordinates loitering near her apartment, monitoring her door—she just couldn't be bothered to confront them.
Most of the Blizzard Group were B-Class or lower, and Tatsumaki had no interest in them. If not for Fubuki, she wouldn't even remember their faces.
What worried her was whether Fubuki had provoked Zuke. She didn't want her little sister getting punished for reckless behavior.
If it's just a spanking like mine, fine… but if Zuke goes too far, I might have to plan her funeral.
"Relax, she's fine. Just… asleep for now."
Zuke's eyes narrowed with amusement as he spoke lightly.
"The next time you see her, she might be a completely different Fubuki."
That's right—Fubuki had Stand potential.
Zuke had used the Arrow to awaken her Stand, but after being pierced, she fell into a deep slumber. It would take time before she woke up.
This wasn't unheard of. In JoJo Part 4, Hirose Koichi had lost consciousness for an extended period after being struck by the Arrow, making Josuke Higashikata briefly think he had died.
When Koichi finally awakened, his Stand, Echoes, had multiple evolutionary stages, growing stronger over time.
Would Fubuki's Stand follow a similar path?
---
Accompanied by Tatsumaki, Zuke arrived at the Hero Association's headquarters.
With an S-Class hero leading the way, no one dared to obstruct them. They walked straight into the meeting hall—a dimly lit room filled with figures seated around a long table.
Zuke scanned the room.
These were indeed the higher-ups, including a few recognizable faces from the original story:
- Sitch, one of the rare reasonable executives.
- MCoey, a key antagonist in the Neo Heroes arc.
The rest were either minor characters or unnamed background figures.
After all, the Hero Association's leadership in the series existed primarily to showcase corruption and incompetence.
The moment Zuke and Tatsumaki entered, several of the more arrogant executives immediately started complaining:
"Tatsumaki! You kept us waiting for so long—do you know how valuable our time is!?"
"If you have business, schedule it properly! Don't waste our minutes!"
"Heroes these days are getting out of control..."
Amid the noise, only a few—like Sitch—remained silent, their expressions darkening as they sensed the tension.
Tatsumaki's face twitched with irritation, but before she could retort, Zuke spoke first:
"Shut up."
In an instant, Black Bird Requiem materialized behind him.
Dark mist surged from its body, splitting into countless black ravens—Black Bird·Lovers.
These ravens would teach the executives the consequences of running their mouths.
"Forty-five people..."
Zuke's gaze swept across the room as the ravens shot forward, burrowing into the ears of every executive present, invading their brains.
Even Sitch, who had been relatively decent in the original story, wasn't spared.
"AHHH—!!!"
Almost immediately after Zuke's command, the room erupted into screams.
Only those who had remained silent earlier were spared, watching in horror as the others writhed in agony, their bodies convulsing as if subjected to unspeakable torture.
To be cintinued…
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