"So? Has anyone matching the criteria shown up?"
In a park near Tatsumaki's apartment, Fubuki held her phone, waiting for updates from her subordinates.
Members of the Fubuki Group had been stationed around Tatsumaki's apartment to monitor passersby and check if Zuke was approaching.
She had already learned from Tatsumaki that Zuke was scheduled to meet with the Hero Association's higher-ups today and needed Tatsumaki to guide him.
Therefore, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Zuke would definitely come to Tatsumaki's home—meaning he would inevitably appear nearby. Fubuki intended to intercept him before he reached Tatsumaki's apartment.
Of course, her intention wasn't malicious—after witnessing Zuke's combat prowess yesterday, Fubuki was well aware that scheming against him would likely end disastrously.
Her goal in intercepting him was simply to create an opportunity for a private conversation.
If Zuke entered Tatsumaki's home, trying to speak with him alone without her sister's interference would be nothing short of a pipe dream.
"No sightings yet."
"No one matching the description has passed by here."
"There was a high school student who looked similar, but upon closer inspection, it wasn't the target Fubuki-sama mentioned."
Soon, reports from the Fubuki Group members—both male and female, mostly B-Class heroes—came through the phone. Most of these B-Class heroes had joined out of admiration for Fubuki, so they followed her orders unconditionally.
Just as Fubuki sighed in disappointment upon hearing these updates, a female voice suddenly came through the phone:
"Fubuki-sama! Zuke-sama has appeared! I've already informed him of the situation, and he said to hurry over!"
The voice belonged to Lily of the Three-Section Staff, B-Class Rank 74—one of Fubuki's most trusted subordinates. She had evidently succeeded in encountering Zuke, who had been on his way to Tatsumaki's home.
Though Zuke's words had sounded somewhat blunt, Fubuki, fully aware of his strength, harbored no resentment. Instead, her spirits lifted:
"Good! I'm on my way! Wait for me!"
Fubuki stood up, too impatient to delay even a second. Using her psychic abilities, she summoned a gust of wind to propel herself toward the target location.
True to her name ("Fubuki" meaning "Blizzard"), her psychic powers allowed her to generate fierce winds. While far weaker than Tatsumaki's, her abilities were still formidable.
Naturally, she wasn't satisfied with this—which was precisely why she had gone out of her way to intercept Zuke for a private talk.
---
As soon as Zuke entered the One-Punch Man mission world, he planned to seek out Tatsumaki first, having her lead him to the Hero Association to meet its higher-ups.
Just as Tatsumaki had mentioned yesterday, Zuke knew the location of her apartment, so he headed straight there upon entering the mission world.
However, along the way, he was stopped by a woman—a member of the Fubuki Group, Lily of the Three-Section Staff.
Since Lily's hero ranking wasn't high, and she had only appeared briefly in the original work as a background member of the Fubuki Group, Zuke didn't remember her.
Though she was quite pretty.
After Lily informed him that Fubuki wanted to see him, he agreed—but to avoid wasting time, he demanded that Fubuki come to him immediately.
Fortunately, likely due to the terrifying power he had displayed during his fight with Saitama the day before, Fubuki didn't act arrogantly as she often did in the original story. Instead, she rushed over without delay.
"S-Sorry to keep you waiting."
Upon arriving, Fubuki bent forward, hands on her knees, panting—evidently, using her psychic powers to travel at high speed had drained her stamina.
Then, she turned to Lily and said:
"Lily, leave us for a moment. I need to speak with Zuke-san privately."
Standing nearby, Lily froze for a second, her gaze flickering between Zuke and Fubuki. Though visibly concerned, she bowed and left without protest.
Having joined the Fubuki Group out of admiration for its leader, she would never disobey Fubuki's orders.
"Now that we're alone, what did you want to discuss?"
Zuke glanced around—he also extended his senses to detect nearby "energy signatures." Aside from small animals, there truly was no one else in the vicinity.
In this world, no one could conceal their "energy." Even the ninjas from the Hidden Village couldn't, as they operated on entirely different power systems.
As for Fubuki's purpose in seeking him out... Zuke already had a rough idea.
He certainly didn't believe that Fubuki had fallen in love with him at first sight. Given her background and motivations, her goal was undoubtedly...
"Please—make me stronger!"
Fubuki stared at Zuke with earnest determination, her tone bordering on pleading. She desperately wanted to know how to attain strength like his.
After all, the image of Zuke punching Saitama into space the previous day had replayed in her mind endlessly—it was impossible to forget.
While Saitama's ability to fight Zuke in space proved his terrifying power, it was clear that Zuke far surpassed him.
At this moment, Fubuki's mindset was likely similar to Genos' when he first met Saitama—eager to learn the secret of his strength, even if only a fraction of it.
The difference was that Genos sought power for revenge, while Fubuki wanted to escape the psychological pressure imposed by her sister, Tatsumaki.
"My method of gaining strength isn't suitable for you."
Zuke chuckled. His path to power relied on the "Infinite Terror VR Game," allowing him to travel to different mission worlds and acquire abilities.
Even the "Black Bird"—used to absorb others' powers—had been obtained from the JoJo universe.
Since the "Infinite Terror VR Game" couldn't bring others into mission worlds, Fubuki had no way of emulating his growth.
"But if you truly want to grow stronger, there are other methods."
With that, Zuke extended his hand, and the "Arrow" from the JoJo universe materialized in his palm.
If there was one method that could instantly elevate someone to new heights... it was undoubtedly the "Arrow."
Awakening a powerful Stand could grant immense combat ability in an instant—regardless of the user's original strength.
While the average destructive power of Stands in JoJo paled in comparison to the heroes and monsters of the One-Punch Man world, their bizarre and unpredictable abilities could often bypass conventional power gaps.
Abilities like "The Hand" or "Cream"—which manipulated space—would be nearly impossible for most S-Class heroes to defend against.
More importantly, awakening a Stand required no training. As long as one had the potential, a single prick from the "Arrow" could trigger a complete metamorphosis.
For someone seeking rapid growth, it was the perfect shortcut.
"This is...?"
Initially disheartened by Zuke's dismissal, Fubuki's eyes lit up with renewed hope upon seeing the "Arrow."
To be continued…
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