"Ms. Fubuki, if you keep making trouble, I can't guarantee they'll stay alive. If this escalates, I'll still be in the right, because my battle suit has been recording from the start. The whole process is clear: you and your subordinates were the first to act unreasonable and resort to violence.
In the end, I might get a minor punishment, but these two good-for-nothings, if they die, they're truly dead."
Qingshui used the cold steel blade of his black sword to tap Eyelashes's cheek, smiling as he squinted at Fubuki.
"You… you're despicable!"
Fubuki's chest heaved even more violently with anger, almost bursting through her clothes.
"Who's despicable? Ms. Fubuki, you were the ones who blocked my way home, who attacked me first, and who forced me to join your kindergarten-like social club. You didn't even bother to see where you were before directly making a move."
Qingshui sneered.
Only then did Fubuki calm down.
Although their current location wasn't a densely populated downtown commercial street, it was just a street running through a garden near an apartment building.
This was Qingshui's residence, so naturally, other residents nearby had noticed the commotion. They had already hidden far away, and most likely had already called the Hero Association, reporting a suspected monster disaster in the vicinity.
"What do you want to do?"
Fubuki said with a cold face.
"What else? An apology and compensation, of course."
Fubuki pursed her lips, glanced at her two subordinates who dared not speak, and slightly lowered her head, saying:
"I'm… I'm so sorry."
Hmm, very sensible! She knows an apology should show your chest… wait, no, should be accompanied by a bow.
"You've apologized, but what about the compensation?"
Still want compensation?
"Lady Fubuki, at worst we can just…"
Qingshui lowered his head and glanced at Eyelashes, who had spoken, drawing a shallow bloody cut across his face with his sword.
"At worst what? Huh? Keep talking?"
Qingshui said with a fierce expression, deliberately using the Mind Stone's mental deterrence on both Eyelashes and Mountain Ape.
At this moment, looking at the humiliated Mountain Ape and Eyelashes, the bowing Fubuki who was apologizing, and his own stance with his feet on the two of them, Qingshui felt like he was the villainous bully doing bad deeds.
"Alright, release Mountain Ape and Eyelashes. Name a price, and I'll compensate you."
Fubuki said decisively.
"Then… one hundred million?"
Qingshui said tentatively.
If Haragiri could give that much money, then Fubuki, as the highly popular B-Class Rank 1, should be able to too, right?
"Black Whirlwind Samurai, why don't you just kill us?"
Mountain Ape said, giving up completely.
Eyelashes, ignoring the threat of Qingshui's sword, nodded in agreement.
"Ah? Is your Blizzard Group so poor? You can't even afford one hundred million?"
Fubuki nodded with great difficulty.
"Although the Blizzard Group's cash flow is a bit tight, I will rally everyone in the Blizzard Group to work hard together and pay off this debt."
Wait, what?
Work together to pay off the debt?
Is it that low-class?
"Doesn't your Blizzard Group… have any industries? Like supermarket stores, funds, or stocks?"
Qingshui tentatively asked, looking at Fubuki's expression.
Fubuki slowly shook her head.
Don't let the Blizzard Group's ostentatious appearance fool you. Fubuki's dresses, her everyday bags, and her subordinates' suits were all designer brands, and they even had several cars to maintain their image when traveling. But behind the scenes, to cover the Blizzard Group's massive expenses and subsidize the organization's costs, let alone the minor members, even core members like Mountain Ape and Eyelashes had to diligently work to earn money.
The Hero Association's base salary for B-Class Heroes was 400,000 Japanese yen. Most B-Class Heroes, including mission rewards and association dividends, could barely make a million Japanese yen. Sometimes, with monster corpse recovery, it would be a bit more, but it still wasn't enough.
After all, every team member had their own daily living expenses.
Even though Fubuki was stronger and, as the beautiful and highly popular B-Class Rank 1, received higher commercial endorsement and merchandise dividends than some A-Class Heroes, bearing a significant portion of the Blizzard Group's financial expenses single-handedly, which kept the Blizzard Group from being too strained and allowed for some savings, she really couldn't pull out one hundred million Japanese yen all at once—
That was, after all, a colossal sum that would take a normal B-Class Hero, earning nearly a million Japanese yen a month, ten years to earn. If it were Qingshui's original body, who had a relatively high-paying job in society, he'd have to pull all-nighters for thirty years.
Haragiri, at least, was a member of the Sword Saint Association, capable of rivaling S-Class Heroes, a world-renowned sword master, famous for decades. His reputation and strength were incomparable to Fubuki and the B-Class members of the Blizzard Group.
Just his sword dojo business was huge, with a large number of students, including quite a few very wealthy individuals.
When such a powerful figure, due to age, loses his pursuit of swordsmanship and focuses on making money and gaining fame, his ability to attract wealth is terrifying.
Even if he couldn't compare to super-rich individuals, he was still beyond what Fubuki and the Blizzard Group members could achieve.
One hundred million was not a lot for Haragiri, and it even took advantage of Qingshui being a B-Class Hero—after all, in Haragiri's eyes, Qingshui was someone who could make him use over seventy percent of his strength. If it were a fight to the death, Haragiri would also have to go all out.
If it was too little, Haragiri would lose face.
"No industry, no official revenue streams for the organization, relying on Hero Association salaries and odd jobs to maintain the façade of normal operation… This is truly like child's play."
Qingshui sighed helplessly, covering his forehead with his left hand.
Fubuki's head drooped even lower, her pretty face flushed.
Oh no, hearing him say that, I feel so embarrassed…
Qingshui shook his head and said, "Forget it. Look at how much these two are worth and give what you think is fair."
Eyelashes, lying on the ground, slightly turned his head and exchanged a knowing glance with Mountain Ape on the other side. They spoke in unison:
"Lord Black Whirlwind Samurai, we two are worthless!"
A "#" symbol immediately appeared on Qingshui's forehead as he shouted at the two:
"Why don't you two just say you're a liability? Wouldn't I then have to pay you instead?"
Mountain Ape and Eyelashes fell silent this time.
Because they saw Fubuki's slightly trembling body and her raised face.
"Enough! Mountain Ape, Eyelashes, I forbid you to speak of yourselves like that! No one in our Blizzard Group is a so-called good-for-nothing! It's just a hundred million, isn't it? As long as we work together, I refuse to believe we can't earn that money! If we can't even come up with a mere hundred million, then what kind of Blizzard Group are we?"
"Lady Fubuki!" x2
Mountain Ape and Eyelashes were moved to tears.
Qingshui looked up at the sky, speechless, and rolled his eyes.
"Hey, I said, hurry up and sign the agreement. Once you've signed, you can leave."
"We… didn't bring paper and pen when we came out. Should I go buy some at a nearby stationery store now?"
Fubuki said awkwardly.
"Forget it. You don't need to sign the agreement here. Just do it yourselves back home and send it over."
Fubuki subtly breathed a sigh of relief.
Good, at least to outsiders, our Blizzard Group still has some credibility.
"Anyway, you can't renege on the debt. My video recording is still on. At worst, I'll just show the recording to your sister later and let her pay. S-Class Hero Rank 2, there's no way she can't come up with a hundred million."
Qingshui's next words immediately caused a few black lines to slide down Fubuki's forehead.
Alright, she had overthought it.
"Please rest assured, the Blizzard Group will definitely repay this debt! I guarantee it on my honor!"
Fubuki stated decisively.
"Alright, then these two subordinates are returned to you."
Qingshui withdrew his foot and moved his sword aside, then nodded his chin in Fubuki's direction, signaling Mountain Ape and Eyelashes to return to Fubuki. He then subtly glanced at a certain direction in the sky to his right.
Mountain Ape and Eyelashes scurried back behind Fubuki.
In the distant sky, a certain green-haired, adult-aged legal loli tilted her head.
Looks like I've been discovered.
That guy's ability is mediocre, but his perception is quite sharp.
Below, Qingshui turned around, and before leaving, he waved his hand, his back to Fubuki, and said:
"I advise you not to be so reckless next time. People with some ability will give your sister face and not argue with you. Weaker people can only be harmed by your childish antics, which is why you've been so arrogant until now. But sooner or later, you'll hit a brick wall, and then you'll have to trouble your sister to clean up the mess."
Tatsumaki in the sky nodded continuously.
He's right, so right!
Fubuki, this sister of mine, still hasn't grown up!
And upon hearing Qingshui's evaluation, and the parts related to Tatsumaki, Fubuki couldn't help but quietly clench her fists.
What should I do? I feel like hitting him even more now than before, but would that cost two hundred million?
On the other side, Qingshui continued to ramble:
"Also, the structure of your Blizzard Group is too crude. Consult someone with extensive work and management experience in society, otherwise, it will always just be small-time skirmishes like this.
Finally, let me give you a saying that applies to all heroes.
With great power comes great responsibility. Heaven has bestowed upon you a unique life experience, and you possess power unlike others, so it's destined that some things can only be handled by people like you.
Don't squander the talents you possess by being constrained by things right in front of you.
You should do what you truly ought to do, things that can fully unleash your talents.
If you're only focused on pulling newcomers like me into your Blizzard Group to satisfy your own pursuit of being number one and your obsession with achieving so-called results, then you and your Blizzard Group will only ever be what you are now."
As he finished speaking, Qingshui glanced again in Tatsumaki's direction. Seeing that she had no intention of showing herself, he leisurely strolled back.
Hopefully, these words will trick Fubuki into doing what so-called heroes are truly supposed to do, and stop bothering me.
With great power comes great responsibility. That line should be pretty effective on these true superheroes, the ones whose hearts are genuinely brimming with heroism, responsibility, and a sense of mission.
Fubuki, despite some obvious flaws in her character, is still a genuine, positive hero. She should be easy enough to sway, right?
Watching Qingshui walk away, Fubuki stood rooted to the spot, her hands unclasped, Qingshui's parting words echoing in her mind.
Just then, a clear, childlike voice drifted down from the sky.
"That guy's strength is just as mediocre as yours, but what he said makes a lot of sense. Fubuki, you're not a child anymore. You've reached an age where you shouldn't be so headstrong, so I don't have to clean up your messes when you cause trouble."
"Sis, sis… sister?"
Hearing the voice, Fubuki stiffly turned around and saw Tatsumaki descending from the sky, stammering, "I, I just, didn't, didn't lose..."
"I know, I saw everything. I told you ages ago not to bother with those B-Class hometown gatherings. Those people who can't keep up with you are just dead weight."
Tatsumaki glanced at Mountain Ape and Eyelashes, who were cowering behind Fubuki like quails, and snorted.
"No, sister, they're not dead weight. They're comrades. Even if they can't do much against a powerful opponent, they can still utilize their talents where they're best suited."
As Fubuki spoke, she couldn't help but recall Qingshui's words, and she thought of herself and Tatsumaki. Her eyes instantly grew firm.
If the Blizzard Group members couldn't stand shoulder-to-shoulder with her against a strong enemy, then there would always be other battlefields suitable for them.
Just like her and Tatsumaki, Tatsumaki, as the elder sister, was almost the strongest combatant in the Hero Association, aside from the elusive Blast. Yet, there was an insurmountable gap in strength between her, the younger sister, and Tatsumaki.
She certainly couldn't face the monsters that the Association needed Tatsumaki to defeat, but she could still fully utilize her talents in her own suitable domain!
With great power comes great responsibility!
The greater your ability, the greater the responsibility you must bear!
Tatsumaki's expression fell as she looked at Fubuki's stubborn gaze.
"Why are you still so headstrong? Fine, how do you plan to pay back that hundred million? Do you want me to pay it for you first?"
"No need, sister. I'll find a way to pay back this money myself."
"Then you handle it. If it's not enough, just tell me. And also, hurry home. Dinner's ready. You two pieces of dead weight, stop standing there like idiots! You're an eyesore, you know!"
"Mountain Ape, Eyelashes, you two can retreat for now. Go get your injuries treated. Oh, and sister, when did you learn to cook?"
"I've always known how. Just order takeout on my phone, simple as that."
In a distant apartment.
Qingshui, sensing that the Blizzard Group and Tatsumaki sisters had left, responded into the phone call from the Association in his hand:
"Yes, it was the Blizzard Group, not a monster attack. The matter has been resolved, and they've agreed to apologize to me. Yes, they've already left. Casualties? Just assume there were no casualties."
-----------
Machine Translation by: https:// beta.randomtranslator.com/
Read 1111+ original & fanfic translations in English, Español, Português, Deutsch, Français, or Русский at: https:// beta.randomtranslator.com/
Join our Discord: https:// discord.gg/NSWvfN7vua
-----------