After eating his fill, Saitama leaned back in his chair, completely satisfied. He had never had such a delicious meal before, and by the end, he was almost tempted to eat the plates themselves.
"Thank you very much for your hospitality. I didn't get a chance to introduce myself earlier—my name is Saitama," he said.
"I'm Han Yu," Han Yu replied with a smile, shaking his hand.
Because of the nature of the general store, Han Yu could understand anyone who came there without them having to do much. At this moment, the conversation was technically in Japanese.
In Chinese, their names might sound confusingly similar, but in Japanese they were entirely different. Saitama's name read as "Saitama," while Han Yu's characters were pronounced "Kanfu" in Japanese.
"By the way, how did you end up collapsed in my shop? Didn't you have any food at home?" Han Yu asked, curious.
Saitama usually kept track of supermarket sale days and often bought cheap food to take home. Being this hungry, he had probably gone at least a day without eating.
"Ah, don't mention it… there's this crazy guy…" Saitama waved his hand, a look of helplessness on his simple face, wanting to skip the topic. Suddenly, a voice sounded behind him, freezing him in place.
"Saitama-sensei! You're here! I've been looking for you for so long! Can we continue training? We haven't achieved today's goal yet."
Han Yu and Saitama both looked toward the restaurant entrance. Standing there was a young man, probably no older than twenty.
His arms and legs were completely made of dark metal. His eyes had no whites—just black with yellow, slit-like pupils. A cyborg, he certainly had a very distinctive appearance.
This was Genos, Saitama's disciple.
"Ge-Genos, our training should be wrapping up soon, right? I just finished eating," Saitama said, moving slightly closer to Han Yu.
He looked a bit intimidated—but not because he couldn't beat Genos. It was because a few days ago, he had mentioned he had free time, and Genos had switched to "super sticky mode," following him around every day, begging to be taught how to get stronger.
Saitama, despite his immense power, still needed to eat. Genos did not, and for the past few days he had been constantly pestering Saitama, asking for tips to become stronger.
Even the most determined foodie eventually breaks.
With his disciple neither leaving nor being able to be fought off, Saitama could only try to escape—but fortunately, he could outrun Genos. Every time Saitama went out to get something to eat, Genos would appear like a ghost, dragging him along while saying:
"Sensei, you happen to have free time these days, so I must learn from you properly! Were you just testing my speed? Sensei, you really care about me. I won't disappoint you!"
I won't disappoint you my foot!
I didn't even mean that!
Saitama furrowed his brow in despair. Genos's eagerness to learn had reached borderline "obsessive" levels, and his constant questions left Saitama barely any time to eat.
Han Yu noticed Saitama's predicament. In his previous life, he had been quite interested in Saitama—a hero with earth-shattering power, yet constantly thinking about the next supermarket sale.
This stark contrast amused him, and since he liked the character, helping out seemed reasonable. Clearing his throat, he said:
"Genos… right? Your master and I just finished eating. You know how you shouldn't train right after a meal. How about this: I'll have my little brother spar with you. If he wins, you let Saitama-sensei rest. If he loses… then you can handle your master however you like. Deal?"
Handle… however…
Saitama suddenly felt Han Yu might be a devil himself. It sounded like it was for his benefit, but somehow it felt like being sold out.
Genos thought for a moment. He glanced at Saitama, who indeed looked tired, and said, "Alright, that sounds fine. Sensei, are you okay with this?"
Saitama shivered at Genos's gaze. Sometimes, a disciple's eagerness to learn can be a real burden.
Han Yu smiled and led them toward the storage room. At first, the two were puzzled by the small door, barely a person's height. Were they really supposed to go in there?
Once inside, however, the space was unimaginably vast.
"You'll spar here. Fight all you want—nothing can harm the outside," Han Yu explained.
"Did we go outside? Weren't we on the second floor just now?" Genos asked, stunned.
Before them stretched a "forest of steel"—towering buildings reaching the clouds. The streets looked normal, but oddly, there wasn't a single pedestrian or honking car. The silence was eerie.
Seeing their confused expressions, Han Yu explained, "This is a space I developed for testing abilities, just for me and my brothers. Everything here was designed by them."
Han Yu himself had rarely been in this alternate space. Usually, only Quicksilver would frequently come here.
To better test their strength, Ultron used Earth technology enhanced with Green Lantern energy to construct multiple scenarios for different combat situations.
The current scenario was a virtual city center.
He then walked to the door and shouted upstairs, "Ultron, come down—we're starting the show!"
Moments later, footsteps shuffled down the stairs. Ultron, still sleepy and wearing pajamas, rubbed his eyes and asked in confusion, "What's up?"
"Come over here first," Han Yu said, retreating into the storage room and waiting.
Though unsure, Ultron yawned and entered. The storage room's door automatically adjusted to his height.
Seeing the suddenly tall man in pajamas, Genos frowned and asked Han Yu, "This is your little brother?"
Still yawning, Ultron's messy hair sticking out, he quickly realized the setup: this was a sparring arena, and he had been called to fight someone.
"Genos, please go ahead," Han Yu said, shrugging with a smile.