"Huh?!!! Why is Rimuru A-Class while I'm C-Class?!! That's not fair!!" Saitama shouted, feeling extremely unbalanced after seeing the results Rimuru received, drawing the attention of everyone around them.
Rimuru himself couldn't believe it either. After all, he had held back so much, so why was he still accepted? He didn't want to join!!! He just wanted to slack off at home and play games!!
"Rimuru, your physical and written test scores were also perfect." Genos suddenly said, drawing the attention of both Rimuru and Saitama. The two looked together at the paper where it read [Written Exam: 50/50] [Physical Exam: 50/50].
"Hey, Genos, if I go tell the Association now that I only joined the Hero Association because my friend tricked me, will they void my results?"
Rimuru put the paper back into the brown paper bag, wrapped the string around it, lowered his head, and spoke suddenly in a muffled voice.
But before Genos could say anything, they heard the overhead broadcast announce, "Mr. Genos, Mr. Saitama, Mr. Rimuru Jr... Mr. Rimuru, the Successful Applicants' Seminar will be held in half an hour. Please proceed to the Third Hall."
The announcement was broadcast several times, and only the very first time was Rimuru addressed with 'Jr.', which was omitted afterward.
After the announcement finished, the announcer was immediately taken away for a stern reprimand. Of course, Rimuru and the others were completely unaware of this; the three were following a staff member toward the Third Hall mentioned in the broadcast.
Rimuru had completely accepted the Hero ranking. What else could he do? Sigh. In the end, Rimuru could only utter one line: "Damn bald head!! I wish you 'great luck' on your way out!!!"
(Dayun Motors, driving across the world)
Soon, the three were seated in the first classroom within the Third Hall. Saitama and Genos sat together, while Rimuru sat behind Saitama.
Standing on the podium was a man wearing a suit designed to look like snake scales, named Snek, the Snake Bite Fist, rambling about things like Monster ratings and Hero ratings.
Genos stood with his arms crossed, his face serious, making it unclear whether he was listening; Saitama, sitting next to him, had asked Rimuru for several pieces of bubblegum and was struggling to chew them all at once. Although he faced Snek, his eyes showed he was already spacing out.
As for Rimuru, sitting behind Saitama, he looked completely listless and wasn't listening at all.
Four people in a classroom—three weren't listening, and one was the teacher. Tsk tsk tsk.
Seeing that none of the three were paying attention, Snek immediately jumped onto the podium and demonstrated the Snake Bite Fist technique to the three individuals below—any one of whom could beat him senseless.
However, no one paid him any mind. Instead, Saitama blew a massive bubble that instantly covered his face. If Genos hadn't reacted quickly, Saitama might have been 'one-shotted' by bubblegum.
After listening to the seminar, Rimuru was still annoyed at Saitama. That hateful old baldy! He hadn't wanted to be a hero, and now he was tied to the Hero Association. Annoying!!
Ignoring Saitama completely, Rimuru walked off on his own, leaving only Saitama and Genos. Genos also needed to return to the base to modify his body, so Saitama was left to go home alone.
Saitama watched Rimuru's retreating figure merge into the crowd, blinked, and raised a hand to scratch his head. The prank seemed to have gone a bit too far.
On the other side, Rimuru had long since stored her mask in the System Space and was happily eating various snacks from the Snack Street, completely forgetting that Saitama didn't have a key and Mosquito Girl wasn't home, meaning Saitama couldn't get into the house.
Even if he remembered, Rimuru probably wouldn't care. That old baldy Saitama tricked him, so he deserved to be locked outside.
——————————————————
Early the next morning, Rimuru and Saitama were both sitting at the dining table eating breakfast. Saitama was complaining to Rimuru that he forgot to give him the key yesterday, forcing him to stand outside for over an hour. If Mosquito Girl hadn't returned, he probably would have been standing outside until midnight.
However, Rimuru wasn't listening to Saitama at all. His gaze was fixed entirely on the TV, watching the Super Sentai show being broadcast.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Mosquito Girl was slightly confused and went to open the door, wondering who it was so early in the morning. After opening the door, she saw Genos standing outside.
'Oh, it's the robot I beat up like a dog,' Mosquito Girl thought to herself, but she still stepped aside and allowed Genos into the room.
Saitama actually didn't really want to see Genos, especially regarding the 'being a teacher' thing. Just as he was about to refuse, he saw one hundred thousand Koyasu Currency neatly placed in front of him.
"Teacher, this is my Apprenticeship Fee. I will give you one hundred thousand every month from now on. Please allow me to train by your side and become stronger!"
After speaking, he performed an extremely standard Dogeza towards Saitama.
Saitama looked at the money in front of him. So, if he accepted him, he would have a monthly income, right?! He finally wouldn't have to rely on Rimuru anymore!!
But what Saitama failed to notice was that all his three meals combined cost at least two hundred thousand every day, seeing as Rimuru only used the finest ingredients.
"Therefore, Teacher, please spar with me! I want to see exactly how big the gap is between us! Please!"
Saitama had already collected the money. "Alright, after I finish eating, I'll go spar with you."
Genos was also happy inside. His Teacher had finally acknowledged him. He knelt obediently to the side, waiting for Saitama to finish breakfast.
However, when Genos watched Saitama finish breakfast and still made no move, he felt a bit confused. Hadn't he finished eating? Why wasn't he leaving yet? But since it was his Teacher, he must have his own considerations, so he decided to wait a little longer.
Saitama only made a move after Rimuru finished watching Super Sentai. He immediately grabbed Rimuru, who was trying to go back to sleep for a bit, and dragged him out the door along with Genos.
"I'm just saying, why drag me along when you two are fighting? I wanted to go back to sleep," Rimuru complained reluctantly behind Saitama, yawning as he spoke.
Before Saitama could say anything, Rimuru waved his small hand and said, "Forget it, you don't need to answer me. You two fight amongst yourselves. I'll find a place to nap."
With that, he ignored the two of them and found a spot where the sun shone but wasn't too hot. He transformed back into a Slime ball and comfortably basked in the sun, dozing off.
After basking in the sun for a while, just as Rimuru was starting to feel sleepy and about to drift off, he suddenly felt an extremely powerful Punch Wind attacking him.
"Alert: Please, Rimuru, evade the attack coming from Saitama." Great Sage issued a warning to Rimuru at that moment.
Hearing Great Sage's words and sensing the very clear dangerous aura, the slight drowsiness that had just appeared instantly vanished without a trace. The light blue Slime ball transformed into human form in an instant. While using a skill, he didn't forget to curse Saitama, completely disregarding how far he was from Saitama or whether he could even hear him.
"Holy crap!! Old baldy, are you trying to kill me?!! I was just taking a nap! Do you have to go that far?!"
"Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion!!!"
Rimuru's pair of amber eyes instantly turned peach-pink, with white centers in the pupils, shaped irregularly like sunlight.
The next moment, a massive Golden Longsword appeared on the field. Rimuru raised his right hand, controlling the giant Golden Longsword to slash toward the incoming Punch Wind.
The Punch Wind, which carried an aura that seemed capable of destroying the world, was sliced in half, leaving behind a bottomless, Artificial Canyon on the ground.
After the Punch Wind was cleaved apart by the Golden Longsword, its momentum continued undiminished toward Saitama. Rimuru deliberately didn't dissipate the attack; he wanted to teach Saitama a lesson—who did he bother just by taking a nap?
Genos had just recovered from the shock of Saitama unleashing the Punch Wind when he witnessed an even more breathtaking sight, causing his pupils to instantly dilate.
Saitama also noticed the Golden Longsword and widened his eyes. Upon seeing the Golden Longsword, his Passionate Heart, which had been dormant for an unknown amount of time, began beating once more. His entire appearance shifted from his characteristic 'Egg Face' to a more refined art style.
"Serious Punch!"
Saitama clenched his right hand into a fist, placed it on his right hip, and after a brief charge, unleashed a straight punch that was as simple as could be. Not only did it instantly destroy the Golden Longsword, but it also scattered the white clouds floating in the sky.
There had been some white clouds in the sky, but immediately after Saitama threw that punch, the sky became completely clear.
Rimuru flew in front of Saitama at that moment, his eyes still in the Tenseigan state. Due to the height difference, he released his dragon wings and flew level with Saitama's gaze, proceeding to curse Saitama out.
However, Saitama paid no attention to Rimuru's insults. Instead, he placed his right hand over his chest and could clearly feel his long-lost Passionate Heart beating again.
"Rimuru!! Let's fight!!"
Saitama extended his right fist, looking incredibly excited. His 'Marinated Egg Face' had also turned into a 'Serious Face,' and his entire demeanor had changed drastically, making him seem like a completely different person from moments ago, as he shouted loudly at Rimuru.