Saitama sat on the floor of his new Hero Association apartment. The living room was spacious, featuring sleek wooden floors and modern furniture that he rarely used. Instead of sitting on the expensive sofa, he was hunched over, staring intensely at the massive, eighty-inch television screen mounted on the wall.
He held a wireless controller in both hands. His thumbs pushed aggressively against the buttons. He leaned forward, trying to force his digital character to move just by sheer willpower.
King sat beside him. King's posture was completely relaxed. He held his controller loosely, his fingers moving across the plastic surface with incredible speed but absolutely zero wasted effort. His eyes were locked onto the screen.
On the television, a fighting game was taking place. Saitama's character was a massive, heavily armored knight wielding a sword that looked like a steel beam. King's character was a small cartoon dog wearing a tiny white chef's hat.
The armored knight was trapped entirely in the right corner of the digital arena. The chef dog stood directly in front of him.
The dog swung a frying pan. It hit the knight in the leg. The dog jumped into the air, kicked the knight in the helmet, landed, and immediately swung the frying pan again.
Saitama pressed his attack button over and over. His knight did nothing. The character remained frozen in a defensive posture, taking hit after hit without ever swinging the giant sword.
"Hey," Saitama said, his voice tense. "My guy is frozen. Why is he not moving?"
"You are trapped in block stun," King replied. His eyes never left the television. "You keep trying to use heavy attacks while my attack animation is already active. You must wait for an opening."
"I pressed the button first!" Saitama argued. He shook the controller in the air. "I pressed it three times before that dog even lifted the pan!"
"It does not matter if you press it first if your move takes longer to execute," King explained calmly. "Your sword swing has a twenty-frame startup. My frying pan attack has a three-frame startup. As long as I keep initiating this attack sequence, your sword will never move."
Saitama glared at the screen. The small dog tripped the massive knight, sending the giant character falling to the floor. Before the knight could even stand back up, the dog was already jumping into the air, bringing the frying pan down in a sweeping overhead arc.
"This game makes zero sense," Saitama complained. "Look at the size difference. My guy is wearing a tank. He should just step on the dog. The match should be over."
"It is a crossover fighting game," King said. "The dog is highly rated in competitive play. He has excellent corner pressure. You should try blocking low."
"I am blocking low!"
"You were standing up," King pointed out. "The pan attack is an overhead strike. It hits you if you crouch. But the kick is a low strike. You have to guess which one I will use next."
"How am I supposed to guess?" Saitama asked. "You move too fast. There is no time to guess."
"You must read my patterns."
On the giant screen, the dog performed a special move. A cartoon oven appeared out of thin air. The dog grabbed Saitama's massive knight, shoved him inside the oven, and shut the door. The oven shook violently before flashing with bright colors. The rest of Saitama's health bar vanished completely.
Large, stylized letters appeared across the eighty-inch display, declaring King the winner.
Saitama stared at the loss screen. He looked down at his brand-new, Association-issued wireless controller.
"This TV is too big," Saitama concluded.
King looked over at him. "The television?"
"Yeah," Saitama said, pointing at the screen. "The screen is so wide, the characters have to travel farther across the glass."
"This television has a one-millisecond response time," King observed. "It is a top-tier monitor. We can switch characters. The heavy characters are difficult for beginners. The ninja girl is good for learning the basics."
King navigated the menu back to the selection screen.
"I am not a beginner," Saitama said. His brow furrowed. "I just need one good hit. If my sword connects with that dog, his entire health bar will vanish. I am sticking with the armor guy."
"The dog has surprisingly high defense statistics," King noted. He selected the chef dog again.
The next match started. Saitama immediately pushed forward and pressed the heavy attack button. His knight raised the giant sword in a slow, dramatic animation. King simply made the dog walk backward a fraction of an inch. The heavy sword missed completely. Then, the dog lunged forward and hit the knight in the shin with the frying pan.
The combo started all over again.
Saitama felt a vein bulge on his forehead. The strongest man in the world was currently being bullied by a cartoon puppy in ultra-high definition.
"Stop jumping!" Saitama demanded.
"I must jump to avoid your command grab," King stated.
"I was not doing a command grab!"
"I saw your thumb moving in a full circle on the directional pad," King observed. "It is a highly predictable tactic when you are trapped in the corner."
Saitama focused entirely on the screen. He watched the dog. The dog kicked. Saitama blocked low. He successfully blocked it. He immediately pressed his attack button.
The dog instantly pulled out the frying pan and hit Saitama's character over the head. The knight fell down again.
"I blocked it!" Saitama protested. He leaned closer to the screen. "I blocked the kick and I attacked! It was my turn!"
"Your attack was too slow," King said. His expression remained completely neutral. "You should have used your quick punch. By using the heavy attack, you left yourself vulnerable. I landed a counter-hit."
Saitama squeezed the controller. The plastic flexed under his grip. He was just about to tell King to switch to a racing game.
…
The heavy front door of the apartment unlocked and swung open. Genos walked into the entryway.He walked into the modern living space carrying four large plastic grocery bags, balancing them easily on his arms.
"Sensei," Genos announced. "I have returned from the supermarket."
Saitama did not look away from the television. "Welcome back. Put the stuff in the fridge. I am busy getting cheated out of a win right now."
Genos walked toward the sleek kitchen island in the center of the room. "I do not believe King is cheating, Sensei. He merely possesses superior fine motor control and a deeper understanding of the game's underlying mathematics."
"Whose side are you on?" Saitama asked. He desperately tried to move his knight away from the corner.
"I am always on your side, Sensei," Genos replied earnestly. "However, I must report a massive success regarding today's grocery mission. The supermarket in the neighboring city was hosting an unadvertised special event."
Saitama paused. He held his thumb down on the directional pad, leaving his character crouching, and glanced over his shoulder. "A special event? Like a sale?"
"Better than a standard sale, Sensei," Genos said. He set the bags down on the counter. "They had a surplus of premium items nearing their sell-by date. The store manager discounted the entire stock by eighty percent."
Genos began removing items from the bags:
Three packages of A5 grade Wagyu beef, wrapped in white butcher paper.Two bundles of organic hakusai cabbage.Three packs of fresh enoki mushrooms.Four premium, thick-cut leeks.Two bottles of high-quality sesame dipping sauce.
Saitama's eyes widened as he looked at the counter. "Eighty percent? A5 Wagyu?"
On the television screen, King's dog character grabbed Saitama's knight, threw him into the air, and hit him with the frying pan six times before he touched the ground. The health bar vanished entirely.
Huge letters appeared on the screen, signaling the end of the match.
Saitama dropped the wireless controller onto the floor. He stood up instantly. The frustration of the corner trap vanished from his mind, replaced entirely by the vision of high-grade beef cooking in a rich broth.
"Shabu-shabu," Saitama said. A wide smile broke across his face. He walked quickly over to the kitchen island and inspected the packages. He looked at the original high price on the label, then at the bright red discount sticker placed over it. "Genos, this is incredible. You did a great job. This is the best thing I have seen all week."
"Thank you, Sensei," Genos said. He bowed slightly. "Your praise is my highest reward. Shall I begin preparing the vegetables and the broth?"
"No way, I am helping," Saitama said. He rolled up the sleeves of his casual hoodie. "When we have meat this good, we have to treat it right."
Saitama ignored the ultra-modern induction stovetop built into the counter. He reached into a lower cabinet and pulled out his old portable gas stove. He set it on the center of the kitchen island.
"I will prepare the kombu for the base," Genos stated. He pulled a piece of dried kelp from the cupboard, wiped it gently with a damp cloth, placed it at the bottom of a large metal pot, and added clean water.
Over in the living room area, King remained seated on the floor. He picked up his own controller, navigated away from the versus menu, and selected the single-player survival mode. He chose the small cartoon dog again and began playing against the computer opponents. He was perfectly content playing by himself while he waited for the food.
…
Saitama grabbed a knife and started chopping the fresh cabbage into large pieces. "Make sure the water does not boil too hard at first. We do not want the broth to get bitter. We have to take the kelp out right before the water boils."
"Understood, Sensei," Genos said. He placed the pot onto the portable stove. "My thermal sensors will monitor the water temperature precisely. I will remove the kombu at exactly eighty-nine degrees Celsius."
Saitama moved on to the thick-cut leeks. He chopped them at an angle. "I cannot believe you found this meat. I have been eating plain udon for three days because the prices in City A are ridiculous."
Genos took the packages of mushrooms and began trimming the roots. His fingers moved with absolute precision, slicing the ends off perfectly even. "It was a stroke of fortune, Sensei. However, observing your demeanor recently, I felt it was necessary to secure a high-quality meal. You have seemed highly restless in this new apartment."
Saitama paused his chopping for a second. He shrugged and continued. "I am not restless. I am just bored. This apartment is nice, but it feels like a giant box. And it is the same thing every day. Wake up, go to the store, sit in this huge room, lose to King in video games. It is a very dull routine."
Genos placed the trimmed mushrooms onto a large serving platter. "That is precisely what I wished to discuss with you, Sensei. Have you ever considered taking a vacation? Perhaps visiting a resort?"
Saitama stopped cutting the leeks and looked at his disciple. "A resort? Like, traveling to a different prefecture?"
"Yes," Genos said. "A change of scenery could be highly beneficial for your mental state. There are numerous hot spring resorts in the mountains, or tropical islands in the southern regions. You rarely leave the Hero Association facility unless it is for grocery sales."
Saitama scoffed and went back to chopping. "Resorts are expensive, Genos. They charge double for everything just because you are a tourist. A bottle of water at a ski resort costs five hundred yen. That is a scam. I am not paying those prices."
"Finances would not be an issue, Sensei. I would cover all expenses for the trip. Consider it a token of my gratitude for your continued guidance."
Saitama scraped the chopped leeks onto the platter next to the mushrooms. He leaned against the counter and thought about the idea. "I do not know. What would I even do at a resort? Sit around? I do that here for free, and the TV here is way bigger."
"You could experience true relaxation," Genos suggested. "You could bathe in mineral-rich waters. You could consume local delicacies that are completely different from our usual diet. Furthermore, with the current climate in the hero industry, this might be the optimal time for a leave of absence."
Saitama raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, the current climate?"
"I am referring to the Neo Heroes," Genos explained. He opened the package of tofu and carefully sliced it into perfect cubes. "Their organization has been aggressively expanding. They are handling a vast majority of the lower-level monster exterminations and public security tasks. The Hero Association's workload has decreased significantly in recent weeks."
Saitama nodded slowly. "Yeah, I did notice the monster alarms have not been activating as much lately. I guess those new guys with the fancy suits are doing a lot of the heavy lifting. Good for them. Less work for me."
"Exactly, Sensei," Genos said. "The Neo Heroes are eager to prove their worth to the public. They are dispatching massive squads for even the smallest incidents. While I have reservations about their leadership, their current efficiency provides you with an opportunity. You do not need to remain on standby in this apartment. The cities will not fall into ruin if you depart for a week."
Saitama looked over at the portable stove. The water in the metal pot was starting to get warm. He looked back at Genos, then down at the premium beef resting on the counter.
"A hot spring, huh?" Saitama mused. "Do they have good food at those places?"
"I can research resorts with the highest ratings."
Saitama scratched his chin. The idea of unlimited, high-quality food that he did not have to cook himself was definitely appealing. And Genos was right; he was completely bored. The lack of strong monsters lately had made his days feel incredibly long.
"Maybe," Saitama finally said. "I am not making any promises. But I will think about it. If you find a place that looks really good, and it is not a complete rip-off, maybe we can go for a couple of days. But you are definitely paying."
Genos's eyes brightened. "Understood, Sensei! I will immediately begin compiling a list of the top fifty resort destinations in the country, cross-referencing them for food quality, bath purity, and overall relaxation metrics. I will present a detailed portfolio to you by tomorrow morning."
"Do not go overboard," Saitama warned. "Just find a nice place with good food."
…
Saitama picked up the platter of vegetables and carried it over to the low table in the center of the living room. Genos followed right behind him, carrying the portable stove, the metal pot, the precious packages of Wagyu beef, and the dipping sauces. They arranged everything neatly on the table.
"King," Saitama called out. "Wrap it up. The water is almost ready."
King's fingers moved rapidly over his controller. On the television screen, his dog character was fighting three giant monsters at once in survival mode. The dog parried an attack, rolled behind a monster, and unleashed a massive combo that cleared the entire screen of enemies.
Large letters appeared on the display indicating the stage was complete.
King paused the game and put the controller down on the floor. He stood up and walked over to the table, taking a seat on the floor opposite Saitama. He looked at the spread of food. His expression remained completely neutral, but he gave a small nod of approval.
"This looks excellent," King said. "Uh...very impressive, guys."
"It is nothing less than Sensei deserves." Genos replied. He took his own seat.
Saitama sat down. He picked up his chopsticks and held them ready. He stared at the water in the pot. Tiny bubbles were starting to form at the bottom, rising quickly to the surface. The anticipation was intense. He had completely forgotten about the video game, the frying pan, the wireless controllers, and the Neo Heroes. All that mattered now was the beef.
Genos watched the water carefully. He waited a few more seconds, then reached in with a pair of long cooking chopsticks and smoothly removed the large piece of kombu.
"The base is ready, Sensei," Genos stated. "We may begin."
Saitama smiled, reaching for a slice of the marbled Wagyu. "Finally."