"Why do I have to be lumped into the same category as you...?"
"Calm down, Zombieman. To a little girl, two naked men really aren't a pleasant sight. If you're cold, I can warm you with my body hair."
"Move." A mechanically processed voice came from above.
A gigantic metal capsule was dropped in front of the Association headquarters, and an apparently unarmed robot walked out.
"Metal Knight?"
S-Class Rank 6, who had been unreachable earlier. Unlike the other heroes, he had never appeared in person at all, always operating remotely controlled robots like this one.
This man's deterrence—or perhaps danger rating—was considered extremely high, because the Association had reason to suspect he possessed enough mechanical forces to start a war.
"Are you here to recover this spaceship and build new weapons from it?" asked Genos, who had only joined recently and had been criticized by Tatsumaki through a television screen just a few days ago.
"Correct. I require powerful weapons to maintain peace."
Its mechanical head turned toward Yimi. "Human-inhabited regions will probably receive no rain for at least the next week. According to meteorological observations, there is a 64% chance of a typhoon forming in the far north."
However, because humans were concentrated on this habitable landmass, the climate issue would not have much impact.
"Did something happen?" Superalloy Darkshine asked.
Metal Knight did not answer directly. "You failed to notice because you stayed inside the building? Doesn't that just prove my creation worked?"
Superalloy Darkshine looked up at the sky. "No, I think I noticed the sky darken for a moment, and then it cleared."
"It was merely a meteorological change. Nothing special."
The robot's eyes remained fixed on Yimi. "But if possible, research into anomalous abilities must also be added to the schedule."
"Hah?"
Tatsumaki's face darkened as she stepped in front of Yimi. "You're just a tin can, so don't get arrogant. I don't remember seeing you anywhere through this whole incident."
"C-Calm down, Little Tatsumaki. Metal Knight means researching the aliens, right? Nobody would do anything to your daughter... to an innocent little kid." Superalloy Darkshine stepped between them to mediate.
His attempt to smooth things over was well-intentioned, but the person in question was not especially cooperative.
The camera lens on Metal Knight's robot face protruded slightly and scanned Yimi, who stood just behind Tatsumaki.
In the end, though, it did nothing. Just before Tatsumaki could explode, the robot turned and walked into the spaceship. "You may all leave now."
"The guy who did absolutely nothing through the whole thing suddenly tells us to leave?" Tatsumaki wanted to fight him, but this was only a tin can with the real body nowhere nearby.
Not far away, a samurai with a toothpick in his mouth rubbed the stubble on his chin and glanced thoughtfully at Yimi.
Metal Knight's words clearly meant he had seen something.
That made Atomic Samurai a little curious.
"Little lady." The S-Class Rank 4 hero waved Yimi over.
"Master, are you going to do that?" Iaian, A-Class Rank 2 and also a member of the Hero Association, immediately understood what he meant.
"Mm?" Yimi walked over curiously.
"Hold my sword."
Atomic Samurai handed Yimi his katana and placed an apple on the ground. "Could you use this sword to split that apple in half for this old guy?"
Saitama picked his nose, blowing a bubble from it. "Didn't you just tell me not to call you an old guy?"
Atomic Samurai ignored him.
This was one of Atomic Samurai's special methods for judging people. By observing someone's slash, he could roughly determine what kind of life that person had lived. He had taken in his three disciples using this method as well.
Of course, he was not planning to take this little girl as a disciple. She already had a guardian, after all.
Still, Metal Knight's attitude toward her had made him curious.
Hearing such a strange request, Yimi looked down at the katana in her hands.
Atomic Samurai had overlooked one thing: for a little kid with such short arms, a katana that long was simply impossible to draw normally with both hands.
Crack—
It broke.
Atomic Samurai: "..."
Yimi placed the entire broken katana on the ground as though it were still perfectly fine, then shuffled back to Tatsumaki in tiny steps.
"Are you trying to make us pay for this?!" Tatsumaki glared at Atomic Samurai and shouted.
Atomic Samurai ignored her too. He picked up the hilt of his sword and sank into thought.
* * *
The cleanup was left entirely to Metal Knight. After taking one punch from Boros and one spear thrust from Yimi, it would be extremely difficult to find any survivors on the spaceship.
The commotion had been enormous, enough that Handsomely Masked Sweet Mask rushed over from another city. But he took the view that the only captured tentacled psychokinesis monster should simply be killed, bringing him into conflict with those who wanted to make use of it and drawing everyone's attention to some extent.
As heroes, they were responsible only for fighting and protecting civilians. There was really no need for them to handle the aftermath. Once the situation stabilized, Drive Knight and Watchdog Man even left halfway through.
Fight the battle, then return to ordinary life, leaving complicated matters to people with brains. That was normal for many heroes.
When Yimi fought Boros, she had been sent flying in the very first exchange. The soles of the children's shoes Fubuki bought her had been worn open, exposing her socks around the toes.
"I want this one." Yimi held up a pair of shoes printed with cartoon patterns.
Honestly, they were not as pretty as the ones Fubuki had chosen, but Tatsumaki could not be bothered to pick for her.
"Then we'll get these." Tatsumaki took out her money.
Yimi shook her head, stood up, and stomped her foot. "But this one, is a little big."
"It's fine if they're a little big. You'll grow taller next year anyway."
Tatsumaki placed a hand on the back of Yimi's head and clearly felt the psychokinesis she had sealed away resurging, now giving off stronger and more dangerous fluctuations than before.
Her own psychokinesis spread from her right hand and connected with Yimi's, then hovered in the air for two or three seconds. In the end, Tatsumaki lowered her arm without trying to seal it a second time.
Her sudden protectiveness toward Yimi in front of Metal Knight was not some sudden overflow of maternal instinct. Even now, she still needed Yimi to remind her before she could remember the girl's name.
She was only protecting the child she herself had once been.
Because Tatsumaki had awakened overwhelming power at a young age, a research organization had taken her away, locked her in a dark room, and refused to let her go home. She had thought that if she no longer had her powers, she could return home, but while pretending to have lost them, one of the monsters under study happened to break loose.
"She isn't useful anymore. Leave her." Naturally, those people had said exactly that.
Because something like that had happened to her, she developed a distorted sort of protectiveness toward her younger sister, who had also awakened psychokinesis.
She watched the little cat in front of her, only to see Yimi suddenly run off.
"What? You want to buy something else?"
Then Yimi came scampering back with a box in her hands.
"This, is for you."
Underwear.
"..."