One Punch Man: Heroics Start with Dual Kamui

Chapter 136 136: Speed-o’-Sound Sonic’s Confidence

At this moment, Tatsumaki was lying on her bed in pajamas, her legs swaying back and forth. As soon as she got home, she changed into them. That mature-looking outfit she wore outside was just for show.

It was probably her way of seeming more grown-up, maybe even a little seductive. But at home, she didn't fuss over appearances, so she wore a simple pajama set.

With nothing better to do, she picked up her phone and opened her contacts. The only name on the list was Shinji.

Of course, the Hero Association had her number as well, but that was one-sided. She never saved anyone else's contact information; Shinji was the only exception.

"What's this guy doing right now? Probably just got home too..." Muttering to herself, Tatsumaki dialed his number.

Before long, the call connected.

"Hello? Miss Tatsumaki?"

Tatsumaki was a little flustered, but as an adult, she mustered her courage to speak as usual.

"It's me. You're home already, right? What are you doing now?"

"Yeah. Just sitting here resting. Why the sudden call? Something happened?"

"Not really anything important, but do I need a reason to call you?"

"I didn't say you couldn't..."

"...So…"

And just like that, Tatsumaki began chatting idly with Shinji. After a while, she finally stopped.

"You seem pretty free, Miss Tatsumaki," Shinji teased.

"Guess so. Also... do you really have to tack 'Miss' onto my name? Isn't that a hassle?"

She clearly wasn't fond of such formalities.

"Then I'll just call you by your name?" Shinji asked.

"I already told you to do so. It's not like anything bad will happen."

Her tone sounded casual, but her cheeks had turned faintly red.

Meanwhile, Shinji's face stayed calm. "Alright then. From now on, I'll just call you Tatsumaki."

They exchanged a few more words before hanging up.

"That was the S-Class Rank 2... no, Rank 3 hero, Tornado of Terror, calling just now? But it didn't sound like anything important." Genos spoke once the call ended.

"Yeah, definitely not what you're thinking of as 'official business,'" Shinji replied with a smile.

Tatsumaki had mostly been complaining, things like how she was sent all the way to City X just to deal with a Demon-level monster, and how unreliable the others were. While Shinji wasn't used to it, it was nice to have a girl talk on the phone. It was better than hearing some high school complaints from Lily.

Genos nodded slightly. "I see. I thought she was calling to pass on some message from the Association. Looks like I overthought it."

It was then Saitama interjected, "Shinji, if that Speedy Sonic or whatever his name is comes to your place, I'm just staying home and reading manga. I don't feel like dealing with him."

He didn't want that weirdo to know he lived right next door to Shinji. But in truth, Sonic already knew Saitama lived here.

If he had gone to Genos first to pass a message, then he already understood the situation. And since both Shinji and Saitama were S-Class heroes, their addresses weren't exactly hard to find with some digging.

"Well... chances are, he already knows you live here too," Shinji admitted awkwardly, glancing at Saitama.

"Ah... really?" Saitama scratched his head. "Guess nothing I can do about it. Not like I'm moving out."

Within the abandoned district of City Z, no matter where Saitama moved, he would always be found. But outside the district, there were no houses where he could live for free.

Besides... something like this wasn't worth the trouble of moving.

....

The next morning, around 8 a.m.

Knock, knock!

Shinji had just finished breakfast when he heard someone at the door.

Opening it, he was greeted by none other than Speed-o'-Sound Sonic in full ninja attire.

"So you really came, Joint-Pain Panic." Shinji deliberately played with his name, his expression dead serious.

"It's Speed-o'-Sound Sonic!" Sonic immediately corrected, clearly annoyed.

"Jeez!" Sonic coughed and quickly straightened his posture, his face turning sharp and serious. "I'll get straight to the point. I've realized you might be a ninja as well, and judging by your strength, you're likely above me. I came here to confirm just how strong you really are..."

"..."

Shinji fell silent for a moment. "That's all this is about? Such a boring reason?"

"How is this boring? To fight me, Speed-o'-Sound Sonic, should be an exhilarating honor for you!"

The corners of Sonic's mouth lifted into a confident grin.

It was unclear whether he didn't fully understand Shinji's true power, or if he was simply too confident in his own. Perhaps it was both.

"Is that so?" Shinji could only sigh inwardly.

Logically, Sonic should have seen the battle against Boros during the Infinite Tsukuyomi illusion. Even if it wasn't quite god-level, it was definitely at least a "Dragon+" level fight. How could Sonic not recognize that?

At this point, Sonic's strength was about on par with Genos, somewhere between high Demon and low Dragon class, while Shinji had just grounded a God Level threat.

"I saw your fight with that so-called Cosmic Overlord. I know your power is overwhelming, but speed is my specialty. If a technique can't strike the target, it isn't worthy of being called true ninjutsu." Sonic spoke with absolute confidence.

"So you think I can't hit you?" Shinji asked, narrowing his eyes.

Sonic gave a light smile. "Heh! I admit I lost last time, but that was because I was careless. I won't make the same mistake again."

"Fine, fine..." Shinji's expression turned weary. "Let's go. If we're going to fight, we should change the location."

As he spoke, Shinji casually placed a hand on Sonic's shoulder.

Sonic's body tensed instantly, as if he were afraid Shinji might attack without warning. But in the next second, everything around him shifted completely.

The two of them now stood in a desolate mountain forest far from City Z.

"?!"

Sonic's eyes widened in shock, his face pale.

In the blink of an eye... the man had brought him here using what seemed like instantaneous teleportation?!

The fight hadn't even started, yet sweat was already pouring down Sonic's face. The suffocating pressure wrapped around him like a giant constricting serpent.