"Yes, Lady Fubuki. That guy lives in the ghost town of Z-City."
"Good. When we have ti, we'll go pay him a visit and see just how capable he really is."
Fubuki's voice remained calm, but there was a trace of arrogance behind her words.
"We need to give him a proper warning and make sure he understands that he's broken the rules of B-Class."
"Didn't Lady Fubuki want to invite him to join us? Let's see first if he's even willing."
"Being personally invited by Lady Fubuki is an honor. No one in their right mind would reject such a thing."
"Yeah, that guy wouldn't dare turn it down. Unless he seriously overestimates himself."
"..."
Clearly, none of the Blizzard Group mbers thought Shinji posed any real problem. They were confident he would fall in line sooner or later. After all, a personal invitation from Lady Fubuki was a rare privilege, one that most B-Class heroes would never even dream of receiving.
Fubuki didn't continue the discussion. Instead, she returned to her own tasks without another word.
Back in the office, Lily still had no idea that the group had already located Shinji's ho. But even if they hadn't, she knew it was only a matter of ti. That thought made her increasingly uneasy. If Lady Fubuki personally showed up with her team and tried to confront him, it would undo all of Lily's efforts. Everything she had worked toward would go to waste.
But if Shinji were willing to visit the Blizzard Group voluntarily, it would prevent any hostility and earn her praise from Lady Fubuki. It would be a perfect outco.
In the end, Lily couldn't suppress her anxiety anymore. She opened her phone and ssaged him first.
...
At that mont, Shinji was at ho playing video gas with Saitama. His phone lay on the floor cushion beside him, and when it buzzed with a ssage, he picked it up casually. It was from Lily.
[Shinji-senpai, have you thought it through yet?]
(AN: Since it is a Japanese setting, I will be using so Japanese honorifics like senpai or sensi, but not sama. Bear with the cringe.)
Since he was in the middle of a match, Shinji didn't respond right away. He glanced at the ssage, then focused back on the screen.
anwhile, Lily saw the ssage had been marked as "read" but received no reply. That made her even more anxious. If it had stayed "unread," she could've waited patiently. But being left on read? That hit differently.
Two minutes later, Shinji defeated Saitama once again.
[Not joining]
The reply was short, direct, and unmistakably final. He had no interest in joining the Blizzard Group. That was all there was to it.
Lily had been working through so docunts when her phone vibrated again. She imdiately reached for it, only to see that brief and decisive ssage.
[You...]
[Suit yourself.]
She tapped out the response quickly, then turned off her phone. Her mood soured imdiately. She had tried to speak with him sincerely, even giving him a way out. And still, he refused to listen. Fine. Let him deal with the consequences himself.
When Lady Fubuki arrived in person and was t with that kind of attitude, Shinji was absolutely going to get chewed out. Lily had already warned him more than once. If he still refused to listen, then he had no one to bla but himself. She slumped over her desk, too irritated to focus on her work any longer.
...
"Did soone ssage you? Got sothing to take care of? We can pause the ga if you want," Saitama asked, glancing at Shinji and noticing him fiddling with his phone.
"It's nothing. Just a small thing. Let's keep playing."
Shinji replied casually and set his phone back down.
"Alright! This ti I'm gonna beat you with the new combo I just figured out!"
Saitama grinned and launched the next round with fierce determination. And the result?
By the end, he had once again been completely shaved bald. Not that it mattered, considering he already was.
Smack!
Suddenly, a sharp slapping sound cut through the air.
Shinji turned to look at Saitama in confusion, trying to figure out why he had just slapped himself out of nowhere.
Saitama's palm remained stuck to his face as he explained, "There was a mosquito. But I got it."
However, the mont he pulled his hand away, the mosquito zipped out—buzzing cheerfully, completely unhard, as if the slap had ant nothing.
"?"
Saitama froze in disbelief, then imdiately tried to catch it again. But the mosquito effortlessly dodged every attempt.
No matter how many tis he swatted, slapped, or lunged, he couldn't catch or kill the stubborn insect.
"..."
Shinji didn't move. He just sat there watching, completely motionless, as Saitama flailed around the room.
Yup, it had appeared.
The strongest divine mosquito in all of One Punch Man, the legendary insect that was utterly immune to Saitama's attacks. Every swing missed, and even when contact was made, it shrugged off the force as if it were a breeze.
Of course, Shinji knew this was just one of those ridiculous plot points the author included. It made no logical sense, but it was part of the world. Because of that, he had no intention of getting involved. He simply leaned back and enjoyed the show.
Saitama grew more and more irritated until the mosquito finally vanished without a trace.
"Damn it! It actually got away!"
He looked furious, fists clenched, jaw tight. anwhile, Shinji remained seated, expressionless and silent. He wasn't even remotely surprised.
What did catch his attention, though, was the fact that the legendary mosquito had appeared, which ant the rest of the event chain was about to begin.
First up would be the demon-level monster, Mosquito Girl, and her target... was none other than Z-City.
...
Once he'd cald down, Saitama flopped back onto the floor and turned on the TV. A program was airing at that very mont.
The title on-screen read: Mass Panic! Unusual Mosquito Infestation!
"This year, mosquitoes have been breeding in massive numbers, severely disrupting residents' daily lives."
"What's the cause behind this outbreak? Let's bring in mosquito expert Mr. Kafeiji for so insight."
"Uh... to be honest, I've never seen this kind of mosquito before. So I have no idea."
"Get off the screen!"
The ridiculous exchange ca off more like a cody skit than actual news. But right after, the program was abruptly interrupted by breaking news.
"A massive swarm of mosquitoes is heading toward Z-City! All citizens are advised to stay indoors! The preliminary threat level has been designated as Demon!"
The broadcast shifted to live footage.
A thick, black swarm of mosquitoes filled the air like a storm cloud, blotting out the sky. The sight alone was enough to make your skin crawl. Every animal the swarm passed was instantly drained, left as desiccated, shriveled corpses.
Saitama watched the screen, cold sweat forming on his forehead.
"Isn't this Z-City where we live? Hurry, close the windows!"
Just one mosquito had already driven him nuts earlier. A whole swarm like that? He'd be sent into madness.
…
anwhile, Mosquito Girl was leading the terrifying mass of insects, racing toward the city with inhuman speed.
Elsewhere in the abandoned district, Vaccine Man, who had been aimlessly wandering around since settling into his new ho, suddenly stopped. He turned his head toward the growing noise in the distance.
His face twisted into an exaggerated JoJo-style art fra as he stared into the sky.
"What the hell is that noise?"
===
Bonus Chapters Incoming!
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