"Lady Fubuki, you've only just woken up... shouldn't you rest a little longer?"
At the entrance to Tatsumaki's apartment, "Tri-Staff" Lily was still trying to persuade Fubuki, worried about her physical condition.
After being pierced by Zuke's "Arrow," Fubuki had fallen into a deep sleep for an entire day before waking up—an ordeal that had terrified the Blizzard Group.
If not for Fubuki's prior instructions to her group before accepting Zuke's "Arrow," they might have already acted out of concern and demanded an explanation from Zuke.
Fortunately, Fubuki woke up smoothly after a day's rest and successfully awakened the ability known as a "Stand," just as Zuke had promised.
After briefly testing her new power, Fubuki immediately rushed to Tatsumaki's place.
On one hand, she wanted to show off her newfound ability to Tatsumaki, proving that she was no longer the "weakling" she once was—that she now had the potential to become strong.
On the other hand, she had heard from her Blizzard Group members that Zuke had left the Hero Association with Tatsumaki and seemed to have gone to her home.
Fubuki's heart was also filled with gratitude toward Zuke, so by visiting Tatsumaki now, she could also thank him in person.
In fact, because Zuke had alleviated the inferiority complex she had harbored for so long, Fubuki felt that even if he made some unreasonable demands now, she probably wouldn't refuse.
However, while Fubuki was in high spirits, the rest of the Blizzard Group was still worried about her. That's why Lily had followed her all the way here, hoping to convince her to rest a little longer.
After all, Fubuki had spent an entire day lying in bed without eating, only drinking some water after waking up. Lily was afraid her body might collapse from exhaustion.
But the excited Fubuki had no patience for such trivial concerns now. She arrived at Tatsumaki's apartment door and pressed the doorbell, waiting for it to open.
Contrary to her expectations, Tatsumaki didn't answer immediately. Instead, after a long pause, a somewhat impatient voice came from inside:
".........Who is it?"
Fubuki recognized it as Tatsumaki's voice, but it lacked its usual vigor. Instead, it sounded exhausted, as if she had just gone through something draining.
Long ago, before Fubuki had been completely crushed by Tatsumaki's superiority, she had also gone through a phase of desperately training her psychic powers.
Back then, Fubuki would push herself to the point of collapse, lying on the ground gasping for breath until her stamina recovered—and her voice had sounded just like this.
But this was the first time Fubuki had ever heard Tatsumaki sound so worn out. In her memory, she had never seen her sister in such a state.
"It's me, sis."
Normally, Fubuki wouldn't have taken the initiative to visit Tatsumaki—after all, every time they met, Tatsumaki would mock her for leading the Blizzard Group and associating with "weaklings."
But now, Fubuki had confidence. Her voice was firmer, carrying a trace of pride as she spoke to Tatsumaki through the door.
In contrast, Tatsumaki's voice suddenly became flustered:
"Fubuki!? Why are you here......... Wait! Give me a second!"
Then, Fubuki heard a series of clattering noises from inside—as if Tatsumaki was using her psychic powers to hastily rearrange furniture.
Beyond that, there was also a faint rustling sound, like Tatsumaki was putting on clothes.
Considering that Tatsumaki usually lounged around at home in pajamas or even just her underwear, Fubuki naturally assumed her sister was just tidying up in a panic to avoid looking sloppy.
But when Tatsumaki finally opened the door, Fubuki realized things might not be so simple.
Tatsumaki's clothes were slightly disheveled—understandable if she had just put them on.
But the furniture inside was also in complete disarray, especially the sofa, which looked like it had been knocked over and hastily put back in place.
The carpet also seemed damp, and there was a strange, faint odor lingering in the air...
At this point, Fubuki's heart skipped a beat as she guessed what might have happened. She stared at Tatsumaki and asked:
"Sis, I heard Mr. Zuke came with you. Where is he?"
"Him? He... just left."
Under Fubuki's intense gaze, Tatsumaki awkwardly averted her eyes, as if unable to meet her sister's stare.
And that reaction alone confirmed Fubuki's suspicions about what had transpired between Zuke and Tatsumaki in that room.
Otherwise, given Tatsumaki's usual personality, she wouldn't be acting so uncharacteristically timid—like she was hiding something shameful.
A pang of irritation shot through Fubuki's heart.
She wasn't sure if it was because Zuke had "taken" her sister from her, or because she was frustrated that her sister had been able to do that with him.
But as she looked at Tatsumaki's petite frame, Fubuki couldn't help but think the same thing Psykos had:
—Could someone that small really handle it?
---
The awkward reunion between the two sisters went unseen by Zuke.
Just as Tatsumaki had said, he had left right afterward, leaving her alone to rest on the carpet.
Originally, Zuke had wanted to help Tatsumaki clean up, but she had chased him out—probably out of embarrassment.
She had been surprisingly proactive during the act, only to become shy afterward. It reminded him a bit of Eris, the tsundere type. Maybe all prideful characters were like this?
But Tatsumaki was definitely regretting refusing Zuke's offer now.
Because of that, after resting for a while, she had to face Fubuki in such a disheveled state—and even let her figure out what had happened in that room.
After leaving Tatsumaki's place, Zuke returned to the Hero Association headquarters and gave Sitch an order:
—"Search for the 'Hero Hunter' Garou at full force!"
Naturally, Sitch faithfully accepted the command—after all, tracking someone down wasn't particularly difficult for the Hero Association.
Especially since Garou had been hunting heroes all over the place lately, leaving traces everywhere. Finding him wouldn't be too hard.
After issuing the order, Zuke left the mission world.
By the time he returned, the Hero Association should have already pinpointed Garou's location.
With Homeless Emperor as his pawn connected to "God," and Garou soon to be in his grasp...
—Even an Awakened Cosmic Garou wouldn't be a problem anymore.
To be continued…