Half an hour later.
Bruce Banner, Betty Ross, and Saitama sat at the dining table having lunch.
"What exactly happened?"
Betty looked at Bruce with concern. Her eyes also drifted to the door lock, which had clearly been forced open. Coupled with the explosion at the lab last night, she was starting to have a suspicion.
"I… I can't remember anything. It's like I had a dream so real… Who… who is he?"
Bruce's guarded eyes turned toward Saitama.
A man alone with a woman he cared about—and the way Betty looked at Saitama with an unusual warmth—sparked a faint, unexplainable anger in him.
"Hello! I'm Saitama. Nice to meet you, Bruce Banner. You seem pretty strong!"
Saitama's eyes lit up slightly, and for once, the wooden expression on his face showed a faint smile.
The man before him was the strongest superhero he had encountered so far—at least in his enraged state. Saitama was curious to see if he could finally find a worthy opponent.
"He's an old friend of mine. Just happened to be passing by today."
Betty explained for Saitama, even giving him a quick wink. After all, the fact that he fell from the sky without a scratch was a little too shocking to explain.
Bruce reluctantly accepted her words, though he had no memory at all of his transformation into the Hulk and the destruction of the lab.
His face still carried an inexplicable tension and fear, and even with Betty, his mind seemed elsewhere.
He did recall that he hadn't been in the lab, but instead met someone claiming to be his father's old coworker—a surreal and dreamlike encounter.
At that moment, there was a knock at the door.
Betty went to open it, her expression cooling.
Soon, a group of sharp-eyed men in suits, radiating danger, filed in, subtly forming a surrounding formation.
Leading them was an older man with short, white, bristle-like hair. His expression was grim, his eyes cold as he stepped forward. "So you're Bruce Ban… Kozler."
It was General Ross—Betty's father. As he spoke, several of the suited men surrounding them slowly drew their handguns.
"Last night, you left something behind at the lab. Mickey, take my daughter outside. I'll join you in a moment."
General Ross coldly tossed Bruce Banner's identification onto the floor. Banner, the cause of it all, looked utterly confused.
"Who is he, Betty?"
Having made his purpose clear, General Ross now noticed the bald young man at the table who had been quietly enjoying lunch this whole time. The strange outfit made him frown slightly.
"He's my friend!" Betty replied, staring at Ross with defiance.
"Take him out too. I need to have a word with Bruce Kozler."
At his command, the man called Mickey stepped forward to grab Saitama.
In the general's eyes, someone like Saitama looked like a weakling he could take down with one hand—ten of them, even.
"No! Bruce—"
Betty cried out. To her, Saitama was a mystery—someone who fell from the sky without a scratch. If he lost his temper here, she couldn't imagine what would happen.
"I'll be fine, Betty." Bruce tried to reassure her, though he couldn't help but notice how worried she seemed for Saitama, which made his irritation rise further.
Betty glanced at Bruce, then at Saitama, softening her tone. "Saitama… walk with me for a bit."
As a guest, Saitama didn't see a reason to refuse. He followed Betty outside, not bothering to listen to whatever Ross and Bruce discussed.
A few minutes later, the suited men remained stationed around the house, clearly keeping Bruce under a form of house arrest.
"Your friend might be involved in something dangerous. I have to find out the truth. For your own good, stay away from him for now."
Having sent Bruce off, General Ross approached the car where Betty sat. His tone was that of a warning.
He glanced at the bald man in the passenger seat, idly eating potato chips, and his voice dropped even colder. "As Betty's friend, you're welcome. But if you have any other intentions, I strongly advise you to stay away from her."
Saitama: "…"
Seriously?!
I'm just eating potato chips—how did I offend you?
Without waiting for a reply, General Ross turned and left.
"Sorry… he's always been like that. He's never made decisions for me."
Betty's voice was full of apology. Getting Saitama involved and having him scolded by her iron-willed father for no reason left her feeling guilty.
"Since you bought me lunch and chips, I'll let it slide."
Saitama waved it off casually. He wasn't the type to care about such trivial matters.
"Oh, right—Saitama, earlier you said you were a mercenary… From now on, can I hire you?"
Betty's eyes lit up with expectation.
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For 20+ Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!]
[[email protected]/Draumel]
[Thank You For Your Support!]