Pushing open the apartment door, a familiar scent wafted over him.
At the same time, the television in the living room blared exaggerated background music and overly dramatic lines from the actors.
And that man—Saitama—was sprawled in an utterly undignified 'big' character pose on the tatami mat.
One hand idly picked at his foot, while the other held a well-worn manga weekly, his eyes vacant as they drifted across the pages, his mind clearly a million miles away.
His classic yellow and red combat suit was casually tossed in the corner.
At the moment, he was only wearing a white T-shirt and sports shorts, his bald head reflecting a bright sheen in the lingering glow of the setting sun.
In stark contrast to this image of extreme laziness was his cyborg disciple, Genos, sitting beside him.
Genos sat upright, his back perfectly straight, golden mechanical eyes gleaming.
He was meticulously studying the manuscript in his hand—the very one Lin Mo had given him a few days ago, [KING's Esoteric Arts: Martial Arts & Mecha Combat].
In Genos's eyes, this was undoubtedly a new path to greater strength.
Next to Genos, a hardback notebook and a metal mechanical pencil were neatly placed.
Lin Mo's curiosity was piqued. He lightened his steps, quietly approaching, wanting to see what insights Genos had gained from that secret technique manual.
The handwriting in the notebook was incredibly neat, every stroke strong and deliberate:
"8:16 PM: Teacher concluded a 3-hour period of unconscious blankness and began foot cleaning. This act may be to maintain optimal body activity in a non-combat state…"
A faint black line appeared on Lin Mo's forehead, and the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.
He felt genuine admiration for Genos's uniquely bizarre thought process.
To analyze foot-picking with such profound depth, even elevating it to the philosophical height of the origin of power, perhaps only Genos in the entire world could do it.
"I'm back," he finally couldn't help but say, breaking the peculiar silence, walking towards the television as he spoke.
"Oh, welcome back."
Saitama didn't even lift his head, merely responded lazily, his eyes still glued to the manga.
"How about hotpot for dinner? The supermarket downstairs has a 50% discount on wagyu beef today," Lin Mo suggested.
Before he could finish, Genos, on the other side, had already reacted.
He swiftly and silently snapped the manuscript shut, then immediately transitioned from sitting to standing, bowing respectfully to Lin Mo at a precise ninety-degree angle.
"Mr. KING, welcome back," his voice was steady and clear, filled with reverence for Mr. KING.
"I have already purchased A5-grade wagyu beef and various organic vegetables, based on Teacher's and your taste preferences and nutritional balance requirements. We can begin preparation at any time."
As he spoke, he pointed towards the kitchen, where various ingredients were already neatly arranged in airtight containers, the vegetables even cut into perfectly uniform pieces, resembling works of art.
"Alright," Lin Mo, long accustomed to this, walked to the refrigerator, pulled out a bottle of iced mineral water, twisted it open, and took a large gulp.
"That's refreshing."
The weighty topics concerning human survival that he had discussed with Child Emperor were washed away the moment he stepped through this door, replaced by this extremely lifelike, surreal atmosphere.
It felt… quite wonderful.
"Oh, by the way, Mr. KING," just then, Saitama suddenly attempted a carp jump… failed, and lazily rolled over, lying on his side to look at Lin Mo.
He casually tossed the manga aside, and in those perpetually somewhat dull, dead-fish eyes, a rare glint of what could be called "interest" appeared.
"Do you have any plans for tomorrow?"
"No special plans, just staying home for the day. Why?"
Lin Mo was a little surprised; Saitama proactively asking about his schedule was a rare occurrence.
"I want to go out tomorrow and participate in a 'Super Martial Arts Tournament'," Saitama fished out the ticket Charanko had given him from under his butt and handed it to Lin Mo.
"Are you interested in coming to watch tomorrow? I recall your martial arts are quite good too, aren't they?"
"Super Martial Arts Tournament?" Lin Mo raised an eyebrow, taking the ticket.
It seems the Martial Arts Tournament arc has arrived.
"Yeah, the prize money is three million!" Saitama's eyes seemed to sparkle with dollar signs, and his tone became much more excited.
"And, I'm a bit curious, what exactly is 'martial arts'? It sounds pretty cool. Maybe I can learn some interesting moves that I can use against monsters later!"
As he spoke, he waved his arms, demonstrating a few uncoordinated movements.
What moves are you going to learn, you egg… do you even need moves?
Aren't your moves just your fists?
Normal Punch, Consecutive Normal Punches, Serious Punch—aren't these three moves enough for you?
Lin Mo ranted internally, but seeing Saitama's rare look of anticipation, he didn't know where to begin.
Ultimately, he steered the conversation to the most practical point.
"But Saitama-kun, aren't you already an S-Class Hero? The Association's salary shouldn't be low, so why are you always so concerned about prize money? It was the same with the game tournament last time," Lin Mo asked with a puzzled expression.
In his opinion, given Saitama's status, he should have achieved financial freedom long ago.
Hearing this question, Saitama fell silent for a rare moment.
The excitement in his eyes dimmed slightly as his gaze drifted to an inconspicuous stain on the ceiling, eventually answering with a hint of helplessness and desolation:
"Well, a person still needs some goals, otherwise it's just too boring…"
That short sentence, however, was like a boulder dropped into Lin Mo's heart, stirring ripples.
Yes, for someone so powerful that he had lost all challenges, for whom even combat could no longer bring passion, how dull and meaningless life must be.
Money, perhaps, was one of the few tangible rewards Saitama could still feel he earned through effort.
At this moment, Genos, who had been silently recording beside them, spoke up. He pushed up his non-existent glasses and said, "Teacher, Mr. KING is right. I have analyzed this tournament; the participants' strength varies greatly."
"Their combat techniques are meaningless before Teacher, and the prize money is only enough to cover one routine arm maintenance for me.
"Overall, participating in this tournament has an extremely low cost-effectiveness. I do not recommend Teacher waste his valuable time."
Lin Mo stared at Saitama's smooth bald head, lost in thought.
Boring, huh… Yes, boredom is Saitama's greatest enemy.
If he were to lose even this small interest driven by money and curiosity, then he probably wouldn't be far from truly losing something like "emotions."
How tragic that would be then.
— — — — — —
PS: One-Punch Man Season 3 is premiering today (*^▽^*), I hope Season 3 can reach the part where "One KING Shakes Four Dragons" (*￣3￣)╭♡