One Punch Man: Heroics Start with Dual Kamui

Chapter 134 134: Very Cute

Just now, Shinji had reached out to catch Tatsumaki as she fell forward into him. In that situation, it was indeed easy to accidentally touch something he shouldn't have. But if Tatsumaki hadn't said anything, he honestly wouldn't have realized that his hand had brushed her chest.

In truth, it was simply because Shinji's hand was fairly large, or rather, any average person's hand would be.

Tatsumaki, on the other hand…

Although she was already 28 years old, her height was only above that of the Child Emperor, landing at about 150 cm. However, it was not something that a woman in her twenties could boast about.

With that kind of stature and petite build, Shinji's palm could easily cover from her collarbone down to her stomach.

In other words, half his palm rested on her abdomen, the other half on her chest.

Because Tatsumaki's figure was rather underdeveloped, likely a result of her body being stunted due to childhood experiments, her chest was nearly flat. So when Shinji touched her, he hadn't realized at first that his hand was in an inappropriate place.

"Huh?"

Hearing his words, Tatsumaki froze for a moment, clearly not grasping what he meant right away. But her instincts told her something about that statement was off.

Soon enough, she understood his implication.

"You… what did you just say?!" A flush of red spread across her cheeks, her face suddenly burning with humiliation and anger.

"What's wrong?" Shinji still hadn't fully realized where the problem lay.

It was only when he focused on the sensation that he noticed the difference in touch.

"…"

That was when it dawned on him that his earlier words had come across as offensive.

He quickly shifted his hold, letting Tatsumaki lean against his arm instead.

Seeing his adjustment, Tatsumaki's tone grew colder. "So you really were mocking me on purpose, weren't you?"

"Ma' bad…"

Shinji coughed lightly. "I wasn't doing it on purpose. Things happened too suddenly, and I didn't have time to react. Besides, your figure is… misleading."

"…What did you just say?!" Tatsumaki felt as if she had been slapped without actually being slapped.

If anyone else had dared to make such a remark, she would have blasted them into the sky without hesitation. But she knew she couldn't beat Shinji. No matter how angry she felt, she could only grit her teeth and endure.

Except her patience didn't last more than a couple of seconds.

Unable to hold back, Tatsumaki opened her mouth and bit down on Shinji's arm.

"Za hell? What are you, a dog?" Shinji looked at her, speechless.

Not that it mattered, since her bite couldn't even leave a mark on his forearm.

After gnawing for a while and realizing it was pointless, Tatsumaki let go in defeat.

"If you want to laugh, just laugh out loud," she muttered. "There's no need to make snide little comments."

Her voice dropped even lower as she went on, "I'm supposed to be a senior hero, but my body still looks like a child's. You must think it's hilarious, right? If you want to laugh, then laugh!"

Her words grew sharper, her tone more agitated. It was obvious she felt stifled, being mocked yet unable to fight back left her feeling miserable.

More than anything, Tatsumaki hated people bringing up her age or her figure. To be teased about it to her face was unbearable.

"Oh."

Shinji realized he had probably gone too far again. With a serious tone, he explained, "Sorry. Maybe what I said was too easy to misunderstand. I really didn't mean to make fun of you."

"Liar!" Tatsumaki turned her head away, refusing to believe a single word.

"Rather than mocking you, I'd say this side of you is actually very cute. Why would I laugh at that?" Shinji smiled as he spoke.

"C-c-c-cute?!"

Tatsumaki's reaction was immediate. The faint blush that had already spread across her face out of shame and anger deepened even further.

"You're spouting nonsense! Utterly ridiculous! Hmph!"

She crossed her arms in front of her chest, still unwilling to accept Shinji's explanation.

"Anyway, that's honestly what I think."

Whether Tatsumaki believed him or not, Shinji had no interest in dragging the matter on. "That aside, since our battle is over, shouldn't we be heading back now?"

Fortunately, Tatsumaki wanted to move past the earlier topic as well.

"But I don't really have the strength to fly back anymore..." she said. Her words sounded less like a hint and more like a direct statement.

"That makes sense. After all, you just went through an intense fight. Then how about I call someone to pick you up?" Shinji suggested.

The moment he said that, Tatsumaki's expression darkened.

"Idiot! Fool! Moron! Blockhead! Bug! Water flea! Baka! Baka! Baka!!"

She unleashed a flurry of insults, so fast and so relentless that by the end she had worn herself out, panting for breath.

"..."

Shinji blinked, dumbfounded.

None of her words carried any real bite, but it was obvious she had emptied her entire vocabulary of curses just now. He couldn't even figure out what he had done to make her so furious that she exhausted herself yelling.

After a moment of thought, he finally asked, "Did I... say something wrong?"

"Hmph!"

Tatsumaki turned her head away with a sharp snort, clearly unwilling to engage. "You have to figure that out yourself!"

"I'm not guessing." Shinji refused outright. "If it's nothing serious, then I'll be on my way."

He had no intention of playing guessing games. Everyone knew a woman's mind was like the depths of the ocean, you could keep guessing until sundown and still never figure out what Tatsumaki was actually thinking.

"Wait... wait a second!"

Tatsumaki panicked. "You're really going to leave me here like this?"

"Of course not. Didn't I just say I'd call someone to pick you up?" Shinji paused mid-sentence, a thought suddenly striking him. "Oh... or do you mean you don't want outsiders to see you in such a weakened state? In that case, I can ask Fubuki to come take you home."

If that was the reason, then he could understand it.

He pulled out his phone and was about to dial. "Hold it! Did you just say... 'Fubuki'?"

At the mention of that name, Tatsumaki's expression shifted dramatically, turning noticeably serious.

"Yes. Blizzard of Hell, the number one B-Class hero, isn't she your younger sister?" Shinji said casually.

Tatsumaki ignored the part about her being her sister, but her expression clearly grew heavier.

"You just called her by name... So you actually know Fubuki? And not just in passing, either?"

At that moment, something stirred within Tatsumaki.