Logically speaking, now that the misunderstanding had been cleared up and Tatsumaki knew that Zuke wasn't a "hero hunter," she shouldn't have had any reason to refuse him.
But somewhat unexpectedly, after hesitating for a moment, Tatsumaki still fiercely rejected Zuke:
"No! You don't look human at all! I won't bring a monster to the Hero Association!"
Zuke was stunned for a moment before realizing the issue.
It was probably because he had turned his body into "clay" to restrain Tatsumaki earlier, making her think such an ability was beyond what a human could do.
This world had a very broad definition of what counted as a "monster."
Physical mutations, scientific modifications, non-human species, aliens—all of these could fall under the category of monsters.
Perhaps in Tatsumaki's eyes, Zuke belonged to the "physically mutated" category, which technically could be classified as a monster.
In fact, Zuke was an otherworlder to begin with, and Saiyans could broadly be considered aliens. In a way, Tatsumaki's conclusion was correct.
"That's a bit extreme. Don't you have S-Class heroes in the Hero Association who've undergone physical modifications?"
Zuke plopped down onto the coffee table, making Tatsumaki's eyebrow twitch—if she could beat him, she would've already punched this rude bastard ten times.
"I think there's one called Zombieman... Shouldn't his regenerative abilities qualify him as a monster?"
Zombieman, S-Class Rank 8, possessed terrifying strength and regenerative abilities. He was an experiment from the "House of Evolution" who escaped and became a hero.
Considering most creations from the House of Evolution were classified as monsters, Zombieman should technically count as one too.
"...Zombieman has the mindset of a hero, so he doesn't count as a monster."
Tatsumaki frowned, staring straight at Zuke as she spoke slowly—even while restrained, her personality hadn't changed one bit.
"But you... I don't sense any heroic intent from you. You're too... self-indulgent."
"Oh? You can judge people like that?"
Zuke was surprised. Despite Tatsumaki's usual arrogant demeanor, which made her seem like she looked down on everyone, her observational skills were quite sharp.
And she wasn't wrong—Zuke's personality was indeed self-indulgent.
He wouldn't kill innocents indiscriminately, but if necessary, he wouldn't hold back either.
For example, his current mission target, Garou.
In reality, during his "hero hunting" spree, Garou never actually killed any heroes or innocent bystanders.
In the end, he even redeemed himself, making him somewhat of an "anti-hero" type character.
But Zuke wouldn't spare him just because of that—after all, he was a mission target. Taking him out meant rewards, so Zuke naturally wouldn't go easy on him.
Though Zuke himself agreed with Tatsumaki's assessment... unfortunately, it wasn't the answer he wanted to hear.
"What a shame... You could've taken me to the Hero Association unharmed."
Zuke stood up from the coffee table and walked toward Tatsumaki, his tone flat and unreadable.
Tatsumaki didn't speak. Instead, she shrank back slightly, swallowing hard as Zuke approached.
She had never felt fear like this before, but today, for the first time, she experienced terror and humiliation as Zuke closed in.
She shut her eyes, bracing herself for a possible brutal attack—but then, she felt her body lift slightly.
It was as if something had picked her up and placed her somewhere else... on his lap?
Her eyes flew open in alarm, and sure enough, she found herself draped over Zuke's knees, face-down, her backside exposed.
The realization made Zuke's expression shift, and she immediately shouted:
"W-Wait...! What are you doing!?"
"What does it look like? When a child misbehaves, they need to be punished."
Zuke smirked, watching as Tatsumaki—bound at the arms and legs—wriggled helplessly across his lap. He raised his hand.
He lifted the hem of Tatsumaki's dress, then raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? You're wearing underwear?"
"What kind of question is that!?"
Tatsumaki's face burned red. Of course she could feel her dress being lifted, leaving her rear completely exposed.
And when Zuke mentioned "misbehaving child," she realized exactly what was coming. Her flushed face instantly paled.
Smack!
Sure enough, Zuke's hand came down hard—only to be blocked by Tatsumaki's psychic barrier.
Since Tatsumaki's physical body wasn't much stronger than a normal human's, Zuke hadn't used much force, allowing her to block the first strike with her barrier.
But Zuke only laughed coldly.
"Still resisting, huh? Then don't blame me for being ruthless—Special Move: Serious Spanking!"
Smack!
This time, the psychic barrier shattered instantly, and Zuke's palm landed squarely on Tatsumaki's backside.
"GYAAAAAH—!!!"
The sharp pain forced a scream out of Tatsumaki. Anger and humiliation turned her cheeks scarlet, and tears welled in the corners of her eyes.
She turned her head, glaring furiously at Zuke as she yelled:
"You bastard! You actually—"
Smack!
Another crisp sound cut her off, replacing her words with another cry of pain as her entire body trembled.
Thanks to her psychic defenses, Tatsumaki hadn't experienced real pain in a long time. Now, she finally understood how the monsters she had crushed must have felt.
Weak. Helpless. Completely at someone else's mercy.
She opened her mouth, as if to say something—but before she could, another wave of pain struck.
Smack!
Ten minutes later, Zuke looked at Tatsumaki, who was lying face-down on the couch, barely moving except for the occasional twitch.
"Hey. You still alive?"
The hem of her dress was still lifted, her buttocks now bright red. She probably wouldn't be sitting comfortably for a while.
Not that it mattered—Tatsumaki could just float using her powers, "sitting" on air if needed.
At worst, she could swallow her pride and visit the Hero Association's medical division for treatment.
Zuke hadn't used his "ki" to cause internal damage, so the redness was purely superficial.
As for Tatsumaki's current state...
Zuke sensed her energy—still stable. She was probably just emotionally broken from the spanking.
To be continued…
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