"To be safe, let's set this newcomer at B-rank... we'll adjust his promotion later based on his performance." After much deliberation, the bearded man made his decision.
B-rank hero determinations were within his authority, so it wouldn't be too much of a hassle...
"Fine by me," the man in glasses agreed.
"A newcomer with great strength and immense potential?" A cold, proud voice suddenly drifted from behind them.
"Hmm?" The bearded man looked back.
Standing there was a woman with short black hair, green eyes, a tall stature, and fair skin—a true beauty with striking features.
Her form-fitting green dress accentuated her curvaceous figure perfectly.
She was the polar opposite of the loli-like Tornado.
This woman projected the image of a mature beauty with an exquisite figure.
In the original story, she was a very famous character.
Fubuki.
That was her name.
Rank 1 in B-rank.
The rank might sound a bit underwhelming, considering the Reincarnator's mission was to reach A-rank...
But in reality, Fubuki simply didn't want to advance to A-rank.
She believed that even if she moved up, she could never surpass the 'Gatekeeper,' Sweet Mask—the man who held the top spot of A-rank specifically to prevent those with insufficient strength from reaching S-rank...
So, she had effectively given up on moving up.
Instead, she focused on building factions within B-rank, believing that the power of a team was greater than that of an individual. She used various methods to recruit others into her exclusive organization, the Fubuki Group.
But none of that was the main point...
The point was that this mature beauty, Fubuki, was the biological younger sister of the loli-like Tornado!
She also possessed psychokinetic powers, though her strength was significantly weaker.
This was actually a major reason why Fubuki focused on building a team.
Because she fell so far short of her sister's overwhelming talent... living constantly in her shadow had led to a deep-seated lack of confidence and inferiority. In contrast to her sister's solitary style, she sought to gather collective strength...
"'Hellish Blizzard,' is it..." the bearded man murmured her hero alias.
"I will recruit him into the Fubuki Group." A smile played on Fubuki's refined face as she spoke her intentions plainly.
"Hellish Blizzard, the Association doesn't object to you forming hero teams, but we hope you'll be mindful of your methods," the bearded man reminded her steadily.
The Association had long since noticed Fubuki's efforts to build a team, but since she only recruited B-rank heroes—a tier of combat power that wasn't considered vital—and because this method helped consolidate B-rank forces... coupled with Fubuki's own strength... and her sister...
The Association had been turning a blind eye to her actions. This remained true even if the 'Hellish Blizzard' occasionally used somewhat excessive means when recruiting members for her group.
"I understand," Fubuki replied, crossing her arms before turning to leave.
"Is this really okay? Knowing her personality... if the recruitment doesn't go smoothly, there will be friction. This newcomer has so much potential; if something goes wrong because of this..." The man in glasses voiced his concern.
"She won't get him. This newcomer won't join the Fubuki Group," the bearded man asserted.
"Why do you say that?" the glasses man asked, confused. "Based on the test data alone, he shouldn't be able to stand against the entire group, right?"
"It's not a matter of strength." The bearded man pointed his finger at a line of text on the monitor. "Look at this."
"What is it...?" The glasses man leaned in curiously.
[Q: Why do you want to become a hero?]
[A: Because it seemed fun.]
"Well, that's..." Seeing such a refreshingly unconventional reason, the man in glasses was speechless.
At the same time, he began to understand what the bearded man meant.
Someone who became a hero just because they thought it would be 'fun' was clearly a person who followed their own whims...
And would such a person really submit to someone else's coercion and join an organization to be controlled?
He shared the same thought as the bearded man.
The answer was no.
...
"Hehehe, Lexon, you in? Lexon... I'm back for more food!"
At noon, Lexon's door was knocked on. From outside came Saitama's slightly sleazy-sounding voice.
"Your timing is perfect." Already used to this, Lexon opened the door and welcomed Saitama into his home.
"Whoa, that smells incredible..." Entering the room, Saitama couldn't help but take a deep breath of the divine aroma wafting from the kitchen, praising it.
In all his years, he had never tasted anything as delicious as the dishes cooked by his new neighbor and friend.
It was so delicious it didn't seem like it belonged in the mortal world... eating it felt like ascending to heaven...
That was Saitama's feeling.
It was also the ultimate validation of Lexon's culinary skills.
It was only natural, after all. Lexon hadn't spent his time in the world of Shokugeki no Soma for nothing.
The fact that Saitama hadn't suffered a Clothes Bursting event, started drooling uncontrollably, or lost his mind was only because Lexon had held back and gone easy on the 'medication.'
"Wait a bit longer, it's almost ready." Lexon then returned to the kitchen.
Saitama, waiting, showed no restraint despite being in someone else's house. He lay down on his side, grabbed the remote, and turned on the TV.
A few minutes later, Lexon brought the steaming hot food to the table and sat down to eat while watching TV with Saitama.
Neither of them ate slowly. Saitama, in particular, was like a starving ghost, frantically sweeping through the dishes on the table. It got to the point where Lexon had to eat quickly as well.
Otherwise, he'd really be left with nothing but scraps.
Fortunately, Saitama still had some bottom line. He wasn't like a certain unknown individual named Itachi Uchiha who would go all out and use his family's innate talents just to win a game.
Otherwise, Lexon would have inevitably had to reveal some of his own strength.
In front of Saitama, Lexon had never clearly demonstrated his power, nor had he ever stated it in words.
So, as far as Saitama knew, Lexon was still just an ordinary person.
Although, truth be told, he didn't really mind if Saitama found out...
By the way, over the past week of signing in, Lexon had already accumulated 30 minutes of Saitama's invincible strength.
And the thing he cared about most, the [Limiter], had also been successfully obtained.
The specific description was as follows:
[LIMITER: AN INDESCRIBABLE THING UNIQUE TO CERTAIN SPECIAL INDIVIDUALS IN THIS WORLD. THOSE WHO POSSESS A LIMITER CAN RELY ON THEIR WILLPOWER TO BREAK IT THROUGH 'ACTIONS THAT COMPLETELY SURPASS THEIR LIMITS,' THEREBY ACHIEVING AN INCOMPARABLY MASSIVE LEAP IN STRENGTH.]
The description was simple.
But Lexon understood perfectly that the process of breaking a limiter was anything but easy.
Saitama's method for breaking his limiter was 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a 10-kilometer run every single day.
For the current Lexon, this was incredibly simple. He could complete this training plan a hundred times over in seconds without even breaking a sweat.
But... when Saitama was implementing this method, he was just an ordinary salaryman.
For him, it was already an agonizingly difficult ordeal...
Thus, Saitama spent his days on the brink between his willpower collapsing and his physical limits, eventually completing the breakthrough of his limiter.
In other words, the method to break a limiter varied from person to person...
The key for anyone wishing to break their limiter was the repeated experience of being at that crossroads where willpower falters and limits are reached.
As for willpower, Lexon wasn't actually worried.
Not only had he signed in for Saitama's willpower, but he also had the willpower of all the people he had encountered and signed in for before...
Lexon didn't believe he was incapable of breaking the limiter.
It was just... his 'salted fish' side made him hesitant about whether to use such an exhausting method to trade for strength that he could easily obtain through signing in...
Before, he was full of desire to sign in for the limiter, but now that he had it, he felt a bit too lazy to actually break it.
He'd put it under consideration for now.
Maybe he could try it in a future limited world.
After tucking that thought away, Lexon pushed the limiter issue to the back of his mind.
After finishing their meal, they tidied up the dishes.
Saitama, having freeloaded the meal, proactively volunteered to do it.
If he didn't, his conscience would have a hard time.
Actually, the frugal Saitama had previously suggested contributing a bit of money for groceries, but Lexon had declined.
So now, he tried to do as many chores as possible to make up for it.
[EMERGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT! EMERGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT! A MONSTER HAS SUDDENLY APPEARED IN CITY A! THREAT LEVEL: DRAGON! ALL CITIZENS, PLEASE HEAD TO THE SHELTERS IMMEDIATELY! ALL CITIZENS, PLEASE HEAD TO THE SHELTERS IMMEDIATELY!]
Suddenly, the TV program was interrupted by an emergency news broadcast filled with red text.
Another monster, huh...
Lexon couldn't help but wonder.
I wonder which monster it is, and if it appeared in the original story...
Should I go take care of this Dragon-level monster...?
If I want to redeem Kaguya later... I need to be more proactive in increasing the completion rate of my side missions...
Without much hesitation, Lexon made his choice.
He'd go take care of it.
"Lexon, the dishes are done. Something's come up, so I have to go."
Saitama hurried out of the kitchen, said his goodbyes, and prepared to leave.
Clearly, he had also heard the news and was about to transform into the 'Caped Baldy' to save the masses.
Well, that's not quite right... since Saitama hadn't officially registered as a hero yet, he didn't have that ridiculous title. He should be called a 'Hero for Fun.'
Moreover, Saitama hadn't revealed his interest in hero work to Lexon yet, which was why he was taking his leave like this.
"Let's go together," Lexon said, standing up and speaking warmly to Saitama.
"Together?" Saitama paused, scratching his bald head in confusion.
"To be a hero, right?" Lexon smiled, his body slowly lifting off the ground as he continued, "Actually, I'm a hero too."
"You too?? And you can fly???" Saitama stared at the floating Lexon, a look of total shock on his face.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]