City A.
District 13.
The main thoroughfare.
Under the command of sirens, broadcasts, and heroes, a torrent of people surged toward the outskirts of the city with difficulty but speed.
Cries, shouts, and the roar of engines mingled together.
The air was thick with the scent of panic.
King stood on the edge of a tall building, overlooking the scene below.
At the strong request of the Association, he did not participate in the specific operations.
But his presence itself was like a stabilizing force, making the evacuation efficiency of the nearby area significantly higher than elsewhere—
Whether it was the public or the heroes, as long as they saw the figure of that strongest man, their panicked hearts would inexplicably settle.
"Whew..."
There was a slight sound of wind.
Saitama appeared beside King at some unknown moment, mimicking King by resting his hands on the railing and looking down.
His cape fluttered loudly in the wind.
His yellow jumpsuit reflected slightly in the dawn.
The two stood side by side, neither speaking first.
After a while.
"King."
Saitama suddenly spoke, his dead-fish eyes staring at the crowded streets below.
"What were you thinking just now when you ordered them to evacuate?"
King turned his head and gave him a strange look: "What do you mean, what was I thinking?"
"Hmm, how should I put it?"
Saitama scratched the back of his shiny bald head:
"You must have realized that a very strong Monster is about to appear, right?"
"But those people looked very defiant."
"If it were me, I'd probably say something like, 'A really strong guy is coming, so run if you don't want to die.'"
"There's a high probability they wouldn't listen to me."
"So I'd probably just run off and solve the trouble myself first."
"..."
"Saitama, why do you want to be a hero?"
King asked suddenly. His voice was very flat, as if asking about the weather.
Saitama was taken aback by the question, and a rare look of contemplation appeared on his blank face.
After a few seconds, he spoke slowly:
"Because I wanted to be one, so I became one."
"Hmm... at the very beginning, I think it was three years ago, I met a Crab Mysterious Being."
"It wanted to kill a little boy with a cleft chin."
"I didn't have a job then and was pretty free, so I tried to stop it."
"Later, I found that fighting Monsters was quite interesting."
"Just for fun?" King said.
"I guess so." Saitama nodded.
"When I see a Monster, I send it flying with one punch."
"When I see someone who needs help, I give them a hand. Being a hero is actually quite simple."
A very simple reason.
No lofty ideals of saving the world, no heavy oaths to uphold justice.
Simply because it was "interesting" and "convenient."
King was silent for a moment.
"Actually, it's good to keep it simple."
"But being a 'hero,' you sometimes encounter very 'heavy' things."
"Heavy?"
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