Chapter 39: Chapter 039 - Breathe In
As we walk towards my apartment, I can feel my anger slowly dissipating. I take a deep breath and try to calm myself down. Saitama notices and breaks the silence.
"You know, Fubuki, hitting harder isn't the only way to become stronger," he says.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you have psychic powers, right? Why don't you try to improve that instead?"
I tilt my head, intrigued. "How can I do that?"
"I don't know... Maybe focus on strength?"
"That's the same!"
He mulls it over and then asks, "How about focusing on control?"
I roll my eyes at his suggestion. Maybe this is a wrong decision, after all. As we approach our inn, however, I feel a sudden gust of wind that rushes past me.
"What the—" I start to say, but then I see them. A group of thugs, all dressed in black, rushing towards us with weapons in hand.
Without skipping a beat, I raise my arms and unleash a blast of psychic energy, knocking the first two thugs off their feet. But there are more of them, and they're closing in fast. As they draw nearer, Madame Aoi appears.
"Hey little thugs, I don't need you here," she says. She raises her arms and smoke comes out from the roof, spreading across the area where the thugs are.
She turns towards us and adds, "I advise the two of you to come inside."
Saitama and I follow Madame Aoi into the building, leading us to our room.
"We prepared some food for the two of you."
"About those thugs..." I start, but she cut me off with a raise of her hand.
"Don't worry about those. We can handle them."
After bowing at us, she closes the door and leaves. I look around our room. It's been cleaned. There is an incense on the bedside table and there really is our dinner in the middle of the room.
I move towards it and start to eat. As I take a bite of the food, I've forgotten that there are thugs outside. This place is relaxing. I glance at Saitama, who is casually munching on his food.
"Should we really not help?" I ask.
"Let them be," he says, shrugging. "Let's just enjoy the food and sleep."
I nod in agreement and continue to eat. The meal is delicious, and I find myself feeling more relaxed as I continue to eat. Maybe I should forget about the day's events as well. Besides, even Madame Aoi is calm in the face of adversity.
After finishing my meal, I glance at Saitama. Somehow, I want to get closer to him.
"Saitama..."
I crawl towards him, and suddenly, I slip, hitting my face on the floor. He looks at me. "What are you doing, Fubuki?"
I blush in embarrassment. I hit my head on the floor and make an audible groan.
He moves towards me and takes a peek. "Heeya, what's wrong with you again?" he asks.
I gaze at him. "Saitama," I say, my voice low and sultry. "I lied," I start. "I don't hate you."
He winces. "Okay..." He is about to stand up when I catch hold of his arm.
"Stay with me tonight," I whisper.
"We are in the same room," he says.
Then there it is. I feel a sudden pang of desire for him. Without a second thought, I lean in to kiss him, but he covers my mouth just in time.
"Now, you are just acting plain weird," he says, pulling away from my face.
"Let me kiss you," I say as I wrap my arms around his neck.
Saitama pushes my face away, but I grab onto his shirt, not wanting to let him go.
"Fubuki, what's gotten into you?" he asks, his voice tinged with concern. Or is it just my imagination?
"I don't know," I admit. "I think... I think I just need someone tonight."
"Someone?" he repeats, still looking confused.
I nod, my cheeks burning. "You... you're the only one here," I mumble.
This time, he looks around and then his eyes settle on the incense on top of the bedside table. He stands up and grabs the incense. Afterward, he walks to the window, dragging me along with him. He opens the window and throws the incense through it. The cold night air comes in and with it comes the clarity of mind.
"You thinking clearly now?" he asks.
I blink my eyes at him. I glance at the way I am clinging onto him and realize how absurd my behavior is.
I move away hurriedly and hit the bed with the back of my knees. I squeal and fall over on the soft mattress. Realizing my clumsiness, I sit up and look up at him.
"I'm—" I stop myself. He is gazing at me with an unreadable expression on his face. "—sorry," I whisper, my heart pounding hard in my chest.
When he realizes that I am looking at him, he turns his attention to the window. "It's okay," he murmurs. His eyes are no longer on mine. "Go to sleep," he adds.
I watch him for a moment longer. Is it—Is he... I turn beet-red at the thought. So, I turn away from him and slip under the covers.
It cannot be! My mind screams.
The next thing I know, it is already morning and I wake up with the sun peeking through the window. I sit up and rub my eyes, momentarily forgetting about last night's events.
I get out of bed and head to the bathroom to freshen up. As I wash my face, I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I stop, staring at my reflection.
Hmmm, I am still very beautiful. I remove my clothes and turn towards the shower, only to stop after noticing that Saitama has just finished his shower and is looking over at my nakedness.
I feel a flush creep up my neck and onto my cheeks. I reach for my towel and begin to wrap it around myself. "What the hell are you doing here?!"
He swallows. "I—"
"Nevermind, you pervert!"
"But you're the one who—"
"I said never mind, pervert!" I scream at him. Then I go out of the bathroom, banging the door on his face.
I go to my bed and lie down. I cover my face with the pillow and squeal, muffling my voice. After a while, I get up. My cheeks are still hot. I look in the mirror and try to calm down.
"Breathe, Fubuki," I whisper to myself. "Breathe."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone