Chapter 024 - Green Monster

I am in a terrible mood. I continue to glare at Saitama who is running around for our groceries. He refuses to look at me and so, I place my arms across my chest and start tapping my feet. It is all out of exasperation.

After a few minutes, he finally turns to me and asks, "Are you exhausted? Do you want to return home early?"

"No!" I scream at him. I am angry because he didn't feel the need to kiss me! I groan again, frustrated at my own thoughts.

"You are being difficult again, Fubuki," he complains.

"And whose fault is that?!"

He looks confused at me. "Ahm, am I supposed to know?" he asks and turns his back on me again.

My anger flares up. The wind gathers around my feet and he jerks, sensing my psychic around us. "What?" he asks. "I will pay for half the eggs this time," he defends.

He is completely missing the point!

"Miss Blizzard."

"What?!" I snap. I sharply turn towards the voice and see Zombieman—the last person I want to see this time. I groan and try to modulate my voice. "Zo-Zombieman?"

"I will be on another mission. I need someone to work as bait."

"Bait?!" I snap again. Realizing that this is an S-class, I lower my voice. "Why not go to the other A-class heroes?"

First of all, this guy works alone. Secondly, who in their right mind would agree to be bait?! But this is an S-class…

"It will be up your alley," he informs. "There will be great honor and recognition once this mission is over."

It is a tempting offer. Honor and recognition, huh? I think that will be nice. "Since when did you care about recognition?"

"I don't. I just care about honor. However, I think reputation is important to you."

He's right. I glance at Saitama. The stupid man is busy comparing the size of eggs against their prices.

As if sensing my eyes on him, he asks with two different-sized eggs in his hands. "Hey, Fubuki, which do you think is more affordable?"

"I will be off for a while," I respond, without answering his question. I point at Zombieman and add, "Some mission for the Hero Association."

"What?!" he shifts his attention from us and then to the eggs. Finally, coming up with a decision, he returns the eggs to their tray. "I will come with you."

"I only need a bait," Zombieman says.

"Fubuki needs to buy the eggs with me," he complains. "Especially when it's way past the schedule of the sale."

I roll my eyes at him. And then, to Zombieman, I ask, "Can we bring him with us?"

"Two B-class heroes…" he mutters. Just when I thought he will agree, he says, "No. One is enough."

"W-what?" Saitama blurts out. "How about my eggs?!"

Zombieman takes a few hundred yen and places it on Saitama's hand. "For the eggs and the trouble."

My nose scrunches, especially at the way Saitama's face lights up. The insufferable man! Earlier it was the sale, now I am replaced with eggs?!

Frustrated, I call Zombieman. "What are you waiting for?! Let's leave!"

Zombieman runs after me before saying, "We can use the Association's chopper. The mission is a bit far from here."

"Wherever it is, I will go!" I blurt out.

*****************

When Zombieman said it's far, I didn't know that he meant a dirty, muddy swamp! We are on a chopper and we are looking down on a swamp of green and brown monsters. They are growling and grunting as they relax on the murky water. It's disgusting. How can I even climb down the chopper and fight?

"Make each of the monsters hover so I can defeat them," Zombieman orders.

I grimace. Hover? If these monsters are heavy, that would be hard. And so, straining against my psychic, I pick up one slimy monster out of the dirty water and let it hover close to our chopper.

I almost gag in disgust. The three meters in width monster has no feet! Just bulbous little tubers that are slithering in the air! It's green and has big tummies. Worse, it's even more slimy than I initially thought!

Zombieman jumps from the chopper and into the head of the green, slimy monster. But when he tries to kill it, he slips through the monster and almost falls into the murky water. Without a choice, I make him hover and place him back on top of the monster.

After his multiple attempts, I finally understand why I am called. This cannot be killed by brute force alone. Zombieman needs my psychic ability to kill it unless he wants to be drenched by that stomach-turning water below us.

"You should have asked for my sister," I say.

"She's been very busy the few weeks, so we allowed her to relax."

I scowl. My sister doesn't know what rest is. She will just be bored out of her wits. Instead of voicing that out, I focus my attention on the monster. I envelop Zombieman into a vortex of wind and move him back to the chopper.

Then, I envelop the same hovering monster with my wind. I try to crumple it inside my vortex of wind, just like what I did with the snake monster earlier. However, my tornado is not as powerful. And the more I force it, the more its soft green, brownish flesh moves, causing me to almost gag a couple of times in disgust.

"Is that all?" Zombieman asks. He is standing beside me as he watches the monster within my vortex of wind. He can't do anything about it and yet, he has the gall to complain!

"There are still other monsters to destroy," he adds and points at the swamp. There are still a dozen of this green monster.

"If only you are useful!" I snap at him.

Realizing that I am talking to an S-class, I feel my heart beating faster in fear. Without meaning to, my psychic increases, and then the tornado inside my vortex of air becomes violent. It takes less than a minute before the first monster is crumpled up like a piece of paper meant for the trash can.

"Finally," Zombieman comments.

Then, all the monsters below us move. I wince at the view. From sluggishness, the monsters' eyes open and look up at us–At me on the chopper, at Zombieman who is standing next to me, and at the other Association employees who take care of piloting the chopper.

I shiver in disgust, especially when the mouths on their bellies open wide. And then, all the monsters howl. I grab the nearest foot of the chair as the chopper shakes. The shockwave is powerful that we spiral and are pushed back from the swamp.

When the pilot is finally able to gain control, Zombieman orders, "You better finish this."

"I am just supposed to be bait!" I scream at him.

Yet, I find myself increasing the output of my psychic abilities. I began to not care about my limit. What I only care about is how nasty and repugnant the monsters are, and I don't want any of that green fluid from touching my skin or clothes!