Hours passed, yet Saitama did not find a single clue about the preparator of that bomb. He was disappointed, but he didn't have much to do about it. The sun was high, it was already noon. His bald head shined as he walked, and some passersby stared at him with awe, he was already very popular, yet the man himself doesn't know it.
He helped people without much thought, he could care less about fame and fortune—actually, he could use a little fortune right now. He was a little low on cash, just a little. The things he could buy with an endless amount of money continued to amaze him.
'Maybe I should start charging money from the people I save?' He considered it. Although the idea seems appealing, it wasn't like him to suddenly demand money from the people he saves.
"Sigh, I'm going home."
Saitama managed to go home uneventfully. No encounters with monsters and the bomber that threw a bomb straight at him. The thought of his house exploding into rubble felt unpleasant. Because it was the only cheap apartment he could afford, besides, he already felt a certain kind of attachment to the apartment he calls home.
Lunch was quickly prepared and Saitama ate his food quietly. Quietness filled the room yet this strange atmosphere did not bother Saitama, he was already used to being alone, and he never had any legitimate friends before. Heck, his high school friends didn't even bother calling him once to catch up with each other.
The television was opened once more and Saitama browsed the channel for something to watch, it didn't take long for him to find something he like.
"On today's topic, we'll be announcing market sales and discounts for you to enjoy!"
Hearing the broadcaster's words quickly piqued Saitama's interest. Lately these days, he rarely finds stores that offer discounts or had sales. This was also the reason he's been feeling down for the past few weeks. Everything he bought felt expensive... Even though they were the normal prices.
Saitama watched the show eagerly as he patiently waited for them to announce the sales. As they announce it, he watched seriously and engraved all of it in his mind. "There's a sale today!" He practically yelled because of his excitement. Saitama went out with his favorite hoodie with 'boobs' printed over the front. He made sure to waste no time and left.
As he left his flat, the topic on the television changed. "Sales aside, we have received urgent news. A large number of mosquitoes have appeared in City-Z..."
...
Whoosh!
Something went past Saitama with extreme speed. He didn't seem to notice as he was too occupied by something else. 'The sale today said 30% off...' Something landed near him, this finally got his attention as he turned behind. All his anxiousness disappeared.
Behind, what he saw was a mummified body of a person... What was stranger was its clothes didn't look affected by the passage of time. 'Wait, how did it even get here?' He approached the body and looked at it. 'Meh, it's none of my business. But I should probably get this guy buried.'
He took out his flip phone and dialed something.
"Uhuh... Yeah."
"Sir, you do realize that City-Z has been alerted of a mosquito outbreak right?" The person on the phone said.
"Wait, what do you mean by that?" This seems to open something in Saitama's mind as he looked around the City. The usual bustling of people and opened stores were nowhere to be found.
"Oh, okay." He closed his phone and put it back in his pocket. Saitama scratched his cheek and realized something. This was bad... What about his sale!?
Boom!
A loud explosion happened in the distance, and rubbles and dust reached where he was standing. He looked at the direction of the explosion and decided to check it out. It was alarming for an explosion to happen inside a city, so he felt like he should at least check.
He arrived relatively quickly at the place and saw two silhouettes inside the smoke. As it cleared and visibility was much better, the two beings' appearance could be seen. One was a blonde robot of some kind and the other looked like a lady cosplaying as a mosquito.
Blonde Cyborg POV
The monster smiled wickedly as she pierced my left arm. It caused massive damage to me, but none that I can't handle. I quickly grabbed both her feet and violently ripped both of them apart. This enrages the mosquito monster as she flew to me with insane speed. I quickly back-stepped and avoided major damage.
"Do you know, even if the humans hide inside their houses, there's still plenty of wildlife around the city for me to harvest!" She said loudly with an ominous smile on her face. Realization struck me as I prepared my most powerful attack. 'I don't sense any lifeforms in a vicinity of 10 kilometers... Perfect.'
My body heated up as I prepared my attack, all focused on both my arms.
"Hey... Uh, what's up?" Someone's voice entered my ears I quickly turned around where I heard it. "Hey! Get out of here!" I said but was already too late as the monster launched her attack.
"Incinerate!"
Boom!
'Surely, this is enough to kill that vile being..!' My eyes widened as I saw the scene in front of me. The monster... Survived my attack! And there isn't even a single scratch on her body! The monster laughed, I sense... an imminent death.
'Wait! There was someone else!' I didn't have the chance to search for that man earlier as I heard the monster's crazy laugh.
"HAHAHAH! Behold! My unrivaled power!" She yelled crazily and sliced a three-story building apart. This strength... It seems I must risk my life to have a chance to win this fight. The monster launched herself with an even faster speed, I didn't have time to react as she punched me into the air and sliced me.
'Ah, I guess this is the end... but I must bring this monster down with me..! I'm sorry doctor... I have failed...' It seems to self-destruct is the only option, and if it means bringing down this vile creature with me. Even if it kills me...!
My core started heating up as I prepared to self-destruct, but then it happened.
Slap!
I... did not believe the sight in front of me. The man earlier—no! Master! I must get this man to be my master at all costs! He killed the monster I failed to defeat! With a single slap no less!
"Aha... Mosquitoes suck!"
...
Saitama, who was completely naked was about to walk away when the robot guy stopped him.
"Wait!"
"Huh?" He turned around and looked at the broken robot.
"If I may ask, what is your name?" The robot asked. It wasn't a weird question but Saitama still thought why would this guy ask for his name when they wouldn't even meet again? In any case, it wouldn't hurt for him to tell this guy his name.
"It's Saitama."
"Saitama! Can I be your disciple?"
"Sure—wait." Saitama stopped. He stared the guy dead in the eye and thought, 'Is this guy serious?'
...
The next day, Saitama checked the news and was immediately informed that the sales were canceled yesterday because of the mosquitoes. Thankfully, because of some fortunate circumstances, the mosquitoes disappeared suddenly. This news greatly surprised the media. Saitama was more than elated because he thought that he had missed the sales.
Now though, there was another problem. Sitting in front of him in his tiny apartment was the robot he saw yesterday. He didn't know what this guy's deal was but for some reason, he wants to be his disciple. For more than one reason, he could not accept his as a disciple. First of all, what was he even going to teach him?
'My strength regimen? I mean, it was all basic training but even if I teach him that, it wouldn't work. This guy is basically a walking machine... so normal training wouldn't work. Ugh, now I know what the teachers at my old school felt.'
After a hellish hour of the robot telling his past, he finally stopped and summarized it.
"Please, can I be your disciple?" The robot said seriously.
This time, Saitama thought about it and came to a conclusion.
"Hmm... Well, if you can complete one task that I give... I'll consider it." Saitama said, his usual expression gone and replaced with a more refined, serious look. "Thank you! Master, I shall proceed with this mission with utmost importance!"
"Don't call me Master."
"Sensei!"
"Ugh!"