Chapter 35: Saitama-sensei, what do you want to do with the Stellaron?
「 "I get it! It's an invisible man!" Stelle had a flash of inspiration.
"..." Dan Heng sighed, shook his head, and said, "It's also possible I'm too sensitive. Anyway, let's rest early and save our energy for tomorrow's negotiations."
Everyone returned to their respective rooms to rest. After a day of hard work, everyone was very tired. Lying on the soft beds, everyone entered their dreams contentedly.
In the dream, a faint, murmuring female voice could be heard. This voice seemed to travel through endless time and distant space, gently echoing in this silent and mysterious realm.
"Cocolia... Cocolia..."
"Who are you? No—what are you?"
The suddenly appearing girl's voice was full of terror. Even in the pitch-black void, one could imagine the helpless and terrified expression on the girl's face.
"We are allies... allies who have accompanied and guarded the Guardians for generations."
"What... do you want?"
"To reshape... this dying world." The ethereal voice gradually became clear, each word carrying a decisive weight, "To help you... realize your [Wish]." 」
「 .....」
~One Punch Man World~
"Being able to grant wishes... this Stellaron is quite good."
Saitama picked up a steaming beef ball with his chopsticks and took a bite, feeling satisfied.
"Genos, if the Stellaron could help you grant a wish, what wish would you make?"
"Me?"
Genos, who was doing housework in the kitchen, was skillfully cutting a beef tendon sausage into small pieces, meticulously arranging them on a plate.
Hearing his teacher's question, Genos pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said,
"I would directly refuse, Saitama-sensei. Accepting such help without reason often leads to very troublesome results."
Genos thought of the Monster Cells that appeared not long ago when Dragon-level monsters appeared—it was said that eating them could greatly increase combat power, and even members of the Sword Saint Association couldn't resist the temptation and were completely transformed into monsters after consuming them.
This Stellaron that was tempting Cocolia seemed to be something similar.
"I don't believe there are free gifts in this world. As for wishes..."
Genos looked up at Saitama-sensei, who was eating heartily in front of the hot pot, his eyes filled with longing light:
"I hope that one day I can become as strong as Sensei. Other than that, I have no other wishes."
"...Besides, for something like getting stronger, I don't want to rely too much on others."
"Speaking of which, if the Stellaron appeared on Earth, would Sensei accept the Stellaron's help?"
Genos was very curious.
"Hmm... probably."
Saitama blew on the heat rising from the beef tendon sausage, thinking very seriously:
"The price of beef in the supermarket is rising sharply now. If I don't buy it when it's on sale on Saturday, it will be quite expensive. If the Stellaron can really help me... I would probably wish for the supermarket to have discounts seven days a week. That way, I can eat beef hot pot every day."
"Speaking of which, Genos... when is Dr. Kuseno coming again?"
Picking up the last piece of fatty beef roll on the plate, Saitama began to miss the wagyu beef that Dr. Kuseno brought when he visited last time—the beef he brought last time had clear marbling and was full of milky aroma, not the cheap stuff that could be easily bought in ordinary supermarkets.
"Hmm? Sensei, you're looking for the Doctor..."
As if enlightened, Genos swallowed the remaining half of his sentence, not saying it directly. He looked at the empty plates on the table and fell into silent thought.
...Saitama-sensei actually wants to see the Doctor?
C-could it be...! Sensei has noticed the flaws in his current body and wants to invite Dr. Kuseno to propose targeted modifications to make himself stronger.
No wonder Sensei hasn't commented on his recent hero activities. So he was secretly collecting opinions to give summarized feedback to the Doctor?
Genos suddenly understood.
Not only did his gaze towards Saitama become more respectful and admiring, but even the hand that was wiping the plates became more nimble.
—As expected! Following Saitama-sensei to train is the wisest thing!
"Don't worry, Sensei! I will contact Dr. Kuseno immediately and have him visit you tomorrow!"
—
「 Early in the morning, Stelle was woken up by March 7th's knocking. Stelle yawned and walked out of the room, finding that both of them looked unwell.
"A group of Silvermane Guards has arrived at the entrance of the hotel, but they don't seem friendly."
March 7th looked worried and said with lingering fear, "If they were here to welcome us, the atmosphere would be too solemn."
Dan Heng's gaze swept over the rows of guards in silver armor downstairs, and he sighed, "Let's go meet them first. Guessing here is useless anyway."
Downstairs, the Silvermane Guards had been waiting for a long time. When the three members of the Trailblazer team appeared, they glared fiercely and pointed their spears at them one by one: "You! Commander Bronya is waiting for you downstairs. Go see her quickly, don't try any tricks!"
"Are we... in big trouble?" March 7th already had a bad premonition.
Down the stairs was the gray-haired girl, Bronya, whom they had met briefly at the Goethe Hotel yesterday. At this moment, she was holding a spear, her expression serious, completely different from when they met at the Goethe Hotel yesterday.
"I am Bronya Rand, acting Commander of the Silvermane Guards. In the name of the noble Amber Lord, and by the order of the Supreme Guardian Cocolia Rand, I am here to apprehend the infiltrators who intend to incite rebellion."
Bronya said sternly, "Please abandon your futile resistance and come with me."
"W-wait a minute! This isn't what was agreed upon! She clearly said she wanted to invite us to discuss important matters..." March 7th tried hard to argue.
Dan Heng, however, had an expression of seeing it all before, and said calmly, "...This is a planned betrayal, without a doubt." 」
「 .....」
~Chainsaw Man World~
Denji absentmindedly shoveled the vegetables Power refused onto his own plate, munching on leafy greens while glued to the screen.
This betrayal drama... really made for good mealtime entertainment.
"That Dan Heng guy's taking this pretty calmly. He get stabbed in the back often or something?"
"How should I know? I didn't watch the earlier parts!"
Power huffed, then flashed her fangs.
"Though if it were me? Probably just slaughter them all. Betrayal's the worst."
She suddenly jabbed Denji's food-stuffed cheek.
"Hey Denji! What would YOU do in their place?"
Power poked Denji's cheek, which was bulging with food,
"Just remember—if you ever betray our Trailblazer buddies, I'll rip your guts out first!"
"Hmm..."
Denji stared intently at the perfect curve of Bronya's chest, which could be held in one hand, swallowed the greens in his mouth, and had a very serious expression on his face.
"If she's willing to let me grope her, betraying... might not be out of the question."
—