Fubuki had just returned home.
"Took you long enough."
Tatsumaki, with her green curly hair and black slit gown, floated before her with arms crossed.
Fubuki looked surprised. "Why are you back today?"
"Hmph~ This is my house too. Why shouldn’t I come back?" Tatsumaki snorted softly and glanced at her sister. "I saw the news today. You did okay. But next time, leave dangerous stuff to the higher-ranked heroes. Just stick to your little ’B-Class fan club.’"
With that, Tatsumaki floated off, not bothering to wait for a reply. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ n0velfire.net
Fubuki looked down slightly, clenching her fists quietly.
Inside an upscale café in Z City.
Fubuki sat alone by the window, dressed in a green evening dress draped with a white fur coat, slowly sipping her coffee.
"You needed something from me?"
Ron had taken the seat across from her.
"It’s nothing urgent. Just..."
She slid a piece of paper across the table.
"The location of Silver Fang Bang’s dojo, huh..."
He looked up at her with a smile. "You got this pretty fast."
"You asked me to look into it... What are you planning to do?" Fubuki asked curiously.
"Nothing serious. Just planning to pay a visit."
On the steep mountain steps leading to Bang’s dojo.
Two figures steadily climbed.
"Huff... Huff... Are we there yet?"
"We’re only halfway up."
"Huff... Why would anyone build a dojo this high up?!"
"Well, he is a martial artist. This kind of terrain is probably child’s play to him. And you’re a psychic. You’re really this tired already?"
"S-Shut up! Psychics don’t have superhuman stamina, alright?!"
Ron turned to glance at Fubuki, who was already short of breath, and sighed. "Why are you even tagging along? Aren’t you a hero and the leader of the Blizzard Group? Don’t you have better things to do?"
Fubuki flushed slightly, irritated. "What do you take heroes for?! We don’t work 24/7! As long as we fulfill our duties, we’re allowed to take breaks too! The Blizzard Group just happens to be off today, so I decided to come with you. That’s all!"
"Okay, okay. But you can fly, right? Being a psychic and all?"
"I could, but it’s still a bit too high."
Fubuki turned her head away, clearly embarrassed.
Ron looked at her, expression blank.
"You’re like my sister, huh? Think I’m weak too? I guess I can’t blame you."
Something in Ron’s gaze must’ve triggered something inside her. Fubuki stopped walking and sat down on the stone steps. Her eyes drifted toward the distance as she spoke softly.
"My sister is different from me... She’s ranked second among the S-Class heroes. The strongest esper—Terrible Tornado. Compared to her, my psychic abilities are nowhere close. No... I’ve never been able to beat her in anything, ever since we were kids."
"Huh? Where’s this coming from all of a sudden?"
Ron watched her, puzzled.
"Since I was little... With a sister like that, I never once got to be first in anything. Not once in my entire life.
Becoming the top of the B-Class heroes... That was the first time I ever got to be number one. And I want to hold onto that. I want to lead all the B-Class heroes... and surpass my sister, who insists on fighting alone."
She hugged her knees, speaking in a voice that was barely louder than a whisper.
To Ron—a guy she had only met once before—Fubuki had begun to pour out the insecurities she kept buried deep in her heart.
The mountain wind stirred her short black hair, making her look lonelier, more fragile.
Though she ruled over her "Black Army" with the grace of a queen, her heart was quietly drowning in self-doubt. Sheltered too well by Tatsumaki, her light had always been swallowed by the overwhelming shadow of her sister.
Ron stared at her for a while, then stroked his chin.
"Tatsumaki is ranked second in S-Class. If you want to surpass her, you’d need to aim for first in S-Class... No matter how many B-Class heroes you gather, that’s not gonna cut it."
"I know... Of course, I know that better than anyone! No matter how many B-Class heroes I rally, we could never defeat someone like her—a monster in human skin. But... this is the only way I know. The only thing I can do to even try..."
Her voice grew fainter and fainter, until it was barely audible.
"Then how about widening your field of view a little?"
She blinked in surprise and looked at him.
Ron smiled down at her and said, "I’m saying... don’t just limit yourself to the B-Class. Why not rope in some A-Class and S-Class heroes while you’re at it?"
Fubuki stared at him, stunned.
"A-Class and S-Class...? That’s impossible! I’m just B-Class..."
"Nothing’s impossible."
"The top B-Class hero rallies a band of elite warriors and overtakes the second strongest hero in the S-Class to become number one... Sounds kinda interesting, doesn’t it? I’ll help you."
Fubuki looked at him, dazed.
This guy... what is he even talking about?
Is something like that... even possible?