One Punch Man: Heroics Start with Dual Kamui

Chapter 130: Call Me Tatsumaki

"No, no, I already have a hero alias," Shinji declined right away.

There was no way he would shamelessly call himself the Cosmic Overlord.

In truth, it was far more fitting for Boros to keep the title, since the only man qualified to point at his nose and say, "You're seriously calling yourself the Cosmic Overlord?" was Saitama, who had already written him off as some space dentist.

Besides, the Hero Association was no stranger to such lofty titles. Blast was called the strongest hero, King the strongest man on the surface, and Tatsumaki the strongest esper and the Association's ace.

So the question was... which of those three was actually the strongest?

For that reason, nothing really stopped Boros from taking on the alias of Cosmic Overlord.

"That's right, Mr. Kamui's hero name is already set. Once decided, aliases are rarely changed," the executives chimed in.

The truth was, they were simply too lazy to think up a new alias for Boros. They also worried that if they picked the wrong name, they might anger him.

"Fine..." Boros had no choice but to accept it. And so, the hero name Cosmic Overlord officially appeared in the Association's registry.

....

Meanwhile, the Hero Association was close to making a final decision about Shinji's rank promotion.

"I propose raising Kamui to S-class rank 2. After all, he just dealt with a God-level disaster."

"I think it's more prudent to move him up to S-class rank 3 first. If we immediately place him above Tornado of Terror, it could upset her..."

"I agree. Since joining, Ms. Tatsumaki has maintained the highest mission attendance rate. Mr. Kamui may be powerful, but in terms of total contributions he still falls short of her."

"But a single God-level disaster is worth hundreds of Dragon-level ones. Isn't placing Mr. Kamui only at rank three a bit..."

When it came to Shinji's promotion, the executives remained split between two options. Either promote him to S-class rank 2 or to rank 3.

Promoting him to second rank risked offending Tatsumaki. Keeping him at third rank might upset Shinji. Both were top heroes whom the Association valued highly, which is exactly why the argument was so intense.

But one thing was clear: Blast's position was unique.

Not a single executive suggested promoting Shinji to rank 1. Even Tatsumaki, with her overwhelming attendance record and unmatched popularity, had always been stuck at rank 2.

Blast, on the other hand, had hardly ever shown his face and likely hadn't even taken a mission since joining, yet his place at the very top remained untouchable. Clearly, there was some hidden reason behind it.

"At this rate, we won't even have a decision before the end of the day!" Sitch, already fed up with these unreliable colleagues, finally snapped.

The discussion about Shinji's promotion had started the very day after the Dark Matter Thieves incident ended. Yet every time, the executives acted as if they were just killing time until clock-out. Days had passed and still no decision.

"Enough. Let's just call in Mr. Kamui and Miss Tornado, and let their opinions decide the outcome!"

Sitch slammed the table. "There's still more than fifty minutes until the end of the workday, so don't even think about slipping out early."

With that, he turned to the corner of the room and picked up the phone to call Shinji and Tatsumaki.

"Hello?"

"This is Sitch from the Hero Association. Mr. Kamui, are you available right now? We have something very important to discuss with you and Miss Tornado. If you could spare some time to come over, it would be appreciated."

"...I'm free now. I'll be there shortly."

After receiving Shinji's reply, Sitch hung up and immediately dialed Tatsumaki.

"Another monster appeared?"

"No, Miss Tornado, this is Sitch. There's an important matter we need to discuss with you at headquarters."

"What matter? I'm very busy."

Sitch sighed. "It concerns your ranking and Kamui's. We've been unable to reach a decision, so we need to hear your opinions."

"Kamui... I see. I'll come over later."

As soon as Tatsumaki hung up, Sitch found himself a little surprised by how smoothly that had gone. He had worried she wouldn't be so easy to summon.

.....

At the same time, Shinji and Tatsumaki arrived one after the other at Hero Association headquarters.

Shinji teleported in directly with Flying Thunder God. Just as he appeared at the reception desk, Tatsumaki floated in through the entrance.

"Shinji, so you came too." Tatsumaki immediately called out.

Shinji wasn't surprised, since he already knew she would be summoned as well.

"Tatsumaki, the Tornado of Terror..." Shinji used her hero alias to show respect. "You were called here by Sitch, too, right? He said there's something important he needs to discuss with us."

"You don't know? It's about our rankings." Tatsumaki crossed her arms, floating a few inches off the ground as she drifted closer. "And another thing... don't call me that."

"Why not? Isn't addressing each other by hero names the most basic form of respect?" Shinji asked, puzzled.

"Annoying! It just irritates me when you call me that, alright? Hmph." Tatsumaki gave a sharp huff and turned her face away, refusing to explain further.

"Alright then..." Shinji sighed helplessly. "How about... Miss Tatsumaki?"

Though she carried herself like a spoiled child, Shinji respected her work ethic and dedication. Her mission record spoke for itself.

"Just call me Tatsumaki. Or Miss Tatsumaki, if you insist," she replied.

"Got it." Shinji smiled faintly.

Was she trying to get on friendly terms with him? But deep down, he thought... wasn't she supposed to dislike him?

Heh, women.