Tatsumaki's mind drifted through old memories, barely registering the present. The weight of a hand around her wrist didn't even register at first.
Being single for twenty-plus years probably didn't help her situational awareness.
The silence stretched. Then her eyes snapped into focus, and she tried to yank her arm back.
It didn't budge.
"Hey!" Her gaze shot up to Jordan's face, voice spiking. "Are you a pervert? Let go of my hand!"
Jordan paused. Then a grin spread across his face, sharp and mischievous.
Before Tatsumaki could process what that expression meant, he moved. Both hands clamped onto her shoulders, restraining her, and he lifted her effortlessly off the ground.
"You—what are you—?!"
The proximity hit her like a freight train. Male hormones, body heat, the sudden closeness. Her face flushed scarlet. Her typically fluid body went rigid. For a single, disorienting moment, her mind went completely blank.
All she registered was Jordan's grip, the shrinking distance between them, the warmth of his breath.
Smoke practically billowed from her ears. Her eyes spiraled into swirls. She went limp in his arms, consciousness flickering out.
Headbutt Attack (Sakuragi Hanamichi Special).
Super effective.
Tatsumaki might look delicate, but her psychic-reinforced body had physical capabilities far beyond normal humans. Of course, that paled in comparison to someone like Jordan Evans, whose stats had been systematically optimized across every category.
Caught off-guard and subjected to sudden physical hypnosis, she'd dropped into a sleep as deep as a baby's.
"The temperamental green-haired menace is actually kind of cute like this," Jordan observed, adjusting her weight on his shoulder. He glanced at the coastline behind him, still scarred from their psychic clash, and sighed.
If this had happened in the city...
Well. The Hero Association had money to burn anyway.
With the completely unconscious Tatsumaki slung over his shoulder, Jordan activated Instant Teleportation.
Blue light flared. They vanished.
Two hours later, Hero Association Headquarters lobby.
Jordan stepped out of the elevator, spotting Bang immediately. The old martial artist sat on one of the lobby sofas, surrounded by three or four young women from the reception department who were serving him tea and snacks.
Bang's awareness flickered toward the elevator. He set down a piece of fruit, clapped his hands clean, and rose from the sofa. "Finally done, Jordan-san?"
Jordan nodded. "Some of my fans were on the photography crew for the hero portraits. Spent extra time signing autographs. After that, the Association had me film a few PSAs. Didn't expect it to run this late. Sorry for the wait."
"No need to apologize. I don't have anywhere urgent to be." Bang studied him head to toe, confirming all limbs were intact. His voice dropped. "As expected of you. You actually managed to suppress that terrifying psychic girl. Are you alright?"
Jordan flexed an arm, grinning. "What, that? Just a friendly sparring match between colleagues. We were very careful."
Bang's expression read profound skepticism. "I may be old, but I'm not senile."
Jordan smoothly changed topics. "Speaking of which, what happened to the other S-Class heroes?"
"Puri-Puri Prisoner got carted off in a prison transport. Atomic Samurai and Metal Bat went somewhere to fight. The others left after finishing their photo sessions." Bang counted them off on his fingers, then looked back at Jordan. "Oh, right. There's something I should mention. Before I joined the Hero Association, I had dealings with Atomic Samurai. Setting aside his samurai arrogance and belligerence, he's actually a decent person."
Jordan blinked. "Why the sudden character reference, old man?"
"Because before he left, that man asked me to pass along a message. He wants to visit you in Z-City when he has time." Bang sighed, clearly recalling Atomic Samurai's swaggering exit. He patted Jordan's arm. "For my sake, go easy on him when he shows up."
"For you? Of course I'll show restraint!"
Mid-laugh, Jordan's expression shifted. His hand dropped to Bang's shoulder. "It's already five in the afternoon. We should head back. Time to tell those two game addicts to get groceries and start dinner."
"Hey, why the sudden rush?" Bang watched blue psychic energy spread from Jordan's hand along his arm. "Wait, Jordan-san, I haven't said goodbye to that girl from reception yet..."
The old man's protest cut off as blue light consumed them both.
They vanished.
Headquarters Building, Sitch's Office.
Tatsumaki lay curled on her side on the large reception sofa. Her curved eyelashes trembled slightly. A thin line of drool hung from the corner of her mouth. Her chest rose and fell with the gentle rhythm of deep sleep.
While processing paperwork, Sitch glanced habitually toward the sofa. Seeing Tatsumaki still motionless, he allowed himself a small sigh of relief.
If only Miss Tornado could stay this well-behaved permanently.
He studied her peaceful sleeping face, mind drifting to what had transpired earlier.
The first S-Class meeting had exposed the superficial unity within the team. High-ranking officials like himself had identified the root problem: they'd failed to account for the independence of truly powerful individuals.
Discovering problems wasn't necessarily bad. Since the hero team couldn't function as a cohesive unit, they'd continue promoting independently. Perhaps arrange occasional interactions between S-Class heroes with compatible personalities. Let the fans' imaginations fill in the rest.
Flashback…
After Jordan and Tornado had departed, the psychic silence effect on Sitch had lifted. Even after recovering, he hadn't rested. He'd immediately arranged personnel to lead the remaining S-Class heroes through their assigned tasks.
Right now, he wanted nothing more than to send these legendary heroes back to their branch offices and let those teams handle the headaches.
Jordan's voice suddenly resonated in his mind.
"Sitch. Is it alright to call you that?"
"Lord Jor—Lord Jordan?!"
Startled, Sitch's head swiveled around his office, searching for the source.
"Don't be nervous. I'm communicating through psychic powers."
"Understood. I'm just... not accustomed to this yet..."
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