Chapter 19: Debut: King!
A-City Train Station.
"I hope this promotional event isn't such a scam this time!?"
king stepped out of the train station and immediately spotted two Mikes standing by a Mercedes-Benz. He strode over.
"King, please."
A staff member opened the car door and invited king to get in with a low voice.
"Can you tell me the specific details of the event?"
Even though he had been tricked once before, king still chose to come and participate in the hero promotional event. It was for no other reason than to do what little he could, to be worthy of his current fame and status.
The staff member replied respectfully, "Mr. King, hello. My name is Mike. I'm responsible for assisting you with the hero promotional event. According to the Hero Association's arrangements, you are scheduled to be on duty at the Sunflower Kindergarten in A-City today. You will tell the children about your heroic deeds and foster their sense of justice. We often say that children represent the hope for the future, so we believe that heroism should be nurtured from a young age, cultivating in them the correct outlook on life, values, and the world. This way, when they grow up, they can inherit our heroes' sense of justice and mission."
"..."
king complained internally: *What a boilerplate answer.*
...
Sunflower Kindergarten.
*Screech!*
The car stopped. Mike led king into the kindergarten... to the security post!?
Huh?
king looked at the bright red words "Security Post" above the small building, his expression freezing. He raised an eyebrow, his face turning cold as he shot a sideways glance at the staff member. "Are you... serious?"
*Holy crap, they said I'd be on duty at a kindergarten, and it turns out they meant as a security guard!*
"Of course, we're serious. These are the Hero Association's arrangements."
"Are you sure you didn't make a mistake?"
"Absolutely not. Before I left, Director Sitch gave me repeated instructions. I've already memorized them, so there's no mistake."
This was too much. A few days ago, the Hero Association had tricked him into shooting commercials for spicy strips and underwear. He was already furious and had warned the big-nosed Sitch not to pull any more stunts.
He never expected them to go even further this time, directly sending him to a kindergarten to be a security guard?
*Hero Association, you're playing with fire!*
Hmph, this is intolerable!
He clenched his fist and turned to leave. He had to go to the Hero Association Headquarters and settle the score with Sitch!
Mike said, "Mr. King, where are you going? I've already finished registering. We can go in now."
"Huh? Regi... Registering?"
king froze. *Damn it, aren't they making me a security guard? Huh, wait, he never actually said I was going to be a guard. I was just being too sensitive.* Sweat trickled down his back. After being tricked by the Hero Association once, he'd lost most of his trust in them, always assuming the worst about their intentions.
Mike explained, "Mr. King, this kindergarten has very strict screening procedures for everyone entering and exiting. Any unfamiliar visitor is required to present their ID for scanning and verification. After passing, they must be registered, and finally, they are checked for any dangerous items. Of course, we called ahead, so we only need to register, skipping the other steps. Before I left Headquarters, Director Sitch specifically instructed me to follow the school's procedures and not to throw our weight around."
"Sitch has a point. We absolutely cannot be the kind of people who throw their weight around."
*To think that big-nosed Sitch could be so reasonable.*
"By the way, with such strict school rules, what's the public opinion on this? Do people criticize them for making a mountain out of a molehill?"
A normal school would at most ask you to sign in. How could it compare to this kindergarten with its ID scans, body searches, and so on? The whole process was enough to make one's head spin. Could there be more to this kindergarten than meets the eye?
"No, no, it's not an overreaction at all," the staff member explained. "Many of the children at this kindergarten are descendants of the Hero Association Headquarters' board of directors. There are over a dozen fully armed guards deployed in the surrounding area."
The directors of the Hero Association were almost all financial backers of the organization. Money is power, so this group of directors were also the most powerful people in the Hero Association.
"I see. So it's a kindergarten for raising the descendants of the Hero Association's directors," king realized. "I get it now. Sitch wants to instill the concept of heroes into these kids. In the future, these children will become the Hero Association's most loyal supporters. Heh, that big-nosed guy's methods are quite clever."
...
"The five of us are... the Beast Battle Team!"
"ZOO-MEN!"
king followed the staff member into the kindergarten's assembly hall. The hall was dimly lit, and on the large screen at the front, the famous hero team TV series—"ZOO-MEN"—was playing.
In their seats, the children were watching the TV with rapt attention. As expected, whether on Earth or in the One-Punch Man world, cartoons were the most captivating thing for kids.
"Lord King, after the children finish watching the cartoon, we will arrange for you to go on stage and recount some of your heroic deeds to promote the hero's sense of justice and responsibility."
"Understood."
king's arrival didn't attract anyone's attention. Even the teachers didn't come over to ask anything. It seemed the Hero Association had secretly arranged for him to give a speech as a surprise gift for the children.
"Heroic deeds, huh?"
He muttered to himself, his mind immediately conjuring up the superhero movies he had watched in his previous life. If he had to tell hero stories, those spectacular superhero films were undoubtedly the best source material.
What? The Hero Association wants him to talk about his *own* heroic deeds? Uhm... does King... even have any heroic deeds?
He carefully recalled the plots of various major superhero movies, like the heroic deeds of strength-based superheroes such as "Superman" and "The Hulk."
"My name is king. I come from the planet Krypton in outer space. My parents died when I was young, and I was brought to the Supercontinent (the name of the One-Punch Man world) by a Spaceship. I was different from ordinary people since childhood. While other little brats were still playing house, I was already playing *with* the house—lifting it up and swinging it around..."
Heh heh, that has a nice ring to it.
"BOOM!"
Just as king was secretly organizing his thoughts and composing his speech, a sudden explosion sounded from outside.
He frowned. "What's going on?"
*CRASH!*
The words had barely left his mouth when the front doors of the assembly hall were violently thrown open, and a group of masked thugs armed with submachine guns stormed in.
"Nobody move! We're only here for money, not to kill. But if you dare try anything funny, hmph, we'll kill you and won't even bother to bury you."
A harsh shout immediately followed.
"Ah!?"
"Wuwu, Mommy."
"Daddy, come save me."
In an instant, the teachers and children in the assembly hall panicked and were herded into a corner by the thugs.
"Are you lot the teachers? You'd better fucking calm down these brats of the trash, or don't blame me for killing all of you."
"Okay, okay! Children, stop crying. It'll be alright in a moment, it'll be alright... wuwu." The teacher comforted the children, but ended up crying herself as she spoke.
"A hero! A hero, come save us!"
The children cried out the purest words from their hearts.
"A hero? Heh, are you talking about that trash from the Hero Association? Haha! If they dare to show up, I'll take them down one by one with my gun. A few shots, bang bang, and I'll wipe them all out," the apparent leader, a mushroom-masked thug, laughed heartily.
*Thump-thump... thump-thump... thump-thump...*
A strange sound inexplicably rose within the assembly hall. It echoed continuously in the narrow space, gradually merging into a continuous beat. It was as if someone was beating a drum with all their might, the sound powerful, forceful, and extremely piercing.
"What's that sound?"
The dozen or so thugs looked around suspiciously, searching for the source of the sound.
*Damn it, the fear and anger made my heart beat faster, triggering the "Emperor Engine" again! Oh no, they're going to find out! I'm dead! I'm dead! I'm dead!*
king entered a peculiar state of mind, one inherited from King. That is, when in front of others, even if he was scared to death inside, his face could remain as expressionless as ever.
This state of mind is also known as "remaining calm even if Mount Tai collapses before you"!
Oh, or it could be called "scared stiff."
"Holy crap, is King's luck stat maxed out, or is his bad luck stat maxed out? Every time he goes out, he either runs into a Monster or thugs. Are you kidding me!?"
king watched as the thugs' gazes gradually converged on him, and his heart pounded even faster.
(end of chapter)