Having finally made it to the supermarket, our trio split up briefly. Each of us went looking for the things and products that, in their personal opinion, absolutely had to be at the celebration. Frankly, the cake we had ordered at the bakery and good company would have been more than enough for me — but both girls thought otherwise. In the end, we wandered the store for just over an hour and arrived at the checkout with a full cart of groceries. Along with a set of new dishes, cutlery, and other absolutely essential items for guests — the kind I naturally didn't have at home.
Fubuki, apparently wanting to make up for her less than warm reception of Mizuki, paid not only for her own purchases and mine, but for everything Mizuki had picked out as well. The redhead wasn't the type to take offense, but she didn't refuse either. Stepping outside, we began searching the parking lot for Hellish Blizzard's car, which she had left somewhere in the rush. Before we could find it, however, I sensed a familiar presence behind me.
Turning around, I was surprised to find Genos hurrying toward me from nearby. Fully restored and bearing no resemblance whatsoever to the chopped-up piece of metal he had been before.
"Oh!..."
"Another friend I'm only finding out about now?" — noticing where I was looking, Fubuki asked with studied neutrality. "A cyborg this time... what else are you hiding from me?"
"I told you, I'm not hiding anything." — waving off the completely unfounded accusations, I shook my head. "You just never showed any interest in my personal life. And besides, these complaints of yours... you're jealous, aren't you? Turns out I'm not alone as a girl in my circle. What a shock." — smirking and not giving the esper time to respond, I headed toward the cyborg. "What brings you here, Gennady?"
"My name is Genos." — not appreciating the joke, the guy calmly corrected me before stopping in front of me and giving a brief bow. "Master Garou, my apologies — when we met earlier today I didn't know it was your birthday. While my body was being repaired, I read about you on the internet and on the Hero Association's website."
"Thanks, but that doesn't explain how you found me here."
"I cross-referenced the facts. Your last known location, from the news about the monster attack. Today's celebration. Rumors about your relationship with hero Captain Mizuki. Her appearance alongside you during the incident. And the nearest large stores where you might have gone to shop."
"You know you're a stalker, right?" — I inquired matter-of-factly and, meeting an uncomprehending look, waved my hand with a smirk. "Alright, forget it. Thanks for the birthday wishes. Want to stay for the celebration?"
"I cannot impose on your precious time with my presence." — the guy gave a brief shake of his head.
"Precious is pushing it." — nodding back over my shoulder, I explained with a smile. "Those two have already conspired and decided they're going to spend the rest of the day cooking. I was politely asked not to get underfoot. So in a certain sense, I'm completely free for the next five hours or so."
"If they're causing you trouble, wouldn't the logical course be to get rid of them?" — my interlocutor appeared to ask this in complete seriousness.
"Hey, easy there, I'm just joking." — sighing, I was obliged to clarify the obvious. "You know, if you don't complain about life sometimes, it might seem like things are going a little too well for me..."
"Were you also joking about the free time?" — barely visibly frowning, the cyborg tilted his head to one side.
"No, that part was serious."
"Then I have a bold request, Master Garou." — clearly perking up, Genos stepped one small step closer to me. "I just had new combat prosthetics installed. Fighting you would let me understand whether I've actually grown stronger. Please — if you truly are free." — he bowed his head again.
And I, having weighed this prospect for roughly two seconds, agreed. Well, why not, really?
Returning to the girls — who had already found Fubuki's car — I informed them of exactly where I was going and, handing over the keys to my apartment so they could do whatever they had planned, headed to the outskirts of the city with Genos. A large sandy canyon was chosen as the venue for our sparring session. On one hand it offered plenty of room to move, and on the other, there was nobody and nothing there we'd need to worry about breaking. Descending into the lower ground, we went to opposite ends, and I waved a hand to signal I was ready.
"Thank you very much for agreeing to my bold request." — having taken something resembling a fighting stance, the cyborg called out from his end. "Please don't hold back, Master Garou. And don't be afraid to damage me — continue the fight for as long as I am capable of moving!"
In the next moment, his right arm shot forward — and then unfolded into numerous barrels and weapons, the muzzles of which literally sparked with energy and... unleashed a massive beam of flame in my direction.
However, as amusing as it may sound, size truly isn't everything. Despite all the apparent power and spectacle of such an "incineration," this attack carried several orders of magnitude less force than, say, Vaccine Man's energy spheres. And someone like Asura Kabuto would most certainly have been able to blow out that little flame simply by sneezing on it.
I, seeing no particular reason to show off and simply killing time, redirected the beam vertically upward without leaving my spot. And immediately stepped to the side to avoid a strike from a metal fist. Because Genos, clearly not relying solely on his firepower, had chased down his own attack and tried to hit me head-on. Easily dodging a couple of his lunges, I first redirected several of his strikes back into his face, and when the guy kept pressing forward — apparently not getting the hint — I grabbed his arm, threw him over myself, and slammed him into the ground, almost completely burying him in it.
"Are you sure I should be breaking you?" — I inquired as a precaution, watching my hapless opponent struggle to climb out of the hole his body had made.
"The rules of the duel remain unchanged!" — holding his ground, the cyborg got back into his stance and abruptly thrust both arms forward.
This time both his limbs unfolded, which by simple logic should have at least doubled his combat power. Moreover, his arms also merged with each other, creating something that had clearly been designed into his architecture from the start. So perhaps the next volley would be even more powerful?
With mild anticipation, I beckoned him toward me. And in the same instant, Genos charged his weapons with energy and fired a scorching beam — roughly four times wider and hotter than the last one...
For me, frankly, this changed very little. Spinning into a whirlwind above the ground using Void Fist technique, I countered Genos's shot with a single powerful strike, completely nullifying his attack and literally dispersing it into the air.
"I'd suggest whoever builds you consider focusing not on raw destructive power, but on concentrating that force into something more combat-applicable." — I commented with a smile, looking at the cyborg standing before me, steam already rising from his body. "And if after one attack like that you overheat and can no longer—"
"I can!!!"
A bright burst of flame erupted from both the guy's shoulders, launching his body forward. Flying past me as I dodged in time and rising into the air, Genos somersaulted and, using his shoulder thrusters again, hurled himself vertically downward to deliver a sweeping kick.
Only I was no longer on the ground — I was in the air right beside him. And before the cyborg had time to register this, I grabbed his leg and, spinning through the air, flung him away with everything I had.
Slamming into the canyon wall, my opponent didn't simply punch a hole through it — he flew completely through to the other side. At that point, we decided to end the sparring session.
Of course, with sufficient determination the cyborg could have continued — but it was obvious there was little point anymore. Having given his all, he hadn't landed a single attack on me, while I could have destroyed him at any moment of the fight with virtually any strike. We said our goodbyes and went our separate ways. For some reason best known to himself, Genos solemnly promised me that next time we met he would absolutely be much stronger...
Since I didn't have much to do and had no desire to train on my birthday, I decided to meet Suiko a little earlier than the scheduled time. We simply walked around the city together, then headed to my place, where two lovely ladies had been holding court all this time — and appeared to have hit it off quite quickly. The meeting with the newcomer went far better than I had feared. Suiko and Mizuki found common ground literally within the second minute of talking, while Fubuki — clearly not wanting to be left out — simply made sure to insert herself into everything. Well, why not, really.
Last of all, already closer to evening, my favorite old man came to visit. Grumbling at me for rarely attending classes at his dojo, Bang helped the ladies set the table, and before long we sat down to eat. Having emptied one plate each of truly excellently prepared food, we began the kind of conversation about nothing in particular that such occasions call for — which was interrupted roughly halfway through when Bang pulled several bottles from the bag he had brought.
"The finest sake on the planet!" — he explained proudly, in response to our interested looks. "You're allowed now." — he added, looking at me with a sly squint.
"Actually no, still need to wait a couple more years." — I shook my head with a smirk. "So you've been waiting for my birthday just so you could get drunk? Smells like alcoholism, Teacher."
"Are you having some or not?"
"Just pour already..."
When I next opened my eyes, the noise of cars passing back and forth was already audible outside the window. And judging by the bright light forcing its way even through the blinds, it had been daytime for quite a while.
Lifting my head, I realized I was lying on the floor with Fubuki and Mizuki in my arms. The peacefully snoozing Suiko was discovered in the far corner of the room, clutching a long-empty bottle in her hands. Bang was snoring on the apartment's only sofa... fragments of memory from the previous evening hinted that he had claimed that spot by force. A couple of fresh bruises on my body were clear proof of it... then, slowly, I began to remember the rest.
What had started as a fairly civilized drinking session had rapidly devolved into:
Fubuki's immodest dancing on the table.
A fight between Suiko and Bang, after the old man expressed doubt that the girl's abilities truly multiplied dramatically after consuming just one can of beer.
Mizuki's jokes — infuriating Hellish Blizzard to no end — about how I had assembled an entire harem for myself and how Fubuki herself was obviously nothing more than the second wife in it.
A joint late-night trip to the twenty-four-hour store, during which the city's alarm sirens inexplicably activated and a Dragon-level threat was announced.
And of course, the legendary battle of three martial arts masters over who got to sleep on the sofa. During which Suiko and I challenged Bang together — and were, apparently, utterly defeated.
"Always knew alcohol was evil." — surveying my completely destroyed apartment and already calculating how much the repairs would cost, I muttered to myself before struggling to my feet and heading to the refrigerator. "Well, at least it was fun..."