"Ahhh, ahhh—!"
Tatsumaki let out a shriek, and a terrifying light of Psychokinesis, like a mountain collapse and a tsunami, erupted around her body. Her green curly hair stood on end without any wind!
The entire sky seemed to turn into a surging green tide, overwhelming everything, due to her fury!
"Even so... so what!"
Tatsumaki suddenly raised her finger, and her invisible Psychokinesis transformed into a giant green hand that covered the sky and slammed down fiercely towards Han Sen!
Although she didn't intend to kill him, she just wanted to swat this annoying guy away like a fly, to let him know who the strongest esper was!
But only those who experienced it firsthand knew how miserable the outcome would be if they were hit by Tatsumaki's casual, full-power strike!
However, that massive psychic hand, powerful enough to shatter mountains, suddenly stopped half a meter from Han Sen, unable to advance an inch!
"What...? !"
Tatsumaki was startled, her powerful, simplified drawing style even switched back to that of a cool and beautiful swimsuit girl. Her pretty emerald green eyes widened in surprise.
She knew that her casual attack might not be able to do anything to Han Sen, so she hadn't held back much in that strike.
And upon realizing something was wrong, she subconsciously increased her esper output, but the result was unexpected: the surging Psychokinesis attack couldn't advance another inch!
Han Sen, in Tatsumaki's eyes, wore that damned smile, and not even a corner of his clothes moved.
—So annoying... but something's wrong!
Without any visible movement from him, the latent Imagination Power erupted, and the light blue Psychokinesis barrier around his body suddenly vibrated.
Buzz—!
In Tatsumaki's perception, an esper wave, completely different from her own yet containing Psychokinesis characteristics, spread out.
Her own Psychokinesis, at the moment the esper wavelengths synchronized, dissipated due to mutual cancellation, vanishing without a trace in an instant.
—My esper ability... was neutralized?
"H-how... how is that possible?!"
Tatsumaki's small mouth was slightly agape. As a top esper, she was naturally proficient in various advanced esper techniques.
But having never encountered an opponent of the same caliber, she rarely encountered situations in actual combat that required the application of techniques.
Usually, just crushing them was enough.
And for Han Sen to be able to neutralize and dismantle her casual esper ability, that was enough to be horrifying!
—Last time we met, he didn't have this level of esper ability! What on earth is going on with this guy's growth rate?!
Just as Tatsumaki was shocked, she heard Han Sen speak with a smile: "It's not like we have a deep grudge. Don't try to kill me every time we meet. Speaking of which..."
"Do the Hero Association's hero uniforms update so quickly?"
"W-what?"
Tatsumaki's anger and shock were interrupted, and she subconsciously asked.
Han Sen's gaze swept over her, his clear eyes filled with pure admiration.
"The new uniform looks great! It's so cool, it immediately makes me think of the beach in midsummer. It suits you very well!"
Tatsumaki: ???
—Don't change the subject so stiffly!
She roared frantically in her heart, wishing she could directly seal this guy's mouth with Psychokinesis.
However, when her eyes met Han Sen's unwavering gaze, her heart inexplicably skipped a beat.
—He... what did he just say?
—He said my... uniform... looks good?
In twenty-seven years, no one had ever looked at her with such eyes, let alone praised her appearance.
Those who feared her power would only whisper behind her back, calling her a monster.
And those executives or colleagues from the Hero Association either treated her as a final weapon or kept their distance.
Even her closest younger sister, Fubuki, had a grudge against her due to the huge difference in strength and kept her distance.
Tatsumaki's life had always been solitary.
—Why... am I not angry anymore?
—I was so furious just now, damn it, this strange feeling...?
—But he said I look good...
—Could it be... he likes me?
This thought was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples in Tatsumaki's heart.
It made her delicate little face flush instantly, even her earlobes turning a cute pink.
However, admitting happiness was impossible, never in this lifetime!
"It's not a uniform at all, I just found a swimsuit I didn't have time to wear before... Hmph!"
The tsundere girl awkwardly turned her head to the side, trying to avoid Han Sen's gaze from her reddened cheeks, her hands unnaturally clasped behind her back, humming in a voice as soft as a mosquito: "Even... even if you say nice things, it's no use, don't think you can get away with it...!"
"But it really does look good! Suki (I like it)."
Han Sen at this moment exemplified what it meant to be bold when skilled. He actually dared to lean in closer, and with a magnetic voice and almost a whisper, he softly spoke into her ear.
Tatsumaki: "..."
Boom—!
As if struck by a bolt of lightning from a clear sky, Tatsumaki froze completely.
This sudden, straightforward attack, though cliché, almost broke through her psychological defense!
Her already flushed pretty face rapidly heated up at a visible speed, becoming like a ripe apple, as if steam would rise from her the next second.
Her mind went blank, completely crashed, and she didn't know how to react.
Should she be touched, or should she be angry?
Even she herself didn't know!
Looking at Tatsumaki, who was completely petrified, even her floating green curly hair drooping limply, Han Sen secretly chuckled.
Han Sen had already mentally prepared for the difficulty of conquering Tatsumaki.
However, tsundere beings, the "tsun" side of their personality, are like shields with maxed-out defense, constantly pushing people away.
Before truly shattering it with love and sincerity, and most importantly—absolute strength, you basically shouldn't expect to see the beautiful "dere" scenery behind the wall that blooms only for you.
To be honest, Han Sen, compared to Tatsumaki, who was a complete emotional idiot, wasn't much better.
It seemed like he had no shortage of female admirers wherever he went, but in reality, it was entirely due to his peak-level handsomeness and the charismatic aura of a top-tier expert forcefully opening doors.
You thought it was skill, but it was all just stats.
(Henry Cavill, who was sharing his dating experience on the adjacent Earth, smiled faintly: Exactly.)
And Tatsumaki's impression of Han Sen was not bad to begin with.
Firstly, Han Sen was indeed very handsome... not entirely, but because he had actively saved Fubuki, Tatsumaki subconsciously found him more appealing than other men.
Secondly, and most importantly, it was due to a tiny bit of recognition of Han Sen's strength.
After all, in Tatsumaki's view, a guy who could easily take her casual attacks, and even effortlessly neutralize her attacks in return, had far surpassed the group of useless S-Class Heroes.
This brings up Tatsumaki's second personality trait besides being a tsundere—
Admiration for strength!
Admiration for the strong was a deep imprint carved into her memory from a young age by that man, and it was also the most difficult ultra-alloy anti-theft door to truly open Tatsumaki's heart.
Because Tatsumaki's own Dragon-level strength, looking at the entire world, the number of men who could reach or barely touch this threshold would definitely not exceed five fingers.
And those who had a reason and possibility to pursue Tatsumaki were even fewer—
"Blast": Heh heh. (Smiling indulgently like a father at his daughter, but saying nothing)
"Garou": Huh? (Impatient, only wants to become absolute evil)
"Watchdog Man": Woof. (Licking his paw, anything outside Q-City is none of my business)
"Flashy Flash": Don't bother, I'm gay. (Not really)
"Big Brother in the Spaceship": Go tell that to my "Collapsing Star Roar Cannon"! (Release! Charge!!)
"Saitama": Not interested in kids. (Grinning foolishly)
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