From between the nearby mountains and from behind her psychic barrier, Tatsumaki's green aura slowly faded.
She appeared in the sky above them, floating with her arms crossed, her green hair waving lightly.
She looked at Louis with a sharp gaze, but in her eyes there was a hint of respect, before she spoke in her usual arrogant tone:
"Hmm, I didn't expect you to notice me this fast.
Not bad, Emperor… and those powers of yours are weird too."
Heeh, if Saitama hadn't punched me flying near your hiding spot, I wouldn't have noticed you at all, Louis sighed inwardly.
Her eyes moved to the destruction around them, then back to Saitama, who was standing there with his simple face, yellow suit, and white cape.
She raised an eyebrow in clear disdain:
"And that bald guy over there… who would think that someone with such an ordinary look could throw a punch like that?
If I saw him on the street, I'd think he was just some lost civilian."
Saitama tilted his head slightly, not sure if that was a compliment or an insult.
"Umm… is that supposed to be praise?" he muttered quietly.
Tatsumaki almost completely ignored him and focused again on Louis.
She remembered what he said earlier about "three S-Class recommendations," and the words the Emperor had thrown toward the mountain where she had been hiding.
Her eyes narrowed a little:
"When you talked about the third recommendation… did you mean me?"
Louis turned to her with a light smile, as if he had been expecting that question:
"You're an S-Class hero, aren't you? And one of the strongest in the Association.
Having your signature along with mine and Genos's will make the Association move much faster."
Tatsumaki let out a short sound from her nose, a mix of annoyance and pride:
"Hmph… fine, but don't get the wrong idea.
I'm not doing this for you people… I just don't want the Hero Association to ignore something this interesting."
Then she added, as if to show that it wasn't a big deal to her:
"Without me, that recommendation file wouldn't have the weight it deserves.
So… I'll give the third recommendation."
A slight relief appeared in Genos's eyes as he said respectfully:
"I'm really fortunate… until now, very few have acknowledged my master's strength."
Louis clapped his hands lightly, as if things were finally falling into place:
"Alright then, since it's decided, let's wait until you, Genos, finish editing the fight video.
Once you have a clear version of the recording, we'll send it with our three recommendations to the Association."
Genos nodded seriously:
"Understood. I'll prepare a detailed video that shows the full power of my master."
The sun slowly moved toward the horizon, and the sky turned orange and red.
As sunset approached, Louis looked at everyone and spoke in a light but clear tone:
"Since our challenge for today is over…
how about we all have dinner together?"
He smiled and added confidently:
"I'll pay for everything. No need to hold back… order whatever you want."
Saitama froze for a second, as if some magic words had hit him directly.
"No need to hold back."
"I'll pay for everything."
His eyes widened a little, then he slowly turned toward Louis:
"Really…? Anything?"
Louis nodded without hesitation:
"Anything."
The next moment, Saitama looked like he had entered a special serious mode:
"Alright, alright… noodles… meat… fried chicken… maybe some sushi… oh, and there's that place that…"
He started discussing options with Louis with strange intensity, like he was planning a life-or-death battle.
Louis listened with a smile, glancing at him from time to time with a look that said: This guy… this is the first time he's this excited today.
On the other side, Tatsumaki watched them with a weird expression, a mix of annoyance and disbelief.
"You two have terrifying power… and yet you act like kids seeing a restaurant menu for the first time," she thought sarcastically.
But even so, she didn't refuse the invitation.
"Fine, I'll come," she said in a slightly haughty tone.
Then quickly added, lifting her chin:
"But don't misunderstand… I just don't want the day to end in a boring way after all this."
Inside, everyone more or less understood that she had accepted… just in her usual arrogant style.
Genos simply bowed slightly:
"If my master is going, then of course I will go with him."
Everyone started moving away from the battlefield, heading back toward the city.
Tatsumaki floated beside them, her eyes shifting between Louis and Saitama as they continued talking about the best dinner choices, as if they weren't the ones who erased a whole mountain a little while ago.
She shook her head lightly and commented to herself:
"Seriously… I don't know if this kind of simple-mindedness makes them scarier… or just crazier."
As they got farther and farther from the place, she suddenly felt a strange sensation, like she had forgotten something.
She stopped for a split second in the air, her eyes showing a small question:
"Hmm… did I forget something?"
The thought passed through her mind… then she waved it away inside:
"Whatever, it's probably nothing important."
Then she followed the others, gliding calmly in the air above them.
*** *** ***
On top of the mountain where Tatsumaki had been hiding earlier, "Golden Sun" stood alone, watching the group slowly move away.
He looked at them—at the Emperor, at Tatsumaki, at Genos whom he was supposed to defeat today, and at Saitama who seemed excited about something…
He let out a long sigh, his face showing a mix of bitterness and self-mockery:
"... I guess I should be happy she completely forgot about me… right?"
Then he slowly turned his gaze to the tall, steep mountain he was standing on.
A soft breeze passed over the peak.
And deep inside "Golden Sun," the image of his old ambitions started to shake…