One Punch Man: Heroics Start with Dual Kamui

Chapter 171 171: Encounter with Mosquito Girl Again

Ever since that incident, Dr. Genus had abandoned the research he had poured years of his life into. His conviction had collapsed, and he no longer saw any reason to continue his experiments. Instead, he decided to open a takoyaki shop.

At first, his only employee was Armored Gorilla, but things changed when Dr. Genus discovered Mosquito Girl was still alive. Though she had lost her blood sac and all four of her limbs, he fitted her with prosthetics and put her to work at the shop. Thanks to his regeneration tech being applied to octopuses, the ingredients for takoyaki could regenerate endlessly. Because of this, the shop never really ran out of stock and enjoyed incredibly high profit margins. At the very least, Dr. Genus was able to live out his retirement comfortably there.

Led by a monster envoy, Shinji came to visit the shop, aptly named House of Takoyaki.

"Welcome, dear customer! Would you like a delicious serving of takoyaki♡?"

Mosquito Girl, completely focused on grilling, didn't bother to check who had entered. Assuming it was just another customer, she gave her usual greeting.

"Huh? You?!" Looking up, Mosquito Girl instantly recognized Shinji. She froze for a moment, her face stiffening with wariness.

"Be at ease. I'm not here to cause trouble." Shinji spoke plainly.

"Oh…"

Mosquito Girl let out a small sigh of relief. Even though she hadn't seen much of him back when she was blasted away by Vaccine Man's light orb, she had learned plenty from Dr. Genus afterward. This human was dangerous, and she knew it.

Then, noticing someone familiar standing behind Shinji, she frowned. "That one following you, it's a monster, right? I saw it this morning. It came by with another one."

"That's right. They visited earlier, but things didn't go so well..." Shinji admitted with a nod.

Looking at Mosquito Girl now, it was clear how much she had changed. All four of her limbs had been replaced with human-like prosthetics. Her blood sac was gone, and her wings were usually kept hidden. Only her mosquito-like proboscis and antennae remained. Occasionally, kids even mistook her for someone wearing a fly costume.

Her outfit didn't help with that impression. She wore only an apron. No underwear, no extra clothes, just the apron. It was practically one of those "apron-only" getups. These days, she looked almost human, and the regulars who stopped by for takoyaki had no idea she was really a monster.

With Shinji present, the envoy monster by his side puffed himself up, brimming with false bravado. "Being invited to join the Monster Association is an honor! Instead of being grateful, you dared to resist!"

"Huh? What kind of honor is that? We told you already we don't want to join your dumb Monster Association, and then you tried to force us with violence!"

Mosquito Girl had a short fuse, and those words lit it immediately.

Just then, Armored Gorilla came out after hearing the shouting. He spotted Shinji right away.

"Calm down. Don't be reckless," Armored Gorilla warned Mosquito Girl at once. The problem was simple: Shinji wasn't someone they could afford to mess with, regardless of who was right or wrong. Crossing him was not an option.

"Screw off!" Mosquito Girl's temper flared, veins popping on her face. She wasn't about to back down.

"Using violence to force them? Did they make the first move?" Shinji asked, catching the detail.

"Yeah! We refused their offer, and they immediately tried to drag us away by force. We just fought back!" Mosquito Girl explained.

"I'm very sorry! Ever since she lost her blood sac, she gets hungry easily and her mood swings a lot...!" Armored Gorilla bowed again and again, his tone full of apology toward Shinji.

"There's no need to apologize. We were the ones in the wrong here."

Shinji didn't blindly defend his side. He was measured and fair. Then he turned to the monster beside him, his voice sharp and cold. "Do you have anything else to say for yourself?"

"Ah… it wasn't me, I swear! It was the other guy who got injured earlier. He made the first move, not me!"

The monster instantly tried to shift the blame, desperate to clear himself.

Watching this, Mosquito Girl couldn't help but feel a little stunned. This human didn't just shield his own people no matter what.

"Lord Shinji, if you don't mind, why don't you come inside and sit for a while?" Armored Gorilla, quick to sense the tension, changed the subject right away.

"Alright then, I'll take you up on that." Shinji gave a small nod and accepted the offer. At the same time, he dismissed the monster that had accompanied him.

The monster let out a long breath of relief. He wanted nothing more than to get away from this place as fast as possible anyway.

...

Shinji followed Mosquito Girl and Armored Gorilla into the takoyaki shop. Inside, there was a small living room where Dr. Genus sat reading a newspaper.

As soon as he looked up and saw that familiar face, Dr. Genus froze, his eyes widening in surprise. "Shinji… have you come to wipe us out?"

"No. You've already started a takoyaki shop here. What reason would I have to come after you now?" Shinji's tone was calm, matter-of-fact.

"…I suppose, in a way, I should thank you. You made me realize that everything I'd done before was almost a complete waste of time, and I made more mistakes than I can count." Dr. Genus let out a heavy sigh.

"Well, I wouldn't say it was a total waste. For example, your rejuvenation technology still has value. As long as you've stopped conducting illegal research that harms humans, that's enough." Shinji replied evenly.

And it wasn't just the anti-aging tech. The regenerative method for octopuses alone had incredible potential. Much of Dr. Genus's work could be used to benefit society.

The name House of Evolution had already spread far and wide. Genos knew of it from the start, and the Hero Association certainly did too. After all, even Zombieman, an S-Class hero, had been one of its creations. After escaping, he went on to join the Hero Association.

The fact that the Association had never moved against the House of Evolution or dispatched heroes to shut it down probably meant that some of Dr. Genus's research overlapped with the interests of its higher-ups.

"These days, I've stopped all of that research. I only kept a few of the experimental results..."

Dr. Genus then smiled faintly and said, "But let's not dwell on that. Would you like to try some of my specially developed infinite takoyaki?"

"Sure," Shinji answered with a simple nod.

Dr. Genus got up and personally began preparing the food, using a machine capable of cooking dozens of takoyaki balls at once. Two cups had already been set on the table, while Mosquito Girl stood nearby, brewing tea.

After filling both cups, she lifted the one meant for Shinji and drank it herself without hesitation.

Then, without the slightest hint of embarrassment, she plopped herself down casually between Dr. Genus and Shinji.