One Punch Man: Heroics Start with Dual Kamui

Chapter 179 179: Does Tatsumaki-senpai Like You?

"Close? Tatsumaki-sensei, isn't this just a normal way of addressing someone?" Captain Mizuki tilted her head slightly, sounding genuinely puzzled.

To be fair, it really was just a standard honorific. Yet in this case, where she should have been calling Shinji "sensei" or "instructor," she chose a bright, playful tone that made it sound far more familiar, almost as if she were speaking to a close friend.

"You call me sensei, but call him Shinji-senpai, and you're saying that isn't close?" Tatsumaki pressed her at once, not letting the matter slide.

"Well... I actually got permission from Shinji-senpai. The first time I slipped and called him that by accident, and when I tried to fix it, he told me it was fine. So after that, it just kind of stuck." Captain Mizuki spoke up quickly, trying to make her case, even though her words ended up supporting Shinji's side more than her own.

"Is that so...?" Tatsumaki's sharp gaze drifted toward Shinji, her eyes narrowing with a hint of resentment. She didn't say anything out loud, but that silent glare was enough to make a cold shiver run down Shinji's spine.

"It's just a way of addressing me, nothing more. That should be fine, right?" Shinji forced a smile, hoping to ease the tension.

"Hmph!" Tatsumaki gave a short, dismissive snort and turned her face away.

"..." Shinji could only stay quiet. He couldn't understand why Tatsumaki reacted so strongly to something as simple as being called "Shinji-senpai."

While he sat there trying to figure it out, Captain Mizuki seemed to have pieced something together. She leaned close, lowering her voice right beside his ear. "Shinji-senpai, don't tell me you and Tatsumaki-senpai are already dating?"

"?" Shinji's eyes widened, confusion written all over his face. "Dating? Me and Tatsumaki? Of course not. Where did you even get that idea?"

"Isn't it obvious? Just because I called you a little more personally, Tatsumaki-senpai got upset. Or maybe jealous would be a better word?" Mizuki whispered mischievously, her lips still close to his ear. "But since you denied it, maybe I was just overthinking. Then again... there's another explanation. Maybe Tatsumaki-senpai actually likes you, Shinji-senpai~!"

"No way... that can't be... right?" Shinji thought Tatsumaki disliked him more than anything. The idea of her dating him was ridiculous, and the thought of her actually liking him was even harder to imagine. Yet with Mizuki planting the thought in his head, doubt began to creep in. Could it really be possible that Tatsumaki...

"What are you two whispering about? And why are you sitting so close together?" Tatsumaki's voice suddenly cut in, sharp and full of irritation. Her eyes glared at the pair with thinly veiled hostility.

Mizuki only smiled slyly, turning back to Shinji as if to prove her point. "See, Shinji-senpai? Tatsumaki-senpai can't even stand us being this close. Just a little bit and she reacts right away..."

"..." Shinji had no response. Because deep down, he couldn't honestly deny what Mizuki just said.

No matter how oblivious someone might be, there were still limits, and Shinji had finally reached his. Thanks to Captain Mizuki's pointed hints, he couldn't brush off the possibility any longer. Still, it wasn't as if he could just turn to Tatsumaki and ask her outright, not here, not in front of so many students.

"Hey! Are you two ignoring me now?!" Tatsumaki's patience snapped when she saw Shinji and Captain Mizuki whispering yet again.

Captain Mizuki immediately leaned back from Shinji's side, putting on a bright smile. "No, no, I was only asking Shinji-senpai what type of girls he likes."

"Even if this is break time, that's not the kind of conversation you should be having here." Tatsumaki scolded her sharply, then without missing a beat turned her eyes on Shinji. "So? What kind of girls do you like?"

"...?" The question landed so suddenly that Shinji froze, completely unprepared for it.

"Ahem..." He gave a slightly awkward smile, trying to deflect. "Isn't this the wrong time to be talking about that?"

"We're both instructors. What's wrong with discussing it?" Tatsumaki's voice was calm but insistent, making it clear she wanted an answer.

"Let's leave it until after training." Shinji checked the clock, seizing the chance to change the subject. "Break's almost over. We need to start the next round of physical training."

"Hmph... fine, we'll talk about it later then." Tatsumaki didn't push further, though the look in her eyes promised she wouldn't forget.

...

By 5:30 that afternoon, the day's training was over.

"Shinji-senpai, Tatsumaki-senpai, see you tomorrow!" Captain Mizuki called cheerfully, still full of energy even after hours of drills. The rest of the students, however, were too drained to manage more than sluggish waves.

"See you tomorrow," Shinji replied.

Just as he turned to leave, Tatsumaki floated directly into his path, meeting him face-to-face. "Now can you answer that question?"

"Oh dear…" Shinji sighed inwardly.

She was still holding onto it?! Why was she so determined to know what kind of girl he liked?

But, deep down, Shinji already suspected what it meant. Could it really be that Tatsumaki had those kinds of feelings for him? He didn't like making assumptions, but when he thought about how she'd acted before, the signs were becoming harder to ignore. If not for a certain girl sleeping with him without doing anything while other certain girls smooching his lips without any love, he would have taken the hits. Seriously, his common sense was messed up in this world.

"Probably... the type of girl like you, Tatsumaki." His words came out carefully, more of a test than a true confession. In truth, he didn't have a set preference, but he wanted to see how she would react, to know if her feelings matched what Mizuki had suggested.

The effect was immediate. Tatsumaki froze, her face quickly flushing pink as the meaning sank in. She hadn't expected him to answer so bluntly.

"You... you're really bold, aren't you? Isn't that basically a confession?" She tried to mask her embarrassment with a teasing smile, but the deep blush across her cheeks gave her away.

"Miss Tatsumaki... why is your face red?" Shinji asked deliberately, pretending to be curious though he already knew.

"Huh? My face isn't red!" Tatsumaki's hands shot up to cover her cheeks, but it only made the spreading blush more obvious.

"You idiot! You're the one who said something that sounded like a confession. Of course I'd feel embarrassed!" she sputtered, her words tumbling over each other in haste.

Then her eyes widened as another thought hit her, and the embarrassment in her voice quickly shifted to anger. "But why is your face completely calm? Don't tell me you were just toying with me! Were you watching my reaction just to amuse yourself?"