One Punch Man: Heroics Start with Dual Kamui

Chapter 172 172: Short-Tempered Mosquito Girl

"You should step outside for a while!"

Even Armored Gorilla couldn't tolerate Mosquito Girl's rudeness any longer. He gave her a firm push and sent her straight out of the room.

"Sorry about that. Please forgive her behavior." Dr. Genus quickly apologized, his tone sincere. "Let me pour you another cup of tea."

"It's fine." Shinji replied, calm and collected.

"You came all the way here, so I assume there's something you want from us, right?"

At that moment, the takoyaki finished cooking. Dr. Genus carefully plated them, setting the dish on the table while casually asking Shinji what had brought him over.

"It's nothing serious. I just grew curious after hearing from my subordinates that you had turned down their invitation. I decided to see things for myself. Honestly, I didn't expect to find a takoyaki shop here." Shinji gave a vague explanation, leaving the matter simple.

Dr. Genus immediately caught the underlying meaning. "I see... then the 'Monster Association' they mentioned is your organization?"

"Something like that." Shinji gave a small nod in confirmation.

"I already gave up on participating in worldly disputes long ago. Still, since you came in person, it would feel improper to turn you away outright." Dr. Genus naturally assumed Shinji's visit was another attempt to draw them into the Monster Association.

Until today, he hadn't even heard of such an organization. So when two monsters appeared earlier with their invitation, he had merely instructed Armored Gorilla to reject them on the spot. But now that he realized Shinji was directly connected, he could no longer dismiss it so easily.

"No, Dr. Genus, you've misunderstood. Whether you join or not is entirely your choice. There's no need to agree just because of me." Shinji corrected him immediately, clearing the air before it grew heavier.

"I see..." Dr. Genus lowered his gaze, sinking into thought.

He had never cared much for trying to read people. Social maneuvering, politics, and subtle hints were meaningless in his world. In the past, he had always spoken bluntly, sometimes even coldly, to his fellow scientists without worrying about the consequences.

But Shinji was a different matter entirely.

Before, even when he offended others, none of his peers could actually harm him. Shinji, however… this was a man who looked capable of crushing him to death with nothing more than a single finger.

For the first time, Dr. Genus found himself weighing someone else's mood carefully. Shinji had said there was no need to give him face, yet he knew full well what ignoring that would mean. If he truly showed no respect, it wouldn't just end with closing this shop, but it could also bring ruin to all of them.

After a long pause and careful thought, Dr. Genus finally spoke. "We have no objections. If there's ever a mission, feel free to contact us."

"Huh?" Shinji sensed the contradiction immediately.

Dr. Genus had just claimed he no longer wished to involve himself in conflicts, yet now he suddenly agreed without hesitation? It was clear he was only trying to avoid offending him.

Still, since Dr. Genus had gone that far already, Shinji chose not to pursue the matter any further.

"There really aren't any missions. Just keep running this takoyaki shop as you always do." Shinji gave a faint, slightly awkward smile.

"Understood." Dr. Genus gave a small nod in return.

After chatting with Dr. Genus for a while, Shinji finally rose to his feet. "I'll head back now. You all can carry on with your work."

"Mhm. You're welcome to stop by again anytime for our takoyaki." Dr. Genus responded warmly.

Leaving the living room, Shinji noticed Mosquito Girl by the grill, preparing takoyaki for a small group of customers.

"All done! Your takoyaki is ready. Please take it~" She placed the servings on the counter, then struck a playful pose to charm the customers. Oddly enough, those customers were just a handful of children. "Come again sometime, okay? ♡~"

"See? I told you there was a weirdly dressed lady selling takoyaki here."

"There really is!"

"But why's she dressed like a fly? It looks kinda weird..."

The children left soon after, whispering to each other about Mosquito Girl. None of them realized she wasn't dressed as a fly at all but was actually mosquito-like in appearance. To be fair, her head did look a little too similar to that of a fly.

"You little brats! I'll drain every last drop of blood from your bodies!" Mosquito Girl exploded with fury.

Apparently, being mistaken for a fly was the ultimate insult to her.

Just as she was about to lose control, Armored Gorilla, while still busy tending the takoyaki grill, turned to Shinji and spoke hurriedly. "Mr. Shinji, sorry, I'm a bit tied up right now. Could I trouble you to give her an injection? That should calm her down."

As he said this, he handed Shinji a massive syringe.

"An injection? And where exactly am I supposed to give it?" Shinji asked, gripping the syringe that was nearly the length of his entire arm. A bead of sweat slid down his temple.

"Just inject it where her blood sac used to be." Armored Gorilla replied immediately.

Where her blood sac used to be… if Shinji remembered correctly, that was near the base of her tailbone.

This didn't seem appropriate at all, especially since Mosquito Girl was only wearing an apron, leaving her back nearly completely bare. But as the situation escalated, hesitation wasn't an option.

Shinji lined up the syringe with the spot where her blood sac had once been and plunged the needle deep.

"Ahn~!!" Mosquito Girl screamed as though lightning had shot through her body. Moments later, her strength gave out, and she collapsed, completely subdued.

Because her blood sac had been destroyed, she still retained mosquito-like traits yet lacked the ability to regulate herself properly. To maintain her sanity, she required regular blood transfusions in large amounts. Without them, her hunger would intensify, her temper would spiral, and sooner or later, she would lose all control and attack humans to feed.

As for her original blood sac, though it had been destroyed, Dr. Genus had later recovered it and sealed it inside a cultivation chamber. With time, it might eventually be restored.

Gradually, the syringe emptied, transferring every last drop of blood into her body.

Sure enough, Mosquito Girl calmed down. Her twisted, rage-filled expression eased back into something resembling normalcy.

Shinji withdrew the needle and grabbed a bandage from nearby, pressing it firmly against the injection site.

"Phew~~~" Mosquito Girl exhaled with a long, blissful sigh, thoroughly satisfied.

"Hey! You human! Don't just jab me out of nowhere! That really hurt!" Mosquito Girl spun around, glaring as she complained loudly at Shinji.

"Watch your mouth. Mr. Shinji is our BOSS now. The boss, Dr. Genus, just agreed to join the Monster Association." Armored Gorilla immediately stepped in, warning her in a firm tone.

"...Fine." Mosquito Girl shrank back at once, her anger vanishing. "So that means we have to switch jobs again?"

"Not necessarily. I'll let you know if anything comes up." With those words, Shinji turned and walked away.

In reality, there wouldn't be any future tasks. He had never planned on forcing [House of Takoyaki] into the Monster Association in the first place. Dr. Genus was simply overthinking things.

Once Shinji had left, Dr. Genus summoned Mosquito Girl and Armored Gorilla into the living room.

"Armored Gorilla, even though you've lost your cyborg armor, you should still be about Demon-level strength, right?" Dr. Genus asked, then shifted his gaze toward Mosquito Girl. "And you… how's your power level these days?"

"I'm not sure. I don't even have a blood sac anymore. At best, I can summon a swarm of mosquitoes to suck blood, but without a sac to store it, I can't convert that blood into power..." Mosquito Girl admitted helplessly.

"That's true…" Dr. Genus pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and spoke in a serious tone. "Since we've joined someone else's organization now, we can't afford to be completely useless. Why don't you take on the role of Shinji's secretary?"