One Punch Man: "The hell!! Did I transmigrate as King?"

Kaito's gaze instinctively swept across the now-exposed scenery—snowy, flawless skin and curves that shimmered in the lobby's bright lighting.

Full. Taut. Dazzling.

In that instant, he made a professional judgment in his mind:

"Hmph. Genuine product. No fakes."

"Ahhhh!!"

Chiba Reina finally reacted, yelping as she frantically crossed her slender arms over her chest. Her entire face turned a shade of crimson that rivaled emergency alarm lights—cheeks, ears, neck, everything.

Kaito remained composed. Calmly, he removed his black trench coat and handed it to her.

"Here."

Her fingertips trembled as she took it, quickly wrapping the oversized coat around herself like a drowning person clutching a lifeline.

"Th-thank you, King… I'm sorry for causing trouble again…" she mumbled, voice barely louder than a mosquito's hum. Her eyes remained cast down, her lashes fluttering.

Kaito's lips curled slightly.

"No trouble at all."

Honestly, this view was far more pleasing than any of the so-called modern art decorating the Association's lobby.

Then—

"HEYYYY—!! REI—NA—!!"

The sharp, impatient voice boomed from down the hall.

A shrill, loli-like war cry, growing louder and more explosive with every syllable.

"I told you to get me 'Grow Taller Milk'! Why is it still not here?! Are you part snail?! My patience has limits, you know!!"

Kaito turned toward the source.

Drifting a half meter off the floor, cloaked in invisible power, floated a tiny, furious green-haired figure.

S-Class Rank 2: Terrible Tornado.

Her iconic green curls waved ever so slightly as if caught in an unseen breeze. She wore her signature black cheongsam-style battle uniform with high slits that revealed legs surprisingly long for her height, which made her proportions even more surreal.

With hands on her hips and a death glare fixed on Reina, she looked like a highly dangerous, airborne brat with nuclear launch codes.

Upon hearing the voice, Reina stiffened again and clutched the trench coat even tighter around herself. She bowed deeply as Tornado descended on her like a boss in a final phase.

"I… I'm terribly sorry, Tornado! I was just about to get it! Some colleagues asked me to deliver urgent documents, and I got delayed—I'll go right now!"

"HUH?!"

Tornado's brows twitched. Her emerald eyes flared with outrage.

"'Urgent documents'?! You think paperwork is more important than my height crisis?! Reina, what part of 'Grow Taller Milk' sounds negotiable to you?! My height is the top, top, top priority of the Association!"

Kaito couldn't help himself.

The image of this eternally pint-sized powerhouse seriously believing in "Grow Taller Milk" broke him.

A soft chuckle slipped out.

That single laugh hit Tornado like a psychic slap to the face.

Her head snapped toward him.

The air warped.

A massive green psychokinetic field exploded into existence, surrounding her like a living storm!

"KING!!" she shouted, her tiny body trembling with outrage. "What was that laugh?! Are you mocking me?! And Reina! Why are you red as a tomato?!"

She narrowed her eyes. "Did this guy do something indecent to you?! Did he?! Tell me right now!!"

The atmosphere changed instantly.

Invisible force whipped through the hallway. Papers flew like flocks of birds. Picture frames clattered on the walls. A cold wind surged from nowhere.

And worst of all—the oversized trench coat on Reina was the first casualty.

FWOOOSH!!

Tornado's rage-fueled telekinesis ripped it clean off, the coat sailing across the lobby in dramatic fashion.

"NO! Tornado, wait—!!" Reina cried out, throwing up her arms in panic. Her face burned with embarrassment, but she didn't even try to hide. She just waved frantically and stumbled forward, explaining:

"King didn't do anything to me!! I… I just ran too fast and popped a button by accident! He only lent me his coat out of kindness! It's all a big misunderstanding!!"

The whirlwind paused—psychic pressure halting mid-surge.

Tornado's suspicious gaze dropped... to Reina's exposed chest.

The stark contrast—breathtaking fullness, lightly compressed under the blouse—was on full display.

Tornado's eyes twitched. She slowly, very slowly, glanced down at her own flat torso.

Her gaze darkened.

Something flickered in her emerald irises.

Envy? Jealousy?

A slow-burning, hard-to-swallow sense of defeat?

And then—rage.

Unfiltered, pre-teen flavored rage.

"REINA!!!"

"I've changed my mind!! I want 'GET! BIG! BIG! MILK!' instead!! The biggest bottle available!! Triple size! Imported if necessary!! Immediately!! RIGHT NOW!!!"

Reina stood frozen, mouth slightly open, unable to process this new request.

Kaito, meanwhile, clamped a fist over his mouth, trembling with restraint, barely holding in his laughter.

He knew—he absolutely knew—that behind Tornado's fun-sized body was enough raw psychic force to flatten an entire city.

Laugh out loud now, and A City might need a new lobby.

"Hmph… Murata definitely has a secret account."

Kaito quietly cleared his throat, finally drawing the attention of both women back to himself.

He was no stranger to dealing with stubborn, hot-tempered types like Tornado. Especially when they had the proud, easily flustered temperament of someone who'd been powerful since youth. You couldn't fight them head-on—you had to stroke the fur the right way. Say the things they liked to hear, let them unravel themselves.

"This time," Kaito began smoothly, "it was my oversight that led to Miss Tornado misunderstanding and getting upset."

Tornado turned her face slightly away with a scowl, still hovering midair.

"As an apology," he continued, voice light, "I know of a very special restaurant."

That made her blink. Kaito caught the subtle flick of her lashes and pressed the advantage.

"They specialize in customized nutritional meals. I've heard their formulas have a rather unique… and significant effect on a lady's, shall we say—secondary development."

That hit the mark like a guided missile.

Tornado's emerald eyes lit up ever so briefly—but just as quickly, her expression tensed again. She turned her head fully to the side, snorting as if he'd just insulted her intelligence.

Chiba Reina, still blushing from earlier, immediately waved her hands. "K-King, that's way too kind! And aren't you supposed to meet the higher-ups? The executives are waiting for you, aren't they? You can't delay something like that just because of—of this…"

"Meeting?" Kaito scoffed softly.

"No matter how important the meeting is, it's not more important than pacifying the wrath of Miss Tornado—S-Class Rank 2, the pillar of the Association."

He placed subtle emphasis on the rank and title as he continued, tone turning sincere.

"Miss Tornado has protected the lives of countless citizens. She's a role model for every hero, myself included. I still remember when I first heard the story—how she was rescued from the lab by the legendary hero Blast, and how that experience forged her resolve to become the strongest. That kind of purity and dedication is something I've always deeply admired."

It was a masterclass in gentle manipulation—every phrase carefully chosen.

Her past, her trauma, her idol, her status. All polished like a mirror and handed back to her with reverence.

Tornado let out a short snort through her nose—but her chin rose slightly, and the pulsing field of psychokinesis around her dimmed, becoming soft like a flickering candle instead of a storm.

"Hmph! Don't think you can butter me up so easily!" she snapped. But her arms dropped a little from their crossed position, and her floating posture lowered half a foot unconsciously.

"And that 'nutritional meal'… sounds suspicious! What kind of shady stuff are you planning to feed me, huh?"

Despite her biting tone, the slight twitch at the corner of her lips gave her away.

Kaito could barely hide his amusement. She was already halfway convinced. A tsundere always fought hardest just before giving in.

"Of course, I wouldn't dare hope for forgiveness so easily. The restaurant's hard to book. I only managed a reservation through some friends in the medical branch. It's almost dinner time anyway, so… why not now? Just consider it a humble way for me to make amends."

Tornado didn't answer immediately.

Three seconds of silence passed.

Then, she exhaled sharply through her nose.

"…Hmph. Since you're asking so sincerely, and considering you do seem to have a bit of taste, I suppose I can grudgingly accompany you."

She floated past him with the air of royalty stepping into a limousine.

"But I'm warning you now! If that so-called 'nutritional meal' is awful or does nothing, you'd better prepare yourself!"

She added the last line with a dramatic hand wave, as though summoning doom.

Kaito gave a soft smile and bowed slightly.

"It would be my honor."

Reina opened her mouth again, clearly worried. "But, King, the meeting—"

"Reina! What are you even talking about!?" Tornado barked, instantly turning toward her.

She made a subtle grabbing motion in the air.

With a whoosh, invisible psychic force swept Reina off her feet, suspending her gently like a floating file folder.

"You're coming too! To supervise him. I don't trust this guy to not pull something weird. Let's go!"

Reina flailed for a moment, then gave up with a sigh.

"Yes, ma'am…"