When Saitama said "already taken," he had clearly meant it in a romantic sense. But Fubuki misunderstood, interpreting it as referring to influence or power dynamics.

That was why she replied with unwavering resolve, "I won't give up."

She still hadn't abandoned the idea of recruiting Shinji into the Blizzard Group.

With her statement made, she turned and left without hesitation.

"… shit, is this harem route going?" Saitama asked, tilting his head in confusion.

"That might be the case. The law is one thing, but laws like that only apply to regular people, so..." Genos began, only to fall silent as he realized going any further might earn him a lecture or worse, a ladle of seaweed egg soup hurled at his face.

Saitama scratched his head slowly, whether he understood what Genos meant remained unclear.

On her way home, Fubuki munched absentmindedly on the cookies she carried, her expression clouded by troubled thoughts.

Psykos's sudden return had clearly thrown her off balance. The few words they exchanged were enough to confirm that Psykos had established some sort of group or organization of her own, and judging by her familiarity with Shinji, he might already be involved.

If that were true, pulling Shinji to her side would become even more difficult. But instead of discouraging her, the revelation only fueled her competitive spirit.

Her guilt over the past lingered, of course, but it didn't outweigh her determination not to lose to Psykos again.

…

"Vice President Shinji, let me help." Psykos walked into the kitchen, sleeves lightly rolled up.

"Sure," Shinji said with a nod, making space for her at the counter.

"The last time we cooked together was five years ago. Back then, we used to prepare and share meals every single day."

As she sliced vegetables with steady hands, Psykos spoke with an unexpectedly warm tone, her voice touched by nostalgia.

"…Why does that sound like an old married couple?" Shinji muttered under his breath.

"Old married couple?" Psykos blinked at him in confusion.

Apparently, she hadn't picked up on the implications of her words. To her, it had simply been a daily routine, something comforting and normal, not romantic.

"…Never mind."

Shinji glanced away, deciding not to explain. She really didn't seem to realize what he had said.

…

About ten minutes later, Shinji and Psykos emerged from the kitchen carrying plates of freshly prepared food.

"I'm digging in."

"…"

The customary pre-meal pause passed, and the three at the table began eating. Only three, because Genos, being a cyborg, didn't need food. He sat on the couch instead, scribbling rapidly in his notebook, eyes darting between the diners and the page.

Shinji couldn't help but wonder what exactly Genos was writing. Probably something like "Food must be edible. Beautiful women must be pretty. Computers must be plugged in…"

"Vice President Shinji's cooking is still as good as ever," Psykos said sincerely, a soft smile forming on her lips.

"For realizes! I don't even feel like cooking anymore," Saitama chimed in, fully agreeing without a second thought.

"Thanks… for the compliment," Shinji replied, smiling faintly.

After everyone had eaten their fill, Saitama helped clear the table, then quietly excused himself to return to his room, where games were surely waiting. He had to teach that Temu Piccolo a lesson.

"Genos, aren't you going to get some rest?" Shinji asked as he noticed the disciple still scribbling away.

"I still want to observe and take notes on Master's training," Genos said, flipping to a fresh page.

"But I have something to do tonight," Shinji replied casually.

He explained the details without hiding anything.

"Oh? Ohhh… oh…" Genos nodded slowly, taking it all in.

Then Genos looked at Psykos standing beside Shinji, then at Shinji himself, then back at Psykos. His gaze shifted between the two several times in silent calculation.

Finally, with a perfectly straight face, he said something that carried more weight than it seemed: "Don't worry, Master. I'll keep an eye on the house for you tonight."

His room just so happened to be right next to Shinji's, and with his sensitive sensors, he could detect the faintest movement through the walls. Even if Shinji didn't come back, there was no need to worry about intruders or disturbances.

Clearly, Genos had drawn his own conclusion, that Shinji wouldn't be coming home tonight.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Shinji shot him a look. "Why do you sound so sure I'm not coming back?"

Genos looked confused, as if Shinji was the one being unreasonable. "Wait... aren't you?"

"…On second thought, I guess I really won't be coming back tonight," Shinji muttered under his breath, defeated.

"Then there's no problem. If a thief shows up, I'll burn them to ash," Genos said calmly, as if it were part of his regular duties.

"…"

Shinji sighed. There was no point trying to explain anything now. Once Genos had made up his mind, clarifying things would only make it worse.

Psykos, on the other hand, remained completely unbothered by their exchange. She hadn't picked up on the subtext at all.

"I'll be going now. I won't get in the way of Master and Mistress," Genos said with unusual formality, his wording noticeably changed.

He quietly packed away his notebook and walked out.

"Mistress? Who's he talking about?" Psykos asked, blinking. She still didn't get it.

"…heh"

Shinji's lips curved into an awkward, almost sheepish smile. He genuinely didn't know how to respond to that.

Psykos tilted her head slightly, thinking back to how Genos had repeatedly called Shinji "Master" earlier. Slowly, a thought crossed her mind.

"…Could he mean me?"

Only now did it dawn on her that "Mistress" must have been referring to her.

"Yeah, he just got the wrong idea. I'll clear it up with him later," Shinji said. He doubted Psykos cared much about that kind of thing anyway. Her focus had always been on ambition and power, traits that, if anything, rivaled or even surpassed Fubuki's drive.

Before the influence of that so-called "god," the reason Psykos had admired Fubuki was simple: Fubuki's psychic abilities had far exceeded her own, and they'd once shared the same desire to climb to the top. If not for divine meddling, they might never have turned on each other.

"No need to explain. It's not like it hurts anything," Psykos replied with a small shake of her head.

"Really? Well… alright then." Shinji raised an eyebrow, a little surprised by how easily she brushed it off.

"Let's go back."

With those words, Psykos once again reached out and slipped her hand into his.

Shinji didn't hesitate. He activated Flying Thunder God and teleported them both back to her secluded cabin.

"Didn't think I'd see Fubuki again so soon. She's changed so much I barely recognized her," Psykos said with a soft sigh.

You've changed even more than she has…

The words rose in Shinji's throat, but he swallowed them down.

"She says she won't hurt you as Vice President, but I know her too well. Deep down, she probably still resents me for shattering her plans," Psykos murmured, then added firmly, "Vice President Shinji, don't let her sweet words fool you. The prettier a woman is, the more dangerous she is."

"But… aren't you also really pretty?" This time, the words slipped out of Shinji's mouth before he could stop them.