One Punch Man: Heroics Start with Dual Kamui

Chapter 162 162: Psykos in Her Student Days

"My name is Shinji. I'm from Z-City. My hobby is researching monsters, and I'm also a friend of Boros." Shinji kept his self-introduction short and to the point.

"My name is Boros. I'm from another planet. My hobby is fighting, and I'm friends with Shinji."

Boros copied Shinji's style almost word for word. He then walked to the blackboard and wrote his name in big, bold letters: Boros.

As for why an alien warrior could write fluent Japanese, well, better not to question it. In this world, everyone just happened to know it.

"Alright then, there are two empty seats left in the classroom. Shinji and Boros, you can decide where to sit," the teacher said as class was about to begin.

The two available seats were in the back row by the window, one directly behind the other.

Shinji was a little surprised those prime spots hadn't been claimed already. After all, the back row by the window was the throne seat of any classroom. Without hesitation, he chose the second-to-last seat, while Boros casually dropped into the one right behind him.

The bell rang, signaling the start of class.

Shinji immediately focused on the lecture. It was math, his strongest subject, and he absorbed the material with ease.

...

When the bell rang again, class ended right on time.

Most students stayed seated to review their notes. This was an advanced placement class, basically the equivalent of an "honors class." In Japan, schools still separate stronger classes from weaker ones, just under different names. Still, even among advanced students, motivation varied widely.

The school didn't require after-hours lessons, but nearly everyone went to cram school anyway. Families ended up spending even more money, whether they wanted to or not.

Even so, a few curious students wandered over to Shinji and Boros.

"Sorry, I'd like to get familiar with the campus first," Shinji said quickly before they could start asking questions.

He had no intention of wasting his break chatting. What he really wanted was to track down Fubuki and Psykos, or more precisely, Psykos.

Hearing his response, the students backed off politely.

Just then, something came to Shinji's mind. "By the way, does this school have a club called the Monster Research Society?"

He remembered Psykos once telling him she was the one who had founded it. If it already existed here, he could meet her without delay.

"No, but there is a Paranormal Research Society. I've heard it's full of weird people..." one student replied.

"Alright, thanks. Got it." Shinji nodded and smiled.

So the Monster Research Society hadn't been created yet. That made sense, since Psykos only started it after meeting him. For now, he would just have to search the classrooms one by one.

As soon as Shinji left, the group of students swarmed around Boros instead.

"This is my first time seeing an alien. So aliens are humanoid too? I always thought they'd look beyond imagination."

"Boros, are you some kind of prince on your planet? The way you dress looks so royal!"

"Did you come to Earth on a spaceship? How did you even meet Shinji?"

Questions flew at him from every direction. Boros didn't flinch. He remained calm, answering only the ones he felt like responding to and ignoring the rest entirely. Seeing him doing well, Shinji took a sigh of relief and left.

….

Shinji walked slowly along the hallway, glancing into classrooms one by one. A single look through the window was enough to confirm whether the person he wanted to find was inside.

After making a full circuit, he finally spotted Psykos in Class 4.

Unlike Class 1, this was a standard classroom. Besides the advanced placement classes and the regular ones, Ueno High also had specialized athletic classes. But in this world, sports didn't carry the same prestige they might have elsewhere. Even a C-Class hero already had Olympic-level abilities, so excelling in athletics wasn't exactly impressive.

It was clear that neither Fubuki nor Psykos shone academically. Neither had ever gone on to university, as Fubuki would eventually join the Hero Association, while Psykos would go on to establish the Monster Association. Of course, with their powers, formal education hardly mattered. If they ever needed money, they could easily capture a few wanted criminals and earn tens of thousands of yen without breaking a sweat.

Shinji strolled casually down the hall, pretending to be absorbed in nothing in particular while sneaking glances into the classrooms.

Inside Class 4, Psykos was seated, and next to her was Fubuki.

The two girls sat side by side, but they weren't interacting at all. Each seemed absorbed in her own world. Already, their paths looked as if they had started to diverge.

Shinji didn't linger. He only observed for a brief moment before continuing on down the hallway as though nothing had happened. No one noticed his presence.

Soon after, the bell rang, and he returned to his classroom right on time for the next lesson.

...

By noon, classes paused and students began pulling out their bentos. Some even studied while eating, determined not to waste a single minute.

Although some schools forbade eating in classrooms, that only happened in stricter institutions. Ueno High wasn't one of them. Students often brought their own bentos in the morning, not only for lunch but also to enjoy them right in class. It was a perfectly ordinary sight.

Shinji and Boros didn't really need regular meals, but Shinji decided to head down to the cafeteria anyway. Maybe he'd run into something unexpected.

At lunchtime, the cafeteria was packed with students in uniform. Some had brought bentos from home, but most lined up to buy food there.

Since Shinji and Boros hadn't been issued uniforms yet, they stood out immediately. To avoid unnecessary chaos, the teachers had already announced that morning that there was a new alien transfer student. So when students saw a tall, one-eyed alien step into the cafeteria, they stared, whispered, and gawked, but no one panicked.

Shinji ordered a meal for appearances' sake, scanning the cafeteria while he carried his tray. Finding no familiar faces, he sat down at an empty table.

Before long, a girl sat across from him, the last open seat forcing her choice.

She didn't say a word, quietly opening her bento and beginning to eat.

Shinji looked up, and to his surprise, it was Psykos.

Psykos, in her student days, looked entirely different from the future woman she would become. Her hairstyle, her uniform, even the atmosphere around her, all of it contrasted with the calculating leader she would one day be.

Her long, straight hair fell neatly over her shoulders, nothing like the later wavy style. She wore the typical JK sailor uniform, along with the ever-present glasses she would never part with. On her head was a peculiar accessory decorated with strange eyeball patterns, which only gave her a slightly awkward, even dowdy, appearance.

In anime terms, this was exactly what people would call "uncool."

Still, her facial features hadn't changed much. She was already undeniably pretty. Her figure wasn't fully developed yet, but even at her age, it was enough to leave an impression.