The next Sunday.
Kyousuke, Sakura, and the others arrived at the Japan Medical University Hospital for the next round of checkups.
Today's list was more intense — including the dreaded gastroscopy.
Kyousuke had almost skipped it thanks to Sakura's pleading.
After all, yesterday's PET-CT scan had shown no signs of potential pancreatic cancer.
And honestly, looking at Sakura's pitiful expression, he nearly caved.
But in the end, he sighed, figured we're already here, and decided to go through with it. It couldn't hurt to be sure, right?
He had considered telling Shouko and Naoka they could sit this one out, but both insisted on going through it together with Sakura.
If she was going to suffer, they'd suffer too what a beautiful act of solidarity.
Inside the exam room, a masked doctor explained the gastroscopy procedure to Kyousuke.
The more he heard, the more he wanted to bolt.
Thankfully, the doctor is a soft-voiced woman with a soothing tone gently reassured him that it would only involve a throat spray for anesthesia and wouldn't be too uncomfortable.
That voice was almost hypnotic.
Thinking about how Sakura and the others would also have to endure the same thing, Kyousuke finally gave in.
He closed his eyes and opened his mouth.
While the group quietly and miserably got through their exams, the outside world was already exploding and all thanks to the news released through every possible channel by Weekly Shonen High.
In just one day, all 300,000 copies of the first print run had sold out at major bookstores.
An emergency second print of 200,000 was already underway.
"One Punch Man: A New King of Manga is Born!"
That bold red headline graced the cover of another magazine under the same publisher as Weekly Shonen High.
The entire cover was dominated by Saitama's shiny bald head, gleaming like it had LED lights installed.
Other manga review magazines and forums had picked it up too.
The headlines were nothing short of sensational.
But this wasn't just a manga community buzz, this had gone viral beyond the manga world. And the reason? Kyousuke's identity.
"Delinquent? Bestselling Mangaka? The Strongest Middle Schooler?!"
Even Weekly Bunshun is infamous for exposing celebrity and political scandals and now they had turned their attention to a rookie mangaka.
Their regular readers were stunned, but after reading the article, they couldn't help but exclaim in awe.
Since Kyousuke was a minor and not a public figure, the report didn't include his real name, school, or photos.
But the rest of the story? Rich with juicy, vivid details.
The kind that made it clear Weekly Bunshun had been tracking him before the manga even launched, likely starting from its first serialized chapter.
They were simply waiting for the perfect moment, and the explosive sales were it.
And surprisingly, the article painted Kyousuke in a positive light. Throughout the piece, they only referred to him by his pen name — EGOIST.
This wasn't a case of the tabloid turning over a new leaf.
They wrote about Kyousuke taking down Aimei Aishu and the Toman gang with the kind of detail that made it sound like the reporter was there in person.
But beyond those two incidents, Kyousuke hadn't really acted out as a delinquent.
In fact, his biker gang Rampaging Angels seemed more like a tight-knit, self-styled biker club than a typical gang.
They had a surprisingly good reputation across Bunkyo Ward.
And the title "Protector" wasn't just a name they called themselves, it was what the locals called them too.
So, Weekly Bunshun gave up on digging into the "delinquent" angle.
Instead, they leaned into the contrast between Kyousuke's identities as a feared middle schooler and a bestselling manga artist.
Unlike their usual scandalous exposés, this piece fed into the public's love of over-the-top, chuunibyou-flavored heroism.
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"A middle schooler creates a bestselling manga — and he's also the top delinquent-turned-hero of Bunkyo Ward."
"Writing as EGOIST, living as a modern-day knight. Could the protagonist of One Punch Man have been inspired by his real-life persona?"
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They even interviewed people connected to him.
One upperclassman from his school was brought to tears just talking about his "boss."
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"He takes care of us in both school and life."
"Taught us how to get girlfriends. Taught us kendo."
"We're gonna win Nationals this year for sure! With that, even someone like me, who sucks at studying, can get into college and become a teacher, maybe even find love...!"
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And that wasn't just one person. Even the students who had just transferred in spoke of EGOIST with deep admiration.
His respect among peers was genuine and far-reaching.
And if that wasn't enough he had recently crushed the midterms, scoring first in the entire grade with a massive lead.
A prodigy in manga, kendo, academics. It was like he was born to make others jealous.
But wait there's more.
The magazine also interviewed some local female university students, giving readers a completely different perspective on the man behind EGOIST.
Miki (alias), a senior at Tokyo Medical and Dental University, lit up like springtime when talking about him:
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"He's so cool. If I wasn't about to graduate, I'd chase after him with everything I've got!"
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Her friend Ryoko (alias) teased her for dreaming too big, but also admitted:
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"He's the kind of guy who makes you want to fall in love the moment you see him."
"His school is right along our commute route, so we often spot him riding his black motorcycle. He drives slow, never reckless nothing like your typical biker gang.
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And I heard he even banned all bikers in Bunkyo Ward from making loud noises.
I mean seriously, isn't he basically a prince?!"
When asked about One Punch Man, they didn't hold back:
"It's amazing! I never even read manga before, but I'm gonna buy everything he ever publishes — two copies of each!"
The phenomenon even sparked real-life imitators a middle schooler tried to protect a classmate like the manga's hero and ended up with a broken nose, landing himself in the hospital.
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Everyone who read the article had the same suspicion:
Just how much did EGOIST pay Weekly Bunshun, the notoriously hard-nosed tabloid that usually digs up dirt on celebrities and refuses hush money even from top agencies?
Sitting in a café near the hospital, Sakura was wondering the same thing.
"Kyousuke, are you sure this isn't just some covert PR campaign they're running for you?" she asked, squinting at him over her cup.
Across from Kyousuke, Shouko had a completely different concern.
After reading the part of the article that mentioned those two curvy, stylish college girls gushing over Kyousuke, her mind conjured up a distressing image of him being lured into some back alley by a pair of flirty co-eds.
Her baby-faced cheeks flushed pink, then puffed up in a pout.
"Kyousuke-kun, do you really have that many girls chasing after you? Isn't it... distracting from your studies?"
She wanted to lecture those girls for being so delusional, but shy as ever, Shouko could only voice her worry with teary concern for his academic performance.
"Ahahaha, Shou-chan, don't forget Kyousuke goes to an all-boys school," Sakura teased with a laugh, trying to lighten the mood.
Kyousuke chuckled and gave Shouko a gentle pat on the head before explaining.
"Actually, My editor Shimomura-san mentioned the article to me this morning. But it wasn't arranged by us, Weekly Bunshun ran it entirely on their own."
He went on to tell them what Shimomura had explained earlier.
In the face of rising defamation lawsuits and shrinking budgets for investigative journalism, the entire weekly magazine industry in Japan was struggling.
Weekly Bunshun's sales had even dipped below 300,000 copies.
This article on Kyousuke was their way of trying something different sticking to their signature gossip, but switching focus from scandals to a new kind of "idol."
"Did they at least pay you for the publicity?" Sakura quickly caught the gap in the logic.
"Yeah, right," Kyousuke laughed. "I'm just lucky they didn't try to charge me for it."
In front of the group, each of them only had a bowl of millet porridge.
And yes, even in a café, they served millet porridge.
"I really want grilled meat…" Sakura muttered, listlessly stirring her porridge, scooping it up and pouring it back into the bowl over and over again, like she'd already given up on life.
Shouko looked like she was drinking bitter medicine, sipping slowly and wincing with every mouthful.
Even Kyousuke, who usually wiped his plate clean, hadn't touched his porridge.
Still, that didn't stop him from teasing Sakura with a grin.
"What if we head to Ginza right now? We only had ramen last night might as well make up for the fancy dinner we skipped."
"Nooo! I couldn't eat a bite right now. Ugh, I'm so hungry," Sakura groaned, completely contradicting herself.
Shouko grimaced at the mention of grilled meat.
Under normal circumstances, she'd be the first to offer to grill some for Kyousuke-kun.
But after just having gone through a gastroscopy, all she wanted was to crawl into bed.
"Alright, let's go. I doubt any of us have the energy to hang out anyway," Kyousuke said as he finished his porridge in one gulp.
The three girls immediately nodded in agreement.
Kyousuke had the café pack up three bowls of porridge for them to take home for dinner.
On the subway ride home, it felt like a kindergarten class dispersing Naoka and Shouko got off at the first stop, then Sakura, and finally Kyousuke himself.
Back at home, Naoka had just collapsed into bed for some rest when she heard Shouko start practicing voice acting again.
"Shouko, if you don't stop and take a break, I'm telling Kyousuke!" Naoka threatened, sitting up and grabbing her phone.
It wasn't that she was annoyed by the noise, it was because Shouko really needed to rest.
"Naoka~~" Shouko stopped, calling her name softly without pleading or explaining. She just stared at her with big, innocent eyes.
"Agh, Shouko, don't look at me like that!" Naoka groaned, melting under that puppy-dog gaze and the gentle, airy tone in Shouko's voice.
'Stay strong, Naoka! Don't fall for her innocent act! Focus!'
Shaking her head, she got up and pulled Shouko by the hand.
"Okay, at least rest for today. If not, I'm calling Kyousuke for real," she warned.
"Naoka~~" Shouko's voice got even softer, more kitten-like. Combined with her clear, delicate tone, it was like a fluffy little paw was kneading Naoka's heart.
"Rest! From now on, I'm keeping watch on you, you're only allowed to practice two hours a day!" Naoka's blue-violet eyes gleamed with determination.
A voice like Shouko's was a gift to the world, and she wasn't going to let her ruin it by overworking.
"Mmm… okay," Shouko finally relented.
To keep an eye on her, Naoka pulled her onto her bed, and the two lay side by side.
Naoka was too tired to talk, and Shouko quietly practiced the abdominal breathing Kyousuke had taught her.
"Inhale… and let your belly expand."
She closed her eyes.
Kyousuke's voice echoed in her memory, warm and clear. She placed a hand over her stomach, feeling it slowly rise.
"Exhale… let all the air out."
Her hand gently lowered with the motion.
Next to her, Naoka sat up.
Shouko wanted to check if she needed help, but she was so lost in the comforting memory of Kyousuke's lesson that she couldn't bring herself to open her eyes.
Naoka, meanwhile, was staring down at Shouko with a complicated expression.
Shouko's brown hair was spread out over the soft blue bedding.
The warm light cast a peaceful glow across her serene, smiling face.
One small hand rested gently on her stomach, and beneath her pink T-shirt, her tummy rose and fell with each breath.
'She looks… like she's pregnant or something,' Naoka thought, stunned.
Meanwhile, back home, Kyousuke whipped up a quick beef fried rice. His body had already bounced back to full strength.
After eating, he checked his phone and saw that his bank account had officially broken the 10-million yen mark.
Finally… he could handle that thing he'd been putting off for ages, Okudera-senpai's restaurant.
He picked up the phone and made the call. She answered quickly.
"Good evening, Okudera-senpai."
"Good evening, Kyousuke-kun. Congratulations on the manga's success!" Okudera Miki, currently staying with her family back home, she hadn't expected to hear from him tonight.
She'd planned to congratulate him in person once she was back in Tokyo.
"Haha, I was just about to send you that signed copy I promised," Kyousuke said with a grin.
He wasn't going to jump into the restaurant talk just yet, bringing it up too directly would only make things awkward.
"Ah, sorry, I'm actually back home in Chiba right now," Okudera let out a surprised gasp, covering her mouth quickly.
Realizing her voice had been a bit too loud, she gave a quick nod to her family sitting nearby, then stepped out of the living room and onto the lawn outside.
"I see. Then I'll wait until you're back in Tokyo to visit," Kyousuke replied.
"Did you have something else you wanted to talk about, Kyousuke-kun?" Okudera asked gently.
"Yeah, actually… I just got the royalties from the first volume of the manga, and honestly, I can't wait to have my first meal at your restaurant," Kyousuke said with a laugh.
"Hehe~" Okudera couldn't help but giggle at that.
The evening air was a little chilly, but just hearing those words sent a warm current straight through her heart.
"I'm still not quite ready though… I won't be able to really move forward with it until after I graduate. I'm so sorry for making my investor wait…"
As she said that she wore a cream-colored pencil skirt that hugged her figure, and the smile on her face seemed warm enough to raise the temperature of the whole garden.
Raising her left arm to cradle the elbow of the hand holding her phone, she tilted her head back, lifting her slender neck to gaze at the sky.
The weather in Chiba was beautiful as always, clear skies and a sea of stars stretching endlessly above.
As Kyousuke continued speaking on the other end of the call, asking how she was and sharing his thoughts.
Okudera's full lips moved gently as she responded, her voice soft as she talked about her plans for the future.
Choosing the location, hiring staff, selecting kitchenware, decorating the space...
The stars above were billions of light-years away, and yet, in that moment, Okudera Miki felt like one of them had fallen right into her heart.