Chapter 48 — Fourty-Eight Punch
"Ah, I really didn't expect something like this to happen. A few hours ago, 'Window' did detect abnormal cursed energy fluctuations coming from the direction of the Ghost City, but since fluctuations there are common, it didn't raise any alarms."
Satoru Gojo arrived at the scene, looking at the pile of ruins, and sighed softly, "Ugh… this is really brutal…"
His gaze traveled from the debris on the ground to Saitama standing atop the wreckage. Gojo let out a soft "hmm" through his nose and tilted his head.
Saitama stood on the ruins of the apartment building, bent over, searching through the rubble.
The bald man casually picked up a few chunks of stone and tossed them aside, then, with a "rumble," lifted a broken wall five or six meters wide, steel rebars dangling from its edges, bending under it to search for something.
"Saitama, what are you looking for?" Gojo asked, curiosity lacing his voice. "Something important?"
"Yes. Very important." Saitama replied solemnly, still facing away from him.
Gojo had asked casually, not expecting such a serious answer, and he was momentarily taken aback.
The situation with the Ghost City was abnormal enough, and seeing Saitama so seriously scouring the ruins, one thought immediately sprang to Gojo's mind.
Could it be— the one responsible for reducing the Ghost City to this state was searching for something located there?
But if it was something in the long-abandoned city, the person most likely to do this… had already died a year ago, hadn't they?
Or perhaps someone else came looking for something different, and only Saitama knew its location—hence his relentless searching here…?
Thinking this through, Gojo couldn't resist asking, "What are you looking for? Could it be a special-grade cursed tool or something?"
"No…"
Saitama continued his solemn search, his brows furrowed in concentration. "It's a second-hand microwave I bought just last week… cost over ten thousand yen. I don't even know if I can get it back."
"..."
Gojo was speechless. So it was just a microwave?
Watching Saitama rummaging through the ruins, Gojo couldn't help but comment, "Saitama, it's okay if those things are gone. The school can provide you with a new one. Besides, you're about to officially become a Grade 4 sorcerer. As long as you meet the minimum activity requirements, your dedicated allowance will be issued soon."
"If that doesn't work, there's me. I can lend you some money," he suggested.
"No need."
Saitama held a bent metal coat hanger, weighing it before snapping it straight with a "click." "These things can still be used. It'd be a waste to throw them away."
For Gojo, whose ordinary shirt alone cost over 200,000 yen, seeing Saitama digging through dust and rubble for a likely already-crushed second-hand microwave was hard to imagine.
But after a moment, he chose not to stop him. Instead, he stepped over the rubble toward Saitama.
"I'll help you."
Gojo came up beside Saitama and lifted a heavy concrete slab with one hand.
"Oh…"
Saitama straightened, staring blankly at Gojo's hand. Though it seemed like Gojo had lifted the concrete, in reality, his palm was about a centimeter away from it.
"Look underneath, see if it's there?" Gojo asked.
"My cactus!" Saitama bent down quickly, picking up a small cactus that had fallen out of its pot.
The next moment, his hand was pricked sharply by its spines. Saitama tossed the cactus like a juggling prop, switching hands repeatedly. "Ouch! These spikes are brutal!"
Gojo loosened his grip, letting the concrete fall with a "thud," sending a wave of dust over Saitama's head. His face turned into a gray, egg-shaped mess with dead-fish eyes.
Yet the dust and debris that surged around Gojo curiously hovered along the contours of his body, forming a faint outline of Gojo in midair.
"Shhh-shhh"—a light rustle as the dust fell, yet Gojo remained spotless, standing still.
His round sunglasses gleamed, and his white shirt shone as if it had been burned into perfection in the night, a stark contrast to Saitama's cloak, now gray with dust.
"You're amazing," Saitama said, admiring Gojo. Dust trickled off his face as he spoke.
"Ha, that's the effect of my technique, 'Limitless'."
Gojo took the cactus from Saitama, tossed it lightly into the air, and opened his palm beneath it.
The cactus rose to its peak, hovered briefly, then started to drop vertically. But just before it reached Gojo's hand, it seemed to lose gravity, suspended midair above his palm.
The white spines were mere millimeters from Gojo's skin—but those few millimeters were as if they could never touch him.
"Oh, you can catch a cactus barehanded, like magic," Saitama marveled.
"Magic? Haha, that kind of trickery isn't comparable to my technique."
Gojo smirked, a self-satisfied curve on his lips. "My Limitless technique prevents external objects from touching my body. Dust, anything—can only reach the 'infinity' that lies between them and me."
Gojo held the cactus, then leaned closer, raising an eyebrow. "Saitama, I remember telling you about this, right? Back when I gave you a tour of the school on your first day—"
Saitama's expression looked a little vacant. "Really? I wasn't paying much attention, so I don't remember."
"…Huh." Gojo paused, then confidently added, "Now that you've seen it firsthand, does this make the world of Jujutsu more interesting to you?"
"Not at all," Saitama replied with the same blank expression.
Gojo flipped his hand, returning the cactus to Saitama.
…
After thoroughly searching through the ruins, Saitama, now covered in dust, slung a large bag over his back. It was filled with slightly usable scraps he had salvaged. He followed Gojo to the entrance of the Jujutsu High campus.
The campus was serene under the night sky. The wind swept through the surrounding forests, stirring faint rustling sounds among the branches. Gojo led Saitama directly toward the boys' dormitory.
"Normally, the school doesn't allow interns to apply for dorm rooms," Gojo explained casually as they walked, "but if an intern is already a ranked sorcerer, that's a different matter. Nanami already told me your promotion is almost certain. You'll soon become a Grade 4, so giving you a room in advance isn't a problem."
"That really helps a lot," Saitama said happily, the items in his bag clattering as he walked. "I was worried about where to stay tonight—almost considered going to an internet café or pitching a tent on the ruins."
The clinking sounds of the items echoed through the hallway as they walked. Eventually, a sound came from one of the rooms.
The door swung open with a "bang," and a hedgehog-like head peeked out.
"Keep it down in the hallway…" Megumi Fushiguro said, grabbing his thick black hair, half annoyed. But when he saw the dust-covered Saitama, he froze. "Saitama? What are you doing in the dorm? And… why do you look like that?"
"This is because…" Saitama paused for a few seconds, "…my house collapsed."
"..."
Megumi first looked stunned, then seemed to suddenly understand something.
He staggered back two steps, covering his mouth with his hand, eyes wide in shock, and looked directly at Gojo.
"Gojo-sensei…" the boy said, astonished. "I didn't expect you'd go this far just to dump work on Saitama…"
"No! That's not it!" Gojo waved his hands frantically. "Megumi, don't look at me like I'm trash!"
After hearing the full explanation from Gojo, Megumi gave him a distrustful glance (Gojo thought: Megumi, your gaze really hurts my heart), then turned to Saitama. "So… have you picked a dorm room yet?"
"No, not yet," Saitama replied.
"Then let me show you around."
The three stood on the first floor. Megumi scratched the back of his head as he explained: "This building is the boys' dorm; the building across the way is the girls' dorm. First-year rooms are on this floor. On the second floor live senior students like Toge and Panda."
"You already know my room. Next to me is Itadori's room. That one over there is Yoshino's. They're both out for other training, so their rooms are empty for now. The rest are all vacant rooms," he said. "You can choose whichever you like."
Saitama's eyes landed on the nearest empty room—the one on the other side of Megumi's room. "Any room's fine… Actually, this one is pretty good…"
Before he could finish, a familiar voice called from the direction of the dorm entrance.
"Saitama-sensei!"
"Oh, that's Genos' voice!"
Saitama froze and quickly turned to look. However, upon seeing Genos approaching in long strides, all three—Saitama, Gojo, and Megumi—were stunned.
Genos looked completely different from usual. His upper body was bare, with even the chest plating removed, exposing the core, gears, and pipes of his torso. Parts of his arms were dismantled, leaving only the metal framework as support.
Most striking, however, was Genos' head—his once-shiny blond hair had a perfectly circular bald patch in the middle, similar to the plate on a kappa's head. This was because part of the head casing had also been removed and not yet reinstalled.
"Whoa! Genos!" Saitama exclaimed. "Why did you come running here with your head exposed like that?!"
"Yesterday, I missed your email due to ongoing modifications, which forced me to chase the plane to Kyoto. This time, I arranged with the doctor to monitor my phone messages during the modifications," Genos said solemnly. "When I received your email earlier, I was in the middle of a modification session at the doctor's lab. Learning that your home had been destroyed, I came immediately."
"No need to rush so much…"
Saitama mumbled, but Genos didn't continue with that topic. Instead, he asked, "Saitama-sensei, you're going to stay in the dorm now, right? Then I should apply for a dorm too. Which room are you planning to take?"
"I think the rooms here are all pretty nice," Saitama said, pointing to the one he had just noticed. "This one's good—bright and spacious. The floor-to-ceiling window faces the courtyard in the back, with the small artificial stream and rocks. It's… a calming view."
"Really? As expected from sensei's judgment," Genos nodded appreciatively. "Then I'll move my things into the room before dawn."
"Huh?" Saitama was shocked. "You're going to share a room with me? No way!"
"Why not?" Genos asked, puzzled, tilting his exposed head. "The dorm room is about the same size as your old home. And I'm a cyborg—I don't need as much living space as a normal person. Sensei, just give me one square meter—I'll sit there and observe how you get stronger. You can treat me like furniture, even hang your cloak on me, it's fine."
"No, I absolutely refuse!" Saitama said firmly. "No normal person could treat you like furniture! Just imagining it is terrifying!"
"…I see. If that's the case…"
The next second, the exposed-headed cyborg stepped forward and stood in front of Megumi Fushiguro.
"Though this might sound sudden, Fushiguro, I want the room next to sensei to be mine," Genos said matter-of-factly.
Megumi's expression froze for a moment, still in that amused 'watching the show' look, then he went completely speechless. "Huh?"
"It'll take me about five hours to return to Dr. Kuseno, complete the modifications, and organize my things. Could you clear out your stuff during that time? I'll move my luggage in then. Thanks in advance," Genos said, completely oblivious to Megumi's obvious reluctance.
"Can't you just give up your stubborn insistence on following Saitama-sensei everywhere?" Megumi crossed his arms. "I've been living in this room for months, have a lot of stuff, and I don't want to move."
"No, I must stay next to sensei," Genos insisted. "The room sensei picked happens to be at the very end. Your room is the only one next to it."
"Then let Saitama move to a different room," Megumi said unhappily. "There are plenty of empty rooms."
"Are you trying to make sensei give up the room he picked?" Genos' tone sharpened. "This is the room Saitama-sensei personally chose! He said the view of the artificial stream and rocks would help him stay calm!"
"..."
As Genos and Megumi bickered, Gojo remained silent for a moment, then leaned over to the stunned Saitama and asked, "Is it really okay to let them keep arguing like this? If it escalates into a fight, the two of them might destroy the dorm in a frenzy. Then you'd have nowhere to sleep tonight."
Saitama suddenly shivered and stepped forward a few paces, "Hey, you two, don't fight in my new home! Genos, no incinerators!"
Hearing this, Genos and Megumi—both about to start a childish fistfight—froze.
Saitama continued, face serious, "Also, Genos, the room across from yours is empty. You can live there too."
"Understood, sensei!" Genos immediately agreed.
"Seriously…" Megumi muttered, utterly speechless.
At this moment, Gojo, who had been watching the scene, chimed in: "Since that's settled, Saitama and Genos, you two should sign the dorm application forms."
---
After signing the forms, Genos left Jujutsu High to go to Dr. Kuseno and complete the remaining repairs.
Saitama placed the items he had salvaged from the ruins onto the dorm floor and began unpacking them one by one.
With a series of clinks and clatters, crooked hangers, chipped tea sets, a piggy bank missing an ear, a watering can with a broken handle, and dirty cushions were all placed on the floor.
There was also a pile of Saitama's weird graphic T-shirts and hoodies, covered with words like "OPPAI," "Nose Hair," "Hot Water," "Mirin," and so on.
"The tea set is usable… but the clothes need washing…"
He checked the other items while also pulling out some rescued manga, "Only volumes one and three of Sun Man were saved. Damn, I haven't finished the final volume yet."
Finally, Saitama washed everything he brought back and arranged it in the dorm. What had been a model-room-like dorm now gained a distinctly Saitama-like domestic touch.
After hanging the clean clothes, sheets, and curtains on the balcony, he laid out the school-provided bedding on the empty bed and flopped down, wearing the dark, plain T-shirt and pants borrowed from Megumi.
The tight suit, cape, gloves, and boots he had changed out of were also cleaned and hung on crooked hangers on the balcony, water dripping down.
Saitama stared at his yellow hero suit for a moment.
"So boring," he muttered. "Clothes and cape aren't dry yet, so I can't go for a walk or take out curses. If I dirty Megumi's clothes, he'll scold me."
"Come to think of it, it's been a month since I joined Jujutsu High. I thought joining would drastically change my life, but this past month… nothing really memorable happened. The enemies are still the same—one punch, and it's over."
He gazed listlessly at the white ceiling.
"What am I even doing?"
Suddenly, someone knocked on the room door.
"Oh?"
Saitama lifted his bald head from the bed and saw a pale beige head poking in, the lower half of the face hidden by a high collar, along with a round panda head.
"I heard Saitama moved in, so we came to check it out," Panda said simply. "How is it? Getting used to it?"
"Not bad… just too boring," Saitama replied, lying back down.
"Well…" Panda hesitated, "there's a game console in Toge's room. Want to play?"
Saitama jumped up immediately.
"Sure! Let's go." he said excitedly.
…
Fifteen minutes later.
"Saitama, how did you die again? I told you to watch out for its hands when challenging the final boss, but you didn't dodge at all—just kept hitting with normal attacks."
"Got trampled by a boar, poisoned by a mushroom, got killed by a mini-boss… that's your third death already."
Panda and Toge gripped their controllers, glancing back at Saitama. His face turned bright red, his features trembling into wavy lines from the stress. The earlier existential boredom from doing nothing had completely vanished amidst the game.
"Trash game! Trash game! Trash game!" (←Saitama couldn't say anything else)
***
(Sorry for the sudden disappearance, got my phone snatched back then which contains all my files. It's already been half a month, I thought I would never got it back, fortunately, I retrieve it thanks to the police.)
So, I'm back!!