Chapter 121
"Okay!" Shizune nodded, stood up, and walked behind Saitama. She placed her hands on his shoulders and began to knead them using the massage technique she’d recently learned.
"How is it?" she asked after a while. Her hands trembled slightly at first—still not used to the movements—but gradually became steady and firm.
"Not bad. Feels good," Saitama replied, leaning back slightly into her touch, visibly relaxing.
"Hehe." Shizune was startled by his response, pausing for a second.
"Don’t stop now. What, you scared?" Saitama teased her with his eyes half-closed, clearly enjoying the massage.
"Anyway, I’ve mastered the Shōsen Jutsu—the Mystical Palm Technique—these past few days. Tsunade-sama even said I have talent."
She spoke casually, her breath lightly brushing the back of Saitama’s neck since they were sitting almost at the same height. Saitama had propped himself on a wooden beam, which was level with Shizune’s standing height.
"Oh, amazing. Truly impressive," Saitama said sarcastically, voice dripping with mock praise.
"Hmph." Shizune clearly didn’t appreciate the sarcasm and increased the pressure of her hands.
"Hey, hey! I was just kidding!" he winced slightly, though not from pain. Thanks to his trained body, the pressure didn’t actually hurt—but teasing each other like this had become second nature.
"Hmph. See if I let you off next time." Shizune eased her hands, returning to a normal rhythm.
"If you’re so good at it, maybe you should teach me," Saitama murmured, letting his head rest on her hand.