"Mmm............"
After teleporting back to the bedroom, Shin carried Tohru in his arms, who had already fallen into a deep sleep.
Following their earlier "energetic release" in outer space, Tohru had finally calmed down—though the moment she relaxed, exhaustion overtook her, and she dozed off.
Shin carefully observed Tohru's ki. The result? She had indeed grown stronger, but most of the planetary energy had been expelled during their… activities.
And those expelled energies were nothing to scoff at—during their cosmic escapade, the sheer force radiating from Tohru had even shattered nearby asteroids.
"Planetary energy is more intense than I thought. Guess I can't just hand it out to anyone."
Shin pondered. In Dragon Ball Super, Moro had granted energy to others without any adverse effects. But now, it seemed that wasn't just because the Galactic Prison inmates were already formidable—it was also because Moro had precise control over how much energy he distributed.
Moro could accurately gauge each person's limit and grant them just enough to enhance them without overloading their bodies. Saganbo's eventual collapse was only because he insisted on receiving more energy than he could handle.
But Shin lacked that level of discernment. That kind of precision came from Moro's experience—something Shin hadn't inherited. He'd have to figure it out through trial and error.
"Still… maybe we shouldn't do that in space again."
Shin rubbed his stiff arm. Doing that in zero gravity had been… uniquely challenging.
Novel? Sure. But it was also exhausting—more so than fighting Frieza, honestly. His muscles still ached from the awkward maneuvering.
Not to mention, space wasn't exactly clean. Dust and debris clung to him—probably remnants of cosmic particles and asteroid fragments.
If Earth's space agencies ever found out, they'd probably scramble to scrape samples off him, hoping to collect extraterrestrial soil.
But all that "space dirt" had already been washed away under the shower, swirling down the drain with no hope of recovery.
"Alright, Tohru, time to wake up~."
After cleaning up, Shin glanced at Tohru, who was now soaking in the bathtub, and called out to her with a sigh.
She was just as dust-covered as he had been, so he couldn't just toss her into bed like that. Hence, the bath.
Though their cosmic exertion had drained her, Tohru's body had Avalon constantly repairing her, and Shin had even used Hayasaka's maid-outfit Stand ability on her. She should be awake by now.
Sure enough, at his call, Tohru's drowsy eyes fluttered open, landing on him.
Noticing they were in the bathroom, she stretched her arms toward Shin like a sleepy cat.
"Shin, wash me."
Hearing her groggy request, Shin sighed.
But considering she had just helped him test planetary energy's effects, he didn't refuse. Grabbing the showerhead, he grumbled as he walked over:
"Seriously, who's the master and who's the maid here?"
"Hehe~"
Tohru giggled, completely ignoring his complaint as she enjoyed the sensation of Shin's hands and the warm water running over her skin.
Though she'd been a little jealous earlier because of Eriri's antics, she'd already moved past it.
Tohru was quick to jealousy—but also very easy to appease.
Today had been peaceful overall, aside from the little "experimental mishap" with Tohru at night.
But thanks to that mishap, Tohru wouldn't be waking up again until tomorrow—meaning she was out of commission for any further nighttime activities.
Just as Shin shut down his computer, ending his late-night gaming session, his phone suddenly rang.
Not many people would call him this late. Glancing at the screen, he saw the name: Vignette.
"...Did Gabriel cause trouble again?"
His first thought was that the lazy angel had pulled another stunt, prompting Vignette to contact him.
But then again, if Gabriel had done something, she probably would've mentioned it during their gaming session earlier.
And during their dungeon raid, Gabriel had been her usual self—if not more hyperactive than usual, charging ahead with the gear he'd whaled for her.
That equipment would keep her overpowered for a long time, so she'd likely stay in high spirits for a while.
Probably not a Gabriel-related issue, then.
With that in mind, Shin answered the call.
"...Hello? Vignette? What's up so late?"
"Oh, good! You're still awake!"
Relief colored Vignette's voice as she heard him pick up.
The reason she'd called this late was simple—she knew Shin, like Gabriel, was a night owl when it came to gaming.
He might not pull all-nighters, but he definitely wouldn't be asleep yet.
"Shin, are you home right now? I'm coming over."
"Huh?"
Shin blinked.
A girl visiting his house this late at night? That… wasn't something to take lightly.
Sure, he and Gabriel had gotten pretty close, but things with Vignette hadn't progressed that far, right?
"Ah—n-not like that! I-I mean, I've gathered the money!"
Hearing his bewildered tone, Vignette seemed to realize how her words could be misinterpreted. Her voice turned flustered, and even without seeing her face, Shin could picture her blushing furiously.
"S-so I wanted to come buy back the… the First of Horn of Apocalypse that Gabriel sold to you!"
Shin raised an eyebrow.
He knew the price he'd paid for the Trumpet of Doom—Gabriel had surely told Vignette. For a high schooler, it was an astronomical sum.
Yet Vignette had somehow scraped it together?
He had no idea how she'd managed it, but he nodded.
"Alright… come over. I'll be waiting."
To be continued…
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