Chiga blinked when Vados asked, "You want to go to my house?" The question was small, almost casual, but it unsettled him for a moment.
He did not answer immediately. Instead, out of courtesy, he turned to Lazuli to find what she thought — after all, the house had originally belonged to Lazuli, and respect mattered.
Vados watched Lazuli closely, her gaze honest. Lazuli, who wore a cool exterior around strangers but softened for people she trusted, considered the request. The apology Vados had given earlier had smoothed the awkwardness between them, and Lazuli no longer dwelled on it. She inclined her head and agreed.
Relief and a genuine smile spread across Vados's face, and she moved to stand near Chiga, clearly ready to leave. Trunks, who had been nearby, swallowed hard, still shaken by what had happened earlier. When Vados had drawn near, every nerve in his body tightened.
Vados spared him a brief glance and said in a level tone, "You don't need to be so nervous, I won't pursue the matter of your time travel anymore."
Trunks looked tentative, "But I still have to go back. At that time, I'll still have to—"
"Suit yourself," Vados replied simply.
Only then did Trunks relax. The possibility of never returning would have weighed on him, because his mother remained in that future, and she was the last family he had left.
He could not help glancing at Bulma, and Bulma, noticing, teased him gently, "Little brother, why are you looking at me like that?"
Trunks reddened and waved his hand, embarrassed. "I'm sorry, that was rude of me," he stammered.
Chiga clapped a hand on his shoulder and said, "Alright, there's nothing left to hide. Tell them everything that happened in the future. I'm heading back first."
Without waiting for Trunks to respond, Chiga gathered Vados and Lazuli and left for home.
Lapis was not there; the motorcycle was gone from the entrance, so he likely would not return that night. Once they reached the house, Chiga let the imposing presence he had just held fall away.
His white, tight-fitting trench coat melted into comfortable black loungewear, and Lazuli retreated to her room to change, slipping into a simple white outfit; together they looked almost like a couple who had matched their clothes by chance.
Vados considered changing as well. "Should I change my clothes?" she asked, slightly diffident. "My outfit seems a little strange to people on Earth. Someone once asked me if I was doing cosplay."
Lazuli laughed softly, amused. "It's 'cosplay,' yes. They were asking if you were doing character role‑playing."
Vados's curiosity bloomed like a child's at every new word. "Character role-playing? What kind of Earth character would I be?"
Lazuli hesitated, then said, "It's hard to say, but your outfit has an exotic style that stands out."
Vados looked down at her long robe and with a thought the garment shifted, forming into a white‑and‑green short‑sleeved shirt and clean white shorts. The change made her figure more visible; she turned and looked at Chiga, asking, "How is it, does this outfit suit me?"
Chiga nodded with a slightly old‑fashioned air. Vados's shape could rival many women from the One Piece World, and that high white ponytail suited Chiga's taste.
A light sense of competitiveness flickered through Lazuli, and she unconsciously straightened, aware of the subtle comparison, but she didn't voice it.
After changing, Vados lost some of the otherworldly aura she had carried earlier, stepping barefoot into the living room to sink onto the sofa and inspect the décor with obvious curiosity.
Lazuli brought a tray with water and three boxes of ice cream. Vados peered at the pale sweet and exclaimed in surprise, "Huh, white scoops?"
Lazuli smirked, "This is ice cream, it's delicious, don't call it anything else." She scooped up a spoonful and first offered it to Chiga, who smiled and tasted it. Lazuli then ate from the spoon as if that were the most natural thing in the world.
Vados watched them eat, fascinated, as if the simple intimacy of sharing food filled a space she had not known was empty.
She soon tried the ice cream herself, delight evident as she finished a large box and placed the empty container on the table. "Thank you for the treat," she said politely, genuinely pleased. "This thing called ice cream is very tasty." In her universe, such pleasures were rare; the Earth of the Seventh Universe had more to offer a palate than her Sixth Universe ever had.
Chiga smiled at Vados's surprised contentment. Even beings called gods could enjoy simple, earthly pleasures.
After a moment he asked, "Why don't you stay tonight? I'll cook."
Lazuli's eyes lit up. "You can cook, Chiga?"
"A little," he said. "I haven't done it in a while, but I can manage."
His skill dated back to the time he spent as an orphan on Planet Earth and during his first travels into the Naruto world; cooking had always been one of the fundamentals he'd learned to rely on. He was in a good mood and intended to show off a bit of what he could do.
Lazuli jumped from the sofa, eager. "I'll go buy ingredients, go ahead and prepare. Impress us."
She hurried out to the store, leaving Chiga and Vados alone.
Vados rested her hands on the arm of the sofa and seemed lost in thought.
Chiga sipped water and watched her for a moment, then asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Vados moved closer, speaking with a seriousness that softened the room. She looked straight into Chiga's eyes and asked, "Chiga, if someone decided to make this universe disappear, what would you do?"
Chiga's face, for once, betrayed no hint of surprise. He understood exactly what she meant. Zeno, who casually spoke of erasing entire things, came to mind.
He placed his cup back on the table with deliberate calm and said,
"Then I'll make that person disappear first."
---