West City, Capsule Corporation.
Mrs. Brief was watering the flowers when a sudden gust of wind swept through the garden. She hurriedly pressed down her skirt.
Before the wind had even died down, Son Goku appeared in front of her and waved.
"Hi, Mrs. Brief!"
Mrs. Brief narrowed her eyes with a smile.
"I was just wondering what kind of wind could be that strong… so it was you again, Goku!"
Then she tilted her head.
"But why didn't you ring the doorbell again?"
Goku scratched his head and laughed.
"Ahaha, sorry, Mrs. Brief. I came in the back way again…"
"Oh, no need to apologize. I don't really mind."
She looked him up and down with a playful grin.
"You've grown a little, haven't you? Finally starting to develop?"
Goku laughed.
"Boys grow up eventually."
Mrs. Brief nodded dreamily.
"If only you could suddenly grow to one-eighty meters tall, then you could go on a date with me."
"But Bulma hasn't come back from school yet. Wait at home for a bit, okay?"
"Would you like something to drink?"
Goku had been here plenty of times before. He knew that if he said "whatever," she might hand him a glass of brandy.
So he quickly said, "Cola, please."
"Alright~"
Still smiling sweetly, Mrs. Brief turned around and swayed off to pour a drink.
Goku sat down on a garden chair and waited.
A moment later, she came back with a glass of cola.
"Goku, I'm really happy you came… you know?"
"Recently, Bulma's been skipping school a lot."
"She says she already mastered everything in high school ahead of time, so staying in class all day is unbearably boring."
"And she keeps saying that a year has passed and the Dragon Balls have recharged again, so once you come, she wants to go find them with you."
Goku froze.
"Find the Dragon Balls?"
"Does she have another wish?"
Mrs. Brief thought for a moment.
"Not really. She just doesn't want to stay in school."
"You know how competitive girls are at that age. They're always showing off their boyfriends."
"But Bulma's boyfriend is you… and you're so short that she can't exactly show you off. She doesn't dare bring you to school to back her up either."
"So she keeps saying that going to school lately feels like visiting a grave."
Goku: "..."
Even though Mrs. Brief had just casually roasted his height, Goku knew she wasn't trying to hurt him.
That was just how she talked.
Besides, he hadn't finished growing yet—it wasn't that he couldn't get tall.
Still, when he thought about it, Mrs. Brief wasn't wrong.
Back in his previous life, he'd been through high school and college.
Girls with boyfriends were always happier—
someone bought them breakfast, saved them seats in the cafeteria, ran errands for them…
And when classmates saw that, their vanity was satisfied.
But Bulma had announced she had a boyfriend… yet no one had ever seen him.
They might even be mocking her behind her back, saying she had an imaginary boyfriend.
Though, to be fair, Bulma was thick-skinned enough that it probably didn't bother her too much.
Still… taking her to find the Dragon Balls again might cheer her up.
Just as that thought crossed his mind, Goku felt Bulma's ki.
He turned his head—and saw Bulma wearing goggles, diving down from the sky on a flying motorcycle.
She pulled off a flashy hard brake and jumped off.
"Bulma!"
Hearing Goku's voice, Bulma paused in surprise.
"Huh?"
She took off her goggles and finally noticed him.
Her face immediately lit up.
"Oh! Goku, when did you get here?"
Goku grinned.
"I heard you were bored at home. Come on—let's go find the Dragon Balls!"
Bulma's eyes sparkled.
"Really? Yes, yes!"
"Then go pack your things and bring the Dragon Radar. Let's head out."
She nodded eagerly.
Just as Bulma was about to go upstairs, Mrs. Brief stopped her.
"Bulma, do you have a wish this time?"
Bulma thought about it.
"Not really. Why?"
Mrs. Brief cupped her cheeks shyly.
"Then… can Mommy go with you?"
"I want a handsome boyfriend."
Bulma instantly exploded.
"No way!"
Then she grabbed Goku's hand.
"Goku, come help me pack. Staying here any longer will just make you learn bad things from her!"
"Oh—okay!"
Goku followed Bulma upstairs.
Mrs. Brief watched her daughter's back and sighed.
"Oh my… getting more and more disobedient. Looks like she's entered her rebellious phase…"
After packing clothes, Bulma and Goku went to the lab to get the Dragon Radar.
Dr. Brief happened to be tinkering with something inside.
They didn't want to disturb him—but Dr. Brief never minded being disturbed.
He had just finished an experiment and was casually flipping through a photo book.
When he saw Bulma and Goku grabbing the Dragon Radar as if they were about to leave, he looked puzzled.
"Bulma, where are you two going?"
Bulma turned to him.
"Dad, Goku and I are going to collect the Dragon Balls. Oh, and please help me ask the school for leave."
Dr. Brief's eyes lit up.
"Collecting Dragon Balls again? That's great! If you gather them this time, remember to bring Daddy back a beautiful woman."
Bulma snapped again.
"You two are really a perfect match!"
She grabbed Goku's hand.
"We're leaving!"
"Wait, wait!" Dr. Brief called out.
"I have something for you."
They stopped.
He took out a capsule and handed it to Bulma.
"What's this?" she asked.
Dr. Brief spoke seriously.
"When you're out traveling together, you must remember to take proper safety precautions…"
Feeling a sudden wave of fatherly concern, Bulma's expression softened.
She took the capsule without even checking it and stuffed it into her bag.
"Thanks, Dad… Bye!"
They left the lab.
Dr. Brief watched the two figures—one tall, one small—walk away, and muttered,
"That kind of thing is hard for a father to teach… they'll have to learn it on their own."
…
Over the past year, Bulma had become very skilled at piloting aircraft.
For long-distance travel, flying was far more convenient.
So Bulma flew while Goku lay back in the seat, sleeping.
And just like that, their new journey began.
Two hours later, Bulma brought the plane to the northern region.
"Goku, wake up. We're here…"
Goku stretched and rubbed his eyes.
"Where are we?"
Bulma pulled out the Dragon Radar and handed it to him.
"I'm not sure exactly where this is," she said,
"but the radar shows a Dragon Ball nearby. Why don't you go down and check it out?"
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