"The Two-Star Dragon Ball?"
Yamiru practically sprang forward, leaping lightly to land in front of Son Goku. Taking the Dragon Ball from him, he examined it closely. Sure enough, it was the Two-Star Ball.
"Such good luck?"
Yamiru found it amusing. "We haven't even officially started our Dragon Ball search, and we already have the Four-Star, the Seven-Star, and now the Two-Star."
Son Goku grinned as he counted on his fingers. "So, there's still the One-Star, Three-Star, Five-Star, and Six-Star Ball! One, two, three, four—just four more!"
Bulma, with her hands clasped behind her back, glanced at the Saiyan boy.
Counting to five and needing his fingers? This completely shattered Bulma's worldview. She was now even more convinced this guy was an idiot.
"No, we only need three more," Yamiru corrected with a smile. "The Three-Star Ball is with Master Roshi. Goku, you remember him, right?"
"Yeah!" Son Goku nodded enthusiastically. He raised his hand toward the starry sky and shouted, "Flying Nimbus!"
Whoosh—
Suddenly, a streak of light flashed across the night sky, responding to Goku's call, like a meteor descending from above.
Swish—
A golden cloud descended from the sky, swirling gracefully before settling in the garden of the Brief family's estate. It hovered steadily in front of Son Goku.
Goku jumped onto the Nimbus, bouncing joyfully as though on a trampoline. "Of course, I remember Grandpa Roshi! He gave me this Flying Nimbus. He's a good guy!"
Bulma had already widened her mouth in surprise when the Nimbus descended. Now, seeing Goku hopping up and down on it, her mouth formed a perfect "O", utterly stunned.
"Oh yeah, now that I think about it, Grandpa Roshi did have a bead on his necklace," Goku recalled as he bounced on the cloud. "I didn't realize it was a Dragon Ball back then!"
Curious, Bulma moved closer to the Nimbus.
As she observed the golden, wave-like ripples of the cloud up close, so vibrant and full of life, little Bulma couldn't help but reach out to touch it.
Yamiru chuckled. He was about to remind Bulma that she could use the watch they had designed during training with Jiora to adjust her size for safety. To his surprise, Bulma let out a little "Ha!" and actually climbed onto the Nimbus! Wearing her small white sneakers, she curiously and excitedly bounced on the soft, golden surface of the cloud.
Son Goku looked at her. "Looks like you're a good kid, too."
Bulma met his gaze. "Of course I am." After all, she was cute and well-behaved.
"…"
Yamiru furrowed his brows as he watched the boy and girl gazing at each other on the Nimbus. The more he looked, the more he thought they made a perfect match, and the more pleasing they seemed together.
He resisted the urge, forcing himself to suppress the ridiculous thought of matchmaking.
Yamiru had a more mature mindset than both Son Goku and Bulma at this stage, coupled with a deeper understanding of the two. If he wanted to push them together, there was a high probability of success. Yamiru was acutely aware of this. And precisely because he was aware, he understood that it would be unfair to these two innocent children.
What right did he have to interfere with someone else's happiness?
How was this any different from an older man manipulating a young girl? Both were instances of using the advantages of adulthood to influence immature children, solely for personal satisfaction.
When Dragon Ball was merely a fictional comic, Yamiru could ship characters however he pleased. But now that Son Goku and Bulma were living, breathing children he cared about, his priority was to protect them, not impose his will on their lives. That self-righteous phrase, "This is for your own good", was precisely what he had always detested the most.
"Ha-ha~!"
"So much fun~!"
The Flying Nimbus carried the two children through the sky, zipping back and forth. Yamiru watched with a smile. It was nothing more than pure friendship between kids — why interpret it through the lens of an adult?
He made up his mind: whether Son Goku ended up with Bulma, Chi-Chi, or someone else in the future, or even lived alone, as his older brother figure, he would wholeheartedly wish him happiness.
From the second-floor window, Dr. and Mrs. Brief watched the garden with smiles. Illuminated by the glow of streetlights and garden lamps, Bulma's crisp laughter sounded even more delightful.
"It's rare to see something bring out this childlike side of Bulma," Mrs. Brief said, holding her cheeks and smiling with squinted eyes. "She's just too smart for her age. Without her sister around, she hasn't had a friend her own age to play with. College is full of people ten years older than her."
Dr. Brief, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, scratched his head and said, "It's not so bad."
---
The next morning.
"Mmm~
Bulma stretched lazily and sat up on her massive princess bed. Rubbing her eyes, she recalled the fun she'd had last night playing on the Flying Nimbus. The memory brought a grin to her face as she remembered the exciting adventure to search for Dragon Balls starting today. With a spring in her step, she tossed aside the weightless blanket and headed to freshen up.
"Huff, huff, huff…"
Standing on a stool, Bulma brushed her teeth and washed her face. Following her usual routine, she tied her hair into two high pigtails, feeling lively and refreshed.
Back in her room, she slung her prepared backpack over her shoulders and happily skipped to the dining room. There, she found her father feeding the black cat while her mother sat reading a magazine and nibbling on sweets.
"Where are they? Still not up?"
Skipping the chair, Bulma grabbed a glass of milk, took a big gulp, and tore a slice of bread to dip into some jam.
"Yamiru and little Goku? They were up at the crack of dawn," Mrs. Brief said, her eyes seemingly never fully open. "Such hardworking young men."
"They've already had breakfast and are waiting for you in the front yard," Dr. Brief added, shaking a piece of dried fish for the cat.
"Got it! I'm off!" Bulma gulped down one last sip of milk, leaving the rest half-finished on the table, before bounding toward the front yard. "Bye-bye~ I'll say hi to my sister for you~"
"Stay safe! If there's any danger, stick close to Yamiru!" Dr. Brief called after her. But all he saw at the end of the hallway was Bulma's little hand waving goodbye before she disappeared. Chuckling helplessly, he shook the dried fish for the cat and, noticing the half-empty glass of milk, asked his wife, "Do you want it?"
Mrs. Brief shook her head, and Dr. Brief poured the milk into the cat's bowl, letting it soak the dried fish.
---
Not long after.
In front of the Briefs' house, the golden Nimbus floated low as the boy with the red staff strapped to his back leaped aboard. He then reached out and pulled up the slightly taller girl carrying a backpack.
Meanwhile, a young man, about 5'7, tossed a capsule onto the open ground. With a puff of smoke, a small aircraft bearing the Capsule Corporation logo appeared.
However, the young man didn't climb into the pilot's seat immediately. Instead, he tossed another capsule.
With another puff of smoke, a utility robot appeared.
The robot entered the cockpit, while the young man waved to the two kids on the Nimbus before settling into the co-pilot seat.
"I'll leave it to you, Mr. Aza-va," Yamiru said to the robot in the pilot's seat.
The robot, designed to resemble a superhero, gave Yamiru a stiff thumbs-up and responded with an equally stiff mechanical smile, "Rest assured, I will teach you how to pilot this aircraft!"
"Hey~~ Yamiru~~!"
Outside, Bulma, holding onto Son Goku's shoulder, checked the Dragon Radar. Goku, meanwhile, waved enthusiastically at Yamiru inside the plane. "Keep up, okay~~!"
Yamiru responded with an "OK" gesture.
Whoosh—
The Flying Nimbus soared into the sky, with the small plane following close behind.
Both the Nimbus and the plane, at full throttle, moved incredibly fast. Bulma used Goku as a windbreak, occasionally adjusting their course based on the Dragon Radar's display. In just half a day, the Nimbus and the plane had reached the source of the nearest Dragon Ball signal.
It was a mountain valley.