Bulma's voice was calm and measured as she introduced No.18.
When Yamcha heard that they were just two students, he didn't think much of it.
Still, he politely greeted Kaito. But when his gaze shifted to No.18, she turned her head away immediately, clearly not interested in acknowledging him.
From the brief exchange she overheard earlier, No.18 had already concluded that Yamcha was just another womanizer. And to a woman like her, a scumbag was the last kind of man worth her attention.
Of course, she had no idea that the man standing beside her — Kaito — was on a completely different level when it came to such matters. In fact, the gap between them in that regard was several times greater than the gap in their combat strength.
Not that Kaito saw himself as a "womanizer." In his mind, as a king, wasn't it perfectly natural for him to have a few queens?
Yamcha, still hoping to make small talk with the beautiful No.18, ended up embarrassed when she gave him the cold shoulder. He scratched his nose awkwardly, while Bulma let out a few cold, mocking laughs from the side.
The atmosphere grew awkward — even the usually lively Mrs. Briefs went quiet.
That was when Kaito stepped forward, smiling warmly at Yamcha as he asked,
"I heard Yamcha-san is quite the martial artist, and that you've even competed in the World Martial Arts Tournament multiple times?"
Kaito simply felt a bit sorry for Yamcha and wanted to help him save face with a light conversation.
The moment he heard that, Yamcha's confidence returned. He had always been proud of his martial arts achievements, so once the topic came up, he couldn't help but brighten up.
"Haha! Didn't expect you to know about that! Yeah, I've participated before. Though, well… nothing too amazing, I've never taken first place. I usually just make it to the quarterfinals, that's all!"
Despite the modest words, his head was practically tilting back in pride — it was obvious he was bragging.
Still, it was understandable. Making it into the quarterfinals of the World Martial Arts Tournament was already an impressive feat. Ever since the tournaments began, the top contestants were rarely even human anymore.
Bulma, however, had long grown tired of hearing about it. His so-called accomplishments didn't impress her at all — not when she had once known a man named Goku.
No.18, on the other hand, was simply annoyed by Yamcha's smug face. She let out a sharp "hmph" and said mockingly,
"That's... kinda average. I bet if Kaito joined, he could at least make it to the semifinals!"
The moment she said that, everyone except Kaito turned to look at her in surprise.
Even though Bulma was completely disappointed in Yamcha, she had to admit that, aside from Goku and his friends, there were practically no ordinary people on Earth who could even last a single move against Yamcha.
Just being able to fly and fire ki blasts already made him superhuman by normal standards.
Of course, Yamcha's most famous move — the Spirit Ball — always made Kaito's scalp tingle whenever he heard the name.
Yamcha, meanwhile, took it as a joke. To him, Kaito was nothing more than an ordinary high school kid. Sure, the boy was handsome, but he didn't look like someone who could fight.
He chuckled, gave No.18 a thumbs-up, and said with a grin,
"Maybe! Who knows, maybe this Kaito kid could even take first place!"
No.18 easily caught the sarcasm in his tone. Her brows lifted, and then she looked up at Kaito with a teasing, expectant glimmer in her eyes.
She had never watched a martial arts tournament before, but from her own experience, she was certain Kaito's physique was beyond monstrous — easily enough to crush a showboating scumbag like Yamcha.
Then, something stirred deep within her — a hidden instinct buried in all women: the art of acting cute.
"Kaito~ look at him~ can't you show him a little of your strength?"
For someone usually so aloof, No.18's soft, playful tone didn't sound out of place at all — in fact, it was devastatingly charming. Yamcha was practically stunned on the spot.
Kaito's lips twitched. He'd only been trying to ease Yamcha's embarrassment, and somehow the situation had turned back on him.
But to everyone else, his hesitation looked like fear. After all, who would believe that a high schooler could spar with a professional martial artist — one who'd actually reached the quarterfinals of the World Martial Arts Tournament?
Bulma quickly spoke up, trying to defuse the situation.
"Lazuli, how about I show you two around the company instead? Fighting can get people hurt, you know."
She shot Yamcha a glare, and he immediately played along.
"Yeah, yeah, students should focus on studying. Fighting's not a good idea!"
Hearing that, No.18 sighed and reluctantly backed down. She realized she might've gone too far — after all, Yamcha wasn't her problem; he was Bulma's.
Still, she couldn't help feeling a little disappointed that she wouldn't get to see Kaito teach that scumbag a lesson.
Her soft sigh, however, made Kaito change his mind.
No.18 had just acted all cute with him — how could he let her down as a man?
Amid everyone's astonished looks, Kaito spoke up.
"Actually, a friendly match doesn't sound too bad. I've always wanted to see a martial artist's technique up close."
Bulma nearly cursed under her breath — Idiot!
She had gone out of her way to help him save some reputation, even that little vixen had already backed off, and yet this guy went and threw himself right back into it!
Mrs. Briefs, on the other hand, clapped cheerfully.
"That's the spirit, young man! Go for it, Kaito-kun, I'm rooting for you!"
No.18 hadn't expected Kaito to actually agree. By now, she didn't even want him to fight anymore — Bulma was right, fighting was dangerous.
Even if she was sure Kaito would win, Yamcha was still a trained martial artist. What if Kaito got hurt?
She quickly stepped forward and said,
"Kaito, forget it, okay? I was being childish just now. Let's go back."
Kaito gently hooked a finger under her nose, leaned close to her ear, and whispered,
"Come on, admit it — you want me to teach that jerk a lesson, don't you? Don't worry. Just watch."
Then he straightened up, and before No.18 could react, he pressed a light kiss to her forehead.
Her face instantly turned red as a tomato, her body frozen like a porcelain doll.
Kaito smiled faintly at her adorable reaction before turning to walk toward Yamcha.
As he moved, he reached up and removed his black-framed glasses — a flash of golden light flickered in his eyes.
In that instant, Yamcha felt an overwhelming pressure crash down on him.
It was as if he had suddenly become a tiny boat adrift in a vast, stormy sea — one that could be swallowed whole at any moment.