Once Bulma turned away, Goku hurriedly stripped off his dirty clothes,
tossed them into the washer, and dashed into the bathroom.
Hearing his footsteps fade, Bulma turned back.
She set the washer to run, then rummaged through the wardrobe.
"Hmm…
He's so little right now…
I don't have anything his size. What do I do?"
Then she spotted one of her T-shirts in the corner—neutral and oversized.
"This will do for tonight.
He's a kid anyway—who needs pants?
When we get to the city, I'll buy him two sets of spare clothes."
She took the shirt into the bathroom.
"Your clothes will dry overnight.
After dinner we'll sleep anyway.
When you're done washing, just wear my T-shirt as pajamas for tonight."
Goku stared at her entering and felt momentarily dazed.
For some reason, he thought of his mother.
But Bulma was only sixteen, and her aura felt oddly out of place—
mature in a way that didn't match her face.
At the start of Dragon Ball, Bulma had handed out plenty of "fan service"…
but she really was a good girl.
If he could marry her someday,
that honestly wouldn't be bad.
Still, remembering that in canon Bulma met Yamcha and went back to West City to live the good life,
Goku felt uneasy.
If he followed her to West City and got used to comfort,
he might lose his edge.
Maybe he'd even fail to beat King Piccolo later.
Goku shook his head hard.
No.
Comfort kills.
Besides, as a Dragon Ball fan, he knew Bulma very well.
In the original story, she could bathe little Goku
without any ulterior motives at all.
She really saw him as a child.
Back then, sixteen-year-old Bulma was a huge boy-crazy romantic
who liked handsome guys her age or older.
She had zero romantic feelings for kid Goku.
Coincidentally, he felt the same.
Goku was soaking in the tub, not worried about her seeing anything,
so he just looked at her.
But when she set down the shirt and still didn't leave,
he asked, "Uh… you already brought the clothes. Why are you still here?"
Bulma picked up a bath brush.
"I'll scrub your back. Come on, stand up."
Goku jolted and spun around.
"N-no, that's not necessary…"
A wave of weakness suddenly swept through him.
Bulma pinched his tail, then let go.
"Stop fooling around. Stand still."
Goku's body betrayed him and stood up instantly.
He looked back at her, flustered.
"Hey! Why'd you grab my tail?!"
He wanted to tell her the tail was his weakness—he hadn't overcome it yet.
But thinking fast, he held his tongue.
What if someone overheard?
He'd overcome it eventually anyway.
He had once cut off his tail himself to prevent killing Grandpa Gohan.
But less than a year later it grew back.
He couldn't just keep cutting it off every time—it hurt like hell.
So he stopped doing that.
Instead, near every full moon, he went to bed early for safety.
Bulma didn't know what he was thinking. She planted her hands on her hips and barked,
"We're eating soon, stop stalling!
After I scrub you I still need to bathe.
Quit hogging the tub—stand up already!"
Her voice was domineering, no room for refusal.
Goku's whole body tensed.
Without the old comedic vibe, Bulma could be scary!
But… this finally felt like the Bulma he knew—
the kind of woman who would slap Beerus later on.
Once he stood steady, Bulma braced one foot on the tub edge
and scrubbed his back hard with the brush.
At first he resisted, but soon he relaxed.
Honestly… it felt pretty good.
After a while, Bulma handed him the brush.
"Okay, back's done. You do the front yourself. I'll check the dinner."
Goku nodded.
"Got it!"
He finished up, rinsed off under the shower,
and pulled on Bulma's T-shirt.
Not wearing pants felt drafty, but he was clean all over now.
The shirt fell to his knees—on him it was basically a dress.
He sighed.
Saiyan kids were shorter than human kids.
He remembered that ten-year-old Earth kids could be 1.6 meters tall.
His height was more like kindergarten level.
He didn't dwell on it and went out.
The scent of food hit him instantly.
"Whoa, smells so good!"
He swallowed, and his stomach rumbled again.
Bulma had already washed his clothes and was hanging them on the balcony.
Seeing Goku rubbing his belly made her smile.
"Look at you—much fresher now.
But the food isn't ready yet. Wait a bit.
I'll bathe, then we eat together."
"Okay."
Bulma went into the bathroom.
Goku looked around and spotted the remote on the sofa.
"Waiting while hungry is torture…
Maybe I'll watch TV?"
Just then Bulma's head poked out from the bathroom.
"Hey, Goku! I scrubbed you, right?
Now it's your turn—come scrub my back!"
Goku: "Huh???"