At Goku's scolding, the Ox-King gave a bitter smile, then waved it away.
"Hey, I'm just talking big.
If I wasn't fierce, outsiders would covet my treasure.
Right, Chi-Chi?"
Chi-Chi nodded quickly.
"Yeah! Dad's right.
Dad has changed a lot. He hasn't killed anyone in ages.
Ever since I can remember,
I've never seen Dad kill anyone."
The Ox-King grew serious and turned back to Goku.
"Goku, what do you think about my proposal?
You're a bit young, but I'm very serious.
Chi-Chi is willing too. It depends on you."
Chi-Chi looked at Goku with shining expectation.
Though the Ox-King was smiling,
he was clearly pressuring Goku for an answer.
Goku didn't want to agree,
but he also didn't want to hurt little Chi-Chi.
So he quietly tugged Bulma's sleeve.
Bulma understood immediately and stepped in.
"Uncle Ox-King, you can decide Chi-Chi's future marriage as her father,
but you can't decide Goku's.
He's still a minor and doesn't have full judgment yet.
He can't decide for himself.
However—you and Son Gohan are fellow disciples,
and Son Gohan is Goku's grandpa.
So I think any marriage talk for when they're grown
should be discussed with Grandpa Gohan first."
The Ox-King rubbed his chin, thinking.
He was an adult. He could see Goku felt resistant.
Boys mature later than girls.
A straight-laced kid who loves adventure
not understanding romance was normal.
He could also see Bulma didn't want to share Goku with Chi-Chi.
They had saved Chi-Chi too.
Forcing things and falling out would be pointless.
While he hesitated, Chi-Chi tugged his arm hard.
"Dad, Dad!"
He looked down. "What is it, Chi-Chi?"
Blushing, Chi-Chi whispered,
"Once our fire is out,
can you go to your senior brother Gohan and propose for me?"
The Ox-King was speechless.
Good grief—
his sweet little Chi-Chi had fallen head-over-heels already,
and she was this proactive.
Before he could say anything, she started pouting and pleading.
"Pleaaase, Dad…"
"Pretty please~"
Ox-King scratched his head awkwardly, then smiled indulgently.
"Alright, alright. We're family anyway.
Once the fire is out, I'll go propose to Senior Brother."
Chi-Chi's cheeks flushed pink.
"Thanks, Dad. You're the best…"
Because Chi-Chi was small and adorable,
any kind of cutesy begging only made her more lovable.
Bulma watched, stunned.
No wonder she'd lost to Chi-Chi in her previous life.
Even this young, Chi-Chi's competitive instinct over Goku was terrifying.
Bulma thought,
If I tried to act like that—begging, clinging,
chasing Goku shamelessly—
I couldn't do it.
For a girl older than them,
it would be way too embarrassing.
At least they'd kicked the "engagement" ball over to Grandpa Gohan.
Goku and Bulma both relaxed.
Soon it was time to extinguish the fire.
Goku leapt onto the ruined castle wall,
set his stance, cupped his hands like a flower bud at his waist, and began charging ki.
"Ka… me… ha…"
An invisible surge of energy spiraled around him.
A blue-white glow lit in his palms.
The Ox-King, Chi-Chi, and Bulma all held their breath.
The Ox-King whispered excitedly,
"It really is Kamehameha!
Now watch—the blast is coming!"
"…me…!"
In the next instant,
the energy in Goku's hands exploded into blinding light.
He thrust both palms forward.
A brilliant ki wave roared into Frypan Mountain's flames.
BOOM!
The blast whipped up a massive hurricane.
The wind was so strong they couldn't even look—
they shielded their eyes, feet braced hard against the ground.
After the roar faded, the sky changed.
The red, flame-stained horizon cleared back to pure blue.
A cool breeze passed;
the air turned refreshingly chill in a heartbeat.
They looked again at Frypan Mountain.
Under the clean blue sky stood only a scorched, bare castle.
Goku exhaled and relaxed.
"Whew! Success!"
Chi-Chi's face lit up.
Her eyes were even brighter than before.
"Goku, you're amazing!"
The Ox-King gave a big thumbs-up.
"Goku's incredible!
You must have trained really hard—your power is already close to Senior Brother's."
Bulma smiled in satisfaction at the nearly undamaged castle.
Goku was still young.
His Kamehameha wasn't as overwhelming as Roshi's,
and that was perfect—
it put out the fire without destroying the castle.
This was the best possible outcome.
Not only would getting the Dragon Ball be easy,
the Ox-King wouldn't go bankrupt either.
Chi-Chi could keep living in comfort for a long time.
Bulma hoped she'd grow up as a real little princess this time,
not the fiery terror she became in Bulma's old timeline.
With the heat gone, they entered the Ox-King's castle.
The treasures were intact,
and Bulma obtained the sixth Dragon Ball.
The Ox-King had people buy loads of ingredients
and threw a big banquet to thank Goku and Bulma.
For three days and three nights, the castle blazed with lights.
Only on the fourth morning did Bulma and Goku finally leave.
On the Flying Nimbus—
"Goku."
"Yeah?"
"When you grow up, do you want to marry Chi-Chi?"
"Never thought about it."
"Why? She'd probably be a good wife."
"She is a good girl,
but I want to get stronger. I want to train.
I might not have time to be with her.
So… if I married her, I'd just be ruining her life."
Bulma stared at him, shocked.
She didn't expect this version of little Goku
to have that kind of awareness.
Goku turned to her.
"What's wrong, Bulma?"
She shook her head.
"Nothing. I just didn't think you'd be this thoughtful at your age.
But you're right—
that's actually being responsible to Chi-Chi."
"Bulma, can we go faster…"
"Okay…"
Without realizing it,
Bulma's mouth had curled into a grin that practically touched the sky.