Half a day later, Bulma brought Goku to West City—Capsule Corp.
They walked into the yard.
A robot greeted her. "Miss Bulma, welcome home."
"Mm," Bulma replied casually.
"Bulma, your house is huge!
There are even dinosaurs in your yard!" Goku said, wiping his mouth.
Bulma nodded. "Yeah. And lots of cats and dogs too.
Dad picked most of them up nearby."
"Your dad likes animals?"
"Yep. He feeds them well too."
They hadn't walked far before they reached the lab doors.
Right then they ran into Dr. Brief, cycling by.
Bulma's heart flooded with joy.
She'd been reborn—she hadn't seen her father in over twenty years.
But with Goku beside her, acting too emotional would be weird.
And in this timeline, she'd only been gone half a month.
So she held back her excitement and said calmly,
"Dad, I'm back!"
Dr. Brief looked equally calm.
"Oh, Bulma, you're back early.
Hm? Who's this?"
He pointed at Goku.
Bulma introduced him. "This is my friend Son Goku.
Don't let his size fool you—he's super strong.
He protected me the whole way."
Dr. Brief jumped a little.
"Oh, your name is Son Goku?
Nice!
You must be really impressive.
Also… you're tiny and kind of cute."
He turned to Bulma.
"Bulma, I haven't been attentive enough as a father.
I didn't realize your tastes were this special.
You like boys this small? Are you a shotacon?"
Even with two lifetimes of experience, Bulma blushed hard.
She wanted to explain that Goku wasn't her boyfriend—
but…
She liked grown-up Goku, so she couldn't deny it too forcefully.
And she didn't want to say "he's not my boyfriend" in front of Goku either.
She was playing the long game.
Goku, meanwhile, was a shy kid by nature and didn't know what to say.
Dr. Brief leaned closer to Goku and whispered cheerfully,
"Hey, Goku. Have you two kissed yet?"
Even though he whispered, Bulma heard it perfectly.
She yanked Goku behind her and yelled, red-faced,
"Dad! What are you doing?!
Don't talk nonsense—he's still a child!!!"
Dr. Brief stayed unfazed.
"Bulma, don't be so fierce.
Girls should be gentle!"
Bulma flushed even more, half dying inside.
"With a dad like you, how can I be gentle?!"
Dr. Brief switched topics.
"Oh right, Bulma.
Weren't you looking for Dragon Balls?
Did you find them?"
Bulma finally exhaled.
"Yeah. We found them. Made the wish and came back."
Dr. Brief smiled. "So Shenron really exists."
Bulma said proudly, "Of course he does."
Dr. Brief went on, "Then next time you find them, can you make a wish for me too?"
"What wish?" Bulma asked.
Dr. Brief said solemnly, "A tall woman with a gentle personality."
Bulma's temper exploded again.
"Dad! There's a guest here—rein it in!!!"
"What's the big deal?
He's your boyfriend, not a guest."
Bulma snapped, "Who said he's my boyfriend?!"
Dr. Brief blinked innocently. "He isn't?"
Bulma turned away stiffly and stopped talking.
Dr. Brief sidled up to Goku again.
"Hey, Goku.
Since Bulma's not your girlfriend, she can't boss you around.
Tonight I'll take you to a deluxe bathhouse 'one-stop' service, okay?
My treat. Pick as many girls as you like."
Goku's mouth twitched. "Uncle… I'm still little. I'll pass."
Bulma nearly detonated on the spot—
bringing a kid to that place in front of her?
But right as she was about to go nuclear, Dr. Brief pulled out a Capsule and handed it to Goku.
"Bulma's right—you're too young.
I won't take you there.
But I'm the elder here. First meeting, I should give a gift.
Consider this a welcome present."
Goku took it, still dazed.
"Thank you!"
Bulma's anger dropped a notch.
"Dad, what did you give him?"
Dr. Brief leaned to Goku's ear and whispered,
"Latest hot-shot photo book, limited edition.
Don't let Bulma see it. Go look in your room later."
Goku froze, almost falling over.
His heart had been on a roller coaster since arriving.
He hadn't expected Bulma's dad to be this shameless.
Even though he whispered, Bulma still heard.
She snatched the Capsule from Goku and hurled it away.
The Capsule flew straight through the window into the yard.
Then she glared at Goku.
"I can't take this!
Goku, don't learn bad things from my dad. Come on!"
Goku's scalp was numb.
The moment Bulma pulled him away, he followed like a lifeline.