Unexpected Encounter

The night in West City was like a mellow glass of red wine.

But inside the top-floor mansion of Capsule Corporation at this moment, there hung an air of lazy post-battle exhaustion... and a plea for mercy.

On the massive circular smart temperature-controlled bed, the silk sheets were tangled up like they'd survived a tsunami.

The air still carried the mingled scent of expensive aromatherapy and some indescribable cocktail of hormones.

"Truce... truce! I declare a truce!"

A pale, trembling hand struggled out from under the covers, clutching a white handkerchief and waving it feebly.

Bulma had wrapped herself up like a tight silkworm cocoon.

All that was visible were her big eyes—usually brimming with intelligence but now filled with sheer terror—

as she stared at the bald man sitting on the edge of the bed, looking utterly refreshed and even doing some stretches.

"Krillin, are you a demon? No, are you a perpetual motion machine?!"

Her voice was thick with a nasal, tearful quality, hoarse from overuse.

"This is the fourth day! Four whole days! My waist is about to pack up and leave!"

Krillin turned around, his bare upper torso gleaming under the soft wall light with a marble-like hardness.

The Saitama Template didn't just bring power; it brought what felt like endless stamina.

These past few days of "high-intensity work" hadn't even qualified as a warm-up for him. Instead, they left him feeling refreshed, every cell in his body cheering.

"Honey, isn't this all in response to the S-Rank Mission called the 'Human Creation Project'?"

Krillin blinked innocently, reaching out to pull at Bulma's blanket.

"Besides, this kind of deep emotional exchange helps boost my... uh, various stats."

"I don't care about stats!"

Bulma shrank back into the bed like a startled rabbit, her voice full of tragic indignation.

"Right now, I feel like a piece of mochi that's been pounded over and over!"

"Even a body remodeled by Shenron can't handle this kind of frequency!"

"Tonight... tonight is absolutely off-limits! I'm taking a vacation!"

Seeing the undeniable exhaustion at the corners of Bulma's eyes and the faint red marks on her neck, Krillin's playful mood instantly vanished, replaced by a pang of guilt.

His current physique was just too overwhelming.

Even with the system's "Gentle Mode" activated, it was still a "sweet burden" too heavy for Bulma to bear.

Krillin sighed, pulled his hand back, and his gaze softened like water.

"Alright, I won't touch you."

He sat back down on the edge of the bed, gently patting the trembling "cocoon" through the blanket.

Bulma froze, then cautiously poked half her head out from under the covers.

She looked at Krillin's noseless face, saw the genuine concern in his eyes, and her grievance suddenly turned into deep guilt.

"Am I... useless?"

Bulma lowered her gaze, her voice barely a whisper. "I was the one who provoked you first, I'm your wife..."

"But I can't even let you fully enjoy this. You're so strong now, the strongest in the universe, and I..."

As the heiress of Capsule Corporation and a genius scientist, she was used to being in control.

But faced with Krillin's superhuman physique, she felt for the first time the species-level gap between them.

This helplessness frustrated her, even sparked a hint of panic...

Panic that she might not be able to keep up with him.

"Silly."

Krillin's fingers gently brushed her cheek, tucking a stray strand of blue hair behind her ear.

"This is about happiness, about expressing love, not a mission."

His voice was low and firm, like a calming pill.

"If you're in pain, then my joy means nothing. Besides..."

Krillin paused deliberately, leaning in with a mischievous grin.

"Besides, you're underestimating yourself."

"Keeping the strongest man on Earth in bed for four straight days—that's a great achievement in itself, Dr. Bulma."

Bulma's face flushed bright red, like a ripe tomato.

Embarrassed and annoyed, she reached out and pinched his solid pectoral muscle, though it felt like steel and wouldn't budge.

"Sweet talker!"

"I'm serious."

Krillin took her hand and brought it to his lips, giving it a light kiss.

"Get a good rest tonight. I'll give you a massage and use my 'ki' to clear your meridians. I promise by tomorrow morning, you'll be that energetic genius girl again."

"Just a massage?"

Bulma looked at him warily.

"Really. I swear on my bald head."

Under the soothing warmth of Krillin's big hands and his finely controlled 'ki,' Bulma's tense, aching muscles gradually relaxed.

The comfort, like soaking in a hot spring, soon made her eyelids heavy, and before long, she let out steady, even breaths.

Krillin gazed at the sleeping lover in his arms, his eyes full of affection.

He gently tucked the blanket around her, then closed his eyes and called up the

System Panel

.