The Power of Beauty

Son Mirai and Bulma went into the Capsule House, but Goku still stood outside.

Bulma asked in confusion, "Is he really not coming in?"

Son Mirai opened the door again and called to him, "Are you planning to sleep out in the wilderness? Hurry up and come inside!"

Only then did Son Goku come in.

But since he'd never seen a Capsule House before, he kept looking around as soon as he entered.

Son Mirai explained, "Don't be so curious.

It's really no different from our house. We've just packed the whole thing into a Hoi-Poi Capsule."

Goku nodded. "Oh, I get it."

As he spoke, he rubbed his stomach. "We haven't eaten all day. I'm hungry..."

Bulma had already started looking through the fridge.

Soon, she brought out bread, milk, and other things.

"Here, eat up. This is our dinner..."

Son Mirai had to admit he missed food like this.

It wasn't as tasty as roasted meat, but they'd spent the whole day riding in the car and hadn't used much energy, so it was enough to replenish their nutrients and energy.

He started eating normally.

Bulma watched him take big bites, smiled, and joined him.

As she ate, she praised her own food. "How does the bread taste?"

After all, it was a premium brand of bread Bulma had bought, packed with rich ingredients.

And since it had been stored in a Hoi-Poi Capsule without preservatives, it was softer and sweeter than the cheap stuff he'd eaten in his previous life.

Son Mirai nodded. "Mm, it's good. Really good. The milk's great, too—nice and creamy."

Bulma smiled and chimed in, "Hehe, looks like we have the same taste.

This is my favorite brand. I brought lots with me this time. If it isn't enough, I'll get you more..."

Seeing how much Son Mirai enjoyed it, Goku hurriedly tried the bread. To him, it tasted awful.

He took a sip of milk and curled his lip again.

Holding the bitten bread in his left hand and the milk in his right, he looked at Son Mirai with a pitiful expression.

"Son Mirai, are you lying?

This clearly tastes bad, and the milk's bad too. It's not tasty at all..."

Bulma pursed her lips. "Picky kids won't grow up properly. This stuff is nutritious, so just eat it."

Goku frowned. "Forget it. I can't get used to it. I'll go hunt some meat to eat instead!"

With that, Goku picked up the Power Pole and headed outside.

Bulma glanced at Son Mirai and asked worriedly, "We're in the middle of nowhere. Could something dangerous happen to him?"

Son Mirai shook his head. "Don't let his size fool you. He's strong. Even a pack of wolves wouldn't pose a threat to him.

You should be worrying about the animals around here!"

"Is he really that strong?"

"Of course!"

Noticing they were finally alone, Bulma's eyes curved into crescents as she looked at Son Mirai.

"What about you?"

Son Mirai had been born with a battle power of over ten. He hadn't made a huge leap in strength since then, but he was still far stronger than Goku.

Still, in his eyes, only a shortsighted person would take pride in such a small advantage and let it go to their head.

He hadn't slackened in his physical training, and he had long since cultivated an exceptionally steady state of mind.

His mental age was far beyond his actual age.

Son Mirai noticed something was off about Bulma's gaze and tone. "What are you trying to say?"

Bulma bashfully tapped her index fingers together. "The third wheel's finally gone.

Can't we do the kinds of things boyfriends and girlfriends do?"

"The kinds of things boyfriends and girlfriends do?"

Did Bulma already know that much?

Son Mirai looked at her without saying anything.

When Bulma saw him staring, she hurriedly covered her flushed face.

"Oh, don't look at me like that! I'm a girl, you know. It's embarrassing!"

Although Bulma was acting like a lovesick girl, Son Mirai didn't look down on her.

She still had a young girl's heart and beautiful hopes for the future, which was why she acted so smitten.

Son Mirai thought that if she was his girlfriend and acted this way only toward him, it wasn't a bad thing.

She was just a little too clingy. It might interfere with his training.

But then again, her skills could do a lot to improve his battle power, so the benefits outweighed the drawbacks.

Since he'd chosen her, he couldn't just leave her alone.

Bulma assumed he was just as shy, and waited a long time for him to make a move.

Suddenly, she closed her eyes and raised her head toward Son Mirai. With a sweet, bashful, expectant expression, she slowly moved closer.

Her faintly flushed cheeks, gently fluttering eyelashes, luscious red lips, and youthful fragrance were all irresistibly alluring...

Seeing Bulma like this, even Son Mirai, who'd thought his state of mind was steady, felt his heart stir.

He jolted in surprise, and a bead of cold sweat seeped from his forehead.

The power of beauty was terrifying!

He'd always believed his resolve was unshakable, but now he couldn't resist.

Should he just go with the flow?

Or...

No!

He absolutely couldn't succumb to beauty.

He began wrestling with the desire deep within himself.

In the depths of his mind, a little black figure and a little white figure started fighting.

Son Mirai didn't know which one to help.

Just then, a voice broke the stalemate.

"I'm back!"

Son Goku came into the room carrying a wolf and a centipede.

Seeing Son Mirai and Bulma frozen in place, he couldn't help asking, "Huh? What are you doing?"

Bulma jumped in surprise.

"Y-you're back so soon?"

Son Goku grinned. "Hehe, I got lucky!

I saw a wolf and a centipede as soon as I went outside, so I caught them and brought them back.

I'm going to roast them. Want some?"

Bulma saw that what he was holding was a wolf and a huge centipede, and her hair stood on end in fright.

"Waaah... I don't want any! I don't! Get them away!"

Screaming, Bulma darted into Son Mirai's arms.

Son Mirai felt Bulma against him, felt her warmth and her fragrance,

but unexpectedly, he wasn't overcome by desire. Instead, he felt much calmer than before.

What had I been agonizing over just now?

Women weren't anything scary, were they?

He suddenly realized how ridiculous it was to claim he couldn't be tempted by beauty without ever having experienced it!

A true strong person had to be brave enough to face himself!

He relaxed and gently put an arm around Bulma's shoulders to comfort her. "Don't be afraid. I'm here!"

Then he told Goku, "We're not eating any. Go ahead!"

Goku nodded. "Then I won't hold back!"

With that, he carried the wolf and centipede outside and started roasting them.

Bulma realized she was huddled in his arms and that she and Son Mirai had finally grown closer.

Her fear vanished in an instant, replaced by delight. Bashfully, she snuggled further into his arms.

"Wuwuwu, thank you. That really scared me just now..."

Her act was so unconvincing that it was full of holes.

But Son Mirai didn't call her out.

Night fell.

Son Mirai walked Bulma to her bedroom and told her to lock the door.

He and Goku slept on the living room floor.

Staring at the ceiling, Son Mirai lay awake for a long time.

He wasn't lost in fantasies about Bulma. Instead, he was reflecting on what he understood about martial arts and cultivating the mind.

Just like facing beauty, whether it was training in martial arts or cultivating the mind, both required contact with the outside world.

Shutting yourself away in a Gravity Chamber to train—that was just building a cart behind closed doors...

He glanced at Goku, sleeping beside him.

He guessed this might be why Goku could always surpass himself and reach greater heights in the future,

while Vegeta could only keep chasing after him, step by step.

Son Mirai gradually calmed down, but his resolve to grow stronger did not waver in the slightest.

He was determined to forge his own path.