Lovers

The next day at noon.

The small courtyard stood in the middle of nowhere.

It was utterly quiet, with few people around.

In the courtyard, Jiang Ling woke groggily and glanced at the mess on the ground and Krillin amid a pile of big green bottles.

He paid it no mind and swayed as he flew over the nearby woods.

Jiang Ling knew.

He probably couldn't hold it back anymore. It was about to break free of its shackles.

You couldn't force a melon to be sweet, so Jiang Ling had undone the shackles that had bound it for so long. It surged forth like the Yellow River in full flood, unstoppable!

The leaves of the trees were covered in the morning dew...

Jiang Ling let out a long breath. He and it had never felt so refreshed.

After giving himself a shake, Jiang Ling put on his pants and flew unsteadily to the courtyard gate, casually pulling up a few blades of grass and stuffing them in his hand.

Krillin woke up too. Seeing Jiang Ling return from the direction of the woods, he said:

"Big bro, off for your morning workout? That patch of forest is pretty strange, now that I think about it. The trees used to be rather sparse, but at some point they gradually grew thicker."

Jiang Ming gave him a strange look. "You sure know a lot about it..."

"Of course! I've taken several girlfriends into those woods!" Krillin puffed out his chest, looking rather pleased with himself.

"..."

Jiang Ling thought to himself.

Better not tell him the truth. He might suffer a crisis of faith and lose his ability to get it up...

"Go wash up."

"Sure thing."

Krillin answered and went to the bathroom to wash up.

When he came back out, the pile of big green bottles had vanished. Jiang Ling was sitting at the stone table in the courtyard, brewing tea.

"Big bro, making tea?"

"Yeah. Krillin, come have a taste. Tell me what you think."

A mischievous look appeared on Jiang Ling's face.

Krillin scratched his head, looking unsure. "Big bro, what kind of tea is this?"

"Have a taste."

Krillin picked up a teacup and gave it a sniff.

He nodded and remarked, "It has a fresh, post-rain scent."

He took a small sip. His eyes lit up, and he immediately exclaimed:

"Excellent tea!"

"It's full of rustic charm, with a rich taste and a deep aroma."

"Big bro, where did you buy this tea?"

Krillin savored the lingering aftertaste.

At that, Jiang Ling lifted the teapot lid and looked at the tea brewed from the weeds, still flecked with dirt.

He fell silent.

Should he tell Krillin the truth?

Krillin looked lost in the aftertaste and kept rambling on, as if a floodgate had opened and there was no stopping him.

"Okay, okay, I'm heading back to train. You'd better train too. Don't fall too far behind me."

Jiang Ling waved a hand, cutting him off.

He set the teapot aside.

Then he dragged Krillin out of the courtyard.

"Hey, hey, hey! Big bro, you still haven't told me what kind of tea it is!!"

After parting ways with Krillin, Jiang Ling returned to the villa.

He found Bulma waiting for him.

"Hey, Bulma, what brings you here?"

"Am I not allowed to come if I don't have a reason?"

They'd gotten familiar with each other over the past few days, so they spoke much more casually now.

"You can, sure. But what if I brought a girl home? That'd be awkward..."

"Don't you dare!"

Bulma glared at him.

"Why not?" Jiang Ling asked, looking at her with an amused smile.

"Uh..."

Bulma didn't know why, either.

It had been several months since she and Yamcha broke up. She'd thought she wouldn't get another boyfriend, but before she knew it, Jiang Ling had made his way into her heart.

He was positive, sunny, ambitious, full of energy, handsome, and didn't go around fooling with other women!

How did she know?

Ahem...

Bulma certainly wasn't going to mention that one time she came over, found the door open, and discovered Jiang Ling playing with his "phone"...

There weren't many men who'd rather play with their "phone" than fool around with other women!

Bulma stared at Jiang Ling with wide eyes and said stubbornly, "It's just not allowed!"

Jiang Ling raised an eyebrow. Looking at her pretty, charming face, he pressed her against the wall.

A kabedon!

He leaned close and whispered in her ear, "How about you be my girlfriend?"

His gentle tone and the warm breath against her ear stirred Bulma's heart.

Hearing his tender confession and feeling his manly presence, Bulma couldn't help getting swept up in the moment.

She lowered her head, her cheeks flushed.

"Mm..."

"What?"

Jiang Ling asked.

"I'll say yes..."

Bulma murmured.

"I can't hear you! Louder," Jiang Ling teased with a smile.

Bulma looked straight into his eyes.

"I'll say yes. I'll be your girlfriend!"

Their eyes met.

The atmosphere grew intense.

Jiang Ling lifted her chin, and she closed her eyes.

Their lips met.

Their breaths mingled.

"Hey, hey, what are you doing?!"

Bulma slapped away Jiang Ling's wandering hand.

She chided him, "We just made it official, and you're already getting handsy?!"

"Heh, it's normal for boyfriends and girlfriends to get frisky..."

Jiang Ling scratched his head with an awkward laugh.

"No, no getting frisky! We need to spend more time building our relationship first!" Bulma said fiercely, her hands on her hips.

"Fine..."

Jiang Ling spread his hands.

He turned and went to the bathroom for a cold shower, which finally cooled down the reaction she'd stirred in him.

When he came out of the bathroom,

he saw Bulma dressed in a youthful, stylish outfit, with a bag in her hand...

"Come on, take me shopping."

She pointed toward the door.

"Uh..." Jiang Ling looked troubled. "Can I stay home?"

"What do you think?"

"Ah..."

Jiang Ling groaned.

It looked like having a girlfriend was a lot of trouble too.

At least it meant more little errands to run.