A Fated Meeting

The robber spat out a mouthful of blood.

Looking at the black-stockinged legs planted on his chest, he could no longer muster a shred of desire.

Furious, he said, "Damn it! Didn't you promise to let us go? You lying bitch!"

"Hmph."

Videl pressed down harder with her foot. The robber struggled to breathe and nearly passed out.

Videl sneered. "I did promise to let you leave. But you're already a long way from the bank, aren't you? What's wrong with arresting you now?"

The six robbers: "..."

Fine.

Had they really tried to reason with a woman?

They'd underestimated her. Badly.

Now that she'd laid it out like that, how could they argue?

They couldn't. Not at all.

"Someone cuff them," Videl ordered with a wave.

"Yes, Captain."

Several officers came forward and handcuffed all six Speeding Party members.

Once they had the robbers under control, they collected the guns and stolen money.

"Take this scum back and let them face the kingdom's courts. See if you can get them the harshest sentence possible. Execution would be best." Videl waved her hand.

"Aaah!" The robbers struggled. Damn it, this woman wanted them sentenced to death?

"Understood."

"Quit struggling. Get in!"

Videl's officers forced the six robbers into the police cars.

The cars sped away, sirens blaring, and headed back to the East City Police Department.

Videl climbed into her jet and soared into the sky.

As the plane rose,

Videl caught sight of someone sitting on the edge of a nearby skyscraper, more than a hundred stories up.

A man.

"Huh? Are my eyes playing tricks on me?"

With that thought, Videl brought the plane to a hover, rubbed her eyes, and looked at the rooftop again.

"..."

This time she was sure.

She hadn't seen wrong.

There really was someone sitting on top of the building.

A tall man.

He sat with his legs dangling over the edge, looking down at the street below.

What kind of nerve did that take?

If he fell from there, he wouldn't just be smashed to pieces. He'd turn into a puddle.

Was he insane?

How could he sit there without any safety equipment?

Was he trying to kill himself?

Or was something wrong with his mind?

Either way, a fall from there would certainly kill him.

Just thinking about it made Videl's skin crawl and sent a chill down her back.

How had he gotten up there?

By plane, probably?

She couldn't leave him to die.

While Videl's thoughts raced, the man on the roof turned to look at her.

Videl steered the plane closer.

Then she leaned out and called, "What are you doing there? Did you come up to... admire the view?"

She had been about to ask Son Gohan whether he intended to kill himself.

But if he did, asking him outright might upset him and strengthen his resolve.

So she swallowed the question halfway through and asked about the view instead.

Son Gohan looked at the beautiful policewoman in the plane and recalled how forcefully she had subdued the criminals.

He smiled easily. "Yeah, I'm enjoying the view. Don't worry about me, Officer. Go on with whatever you need to do."

Videl studied him from head to toe.

The man before her was tall, strong, and strikingly handsome. He carried himself with an intense confidence and an air of mystery.

His eyes were like twin whirlpools, holding a strange pull that seemed ready to draw people in.

Videl had never met anyone like him in her life.

Why would a man like that want to kill himself?

Maybe he was telling the truth.

Maybe he really had only come up to enjoy the view.

But her sense of duty made Videl speak up.

"How did you get up here? The Androids have been destroyed, and the world will only get better from now on. It's a huge world, with so many places left to see. We're both young, and there's so much we can still do. Could you step back from the edge? It isn't safe there."

Son Gohan looked at her and nearly laughed. "After all that, do you think I'm trying to kill myself?"

"Heh... heh heh." Videl laughed awkwardly. "Are you?"

"No. Like I said, I'm just enjoying the view." Son Gohan pulled his legs back from the edge and stood up.

At the sight of him moving, Videl's skin prickled, and cold sweat ran down her back.

At that height, was he really not scared at all?

How could he stay so calm?

One tiny misstep and it would all be over.

This guy was far too calm. His nerve was almost terrifying.

Just imagining herself there made her legs go weak.

Videl asked, "Did you come up in a jet?"

Son Gohan shook his head. "No. I flew up here myself."

"Huh? You f-flew up here?" Videl froze, then assumed he was joking.

People didn't have wings. How could they fly?

He's brushing me off!

"Wait there." Videl landed her jet on the roof, then carefully walked toward Son Gohan.

Son Gohan watched her helplessly.

This woman is so stubborn.

He had told her he wasn't trying to kill himself, yet she had still come over.

Was every cell in her body filled with a sense of justice?

She took her responsibilities awfully seriously.

Son Gohan had to admit that the policewoman was attractive.

Her stunning figure drew the eye, and her face was beautiful.

Of all the women he had met, only Android 18 and Bulma were a little more beautiful.

But this woman had a spirited, righteous air that neither Bulma nor Android 18 possessed.

And those long legs paired with her uniform made her even more attractive.

She was undeniably gorgeous.

Son Gohan admired her, but that was all. He wasn't some idiot ruled by lust.

If he were the sort of animal who thought with his lower half, Android 18 would have suffered more than a shot to the head.

When Videl drew close to Son Gohan, the contrast between them struck her.

She was 165 centimeters tall and weighed 50 kilograms. With her long legs and perfectly proportioned figure, she looked taller than she was.

But Son Gohan stood a full 186 centimeters and weighed 90 kilograms. He had a top model's build, with powerful muscles that seemed ready to explode into action.

Standing together, they made a striking contrast.

Still, Videl had seen giants much taller than Son Gohan. Humans two or three meters tall weren't unheard of in this world.

Some humanoids even reached five or six meters.

But she had never met anyone who was both as tall and as handsome as Son Gohan.

He's exactly my type.

Then the furry tail behind Son Gohan suddenly sprang into view.

Videl froze.

Her heart began pounding, and her eyes practically turned into hearts.

So, so cute. I want to touch it.

Her thoughts raced.

Before she could stop herself, she blurted out, "C-can I touch your tail?"

Only after speaking did she realize how rude she had been, and her face burned.

What on earth did I just say?

She couldn't believe those words had come out of her mouth.

But she really wanted to touch that fluffy tail.

Wouldn't that feel even better than petting a cat or dog?

What girl could resist that temptation?

If his hearing hadn't been so sharp, Son Gohan might have thought he'd misheard her. He refused at once. "Sorry, but absolutely not."

Videl flushed crimson.

She hurriedly changed the subject with what she considered a perfectly sensible speech.

"A-anyway, as long as you aren't thinking of killing yourself. You have a long life ahead of you. There are so many meaningful things you can do, and so many people who care about you. The world is vast. You should go out and see more of it."

"Hahaha."

Son Gohan couldn't help laughing. He looked at the woman before him with interest.

Why is she so convinced I want to kill myself? I don't know what to say.

Still, she meant well, so he wasn't annoyed. He answered patiently.

"You're right about all that, but I have to say it again: I'm only here to enjoy the view. I have no intention of killing myself."

"Mm-hmm. Good, good... So when are you coming down? You can take my jet."

Videl clearly had no intention of giving up on saving Son Gohan.

Son Gohan shook his head. "No need. You should get going. I told you I can fly."

Videl was speechless.

She was certain something was wrong with his mind.

He kept insisting he could fly.

Didn't that make him mentally ill?

"Fine, fine, you can fly. You flew up here yourself. Could you do me a favor and take my jet down this time?" Videl said.

"Please don't do anything rash!"

"Let me introduce myself. I'm Videl, captain of the East City Police First Division. You can trust me. I would never hurt you."

As she spoke, she edged closer to Son Gohan.

She looked ready to subdue him by force.

So talking didn't work, and now she's going to use force?

Son Gohan rolled his eyes.

Looks like I'll have to show her, or she'll never let this go.

"Watch closely."

White energy flared around Son Gohan, and he rose into the air.

"Wait, wait. What did you say your name was?"

Hovering in midair, Son Gohan stared in shock at the equally stunned policewoman.

You've got to be kidding me.

She's Videl?