(Bulma isn't the heroine. If you feel there's too much description, you can skip it. I'm describing Bulma only because she's Dragon Ball's most important heroine, though she doesn't necessarily have to be the protagonist's love interest! After all, Frieza's body is no ordinary one!)
After studying it for a long time, Frieza finally gave up.
He'd been here for so long and had never once needed to relieve himself. Maybe his body was just unusual.
Growing impatient with the wait, Frieza went alone into a cave. Inside stood a building that had no business being there.
A house!
There was a sign on it: CAPSULE CORP!
Frieza had no idea what it meant. He'd never liked studying the language of the birds.
But he knew this was the house Bulma had popped out of a Hoi-Poi Capsule with a bang.
"Knock, knock!"
He tapped lightly on the door, trying to seem as elegant and gentlemanly as possible.
The door opened.
Bulma stood in the doorway in her pajamas, curiously eyeing the tall figure before her, whose skin was a ghastly white.
Mostly, Bulma couldn't tell at a glance whether the stranger was a man or a woman, so she could only describe them as tall.
"Y-hello. Who are you looking for?"
Frieza glanced around, then gave what he thought was his gentlest smile and asked, puzzled, "Is there anyone else here?"
Frieza's smile terrified Bulma. With those blood-red eyes, he looked just like a villain from a novel!
Then she spotted his long tail and was instantly frightened out of her wits.
She wanted to scream. She wanted to run. And she needed to pee!
"N-no, there isn't!"
"W-what do you... want with me?"
Trying to hold it in, Bulma stammered out the question.
Frieza couldn't keep up that supposedly gentle, gentlemanly smile, so he returned to his usual expression and said flatly, "I haven't tasted Earth's food in a long time. Would you mind indulging this small request of mine?"
"In return, I'll treat you to wine from Planet Parame, along with the universe's most famous Tree of Might fruit!"
Frieza still looked wicked now that he'd returned to normal, but at least he seemed a little more ordinary. That made Bulma less afraid than she'd been a moment ago.
Hearing Frieza's request, Bulma decided he seemed reasonable, and her nerves eased.
She was bold by nature; otherwise, she wouldn't have gone searching for the Dragon Balls all by herself.
The promise of fine wine from Planet Parame and the famous Tree of Might fruit in the universe successfully piqued her curiosity.
"Come on in. Have a seat while I get you something to eat."
As the heiress of Capsule Corporation, she never went anywhere without plenty of food and supplies. She always stocked up beforehand!
Especially since meeting Son Goku, she'd started packing dozens of times more food than before. After all, when that kid got hungry as a child, he had no strength at all.
On several occasions, his hunger had nearly gotten Bulma killed, so she had to be careful.
Before long, a table laden with delicious food appeared in front of Frieza. It was a feast for the eyes and the nose as well as the palate. Frieza hadn't tasted food like this in ages, and he nearly drooled.
With a grand sweep of his hand, Frieza made a huge case of Planet Parame wine appear in the room. A red fruit also appeared in Bulma's hand.
His storage space wasn't very large, but it did the job.
The Tree of Might fruit looked fuzzy and not very appetizing, but its refreshing fragrance made Bulma want to take a bite with all her heart.
"It's not that I don't want to give you more. With your body, one fruit is your limit. Once you've adapted to it, I can give you more."
Unlike Son Goku, Frieza didn't wolf down his food. He sipped his wine and slowly cut into a steak with his knife and fork.
It was cooked exactly how he liked it: medium rare. A little blood still showed when he cut into it. It was absolutely perfect.
Watching the stranger eat so calmly, Bulma actually started to think he seemed like a gentleman.
It was ridiculous!
"I'm terribly sorry, but I don't know your name yet!"
"Hello, I'm Bulma, from a distant planet called Earth. It's nice to meet you!"
Bulma had considered holding out her hand to shake his, but in the end, she decided against it.
Judging by his voice, this ghastly white-skinned person sounded like a man.
"Hello, beautiful lady. My name is Frieza. You may have heard of me!"
Bulma's brain froze for a full thirty seconds!
Then a shriek that pierced the heavens rang out, making the whole house tremble.
"Frieza!!!!"
"You—you—you—you're Frieza!!!"
Frieza rubbed his rectangular ears. Having such good hearing wasn't always a good thing!
"The real deal!"
Bulma had learned about Frieza after arriving on Namek, when King Kai had spoken to them telepathically.
From King Kai's description, she knew Frieza was a cruel, cold-blooded monster who destroyed planets at the drop of a hat.
And this time, Frieza's father, King Cold, was wreaking havoc on Namek. His people were searching for the Dragon Balls, too!
"Th-then King Cold is your..."
Frieza cut Bulma off. It might not have been gentlemanly, but he really didn't want to hear those words.
"Only in name. He ruined my plans, so I sent him to meet King Yemma. Maybe he'll get to see him in Hell!"
Uh...
Bulma was stunned.
But none of that mattered!
What mattered was whether this universe-class villain would kill her—or do that thing to her first, then kill her.
Or would he kill her first, then do that thing?
Uh... she couldn't accept either possibility!
What should she do? What should she do!
Frieza's face suddenly darkened.
It was mainly because he could sense what Bulma was thinking.
If he still had that function, he wouldn't have minded her thinking that way. He might even have been happy to help her realize those fantasies!
But the problem was, the key point was, the thing was...
It was the eternal pain in his heart!
"Miss Bulma, don't let your imagination run wild. If I wanted to kill you, you'd already be with your ancestors!"
With that, Frieza continued eating.
Pudding, mousse cake, fruit mille-crepe, hamburgers, steak, fried chicken, crispy pork belly, braised pork with preserved mustard greens...
Why was there even stinky tofu?!
Yes, it smelled awful but tasted delicious—the perfect example!
Seeing Frieza focused on the food and not nearly as terrifying as King Kai had described, Bulma's need to pee faded again.
She looked at the red fruit in her hand, hesitating.
Should she eat it or not?
What if it poisoned her? What if it had some kind of aphrodisiac in it?!
But the fruit smelled so good. She really wanted to take a bite!
Ah...
This was so hard!
"Go ahead and eat it. This fruit is very rare, and it'll improve your physical fitness. It won't keep you young forever, but you'll have no trouble living for a few hundred years."
"And it's good for your skin, too. I guarantee you'll be even more beautiful after you eat it!"
Frieza coaxed her along, just like someone tempting Snow White to eat an apple!
As the brightest heroine in the Dragon Ball World, he wanted Bulma to have a healthy, long life, too.
After a while, Frieza had nearly finished eating. When he saw Bulma still hadn't touched the Tree of Might fruit, he grew a little unhappy.
What was this?!
Did she really not trust him that much?
He might not be a eunuch, but there wasn't much difference. The emperors of old had trusted men like him most. What was there for a little girl like her to distrust?
"I gave you the fruit, but you won't eat it!"
"Are you trying to insult me?"
His sudden change in expression made Bulma feel like she was about to pee herself all over again!
She fought back the urge and swallowed.
Oh well. If I die, the Dragon Balls can bring me back!
Crunch!
Juicy and delicious, it left a fragrant sweetness on her lips and teeth. The sensation was impossible to describe!
Bulma's eyes lit up, and she eagerly took another bite.
"Mmm! This fruit is delicious!"
Seeing this, Frieza was satisfied. He laughed naturally, though that familiar laugh still sounded as obnoxious as ever!
"Oh-ho-ho-ho!"
Before you continue