Whis: Is He Your Little Boyfriend?

"Yes, Brother Whis. This is my friend, Reiz." Linoshi nodded and glanced at Reiz.

"Hello..." Reiz waved in greeting, doing his best to look the part.

Then Reiz leaned closer and peered at the crystal ball on the Scepter.

But he couldn't see a thing.

The crystal ball contained only a hazy glow, with no images in sight.

"Is there no image on our end?" Reiz asked, feigning surprise.

"Hohoho, this is a communication device unique to our family. You can only see the other person if your face is registered, so you can't see me." Whis's voice sounded again, with a faint hint of amusement.

Reiz: "..."

I don't believe a word of that!

A communication device unique to your family, my foot!

"Linoshi, is there something you wanted to ask me?" Whis asked, his voice tinged with affection.

"Brother Whis, I want to know Frieza's true Combat Power." Linoshi asked her question, her blue eyes fixed on the crystal ball.

"Frieza's true Combat Power is 150 million!" Whis answered directly, his tone flat.

"Oh... That's so high!" Linoshi stuck out her tongue, a little surprised. Then she looked back at Reiz. "Reiz... Frieza's Combat Power is 150 million!"

"About what I expected." Reiz nodded calmly, his expression utterly unchanged.

Reiz's reaction took Whis somewhat by surprise, and he gave the boy another long look.

Reiz couldn't see him, but he could feel that gaze passing through the crystal ball and settling on him.

An ordinary Saiyan would probably have been scared into wetting himself by Frieza's Combat Power.

Yet this boy looked completely unfazed, as if 150 million Combat Power were nothing worth mentioning.

"Is Frieza planning to destroy Planet Vegeta?" Linoshi asked Whis again, a note of concern in her voice.

"Oh, dear... You can't ask me about everything. You need to observe things for yourself!" Whis sighed helplessly and chided her.

"Brother Whis, just help me one more time." Linoshi began to wheedle, her voice soft and pleading.

But Whis put on a stern expression, looking completely unmoved.

Even though she couldn't see him, his silence made his attitude clear.

"Fine, then I'll ask my sister." Linoshi said, about to end the call.

Whis: "..."

Whis fell silent for a moment.

"You really know how to make things difficult for me. I'll tell you after all." Whis sighed softly, then said in a solemn tone, "You're right. Frieza is indeed planning to do that! But there's still time. He won't destroy Planet Vegeta for about another month."

"One month?" Linoshi paused, then let out a long breath of relief. She patted her chest, her face easing.

"In the meantime, you can take your little boyfriend and hurry off that planet." Whis advised quietly, his voice carrying a teasing note.

"Little boyfriend?" Linoshi's face immediately flushed. The color spread from her cheeks to her ears, and even her neck turned pink.

"Oh, my, is he not your little boyfriend?" Whis chuckled, his laughter full of teasing.

"Brother Whis, don't say things like that! We're not in that kind of relationship yet!" Linoshi stamped her foot in embarrassment and protested, her voice edged with panic.

"Not now, but you will be before long?" Whis laughed even more brightly, his laughter coming through the crystal ball loud and clear.

"I'm not talking to you anymore, Brother Whis!" Linoshi quickly ended the call, patted her chest, and tried to calm herself down.

She lowered her head, too embarrassed to look at Reiz, and could only feel her face burning.

"Whoosh!"

The next moment, Linoshi drew back the Scepter in her hand. It dissolved into specks of Starlight and vanished into the night sky.

She took a deep breath, doing her best to steady her racing heart. Then she lifted her head and glanced back at Reiz with a smile.

Under the Starlight, her delicate face was tinged with a faint blush, and her blue eyes shimmered like a lake filled with stars, glowing with warmth.

The night breeze lifted her hair, which brushed lightly against her cheeks. She looked so beautiful she seemed almost unreal.

"Reiz, we still have time. Frieza won't be able to destroy Planet Vegeta for another month!" Linoshi said with a smile. Her voice was gentle, and carried the relief she felt.

"Linoshi, if I master the basics of Ultra Instinct you taught me, do you think I could beat Frieza?" Reiz asked seriously, looking her straight in the eye.

"I don't think it'll be much of a problem." Linoshi answered at once.

But as soon as she said it, she worried that her identity might be exposed, and hurried to add an explanation.

"Um... My dad is actually really strong! The skill he developed is truly amazing! It's a shame that even I haven't fully grasped it... Ah... I haven't even mastered the basics yet." She spoke in a fluster, her eyes darting about as her fingers began unconsciously rubbing at her Battle Suit again.

Reiz smiled warmly and nodded. "I believe you!"

At that moment, Reiz really wanted to say:

You don't have to explain so much. Do you think I don't already know all that?

"Y-you really believe me?" Linoshi's eyes widened as she looked at Reiz, surprised.

Her blue eyes were full of astonishment, along with an emotion she couldn't quite put into words.

"Because I know you wouldn't lie to me." Reiz said earnestly, looking straight at her.

Linoshi's heart skipped a beat.

She stared at the boy before her, at his earnest, gentle gaze, and felt a strange warmth well up inside her.

It seems this man has trusted me ever since the moment we met.

He would rather spend all that time learning the Ultra Instinct she taught him than practice his own transformation.

That trust gave Linoshi a feeling she had never experienced before.

Without realizing it, a special kind of affection began taking root in Linoshi's heart.

And thinking about how Brother Whis had just called Reiz her "little boyfriend" made her heart flutter even more.

As she gazed at Reiz's handsome face, Linoshi felt as if spring had come to Planet Vegeta.

Her heart began racing uncontrollably. Reiz's image was reflected in her blue eyes, and everything around her seemed to fade away until only he remained.

A faint blush rose on her delicate face, and the corners of her lips lifted in a silly smile.

"Hey, hey..." Reiz noticed Linoshi staring blankly at him again and quickly waved his hand in front of her eyes.

Linoshi suddenly snapped out of it and blinked. Focus returned to her blue eyes, and she asked in confusion, "What is it?"

"I'm going to train a little longer. If you're tired, you can head back first." Reiz pointed toward the darkness in the distance.