After a while, Bum and Tasha came out carrying all kinds of food. Looking at the lavish spread on the table, Gaino said, "Dad, Mom, Laiya and I are going to dig in."
"Go ahead! We made all this for you and Laiya. There's more if you want it."
Gaino and Laiya wolfed down the food. Watching her children, Tasha felt nothing but joy.
Her son and daughter had grown up, and they'd become strong, too. She was truly happy for them.
Tasha said, "Gaino, carrying out missions all these years must have been exhausting!"
"It's been all right! Not too tiring. Laiya and I reached our destination and completed each mission in no time. Then we started traveling from planet to planet. We called it traveling, but really, it was training."
"We trained constantly and met some strange people and encountered strange things. But all of it helped Laiya and me grow."
"You certainly have grown. You're taller now, and your body's gotten stronger, too. If I'm counting right, you're ten this year," Tasha said.
"Mom, why are you only saying that Gaino's grown up? Laiya's grown up, too!"
"That's right, that's right! My Laiya's gotten taller and prettier, too."
"That's more like it," Laiya said.
After saying that, Laiya kept stuffing food into her mouth.
Gaino was also steadily clearing the food from the table.
But Tasha's next words almost made Gaino spit out the food in his mouth.
Tasha said, "Gaino, you're ten now."
"Laiya's ten this year, too, isn't she?"
"Yeah! What about it, Mom?"
"I remember I'm a few months older than Laiya!" Gaino continued eating.
Tasha said, "Then you and Laiya should get married!"
At those words, a mouthful of food got stuck in Gaino's throat. He immediately pounded his chest with his fist, and Tasha handed him a glass of water. Gaino gulped it down.
He finally felt better. "Mom, Laiya and I are only ten! Isn't it way too early to get married when we're this young?"
"What do you mean, too early? Your father and I were only twelve when we got married. You and Laiya would only be two years younger than we were."
"But we're still kids! How can we get married? And if Laiya and I get married, are we supposed to have children? We're children ourselves. How could we possibly take care of a child?"
"You little rascal. Are you saying you don't want to marry Laiya? You and Laiya have been childhood friends and grown up together. Look, Laiya has no objections, yet you've come up with a whole list of excuses."
Gaino looked at Laiya and saw that her face had turned bright red. When she noticed his gaze, she hid her cheeks behind a large bowl.
Laiya had known since she was little that Gaino wasn't their parents' biological son. He was the son of their parents' comrade, who had died saving them. Gaino was the only child left, so her parents had brought him home and treated him as their own.
As time went by, they realized Gaino was a good child, and her parents gradually raised him as their own son.
So it was all right for her to marry Gaino.
Seeing how flustered Gaino was, Bum said to Tasha, "Gaino's right. He and Laiya are still young. How could they get married at this age? Besides, we Saiyans have to report our marriages to the king. We can't just decide to get married on the spot!"
"Let's talk about it again after Gaino and Laiya have grown up a few more years!"
"Mom, how about this? Laiya and I will get married when we turn eighteen. What do you think?" Gaino said.
Hearing him say that, Tasha replied, "All right, then. You and Laiya will get married when you turn eighteen. You can't go back on your word then!"
"I definitely won't," Gaino said.
Tasha turned to Laiya. "Laiya, your big brother Gaino said he'll marry you when you're eighteen. What do you think?"
Laiya's cheeks turned even redder, but she still nodded.
"Good. Since Laiya agrees, I have nothing more to say."
"Keep eating. Your dad and I are going out to discuss something."
Now Gaino and Laiya were the only two people left in the room, and the atmosphere grew incredibly awkward.
The two of them had been perfectly comfortable together before, but now neither of them knew what to say.
Laiya spoke first. "Big brother Gaino, Mom was just talking nonsense. Don't take it too seriously. We can take our time deciding whether to get married..." Her voice grew as faint as a mosquito's buzz.
"Laiya, since I said it, I'll keep my promise. All right, you don't need to be so embarrassed. We've been childhood friends since we were little, and we've always been close. We're a perfect match, aren't we?"
"Who's embarrassed? You're the one who's embarrassed! I'm not embarrassed at all. All right, I'm done talking to you. I'm going to stroll around the shopping street. We've been training away from home for so many years, and I've missed the snacks there."
"Then let's go together," Gaino said.
"Okay, let's go!"
With that, Gaino grabbed Laiya's hand. At first, she resisted a little, but Gaino held on tightly to her small hand.
"What's wrong? Didn't you say you weren't embarrassed? Now you're afraid to even hold my hand?"
"Who said I was embarrassed? Fine, I'll hold your hand! What are you going to do about it?"
It was strange, really. When two people knew each other well but hadn't crossed that final line, everything was fine. There was no awkwardness or embarrassment. But the moment they crossed that line, it suddenly felt as though a barrier had sprung up between them. That was how it worked in real life, too, and Gaino and Laiya were experiencing it firsthand.
Gaino and Laiya arrived at the shopping street on Planet Vegeta. There were lots of stalls selling snacks. As soon as they got there, Laiya let go of Gaino's hand and hurried over to a stall, ordering a bunch of her favorite snacks. Gaino went over to her and said, "Are you sure you can finish all that?"
"Of course! I'm a foodie," Laiya said.
Laiya kept stuffing the prepared snacks into her mouth while Gaino paid. Men really did seem to pick this sort of thing up without being taught.
Laiya picked up a skewer of snacks and shoved it into Gaino's mouth. Gaino made some muffled sounds, then pulled the food out of his mouth with his hand and said, "You shoved that in so suddenly! What if I choked?"
"Haha, big brother Gaino can choke, too!"
Gaino was about to say something, but then he saw a figure behind Laiya. The words died on his lips.
This is bad. What's this guy doing on Planet Vegeta? Laiya noticed Gaino's expression and followed his gaze. Not far from them stood a gaunt figure dressed like an Egyptian pharaoh.
Gaino silently prayed, Please, everyone, don't offend this mighty being. He's Beerus, the God of Destruction of Universe 7.