Scum Lotte 2 (Seeking Recommendations)

The venue was even more bustling than it had been three years ago, with the stands packed with people and colorful flags fluttering in the wind. In the contestant waiting area, the familiar faces were all gathered together.

"Goku! Over here, over here!" Krillin's bald head shone brightly as he rushed over and pulled him into a bear hug. "Long time no see! You've grown taller again!"

"Krillin! You've become much stronger, too!" Son Goku laughed and patted his back, feeling the ki within Krillin, which was several times more solid than it had been three years ago, and felt a wave of relief in his heart.

Yamcha leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, a wry smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Yo, Goku. I heard you're aiming for a three-peat this time?"

"Yeah! I'm going to give it my all!" Son Goku nodded earnestly, his fists clenching involuntarily. This tournament... it's the point in the original story where Chi-Chi and I get married. But this time, everything is different.

Tien Shinhan stood in the corner, his three eyes fixed on Son Goku with a complex gaze. Three years had passed, and his ki was several times stronger than before, but facing Son Goku... he still couldn't gauge the depth of his power.

"Tien Shinhan," Son Goku walked over and extended a hand. "Let's both do our best!"

Tien Shinhan looked at the hand, silent for a moment, before finally gripping it. "...I won't lose."

Chiaotzu sat to the side, a faint smile on his small face. Piccolo—now grown into a teenager, about the same height as Son Goku, with green skin and wearing a white martial arts uniform—stood coldly at the furthest edge with his arms crossed. The hatred in those eyes had faded much more than three years ago, yet it had been replaced by something more complex, something even he couldn't quite name.

"Piccolo!" Son Goku waved at him.

Piccolo let out a cold snort and turned his head away. "Don't try to get chummy with me, Son Goku. I will definitely defeat you today."

"Heh, I'll be waiting!"

Just then, a crisp voice rang out from the entrance:

"Goku!"

Everyone turned around.

A young girl stood at the doorway. She wore a traditional pink martial arts uniform, her long black hair tied into two playful buns, with a blue sash tied around her waist. She carried a small suitcase, her cheeks slightly flushed from the journey, and her large eyes searched the crowd—finally, they locked onto Son Goku.

Chi-Chi.

Son Goku's heart skipped a beat.

Chi-Chi...

In the original story, Chi-Chi waited for me for so many years, only to end up with a husband who never came home, a fool who only knew how to fight and didn't understand her heart.

She managed the household alone, raised the children alone, and worried alone that I might die in battle. She wanted a home, but all I gave her was waiting.

In this life... I won't let her live like that again.

"Goku!" Chi-Chi trotted over, stopping in front of Son Goku and looking up at him. Her eyes were bright, as if filled with stars, and her voice was full of joy and... a hint of irrepressible shyness. "You... you really came. I... I thought you had forgotten..."

"Forgotten what?" Son Goku feigned confusion, though his heart was already twisted into a knot.

"It's... it's what you said when we were little..." Chi-Chi's face turned as red as a ripe apple, her voice growing smaller as she twisted the hem of her clothes. "That you'd marry me when you grew up..."

The waiting area fell into a dead silence.

Krillin's jaw hit the floor with an exaggerated "clack." Yamcha nearly choked on his own saliva, clutching his throat and coughing repeatedly. Tien Shinhan's three eyes went wide, and even Piccolo, who had been keeping a cold face, frowned, wearing an expression that clearly said, "What is this guy doing?"

"Oh! That!" Son Goku had a sudden realization, then nodded earnestly. "I remember. I'm here to fulfill that promise."

Chi-Chi's eyes lit up instantly, her voice tinged with tears. "Really?!"

"But," Son Goku scratched his head, his expression becoming somewhat troubled, though his gaze remained fixed on her without flinching, "there's something I have to tell you first. Something very important."

"What is it?"

"About Bulma..."

Chi-Chi understood immediately, her complexion shifting from red to white, from white to green, and finally to a near-transparent pallor.

"You... you mean..." Her voice trembled like a fallen leaf in an autumn breeze. "You want to marry both of us?"

"Yeah..." Son Goku nodded honestly, his heart thumping heavily in his chest. Come on, what must come will come.

"Slap!"

A loud, sharp slap echoed.

Son Goku's face tilted slightly, a faint red mark appearing on his cheek. But he didn't dodge, nor did he get angry; he simply looked at Chi-Chi quietly, his eyes filled with sorrow and... a near-humble plea.

"You... you heartless flirt!" Chi-Chi's eyes reddened, tears swirling in them but stubbornly refusing to fall. "I waited for you for six years! Six years! Every day I practiced martial arts, every day I watched the road down the mountain, every day... every day I wondered, what is my fiancé doing? Has he gotten stronger? Does he... still remember me?"

Her voice grew louder, carrying the grievances of six years of waiting pouring out all at once:

"And you tell me that not only do you remember, but you've fallen for someone else?! You tell me you're going to split your heart in two, half for me and half for her?! Son Goku, what do you take me for?! Some... some country girl you made a casual promise to when you were a kid, someone you can just brush aside?!"

"I'm sorry." Son Goku lowered his head, his voice hoarse.

"What good is 'I'm sorry'!" Chi-Chi finally broke down. She crouched, hugging her knees as tears flooded out like a child abandoned by the whole world. "I... I..."

Son Goku crouched down, not touching her, just sitting quietly before her, letting his shadow envelop her like a silent guardian:

"Chi-Chi, I'm sorry. I'm a fool; I don't know how to handle this. But I know that if I give you up, I'll regret it for the rest of my life. And if I give up Bulma, I'll regret that for the rest of my life, too."

He paused, his voice as gentle as if he were coaxing a wounded animal:

"Your cooking is delicious. Back at Fire Mountain when we were kids, that was the best thing I'd ever eaten. I didn't understand then why a meal could make someone so happy. Later, I went off to train, to fight, and I ate so many things... but nothing could ever compare to that bowl of noodles you made."

Chi-Chi's sobbing paused, her shoulders trembling slightly.

"Bulma is brilliant; she can build incredible machines to help me train. She makes me stronger. But you..." Son Goku looked at Chi-Chi earnestly, "You make me want to become stronger. Because I want to protect you, I want to protect the meals you cook for me, and I want to protect that smile you wore while waiting for me at Fire Mountain."

He slowly reached out, gently taking hold of Chi-Chi's clenched fist. Her hand was ice-cold and trembling:

"The two of you being together... it isn't because I'm greedy for the best equipment and the best food. It's because..."

He looked up, his eyes seeming to glow:

"Both of you are the light in my life. Bulma is the wings that let me fly far away, and you are the lamp that makes me want to come home. Without the wings, I can't fly far. Without the lamp..."

His voice suddenly choked up, and his eyes grew truly red:

"I wouldn't know... why I should fly back at all."

In the lounge, Krillin covered his face, a sob escaping through his fingers. Yamcha turned his head away, his shoulders heaving. Even Tien Shinhan silently turned around, his three eyes fixed on the window.

Chi-Chi slowly raised her head, looking at Son Goku through tear-blurred eyes.

She looked at the expression of absolute sincerity on this idiot's face, at those reddened eyes, at this battle-maniac who wouldn't even blink in the face of death, yet was now as fragile as paper for fear of losing her.

This idiot...

He doesn't understand romance, doesn't know how to use flowery words...

But every word he says is pulled straight from his heart.

Six years... is this what I've been waiting for?

No, I've been waiting for him. Just this idiot who can't even say "I love you," but can say "Without you, I wouldn't know why I should fly back."

"You..." Her voice trembled, raspy from crying, "Who proposes like that..."

"Chi-Chi?"

"I accept," Chi-Chi stood up and wiped her tears fiercely with the back of her hand. Although her eyes were still as red as a rabbit's, the corners of her mouth lifted, carrying a helpless, tearful smile, "But not because of those stupid things you said. It's because..."

She looked at Son Goku, her eyes filled with tenderness and a resigned sort of doting:

"Because from the moment you saved me from the sky at Fire Mountain when we were kids, and then ate the food I made until your face was covered in it... I knew I was destined to be completely wrapped around your finger, you idiot."

She paused, then suddenly reached out, grabbed Son Goku's ear, and gave it a sharp twist:

"But! From now on, I'll be the one cooking at home, and you aren't allowed to be a picky eater! You have to come home on time! You have to spend time with me! And also..." Her face turned beet red, her voice dropping to a mosquito's hum, "You have to... you have to treat me well."

"Yeah, yeah!" Son Goku nodded repeatedly, his smile so radiant it made the sunlight outside the window pale in comparison, "I promise!"

Bulma walked in from the doorway, arms crossed, watching the scene with a sigh: "...Honestly, I can't believe I actually agreed to something this ridiculous."

She walked up to Chi-Chi and held out her hand, her blue-violet eyes holding a complex look that finally melted into a relieved smile: "From now on... please take care of me, Chi-Chi."

Chi-Chi looked at Bulma, hesitating for a moment. She looked at this genius scientist, this beautiful, intelligent woman who could make Goku stronger... then, she took that hand and shook it firmly:

"Please take care of me... Big Sister Bulma."

"Little Sister Chi-Chi," Bulma smiled, the tips of her ears turning slightly pink, "Please take care of me."

The two girls looked at each other and suddenly burst into laughter. One laughed heartily, the other helplessly, but their joined hands did not let go.

Son Goku stood to the side, watching this scene, a warmth he had never known before surging in his heart.

It's great...

They... they both stayed.

In this life, no one will be left waiting alone, no one will be left crying alone.

In this life, everything will be different.