She could still get the Dragon Ball from Master Roshi.
Right now, with no other wishes, the Dragon Balls weren't much use to her.
Their power was limited; she couldn't wish for the perfect boyfriend.
Besides, the Bulma of this life had already grown up.
She'd long forgotten her childhood dreams,
and the unrealistic dreams of her teenage years had faded away, too.
In this peaceful world, she had no particular wish.
She just wanted to wait for Goku to grow up, then marry him.
She'd let him do what he loved: train every day, and protect the Earth and his family.
Meanwhile, she'd keep busy with work, earn money, and support his training.
If Goku and she could be together,
it seemed they could both live the lives they wanted, right up until they grew old together.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Bulma.
She'd almost forgotten: in the future, Goku would die of a sudden Heart Virus.
There wouldn't be any effective medicine in that era, and Senzu Beans wouldn't work.
Goku would die before they could gather all the Dragon Balls. (The Dragon Balls had been used by Pilaf and his gang to turn themselves into babies, so they couldn't be used for a year.
Later, when Piccolo died, the Dragon Balls would be gone for good.)
Shenron couldn't resurrect people who had died of illness, either.
But in this life, she could prepare in advance.
For example, she could get her parents to invest in medicine now and develop a treatment for the Heart Virus.
Developing an effective medicine wouldn't be difficult for this world's science.
They could certainly make one before setting off for Namek.
But then Bulma remembered something else.
Goku was strong and loved fighting.
But... he was actually afraid of getting shots.
Even Saiyans got headaches, fevers, and colds.
A better idea came to her.
"Why not gather the Dragon Balls this time and wish for Goku to never get sick?"
Bulma immediately broke into a delighted smile. It was a brilliant idea.
She already had three Dragon Balls, so she just needed to find four more.
Taking care of it once and for all would be even simpler than making medicine.
Bulma remembered where the Dragon Balls were.
Master Roshi had one, Oolong Village had one, and Ox-King's castle had one...
At the thought of Ox-King, Bulma's pupils contracted.
She couldn't help thinking of Chi-Chi.
She thought of the promise to be a bride,
and of how grown-up Goku had been whisked away by Chi-Chi at the World Martial Arts Tournament.
She couldn't blame Chi-Chi for that.
If anyone was to blame, it was Goku for being so clueless.
In her previous life, that blockhead Goku had only just learned that boys and girls were built differently,
and he'd actually tried to tell them apart by patting girls in private places.
That was how he and Chi-Chi had ended up promising to marry each other.
But when she looked at this Goku, Bulma seemed to relax.
This time, Gohan would teach him as he grew up, so he'd be no different from an ordinary person.
He shouldn't do anything like that.
So there was no need to interfere too much.
"Then tomorrow, we'll take Sea Turtle to Kame House!
If that old man tries to make any outrageous demands, I'll beat him to a pulp!"
After saying that, Bulma tucked Goku in with the blanket,
turned off the light, then lay down on her side and went to sleep...
Even though she was sleeping beside Goku in the middle of nowhere,
Bulma wasn't worried about danger.
That night, she slept especially soundly...
Chapter 8: Visiting Kame House
The next day, the sun shone brightly in a cloudless sky.
A ray of sunlight slipped through a gap in the curtains and fell across Bulma's face.
At last, she woke from her deep sleep.
The room was empty. Goku was nowhere to be seen.
"Goku?"
"Sun-kun?"
Bulma called out twice, but there was no answer.
Suddenly, she spotted a T-shirt tossed on the sofa.
It was the shirt Goku had worn after his bath the day before.
Bulma immediately looked toward the balcony.
Sure enough, Goku's clothes were gone.
She pulled the curtain aside a little and spotted Goku outside, training by moving rocks.
Only then did she feel reassured.
She checked the time and muttered to herself:
"Oh my, it's already so late.
I can't believe I slept in.
Goku's more diligent than I am!"
After saying that, Bulma threw off the blanket and got up, then began brushing her teeth and washing up.
Suddenly, Bulma froze. She lifted her nightshirt and looked down to check.
Her pure white underwear was still firmly on.
Bulma let out another sigh of relief.
"Just as I thought, this Goku is different. He wouldn't do something so impolite."
Once she'd finished washing up, Bulma was about to change when she heard Goku knock.
"Bulma, open the door!"
Bulma opened it and looked at Little Goku with some displeasure.
"You were just training outside. Why did you lock the door?
Did you lock it by accident?"
Goku said, "No, I locked it on purpose.
I saw you were still asleep, and I was worried a bad guy might break in!"
Goku's words took Bulma by surprise.
She couldn't help thinking, Did I hear that right?
Little Goku is worried about my safety.
Well, well...
Goku is so considerate in this life!
As the two of them talked, a familiar giant sea turtle came into view.
"Hello, ma'am. Sorry to bother you..."
Son Goku immediately said, "Bulma, I found a lost Sea Turtle outside.
Shall we help take him back?"
Bulma looked at Sea Turtle and smiled. "Isn't that easy?
I'll get changed in a moment, then we can take him back to the sea together."
Sea Turtle looked grateful.
"Really? Thank you so much!"
Bulma looked at Sea Turtle, crouched down, and asked,
"Mr. Sea Turtle, would you like something to eat or drink?"
Sea Turtle hesitated.
"C-could I?"
"Of course," Bulma said generously.
Sea Turtle said, "Then sorry for the trouble, but could I have a glass of lightly salted water,
and perhaps some meat, too? I'm hungry and thirsty..."
"Sure, just wait a moment!"
After saying that, Bulma took out a small bucket,
tossed in a handful of salt, and filled the bucket with water.
At the same time, she took a few slices of frozen pork belly out of the fridge and tossed them into the bucket.
In her previous life, Bulma had been close with Master Roshi and the others.
She'd helped Launch feed Sea Turtle, so she knew exactly what he liked to eat and drink.
The frozen meat thawed quickly in the water,
and the salt water was cool, too.
Sea Turtle drank to his heart's content.
After drinking his fill and eating some raw meat,
Sea Turtle was finally full.
The well-fed Sea Turtle thanked Bulma over and over, but she quickly cut off his endless chatter.
Soon, Goku finished training.
Goku didn't eat much for breakfast, and after he and Bulma had both finished eating,
Bulma put away the Capsule house.