The Unopenable Box; The Daily Bickering of Two Best Buds

By the time the meal was more than halfway over, Son Gohan, Trunks, and Son Goten had returned after gathering the Dragon Balls.

Seeing them come back, Son Goku called them over to eat.

"Gohan, Goten, Trunks, you're back just in time! Hurry over and eat. The food Bulma made is delicious!"

Vegeta was determined to win this meal-time contest against Son Goku. He glanced at Son Gohan and the others, but instead of slowing down, he began eating even faster.

Naturally, Son Goku didn't miss his little trick. Seeing him pick up the pace when no one was looking, he immediately cried out in protest. "Hey!"

"Vegeta, you're so sneaky! You took the chance to eat one more!"

After shouting, he ignored Son Gohan and the other two and focused on eating again.

The two of them fought over the food like ravenous tigers pouncing on their prey.

But when Son Gohan and the others saw them, they weren't surprised at all. They just smiled faintly.

If they hadn't eaten so recently, they would've joined the feast themselves.

They had planned to summon Shenron right away and free the hero, Tapion.

But then they remembered that Tarble and the others had returned. They decided to let them try opening the box first.

Just then, Bulma asked, "Gohan, did you find all the Dragon Balls?"

"Of course. They're all here." Son Gohan gave the brown bag in his hand a shake. "Let's try after Dad and Uncle Vegeta finish eating."

"If that doesn't work, we can try summoning Shenron."

Hearing this, Bulma nodded. "I suppose that's all we can do."

Son Gohan and the others watched Tarble and the rest eat nearby, completely unaware that the Mage, Hoi, who was eating so elegantly, had let the corners of his mouth curl up ever so slightly. He glanced at the brown bag in Son Gohan's hand without drawing attention to himself.

A glimmer of barely concealed delight flashed in his eyes.

My treasure!

My precious treasure!

Just be patient a little longer. Soon, you'll see the light of day again!

Soon. Very soon!

Unfortunately, no one present noticed his expectant, smug, and greedy little look.

Of course.

His movements had been subtle and cautious, and they'd lasted only a moment. That was why Tarble and the others hadn't noticed.

Otherwise, they would surely have caught him.

After all, Tarble and the others were now so powerful that their senses and instincts were extraordinarily keen.

They were especially sensitive to hostile gazes.

If they hadn't all been focused on eating, Tarble and the others would definitely have noticed his little move.

Another twenty minutes passed before Tarble and the other three had finally eaten their fill.

With Tarble leading the way, everyone quickly helped clear away the dishes.

As for washing them, that was naturally left to the servants.

Afterward, everyone strolled to an open area in the villa: a broad lawn.

A little exercise after a big meal was just the thing for the Saiyans.

Tarble held up the Silver Box and gave it a shake in front of Son Goku, Vegeta, and Licks.

"Which of you wants to try first?"

Normally, Son Goku and Vegeta would've argued over who got to go first.

But things were different now. They had to put on a show for that old geezer.

So neither of them stepped forward right away.

This left the unknowing Son Gohan, Bulma, and the others puzzled.

What was going on?

Why weren't the two of them fighting to go first today?

They were baffled.

With neither Son Goku nor Vegeta responding, Licks stepped forward on his own.

"Your Highness, let me try first."

After spending so much time together, Licks had generally stopped referring to himself as "your subordinate" at Tarble and Vegeta's request.

But he still insisted on addressing the two brothers with honorifics.

Since he was set on it, Tarble and Vegeta stopped trying to change his mind.

"Sure. You go ahead, but don't force it if you can't open it."

Tarble tossed him the Silver Box and added a word of caution.

Licks nodded slightly. "Yes, Your Highness."

Just then, Bulma sidled up to Vegeta and whispered in his ear, curiosity and a hint of worry in her voice. "Vegeta, you're acting a little strange today!"

"Why aren't you and Goku going first to try it?"

Vegeta certainly wasn't going to tell her the truth. If he told her what they were doing beforehand, and things didn't turn out the way Tarble had guessed, it would be awkward.

But he'd already thought of an excuse.

"Hmph!"

"It's a little thing like this. Why should the strongest ones have to go first?"

Hearing that, Bulma smiled knowingly. "Oh—"

"So that's what it is. All right, then."

Mm.

That was the tone!

Now that sounded right!

It seemed the two really were fine.

Reassured that nothing had gone wrong, she relaxed.

Then she focused her attention on Licks, who seemed to be using all his strength to open the box.

Vegeta seemed to guess what Bulma was thinking. He pursed his lips silently, then calmly watched Licks's strenuous performance.

At the same time, he worked out how he should act when his turn came.

He had to make sure Son Gohan and the others didn't realize he was holding back, while also keeping that old geezer from noticing anything amiss.

He remembered that when he entered the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, his base power level had been around a hundred billion...

While Vegeta was considering what to do, Licks seemed to put all his strength into it. Soon, he was drenched in sweat, but he still couldn't open the little Silver Box.

In the end, he gave up.

Holding the box, he walked over to Tarble with an embarrassed look.

"Your Highness, I did my best, but I just can't open it."

"I'm very sorry to disappoint you."

Seeing how convincingly Licks acted, Tarble gave him an approving mark in his mind.

Impressive!

He'd actually worked up a full sweat. He really put his all into the performance!

He only thought that to himself. Out loud, he comforted him instead. "It's fine. You did your best."

"Gohan said he already used all his strength before and still couldn't open it."

"We've all seen how strong Gohan is. Since even he couldn't open it, I don't think we need to waste any more time."

"Why don't we just summon Shenron and ask him to help?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Son Goku and Vegeta immediately objected in unison.

"Let me try!" x2

They hadn't even tried yet. How could they go straight to Shenron?

No way!

Even if they were putting on a show, they still had to try.

But since they spoke at the same time, their subconscious urge to beat the other one was awakened.

The two exchanged a surprised glance, then spoke in unison again. "Let me go first!"

"Hey, Kakarot, are you trying to pick a fight?

Why do you have to compete with me over everything?"

"What are you talking about, Vegeta? I said it first, so I should go first."

"Bullshit! I clearly said it first. I'm going first!"