The First Peaceful Meal

Android 18 fell silent for a moment, her lashes lowered.

She took a breath, her voice very soft. "Thank you."

Chen Hao looked up at her. "Thank me?"

"For letting me follow you and bringing me here." Android 18's expression was complicated as her fingertips brushed back and forth along the edge of the tablecloth. "Ever since Android 17 and I escaped the lab, we've been hiding. Underground motels, cold convenience-store rice balls—we didn't even dare shower for more than five minutes." She paused, her gaze drifting toward the window. "This is the first time I've sat in a restaurant and had a meal like this."

Chen Hao put down the menu and folded his hands on the table. "Since you chose to follow me, those days are over." He paused for half a second. "As long as I'm here, no one can hurt you."

The words were brief, but Android 18 could tell there was nothing hollow in them.

She looked at Chen Hao's profile—the red hair was striking beneath the sunlight, his jaw sharply defined. A long-forgotten feeling rose within her, like something frozen for too long slowly beginning to thaw. Safety. A word she had never felt since escaping the lab had suddenly become real.

Sunlight slanted in through the window, spreading a warm glow across the wooden table. A teacup rested on the tabletop, steam curling gently upward. In the distance came the faint clinking of knives and forks against porcelain plates.

Android 18 ran a finger along the side of her cup, leaving a streak of moisture on the cold porcelain.

"Chen Hao." Her voice was lower than before.

Chen Hao had been picking up food. His chopsticks paused in midair as he turned to look at her.

"What is it?"

Android 18 raised her head. Her blue eyes, usually calm and even faintly mocking, looked straight at him now. Her breathing was shallower than usual, her chest rising and falling faintly.

"I want to ask you for something." She spoke every word slowly. "Could you... help me save Android 17?"

The air went still for a moment. Outside, the wind stirred the sheer curtains, and light and shadow shifted across the table. The clock on the wall ticked on.

Chen Hao put down his chopsticks and leaned back, the chair creaking softly. He clasped his hands on the table and looked at her calmly.

"Cell is currently digesting Vegeta's energy," he said. "Once he finishes fusing with it, you want me to stop him?"

"Not stop him. Save him." Android 18's voice grew urgent. Her hand clenched on the table, her knuckles turning white. "Cell will be even stronger when he comes back after digesting Vegeta's energy. By then..." She did not finish. Her lips moved, and her gaze briefly drifted outside.

Chen Hao lifted his teacup and took a sip, then set it down. His thumb slowly traced the rim.

"I can save him," he said unhurriedly. "But there has to be a reason."

He looked at Android 18 over the rim of the cup. Sunlight fell across half his face, and his eyes were impossible to read.

Android 18's body stiffened. She could feel Chen Hao's gaze stripping away her defenses layer by layer. She bit her lower lip, unclenched her fist, and slowly straightened her fingers against the tabletop.

"What do you want?" Her voice dropped, every syllable restrained. "Don't tell me... you want me to give myself to you?"

Chen Hao's lips twitched, but he did not smile.

"A reason?" he repeated.

Android 18 froze, as if cold water had been poured over her. Her fingertips trembled slightly. Sunlight streamed through gaps in the old eaves, casting mottled flecks of light across her face, while several strands of golden hair swayed gently in the breeze.

Chen Hao leaned against the chair back, arms folded, looking at her with faint detachment. "I let you follow me because you had nowhere else to go." His tone was calm, as if he were stating something entirely ordinary. "Helping you save Android 17 is another matter. There's no such thing as a free lunch."

Once the words fell, the surroundings became strangely quiet. Birds chirped in the distance, only making the silence feel heavier.

Android 18 bit her lower lip, her teeth sinking so deeply into it that she nearly broke the skin. She lowered her head and looked herself over—her cuffs were faded, the hem of her clothes was coming undone, and dust clung to her pant legs. She remained silent for a long time, long enough to hear her own heartbeat clearly.

She had nothing now. No money, no place to live. Even her spare clothes had been grabbed on the run, and that gray coat had been pulled off a clothesline in town. The only thing she could possibly offer was—

"Haven't we already..." Android 18's voice grew softer and softer until it was nearly inaudible. Her gaze shifted away uneasily before settling on the dust covering the tips of her shoes. "Didn't you say that you and I were that kind of relationship?" A faint blush spread across her cheeks.

"That was for Cell to hear." Chen Hao spread his hands, a half-smiling curve on his lips. "You didn't take it seriously, did you?"

Android 18's face instantly turned red, color flooding from her neck to her ears. She abruptly turned her head away, her golden hair sweeping through the air in an arc. Her voice was tinged with embarrassment and annoyance. "Then what payment do you want? I really don't have anything to give you." By the end, she sounded stubborn and unwilling, yet helpless all the same.

"If you're asking someone for help, you need to show some sincerity." Chen Hao put down his chopsticks and leaned forward slightly. "I don't want you to give yourself to me. That would sound like taking advantage of your desperation. I want you to promise me one thing—what exactly it is, I haven't decided yet. But when I bring it up in the future, you can't refuse."

Android 18 stared at him, her gaze filled with scrutiny and wariness. "What is it?"

"I don't know." Chen Hao leaned back in his chair. "Maybe I'll have you kill someone. Maybe I'll have you take a blade for me. Or maybe I'll just have you run an errand." He shrugged. "Don't worry. I won't make you do something you absolutely can't do. But I genuinely can't think of anything I want right now, so you'll owe me for now."

Android 18 was silent for a while. Sunlight filtered through gaps in the sheer curtains outside, flickering across her face. She looked into Chen Hao's eyes, trying to find some trace of calculation or a trap, but all she saw was an indifferent, almost casual sincerity.

"That's all?"

"That's all."

She fell silent for even longer. Then she slowly released the tablecloth she had been gripping, leaving several deep creases in the fabric.

"Fine. I agree."

Chen Hao nodded, picked up his chopsticks again, and put a bite of greens into his mouth. He chewed twice, as though nothing had happened.

"Eat. The food's getting cold."

Android 18 stared blankly at him. Only after several seconds did she pick up her own chopsticks. She took a piece of braised beef and put it into her mouth. The meat was tender from stewing, and the flavor of the sauce spread over her tongue. As she chewed, her eyes suddenly stung. She lowered her head and pretended to focus on eating, not letting Chen Hao see her expression.