Leaving

Roger spoke as he began eating without the slightest restraint.

"Crunch, crunch, crunch..."

Tights and the others were immediately stunned as they watched Roger devour the food like a whirlwind sweeping away fallen leaves.

"What is it?"

Roger asked, looking at the four of them.

"N-Nothing. I'll go cook a few more dishes!"

Mrs. Brief stood up from her chair as she spoke.

"Um... Roger, have you not eaten for several days?"

Tights asked cautiously.

"No. We Saiyans just have big appetites!"

"I see!"

Roger nodded after hearing that and continued eating.

After a long while, Roger set down his bowl and chopsticks, let out a huge burp, and said, "I'm full!"

"I-Is that so!"

Tights looked at the spotless plates on the table.

Roger nodded, then stepped away from the table.

Just then, Mrs. Brief came over carrying a plate of freshly stir-fried beef.

"Roger, you're not eating anymore?"

"No, I'm already full!"

"Alright, then!"

As Mrs. Brief spoke, she placed the stir-fried beef on the table.

"Mom, I'm full!"

"Me too!"

"If none of you are eating, then honey..."

"I'm full too!"

After a while, Tights found Roger sitting on a patch of grass.

"Roger, are you taking a nap at noon? If you need to rest, I can take you to your room!"

"Mm!"

Roger nodded.

"Oh, right, Tights, I want to buy some Universal Capsules that don't have anything stored inside them!"

"You mean empty Universal Capsules?"

Roger nodded again.

"You can, but what do you want empty Universal Capsules for?"

"After I sell the spaceship, I'm going somewhere else!"

"Where?"

"To a place where there are gods!"

"Gods? Are there really gods in this world?"

"Yeah!"

"Then can you take me with you?"

"No!"

"Why?"

"You're too weak. You can't go to that place!"

"Then when will you come back?"

"I don't know!"

"Hmph, 'I don't know' again!"

"Tights, you just said... you'd take me to nap!"

"What nap? Just sleep here!"

After saying that, Tights stormed off in a huff.

"Women really are fickle creatures!"

As he spoke, Roger found a relatively cool spot to rest.

In the afternoon, Roger woke from his nap and went to wash up.

When he finished washing up, he saw Tights, who had been angry earlier, walking over with a cheerful smile.

"Tights... sis!"

"You're awake?"

"Yeah. Um, did you need something?"

"You said at noon that you were going to meet a god. Can you tell me what this god looks like?"

"I don't know!"

"You don't know?"

"Because I haven't met him yet. But I know where he is!"

"Where is he?"

Tights asked.

Roger pointed at the sky.

"The sky? You mean up in the heavens?"

Roger nodded.

"Impossible. If there really were gods in the sky, we humans would have discovered them long ago!"

Roger merely smiled without answering.

"Then, Roger, if you really do meet a god, can you come back?"

"Why?"

"Actually, I'm a science-fiction adventure novelist. I want to write a story about aliens!"

"Oh!"

"So I need material for my writing, and I'm very interested in the god you mentioned!

If you can help me, I'll be endlessly grateful!"

"Well..."

"Please!"

"Then I'll think about it!"

"Think about it? You mean...?"

"If I finish what I need to do, I'll come back and visit you guys!"

"Really? That's wonderful!"

"Oh, right. Do you have a phone? It'd be easier for me to contact you that way!"

"No, but if you want to give me one, I certainly wouldn't object!"

"Alright!"

Tights nodded.

"Oh, right. You mentioned this morning what the people of Planet Yardrat looked like, but I forgot?"

"Do you have a pen? I can draw one for you!"

"I do. I'll go get one right away!"

A little while later, Tights brought over a pen and a drawing board.

"Here, the pen's for you!"

Roger took the pen from Tights and began drawing on the board with smooth, flowing strokes.

Before long, a sketch of a Planet Yardrat native appeared.

"Roger, is this what the people of Planet Yardrat look like?"

"Yeah, but it isn't colored yet. Their skin is red, and the color of their clothes is the same as the clothes I'm wearing!"

"Really? But you draw so well—better than I do. Are you really only five years old?"

"Yeah!"

"Then your year has three hundred and sixty-five days, right?"

"Three hundred and sixty-four days!"

"...Roger, didn't you say Saiyans were a warrior race? How are you so smart?"

"Maybe I'm special, because I'm a genius!"

"Roger, you really aren't modest at all!"

Tights smiled.

"Can't be helped. If I acted modest, I might hurt your feelings even more!"

"Hurt my feelings? Why?"

"Because on my planet, being overly modest gets you called Versailles!"

"Versailles? What does that mean?"

"For example, a famous writer who earned hundreds of thousands a month told a struggling author making only a few thousand a month, 'I'm such a terrible writer.' That's Versailles!"

"Oh, so that's what it means!"

Tights immediately laughed when she heard that.

"Then I'm definitely that struggling author!"

Roger smiled without saying anything.

You were struggling, but... if you failed, you could inherit your family's billions in assets.

"So what was your planet like?"

"I mean, before your planet was destroyed, what did it look like?"

"Red. There wasn't this much ocean. It was mostly desert wasteland!"

"Oh, and what about the climate?"

"It was rather dry. The gravity on our planet was ten times that of Earth!"

"I see!"

And so, Tights kept asking Roger questions without pause.

In the blink of an eye, three days passed.

After receiving one billion and answering Dr. Brief's various questions about spacecraft, Roger bid farewell to Dr. Brief and the others.

Over those three days, Bulma, who had originally been hostile toward Roger, became friends with him after Tights talked her around.

After spending three days together, Bulma had developed a slight "fondness" for Roger.

So when she heard that Roger was leaving, she said reluctantly, "Roger, when will you come to West City to play with me again?"

"I don't know, but if I have time, I'll definitely come find you!"

"Alright, but you're not allowed to lie to me!"

"Roger, if you have time in the future, you can come anytime. Our home will always welcome you!"

Mrs. Brief said.

"Alright!"

"Sister Tights, Bulma, Uncle, Auntie, I'm leaving then?"

"Mm!"

The four of them nodded.