First Kiss

The cold wind at the Lookout made Son Goku's gi flap loudly. He did not linger and turned toward the edge of the plaza.

"I'm off!"

Without any needless pleasantries, he waved at Kami and Mr. Popo with his back to them, then stepped off the Lookout.

Before the weightless sensation of falling could spread through him, the vast, ocean-like ki within his body steadied him like a boulder, holding him firmly aloft.

Without calling for the Flying Nimbus, he simply strolled through the air as if he were walking down a broad, level asphalt road, step by step into the void.

Flight.

For someone with a power level of three million, such a trick of using ki to float did not require any deliberate learning. His body's instincts had long since taken over, and the raging high-altitude winds beneath his feet were as tame as sheep.

Leaning on his wooden staff, Kami watched the figure swiftly shrink into a tiny black dot before vanishing into the depths of the sea of clouds. He let out a long breath.

"Mr. Popo..." Kami wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his voice hoarse.

"Earth has produced a true dragon that people like us can only look up to!"

Breaking through the thick stratosphere, the fierce high-altitude winds howled past like blades. The freedom of crossing the void with nothing but his own body, utterly free from Earth's gravity, made Son Goku unable to resist stretching his arms into the wind.

Below him, the blue curve of the planet's surface gradually unfolded. Ranges of mountains and vast oceans lay spread beneath his gaze like a miniature sandbox.

In his previous life, he had dreamed countless times in the dead of night that one day he, too, could break free from gravity's shackles and ride the wind through empty space. Now, that daydream had not only become reality—the exhilaration of having the boundless world beneath his feet was a hundred times more intense than any illusion.

Feeling the abyssal, sea-like power within him, a faint ripple passed through Son Goku's dark eyes.

In an era when even Raditz had yet to appear, a power level of three million was absolutely a terrifying number capable of overturning the balance of the universe.

"At last... I have enough confidence to let go and do more things."

Son Goku murmured softly to himself. He did not become arrogantly deluded by this power, because he knew perfectly well that even more unreasonable monsters lay ahead. Their power levels would be utterly absurd, while he still had to train the hard way.

Still, after being cooped up in the lightless Hyperbolic Time Chamber for an entire year, all he could think about now was the steaming hot food of West City and... that mischievous blue-haired girl who always loved clinging to him and acting spoiled in his arms.

"I wonder if Bulma has been eating on time."

At the thought of Bulma, a gentle smile flickered in Son Goku's eyes.

"First stop, home!"

BOOM!

High in the cloudless blue sky, a white sonic boom cloud several hundred meters wide exploded without warning. Son Goku shot forward like a meteor tearing across daylight, carrying deafening thunderous winds as he brutally ripped through the heavens and raced straight toward West City.

West City.

The bustling modern metropolis still maintained its rapid pace. Hovercars weaved between towering buildings, while neon signs flashed with dazzling light even in broad daylight. Son Goku landed lightly at Capsule Corporation.

Following the private passage downward, he made his way with practiced ease to the laboratory deep underground.

At the moment, the lab was such a mess that it looked like a spider cave after a robbery.

Discarded blueprints and calculation drafts covered the floor, leaving barely any room to step. Several miniature mechanical arms still buzzed faintly in a corner, tirelessly cutting and assembling a piece of special alloy that gave off a dim glow.

At the broad central control console, Bulma wore an oversized white lab coat and was slumped over the edge of the keyboard without the slightest concern for her appearance, sleeping soundly.

The faint dark circles beneath her eyes silently told of how hard she had been pushing herself lately. To develop the interstellar spacecraft and the hundredfold gravity chamber he had asked for, the heiress of the world's richest family had practically turned the laboratory into her bedroom.

Hiss—

The laboratory's sensor doors slid open to either side, and Son Goku softened his footsteps as he walked over to her.

Looking at the girl's slightly innocent sleeping face, a soft smile unconsciously appeared on his own. He had wanted to find a coat to drape over her, but after glancing down at the gi that had been thoroughly ravaged in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, he had no choice but to give up.

He had just raised his hand, intending to brush aside the stray lock of blue hair beside her cheek.

"Mmm..."

Bulma smacked her lips drowsily, seemingly sensing movement beside her. Rubbing her sore eyes, she raised her head in confusion.

Their eyes met—

For two seconds, the messy laboratory fell silent.

"Ah!"

Bulma sprang up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. She grabbed a discarded blueprint beside her and desperately used it to cover most of her face, her voice rising in shock.

"Goku, you're back! But how did you walk in without making any sound?!"

"Ah!... I haven't even washed my face! My hair's a complete mess too! I look awful, so close your eyes and don't look!"

Seeing her flustered, frantic behavior, Son Goku could not help laughing. He stepped forward, pulled away the obstructive blueprint, and gently pinched her slightly tired cheek.

"What part of you haven't I seen?" His voice carried a warm, easy smile.

"Besides, even if my Bulma went half a month without washing her face, she'd still be the prettiest girl on this planet. What's there to hide?"

"You smooth talker!"

Bulma sounded utterly disdainful, but two rosy flushes swiftly bloomed across her cheeks. Her body was more honest, though—she lunged forward and buried herself directly in his arms.

Although he had only been gone to the Lookout for a few days, her round-the-clock research had only magnified that emotional dependence without limit.

Bulma buried her face in his chest, her nose filled with the faintly bitter smell of fabric scorched by intense heat, along with the clean scent that belonged only to this boy.

"You..."

Bulma looked up from his arms and poked his firm chest. "Did you get what you wanted from that temple?"

Son Goku smiled, drawing his arms in and pulling her slender waist tightly against him.

The distance between them abruptly vanished, and they could almost feel each other's warm breaths.

"Yeah, my power level went up a lot." Son Goku lowered his head, his gaze burning as he stared into her glistening eyes.

"But you... How long was I even gone, and you've already worn yourself down like this?"

His gaze made Bulma's heart skip a beat. "Wasn't I doing this so I could finish the spaceship sooner...?" she muttered indignantly, though her cheeks were burning. "And you, the moment you get back, you start criticizing me..."

The rest of her words were completely cut off.

Son Goku suddenly lowered his head and precisely captured her soft lips.

It was a warm yet restrained first kiss. One of his large hands gently cradled the back of her head, while the other tightened around her slim waist, tenderly yet firmly holding her within his territory.

Bulma's mind crashed with a bang. The hand that had meant to press against his chest and push him away instead weakly clutched his tattered martial arts uniform.

She obediently closed her eyes, her lashes trembling as she welcomed this blush-inducing intimacy amid her awkwardness and fluster.

In the quiet laboratory, even the sound of their mingling breaths became exceptionally clear, and the intimate heat between them rapidly rose.

Only after quite a while did Son Goku pull back slightly, pressing his forehead against hers. Seeing her pretty face flushed scarlet and her shimmering eyes, the smile in his gaze deepened.

"Forget all that." His thumb gently stroked her heated cheek as he coaxed softly, "Come take a bath with me, then let's have a good meal. I was shut in the Time Chamber for an entire year. Other than missing you, all I could think about was the food in West City."

"An entire year?!"

Bulma was still dizzy from what had just happened. At those words, her eyes flew wide open. "Didn't you only go to the temple the afternoon before yesterday? It hasn't even been two full days!"

"It's a long story." Son Goku smiled and took her hand, their fingers interlocking.

"Let's talk while we eat."