Half a day later, Bulma and Son Goku arrived in West City—at the grand headquarters of the Capsule Corporation.
They stepped into the spacious courtyard, where a mechanical voice greeted them.
"Welcome home, Miss Bulma."
"Mm," Bulma replied casually.
Goku looked around, eyes wide. "Bulma, your house is huge! You even have dinosaurs in your yard…"
Bulma nodded. "Yup. And a bunch of cats and dogs too. My dad picked them up from around the neighborhood."
"Your dad likes animals, huh?"
"Of course! Every meal, we've got some around."
They walked a little farther until they reached the laboratory entrance—
and right then, a man on a bicycle rolled up.
It was Dr. Brief, Bulma's father.
When Bulma saw him, her heart swelled.
After all, she'd lived a whole other lifetime—
and it had been over twenty years since she'd last seen him.
But with Goku beside her, she couldn't let her emotions show too much.
To him, they'd only been apart for about two weeks.
So she suppressed her excitement and said calmly,
"Dad, I'm home."
Dr. Brief gave a relaxed smile.
"Well, you're back earlier than I thought, Bulma!
Eh? And who's this young man?"
Bulma introduced cheerfully, "This is my good friend, Son Goku.
Don't let his size fool you—he's a great martial artist.
He protected me the whole trip."
Dr. Brief's eyes widened. "Ohh! So you're Son Goku, huh?
Impressive! You must be strong indeed.
But you're a tiny little thing—pretty cute, too."
He turned to Bulma, his face suddenly serious.
"Bulma, I guess this is my fault—I didn't pay enough attention to you.
But I never imagined you'd like them this young.
Are you… into little boys now?"
Even with two lifetimes of experience, Bulma froze—her face instantly flushed red.
She wanted to shout that Goku wasn't her boyfriend…
but then again, she did like the grown-up Goku.
So denying it outright felt wrong.
And she definitely didn't want to say in front of him, "He's not my boyfriend."
That would ruin the whole raising him plan.
As for Goku—he'd always been the quiet, socially awkward type.
Dr. Brief's blunt words left him completely speechless.
Seeing the awkward silence, Dr. Brief just smiled wider, walking up to Goku and whispering,
"Hey, Goku—have you two kissed yet?"
Even though he said it softly, Bulma heard every word.
Her face turned crimson. She yanked Goku away and exploded,
"Dad! What are you doing?!
Don't say weird things like that—he's just a kid!"
Dr. Brief blinked innocently. "Now, now, Bulma, no need to shout.
Girls should be gentle, you know."
"Gentle?!" Bulma's face burned hotter. "With a dad like you, that's impossible!"
Dr. Brief chuckled. "By the way, didn't you say you were going to find the Dragon Balls?
So? How'd that go?"
At least he'd changed the subject. Bulma exhaled deeply.
"We found them all and made a wish. Then we came back."
"Ohh, really? So Shenron's real after all."
"Of course!" Bulma said proudly.
Dr. Brief grinned. "Then next time you collect them, can you make a wish for me?"
"What kind of wish?"
He adjusted his glasses, completely straight-faced.
"I'd like a tall, beautiful woman—gentle personality, good figure."
Bulma's temper flared again. "Dad! We have guests! Can you please act normal?!"
"What's the big deal? He's your boyfriend, not a stranger."
"Who said he's my boyfriend?!"
Dr. Brief blinked innocently. "He isn't?"
Bulma turned her face away, lips pressed tight, refusing to answer.
Dr. Brief crouched beside Goku, whispering conspiratorially,
"Hey, since Bulma's not your girlfriend, that means she can't tell you what to do, right?
How about tonight, I take you out for some fun?
My treat—you can pick whichever hostess you like!"
Goku's expression stiffened. "Uh… Uncle, I'm still a kid. I'll pass."
Even Bulma couldn't believe what she was hearing.
Her father had just invited Goku to that kind of place—
and right in front of her!
Her temper shot through the roof, ready to explode—
but then Dr. Brief calmly pulled a capsule from his pocket and handed it to Goku.
"Bulma's right—you're still young. Forget that idea.
But as an elder, I should give you a gift for our first meeting.
Here, take this."
Goku accepted it, puzzled but polite. "Thanks!"
Bulma's rage cooled—slightly. "Dad… what did you just give him?"
Dr. Brief leaned close to Goku's ear.
"It's the latest Eastern Heat Photo Collection, limited edition.
Don't let Bulma see it. Look through it alone later, okay?"
Goku nearly dropped the capsule.
His heart had been racing since he entered this house, but this was on another level.
He hadn't expected Bulma's dad to be this unrestrained—he almost twisted a muscle from the shock.
Even though Dr. Brief whispered, Bulma caught every word.
She snatched the capsule out of Goku's hand and hurled it across the room.
It smashed through the window and vanished into the yard outside.
Her face twisted with fury. "Unbelievable!
Goku, don't you dare pick up any of my dad's bad habits! We're leaving!"
Unable to endure another second of her father's antics,
Bulma grabbed Goku's arm and stormed off.
Goku, already overwhelmed, quickly followed—
grateful to escape this madhouse alive.