Unknowingly, time had flown by, and more than ten months had quietly passed…
It was now October of 743.
In a remote and desolate area far from the Central Metropolitan Zone, a stylish dome-shaped house sat by the roadside, standing out in stark contrast to the wilderness around it.
The sky was faintly lit—it was five in the morning, and nature was at its most tranquil.
"Mmm…"
On the soft, comfortable bed, Tights let out a sleepy murmur, half-opening her eyes in a daze to see Yamiru getting up carefully.
"Did I wake you? Haha, looks like I still need to improve my skills…" he chuckled in a familiar tone before leaning down to plant a gentle kiss on her forehead.
Tights squinted, smiling drowsily. "Improve your skills, huh…?"
"So, you're cracking jokes this early in the morning?" Yamiru finished dressing, then flopped onto the bed beside her, teasing, "Where did my pure and innocent Tights go? Hmm? Where did she go…"
Giggling as he tickled her, Tights squirmed and swatted at him. "Stop that…! It's all your fault! I used to be so proper…"
Yamiru laughed as well.
---
Ten months ago, the two of them had left West City together and begun roaming the world.
Sometimes, they followed Yamiru's preferences, staying in serene and picturesque locations for ten days or so at a time.
Tights never got bored—inside their capsule house, there was electricity, running water, a TV, and shelves full of books and magazines. She also had her work as a novelist to keep her occupied.
While Yamiru trained, she wrote. And when they were together, they simply enjoyed each other's company.
Other times, they followed Tights' whims, traveling to interesting destinations. They had visited nearly all the major cities on Earth and even ventured into small, remote towns, where Yamiru acted as her protector while she explored, claiming it was for "research."
At every stop, they took pictures to preserve their memories.
Tights' favorite photo was the one where Yamiru, holding her in his arms, hovered in front of the world's largest waterfall. The thunderous roar of the falls had been deafening, but thanks to telepathy, Yamiru had been able to communicate with her effortlessly.
Through their journey, Tights introduced Yamiru to many fascinating aspects of life on Dragon Ball's Earth, while Yamiru took her to visit Orin Temple, where he caught up with fourteenth.
As they left the temple, Tights complained, "A lot of those monks had such pervy looks in their eyes! They didn't seem like monks at all!"
Yamiru replied, "Can't be helped. Modern life and changing ideals have made true monks a rarity…"
Curious, Tights asked, "That little monk you stopped the others from bullying—was his name Krillin?"
Yamiru smiled. "Yeah. I told him, 'If you can't endure it anymore, then don't endure it.'"
Tights clicked her tongue. "Oh no, he's definitely going to get beaten up because of your advice…"
Yamiru just laughed. "Only after experiencing hardship will he find the courage to change his fate."
"You're so devious!" Tights playfully jumped onto Yamiru's back, waving her arm. "Take off, pilot!"
---
Looking back on all these moments, Yamiru lay beside Tights for a while longer before whispering, "Sleep a bit more. Looks like it might rain today."
"Mmm…" Tights nodded. Still drowsy, she gave him a soft kiss before drifting back into deep sleep, a gentle smile lingering on her lips.
Yamiru watched his girlfriend as she slept, her golden hair in a mess, her expression serene. She still looked so much like a young girl—adorable, and at times, endearingly silly.
Smiling to himself, he got up and stepped outside to stretch.
Tap tap…
Standing at the door, Yamiru lightly bounced on his feet, stretching his muscles before suddenly unleashing a side kick. The force generated a visible shockwave, sending small stones rolling along the ground.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh…
Half-closing his eyes, he seemed to envision an invisible opponent before him. His fists and palms blurred as he executed sixteen rapid straight punches, four hooks, twenty knife-hand strikes, and a flying knee—all within a single second. Finally, he exhaled and flexed his arms. "Good, I'm warmed up."
With a single leap, Yamiru soared over a hundred meters into the air, covering an incredible distance in one bound.
By human standards, his physical abilities had long surpassed the limits of an ordinary person.
He ran, leapt, and dashed through the wilderness with the grace of a leopard, while his movements through the mountains and forests were as agile as a monkey's. Moving swiftly, he reached the base of a cliff.
For most, the rocky cliffside would be difficult to scale, but Yamiru effortlessly found footholds, his body seemingly weightless as he climbed in the blink of an eye.
Standing at the cliff's edge, he remained steady—his breathing even, his expression calm.
The wind blew across, and before him was the vast horizon. Yamiru felt that after his exercise, his body was filled with an excited, ambitious energy, craving for a grand release.
"......"
Suddenly, he pointed a finger to the ground, and his body seemed to float as he effortlessly went into a handstand.
He balanced on a single finger, with his other hand resting behind his back.
Yamiru closed his eyes, feeling the excitement bubbling within his body. He silently muttered, "No unnecessary movements... no unnecessary movements..."
His breathing was slow and steady, like a pine tree growing upside down at the edge of a cliff.
The wind blew, and the "pine tree" remained still...
"Boom!"
After the silent flash of lightning, thunder roared, as if exploding right above his head.
Dark clouds suddenly appeared, blocking the bright sky and casting a gloomy shadow over everything. Light rain began to fall...
"Crack!"
The lightning struck the gray sky, lighting up the motionless figure at the cliff's edge.
The rain had already drenched him, but he stood still, eyes closed, brow furrowed.
Yamiru listened to the sound of raindrops hitting the ground.
Pitter-patter...
Plop... The raindrops shattered on the rocks at his feet.
"Don't just listen, feel it... feel with your heart..." Yamiru muttered to himself. "Ki perception, as a skill, refers to sensing the energy within others, but as a martial arts realm, it's about controlling oneself and the surrounding nature. To put it in martial terms, it's an ultra-sensitive insight into details..."
---
Tights was exhausted, so she slept soundly, but the thunder woke her up, so she decided to get up.
She scratched her messy blonde hair, heard the rain, and saw that Yamiru had yet to return. She muttered, "He's really full of energy..."
Although the room had a good air conditioning system, stepping out of bed in the nude was still a bit cold. Tights casually put on one of Yamiru's white tank tops and big shorts, barefoot, and went to the bathroom. After a quick pee, she hummed a song while squeezing toothpaste, and after washing up beautifully in front of the mirror, she made a cup of coffee and went to the living room.
"The sky is so dark, and it's really raining hard."
She walked over to the window to have a look. "I wonder if Yamiru is okay? Even though his body is strong, he should still take a hot shower when he gets back..."
After all, she understood her boyfriend's monster-like physique, and since he was an adult, she didn't need to worry about what he would do.
On the coffee table, there were stacks of papers belonging to both Tights and Yamiru.
She picked up her portion, which was, of course, her novel manuscript. She curled up on the sofa, sipping coffee as she read, losing herself in her novel's ideas... After a while, feeling a bit uninspired, she put it down. Seeing Yamiru's stack of drafts on the table, Tights smiled and grabbed them, continuing to study. "Why does he always have such strange ideas?"
"Whoosh—"
She turned a page.
On the front page of the opened stack, there was only one simple line of text: An explanation of "the spirit realm".
——————
Yamiru: 151