Chapter 57: Youth Is Wonderful (Patreon)

Bulma looked at Tights, silent for a few seconds.

She took Tights's hand and said, "Sis, don't look at me like that. I'm not blaming you..."

Tights looked a little startled.

"Hm?"

"Aren't you the one who hates unfaithful men the most?" Tights asked.

Bulma glanced at Oryon, then looked back at Tights, and took a deep breath.

"If I hated unfaithful men, I'd never have ended up with Oryon."

Tights looked puzzled for a moment. She'd already realized that both Bulma and Lunch had become Oryon's women.

That made her curious.

These past few days she'd been wondering when her sister had changed.

But the two of them had been out from dawn till dusk every day, so she'd never had the chance to ask.

Besides, Oryon was clearly very close with both of them, and Tights hadn't wanted to intrude on their relationAttack Ball, so she'd never dared to ask.

Bulma hugged Tights and said softly, "Well, besides me, Oryon also has Lunch..."

"Actually, strictly speaking, Oryon and Lunch were the first to officially become a couple."

"And I was just the third person who came between them."

"Back then, something happened that made me fall for Oryon, and I couldn't pull myself out of it."

"Luckily, Lunch accepted me, and that's how things ended up this way..."

For a moment, Tights was stunned.

No wonder both her sister and Lunch were Oryon's girlfriends.

It wasn't that Bulma had allowed Oryon to have a mistress.

It was that her foolish little sister had been the mistress all along!

Lunch grabbed Bulma's hand and scolded her lightly, "That's enough, Bulma. I won't let you talk about yourself like that."

"Didn't we agree?"

"Neither of us is a mistress."

"We just both love Oryon, and being with him makes us happy. It doesn't matter what other people say."

Bulma nodded. "Mm!"

After that, Bulma looked at Tights again.

"Sis, honestly, ever since you moved in with us..."

"I knew that the more time you spent with Oryon, the sooner you'd fall for him. I just didn't expect it to happen this fast."

"Oryon is the best man I've ever met. No woman can resist him."

Oryon scratched his head and laughed. "Bulma, listen to you. I'm not that great."

Bulma turned to Oryon and said, "Oryon, go tell the kitchen to make a big feast today, to celebrate all of us getting our youth back..."

Oryon knew she was just sending him away, so he nodded and headed to the kitchen right away.

Tights opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but Bulma cut her off again.

"Sis, if you truly want to leave Earth and keep adventuring, I won't stop you."

"But do you really want to go?"

"If you don't want to leave but feel you have to because of me, then you don't have to. After all..."

Bulma leaned close to Tights's ear, blushing, and whispered, "Oryon is just too strong."

"Even Lunch and I together can't satisfy him."

"We've actually been worrying about this for a while."

"If you're willing to stay, I'm sure the three of us can live together in harmony."

Tights's face flushed slightly.

She turned to look at Lunch.

Lunch nodded vigorously too. "It's true, Bulma isn't lying. It's really nice, all of us being a family together."

Tights's tears welled up and spilled over before she could stop them.

"Bulma, and Lunch too, thank you both..."

The three of them embraced, and after a moment, the tension melted away entirely.

"Sis, show me your novel. Which platform is it published on?"

Before long, it was dinnertime.

The atmosphere at the table was lively and unrestrained.

Because they'd all regained their youth, everyone's tolerance for alcohol had suddenly improved.

Bulma drank the most, her cheeks flushed pink, and she kept pulling Oryon in for toasts.

Lunch, in her blue-haired form, kept leaning against Oryon too, pouring drink after drink into him.

The two of them sandwiched him between them, one on each side, drinking until they were swaying back and forth.

"Sis, you're sitting all the way across the table. Come over here too..."

Bulma waved Tights over.

Around other people, Tights could easily loosen up, but in front of Bulma she found herself a little reserved.

"With the two of you sitting on either side of him, where's there room for me?" Tights teased.

Lunch immediately said, "Easy—come sit on Oryon's lap."

Bulma flashed a mischievous little smile. "Come on, we're all family. No need to be so polite."

Tights, watching her tipsy sister start spouting such shameless suggestions, could tell she'd had too much to drink.

"Bulma, you've had too much. Go get some rest..."

"I have not, I haven't had too much at all. Come on, darling, pour me another. Let's toast again..."

Oryon poured her a glass of water and toasted with her.

Bulma took a sip and immediately poured it out.

"Trying to fool me with water—there's no kick to this at all. Bring me real wine..." Oryon hurried to talk her down. "Bulma, you can't drink any more. If you throw up on the bed, I'm dumping you in your room."

Bulma immediately shot back, "Are you kidding? Do I look like someone who throws up from drinking?"

"You're underestimating me. I've been called the Wine God since I was a kid..."

And with that, Bulma keeled right over.

Lunch immediately got up, supporting Bulma with a laugh. "Bulma's had too much again. Let's take her back to the bedroom."

Oryon nodded. "You've probably had a bit too much too, Lunch. Let's all head back together!"

"Mm!"

"Sis, we're going to turn in first."

Tights nodded. "Go ahead. I'll have someone deal with the rest." Oryon scooped Bulma up and walked back to the bedroom side by side with Lunch.

Watching Oryon, Bulma, and Lunch's backs disappear around the stairwell corner, Tights looked away.

She arranged for the household staff to tidy up, then returned to her own room and started packing her bags.

Originally, she hadn't had much luggage.

But over the past few days of dating Oryon, she'd bought quite a lot of clothes.

Blouses, bodycon skirts, JK uniforms, maid outfits, dresses, camisoles, black stockings, white stockings, sailor uniforms, and swimwear...

To Tights, these weren't just clothes—they were beautiful memories of her romance.

Tights folded her clothes neatly, packed them into her suitcase, and placed it inside her most treasured Capsule.

She walked to the door of her own Attack Ball and glanced at the window of Bulma's room.

The curtains were drawn tight, but faint light still leaked through, and Tights knew that Bulma would surely be happy.

"Bulma, I'm leaving."

"Thank you for your acceptance and generosity. You're the best little sister I could ask for."

"Oryon is a good man. Treasure him well."

With that said, Tights boarded her Attack Ball and flew off into space once more.

Once the Attack Ball settled into its set course, Tights opened her notebook.

[A hero's footsteps could never linger over a brief romance. New adventures, here I come.]

The next day.

After learning Tights had left, Bulma's mood sank.

She leaned into Oryon's arms, murmuring, "Oryon, my sister's gone. I'm a little sad."

"It's like I drove her away. I really had accepted her—so why did she still leave?"

Oryon rubbed Bulma's head and said, "That's not it. She never planned to stay for long anyway."

"When she first arrived, she told me she'd come back to Earth to find inspiration because she was stuck on her novel."

"Now that she's found inspiration and her novel's gone into serialization, of course she'd move on."

Bulma looked surprised. "Really? She told you all that?"

Oryon nodded. "Yeah, I'm not lying."

"She said that, to find inspiration for romance, she asked me herself to date her for a while."

"She also said something like—actions only, no real feelings, and nothing that would disrupt your life."

"It just so happened that during those days you and Lunch were out every day, so I figured, since I was free anyway, I might as well keep her company for a few days."

"So that's how it was..."

As she spoke, Bulma rolled over and straddled Oryon, pressing both hands on his shoulders.

"How do you understand things so well?"

"My sister's such a fool—she's never even had a relationAttack Ball, hasn't met a single normal man. How could she possibly hold up against you?"

"She must have fallen for you..."

Oryon wrapped a hand around the back of Bulma's neck and pulled gently.

Bulma's red lips pressed against his.

"Mm..."

She meant to struggle a little, but her body wouldn't obey her.

Her cheeks flushed crimson, and to her own surprise, she reached out and held him tight.

An hour later, Bulma slept sweetly in Oryon's arms.

[Ding. You have completed an excellent bonding cultivation session with Bulma. Reward: 30 days of cultivation progress.]

Oryon's whole body tingled pleasantly as he savored the familiar System chime, when the bedroom door creaked open.

Blue-haired Lunch walked in.

She wore a thin camisole, her cheeks a little flushed, as though she'd been standing at the door for a while.

When she saw Oryon look her way, she bit her lip lightly.

"Is Bulma asleep?"

Oryon nodded.

Lunch stepped inside and closed the door behind her.

"Um... I want to, too..."

She walked to the bedside, her voice trailing off until it disappeared entirely.

Oryon hadn't seen her this shy in ages; a blush had spread across her whole face, all the way to her ears.

Paired with her dewy, rosy twenty-year-old skin, her face looked like it might practically drip water if bitten.

Oryon set Bulma down, rose, and wrapped an arm around Lunch's slender waist, pulling her into his embrace and pecking her lightly on the cheek.

"What's this, Lunch? We're like an old married couple already—why are you getting shy on me now?"

Lunch cupped her cheeks, leaning against his chest, her face flushed. "Oryon, I finally got my twenty-year-old body back..."

"...and I want to really feel it properly, but..."

Oryon laughed. "But what?"

"You're not worried I can't handle it, are you?"

"Let me tell you, you and Bulma might have gotten younger, but I'm still the same strong Oryon I've always been!" Lunch's face reddened, and she nodded. "I know how amazing you are. You've always held back for my sake before."

Oryon tightened his arm around her slender waist and kissed her forehead gently.

"Lunch, you're always so gentle and considerate, always thinking of others."

In an instant, that hit right at Lunch's soft spot, and her heart melted all over again.

She cupped Oryon's face, gazing at him with eyes soft as water, doting on him.

For all these years, she'd felt like a lone boat drifting through a sea of people, never finding a place to belong.

She'd spent her loneliness robbing people just to pass the time.

It wasn't until Oryon appeared that she finally had a stable home.

And Bulma had become her family too, restoring her youth and making up for so many things she could never get back, mending so many old regrets.

Lunch savored her young body and the hard-won love she now had, overwhelmed with emotion.

Oryon, feeling mischievous, used a strand of his hair to tickle Lunch's nose.

"Achoo!"

With one sneeze, blue-haired Lunch transformed into her blonde self.

Blonde Lunch planted her hands on her hips, glaring at Oryon with full energy, though a trace of her blue-haired gentleness still lingered in her eyes.

"You were teasing me just now—now it's my turn to strike back!" she said, grabbing a pillow and hurling it at him.

The two of them laughed and roughhoused, chasing each other around the room several times before finally collapsing onto the bed together, panting.

Oryon reached over to brush the hair out of her face, smiling. "Lunch, you're even prettier now that you're young again."

Lunch laughed happily, and all her unhappy memories scattered like they'd been blown away.

In their warm, playful moment, their hearts drew even closer.

[Ding. You have completed an excellent bonding cultivation session with Lunch. Reward: 30 days of cultivation progress.]

A familiar aching warmth surged deep in his muscles. Oryon lay on the bed, relaxing his body, letting that power settle slowly along his meridians.

Lunch curled up against him, her finger tracing circles on his chest.

"Darling, I lost. It would've been even better if Bulma's sister hadn't left."

Holding the now-sleeping Lunch, Oryon found he couldn't sleep himself.

He carefully savored the surge of power within him, thrilled beyond measure.

Less than half a month remained before Vegeta and Nappa's arrival.

He figured that within just a few more days, his base combat power would reach 200,000.

When the time came, he'd give Great Ape Vegeta a proper beating—enough to earn at least half a year's worth of cultivation time from him.

If possible, after beating him, it would be best to give him a Senzu Bean.

And challenge him again.

Vegeta's pride ran so deep, the reward would surely be substantial.

Just as he was thinking this, Bulma stirred awake, and sleepily leaned over to kiss him on the cheek.

"Morning... or wait, is it still nighttime?"

Oryon, amused by her groggy confusion, gave her nose a light flick. "It's the middle of the night."

Bulma nuzzled contentedly into his chest, wriggling like a cat until she found a comfortable position.

[Ding. You have completed an intimate interaction with Bulma. Reward: 30 days of cultivation progress. Your S-Cells have increased significantly.]

S-Cells? There was a bonus like that too?

Though he'd always stayed calm and composed, he probably wasn't lacking in S-Cells to begin with.

Still, the more S-Cells, the easier it would be to transform into a Super Saiyan. So bring it on—more was always better.

Bulma drifted into a deep sleep, her breathing steady and peaceful.

Oryon tucked the blanket around her, then turned to find Lunch still awake, her eyes wide and fixed on him.

"What is it?" Oryon asked softly.

Lunch shook her head, a satisfied smile on her face, leaned in to peck him lightly on the lips, then closed her eyes contentedly.

"Nothing. I just wanted to kiss you. Goodnight, Oryon."

"Goodnight, Lunch."

[Ding. You have completed an excellent intimate interaction with Lunch. Reward: 30 days of cultivation progress. Your S-Cells have increased significantly.]

Oryon felt the power surging through his body, the corners of his mouth curling up. Days like this... they were really good.