Lunch went on, sentence after sentence, praising Oryon’s finer qualities.
Watching Lunch — normally so composed yet wild in equal measure — grow this worked up, Bulma could more or less guess what had happened between the two of them.
That was just how Oryon was.
A womanizer, sure, but one who genuinely understood women and knew how to make them happy.
Add in the fact that he was tall, handsome, and powerful, and being with him really did make a woman happy without her even realizing it.
Lunch looked at Bulma’s dejected expression and fell silent for a moment.
After a brief internal struggle, she looked up and met Bulma’s eyes.
“Still, Bulma…”
There was a hint of a turn in those words, and Bulma raised her head.
Lunch leaned in close to her ear and whispered, “I’m not giving Oryon up — but that doesn’t mean you have to stay away from him, either…”
“What?” Bulma’s eyes went wide.
A flush of red rose across Lunch’s face.
“What I mean is, we could… share him…”
Bulma’s mind went blank with a ringing buzz, and she froze on the spot.
Together?
Together how?
Did she mean what Bulma thought she meant?
“Are you out of your mind, Lunch?”
Lunch shook her head.
“I’m not crazy…”
She glanced back toward the bedroom, then turned to Bulma again and leaned in close, her face flushing as she said, “You have no idea how amazing he is. I could barely keep up.”
Bulma’s face went red too.
“Wh-why are you telling me this…”
“What I’m trying to say is, if you were here too, it’d be easier on me. Besides, when you handed him over to me the day before yesterday, I told you — I’ve never cared about having him all to myself, as long as you’re willing. So if you want to get back together with him now, you don’t have to do it behind anyone’s back… I’m already past thirty. I gave up overthinking things long ago. Why not just live a little happier?”
Bulma’s thoughts spun into a tangled mess.
Reason told her the whole idea was completely absurd.
But…
her heart kept beating faster and faster.
She didn’t hate the suggestion.
She was even a little bit looking forward to it.
Whatever passed between best friends stayed more classified than a state secret.
As if she’d seen straight through her thoughts, Lunch gripped her hand a little tighter.
“Bulma, you’ve been in love before, haven’t you? You know how wonderful it can be.”
Bulma fell silent.
Of course she knew.
At sixteen, she used to dream of a prince on a white horse…
Blink, and she was almost twice that age now.
And she was still all alone.
Damn it, Yamcha ruined her!
If he didn’t even like her, why string her along for all those years? This story is hosted at g.com.
Damn him!
Watching Bulma fidget, caught in visible hesitation, Lunch took her hand.
“Oryon really is gentle, you know. If you’re willing, you could share him with me too…”
Lunch said it plainly, without a trace of shyness.
Just then, the bedroom door opened.
Oryon stepped out, fully dressed.
“Bulma, you’re here early. Have you eaten?”
Bulma looked at Oryon and stood up.
“Oh, yes — I mean, no, not yet…”
Oryon looked as handsome and sunny as ever.
He’d have looked even better without the lipstick marks on his face…
Lunch glanced from Oryon to Bulma and back, then smiled.
“I’ll go make breakfast. You two talk…”
With that, she gave Bulma a gentle push and walked off into the kitchen.
The clatter of pots and pans started up right away, Lunch humming a cheerful tune as she began cooking.
Bulma tugged at the hem of her clothes, a little flustered, her eyes darting around without meaning to — but she couldn’t bring herself to look Oryon in the eye.
Oryon stepped closer, curious.
“What’s up, Bulma? Did you need something?”
Bulma gritted her teeth, finally gathered her courage, and looked up.
“Oryon, I regret it…”
“Regret what?”
Color rushed to Bulma’s cheeks at once.
“I — I regret giving you up to Lunch, of course…”
Oryon smiled.
“No need for regret. I already told you straight out — I’m a womanizer…”
“I’ve thought it through. I don’t mind,” Bulma blurted out before he could finish.
Oryon blinked, glanced toward the kitchen, then back at Bulma.
“Lunch didn’t hold a gun to your head, did she?”
“Pfft!”
Bulma burst out laughing despite herself.
“N-no, of course not. I’m doing this of my own free will…”
Oryon reached out and gently tilted her chin up.
Bulma’s body trembled slightly.
She looked up and said, with forced firmness, “I can agree to loving you alongside Lunch, but you have to promise me you’ll treat me well, and no flirting with other women in front of me…”
Oryon shrugged.
“Please. Sure, I’ve got a wandering eye, but it’s not like just any pretty face catches it.”
She looked him straight in the eye.
“Oh? So do I catch your eye, then?”
“You? Aside from that awful temper, you’re actually pretty great in every other way…”
Bulma touched her index fingers together, playing at being a proper lady, and said with mock hurt, “Actually, I can be very ladylike sometimes too…”
Oryon changed tack right away.
“Still, I like you the way you usually are — no fake shyness, no putting on airs, and when you can’t hold back, you just hit me.”
It was the first time anyone had ever complimented her that way, and her expression visibly brightened.
She looked up, meeting Oryon’s eyes.
“Let’s get back together?”
Oryon smiled.
“Sure. But…”
“But what?”
Watching his smile, Bulma had a nagging feeling he was about to make some unreasonable demand.
“But I’m not a fan of taking things slow. My motto is: life’s only a few decades long, so live it free and easy…”
Bulma bit her lip lightly and asked, a bit nervous, “Then — then where do we start over from?”
Oryon gently cupped her face in his hands.
“These lips look so soft. How about I get a kiss?”
Bulma’s heartbeat spiked instantly.
A wave of warmth shot straight up her spine to the crown of her head, her mind buzzing, her cheeks flushed red.
The next moment, Oryon leaned down and brushed his lips lightly against hers.
Light as a dragonfly skimming water, gone as soon as it touched.
Bulma stared at Oryon’s face so close to hers, her eyes going wide.
In the next instant, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him first.
Oryon caught her by the back and kissed her in return.
Bulma’s breathing quickened, her whole body trembling faintly…
[Ding! Host shared a passionate moment with Bulma — Affection significantly increased!]
[Reward: 30 days of cultivation.]
Instantly, a wave of warmth surged through Oryon’s entire body, his cultivation advancing considerably once more.
Right at that moment, Lunch walked out holding a spatula and caught the scene head-on.
“Oh dear, bad timing on my part…”
Bulma hastily pushed Oryon away and looked at Lunch, flustered.
Lunch smiled.
“Bulma, join us for breakfast in a bit?”
“Sure, I’ll come help you.”
With that, Bulma hurried into the kitchen with Lunch.
The ache in his body faded away.
Oryon took stock of his current energy — it had grown a notch stronger than before.
“If only I could measure my own Power Level!”
Oryon thought of Raditz.
“Right, Bulma should have fixed Raditz’s Scouter by now.”