"Little girl, are you here for the Dragon Balls?"
"Y-y-y-you..."
"You don't know what the Dragon Balls are?"
"Y-y-y-y-y..."
"Did you make your detector yourself?"
"Y-y-y-y-y..."
Taro sighed in exasperation as he looked at the blonde girl in front of him. Since he had appeared, she had been staring at him with wide eyes, pointing at him and repeatedly stuttering, "Y-y-y-y-y..."
This was no way to communicate.
Helpless, Taro cast a calming mental magic spell, instantly casting it over her.
Hathaway finally calmed down, her shock fading, and she looked at the short-haired young man in front of her. After a pause, she tilted her head and asked, "What did you just ask?"
Taro sighed again and walked a few steps to the side. The phoenix, looking up at him, walked over to his feet and rubbed against his loose light-gray pants.
Three orange-yellow spheres floated out of Hathaway's bag, which was resting under the tree. They hovered in the air before Taro. Hathaway stared at the scene, glancing from her bag to the spheres floating in front of him.
"Did you come for these?" Taro asked, pointing at the three floating Dragon Balls. The phoenix looked up at Hathaway, its four-star ball shimmering with light as it caught the light's reflection.
Hathaway nodded, then shook her head. "Yes and no... I was bored at home and happened to find out that there are things like this in the world." She pointed to the spheres floating in front of Taro, then waved the detector she had taken out. "So I decided to go out for a walk and see if I could collect some of these."
Seeing Taro's expression remain unchanged, Hathaway looked down at the four-star ball hanging from the phoenix's neck, smiled, and said casually, "But since this one is yours... I guess I won't take it."
"You haven't heard the story of the Dragon Balls?" Taro asked.
"What's that...?" Hathaway looked confused. "You mean these spheres are called Dragon Balls?"
"That's right. They are called Dragon Balls," Taro replied.
At the same time, he secretly let out a breath of relief. It seemed that this girl wasn't some modified version of Bulma...
When Taro first noticed her, he had instinctively cast a mind-reading ability, not fully scanning her mind but getting a glimpse of a scene where the girl was using a detector to find the Dragon Balls.
It had startled him. What did this mean? What era was this? How could Bulma appear here?
But fortunately...
The girl didn't even know what the Dragon Balls were. She likely wasn't Bulma...
It made sense. Over the years, Taro had quietly visited many big cities while working on building computers. Yet, he hadn't heard of any company named "Capsule Corporation" popping up in the jungles.
So, Taro asked, "Little girl, what's your name?"
"Hathaway. And you?" Hathaway asked naturally, a mischievous glint flashing in her eyes. "You seem to be around my age, why call me 'little girl'?"
Taro smiled faintly. He didn't respond to her question but simply said, "My name is Taro. You're a young girl, traveling alone — it's dangerous. You should head home early."
With that, he turned and began walking away, waving at the phoenix to follow him.
The phoenix looked at Hathaway, hopped twice on the ground, and then took flight. It circled Hathaway twice, trilling softly before flying back to follow Taro.
Hathaway stood there in a daze, seemingly not expecting him to leave so suddenly. She couldn't help but reach out and call out, "Hey! ...Um, I..."
Hathaway was pacing in her mind, trying to think of a reason. Suddenly, an idea struck her. She called out loudly, "I forgot to bring water and I haven't washed up yet! Can I come over to your place and freshen up?"
After finishing her shout in one breath, without waiting for Taro, whose back was almost out of sight, to respond, Hathaway excitedly ran to a tree nearby, grabbed her bag, and started to sling it over her shoulder.
Clink! Two books fell out of the bag — one with clippings from various newspapers and magazines, and the other being Hathaway's favorite author's final volume in the "Uchiha's Sinner" series, her most cherished novel.
In a rush, she picked up the two books from the ground, then slung her bag back over her shoulder. When she opened it, she saw the drawing placed on top. Hathaway paused, the corner of her mouth curling up as she couldn't help but grin. Her gaze became distant for a moment before she muttered, "I knew it..." Her eyes shone brightly as she exclaimed, "It's the same person!"
Though she didn't understand why, from the moment she saw the young man, she was certain he was the author of the drawing and the book she carried.
Even though the "middle-aged" man in the painting and the "middle-aged" author in the book didn't resemble the young man she had just seen, Hathaway had a gut feeling — a kind of intuition, the same one she used to judge people's goodness or evil...
These three seemingly different people were actually the same person.
Because... their eyes were too similar.
It was the same kind of gaze.
Silent, calm, weary, yet wise.
Since she was in her cradle, she had always seen those eyes behind the painting on the wall. Every time she browsed texts about ninjas, fate, and life and death, she could see those eyes lurking behind the words...
And then... the eyes of that "young man."
Too similar.
The same person.
Only the same person could have such similar eyes... that made her feel that this was the same gaze.
Quickly stuffing the books back into her bag, Hathaway beamed, slinging it over her back. Her cap, which had been blown away when the phoenix used a Kikoho earlier, was nowhere to be found. But... who cared?
Her long, golden ponytail flew as she skipped lightly, running toward the direction where the man had gone, calling loudly, "Hey, wait for me!"
---
Hathaway continued following the path for a long time but couldn't find any trace of the man.
Not even a sign of someone having passed through the jungle. It was as though no one had been there at all. How had he gotten through this way? Hathaway thought, feeling puzzled.
"Ang!"
A familiar sound came from above. Hathaway wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked up. The phoenix was circling above the forest. She smiled and waved to the sky, "Hey! Are you going to take me with you?"
"Ang!" The phoenix chirped energetically as it swooped down to her side, hovering for a moment before landing and looking at her with its head turned.
Hathaway was puzzled at first, but when the phoenix flapped its wings and kept glancing back at her, she suddenly realized. She pointed at herself and asked, "You're not suggesting I ride on your back, are you?"
"Ang!" The phoenix flapped its wings and nodded.
"Can you even carry me?" Hathaway asked, a little unsure, but seeing the phoenix's nonchalant demeanor, she cautiously climbed onto its back.
As soon as she did, the phoenix let out a loud screech, flapping its wings with force, sending a gust of wind and a burst of white light as it shot into the sky!
Hathaway was caught off guard, nearly flung off, but instinctively grabbed onto the feathers at the phoenix's neck to steady herself. The wind screamed in her ears, and her heart raced with the sensation of spinning and speeding through the air.
She carefully opened her eyes, just a crack, then her eyes flew wide open!
What a beautiful sight!
The lush, green forest, the vast blue sky and white clouds!
Soaring through the sky! Galloping in the blue!
"Wow!!—"
"Yohou!!—"
Hathaway's excited shouts filled the air. This was beyond unbelievable. She was flying in the sky!
Though there were airplanes, she had never experienced flying like this.
Riding a bird and flying freely through the air?
So thrilling!
The wind roared around her, but for some reason, most of the resistance was blocked out by the phoenix's body, which seemed to be covered in a white flame-like energy, pushing the wind away from her. While she could still feel some wind resistance, it wasn't uncomfortable—it was exhilarating and refreshing!
The phoenix seemed to understand her excitement and tried to make the flight even more thrilling. Hathaway couldn't help but scream in joy, her laughter ringing out as they flew.
Far off, in the center of the island, a building resembling a villa appeared in the distance.
Hathaway, with her golden hair flying in the wind, squinted her eyes and looked ahead, her hand shielding her forehead as she glanced at the distant building. She murmured, "This architecture... looks a bit like what we have in the West Capital..."
---
"What? Collect all seven of these spheres... the Dragon Balls, and you can summon the Dragon to grant any wish?"
"These spheres are that powerful...? Gulp..."
The sound of brushing teeth, spitting water.
"What? You're the legendary Muten Master?! I thought it was just a myth... Was there really a demon race that almost destroyed Earth decades ago?"
(With more time passing, the way he is known changed again. It will all make sense in the end, just wait)
The sound of water splashing and washing spread in the other room.
Taro sat calmly on the sofa in the living room, brewing tea, while responding to Hathaway's questions through mental magic, as she washed up in another room. This girl sure asked a lot of questions... But for some strange reason, Taro found himself willing — and patient — enough to answer them.
Was it because he had been alone on the island for so long?
Or was it because... this girl reminded him so much of Bulma?
Taro wasn't sure, but he thought this little girl seemed quite pleasant.
Whether it's from her "aura" or her "spirit", she is a very pure and innocent girl. A very clean and free soul. As a grandmaster of martial arts and a master of spiritual magic, with deep expertise in both fields, Taro could naturally make an accurate judgment.
At the same time... this girl actually wasn't affected by the invisible aura around him.
This wasn't arrogance on Taro's part. It's just that, based on his spiritual refinement from living three lives, his more than a hundred years of martial arts practice and exploration, and his decades of magical cultivation... these accumulated experiences naturally manifest in his personal aura.
Taro had never seen himself from a third-person perspective, so he didn't know what ordinary people would feel when they saw him. But no matter what... the way this girl looked at him felt a bit strange.
It seemed like... the gaze of seeing a "familiar person".
---
Tap, tap, tap.
It was the sound of footsteps.
Hathaway, finally done washing up, walked out and into the living room. She peeked her head around the corner of the wall. At this point, she had washed away the disguise on her face and hair, returning to her natural appearance with her purple long hair.
Her hair was wet, with traces of water on her face. Without any makeup, she still couldn't hide her beautiful features.
Taro was still making tea. When he looked up, his pupils slightly shrank as he saw the girl's wet purple hair. In that instant, a page from the manga Dragon Ball from his first life flashed in his mind.
It was a scene where "little Goku" and "Bulma" first met, confronting each other.
In the picture, Bulma seemed... to have purple hair, just like the girl in front of him.
'Am I overthinking this...?'
Taro thought to himself, but his hands never stopped. He smoothly poured the tea, gently sipped it, and asked, "Any other questions?"
---
"Last one!" Hathaway's head appeared from around the corner as she raised her hand.
"Go ahead."
"The bathroom?"
"…"
---
Finally done, Hathaway comfortably took a hot bath and changed into clothes from her bag: a casual light blue t-shirt on top and denim shorts on the bottom. Her long white legs were in slippers, and with her hands behind her back, she returned to the living room.
Taro was still drinking tea, and the bird, not sure when, had already entered the living room, lying next to Taro's sofa, dozing off.
The man and the bird were in perfect harmony, likely accustomed to this life.
Hathaway, hands behind her back, sat down on the sofa across from Taro, leaning forward. "I have a question!"
"Didn't you just ask the last one?"
Taro didn't look up. He waved his hand, and a cup of hot tea flew toward her spot on the coffee table. Not a drop of water wavered, and the cup landed steadily in front of her.
"That was before the bath!" Hathaway said matter-of-factly. Seeing that Taro didn't look displeased, she secretly smiled and brought her hands forward.
"Look at this!"
Hathaway held out a drawing with a child hiding behind her parents, her eyes full of life, as if she had crossed time itself. In her other hand, she held two stacked books, one with the cover of The Sinner of Uchiha 7.
"Are these your works?"
Taro merely glanced at it, neither denying nor confirming. He nodded and said, "Indeed."
He continued drinking his tea.
For many years, he had long stopped drinking alcohol, replacing it with tea.
Whenever he drank, it reminded him of the past.
Hathaway flipped through the notebook, revealing photos of middle-aged men cut out from magazines. She pointed at one and asked, "Is this you? And this one?" pointing at the man in a signing event photo.
---
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