My years at school are the best. The land has been at peace for a few years now. Goten is progressing very well in his training, he just needs to learn to fly and... transform into a Saiyan.

Videl, Mr. Satan's daughter, said that if I don't participate in the martial arts tournament and teach her how to fly, she will tell everyone I'm the Great Saiyaman.

But enough talking. I need to go downstairs and buy a book at the bookstore down there (literally).

----

Gohan, who was flying over the city, descends from the sky and walks to a small bookstore in the center.

He enters and begins looking for a specific biology book.

When he realizes, he is in the romance section. Shocked by the flashy covers and titles, he runs his hand over the covers until his hand collides with someone else's hand.

Their eyes meet in surprise, and their hands pull away in shock. Between them, a pink book with a golden flower embossed on the cover.

— You can take it! I don't even know how I ended up here... you can keep it! There's only one! — says Gohan, blushing.

— Oh no! No! It's fine! — says the girl, bowing in embarrassment, grabbing the book, and leaving.

The girl disappears, walking hastily between the bookshelves, but during the brief moment, Gohan can't help but notice her long black hair, her bangs, and the delicate features of her face.

She seemed to be about 1.60 meters tall and had a slightly above-average look for the standards of the time.

Gohan looks up and sees a somewhat shocking poster, then realizes they were in the spyce romance section. Mortified, he widens his eyes as he notices that the innocent-looking girl was interested in those books.

— Wow, who would've thought. — Gohan whispers, judging the girl.

He then finds the correct section of books and picks up the long-awaited biology book.

After paying at the cashier, he walks along the sidewalk, holding the book proudly. But the sound of a horn surprises him.

A few meters behind, there was a bus stop, and the bus passes by honking due to a puddle of water on the edge of the sidewalk.

Gohan steps away from the curb and looks at the bus, unable to avoid seeing the girl he had just bumped into in the peculiar books section.

He watches her once again. Her shiny black hair fluttering in the wind from the bus's open window. Her pale skin and the blush on her cheeks made her look like a doll.

— How can she be so... beautiful. — Gohan whispers, stunned by the sight, feeling like he's in a movie.

Gohan then hides the book in his bag and jumps up to fly at a safe height so he wouldn't be seen, while keeping an eye on the bus below.

The bus then takes a long turn, deviating from Gohan's path, and he hesitates.

— Argh... I hope no one sees me doing this.

Despite the self-judgment, Gohan can't help his curiosity and follows the bus until its last stop, where the girl runs off and ends up dropping a book.

Gohan taps the tip of his foot on the pavement, landing in front of the book, and picks it up.

— Ahn... it's that book.

Gohan takes his eyes off the cover and watches the girl running off into the horizon.

The book was the same one that had caused them to bump into each other at the bookstore.

He looks at his watch and realizes it's already getting late.

He then moves quickly and catches up with her, running.

— Hey! Girl! You dropped the book! — he shouts.

The girl looks back and, surprised, slows down, stopping as she recognizes him.

"The guy from the bookstore... Why is he holding my book?" she thinks, out of breath, tapping her bag and realizing it's lighter.

— You dropped it when you got off the bus!

— Huh? My book...

The girl extends her hand, receiving the book back from Gohan. She stares at him, confused.

— Were you... on the same bus as me?

— No... I... I was flying.

The girl looks shocked, and an uncontrollable laugh breaks the awkwardness. The girl laughs out loud at his response.

— You're funny...

— N-no... I was serious.

— Thanks for returning my book. I ran because if not, the food would get cold. My mom made... pie today.

The girl looks at Gohan and feels ridiculous for telling such a trivial thing to a stranger. But his gaze stirs something familiar about him. It's like she already knew him.

So, she hugs her bag to her chest and huddles, waiting for him to introduce himself.

— How rude of me! I didn't even introduce myself. — he says, smiling and putting his hand behind his head.

— Oh, it's fine!

— Still. Nice to meet you, I'm Gohan. What's your name? — he says, bowing.

— M-my name... is Nashi. It was nice to meet you. See you around! I have to eat pie! — Nashi says, smiling, laughing, and waving goodbye.

Nashi runs off toward her house, and Gohan watches her, frozen in the middle of the sidewalk.

He swallows hard and wonders if he should ask for her number. But in the end, he just lets her go.

He stays there for a little longer, as if he wants to keep the image of her face against the sun in his mind for a little longer.

Gohan then leaps into the air and flies toward his house.

Along the way, he feels a pang in his heart, but he ignores it and speeds up, creating a ki explosion in the air.

The days pass, and the image of that pink book with a golden flower on the cover still haunts him. After all, what was in that book? Why did Nashi want to read it so badly?

Gohan finds himself hoping to run into her somewhere in the city. But nothing happens.

He then puts on sunglasses as a disguise and returns to the bookstore at the same time, for several days, but she doesn't show up.

— Why do you keep coming to this broken bookstore? — Videl asks, suddenly appearing.

— You scared me, Videl!

— Spit it out, why do you come here every day?

— Argh! I'm looking for a book... but it's out of stock.

— Hmm. What book is it?

— The cover is a bright pink, almost red, with a golden rose embossed on it.

— Why do you want that? — Videl asks, appearing with the book.

Gohan looks surprised and grabs the book mid-air.

— How did you find this?

— It was stuffed here on the shelf... But this is a romance novel. Are you dating?

— No!!! It's FOR A LITERATURE SUMMARY! IS THAT OK???

Gohan turns red with embarrassment and runs to the cashier. He grabs some mangas from the rack to cover up. But Videl notices something strange and intervenes.

— Oh, mister! This book isn't sealed. You can't charge the full price for a used one! — Videl tells the cashier.

— Someone returned it this morning. But it's like new! — the cashier insists.

— It's not fair to charge full price! — she insists.

Gohan blushes, knowing it's a romance book, and tries to make Videl stop drawing attention. Before Gohan explodes with embarrassment, she finally convinces the cashier to give a discount.

— This is how I like it! — says Videl, letting go of the elderly cashier's collar.

— Let's go already!!! — Gohan shouts.

Gohan leaves the bookstore, his face burning with embarrassment, and Videl gets into her spaceship, disappearing into Satan City's sky.

He walks a little further, looking for a place where no one would see him fly, and at the first opportunity, he launches himself into the blue sky.

"Damn, finally I'll find out what's so special about this book."

The image of Nashi's smile comes to his mind and warms his heart. It would be amazing to meet her again and talk about the plot of the story or something.

Now, they would have something in common: the secret kept in the pages of that book.

Gohan finally lands on the dirt ground in front of his house and rushes inside, looking for Chichi and Goten.

But he finds his mother horrified in front of the television, with Goten beside her.

— Mom? Did something happen?

— Poor people, son...

Gohan throws his bag aside, sits down, and realizes the news is about an attack that happened in the morning.

A group of unknown criminals had attacked parts of the city, leaving several victims who couldn't escape their homes.

Gohan stands frozen in shock when he sees the helicopter footage from the most affected area of the city.

— Gohan, what's wrong with you? — Chichi says, noticing her son's shock.

— I... I won't be back for lunch today. — Gohan whispers, his voice caught in his throat.

Gohan leaps out of the window and flies through the air at full speed.

He grits his teeth, trying to hold back the pain.

"It can't be, it can't be, damn it, no, please no."

Tears fly from Gohan's eyes, scattering through the air like shards.

His feet finally touch the ground in front of Nashi's house, but only destruction remains.

Nashi's house no longer existed; it was just rubble. There was no way she could have survived.

It was too late to regret the unanswered call. The conversation about the book that never happened.

But still, he lamented. Bitterly.

Gohan looks up at the sky as if hoping for some kind of answer. The sky over Satan City darkens with clouds.

The heavens seem to sympathize as raindrops begin to fall, landing on the Saiyan's face, as if trying to wash away a bit of the pain and regret for not acting sooner.

— She was so beautiful — he whispers.

And then he heads back home.

Lying on his bed, unable to sleep, Gohan replays the events in his mind.

A dreadful tightness in his chest makes him feel physical pain.

Then he remembers the book he had gotten earlier and pulls it out of his bag.

— I don't know if I have the courage to read this.

He hesitates, smacking his hand against the light switch, turning it on.

But he knows he will read it.

As he opens the book, a small note slips out, floating through the air like a feather.

— I hope this book falls into good hands... I don't think it's fair for only me to read it. PS: Nashi.

Gohan reads the note, and with a hollow expression, he realizes it was Nashi's original book.

Overcome by the situation, he erupts in a fit of rage, which only serves as a prelude to a wave of sobs.

Chi-Chi hears her son crying and bursts into the room without a second thought. Noticing the note in Gohan's hand, she assumes her son may have experienced his first heartbreak.

— Tell me who that shameless girl is who made you cry! I'll take care of her. What did she do to you, my son?

— She died, Mom.

Chi-Chi's anger vanishes, and she swallows hard. She remembers the tragedy reported that morning and how strange Gohan had acted afterward. Putting the pieces together, she realizes her son had lost someone he cared about. She hugs Gohan, deeply moved by the situation, remaining silent out of respect.

The next morning, Gohan is sitting by the lake near their home. It was all still too recent, and he needed time. But Videl and Goten approach him.

— Get your butt up, we're training! — demanded Videl, hands on her hips.

— Goten can teach you the basics of flying. I'm not feeling up to it today — he replied.

Gohan doesn't hide his gloom, and Videl quickly realizes the situation is serious. She kneels before him, holding his face.

— What's wrong with you? Huh?

— Nothing — Gohan says, pulling her hands away.

She stands up, accepting his refusal. But unwilling to be taught by a brat like Goten, Videl leaves in frustration.

Meanwhile, Gohan remains distant. Once he's finally alone, he pulls the book from his bag.

He turns the first page but then abruptly closes the book.

He realizes that reading it was just a desperate attempt to bring Nashi back. But what he truly wanted was to see her again.

No reading would accomplish that.

Gohan makes a tough decision. He puts the book back in his bag, leaps into the air, and flies to Capsule Corporation.

Birds scatter when his feet touch the ground in front of Bulma's company.

— What brings you here, Gohan? Let me guess...

— Don't bother.

— Huh? What's wrong? — Bulma asked, noticing his somber expression.

— I want to know if the time machine is working.

— W-why?

— I just need to go back a few days! Do you think the machine can do that?

Bulma detects a hint of desperation in Gohan's voice and insists on knowing what's going on. Gohan explains everything, from the book to the tragedy, and Vegeta overhears.

— What a lovesick fool — Vegeta says, arms crossed as he approaches.

— Vegeta... — Bulma mutters, embarrassed by her husband's cold remark.

— Forget it, kid. The time machine isn't working — Vegeta insists.

— But... — Gohan whispers.

— Vegeta's right. The machine isn't operational... yet. Maybe in a few months...

Despite Bulma's attempt to offer a glimmer of hope, Gohan gives a bitter smile and thanks her anyway. Like someone being told there are no job openings, Gohan turns away disappointed and leaps into the air, ready to leave.

But Vegeta's voice echoes before he can fly off.

— This seems important to you — Vegeta shouted.

— Huh? Mr. Vegeta?

— You want to go back in time and save this Nashi girl. What exactly happened?

Gohan looks down in surprise. His brain rejects the idea of confiding in Vegeta, of all people. But the situation was so desperate that perhaps it was necessary.

— It's more about what didn't happen. I only saw her once — Gohan says from above.

— You want to mess with the timeline for a girl you barely knew? Have you even thought about the mess that could cause?

Gohan feels the sting of Vegeta's harsh words and has no response.

He flies toward the bookstore where he met Nashi, determined to return the book.

Letting go of any selfishness, he descends, ready to rid himself of it. But the store is closed for renovations.

Holding the book in hand, he begins retracing the path he took the day he met Nashi, wishing with all his heart that the tragedy had just been a nightmare.

After walking for a long time, he reaches the exact spot where the book had fallen from Nashi's bag.

Almost like performing a ritual, he places the book on the asphalt, precisely where he had found it that day.

He glances at his wristwatch and notices the time.

— What a coincidence... it's exactly the same time. — Gohan whispers.

A strong gust of wind suddenly sweeps through the area. Gohan shields his face, squinting toward the horizon, trying to understand what was happening.

As the dust and wind subside, a familiar figure takes shape in the distant horizon. He immediately recognizes the black, windswept hair.

Without thinking twice, Gohan grabs the book from the ground and runs toward her like a desperate man chasing a dream.

He closes his eyes, focusing entirely on reaching her, as if pursuing the impossible.

When he finally catches up, he bends over, breathless, resting his hands on his knees, and extends the book toward her.

— Huh? My book...

— Take it — says Gohan, handing it to her.

— Were you on the same bus as me? — she asks.

— No, I... I flew here... — he answers, realizing he had repeated the same line.

Nashi covers her mouth with her hand, laughing. Gohan's heart tightens, and he struggles to maintain consciousness, as though clinging to a lucid dream.

Taking a deep breath, he gathers his courage and looks into her face.

— You're funny...

— I'm serious.

— Well, thanks for returning my book. I need to go, my mom made...

— Pie.

— How do you know? — Nashi asks, surprised.

Gohan gives a faint smile. He realizes he deeply regrets not inviting her out that day.

The guilt weighs heavily, making him feel like he's hallucinating. Yet, even if it was a delusion, he decides to savor the moment.

— Just a guess. You know, ever since I saw you at the bookstore, I can't stop thinking about you. It feels like I've known you before.

— Huh? — Nashi hugs the book against her chest.

Drawing strength to face her startled expression and his own shyness, Gohan continues.

— Can I hug you?

— Uh... yeah, okay — Nashi replies, puzzled.

Gohan pulls her close, hugging her tightly.

His eyes burn, but he holds back.

At first, Nashi resists the sudden contact but soon places her hands gently on his back.

The embrace bridges the past and the present, creating a strange energy between them.

Nashi closes her eyes, resting her face against Gohan's chest in a moment that feels eternal.

Gohan clenches his teeth, struggling to hold back tears, but Nashi notices them trickling onto her forehead.

A deep sleep overtakes her as her presence dissolves into shimmering particles carried off by the wind.

As Gohan's illusion fades, Chronoa, the Goddess of Time, observes from a short distance. Standing beside her is Piccolo.

— Why did you do that? — Piccolo asks.

— He needed closure. It'll help him heal.

— Why not just bring her back?

— Their meeting was a mistake, and I had to correct it. I'm truly sorry it had to be this way. But Nashi was never meant to be part of Gohan's future.

— Videl?

— You're sharp. Your friend Gohan will pass out in a few seconds. Take him home. I'll erase this memory from him.

— He's going to forget everything? That's a relief. Thanks for this.

Chronoa nods and disappears into thin air.

Piccolo notices Gohan collapsing and carries him home safely.

Days later, Piccolo tests whether Chronoa truly erased everything.

— Do you recognize this book? — Piccolo asks, revealing the book he had found with Gohan.

— Huh? No. Whose is it?

— I found it lying around. You can keep it.

— Thanks. I'm not really into this genre, but I'll read it when I have time. Nice cover, though. — Gohan smiles, holding the book.

Piccolo smiles back, relieved that Chronoa had kept her promise.

The End.