Chapter 2190: Rumination
With Goku returning from his joy ride atop the Flying Nimbus, Vahn and the others said their farewells to Master Roshi before seeing the newly rejuvenated Turtle Hermit off. Since they were already at the beach, however, Vahn proposed they spend the rest of the day lounging around as their next destination, Aru Village, was more than eight hundred kilometers away.
Since Goku still wanted to play around with his newly acquired companion, the only person who was against sticking around was Bulma. She was already beginning to miss her workshop and the comforts of West City, so, ever since learning that her journey could basically be completed in an instant by Vahn, she kind of wanted to just get it over with.
Of course, the main reason for Bulma's sudden change in mentality was the notion that her journey no longer served a purpose. Being called out by both Vahn and Sarina had caused her to reconsider her wish.
In hindsight, Bulma realized there were a number of problems with wishing for a perfect boyfriend. If such a person did exist, she would basically be brainwashing them to love her. If they didn't exist, she would be willing them into existence for the sole purpose of pandering to her.
Imagining what it would be like to be on the receiving end of such a wish, Bulma realized just how short-sighted she had been prior to setting out on her journey. She had also set Vahn as her current goal, so, even if they did obtain all seven Dragon Balls, she no longer had any use for them. She was already ludicrously wealthy, supremely intelligent, and remarkably beautiful. Other than a boyfriend that could match her status, she had never wanted for anything her entire life...
With this, and several other thoughts plaguing her mind, Bulma was caught off guard when Sarina suddenly sat next to her and asked, "What are you thinking about with such a serious look on your face?"
Adopting a slightly hostile expression, Bulma retorted, "There's no way you would understand. You have a literal God as your mentor and boyfriend. I bet you don't even have to ask and Vahn grants all your wishes, doesn't he?"
Furrowing her brows, Sarina wanted to refute Bulma's words but she couldn't. Vahn had literally created an entire metaverse for her, and, despite having far more pressing matters to attend, he hadn't even hesitated to agree to her request. If she asked, he would transform her into a Saiyan, teleport her anywhere she wanted to go, and dedicate entire planets to her training. There were very few things he wouldn't outright give her, chief among them being power she hadn't earned.
"..."
Seeing the conflicted expression on Sarina's face, Bulma's own formed into a pout. There was a lot she could infer from Sarina's reaction. This created innumerable questions in her mind, but, instead of focusing on general curiosities, Bulma decided to strike at the heart of the matter, asking, "Were you the one who asked Vahn to come here...?"
Not expecting such a question out of the blue, Sarina opened her mouth to refute, but, before she could utter so much as a single syllable, Bulma snorted through her nose, adding, "I knew it. Vahn is far too powerful to be wasting time here on Earth. You must have taken advantage of your status as his lover to request that he bring you here. The question is, why?"
Realizing she had severely underestimated Bulma's intelligence, Sarina decided to borrow a page from Loki's book. The irredeemably perverted Goddess had taken an interest in her during most of her stays in the Game Board. This had forced Sarina into a number of compromising positions, but, in exchange, she was able to learn from one of the most intelligent and clever Goddesses in Vahn's memory.
Squinting her eyes, a weak yet palpable bloodlust radiated from Sarina's body as she said, "Though I can understand your reasons, aren't you being a little too presumptuous? People aren't obligated to reveal their secrets just because you asked. And to think, I was actually about to give you advice on how to further your relationship with Vahn..."
Shaking her head, Sarina rose from her seated position before looking down at Bulma and adding, "You're right about one thing. Vahn came here because of me. If I asked him to leave, do you think he would refuse...?"
Without waiting for Bulma's response, Sarina walked over to where Vahn was manipulating the sand to build a 1:10 scale model of a castle for Goku. The young Saiyan was having a blast destroying the record-setting sandcastle, as, despite possessing a pure heart, Goku was ultimately a pure-blooded Saiyan. Vahn was intending to help him control his destructive instincts, but, before that, he wanted to draw them out so that Goku was better aware of them.
Following Sarina's departure with a withering gaze, Bulma's desire to steal Vahn for herself matured from a simple sapling to a veritable world tree. At the same time, however, her rational mind kicked into overdrive. It didn't take a genius to understand that Sarina's words weren't so much a threat as they were a statement of fact. If she did ask Vahn to whisk her away, Bulma had no doubt he would do exactly that.
"How annoying...I finally find someone suitable enough to be my boyfriend and he's taken by some hussy with more tits than brains..."
Willfully ignoring the fact her breasts were much larger than the majority of girls her age, Bulma's mind raced to come up with a plan to sway Vahn's favor. He had already expressed an interest in her, so, ideally, she just needed to give him a few small pushes to shift his attention from Sarina to herself...
Shaking such thoughts from her mind, Bulma bit the nail of her right thump as she muttered, "No, that won't work. Even if he looks like a normal, albeit attractive human male, Vahn is ultimately a God. If he really has lived for billions of years, there's no way he will just abandon one of his lovers to be with someone else..."
Though she was supremely confident in her intelligence and beauty, Bulma wasn't vain enough to think Vahn would simply abandon the person he descended to Earth to train. There was also a very real possibility he would see through her intentions the moment she attempted to turn him against Sarina. If that happened, Bulma wagered he would either distance himself from her or simply regard her as another, inconsequential human being...
"Damnit..."
Realizing her only hope was to convince Sarina to leave Vahn, Bulma couldn't help cursing under her breath. She had barely even known Vahn for twenty-four hours and it was already impossible for her to regard him as anything less than perfect. If he were her boyfriend, there was no way in hell she would leave him for someone else. She might if he completely ignored her, but, seeing as how he was willing to descend to Earth on Sarina's whim, it was pretty obvious Vahn didn't ignore his women...
"Women..."
Recalling the fact that Sarina had introduced herself as 'one of Vahn's lovers', the realization that he had other women suddenly crossed Bulma's mind. It would certainly explain why he was so open to her visiting his room despite the fact Sarina was already there. As a God that had lived for billions of years, he probably had dozens, if not hundreds of wives awaiting his return in some higher plane of existence...
"Oh, great. I finally find someone worthy enough to be my boyfriend and there's a possibility he has enough wives to populate a small city..."
"It's not quite to that point..."
"Uwaaaah~!?"
Hearing Vahn's voice coming from beside her, Bulma issued a high-pitched scream before nearly falling out of her beach chair. This was prevented by Vahn, who, afterward, held out a glass of ice tea, asking, "You okay? I didn't mean to startle you."
Though Bulma ultimately accepted the offering, it wasn't before she remarked, "As if...don't think I haven't caught on to your little game, Buster. You really enjoy teasing people, don't you?"
Shrugging his shoulders, Vahn neither confirmed nor denied Bulma's accusations as he went on to explain, "You're right about the existence of my harem. However, so long as I'm here in this world, you can rest assured that they will never make an appearance. If you ever do meet them, it will be because you've ascended to Godhood or agreed to come with me when I return. As for when that will be...I'm not entirely sure. At the very least, I will probably stay here for thirty-odd years. I could also stick around until you die of natural causes, but, even if we never become a thing, that isn't too likely to occur. I take care of my friends and family. We might never become the latter but I'd like it if we were to remain friends for the duration of my stay..."
Furrowing her brows, Bulma's various trains of thought briefly ground to a halt as she asked, "Are you trying to friend zone me?"
Shaking his head, Vahn's expression softened as he said, "I'm just being honest with you. I don't want you to feel pressured to make a decision just because you think time is limited. While that may be the case, thirty years is a long time from the perspective of humans. Take your time and decide for yourself the path you wish to walk. So long as you don't ask me to mind control people or give you the power to destroy galaxies with a sneeze, I'll always be here to lend an ear..."
"..."
Though she was tempted to point out he had mentioned only being around for thirty years, Bulma decided against correcting Vahn's statement. She was far more focused on the fact he was basically telling her he would grant her wishes even if she didn't choose to become one of his many lovers. If that were true, there must be a reason he was indirectly pushing her to continue the search for the Dragon Balls...
Looking past Vahn, Bulma could see Goku laughing boisterously in the middle of a now-destroyed sandcastle. She also recalled that Vahn had previously shown off his tail, yet, despite wearing a pair of loose-fitting swim trunks, it was currently nowhere to be seen. This, combined with the things he had said during his conversation with Roshi, had begun to paint a clear picture within her mind. This wasn't her journey, it was Goku's...
Taking advantage of the fact that Vahn apparently couldn't lie, Bulma's expression formed into a pout as she asked, "If I asked you to take me back to West City...would you continue searching for the Dragon Balls?"
Even without Vahn answering directly, Bulma knew the answer the moment a wry smile developed across his face. A surprisingly painful feeling spread through her chest, and, for a brief moment, she almost felt as though she was about to begin hyperventilating. Before she could, Vahn's placed his hand on her back, a notably bewildered expression on his face as he stated, "I think you may have misunderstood something..."
Turning to face him, Bulma noticed a hint of concern in Vahn's eyes as he clarified, "I came here to train Sarina. While you and Goku are instrumental to this world's survival, it was never my intention to control, manipulate, or dictate your lives. I am here as more of an observer than an actual actor. I will invariably take action when I see fit but this is ultimately your world...your life...what you choose to do with it is ultimately up to you."
Though it wasn't the answer she wanted, Bulma wasn't too surprised by Vahn's words. If he tried to convince her he had come to Earth specifically for her, she wouldn't have believed him. He had also gone on the record to reveal the purpose behind his visit on no less than three separate occasions so it would be strange for him to change his tone just to make her feel better.
Realizing that Vahn didn't truly care about this world or the people in it, countless thoughts began to form in Bulma's mind. His words and actions implied that things were going to get pretty hectic if she and Goku were somehow instrumental to the world's survival. His interactions with Roshi also supported this notion, so, after a moment of deliberation, a serious glimmer flashed across Bulma's eyes as she asked, "Will you marry me...?"
...
..
.
(A/N: Alternate Titles; 'Drama Squad, Assemble...!','Bulma is, unsurprisingly, very smart...','Well, that escalated quickly...')