"Yes!"
The old alien received the order and led the younger one—who hadn't dared say a word the whole time—into the ship.
Zarbon glanced once more toward the direction where Dodoria had exploded, a storm of complicated feelings rising within him. Though he'd always looked down on Dodoria, they were both part of the same second-tier ranks under Lord Frieza. Now, Dodoria had been casually killed from a distance, so easily, so helplessly… How could that not stir some sympathy in him?
Feeling a chill in his heart, Zarbon followed into the spacecraft.
Not long after, Frieza's disc-shaped spaceship launched into the void, speeding away through the fading whirlpool of Planet Vegeta's explosion. A streak of white light marked its trail as it vanished into the depths of space.
---
Meanwhile, on Earth in the North Galaxy.
West City.
At the Number One Central Research Facility, a branch of Planet Company.
Hathaway had worked all day. Wearing a white jacket and slim black trousers, she now lay napping on the soft couch in her office. After she fell asleep, the facility's AI butler Jarvis had automatically adjusted the room's environment—temperature, humidity, lighting, and airflow—into optimal comfort, making sure she wouldn't catch a chill.
With such a cozy setting, even the phoenix was dozing on her wide office desk, its fiery red wings covering its little face. It occasionally smacked its beak in its sleep, clearly dreaming about something.
Taro quietly appeared beside the sofa. His Instant Transmission displaced a pocket of air, creating a ripple of turbulence. Combined with the subtle bond it shared with him, the phoenix stirred at once. It peeked from under its wings and turned to see Taro.
After signaling the phoenix to stay put, Taro stood silently, gazing down at Hathaway peacefully asleep on the couch.
At the same time, his spiritual energy spread from his mind like a misty veil, turning into a gentle stream that wrapped around Hathaway. It caressed her spirit, dissolving her fatigue and helping her rest even more soundly.
But strangely, despite his effort, Hathaway's lips curled into a smile.
Taro gave a helpless smile. "You're awake?"
His spiritual-type magic never seemed to work on Hathaway.
Still with her eyes closed, she lay unmoving on the couch, her smile soft and serene. "You're back?" she murmured. She stretched out her arms, and when her hands were caught by a pair of warm, broad palms, her heart settled even more.
Taro sat beside her on the couch, and Hathaway snuggled up against him without opening her eyes. He held her in one arm. Her soft, fluffy violet hair carried a faint, delicate scent that lingered at his nose.
"What fragrance is this?" Taro asked. His chin rested atop her head, and he could feel the silkiness of her hair.
"Violet." Hathaway shifted her position, lying across the couch with her head in Taro's lap.
She opened her eyes and looked up at him, and he met her gaze. The two exchanged warm smiles. There was nothing particularly funny, but somehow, just meeting each other's eyes curved their lips naturally.
"What do you want for dinner?" Hathaway raised a hand and lightly tapped Taro's forehead. Her fingers traced down—his bangs, his forehead, the bridge of his nose, his lips, and finally his chin. She murmured, "How about growing a little stubble here?"
Over the years, Hathaway had often played with Taro's appearance like a wife dressing up her husband—hair, beard, style—she'd changed it countless times.
"Doublet dinosaur meat, maybe? Haven't had your cooking in a while. I'll head to the southern rainforest this afternoon to hunt one." Taro caught her hand and kissed her fingertips. Then he muttered a low, obscure incantation, and a neat patch of gray-white stubble sprouted on his chin. "Like this?"
"Here, grow a bit more… There, shorter… Hmm, that's nice."
Hathaway lay comfortably with her head on his lap, giving design notes on his new beard until she was satisfied. Taro stroked it—it kind of reminded him of the beard style of some royal lieutenant from an anime.
The phoenix lifted its head and turned to glance at the couple on the couch, blinking.
"I'll bring you along to prepare dinner later, all right?" Hathaway turned to the phoenix, knowing this greedy little glutton had overheard Taro mention hunting. She smiled helplessly.
The phoenix chirped in joy and flapped its wings, fluttering over to perch on the upturned toes of Hathaway's red high heels. Her pale, flawless feet in contrast with the slim black pants made for a striking image.
Just then, Hathaway's assistant cracked open the office door. But at the sight of the man, woman, and bird enjoying their cozy moment, the assistant silently backed out and closed the door again.
"By the way, how's that disciple of yours?" Hathaway asked offhandedly, playfully swinging her shoe to tease the phoenix on her foot.
"All's going well. I think they'll be here in a few months…"
Taro smiled, stroking Hathaway's soft violet hair. Then he glanced out the window. At the edge of the bustling cityscape, beneath the blue sky and white clouds, he imagined he could see a shooting star streaking in from the dark void of space.
"How old is the kid? Do they look different from Earthlings?" Hathaway blinked curiously. Her hand reached out to touch the fresh stubble on Taro's chin—it was rough and oddly satisfying. Over the decades of spacefaring with Taro, she'd met all kinds of bizarre aliens. She knew well that Earthling-like appearances were rare.
"Shouldn't be too different, I guess," Taro said with a chuckle. "Just… has a tail."
"A tail?" Hathaway blinked.
Smiling, Taro hesitated a moment before asking her, "I have a favor to ask. I need you to work with Fabeli and Jarvis on something and get results as soon as possible."
"Oh? What is it?" Hathaway sat up, intrigued.
Taro tapped his fingers together and said, "I've got the full theoretical blueprint for a new type of energy detector. I'll show it to you all later. Then… I'd like you to help me build a device that can mask my ki. That's the gist of it."