West City Center, Capsule Corporation Headquarters.
This massive hemispherical complex was practically the peak of human technology.
Automated security robots, anti-gravity levitation elevators, and ubiquitous holographic projections all showcased the family's immense wealth—wealth that rivaled nations.
Bulma practically jogged as she dragged Krillin through the front door.
The flush on her face still hadn't faded.
Part of it was from the earlier fight's thrill, and part of it was because their hands were still tightly clasped.
Servants and robots alike looked on in surprise.
After all, although the young miss had changed boyfriends before, she rarely acted this bashful and girlish.
"Mom! Dad! I'm home!" Bulma shouted as she pushed open the massive electronic door, her voice bright with irrepressible joy.
"Oh, is Bulma back?"
A beautiful blonde woman with blue eyes—looking eternally twenty—walked out carrying a tray.
That was Bulma's mother, Mrs. Brief.
She spotted Krillin beside Bulma immediately, and her eyes lit up.
"Oh ho ho ho, and who is this?"
Mrs. Brief had absolutely no sense of personal space.
She set down the tray, leaned right in, and even pinched Krillin's arm, exclaiming in amazement, "What a sturdy young man!"
"These muscles, tsk tsk, such great firmness! He's much better than that Yamcha boy who only knows how to strike poses."
"Bulma, is this your new boyfriend? You have good taste!"
"Mom!" Bulma's face turned beet red as she hurriedly pulled her mother away.
"Don't just touch him! He's Krillin! Krillin! You know, that little bald kid from before!"
"Krillin?" Mrs. Brief covered her mouth, eyes wide. "My goodness, what a massive change!?"
"Come in, come in! I just baked cupcakes, you have to try some!"
Just then, Dr. Brief rolled out of the laboratory on a unicycle hovercar, a black cat perched on his shoulder and a pipe in his mouth.
"Yo, Krillin. You've grown so tall?"
He adjusted his glasses. His gaze was different from an ordinary person's—more measured, more analytical.
"Hmm… your body density seems unusually high. Even the vibration feedback from the ground changes with each step you take."
"I heard an explosion outside just now. Was that you?"
"Sorry, Doctor, we were just sparring a bit," Krillin said, nodding politely.
"It's fine, it's fine. Young people having plenty of energy is a good thing," Dr. Brief said with a casual wave.
"As long as you don't tear down the gravity chamber I just finished repairing."
The moment Krillin heard "gravity chamber," a sharp light flickered in his calm eyes.
This was one of the core reasons he'd come.
Its importance was second only to winning Bulma over.
The Saitama template was powerful, but as his fusion level increased, normal Earth conditions barely provided any training effect.
He hadn't even broken a sweat against Yamcha.
If he wanted to keep improving—and not become a bystander when the Saiyan invasion arrived—he had to raise the intensity.
"Doctor, I'd like to ask you for a favor," Krillin said, getting straight to the point.
"I need training equipment that can adjust gravity. I know that wouldn't be difficult for you."
"Oh? Gravity training?" Dr. Brief's interest was immediately piqued. "How many times gravity do you need?"
"Starting at ten times," Krillin said calmly.
"Pfft…"
The pipe nearly fell from Dr. Brief's mouth, and even the usually composed black cat bristled, fur standing on end.
"Ten times?!" Dr. Brief stared. "Young man, do you know what you're saying?"
"That's the gravity you'd find tens of thousands of meters deep in the ocean, or on the surface of a giant planet."
"An ordinary person's bones would be crushed instantly, and their internal organs would rupture."
Krillin clenched his fist. The air in his palm popped sharply.
"If I don't push myself to the limit, how can I break through it?"
"And another thing!" Bulma suddenly cut in, pulling a stack of hand-drawn blueprints from her bag—sketches she'd made on the way back.
"Dad, not only do you have to set up the gravity chamber, you also have to help me with this!"
"I want to make a custom battle suit for Krillin."
"The materials have to be the latest nano-memory fibers with insane elasticity. Otherwise his clothes will burst whenever he exerts himself, and that's expensive!"
As she spoke, she shot an annoyed look at Krillin's orange martial arts uniform, which already had frayed seams.
Her eyes were full of heartache.
Krillin rubbed his bald head, feeling a little embarrassed.
Over the past few days, he really had burst through shirts more than once. Ordinary fabric simply couldn't survive the strain when his muscles expanded.
"Alright, alright, whatever you say," Dr. Brief said, indulging his daughter with a fond look.
Then he gave Krillin a long, thoughtful glance. "Looks like this house is about to get lively. Follow me; there's a prototype in the basement."
Dinner passed in an atmosphere that was bizarre, yet strangely harmonious.
The long table was piled with delicacies.
Mrs. Brief kept serving Krillin food and even tried to feed him cake herself—only to be blocked by a dark-faced Bulma.
Dr. Brief pulled Krillin into a discussion about the limits of human biomechanics.
While dealing with this genius family, Krillin checked his System panel.
[Mission Completed: A Man's Dignity.]
[Evaluation: You shattered the most fragile self-esteem in the most understated way. Yamcha has departed for Kame House to strive for improvement (though he likely still won't catch up to you; at least the boy finally has some fighting spirit).]
[Rewards Issued:]
[1. All Attributes +10.]
Strength: 100 (The Host can convert Strength values into combat power proportionally.)
Speed: 98
Physique: 100
Intelligence: 35
Charm: 85
[2. Bulma Favorability Settlement: Heart-throb (85/100) -> More than Friends, Less than Lovers (89/100).]
Eighty-nine.
One step away.
Once it broke ninety, the special "Devour" function could be triggered, granting him Bulma's Genius attribute.
Krillin glanced at Bulma beside him.
She was nibbling at her fork, staring at his profile like she was slightly dazed. The moment she noticed him looking, she hurriedly lowered her head and sipped her soup.
The tips of her ears were red, and even her blue hair seemed brighter than usual.
"Um… tonight…" Bulma whispered, her voice as faint as a mosquito. "You can sleep in the room next to mine."
That room was where Yamcha used to stay when he visited.
Despite Bulma's usual carefree attitude, she was still conservative where it mattered.
She'd personally changed all the sheets and blankets, and even sprayed a little of her favorite perfume.
"Okay," Krillin said, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly, his gaze gentle.
Tonight, someone was destined to be sleepless.
Meanwhile, far away at Kame House, out on the sea.
Waves lapped against the shore.
Master Roshi giggled over a collector's edition swimsuit magazine, then suddenly let out a huge sneeze.
"Achoo! Weird. Which beauty is thinking about me?"
At that moment, the door slammed open.
A disheveled Yamcha, reeking of sour garbage, stood in the doorway and dropped to his knees with a thud, his knees banging the wooden floor hard.
"Master Roshi! Please, you have to train me!"
"I want to become strong! Strong enough to defeat that bald monster!"
Master Roshi froze. His snot bubble popped, and his sunglasses slid halfway down, revealing a pair of tiny, shocked eyes.
"Uh… Yamcha, I'm moved by your ambition, and it's good for young people to learn from setbacks, but…" he said, pointing at the crooked door.
"Could you pay for the door first? That's the second one broken this week!! And that smell… did you fall into a cesspool?"
...
Author's Update 18+ 📢
The fanfic Naruto: Raised by Kushina, Took His Brother's Wife – Part 1 is now officially fully completed!
It is now available on Patreon for all tiers, including the lowest Tier 1.
The complete Part 1 has been uploaded on Patreon.
📚 Category: Naruto 18+
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Thank you all for your continuous love, support, and patience for this story 💙