When Yamiru arrived at Dr. Brief's house in the Western Capital, only Mrs. Brief was home.
"Ah, isn't this Yamiru?"
The elegant blonde lady, squinting her eyes as she watered the flowers, saw Yamiru coming to visit, guided by the robotic servants. She joyfully said, "It's been a year, and you've become even more handsome~ How about we go on a date later?" Yamiru sweated. This lady really was out of tune. "Please, don't joke around. Isn't Tights at home?"
Mrs. Brief chuckled, clearly enjoying teasing the young man.
"She went out for some fresh air~ I think she went with her father and Bulma," the noble lady tapped her chin, thinking, "It seems there's some kind of summit being held recently, and both her father and Bulma are planning to attend. It hasn't started yet, but they went to check it out, thinking they might meet some old acquaintances~ It's been a while, he hasn't been interested in attending for quite some time."
"I see." Yamiru nodded.
Last year, Tights had pointed out that exhibition building to him. It was probably where the summit was being held, as Mrs. Brief mentioned. Yamiru knew that Tights mainly created sci-fi light novels, so going with her father and sister to see the Earth's top-level summit might bring some new insights... maybe! Yamiru chuckled inwardly.
"Can I wait here for them?" Yamiru asked politely.
"Of course~" Mrs. Brief put away the watering can, and the robot servants brought over two chairs. She smiled and said, "You can stay as long as you'd like~"
Such enthusiasm... Yamiru sweated again.
Mrs. Brief brewed a pot of tea, and Yamiru drank it slowly with her, occasionally chatting.
Yamiru tried to imitate Mrs. Brief's posture, elegantly sipping his tea.
Seeing this, Mrs. Brief smiled and gently guided him to adopt an even more refined and graceful tea-drinking posture.
Yamiru humbly accepted the guidance, and Mrs. Brief thought his learning ability was quite good—though this was in comparison to her husband and daughter Bulma. If Yamiru knew what this elegant lady was thinking, he would probably be flattered... He noticed the black wristband on her wrist, where Tights's name was embroidered inside, close to her pulse.
Yamiru smiled faintly.
"I wonder how Tights is doing."
A year had passed in the blink of an eye, and Yamiru, immersed in his martial arts practice, hadn't even realized it. He felt like he had just parted from Tights yesterday.
---
"We're back~"
Finally, the three of them returned from their outing.
"Hi, Yamiru~" Bulma greeted cheerfully.
Tights had grown her hair a bit and looked even more charming and intellectual.
"Hey, long time no see, handsome~" She smiled and waved her wrist with the black wristband, on which Yamiru's name was embroidered on the inside.
Dr. Brief chuckled with a cigarette in his mouth. His wife asked him why he was so interested in attending some summit when it hadn't even started, wandering around the site. Dr. Brief laughed and said it was different this time, as the organizer was a world-renowned genius in the scientific community, which had attracted many top scientists from around the world to the Western Capital. It was going to be quite a lively event.
"I even planned to ask the organizers to set up some dynamic sound equipment on-site," Dr. Brief blew out some smoke casually, "But they absolutely refused. It's so strange."
"Oh~" Mrs. Brief sighed with regret, "How boring will it be when I go to the venue? I won't even understand..."
On the other side, Bulma, completely oblivious to the romantic reunion between Yamiru and Tights, squeezed between them on the couch, happily looking around.
"Today was the first time I saw Dr. Norimaki in person," Bulma fiddled with a Rubik's Cube she had picked up from somewhere, "I didn't expect him to be so young, looks like he's only 25, so impressive."
"..." Yamiru looked down at the Rubik's Cube Bulma was playing with—an irregular cube with more than five colors, and over nine layers of grids... It spun in her hands so fast it almost seemed like it would fly away. "Bulma is only nine this year, actually even more impressive."
"Ah, right~" Bulma chuckled and finished solving the Rubik's Cube, the irregular cube now showing one perfect colored side.
Soon, Bulma was led away by Mrs. Brief, and Yamiru and Tights finally had a bit of private space.
The young couple sighed in relief, exchanging a glance, only to realize their hands had unknowingly intertwined at some point. They must have reached for each other behind Bulma on the sofa earlier.
After chatting for a while, Tights casually went back to her room to tell her parents she wouldn't be coming home that night, then grabbed Yamiru and went out.
Ten days later...
Yamiru finally had the time and opportunity to tour the Western Capital with his girlfriend.
Work hard and play well.
Now was the time to work hard~ Yamiru's martial arts skills were already on par with the likes of Tao Pai Pai, Crane Hermit, or Master Roshi from last year's World Martial Arts Tournament. The reason for his slow progress, Yamiru believed, was that his own mind was holding him back. It was a hard feeling to describe... because the Dragon Ball martial arts system didn't have clear divisions like "xx realm", "xx stage", or "xx level".
In fact, with his current skills, Yamiru could easily consider himself to have reached the peak of martial arts and could stop and rest.
But Yamiru knew there were still broader skies and stronger realms above. He was not content with his current level of martial arts, but he also clearly understood that his heart might not yet be ready, not yet tempered enough, to accept even greater power.
The Manga might make it seem like Krillin is just an ordinary Earthling, but in reality, he was one of the top-tier Earthlings—otherwise, how could the martial arts god have taken an interest in him? Yamiru, back then, had not been looked at in the same way.
Yamiru, on the other hand, was just an ordinary person. In his most confused moments, he didn't even think he deserved to enter this world and should have been content to just be a bystander. Even now, he was still somewhat enamored with Tights's beautiful body and enjoyed the sweet warmth of their love.
Yamiru knew there was nothing wrong with these thoughts. Master Roshi was a hundred times more lecherous than him, yet his martial arts realm still stood unmatched.
The mistake was that Yamiru subconsciously thought this approach was unhelpful to his "leveling up".
This contradictory and somewhat self-condemning thought directly opposed the "enjoy yourself when having fun" concept in Master Roshi's teachings.
It also contradicted Master Roshi's belief of "never losing to yourself".
The Turtle School advocated for martial artists to be pure people who enjoy life. One should not be capricious, lost in chaotic thoughts.
If, when you're playing, you constantly feel like you're doing something wrong, like you shouldn't be wasting time... then you've already fallen into a lower realm. Either completely abandon mundane affairs, abandon martial arts, or play without any reservations—never feeling guilty while enjoying life's pleasures. If you're not willing to give up the joys of the world, but also feel guilty while enjoying them, how can you not "lose to yourself"? How can you expect to improve your martial arts?
Yamiru could already focus completely when practicing martial arts, but it seemed impossible for him to clear his mind when it came to playing and enjoying himself.
No matter how much wisdom you gain, it's hard to become a true martial artist.
Since he was an ordinary person, Yamiru decided to use ordinary methods to push through.
"I still need to practice,"
Yamiru embraced Tights, listening to her breathing and heartbeats, gazing at the dark sky outside with its sparkling stars.
"When I can truly clear my mind and be free from attachments, able to pick things up and put them down, and enjoy life just like I do when I practice, then I'll be closer to the pure, innocent state of Goku, and the playful, worldly wisdom of Master Roshi... Only then will my martial arts improve by leaps and bounds again."