Back to Korin Tower

"Karin-sama, it's been a while."

"Oh, Yuujin and Goku! Long time no see."

Carrying Bulma and Tights, Yuujin landed on Korin Tower and was greeted once again by Karin the Cat Hermit.

"Hahaha..."

"Karin-sama, I've grown taller, but you're still as short as ever!"

Noticing that Karin was now even shorter than her, Goku giggled happily.

"You cheeky girl, mind your own business!"

Karin the Cat Hermit huffed and stroked his whiskers with an indignant look.

"N-Yuujin, you're not telling us that this fat cat is the legendary Hermit, are you?!"

Seeing the plump white cat in front of them, Bulma and Tights were stunned.

"Yes, indeed. This is Karin-sama, the Hermit of Korin Tower."

Well, with Yuujin's confirmation, the image of a mystical sage that Bulma and Tights had held onto shattered instantly, and they now understood the mysterious smile Yuujin had worn before.

"Unbelievable... a fat cat is the legendary Hermit!"

"A cat can't be a Hermit? You young girls got a problem with that?"

Karin, stroking his whiskers, looked a bit speechless. "Just because I'm a cat doesn't mean you should underestimate me! Believe it or not, I could take on a thousand of you!"

"Bulma, show some respect."

"Karin-sama is a great Hermit, guarding this land below us."

"Karin-sama, these girls are Bulma and Tights. They meant no offense, please forgive their earlier rudeness."

Yuujin tapped Bulma on the head, stopping her from speaking further, then introduced the two sisters to Karin.

"Just two young girls. I wouldn't think twice about it," Karin said, raising his head slowly.

Being a benevolent Hermit cat, Karin wasn't going to get upset over such a trivial thing.

Realizing that the fat cat before them truly was the legendary Hermit, the sisters stifled their disdain.

"Hermit-sama, I'm sorry about earlier; it's all my fault, really," Bulma said, moving closer with a sweet smile.

No one gives compliments without an agenda, and Karin had a knowing look on his face.

"Young girl, what do you want?"

"Hehehe... as expected of Hermit-sama."

"Hermit-sama, could you make me even prettier? Although I'm already super pretty, I'd like to be just a bit prettier. Pretty please?"

"Impossible."

Bulma pleaded, but Karin remained unmoved.

"Then, how about making my chest a bit bigger? Just a tiny bit?"

"Impossible."

"How about making my skin just a little lighter? This has to be doable, right?"

"Impossible."

Unwilling to give up, Bulma tried twice more, but each time Karin replied with a blunt "impossible," leaving her fuming.

"This can't be done, that can't be done—what kind of Hermit are you? You're useless!"

"I'm a Hermit, not a wish-granting dragon. You've got the wrong person."

Karin's mouth twitched, looking exasperated.

"Bulma, stop bothering Karin-sama."

"You're already pretty enough, your chest is big enough, and your skin is fair enough. You're just my type."

Yuujin chuckled as he pulled Bulma back. She blushed, embarrassed but secretly delighted by his words.

"By the way, Karin-sama, here's a little gift for you."

Remembering something, Yuujin tossed a universal capsule, and suddenly, countless dried fish delicacies appeared around them.

"Sniff, sniff..."

"W-what is this?"

Karin's nose twitched, clearly intrigued.

"These are some high-quality fish we caught while training on other planets. They're top-notch, nothing you can find on Earth. Please, Karin-sama, have a taste," Yuujin said, smiling. Karin swallowed hard, then picked one up and tasted it.

"Mmm..."

"This... is delicious, meow!"

Karin's eyes closed as he savored it, feeling as if his very pores were coming alive.

"Karin-sama, could you give us a few more senzu beans?" Yuujin asked, seeing Karin's enjoyment.

"Mmm... Help yourself; take as many as you like."

Lost in the deliciousness of the dried fish, Karin replied indifferently.

Since senzu beans were very precious and he didn't use them often, Karin didn't mind sharing.

With Karin's permission, Yuujin gave a sly smile and, along with Goku, Bulma, and the others, headed to the senzu bean storage.

In the original story Dragon Ball, Karin had stored a decent amount of senzu beans over centuries, but as Goku and others continued fighting and Yamcha even treated senzu beans like snacks, the supply dwindled, and only a few were available later on.

Although Yuujin and Goku still had a few beans, he felt it was wise to gather more while Karin had some left.

Since Karin said to take as much as they wanted, Yuujin didn't hold back, grabbing an entire jar of roughly a thousand beans.

"Yuujin, what do these senzu beans do?" Tights asked curiously, seeing Yuujin holding the jar with such excitement.

"These are amazing—one bean can keep you full for ten days, and it can quickly heal any injury," he explained, and Bulma and Tights looked astonished.

"That... that's incredible!"

"When the time comes, I'll let you try some, but for now, let's not waste them," Yuujin said, putting the senzu beans safely into a universal capsule.

Although they now had a large stock, there would come a time when they'd run out, so Yuujin considered asking Bulma and the others to research the possibility of cultivating senzu beans to increase the supply. But that could wait for later.

After spending time with Karin and getting the senzu beans, Yuujin prepared to leave with the others.

But before they left—

"Karin-sama, there's one more thing I'd like to discuss with you."

To be continued...