Saiyan stowaways on the Ark

"Yes, is it really going to be very revealing? I saw that the outfit she chose for Miss Eyjafjalla was similar to this, and it even seemed to have less fabric."

However, Frostnova's response led to the introduction of another operator who appeared to be a victim.

[Main Text] Siesta's hottest holiday: Chapter 8 Want to hear a story?

"Speaking of which, it's been almost two months since we last worked together, right? Was it the trip to Chernobog?"

"Yes, later on there were a lot of miscellaneous tasks, and I spent most of my time training in the wild with Bardak."

An unremarkable man and a striking woman from Cartes walked and talked down the street. Perhaps it was Frostnova's aura that drew everyone's attention to her, and they made way for her.

—Then that gaze turned to jealousy and fell on Tomat.

Of course, neither of them cared too much about what others thought. Frostnova also chose to ignore the fact that "she was dressed too provocatively," although it was more a matter of lacking actual awareness.

“I don’t think the battles that ‘bring in messengers of natural disasters’ can be called training.”

"Anyway, I was the one who got beaten up. He recovered a little and became stronger than me, but I'm improving too."

Their destination was the amusement park, which wasn't too far from the food street, so they walked there directly.

It wasn't a matter of one following the other; it was just that their original destination was that area, and they happened to meet there, so they decided to travel together.

"I can tell."

"As expected? It seems the training has paid off."

“I’m talking about the ‘one-sided beating’ thing. You used to say you weren’t the strongest, and it turns out you weren’t just being modest.”

"ha..."

It had been a long time since the two had a conversation like this, and they had mostly chosen topics that seemed to be teasing each other.

From their initial encounter in the ruins of Chernobog, where they had their first conversation using a combination of fists and reason, to now strolling together and chatting about a bunch of unrelated things, the progress in their relationship is palpable without needing to be explicitly stated.

But whether they take it to heart, nobody knows.

"Don't you usually hang out with your team? Why are you all alone this time?"

Frostnova has always been accompanied by the "Yeti" she met on the Ursus snowfield. Their long-standing cooperation has made them the only choice for Frostnova to carry out various missions on Rhodes Island.

However, she didn't see a single Yeti around her today—though Tomat wasn't sure if they would recognize them after changing out of their thick cotton robes.

"Since it's a vacation, there's no need for group activities. Besides, they enjoy themselves much more than I do; they planned everything before they even arrived. Petrova went to buy novels, Yang went to the nearby beer street, and that kid Big Bear is in love and is getting ready to go on a date..."*

There were many Yetis, but Frostnova could name them one by one, and as she spoke, a gentle smile accompanied her, not on her face but hidden in her tone.

This kind of life was something they never dared to dream of before.

Live, work, and rest like a normal person, and continue the "career" you've always been committed to in a better state than before.

"Speaking of which, you don't have your own squad on Rhodes Island, right? But you mentioned that you used to be a member of a mercenary group. Back then, did you have any 'teammates' or 'comrades'?"

The topic shifted to "comrades," which prompted Frostnova to return the favor by inquiring about Tomat.

"Your relative shouldn't be that person, right?"

Froststar's raising of this question was not due to a lack of awareness, nor could it have been motivated by malice.

After all, the fact that "the entire race was almost completely wiped out" seems to have only been mentioned by Tomat to the Doctor, Amiya, and Kal'tsit.

"In a broad sense, it includes many groups, not just our own, but also other groups. But strictly speaking..."

But this casually mentioned question made Tomat subconsciously ditch his thoughts and return to what had surfaced in his mind during his earlier conversation with Badak.

It was such a coincidence that it seemed like fate's arrangement.

A figure, accompanying his memories, became clearer in his mind.

"There was only one, or rather, 'there was only one'."

After a brief pause, Tomat subtly revealed the reality that the kind of people Froststar was referring to no longer existed in the world.

"...'had it'?"

Frostnova keenly sensed Tomat's meaning, and just like the Cleaner before her, her first reaction was to apologize.

"Sorry, it seems I brought up something I shouldn't have."

"It's nothing, it happened a long time ago."

Using a calm tone to ease the other person's guilt, and also to avoid making the atmosphere too awkward, Tomat forced out his usual frank smile, shook his head, as if he were just talking about an extremely ordinary but helpless trivial matter.

The Cleaner chose to end things abruptly back then, after all, she wasn't planning to exchange her own experiences for Tomat's story.

"...If you don't mind, could you tell me about it?"

But Frostnova chose to learn more.

Many people are curious about Tomat, but some choose to stop at a suitable distance and suppress their curiosity, which is also the choice of most people.

A small group of people chose to get to the bottom of things, although most of them were relatively young, driven by pure curiosity to ask about some harmless "secrets".

Frostnova was the first person to truly investigate her secrets.

"You really want to hear it?"

This is also the question Tomat asked himself – should I tell him or not?

What's the point of saying it?

"As long as you're willing to talk."

But Frostnova's response seemed to have read Tomat's inner hesitation, and instead gave Tomat a choice.

Should we do this pointless thing?

Telling someone in front of you about things you've experienced that you can't change, things that you can't even call a close "acquaintance" or someone who's biased and calculating things.

Froststar noticed the brief hesitation and continued talking about things from even earlier.

“I still remember when I was defeated by you in those ruins, I poured out a whole bunch of things to you, the misfortunes I had experienced, the ideals I held, and the doubts I had in my heart. You just listened silently, and then answered many of my questions with your words, which were not as brilliant as those of cunning politicians.”

Frostnova adjusted her shawl, and as they walked side by side, the distance between them closed slightly.

"Although I was more impressed by your fist that time, it doesn't stop me from repaying your favor by listening to you."

The crowd in front of the ticket office at Siesta Amusement Park was so long that the two of them were at the end of the line as soon as they left the food street.

"Then I'll tell you a story, one that's neither exciting nor romantic, just to pass the time while you're waiting in line."

Tomat let out a long sigh of relief—without looking at Frostnova beside him, he closed his eyes.

------

*Do you remember the yeti who showed Frostnova BL novels?

[Main Text] Siesta's Hottest Holiday: Chapter Nine "The Children of Planet Vegeta"

The queue in front of the ticket window was very noisy.

Everyone was talking about their own things, and no one was listening to what others were saying.

This is why Tomat would tell his story in public while waiting in line.

Before the story began, Tomat asked Frostnova a question:

How long after birth do people start to remember things? Three years old? Four years old?

But before Frostnova could come up with an answer, Tomat continued talking.

The sound wasn't very loud; no outsiders would hear it from here.

But it was enough for Carter's Froststar to hear every word clearly.

This is a story that would be too absurd even in a chaotic world like Terra.

--------

We can remember things from the moment we are born, but we are not greeted by the arms of our family or a warm crib.

Instead, it was a nutrient tank filled with cold liquid.

We need to stay inside for at least three years to allow our bodies to develop properly.

But that's not all.

Before that, we all had to undergo testing; you should remember that detector, right?

The tribe tests the combat ability of every newborn. Those who meet the standard can stay in their hometown for further training after three years and be cultivated as combat talents.

Those who fail to do so will be exiled, given an order, and sent to a designated location to perform certain tasks.

Yes, it is precisely because we can remember things at a very young age that all commands from the outside world are engraved in our minds. Even if we forget the specific details, our bodies will instinctively execute those commands.

What command did you ask?

What other orders could there be? You should be able to guess.

And so, without any preparation, the children who were deemed unqualified had to drag their bodies, breathing fresh air for the first time, into a completely unfamiliar environment.

It might be a terrifying environment with high gravity, or an environment filled with deadly poison gas, or an environment that is extremely cold or hot, but no matter how harsh the conditions, the children will still carry out their missions.

Even if they have no idea what the mission is, they will still destroy any moving object in front of them, following the idea that lingers in their minds.

They knock down and devour, resorting to any means to prolong their lives.

When faced with a difficult environment, adapt to it; when encountering a powerful opponent, fight them.

That's right, these are all things a three-year-old Saiyan has to face.

Of course, those who pass the test don't need to do these things, because for them, as elites, this level of testing is hardly a trial.

After an unknown amount of time, when everything around them calmed down, perhaps those children finally had the energy to think about "what I was doing".

But by then, no one could answer the children whose hands were covered in blood.

Until one day, a member of the same clan appeared before the child with a contemptuous look in his eyes.

"Tch, even if they survive, they'll only have this much fighting power."

The child was extremely angry.

—They arbitrarily assigned me a rank, arbitrarily locked me up for three years, arbitrarily instilled in me a mindset that only knew how to destroy, and arbitrarily exiled me to a harsh environment.