Loren sat on the mountaintop, feeling like his life was full of darkness.
The sea breeze was gentle.
The sunlight was warm.
But the system's cold words made his heart feel even colder.
Failure Penalty: Randomly confiscate one host skill.
Loren stared at his skill list.
Instant Transmission (Kaioshin Version).
Ten Times Kaio-ken (No Side Effects).
Super Saiyan 2.
Random confiscation?
That wasn't punishment—that was execution.
Loren ruffled his hair irritably and let out a long sigh.
"…Fine."
"It's just delivering a cake."
"What's the big deal?"
"The sooner I finish this, the sooner I can come back and sleep."
He quickly ran into another problem.
Where the hell was Android 18?
Androids had no ki—no sensing, no tracking.
Earth was massive.
Finding three people was like fishing needles out of an ocean.
Loren closed his eyes and thought.
Fly around the planet for a carpet search?
Too tiring. Rejected.
"System," Loren growled mentally, "you can track gods, timelines, and destiny—don't tell me you can't track one woman."
[Ding! Strong host demand detected.]
[Android 18's exact location has been marked. Duration: 10 minutes.]
Loren's mouth twitched.
"…West City."
He pulled a beautifully packaged strawberry cake from his Hoi-Poi Capsule.
Whoosh—!
Loren vanished.
West City — Commercial Street
A flashy red convertible was parked at the roadside.
Android 17 leaned casually against it, whistling.
Girls passing by squealed nonstop.
Android 16 stood rigidly at the entrance of a clothing store, motionless like a statue.
Inside the store—
Android 18 stood in front of a mirror, tugging irritably at a pink dress.
"Too tacky."
She yanked it off and tossed it to the trembling shop assistant.
"Change it."
She had already tried more than a dozen outfits.
None of them felt right.
She didn't know why.
But Loren's face kept appearing in her mind.
That bastard.
He actually left her behind and ran away.
The more she thought about it, the more annoyed she became.
Her internal energy core subtly fluctuated.
Just then—
A lazy voice sounded behind her.
"I think the pink one earlier wasn't bad."
Android 18 froze.
She turned around sharply.
Loren stood at the doorframe, holding a cake box, looking relaxed as ever.
"You…?!"
For a moment, she couldn't even speak.
"…How did you find me?"
"Oh, this?" Loren shook the cake box.
"Do you believe cakes have gravity?"
Only an idiot would.
This man was still unbearably unserious.
Before she could retort—
"Here."
Loren handed her the cake.
"What's this for?" Her tone was sharp, but her eyes betrayed her, unconsciously focusing on the box.
"An apology."
Loren spoke plainly.
"I left without saying anything earlier. That was my fault."
"This is compensation."
After shoving the cake into her arms, he turned to leave.
Mission complete.
Time to go back and sleep.
But—
A small, fair hand grabbed his sleeve tightly.
Loren turned back.
Android 18 looked up at him, her expression a mix of annoyance, grievance, and stubbornness.
"You think one cake is enough?"
"You woke me up."
"So…"
A faint blush quietly spread across her cheeks.
"You have to take responsibility."
"One cake isn't enough."
"You also have to accompany me."
Loren: "..."
Outside the store, Android 17 whistled loudly.
"Oho?"
He nudged Android 16.
"Did you see that?"
"My iceberg sister… is melting."
Android 16 stared blankly.
No response.
Loren felt his head double in size.
This wasn't how things were supposed to go.
Logically, she should've snorted, said "who cares," and let him leave.
Why did it turn into this?
"…Accompany you to do what?" Loren asked weakly.
"Shopping."
Android 18 answered instantly.
She pointed at the racks.
"I'll try clothes on."
"You pick."
"What kind of nightmare is this…"
"I can't," Loren refused firmly.
"I don't know how to pick women's clothes."
"I don't care."
Her tone was absolute.
"Today, you pick."
"Until I'm satisfied."
Her eyes locked onto him.
Run again and I'll break your legs.
Loren sighed deeply.
"…Alright."
"I'll pick."
Victory sparkled faintly in Android 18's eyes.
She released his sleeve and hugged the cake box like a queen claiming tribute.
Clothing Trial: Loren Edition
Loren stared at the racks, dizzy.
To him, clothes differed only in color and length.
"This one."
He grabbed a black tight-fitting dress.
"Why?" Android 18 asked.
"Black is dirt-resistant."
"Durable."
"Convenient for fighting."
Android 18 changed.
When she stepped out—
The shop lit up.
The black dress outlined her perfect figure flawlessly.
Fair skin contrasted sharply with the dark fabric.
Even Loren froze for half a second.
"…How is it?" she asked, turning slightly.
"Hm." Loren tugged the hem.
"Sturdy."
"Durable."
"Hard to damage."
Silence.
Android 18's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"That's it?"
"…Otherwise?"
She disappeared back into the fitting room.
Blue denim set.
"Many pockets. Practical."
White off-shoulder shirt and shorts.
"Easy to move."
Red long dress.
"Trips you. Bad."
…
By the time she emerged in a light purple athletic outfit—
"This one," Loren nodded seriously.
"Loose. Comfortable."
Android 18 stared at him.
Speechless.
But strangely…
Her irritation faded.
She looked at her reflection.
Less cold.
More… human.
"…Fine," she said softly.
"This one."
Outside, Android 17 bit into a slice of watermelon.
"Yep."
"This drama?"
"Better than TV." 🍉
...
Author's Note:
The fanfic Dragon Ball: I Became Invincible by Being a Lazy Salted Fish! Part 1 & 2 (Dragon Ball Z & Super) is now fully completed.
The entire story has been uploaded on Patreon as a dedicated collection:
📚 Dragon Ball (Chapters 1–343)
Organized into 42 posts, with multiple chapters per post for easy binge reading.
🔗 patreon.com/Shadow_demon_007
Thank you all for your continuous support and love for this story 💙