Narration
"Talk"
'Telapathy'
-monologue-
[Object's Text]
<Time and place>
*sound effect*
So, what happened? The result is that we'll probably have a very calm and stable night.
To ensure Goku would fall asleep quickly, I decided to wear him out as much as possible during the day. Under the pretense of "training," I assigned him all sorts of exhausting tasks to drain his energy to its limit.
First, I made him carry a heavy boulder on his back and climb up and down a mountain about ten times. When he still seemed full of energy afterward, I recreated the scenario from the original Dragon Ball animation—hiding a stone engraved with a special symbol deep in the forest—and sent him on a wild hunt to find it.
When the sky turned red as the sun began to set, he finally came back to me with the stone in hand. He looked completely drained, and I felt a twinge of guilt seeing him so exhausted.
But, of course, I couldn't let him skip washing up before dinner. I dragged him to my bathroom, taught him how to brush his teeth and bathe properly, and then gave him a fresh set of clothes.
When I finally allowed him to eat dinner, he pounced on the dining table like a ravenous tiger and began devouring everything without restraint.
-Note to self: Next time, I absolutely must teach him proper table manners. No excuses.-
He asked for refill more than ten times, and by the time he finished eating, I could finally rest my aching body.
-Fuuck… My spine feels like it's been ground to powder. I'm already dead.-
"Mm... Siamese, I'm sleepy…"
Earlier, I had told him to call me "Siamese" to match the my mask I wear. He's been calling me that ever since, completely unaware of my real name.
His sleepy, whiny voice barely registered in my exhausted mind as I replied quietly.
"There's a guest room upstairs. You can sleep in the bed there…"
"Okay, good night, Siamese!"
Cheerfully, he waved at me before running upstairs.
-Alright… Now I just have to wash this ridiculous mountain of dishes, and then I can sleep too.-
Dragging my weary body to the sink, I looked at the dishes piled high.
Thankfully, I had already locked and covered all the windows that could let in moonlight. I had lied to Goku earlier, telling him that if a monster called the Great Ape saw us through the windows during a full moon, it would crush us while we slept. Because of that, he wouldn't dare touch the nailed-down boards or even try to open the windows.
"But honestly, I worry about how naïve he is. What if, in the future, he grows up and gets scammed by someone? What if he ends up falling for a con artist and lands himself in debt? There's no way I'd let that happen. If he doesn't wise up enough to avoid such situations, I'll make sure he never touches money in his entire life.................Wait, why am I even planning to take responsibility for him his whole life? Once he's an adult, it's not my problem anymore!"
As long as he doesn't turn into some kind of villain, I really don't care what he does. Honestly, I don't care. Not one bit.
But for now, these damn dishes are my problem. My arms are already killing me, and I've barely made any progress.
Goku must be sleeping peacefully upstairs, right? Of course, he must be. If he'd already seen the full moon, I'd be nothing but ground meat by now.
…But why does the back feel get goosebumps.?
"Donnelly Marcos. What are you planning to do to him?"
*Crash!*
"AAAAHHHHHH!!!"
What the fuck?! Why is Batman standing behind me, glaring like that?!
Startled, I flailed and stumbled, breaking one of the dishes in the process. Batman, without hesitation, stepped closer and grabbed me by the collar, lifting me effortlessly.
"I've been watching you since the moment you found that alien. Lie to me, and I'll break your arm."
Oh, shit. Why the hell did I underestimate Batman? Sure, he's still a rookie, but he's *still* Batman!
I didn't think he'd actually show up here! Someone save me!
"I-I just couldn't ignore him! If something happened to that kid, I'd feel responsible! I helped him once, and now I just… kept helping him!"
"Then why are you doing it in such a half-assed way? I've seen him sleeping alone in the woods, looking lonely. Ever since he started following you, he's been isolated. You treat him like an animal, pushing him around and making him do all sorts of grueling tasks. And now, tonight, you suddenly bring him into your house and barricade all the windows. Why?"
His glare grew even sharper, and it felt like he was about to crush me right there.
Why the hell am I being treated like a criminal? All I've done is help! Sure, I may have treated him a little like a suspicious kidnapper would, and maybe I put him through tough training for my own reasons. And okay, maybe I secretly hoped he'd protect me when he grows stronger. But does that really make me a bad person?!
"Stop!"
Before Batman could say anything else, something small flew toward him and tried to kick him. Batman let go of me and effortlessly dodged, turning to face the new attacker.
It was Goku.
He glared at Batman before running over to shield me, standing protectively in front of me.
"Siamese didn't do anything wrong! He's a good guy! Even when he's tired and struggling, he still worries about me!
Goku stood firmly, his fists clenched, ready to fight.
"He's not bad! The bad one is you, hurting someone weaker than you!"
…I'm not going to lie, I'm touched. Is this what it feels like to raise a child? Even though he's not my kid.
"If you don't want to get hurt, step aside. I'm going to find out if your 'guardian' is really as innocent as you say. I don't harm the innocent. Unless you think he's guilty and just don't want to admit it."
"Ugh… No way! Siamese isn't bad at all! Check if you want!"
-Fucking Batman! My mental health is already in shambles from you!-
"Alright, then."
Batman turned back to me, stepping closer, his voice like ice.
"Start talking. Everything. Don't leave anything out."
Oh god. Somebody help me.
