Day 4 – Autumn

Autumn had arrived and the orange leaves on the trees were a clear sign of it. It was a beautiful and lovely sight, but for Chichi, it was just another day like any other, and she had barely noticed that the season had already changed.

She walked among the product stalls of the street market as she picked out the best goods to take home. Not everything she could have in the simple crops she had in her backyard, some things she still needed to go and buy, even tho, as to feed two half-sayans, she needed a lot of supplies. It was, in a way, less work than cooking for Goku too, because he, being a pure adult sayan, could eat so much more than the three of them put together, but it was still a lot. Gohan still helped a lot with some fishing, but she didn't like that he wasted his study time worrying about these things, it wasn't his obligation either, he was her son and she should take care of him and not the other way around. Well, Goku should also be there to provide for his family, but well... He wasn't, so it was really up to her.

She loved being a mother and a housewife and she didn't regret the life she had chosen, even with all the ups and downs she had to go through, but there were times when the weariness of life took its toll and it was in these moments that she wished she had like…. Dunno, maybe just a little of Bulma's fortune and not have to worry about this kind of thing, to have employees at her disposal to do anything and everything at any time.

Not to mention that the money she had for her family wouldn't last forever. Even if they lived a modest life without much luxury, there were still many expenses with Gohan's studies, things for the house, and so on. Of course she could always count on her father's help, but she didn't like to depend on him for these things. She was already a married woman, I mean, a widow, and with two children, she couldn't be dependent on her father as if she were still a teenager living under his roof.

Luckily, Chichi was well-liked by the local merchants, and not once did she help them in dangerous situations, be it against wild animals or bandits who threatened to rob some of the merchants. If it weren't for the kindness of these people, she might be in a much worse situation.

"It's a lovely afternoon today, isn't it, Mrs. Chichi?" said an old woman with long gray hair tied up in a low ponytail, who smiled at her when she arrived near her cereal stall.

"It is indeed Mrs. Nashimura!" Chichi smiled sympathetically, and it was at this moment that she realized how nice the weather really was and how beautiful the atmosphere was. She hadn't really stopped to admire the scenery lately.

"What'd you like today, my dear?" the lady asked, and Chichi pointed to the products she wanted, which the woman soon began to pack. "How are your boys?"

"They're very well, thank you for asking! Gohan is so tall, he's already taller than me." She chuckled. "And Goten doesn't stop growing, he has so much energy that sometimes it's even difficult to contain him."

The lady gave a sympathetic smile, she had already been through this phase, so she knew what Chichi was talking about. She only felt a slight pity knowing that the young mother had to deal with all this alone, since her husband had passed away. Mrs. Nashimura had known Chichi from the time she had come to live in Mt. Paozu and had begun to frequent the town street market, she had also known Goku, as he used to accompany her a lot in the first years of marriage, she had also known Gohan as a child and also Goten, for from time to time Chichi had taken him with her.

From the inside of the tent came a man who must have been about Chichi's age. He had short dark hair, was good-looking, and had a very suitable physical build, probably from the heavy work he'd do. He smiled when he realized that it was Chichi who was there, his hearing hadn't deceived him, it was her voice he had heard.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Chichi!" he greeted with a friendly smile.

"Good afternoon Hiro! How are you?" Chichi answered with the same kindness he had directed to Mrs. Nashimura, who was Hiro's grandmother.

"To be honest... much better now with you here in our tent!" he answered, although with a polite tone, but Chichi just smiled, unaware. "And you?"

"Good to know, Hiro! I'm fine, thank you!"

Hiro had also known Chichi since she had moved to Paozu and frequented his family's cereal stall. He got enchanted by her beauty immediately, but since she was married, he could do nothing about it. After a few years, he left for the other side of the country, together with his parents, and it was only a few days ago that they returned, after his grandfather passed away, and it was then that he found out that Chichi was a widow. He was sorry to hear that she was alone and with two children to raise, but he was also slightly happy, knowing that the way was now free, but all he did was compliment her and flirt subtly, which seemed to have no effect. He didn't have the courage to ask her out.

Mrs. Nashimura, on the other hand, was noticeably aware of her grandson's interest in Mrs. Son. She liked Chichi, she was an upright woman, a good mother, and a dedicated housewife, no doubt there wouldn't be a better option for her grandson who was past the age of marriage. With this in mind, realizing that Chichi was laden with bags and boxes, she decided to use this opportunity to bring them closer together.

"Ms. Chichi, I see that you have a lot of goods to carry and I noticed that you didn't arrive with your car today. Why don't you let Hiro help you and take you home in his truck? I'm sure Hiro wouldn't mind, would you, my dear?" asked the lady, who smiled sweetly at her grandson, who seemed to be a bit taken aback by his grandmother's suggestion.

Chichi pondered for a moment. She had planned to ask for a cab, but thought it would be a good idea to save money if he could do her this favor. She didn't walk alone with men, as she was a proper lady, but it would be the same as taking a cab with the driver, so she saw no problem.

"Oh, I'd like that very much, Hiro, if it's no trouble to you, of course."

"Not at all, Ms. Chichi!" he exclaimed politely, and Chichi gave a simple smile.

She then paid for her purchases and walked over to Hiro's truck, who helped her by loading her goods.

"Thanks for the help, Hiro, that's very kind of you." she remarked as she got into the truck and sat down in the passenger seat.

"No problem. We do everything for our customers to have the best experience, and grandma told me how much you've helped the market here, so it's the least we can do. Besides, I wouldn't deny you a hand at all."

Chichi smiled graciously at the man's kindness. He really was a very nice person.

On the way to her home, they talked a little, Hiro told her about his time living on the other side of the country, and meanwhile, Chichi took the opportunity to admire the autumn scenery of the city a little better. It was a beautiful time of year, and she had forgotten how much she enjoyed it. Good memories came to her mind, moments with her Goku, with her family, and this made her heart fill with joy and sadness at the same time.

When she got home, Hiro helped her get the goods out of the truck and into the house, but before he could enter, he was surprised by Gohan who opened the door.

"Hi mom, do you need some-"

He was about to say help, but stopped immediately when he saw the man walking towards the door and realized that he wasn't a taxi driver.

"Oh, hello sweetheart, how are ya?" Chichi walked past Gohan and gave him a quick peck on the forehead, who mumbled a slightly disconcerted 'I'm fine'. "No need, Hiro is already helping me. Thank you!"

Gohan frowned when he had to let the strange man into his house as Chichi led him into the kitchen. Hiro smiled sympathetically at him and greeted him with a nod, since his hands were already occupied. Gohan watched the scene intrigued. It was not his mother's nature to walk in the company of strange men. The only men Chichi hung out with were him, Goten, his grandpa, and once in a while some of Goku's friends she met in the city or when she visited Bulma.

"Where is Goten?" Chichi asked.

"He's in his room, getting changed, he just took a shower."

"Oh, great. Thank you for taking care of him, my darling."

"My, how big your son looks, Mrs. Chichi!" Hiro remarked as he realized that little Gohan was not little anymore, he was even bigger than he was. "It's a pleasure to see you again, little Gohan."

Gohan looked at him suspiciously.

"Gohan, this is Hiro, he's the grandson of Mrs. Nashimura from the cereal stall at the market street. Do you remember him, don't'cha? He gave me a ride home to help me bring the groceries."

"Oh, right!" Gohan then remembered who the man was and realized that he was not a complete stranger. He hadn't seen him for many years, no wonder he didn't recognize the man. "Yes, I do remember. It's a pleasure to see you again, Mr. Hiro." Gohan smiled and extended his hand to greet the man with a polite handshake. "Thank you for helping my mother."

"No problem. It's a pleasure to be able to help your mother." Hiro smiled at him and then looked at Chichi. Gohan noticed something different in the man's eyes, but couldn't put a finger on what it was.

"That was very kind of ya, Hiro!" Chichi commented. "Again, I appreciate. You saved me a lot of cab money, since our car is in the repair shop."

"I see, but you can count on my help whenever you need it. A lady like you shouldn't have to carry all those heavy bags and boxes around by herself."

Chichi chuckled lightly. That man didn't know she was a strong martial arts fighter, carrying those goods was nothing to her.

Intrigued, Gohan tilted his head to the side, finding the whole interaction very strange. That man seemed to compliment his mother a bit too much, for a mere acquaintance, didn't he know she was a married lady? That kind of behavior didn't seem very appropriate.

"Oh, you can just call me Chichi." she said and waved her hand, indicating that it was no big deal, which made Gohan raise his eyebrow. What kind of intimacy was that? "Wouldn't ya like to stay for dinner?"

"Stay for dinner?" Gohan's eyes widened immediately.

Hiro looked in his direction and then smiled sheepishly at Chichi.

"Oh, no, no, I appreciate the invitation, but you don't have to."

"Are you sure? You helped me with the shopping, it's the least I can do for ya!"

"No, no, thanks for the invitation, but I have to go back and help my grandmother finish up there."

"All right then." Chichi agreed and walked him to the door to say goodbye. Gohan didn't leave his side at any time, still extremely puzzled by what was happening there. "Thank you, Hiro! Take care."

"See you Mrs... oops, I mean, Chichi!" he smiled as he uttered only her name, but wiped the smile off his face when he saw Gohan's suspicious eyes staring at him. "See you too Gohan. It was good to see you again."

Gohan just nodded respectfully but answered nothing and as soon as the man drove away with his truck, he loosened his shoulders, only then realizing how much he had been tensing them for all this time. It was a strange thing, the man was not a threat as his fighting power was ridiculous, he was not evil and he did a favor for his mother. However, there was something in his intuition that said he should keep an eye on the fellow.