AN: This is slice of life crossover I thought I'd do. Please leave comments on where you think the story should go forward and if you have any other suggestions for me. I'll keep the ANs at a minimum in each chapter. I love DBZ and thought Gohan's desire for a normal life would work nicely with the somewhat slice-of-life feel that oregairu emanates.
Every dog has its day. Every Gohan has to finally work.
True, he could have coasted on his grandfather's fortune and even taken up the throne when the Ox-King offered to abdicate, but where was the fun in that? He got his stuffing knocked in by almost every enemy he faced, got his neck snapped and was near death so many times. He wanted something 'normal'.
Plus, this girl from his former High School batch won't leave him alone. Mum likes her a lot but she just makes him nervous.
And Goten is Goten. Enough said.
He needed some normalcy, and Videl spoiled his normal high school experience by chasing him and his superhero alter ego around Satan City relentlessly. He finally gave up on being a superhero once he grew out of that phase and the criminals finally got the hint to back off, but let Videl think she won. Angela didn't help matters when she told everyone he wore cutsie undies. Ugh.
"Hey, you! Watch where you're going!" a middle-aged woman in… lab clothes? Without any other relevant gear? Yelled at me semi-drunk? As she bumped into me?
Man, Chiba is weird. Also, should I be calling her middle-aged considering mom is one as well?
On second thoughts, I don't want that much existentialism after being absorbed by a bubblegum monster a few months back.
Well, she did manage to derail my thoughts enough to allow me to think in first person again.
I guess there are varying levels of whack; Chiba falls on the lower end of the spectrum, while even my normal ranks very high up for most people.
The only reason I chose Chiba to look for a school was to get away from the people I already knew, but man, the people here are as….. 'unique' as anywhere else. Exactly the type of normal I need.
"Hey you! Why are you staring at me? Are you judging me!?" The same woman said. I anticipated her being as crazy as Videl, and I wanted to 'nope' out of the situation.
Before I could though, she calmed down and had a strangely serene look on her face.
"You're the new surprise transfer student at Sobu High, aren't you? I knew I recognised you from somewhere. Your entrance exam sheets were checked by me, and even your photo had distinctive spiky hair. You sure you don't use gel kid?"
"No no! My hair is naturally this way! It used to be worse when I was younger"
That was true. God (not you, King Kai!), my hair was a mess as a kid. First that ridiculous bowl cut, then the long hair that my father had to cut with ki in the chamber. I REALLY let my hair grow out for a long time.
"No worries. I had a feeling you weren't a delinquent, but just had to confirm." She said and then smiled. The flushed look, her smile, her head tilt and her strangely mature look made me blush. "Forgive me for my outburst earlier, I just got stood up for a date."
"Oh! I'll escort you home ma'am. It's getting pretty late. Where should I drop you off?" I wisely steered clear of THAT topic, remembering how badly Yamcha used to take it.
"No worries! I live just around the block here. You know, your scores got the administration buzzing with excitement. They're happier than usual to take in a student even at this time of the year. For now, I won't pry into why you left Orange Star, especially when it has the same prestige, but at some point I encourage you to open up. I am the guidance counsellor you know?"
She said the last part in a strangely melodious tone. She must be pretty popular with the male students (admittedly, I didn't know back then that Hiratsuka sensei could only act this way when drunk and coming off of the company of the self-labelled demon Yukinoshita sibling).
"I-I-I'll think about it ma'am! I have an apartment nearby as well, so I'll just see you off safely."
That technically wasn't a lie. Bulma had purchased an apartment in Chiba and furnished it long back, and as thanks for helping save the world and keeping Trunks safe (nobody did tell her that the fusion got absorbed before I did) she transferred the title in my name. I just wasn't planning on staying his last free day in a lonely apartment.
My reason for offering my company had nothing to do with her attractiveness. Nope. Nothing at all. My mum did raise me to be chivalrous after all.
"I had full plans of staying in that apartment admittedly, but I did relish the company of my father after seven long years. I don't like training, but I like watching Dad and Goten spar while me and mom look on in exasperation. So I decided to stay weekends at the trusty Paozu house that was passed on by the grandpa who also lent me my name. It's not like commute times have any relevance for me with how fast any of us Earth fighters are.
"Oohhh? What a gentleman! But you should go and sleep now. Even somewhat drunk, I am not defenceless. You'll see what I mean tomorrow, about…. 15 minutes into the homeroom lecture. I'm not spoiling the surprise! If you didn't catch on already, I insisted upon your placement in my class!"
She said laughing as she waved me off.
I took the hint, and walked down to my apartment, but memorised her ki signature in case something were to go awry. Having light-speed movements is nice, but walking and thinking about life on a cool night was even better.