When Kaito said those words, Vados happened to appear beside him. Hearing it, she froze on the spot.
Marcarita's face turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye. She didn't even glance at Vados standing behind Kaito. Instead, she snapped angrily,
"What do you mean by 'tattle'?! It was Vados who made the mistake first! I... I'm just reporting it to Father!"
"What else could it be? It's just a tiny, trivial matter — why can't you let it go?"
"Tiny?! Do you even understand what you're talking about?! Whether it's abandoning her post or traveling through time and space without permission, those are major offenses! What's wrong with me coming to bring her back?!"
"What's the big deal? The universe won't stop spinning just because one angel's gone. And what about time travel? It's not like she brought Zeno back with her!"
"What?! You... you dare mention Zeno-sama?!"
"So what if I do? It's not like I'm a god from his universe — he has no authority over me. And speaking of abandoning your post... weren't you doing exactly that when you came running here from Universe Eleven?"
Marcarita froze midair, her aura immediately weakening by half. She was used to trading barbs with Vados, but when it came to Kaito, she was clearly outmatched.
She lowered her head slightly, mumbling,
"That's different... The God of Destruction knows I'm here. But Vados's God of Destruction is still asleep — he doesn't even know she left..."
"Oh please. What good is that? Don't think I don't know — in terms of actual status, angels outrank the Gods of Destruction by a long shot. Going on a trip and reporting to your subordinate? What a joke. If you've got the guts, go report to the Great Priest or Zeno directly!"
"I... I..."
Marcarita's cheeks puffed up, turning crimson. Even the twin tails on her head seemed to twist on their own, as if straining with effort.
She held back for a long time but couldn't come up with a decent argument. Finally, she gave up altogether.
"Alright, alright! I get it, okay?! I messed up too! Let's just pretend none of this ever happened, alright?! Are you satisfied now?!"
Kaito smirked, but what he said next nearly made Marcarita explode.
"Why would I be satisfied? I'm not your dad."
Marcarita's eyes widened. She pointed a trembling finger at Kaito, stammering,
"You... you..."
"What about me? What are you stuttering for? Vados is your older sister, isn't she? You just pissed her off big time — shouldn't you be asking if she's forgiven you? You really don't get it. What a lousy little sister."
That was a direct hit. Marcarita froze as if struck by lightning, her whole body stiffening midair like a statue.
Vados couldn't help but laugh. It was the first time she'd ever seen Marcarita take such a loss — and at the same time, her heart was full of warmth.
Aside from the Great Priest and Zeno-sama, angels were essentially the highest beings in the universe. Yet Kaito had stood up to one for her sake — just the thought of it made her heart tremble.
She reached out, gently brushing the dust from Kaito's shoulder and said softly,
"Thank you so much for standing up for me. You're not hurt, are you?"
Kaito smiled faintly.
"I'm fine. But really, you weren't actually afraid of her, were you? What are you thanking me for?"
Vados shook her head gently.
"I still want to thank you anyway. Ah... if only you existed in my universe."
Kaito spread his hands. If he had really appeared in Universe Six back then, it would've taken him a while to realize he'd arrived in the Dragon Ball world.
Marcarita finally snapped out of it. Seeing how close Kaito and Vados were standing, she bit her lip and muttered,
"What a lovely picture. Vados, why don't you just request a new God of Destruction? That way, you could fly off into the sunset with this guy instead."
Vados's face turned scarlet, but she didn't refute Marcarita's words — because, deep down, the thought had really crossed her mind.
Kaito turned back and glared at Marcarita.
"What's that supposed to mean? You want to fight again, or are you still itching to argue?"
Marcarita instinctively flinched. Truth be told, she was a little scared of him now.
She couldn't beat him in a fight, couldn't win in a debate — she'd only wanted to vent a little on Vados earlier.
Feigning nonchalance, she twirled her staff, though her eyes kept darting back toward Kaito.
Kaito noticed and frowned in confusion.
"Hey! What are you staring at me for? This doesn't concern you anymore. Go back to your own universe already!"
Marcarita's body trembled slightly, her expression softening with a hint of grievance. She muttered,
"But... you haven't answered my question yet!"
"What question? I don't remember you asking me anything."
Marcarita whipped her twin tails with a sharp flick, snapping,
"I asked you right from the start — who are you? You still haven't told me your name! Don't you think that's a bit rude?!"
"Oh? You actually know the word 'rude'? That's rich. When you first showed up, that word couldn't have been further from you. I thought you looked down on everyone from the tip of your nose."
Marcarita wasn't much good at verbal sparring. Her eyes rolled once, and then she suddenly turned to Vados, saying in a sweet, childish tone,
"Big sis~ look at him!"
Vados's lips twitched. Marcarita had truly outdone herself today. She couldn't help but ask,
"Where did you even learn that from?"
"Of course — from Earth!"
"Oh? So you've been staying on Earth for a while, then?"
"Uh..."
Marcarita's face flushed again. She really had been playing around on Earth for quite some time — and having a blast, too.
If not for the time machine's spatial distortions catching her attention, she never would've shown up here in the first place.
Now that her secret was out, she decided to just go all in. Straightening her neck, she said defiantly,
"Fine, I admit it! That planet called Earth is super fun, okay? I might've... gotten a little carried away this time."
"You're honest, I'll give you that. So tell me — what did you find so fun about it?"
At that, Marcarita perked right up. Raising a hand, she said enthusiastically,
"Oh, there's so much! But what I liked most were those TV dramas — I can binge-watch them for days!"
Kaito stood by listening, internally groaning.
"Great. One angel becomes a foodie after visiting Earth, and the other turns into a drama addict. How are they supposed to manage their universes like this?"
Meanwhile, the two angels kept chatting.
"TV dramas, huh? They really are something. Which one's your favorite?"
"Hmm... My Brother-in-law Fell for Me?"
"...You're banned from watching that kind of show ever again."
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