Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Chapter 2094: First Impressions

Deep in the God's Playground was a crystal clear, sapphire blue lake known as Ulle's Tear. This was the location that Vahn had been summoned by Shiroyasha, and, as fate would have it, the place in which the third generation Problem Children would make their entrance.

"Uwww...I'm so nervous...!"

Since they were, in fact, referred to as Problem Children, Black Rabbit couldn't help feeling worried. The first generation consisted of Shiroyasha, Queen Halloween, and a Celestial Star Spirit known as Algol. These were beings capable of shaking the entire Little Garden on their own. As for the second generation, they had been responsible for the creation of the most powerful alliance in history, and, were it not for the selfishness of those leading the Divine Army, they might have revolutionized the way people lived in the Divine Realm.

Simply put, every time "Problem Children" appeared, great changes were introduced to the Little Garden and its residents. Black Rabbit had witnessed some of these changes with her own two eyes so she knew, better than most, how quirky, irresponsible, and 'problematic' Problem Children could be.

"Relax. These are the people your friends placed their trust in. They might have a few quirks, but that can be said about all strong individuals. You and I aren't exactly paragons of normalcy..."

Though she felt more at ease after hearing Vahn's words, Black Rabbit couldn't help issuing an awkward laugh as she leaned into his caress. Around the same time, high in the sky, three massive magic circles appeared. Black Rabbit couldn't see them, but Vahn's perception had developed to the point that the only things that could escape his notice were things he willfully ignored.

"One boy and two girls. The former's aura makes it difficult to ascertain his true age, but his body depicts him as a young man around seventeen. As for the two girls, they should be around 14-15?"

"It's hard to imagine a bunch of teenagers possessing the strength to shake the Divine Realm..."

Chuckling in response to Black Rabbit's words, Vahn mused, "I'm not even remotely surprised. One of the things I learned during my travels between worlds is that teen angst and fate amalgamate to produce some incomprehensibly powerful individuals. There are so many examples of teens saving the world in lieu of adults that it's almost ludicrous..."

"I see..."

Since she had never left the Divine Realm, Black Rabbit could only take Vahn's word for it. She knew he wouldn't lie to her, but, at the same time, she couldn't imagine a group of teenagers rising up to contend against being on the level of himself and Shiroyasha. The notion of someone younger than twenty defeating beings that predated the concepts of time and space seemed ridiculous. If such a thing were possible, the balance of reality would have been destroyed long ago.

Dismissing such thoughts from her mind, Black Rabbit became her characteristically bubbly self as she suggested, "Let's hide in the bushes and then jump out when they're looking around! I'm tired of being the only one startled and teased on a daily basis~!"

Raising his brows, Vahn asked, "Do you really think that's wise? If they're half as troublesome as you believe them to be, startling them doesn't seem like a particularly good idea. I can't imagine they'll be too pleased after crashing into the water. What if they mistake you as an enemy?"

"Eh...?"

Realizing the truth contained within Vahn's words, a slight blush spread through Black Rabbit's face as she poked her index fingers together and answered, "I just thought it would be funny to see their reactions..."

Nodding his head, Vahn said, "Under normal circumstances, you'd be right. However, two of them seem to possess enhanced senses. One, the boy, has even managed to detect us from this far away. Rather than surprising them, you would only be asking them to capture and interrogate you..."

Imagining the scene of her getting chased around, a nervous expression appeared on Black Rabbit's face as she moved closer to Vahn.

"Hey, now...these are people you're trying to recruit into your Community. I don't mind teaching them a lesson if things get out of hand, but you'll need to be the one to convince them..."

Laughing awkwardly in response to Vahn's words, Black Rabbit took a few steps away from him before giving her cheeks a few light smacks and saying, "Alright! Just leave it to me...!"

Nodding in approval, Vahn crossed his arms as he waited for the trio to finish their descent. He could easily catch them, but, as this was basically a baptism for new arrivals, they would need to rely on themselves to avoid a plunge into the icy cold waters below.

"At least they're not screaming..."

Shortly after those words left Vahn's mouth, protective membranes surrounded the trio and what appeared to be a Calico cat as they impacted the water. These prevented new arrivals from losing their lives as a result of falling, but, at the same time, the barrier pretty much guaranteed that the people being summoned either smashed into the ground or fell into a body of water...

Emerging before the two girls was a blond-haired boy with the kind of spiky, windswept hair you would expect from a shonen protagonist. He had purple eyes and wore an outfit reminiscent of a Japanese High Schooler. Around his neck was a pair of white headphones with black stripes and a flame logo, but, unlike a normal pair of headphones, these were more of a fashion statement than anything else.

Shortly after the heroic-looking youth appeared, a young girl with an appearance that screamed 'oujo-sama' poked her head out of the water. She had fair skin, dark-brown hair framed by two red ribbons, and bright blue eyes. At the present moment, she was wearing a white blouse accented by a yellow ribbon, a dark-blue secretarial skirt that extended past her knees, and a pair of black heels that had somehow managed to stay on despite the fact she had hit the water upside down.

Rounding out the trio was a petite young girl with short brown hair that neatly framed her youthful face. Her outfit consisted of an open blue and white jacket that vaguely resembled the coat a nurse or a doctor might wear but without the sleeves. Beneath that, she wore a white blouse and a pair of peculiar pumpkin shorts that accentuated her riding boots and the black thigh-high socks covering her fair white legs.

Though Vahn briefly met the gaze of the hazel-eyed girls, his attention was more on the cat atop her head than the moderately annoyed expression on her face. It had a base of creamy white fur with patches of pale and dark brown covering its body. The thing that confused Vahn was the fact it was a male. The vast majority of Calicos were female since the color variation typically required two X Chromosomes to create the characteristic patterns on their bodies. The .01% of Calicos that were male usually had some form of chimerism where they had an XXY Chromosomal makeup, but, from what Vahn could tell, the cat sitting atop the young girl's head was perfectly normal.

"How odd..."

While others might not care about such trivial things, Vahn could be remarkably obsessive when he encountered something that contradicted his expectations. His curiosity had never waned. Rather, as time progressed, his intrigue towards the world around him gradually increased. Thus, while the trio of individuals would ordinarily be the main focus, Vahn couldn't help wondering what kind of scenario had occurred to produce a male Calico that wasn't some kind of genetic anomaly...

As such thought crossed his mind, Vahn remained in the background as the trio swam to the shore and extricated themselves from the water. He noticed the blond-haired youth's eyes briefly wander to the transparent blouse worn by the haughtier-looking girl, but, rather than continue gawking, he just smiled before turning away from her and wringing out his gakuran-style jacket.

("Eidetic memory...?")

(*So it would seem...*)

Recalling the game Black Rabbit was intending to play with the trio, a wry smile developed across Vahn's face. Unfortunately, he had already agreed to stay out of things unless they got out of hand. Thus, even though he was tempted to give her the advantage, he just continued to observe the trio until the haughtier-looking girl glared at him and remarked, "How brazen. Hasn't anyone ever told you it's impolite to stare?"

Raising his brows, Vahn elected to withhold his remark as Black Rabbit stepped in front of him, an awkward laugh emanating from her throat as she said, "Don't mind Vahn. He just came to observe and make sure nothing went wrong. I'm Black Rabbit, by the way. Might I ask your names?"

Though her sapphire-blue eyes never left Vahn, the haughty brunette answered, "My name is Kudou Asuka. I would say it's a pleasure to meet the two of you, but I'm not particularly fond of being dropped out of the sky and tossed into a lake. If you had made a single mistake, we might have ended up as ground pizza."

Chiming in the moment Asuka finished speaking, the blond-haired youth said, "Not likely. There was a strange barrier that protected us before we landed in the lake. Besides, from that height, it wouldn't have made much of a difference if we hit water or solid ground. The surface tension of the water would have torn us apart."

Harumphing in a haughty manner, Asuka crossed her arms beneath her fairly developed breasts as she retorted, "Does correcting people when they're clearly exaggerating make you feel smart? Tell me, rude boy, do you have a name to go with that mean-looking face and that bird's nest you call a hairstyle?"

With his brow twitching ever so slightly, the blond-haired youth placed a hand on his hip before combing through his bangs like an edgy teen and saying, "The dangerous and unrefined Sakamaki Izayoi at your service. I'm also crude, vicious, and hedonistic so I'm basically the worst person you'll ever meet. You should read all the warning labels before coping an attitude, brat. Play with fire, and you're gonna get burned."

Glowering in response to Izayoi's introduction, Asuka shifted her attention to the expressionless young girl drying off the Calico, asking, "And what about you, catgirl? Care to tell us your name?"

While continuing to dry off the Calico using a handkerchief that was somehow still dry, the short-haired girl looked back to answer, "Kasukabe You."

Adopting a slight smile, Asuka remarked, "I see. Nice to meet you, Kasukabe." before shifting her attention back to Vahn and saying, "Now then...are you the one who sent us those invitations?"

With crossed arms and a wry smile on his face, Vahn answered, "You're not paying attention, are you? As Black Rabbit stated, I'm here to observe and prevent any accidents from happening. Stop trying to antagonize me. I'm not someone you can deal with at your current level."

Having already crossed her arms previously, a taunting smile developed across Asuka's face as she remarked, "Oh? You seem pretty confident in your abilities. Perhaps I should put them to the test?"

Without waiting for Vahn's response, Asuka swiped her hand in a cutting motion as she said, "Hear my command! Sit...!"

For a very brief moment, so short that only he could perceive it, Vahn felt every muscle in his body tense in response to Asuka's words. At the exact same moment, his Will of the Emperor awakened on its own as an 'are you serious?' expression developed across his face. Then, before Asuka could make sense of what was happening, he lazily pointed towards her, his voice resonating through the void as he flatly replied, "No. You." while pointing at the ground.

Before the words had even processed within her mind, Asuka found herself landing heavily on her bottom with a remarkably incredulous look on her face...

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'What is a billion years of existence to a kid going through puberty...!?','The mysteries of the male Calico...','Oof level MAX...')

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