Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Just as Vahn was beginning to wonder whether or not she would show up, Black Rabbit appeared alongside Asuka, Yo, and Izayoi. This confused him at first, but, considering she might be trying to smooth things over between him and the Problem Children, Vahn manifested in the foyer with a smile, saying, "Welcome back. I see you've brought guests. Will they be joining us for breakfast?"

After a sleepless night, not that she actually required rest, Black Rabbit felt considerable relief just hearing Vahn's voice. As a result, she ended up hugging him in front of the marginally stunned trio before nestling her face into his chest and saying, "I missed you..."

With his expression softening, Vahn returned Black Rabbit's embrace for several seconds before gently coaxing her toward the dining room as he looked back at the trio and said, "Come along. There's plenty to go around."

Though they each looked like they had something to say, especially Asuka and Izayoi, the trio of Problem Children ultimately followed along without a fuss. When they saw the five girls gathered around the dining table, however, Izayoi couldn't help remarking, "Wow. Are these the members of your Community? They look more like a harem to me."

Since Sarina and Nono were at the table, Vahn sent a glare towards Izayoi as he said, "Keep talking, brat. I'm curious to see how deep of a hole you'll dig before you realize you're in over your head..."

Holding his hands up in a gesture of mock surrender, Izayoi maintained a smile as he said, "Whoa there. It was just a joke. No need to bite my head off."

Unamused by Izayoi's behavior, Seraphina's expression soured as she asked, "Who is this imbecile?"

Meeting Seraphina's gaze, Izayoi was about to retort when Vahn appeared right in front of him in an instant, saying, "I'm very protective of my women, especially my wives. Choose your next words very carefully."

Though a part of him wanted to slug Vahn in the face, the cold sweat sweeping across Izayoi's body compelled him to deescalate things. To this end, his smile became noticeably wry as he said, "You're a lucky man. If I had a wife as beautiful as pinky over there, I'd probably never leave home."

While she didn't appreciate being called pinky, Seraphina's impression of Izayoi improved quite a bit in response to the rest of his words. As a result, she directed her attention towards Asuka and Yo, an appraising glimmer in her eyes as she asked, "Who are these two young ladies? They don't seem particularly impressive."

Though she couldn't help furrowing her brows, Asuka still puffed out her chest confidently as she replied, "How rude. Isn't it common sense to give your own before asking the names of others? As the wife of someone who refers to themselves as the Sage Dragon Emperor, shouldn't you have at least a basic sense of propriety?"

Resisting the urge to whip out her pistols and shoot Asuka in the face, Seraphina's brows twitched as she looked towards Vahn and asked, "Where did you pick up this brat? She's more arrogant than those assholes in Heaven."

After chuckling at Asuka's expense, Vahn casually explained, "These are the newest members of the No Name Community. The boy with the headphones is Sakamaki Izayoi. As for these two, the one with the attitude problem is Kudou Asuka while the one with the cat is Kasukabe Yo. Try not to take anything they say to heart. They came from relatively normal worlds and are still adapting to life in the Divine Realm."

Raising his hand in a casual manner, Izayoi supplanted Vahn's introduction with a simple, "Yo. Nice to meet you." while Asuka simply snorted in a haughty manner with her arms crossed. As for Yo, she didn't say anything at all. Instead, she continued to stare at Fenrir with the closest approximation to a serious expression she could manage.

Since they had been staring at each other for quite some time, Fenrir took advantage of the lull in the conversation to ask, "Do you want to touch them...?"

Though most of the people present were confused, Vahn chuckled in amusement as Yo nodded her head, her tone serious and eager as she asked, "May I...?"

Rather than answering herself, Fenrir looked towards her Master for permission. This caused Yo to shift her attention to him, a silent plea hidden within her hazel eyes. Fortunately for her, Vahn had a much better impression of her than Asuka and Izayoi, so, without having to contemplate his answer, he said, "If she allows it, you may pet her. However, you must always respect her wishes. If she tells you to stop, you must immediately do so."

Offering a delicate smile in response to Vahn's words, Yo placed Calico Cat on the ground before approaching Fenrir and asking, "May I touch your ears?"

Nodding her head, Fenrir replied with a curt, "Umu..." before leaning her head forward and allowing Yo to do as she pleased. To her surprise, Yo's caress was very comfortable. It was nothing compared to her Master but it was pretty easy to speculate she had a Gift related to taming or an inordinately high affinity with nature.

While Yo was lost in her own little world, Vahn invited everyone to take a seat after a quick round of introductions. Delicious food was one of the best things when it came to easing tensions, so, for the sake of Black Rabbit, Vahn presented the trio with some of his best breakfast dishes before asking, "So? What are your first impressions of the Little Garden and the Divine Realm? I heard you already got into a bit of a spat with a rival Community. What was that about?"

Since the Geass Roll prevented them from discussing the specifics with unrelated parties, Izayoi just shrugged, saying, "Just some rapacious tiger coveting the flesh of little lambs and big rabbits. Don't worry. We'll be sure to teach him a lesson he'll never forget."

Raising his brows, Vahn shifted his attention to Black Rabbit to find her pouting with an angry look on her face. This was quite adorable, but, at the same time, it caused a cold sensation to wash over Vahn's mind as he asked, "Someone tried to target you?"

Relaxing the moment Vahn shifted his attention towards her, Black Rabbit raised her hands in an expression of helplessness as she replied, "People are always targeting me. I get proposed to or invited to join a Community every time I officiate a Gift Game. I'm used to it."

Though he was already made aware of this, Vahn couldn't help frowning. It was to be expected that people in the lower-digit gates would target Black Rabbit. After all, she was the last Moon Rabbit in the Divine Realm. What annoyed him was a lesser Community thinking they could do the same. Not because they weren't entitled to be a little ambitious, but because it was suicide to pick a fight with Thousand Eyes over 'ownership' of the last surviving Moon Rabbit.

As that thought crossed his mind, Vahn asked, "When is the Gift Game scheduled to take place. I'm interested in observing."

Feeling considerably better now that she knew Galdo had garnered Vahn's ire, Black Rabbit happily chimed, "It's supposed to take place tonight. We won't know the full details until we arrive, but the basic format is Capture the Flag. What form the flag takes and what it will be used for are up to the Fores Garo Community to decide."

"Hmm..."

With Black Rabbit mentioning the name Fores Garo, the image of a tanned man with a lightning-like cowlick entered Vahn's mind. Fores Garo was one of the Communities that had been lying low ever since he began spreading his influence. Now he knew why.

"Based on what I recall, the Leader of Fores Garo isn't particularly strong. You should assume they will employ some kind of trick. They might try to limit the number of participants or make it so that the 'flag' is-"

"Hey, now. We came here for a challenge. Where's the fun in having someone spoil the surprise?"

Though he had been taken aback by how delicious Vahn's food was, that didn't stop Izayoi from interrupting him. He already had low expectations for the tiger man that had been pinned to the ground with relative ease by Yo. The last thing he wanted was someone offering them advice on how to defeat a weakling.

"Rude boy. You dare interrupt my darling when he's speaking? If you have a death wish, I wouldn't mind granting it."

Without missing a beat, Izayoi adopted the kind of look traditionally attributed to battle junkies as he said, "Try me, Pinky."

With literal flames in her eyes, Seraphina looked towards Vahn, shouting, "Vahn! Let me teach this brat a lesson! I won't stand for such brazen behavior! You went out of your way to invite the oaf to join us for breakfast and this is how he behaves!? It's simply unacceptable...!"

"Hmm..."

Rather than immediately refuse Seraphina's request, Vahn caressed his chin in contemplation. This left Black Rabbit feeling nervous, a fretful expression developing across her face as she exclaimed, "Please don't fight! We're all friends here! Besides, Izayoi has an important Gift Game to participate in this evening! At least wait until tomorrow before you start trying to tear each other apart...!"

Gesturing for silence, Vahn helped to allay Black Rabbit's concerns by offering a gentle smile. In the very next instant, however, he left Black Rabbit slamming her head into the table as he teased, "So long as he doesn't have his existence erased, I can heal him."

"You serious? Guess that means I can go all out without holding anything back, huh?"

Though he was starting to feel as though he had stepped on a landmine, that didn't prevent a grin from developing across Izayoi's face. He had always been curious about the limits of his power, so, now that he had a chance to go all out, he was looking forward to it. At the very least, he could tell the pink-haired woman seated across from him was a lot weaker than Vahn. Fighting her would be a good way to see how he stacked up against less ridiculous powerhouses.

Unamused by Izayoi's confident stare, Seraphina crossed her arms before harumphing haughtily and saying, "Look all you like, brat. I'm way out of your league."

Adopting a slightly incredulous look, Izayoi was tempted to ask if Seraphina was soft in the head before Vahn silenced him with a commanding, "Finish eating. Once we're finished here, the two of you can settle things on one of the custom Game Boards I've been working on. I don't want to hear any more arguing at the table. It spoils the taste of the food."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Your Imperial Majesty. You won't hear me complaining about a free meal. This stuff is delicious, by the way."

Grasping Seraphina's hand beneath the table, Vahn prevented her from lashing out as he said, "I'm glad you think you so. I put a lot of effort into it."

Blinking in surprise, it was Asuka who asked, "You cooked this yourself? Don't you have like a Chef or something...?"

Though the image of Rindo briefly appeared within his mind, Vahn rolled his eyes before explaining, "If you end up becoming immortal and living forever, you'll quickly learn how mundane life can be if you leave everything to others. I may be an Emperor, but I'm also one of the greatest Blacksmiths, Physicians, Mages, Chefs, and Craftsmen across all realities. I have so many skills and abilities that you would literally need an eternal life just to hear me list each of them. Besides, I enjoy seeing the reaction of people when they eat my food. It makes the effort more than worth it."

Not expecting such a response, Asuka found herself at a loss for words as she stared down at the various dishes laid out before her. She was generally a light eater, but, after tasting Vahn's food, she ended up clearing four plates before she even realized it...

While Asuka was lost in thought, Yo adopted a friendly smile as she chewed on a piece of pancake and stated, "It's delicious." in a sincere tone. This earned her a return smile from Vahn, who, in an equally sincere tone, answered, "Thank you, Yo. I'm glad you're enjoying it. Feel free to stop by in the future. We always have room for polite young girls like you."

Smiling even more radiantly than before, Yo replied with a monotone yet audibly happy "Nn~." before proceeding to bite into a piece of baked golden apple. Even if Vahn hadn't invited her back, she would have stopped by to ask Fenrir if she could brush her hair. Now that she had a legitimate excuse, her already pleasant had mood had improved quite a bit...

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Galdo is so screwed...','Izayoi's death seeking is leveling up...','Yo be like, "This is an absolute win."')