Super God Academy: Kabuto

In the Winter Cherry Blossom Miniature World, time flows at a different pace from the outside world; it is a vibrant afternoon with petals falling in abundance. Pale pink cherry blossoms drift slowly down from the mountains and fields, forming a thin layer on the ground. Lin Yu presses his temple, watching a red figure in the distance attempting to dismantle a miniature decorative torii gate and use it as a sword, startling the surrounding spirit birds into fluttering flight.

"Momotaros!" Lin Yu raised his voice, his tone filled with undisguised helplessness, "That's not how you play with that thing!"

"Hey! Lin Yu! This stuff is so interesting!" Momotaros didn't care at all, instead swinging the torii gate even more enthusiastically. "Watch out for my special move—Ugh!"

He slipped and almost fell into the herb garden that He Xi had carefully tended next to him.

Lin Yu's face darkened, and he was about to grab the guy when a cool hand gently rested on his arm. He Xi had walked over unnoticed; her pregnancy had added a touch of gentle serenity to her demeanor, her silver hair swaying slightly in the cherry blossom blizzard. "Never mind," she said, glancing at the boisterous Momotaros, a faint smile in her eyes, "It'll be more lively with him here. This little world is too quiet; maybe it's better for the baby." As she spoke, she subconsciously stroked her still-flat stomach.

Seeing this, Lin Yu's expression immediately softened, and he took He Xi's hand in return: "I was just afraid he would be too noisy and disturb your rest."

"I'm not that delicate," He Xi shook her head.

Just then, a ripple like water spread across the space of the small world, and two figures stepped in one after the other. The one in front was Qi Lin, dressed in neat casual clothes, a relaxed smile on her face as she called out, "Brother! Sister-in-law!"

Behind her, Tsukasa Kadoya stood with one hand in his pocket and the other hand casually fiddling with his magenta camera, a familiar, slightly cynical smile playing on his lips, his gaze following the jubilant figure ahead.

"Qilin? Shi?" Lin Yu was somewhat surprised. "Why are you here? What's going on at the front lines..."

"It's all over for now. Shi used the dimensional wall to bring me here, saying he had something to tell you." Qi Lin quickly walked to He Xi's side and carefully supported her. "Sister-in-law, how are you feeling?"

"That's good." He Xi smiled and patted Qi Lin's hand.

Momotaros, with her sharp eyes, spotted Kadoya Tsukasa and immediately threw down her torii gate, yelling as she charged over: "Hey! Tsukasa! You're here too! Did you bring anything fun? This world is great, but there's so little to fight with!"

Tsukasa Kadoya nimbly dodged Momotaros's lunging bear hug, and casually tapped him on the head with his camera (not hard): "Quiet down, Momotaros. We have something to do."

Taking the opportunity, Lin Yu winked at Kadoya Tsukasa, then said gently to He Xi and Qi Lin, "You two sisters talk first, Tsukasa and I have something to discuss." Without waiting for a reply, he pulled Kadoya Tsukasa a few steps deeper into the cherry blossom grove, making sure that their conversation there wouldn't be overheard, but still that they could be seen.

After confirming the distance was appropriate, Lin Yu lowered his voice and pointed at Momotaros, who had run off to tease the crane again (frightening the crane into hiding): "You've come at the right time! Quickly take this guy away from me! He Xi is pregnant and needs to rest. I finally managed to make this place a little quiet, and now he's causing chaos!"

Tsukasa Kadoya shrugged, looking helpless. "I can't do anything about it, Lin Yu. Momotaros wants to come, but I can't really lock him on the train." He paused, lowering his voice even further, with a hint of warning, "Besides, just bear with it. I reckon... he's not the only troublemaker coming."

Lin Yu's heart skipped a beat, his face instantly darkening with a sense of foreboding: "...Could it be 'those few'?"

Tsukasa Kadoya nodded heavily, confirming his guess: "Yes. The fluctuations in the dimensional wall have been quite unstable lately, possibly related to the increased activity of void energy here. There's a high probability they've followed their senses here."

Lin Yu rubbed his forehead, as if he could already see his peaceful little world of winter cherry blossoms transform into a fantasy theme park and arena.

Seeing his expression, Tsukasa Kadoya added, "However, on the bright side, their arrival is a good thing. Right now on Earth, there are the Triangles, potential Fallen Ones, and the threat of the Void... the more high-end combat power the better. Although those guys are troublesome, when it comes to a real fight, they're all incredibly reliable."

Lin Yu understood this principle, of course, but just thinking about the "characteristics" of that group made him shudder at the prospect of the "liveliness" to come. He sighed, "Fine... come on then. But if you're here, you have to follow the rules, especially not disturb He Xi. Otherwise," he glanced at Kadoya Tsukasa, "I'll throw them all out with you."

"Don't worry, I'll try my best to 'guide' you," Tsukasa Kadoya assured him, though the assurance didn't sound very reassuring.

As the two walked back to He Xi and Qi Lin, Momotaros was gesturing wildly to Qi Lin, describing his "adventure" from earlier. He Xi listened with a smile, occasionally exchanging a glance with Qi Lin.

"What are you whispering about?" Qi Lin asked curiously.

"It's nothing, let's discuss how to strengthen the 'defense' of the small world." Lin Yu said without changing his expression, casually catching a falling cherry blossom and applying slight pressure with his fingertips.

He had a vague premonition that this serene, cherry-blossom-like tranquility probably wouldn't last long. A storm was brewing outside, and some "troublesome" friends from other worlds might be unexpected variables and sources of assistance in this storm.

"I just hope they don't tear their own roof off first," Lin Yu thought to himself as he glanced at Momotaros, who was trying to climb another giant cherry tree.