Korin Tower, Upper Chamber
Annin, the acting Guardian of Earth, lounged by the central pool, idly tossing a bean into the air. As it fell, her tongue flicked out, catching it soundlessly between her lips.
She looked thoroughly bored.
Then—a familiar energy approached from above. Moments later, Yamiru flew in, landing gracefully.
"Oh, you're back," Annin sat up.
"Where'd you get the beans?" Yamiru asked.
In response, Annin flicked one toward him. Yamiru caught it between two fingers, inspecting it briefly—just an ordinary bean.
"Wild ones growing nearby," Annin explained. "Mr. Popo brought them as snacks since I was bored."
As if on cue, Mr. Popo emerged from the lower level, bowing slightly. "Welcome back, Lord Guardian."
"Mm." Yamiru nodded. He suspected the greeting was a hint that his return meant Annin's "acting" role should end.
But he played dumb.
Official titles were flexible. As Earth's Guardian—however minor—he got to define terms like acting, duration, and authority. Without this role, Annin would be stuck as the Supreme Elderly Lord, confined to Mount Five Elements as a glorified furnace-keeper.
As a friend, keeping her in a cushy, mobile position was the least he could do.
"How was the Other World?" Annin asked. "What's King Kai like?"
"Didn't meet him. He was out," Yamiru said.
"Oh." Annin nodded, then tilted her head. "Were you looking for him to… get stronger?"
Yamiru raised an eyebrow. Annin grinned. "Just a feeling. Even with your insane power, you'd still chase something—not raw strength, but deeper martial understanding, right?"
"Well… why train otherwise?" Yamiru chuckled. "At our level, power differences are kind of pointless."
Annin laughed in agreement.
For deities like them—part of Heaven's bureaucracy—concepts like power levels or death had lost meaning. Take Annin: though she'd sacrificed millions in battle power to fuel the Furnace of Eight Divisions, leaving her with a measly 300, so what?
Even if Freeza popped up and vaporized her, she'd just respawn in the Afterlife with a shiny halo. As the Supreme Elderly Lord—a being who, in the original story, could fetch Gohan from Heaven to babysit a furnace—she could waltz back to Earth anytime.
Freeza? Cell? At worst, they'd *ill her living status, revoking her mortal residency.
Unless one genuinely loved martial arts, chasing strength as a god—Kami, Elderly Lord, Yemma, King Kai—was… kind of redundant.
Yet this train of thought led Yamiru to a nagging question:
"How the hell did Majin Buu 'kill' four Kaioshin? That makes no sense…"
Gazing at the horizon, he recalled the twin Earth of Universe 6—and the fact that among all universes, only Universe 7 had ever hosted multiple Kaioshin.
Five, to be exact:
East.
West.
South.
North.
And the Grand Supreme Kai—absorbed by Kid Buu, turning him into Fat Buu.
After Buu's rampage? One left.
Every other universe? Just one Kaioshin.
'Convenient, huh?'
Yamiru's eyes narrowed.
'Was Buu someone's tool to trim Universe 7's divine surplus?'
"Then, what's the purpose?"
The life of the Kaioshin is tied to the God of Destruction... If a Kaioshin dies, the God of Destruction dies as well. The Seventh Universe has five Kaioshin in total, which means its God of Destruction, Beerus, essentially has five lives!
With Beerus having five extra lives, don't the other Gods of Destruction feel jealous?
"Isn't this a bit too much like a soup opera…" Yamiru inwardly sweatdropped. Just then, he heard Annin say, "I'm starving. I'm going down to get some food… Yamiru, want to come along?"
Food?
Yamiru froze for a moment. Ever since his death and the reconstruction of his heavenly body, he had long lost the sensation of "hunger"... He had nearly forgotten what it felt like, as if even his appetite had faded away.
He really couldn't understand why someone like Goku, who was already dead, would still get hungry... 'Is this just a Saiyan thing?'
Taking a deep breath, Yamiru nodded with a smile. "Sure."
With that, he flew down from the Karin Tower alongside Annin.
As they descended, both of them glanced at the lower half of the tower, where a fuzzy-headed figure was struggling to climb up.
Neither of the two divine attendants stopped, continuing their flight toward opposite ends of the vast jungle.
---
When it came to foraging in the jungle, Yamiru was no stranger to it. Ever since arriving in the Dragon Ball world, he had often done such things. His journey to Mount Paozu back in the day had practically maxed out his survival skills.
Annin preferred lighter flavors and simply gathered some fruits. Yamiru, however, felt a sudden impulse and transformed into an old hunter, going off to hunt some meat.
"Here, this is the spot." Annin led Yamiru to a small forest stream, pointing at the lush, overgrown "grass" on the fertile soil—filled with plump bean pods. She looked eager, flying over to pick more. Noticing Yamiru's thoughtful gaze, she asked, "Don't you like beans?"
Yamiru simply shook his head before flying back to Karin Tower with her.
They didn't bother avoiding the struggling climber, casually flying upward side by side.
"..." The climber—a monkey-like animal person with a fuzzy head—stared dumbfounded as the two flew past. After a long pause, he exclaimed excitedly, "There really are gods up here!"
His climbing became even more vigorous!
"This guy has a good mindset," Annin remarked, carrying an armful of wild vegetables and fruits as she flew into the tower's chamber.
Yamiru put down a few dead beasts, then casually snapped his fingers. With a "Poof!", a full set of cooking pots and tableware materialized out of thin air on the ground...
"Let's eat while we wait," he said with a smile.
---
As night deepened, the moon rose high.
A thin black line stretched between heaven and earth as the monkey-headed man, utterly exhausted, moved purely on willpower, mechanically repeating his climbing motions.
Suddenly, his hand touched something. Wearily looking up, he saw a massive "disc" blocking his view...
He'd made it! He'd reached the top!
Overwhelmed with excitement, the monkey-headed man summoned the last of his strength, grabbing the ladder and hauling himself inside. Almost immediately, he was hit by a rich, mouthwatering aroma...