The Saigō brothers were among the first children to join the Holy Cross Orphanage.
The two protagonists from the original story were thoroughly nurtured within the Holy Cross Group founded by Canary.
Saigō Izayoi received guidance from Sun Wukong, allowing him to maximize the advantages of his unique constitution.
As the possessor of the Third Stellar Particle Primogenitor, his physical abilities surpassed the level of a divinity; at full power, he could shake the very Earth.
In the original story, despite his exceptional athletic talent, he had never received special martial arts training and had to rely on instinct. Even so, he was skilled enough to engage in hand-to-hand combat with a Four-Digit Demon Lord.
After being taught by Sun Wukong, although he didn't master divine-level martial arts techniques like Kudō Asuka, he was only a hair's breadth away.
In terms of raw combat power, his formidable physique, several times stronger than even Kudō Asuka's, allowed him to gain the upper hand even without a martial advantage.
Even among the current new generation of Problem Children, he boasted the highest direct combat strength.
A moment ago, even though Pest hadn't fought him, just watching his training regimen was enough to make her tremble with fear.
For Saigō Izayoi, it might have just been a warm-up.
But to Pest, it looked like a savage gorilla or Godzilla rampaging across the land.
In terms of visual intimidation, Saigō Izayoi was even more impactful than Shiroyasha's Stellar Beast.
As for Saigō Izayoi's younger brother, the tech-savvy otaku named Saigō Homura, he possessed a different kind of danger.
He looked like a quiet, scrawny little kid, but any experiment he conducted could result in an earth-shattering accident.
That wasn't the scariest part. The most terrifying thing was that his laboratory contained hundreds of samples capable of causing similar accidents.
When she heard him explain this, Pest's face immediately turned pale. She wanted to turn and run right then and there, to hide behind Su Mo.
This world was too dangerous. Only by staying with Su Mo could she feel even a sliver of security.
If Little Black Rabbit hadn't briefed her beforehand, based on her own observations, Pest would have thought these Problem Children were more like world-destroying Demon Lords than Saviors.
As a purely ordinary person, the frights Pest had endured along the way were beyond words.
It was far scarier than the Black Death.
It was only now, lying on the lawn and listening to Little Black Rabbit's comforting words, that she gradually began to recover.
"In Lady Canary's words, if an unexpected incident were to occur, the Group's headquarters is absolutely the safest place in the entire universe, maybe even the whole multiverse. Neither Lady Shiroyasha, Her Majesty the Queen, nor the people of Algol would let an outsider destroy this place."
Little Black Rabbit continued her earnest explanation.
"Of course, if there are no unexpected incidents, these great figures themselves are the biggest danger. But overall, with Lord Su Mo to keep them in check, they're quite reliable!"
"Those Problem Children might be a bit of a handful, but I'm always here. If you're ever in danger, just call for me, and I'll get you out of there!"
The little rabbit-eared girl promised with absolute certainty.
Watching Little Black Rabbit try so hard to comfort her and put her at ease, even Pest couldn't help but be deeply moved.
"Thank you, Black Rabbit. You're the first friend I've made here!"
No one could dislike someone so kind and considerate.
"Friend!"
Hearing this word, Little Black Rabbit's ears perked up happily.
"Thank you for accepting me, Pest-chan! If you have any questions in the future, just ask. I'll tell you everything I know!"
Hearing this, Pest nodded, then suddenly remembered something.
"Speaking of which, there is something I want to ask."
"What is it? What is it?"
Little Black Rabbit blinked and leaned closer.
"According to what you said before, you can save me from all the others. Does that mean you're actually really strong?"
Pest stared quizzically at the little rabbit-eared girl before her, her thoughts unreadable.
"Ehehe, well, I'm decent!"
Little Black Rabbit scratched her head.
"Thanks to a gift from Lord Su Mo, I have a little bit of fighting power. I can't compare to the Great Sage and the others, but if it's just a matter of subduing these Problem Children, it shouldn't be a problem."
"What?!"
Even though she had anticipated it, hearing Black Rabbit's confident reply still surprised Pest.
With this rabbit's humble personality, if she said it "shouldn't be a problem," didn't that mean...
"Your combat power is even greater than those monsters? No, Black Rabbit, be honest. If you were serious, how many of them could you handle?" Pest pressed.
Faced with such a direct question, Little Black Rabbit couldn't very well lie. After thinking for a moment, she scratched her cheek and said, rather sheepishly.
"All of them, I guess!"
"All of them?!"
Pest sized up the meek-looking rabbit again, her eyes filled with disbelief.
All those terrifying monsters combined couldn't even win against this little rabbit-eared girl?
"No need to be so surprised! If I didn't have this much strength, I wouldn't be able to help Lady Canary manage these kids, who've been mischievous since they were little!"
Little Black Rabbit wasn't being arrogant.
Although she appeared as a young girl with rabbit ears, looking about the same age as Pest, she had actually watched these Problem Children grow up. In their eyes, she was something of an elder.
Canary had no combat ability, so whenever the Problem Children acted up, it was Little Black Rabbit who carried out the punishment.
Both physically and psychologically, Little Black Rabbit held a certain degree of advantage over them.
"..."
Confirming that Little Black Rabbit was being serious, Pest was rendered speechless.
Those Problem Children were already as powerful as gods in her eyes, yet in Black Rabbit's view, they were weaklings who couldn't defeat her even if they teamed up.
And above her, there were still all the other great figures.
At this thought, Pest, who had just sat up to question Black Rabbit, flopped heavily back down again, staring up at the blue sky like a salted fish.
"I get it now!" she said in a monotone voice.
"Get what?" Little Black Rabbit asked curiously.
"I take back what I said."
Pest didn't answer Little Black Rabbit's question, instead speaking on a different matter.
"Black Rabbit, you're not my friend anymore."
"Why? Did I do something wrong?" Little Black Rabbit asked in a panic.
"No."
Pest silently shook her head, the light completely gone from her eyes.
"It's because I've realized I'm a complete waste. A million of me combined couldn't even beat a single rabbit."
To think that she, with her mortal body, had actually tried to compete with these monsters—she must have been out of her mind.
Without Black Rabbit, she couldn't even withstand a single word from those geniuses.
Understanding what the girl meant, Little Black Rabbit didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"I'm a vassal of Lord Su Mo, which puts me in the same class as gods and buddhas. I'm not human, so I'm not in the running for the Savior Lord Su Mo is looking for. It's meaningless to compare yourself to me!"
"Besides, the Savior humanity is waiting for doesn't necessarily have to be super strong. And even setting that aside, the children at the orphanage are still growing. No one knows what they'll become in the future."
"If we're judging purely on combat power, none of these kids are qualified right now. Forget about humanity's Final Trial, they'd probably struggle even against an ordinary Demon Lord... so don't worry about the gap right now. A gap this small is nothing!"
From Pest's perspective, the chasm between her and the other geniuses was hopelessly vast.
But from Little Black Rabbit's perspective, that wasn't the case.
To a being at the Four-Digit level, the difference in power between an ordinary person and a Five-Digit being was not very significant.
In fact, the gap between them and Little Black Rabbit herself wasn't that large either.
Having received Su Mo's gift and practically ascended to the heavens in a single step, Little Black Rabbit understood that pure combat power was meaningless to an existence on Su Mo's level.
Even she, a top-tier Four-Digit being, was a product of Su Mo's casual elevation. What did the power of a Five-Digit being even count for?
It was a bit harsh to say, but if it could ignite Pest's fighting spirit, it was worth saying as encouragement.
However, for certain other children, those words weren't so pleasant to hear.
"None of our combat power is qualified? You've got some nerve, Black Rabbit!"
At some point, a sanwu girl—blank-faced, emotionless, and silent—had appeared behind the rabbit-eared girl and unceremoniously grabbed her ears.
"I heard Lady Shiroyasha is researching a 'Black Rabbit-Eating Herb.' If she succeeds, I'll record its Spirit-Rank in my Catalog of Life and show you what I'm made of!"
"Don't do something so stupid, you moron!"
Hearing this, Little Black Rabbit immediately jumped up and looked at the last of the Problem Children, Kasukabe Yō.
"Miss Yō, has your brain rotted along with Lady Shiroyasha's?!"