In truth, the Guardian had noticed Uchiha Hikari earlier than she'd expected.
To be precise, about a year earlier.
Before last year, no one on this planet had used the Dragon Balls to make a wish for nearly a century. So when Hikari and Bulma gathered all seven Dragon Balls at Pilaf's castle last year to make a wish, the Guardian had taken notice. At the time, he didn't know Hikari was from another world, so he only gave it a cursory glance and didn't think much of it.
But…
Just a few days ago, Korin found his way to the Lookout and told the Guardian about Hikari and Tanjiro.
Only then did the Guardian recall that moment from a year ago, connecting Hikari to the girl he'd seen.
Now, the existence of "other worlds" was a bit bizarre, but not unacceptable.
After all, the Dragon Ball world was full of strange things. The Guardian himself was an alien and Earth's "god," with Kai and Supreme Kai above him, and rumors of other universes beyond this one. Another world wasn't exactly shocking—no need to make a fuss.
However…
This group of "otherworlders" was a tad numerous.
And a tad too strong.
Though he hadn't seen Hikari and Esdeath wipe out the Red Ribbon Army, their performance in today's World Martial Arts Tournament finals showed their strength was on par with the Great Demon King Piccolo. If they wanted to cause trouble on Earth, no one could likely stop them.
That's why the Guardian sought Hikari out, wanting to meet her in person and gauge what kind of person she was.
So far…
First impressions were good.
Moreover, their goal for collecting the Dragon Balls wasn't selfish but to revive innocents killed by demons—a motive the Guardian admired.
(A kind, good kid, he thought.)
"…I've heard about your situation from Korin. Simply borrowing the Dragon Balls is no issue," the Guardian said slowly, forming his judgment. "The Dragon Balls I created may not excel in other areas, but they're exceptionally powerful for revival. Even thousands or tens of thousands can be revived at once, as long as they meet the same condition."
That was true.
In terms of energy level, Earth's Dragon Balls were inferior to Namek's.
But Namek's Dragon Balls could only revive one person at a time, while Earth's could perform mass resurrections. In the original story, they'd been used multiple times for this—like reviving everyone killed by Piccolo, Frieza, Cell, or Buu. The total number of people revived by Earth's Dragon Balls likely reached the tens of millions.
Hikari considered this, confirming the revival conditions with the Guardian.
"The soul must not have reincarnated," he explained. "The body doesn't need to be perfectly intact, as the Dragon Balls can repair it to some extent… but if it's too damaged, like reduced to bones, it probably won't work."
"As for time…"
"If the number of people isn't too large, those who died within three years should be revivable."
"…Huh?"
Hikari raised an eyebrow.
So, the "one-year" time limit mentioned in the original story had specific conditions.
Reviving everyone killed by Frieza, including those on distant planets, shortened the limit to one year. But for fewer people or a smaller scope, the time could extend slightly. This meant Tanjiro's family fell within the revivable window.
—Except for his father, Tanjuro, who died of illness earlier.
As for Shinobu Kocho's sister, Kanae, she'd died within the last three years.
Muichiro Tokito's brother, Yuichiro, had likely been dead for over three years, so his revival was uncertain.
Of course…
These conditions applied to this world.
For another world, with no precedent, it was all guesswork.
They'd have to try it to know.
Hikari chose her words carefully. "We know there might not be a clear answer, but we'd like to try. If it doesn't work, we'll have to give up… Could you, Lord Guardian, share how the Dragon Balls grant wishes? And if you came with us to the Demon Slayer world, could you summon Shenron with them?"
"Go with you?" The Guardian blinked. "That's possible?"
"Of course."
Half a month ago, taking the Guardian to the Demon Slayer world would've been tricky.
Hikari's usual method was sealing people in a coffin for transport, unsealing them at the destination. That was fine for close allies or "subordinates" like Esdeath, bound by contract, but the Guardian was different.
He was a "god," after all. Smuggling him like that would be a bit undignified.
But now, things were easier.
With 100 points, they could grant temporary travel permissions, letting the Guardian cross worlds like a chat group member. With Hikari and the others' remaining points, they could cover ten trips for him.
Hearing this, a faint curiosity flickered across the Guardian's face. After a moment's thought, he replied earnestly:
"The power to grant wishes comes from Lord Salama, the Dragon God… Think of the Dragon Balls' creator as a signal relay. When someone gathers the Dragon Balls and summons Shenron to make a wish, Lord Salama's power flows through the relay, empowering Shenron to fulfill it.
"In theory, the stronger the creator, the greater the relayed power, and the broader the wish's scope.
"But that's a generalization. Different Dragon Balls have different wish ranges. Some with lower energy levels can grant wishes even higher-level Dragon Balls can't."
"As for whether I could summon Shenron in another world with the Dragon Balls, it depends on whether I can still receive Lord Salama's power…"
"Hm…"
Hikari frowned slightly.
The issue the Guardian raised could, in theory, be solved.
Since the chat group allowed cross-world travel, it should also maintain connections to the original world, enabling "ultra-long-distance signal relay."
Whether that worked would require testing.
For now, Hikari pinged Bulma and Tanjiro in the group chat, informing them of the Guardian's arrival, then carefully asked another question:
"Lord Guardian, one more thing… Do you know about Namek?"
"…What's that?"
The Guardian furrowed his brow, looking puzzled. Having come to Earth as a young child, he had no memory of Namek.
Seeing this, Hikari chose her words. "My eyes… they have a certain ability to foresee the future."
"??"
---
A knock sounded at the door.
This time, Bulma, Tanjiro, and a curious Eri poked their heads in.
Tanjiro knew Korin but not the Guardian.
Bulma and Eri didn't know either but had seen Korin and the Guardian in the Dragon Ball manga, so they were visibly excited.
"Wow, so this is the Korin that Hikari and Tanjiro mentioned? So cute! I wanna pet him!" Bulma exclaimed.
"…"
As an 800-year-old sage, Korin wearily blocked Bulma's eager hands with his staff, floating up with Sky Dance.
Hikari coughed, signaling Bulma to be serious.
Reluctantly, Bulma sat on the sofa, turning her gaze to the Guardian.
"You're Lord Guardian, right? You really do look exactly like Piccolo…"
"?!"
Hikari and Bulma spent a while explaining the "foresight" thing—essentially the Dragon Ball manga's plot, but they couldn't just say that outright.
"…So, Miss Hikari, when you arrived in this world, you saw glimpses of the past and future, including that I'm from Namek?" the Guardian asked, stunned.
Despite being nearly as old as Korin, the centuries-old Guardian thought he was pretty open-minded. But meeting Hikari's group and hearing these revelations was shaking his worldview.
Bulma nodded. "Yes, according to… ahem, what Hikari saw, your home planet, Namek, will be targeted and destroyed by the cosmic emperor Frieza in a few years. Hikari and I want to help prevent that tragedy, so we might need your help."
"What?" The Guardian blinked again. "Namek faces such a fate…? I've heard of this Frieza from somewhere—he's extremely dangerous. Are you sure you want to stop him?"
"Well, preventing the disaster doesn't mean we have to beat Frieza," Bulma said with a grin. "Just keep him from finding Namek, right?"
In theory, this was doable.
Frieza only went to Namek after learning about the Dragon Balls, a rumor traced back to Vegeta and Raditz. If they could suppress that information, Frieza would have no reason to go.
Of course…
Frieza, being a cosmic real estate mogul, might find Namek eventually, Dragon Balls or not, but it would buy time.
Bulma's mention wasn't just altruistic—she had another motive.
"I heard from Hikari about you, Lord Guardian. You came to Earth as a child in a spaceship, right? Could I… borrow it to study?"
Her eyes sparkled at the word "spaceship."
The tech tree in this era's Dragon Ball Earth was a bit lopsided.
On one hand, they had insane tech like Capsule Corp's space-folding capsules.
On the other, Earth's space travel tech would take over 4,000 years to reach Namek.
Namekian ships, however, could make the trip in a month.
Bulma was dying to study that tech. She'd mentioned it to Hikari before, but without knowing the Guardian, they'd shelved the idea. Now, with him right here, she wasn't letting the chance slip.
The Guardian hesitated. "I did arrive in a spaceship, but I was too young to remember much. I wouldn't know how to operate it now. If you're interested, Miss Bulma, I can have Mr. Popo show you."
"Sweet!" Bulma beamed.
Her excitement wasn't just about Namek's tech but also tied to the "Dimensional Pirate Crew"—some spaceship tech could likely be adapted for their pirate ship, right?
For now, Hikari discussed a plan with the Guardian:
Tanjiro would return to the Demon Slayer world to have the Demon Slayer Corps collect the bodies of those they wanted to revive, assessing their number and condition.
Once done, Hikari would bring the Guardian to try summoning Shenron and reviving them.
If Shenron couldn't be summoned in another world, they'd seal the bodies and souls in coffins, bring them to the Dragon Ball world, and make the wish here.
This would take time—maybe a couple of weeks if quick, or one to two months if slow.
In the meantime, Bulma could study the Guardian's childhood spaceship. In the original story, she and Dr. Briefs figured it out in a few months. Now, with less knowledge, it might take longer, but not by much.
Hikari would focus on gathering the seven Dragon Balls.
But before that, she had a promise to keep—
"First, a few days' rest, then I'll head out with Esdeath to dig an artificial lake in Nam's hometown."