Izumi wasn't worried in the slightest about what Nyarko might do to his world.
Now that she carried his world's mark—and had even stepped into it—everything was within Izumi's control.
Even if Nyarko was a being ranked among the "two-digit" class, inside this world, she was no match for him.
Within the boundaries of his own world…
Even if a "single-digit" existence showed up, Izumi would still dare to clash with them.
Here, he was invincible.
Hearing Izumi say this, Nyarko and Gaia exchanged glances, their expressions uncertain.
Izumi gently rubbed their heads and smiled.
"Trust me, okay?"
"It'll be fine."
Since Izumi had said so, they could only suppress their unease.
Even so, they still couldn't fully trust that woman.
After all, just from her appearance alone, she gave off the impression of someone up to no good.
With a faint chuckle, Izumi vanished from the spot.
He intended to see for himself what Nyarko was planning.
At that moment, Nyarko had already arrived in Dimension City.
She seemed quite familiar with the process.
After exchanging some of her belongings for a large amount of points with Aihara Enju, she began strolling leisurely through the city.
The moment she spotted Asuna, her eyes lit up.
Without hesitation, she dashed forward and threw her arms around her.
Then she shouted excitedly—
"AAAAAH!!"
"It's Doujin Asuna! The real Doujin Asuna!!"
The instant those words left her mouth, veins bulged on Asuna's forehead.
She didn't care who Nyarko was.
Raising her fist, she immediately delivered a clean uppercut.
"Gah!"
Nyarko was sent flying by a single punch.
Asuna then exploded in anger.
"You're the doujin one! Your whole family is doujin!!"
"My name is Asuna—not 'Doujin Asuna'!!"
This was already the second time.
As someone from a modern world, she knew exactly what "doujin" meant.
Before, there had been another ridiculously beautiful person who called her that—and even handed her a doujinshi about herself.
It had infuriated her to no end.
And now there was another one?!
How could Asuna possibly stay calm?
Ever since learning that she might appear as the heroine in such works in other worlds, she'd been completely shaken.
If she ever found those artists, she'd gladly cut them down herself.
This person in front of her was simply unbearable.
Charging up out of nowhere and shouting that name she hated so much—
With a cold snort, Asuna turned and left the area immediately.
Damn it, she was furious.
The more time passed, the shorter her temper seemed to get.
Right now, she just wanted to slash something.
Watching Asuna leave, Nyarko got back on her feet.
"What a shame… my Asuna-wife ran away."
"But…"
"Hehehe!!"
"I never expected my 2D wives to be here too!"
"I searched forever and couldn't even find their worlds."
"Does that mean there are more wives in this world?"
"Gasp!!"
The thought alone sent her into a frenzy of excitement.
Muttering to herself, she continued wandering around.
Abilities couldn't be used here.
Even she was no exception.
So she had no choice but to explore the city the old-fashioned way.
When she arrived at Erina's restaurant, she spotted several busy figures inside.
Her eyes lit up again.
"Shokugeki?"
"Yoshi!!"
"Perfect."
Yukihira Ryōko—she recognized her instantly.
Without hesitation, Nyarko stepped inside.
She called Ryōko over and began ordering dishes.
At the same time, she behaved like a lecherous old man, sneaking a feel at Ryōko.
That completely startled her.
Terrified, Ryōko hurriedly retreated.
Nyarko, however, curiously observed the people inside the shop.
Noticing the flushed expressions on many of the customers' faces, her excitement only grew.
Among them, she even recognized quite a few familiar faces.
Seeing all these characters she knew made her even more thrilled.
This place…
was a paradise for otaku.
With that realization, Nyarko's eyes gleamed as an idea formed.
After waiting a while, when Ryōko returned to serve her dishes, Nyarko suddenly spoke.
"Hey, hey, Ryōko-chan."
"Does this place accept investors?"
"I've got plenty of points!"
Ryōko froze at the question.
"Investment…?"
This was the first time a customer had ever brought that up.
After a brief pause, she replied,
"I'm afraid I can't make that decision."
"I'll need to ask Erina-sama."
"Please wait a moment."
Even though the customer was a bit… questionable, she quickly returned to the kitchen and relayed the matter to Erina.
Erina, who had been cooking, was taken aback.
"Investment?"
"Seriously?"
"Someone actually suggested that?"
She couldn't help but be surprised.
Someone wanting to invest in their restaurant?
Normally, that kind of idea wouldn't even come up.
After all, the number of points required to invest here was enormous.
Ordinary people couldn't afford it, and powerful individuals had no interest.
That was why no one had ever mentioned it before.
And yet now, someone had?
How could she not be shocked?
Ryōko nodded.
"A silver-haired girl."
"She's kind of… pervy, though."
"But definitely female."
Hearing that, Erina's interest was piqued.
"Finish this dish for me."
"I'll go take a look."
With that, she handed over her current work to Ryōko, removed her apron, and stepped out.
Ryōko didn't object and continued cooking.
Her skills had improved tremendously.
Compared to her past self, she was on an entirely different level.
If she returned to her original world now, she was confident she could challenge renowned chefs.
Even so, in this restaurant, her abilities still weren't enough.
Especially compared to the shop across the street.
The people there were monsters—each one more terrifying than the last.
And their boss?
An absolute cheat.
No matter the ingredient, he could handle it flawlessly.
New ingredients that appeared would be turned into new dishes by him the very next day.
It frustrated Erina and the others endlessly.
Competing against someone like that was simply exhausting.
Erina soon arrived at the front.
It didn't take long for her to spot the person Ryōko had described.
At that moment, Nyarko was loudly crying out in delight, as if she had just tasted food from the heavens.
Her behavior drew strange looks from the other customers.
Erina's expression turned odd.
That's her?
This strange person wants to invest in our restaurant?
Still, she didn't let her guard down.
People from other worlds were often far more dangerous than they appeared.
Underestimating someone here could lead to serious consequences.
She had learned that lesson firsthand.
Once, she had gone to the combat zone and witnessed several seemingly harmless little girls beating others into the ground.
From that day on, she made a firm decision—
Never judge a person by their appearance.
Otherwise, she might end up being the one beaten into the dirt without even knowing what happened.