Izumi stared blankly at the girl in front of him, who had immediately begun admiring herself the moment she was restored.
The level of narcissism on display was honestly astonishing.
The first thing she did after reviving was check herself in a mirror.
Who would even believe that?
It was absurd.
Algol carefully adjusted her hair while staring at her own reflection. Only after thoroughly inspecting every angle of her appearance did she finally nod in satisfaction.
Then she turned toward Izumi.
"So you were the one who saved me?"
"Excellent."
A delighted smile spread across her face.
"I'll remember this favor."
"Now then—send me back to Little Garden immediately."
"I'm going to kill that woman."
Izumi's mouth twitched slightly.
Algol clearly still remembered everything that had happened while she was sealed away. The humiliation, the betrayal, the fall from grace…
Every bit of it remained vivid in her mind.
And now she was furious.
The only thing occupying her thoughts was revenge.
Izumi sighed.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?"
"If you rush back now, you'll probably just get sealed again."
"Then history repeats itself."
Algol paused.
"…That does make sense."
After thinking it over for a moment, she suddenly looked directly at Izumi.
"Then help me take revenge."
"In exchange, Al-chan will offer herself to you."
She said it with complete seriousness.
If she went alone, she might really lose again.
But the man before her was different.
A true monster.
With someone like Izumi backing her, crushing Athena beneath her heel wouldn't be difficult at all.
Izumi stared at her for a moment before speaking flatly.
"You already belong to me now."
"You understand that, don't you?"
"Shiroyasha handed you over personally."
The smile on his face widened slightly.
Algol froze.
After giving it some thought, she realized he was right.
She had, in fact, been gifted to him.
That realization instantly ruined her mood.
"How annoying…"
She pulled out her mirror again and gazed at herself with melancholy admiration.
"Now Al-chan has nothing left except this beautiful face."
"How tragic."
"But Al is just too cute."
She sighed dramatically while staring lovingly at her own reflection.
To her, everyone else in existence was ugly compared to herself.
Watching her descend deeper and deeper into self-adoration, Izumi finally understood why she kept getting stabbed in the back.
"Honestly…"
He rubbed his forehead.
"Forget it. I'm too tired to deal with you."
Then he continued:
"For now, just stay here."
"Once Little Garden fully merges with this world, you can seek revenge however you like."
"Of course, if you can convince Shiroyasha to help you return early and cause trouble for Athena, I won't stop you."
"Oh, right."
"The Halloween Queen is here too."
"Want to go see them?"
Algol frowned immediately.
"Those two ugly women?"
"No thanks."
"They aren't as beautiful as me."
"So why would I waste my time?"
With that, she continued admiring herself in the mirror.
Izumi nearly burst out laughing.
"You really are unbelievable."
Still, the corners of his mouth slowly lifted into a mischievous grin.
With a snap of his fingers, space distorted around them.
At the same time, he intentionally transmitted Algol's earlier remarks directly into the ears of both Shiroyasha and the Halloween Queen.
Elsewhere—
The Halloween Queen had just finished registering her residence and was preparing to purchase territory around the Kabbalah Tree of Life when Algol's smug voice echoed in her ears.
"Those two ugly women?"
Her expression froze instantly.
Then it darkened.
Beside her, Shiroyasha looked equally speechless.
"So she's already revived…"
And the very first thing out of her mouth was an insult.
How nostalgic.
Shiroyasha silently offered a moment of pity for Algol.
As expected of the former Problem Child.
Still completely incapable of keeping her mouth shut.
The Halloween Queen's smile twitched dangerously.
"Let's go."
"We're going to meet that 'beauty.'"
Her tone was terrifyingly calm.
Shiroyasha immediately burst into laughter.
"No problem!"
"I already know where she is."
As she spoke, sunlight gathered around her body.
Within Izumi's world, Shiroyasha possessed special privileges as a Star Spirit of the Sun. Anywhere touched by sunlight fell within her perception.
Finding Algol's location was effortless.
And so—
The three former Problem Children of Little Garden were about to reunite once more.
No matter how one looked at it, things were about to become extremely interesting.
Fortunately, violence was prohibited in Izumi's world.
Otherwise…
The moment those three met again, the entire place might have exploded.