No matter what Shiroyasha said, Algol had absolutely no intention of running off to Little Garden ahead of time.
She was perfectly content to sit back and watch the show unfold.
That attitude amused Canary greatly.
"Come now, Lady Shiroyasha."
"I know you're eager to settle accounts with those people in Little Garden."
"But as Lady Algol said..."
She took a graceful sip of tea before continuing.
"Since the merger is practically inevitable now, why rush?"
"We can simply wait until the worlds fully fuse and deal with them then."
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
"After all, this is our home turf now, isn't it?"
Rather than dwelling on old grudges, Canary had another suggestion.
"Instead of worrying about revenge, perhaps you should think about expanding your own forces."
"Lady Shiroyasha, sometimes fighting as part of an army is far more enjoyable than fighting alone."
The implication was obvious.
Among the former problem children, Shiroyasha was the only one still operating largely by herself.
Algol had already begun gathering allies.
Although she often acted timid nowadays, she had quietly built quite a network.
...
Meanwhile, the Halloween Queen had become even more terrifying.
After arriving in Izumi's world, she had crossed paths with Scáthach.
The encounter had quickly escalated into a battle.
After a fierce clash, the two had developed mutual respect and eventually become close friends.
On top of that, the Halloween Queen had become good friends with Yukari Yakumo.
The two frequently met for afternoon tea.
And if Yukari joined a conflict, the residents of Gensokyo would almost certainly follow for the fun of it.
Combined with the many Heroic Spirits connected to Scáthach, the Halloween Queen's influence had grown to a frightening level.
...
As for Algol...
Though she no longer acted like the terrifying Demon Lord of old, she had somehow become incredibly popular among the younger girls of Izumi's household.
The reason was simple.
Many of them found her adorable.
To preserve her pride, Algol refused to admit this openly.
But the truth remained that she had gained a large group of enthusiastic supporters.
And those supporters were anything but ordinary.
Canary knew firsthand just how terrifying those girls could be when they became serious.
In other words, Algol now had plenty of backup whenever a fight broke out.
Which left only one person standing alone.
Shiroyasha.
"So annoying!"
Shiroyasha slammed her teacup onto the table.
"We have allies too, you know!"
"What about our dear friend Agurola?"
"The vampires are on our side."
"And there are plenty of Flügel who get along with us!"
Perhaps because they shared similarly troublesome personalities, Shiroyasha had developed an unexpectedly good relationship with the Flügel.
Canary immediately looked skeptical.
"That's only your imagination, Lady Shiroyasha."
"Are you absolutely certain those people would help if you started a war?"
Agurola probably would.
The vampires might as well.
But the Flügel?
Canary wasn't convinced.
Those troublemakers loved causing chaos far too much.
If anything, they might join simply because it looked entertaining.
Only Izumi seemed capable of keeping them under control.
Looking at Shiroyasha's confident expression, Canary chose not to argue further.
...
The discussion continued for quite some time.
Eventually, the group reached a decision.
For now, they would continue gathering strength.
Then, when Little Garden finally merged with Izumi's world...
They would strike.
Hard.
Every grudge.
Every old debt.
Every unresolved conflict.
They intended to settle them all at once.
And if things became too difficult?
Well...
They still had Izumi.
...
While the former rulers of Little Garden plotted revenge, the man at the center of it all remained blissfully unaware.
At that moment, Izumi had already left Erina behind.
After thoroughly teasing her until she nearly cried, he resumed wandering through Dimension City alone.
The streets bustled with life.
People from countless worlds mingled freely.
As Izumi strolled through the crowds, a familiar melody suddenly reached his ears.
"Hm?"
Curious, he followed the sound.
Soon, he arrived at a lively street performance.
The instant he saw the performers, his expression became strange.
Standing on the small stage were five familiar girls.
The members of the Light Music Club.
Yui Hirasawa, Mio Akiyama, Ritsu Tainaka, Tsumugi Kotobuki, and Azusa Nakano were performing enthusiastically before a large audience.
Even though many spectators couldn't understand the lyrics, the music itself was infectious.
People clapped along with the rhythm.
Some danced.
Others tossed generous tips into the collection box.
Watching the scene, Izumi couldn't help blinking.
"...Seriously?"
"Are people from slice-of-life worlds all this adaptable?"
His curiosity piqued, Izumi casually checked their recent experiences.
The story was surprisingly simple.
Like many newcomers, the girls had initially attempted monster hunting.
Unfortunately...
They had almost no talent for combat.
After several failures, they had abandoned the idea.
Then someone suggested performing music instead.
To their surprise, the audience loved it.
Not only did they earn points safely—
They earned far more than many low-level adventurers.
Once they realized that, everything changed.
Why risk their lives fighting monsters?
Why venture into dangerous regions?
When singing a few songs could earn enough points to live comfortably?
Thus, they returned to their original profession.
Musicians.
And business was booming.
Things didn't stop there.
The girls had even become close friends with the members of μ's.
The two groups frequently exchanged ideas and performed together.
Then someone had an even brighter idea.
If one group could earn points...
Two groups could earn twice as many.
As a result, they often split into separate teams and performed in different parts of the city.
Watching this entrepreneurial spirit in action, Izumi fell silent.
"..."
For a moment, he genuinely didn't know whether to praise their creativity or laugh at the absurdity of it all.
In a world where countless heroes fought monsters, conquered dungeons, and challenged gods...
These girls had somehow discovered that becoming street performers was the most efficient way to make money.
And judging from the crowd gathered around them—
It was working astonishingly well.