After reviewing the recent experiences of the Light Music Club, Izumi couldn't help but admire them.
The moment they realized they had absolutely no talent for monster hunting, they decisively picked up their instruments and returned to doing what they loved most.
Remarkable.
"The Light Music Club truly is undefeated."
"As long as you play light music, we're friends."
Amused by the thought, Izumi silently transferred a reward.
Not just any reward, either.
A total of 88,888 points.
And, being his usual mischievous self, he even attached a custom notification sound.
[88,888 Points Received.]
The cheerful system voice echoed through the plaza.
Everyone froze.
"Huh?"
"Did you hear that?"
Yui Hirasawa blinked in confusion.
Then she hurriedly pulled out her points card.
The moment she saw the number displayed, she completely froze.
A second later—
"Kyaaahhh!!"
"Ritsu-chan! Mio-chan! Mugi-chan! Azusa-chan!"
"We're rich!!"
Yui's excited scream echoed throughout the entire street.
The surrounding crowd immediately exploded into discussion.
Someone had casually tipped eighty-eight thousand points?
What kind of wealthy monster was that?
Watching Yui's reaction, Izumi couldn't help smiling.
Without stepping forward to reveal himself, he simply turned around and quietly left.
However, although he intended to leave unnoticed, not everyone missed him.
Tsumugi Kotobuki happened to glance in his direction.
She saw a young man walking away through the crowd.
The faint smile on his face immediately caught her attention.
Everyone else was staring at the Light Music Club in shock.
Only he seemed oddly satisfied.
Almost...
As though he had accomplished something.
Tsumugi's eyes widened slightly.
Could it be...?
She instinctively wanted to call out to him.
Unfortunately, before she could speak, the figure vanished into the crowd.
"What's wrong, Mugi?"
Ritsu Tainaka noticed her expression.
"Did you see something?"
Tsumugi hesitated before nodding.
"I think..."
"I may have seen the person who tipped us."
Everyone immediately became alert.
"You saw them?"
"Where are they?"
"We have to return the points!"
Ritsu spoke without hesitation.
The amount was simply too large.
None of them felt comfortable accepting it.
Unfortunately, Tsumugi could only shake her head helplessly.
"He already left."
"But I remember what he looked like."
"If we meet him again, we can return the points then."
The others nodded in agreement.
For them, accepting such an enormous sum without explanation felt wrong.
Even Yui shared the same opinion.
As a result, the five girls quickly packed away their instruments.
The performance ended early.
Instead of continuing to earn points, they decided to investigate the mysterious donor.
Fortunately, there was someone who could help.
Someone who managed countless transactions throughout Dimension City.
Someone who could trace the transfer records.
Kayo.
...
Not long afterward, the five members of the Light Music Club arrived at the central plaza.
There, they found Kayo quietly reading a book.
"Ka-yo-chaaan!"
Yui immediately rushed over.
Hearing the familiar voice, Kayo looked up.
"Oh?"
"Sister Yui?"
"Did something happen?"
She set her book aside and tilted her head curiously.
Among the many newcomers, Kayo actually liked the Light Music Club quite a lot.
The five girls were kind-hearted and surprisingly generous.
Even though they weren't particularly wealthy, they often bought snacks and gifts for the younger girls around Dimension City.
As a result, many of the younger residents adored them.
Yui immediately presented her points card.
"Kayo-chan, look!"
"Someone tipped us 88,888 points!"
"Can you help us find out who sent them?"
"We need to give the points back."
Hearing that amount, Kayo blinked.
"...Eighty-eight thousand?"
That wasn't a small sum by any stretch of the imagination.
Even among Dimension City's wealthy residents, only a handful could casually hand out that many points.
Her curiosity was immediately piqued.
At the same time, she wasn't surprised that the girls wanted to return the money.
That was exactly the kind of people they were.
If it had been a few hundred points, they probably would have accepted it.
But this amount was simply too much.
"Let me check."
Taking the card, Kayo walked over to a nearby terminal.
Her fingers danced across the interface.
A few moments later, the transaction history appeared.
The instant she saw the sender's name, her expression became rather strange.
"Well?"
"Did you find them?"
Yui leaned forward eagerly.
The others watched with similar anticipation.
Kayo returned the card before letting out a small sigh.
"I found the sender."
"But honestly..."
"There's no need to return the points."
The five girls looked at one another in confusion.
"Why not?"
Kayo smiled helplessly.
"Because the person who sent them was Izumi-oniichan."
"He gave them to you on purpose."
"You should just accept them."
The moment they heard that name, all five girls froze.
"Eh?"
"Eh?!"
"Izumi-sama?!"
Their minds went completely blank.
None of them had expected the mysterious benefactor to be the ruler of Dimension City himself.
And suddenly, Tsumugi remembered the young man she had seen leaving the plaza.
The smile.
The calm demeanor.
The way he had quietly disappeared afterward.
Everything clicked into place.
"...So it really was him."
She murmured softly.
The other four immediately turned toward her.
"You saw him?!"
Tsumugi nodded.
"I think I did."
"And now I'm certain."
For a moment, the five members of the Light Music Club could only stand there in stunned silence.
None of them understood why Izumi had suddenly decided to reward them so generously.
But one thing was certain.
Returning those points was probably impossible now.