Izumi immediately noticed the group Kayo had brought with her.
The moment he saw the familiar faces approaching, he froze.
"...Kayo?"
Then his gaze swept across the newcomers.
"Blue-and-White Bowl? Wife Bird? What are all of you doing here?"
He muttered the words under his breath, genuinely surprised.
He had only just watched the performance of Houkago Tea Time not long ago, and now Kayo had brought them here.
Not only that—even μ's had come along as well.
Naturally, everyone present heard him.
Mio Akiyama's face instantly turned bright red upon hearing the nickname "Blue-and-White Bowl."
Meanwhile, Kotori Minami blinked in confusion.
"W-Wife Bird...?"
Why was she being called that?
Kayo, however, immediately understood.
As expected... Izumi-oniichan really does know them.
Walking up to him, Kotori hesitantly spoke.
"U-Um, Izumi-sama..."
"Do you know me?"
"For some reason... you feel very familiar."
And she wasn't joking.
The moment she saw him, she felt an inexplicable sense of closeness, as if she had known him for a very long time.
Izumi raised an eyebrow.
"Familiar, huh?"
That was a first.
Curious, he activated a small portion of his authority and focused his gaze on Kotori.
Countless streams of information flowed before his eyes.
Kotori immediately stiffened.
"E-Eh?"
"W-What's wrong?"
Being stared at so intensely by the ruler of the world was terrifying.
The others also grew nervous.
Why had Izumi suddenly become so serious?
Just as everyone was beginning to panic, Izumi's expression became increasingly strange.
Then...
He understood.
It wasn't only Kotori.
Tsumugi Kotobuki was the same.
In fact, several of the girls present had a connection to him.
Or rather—
They had appeared in fan novels from other worlds where he was involved.
That lingering connection remained even after their worlds merged.
Because of that, they instinctively felt familiar with him.
Once he figured it out, Izumi couldn't help but laugh.
Honestly, there wasn't much else to say.
His existence had long since spread across countless worlds.
Information about him appearing elsewhere wasn't exactly surprising anymore.
Seeing everyone growing increasingly nervous, he waved his hand.
"Relax."
"I just figured out why you feel familiar with me."
The girls exchanged puzzled glances.
"Could you explain?" Kotori asked.
Izumi nodded and briefly explained the situation.
The moment they heard the reason, the atmosphere instantly became awkward.
Several faces turned crimson.
If those stories existed...
And if they had appeared in them...
Then didn't that essentially make them—
Izumi's women?
The realization caused the girls to blush furiously.
It was simply too embarrassing.
Watching their reactions, Izumi nearly laughed.
With a casual wave of his hand, several elegant chairs appeared nearby.
"Sit down for now."
"I'm still busy with something."
After saying that, he quietly contacted Grayfia and asked her to prepare refreshments.
Then he immediately returned to work.
The girls obediently sat down, but curiosity filled their eyes.
What exactly was Izumi doing?
Unfortunately, he offered no explanation and continued concentrating.
He had already completed most of the project.
The countless regional networks throughout his world had been connected together.
Now only the final step remained.
A central terminal.
The problem was deciding what should serve as that terminal.
A world that had merged countless dimensions couldn't be supported by an ordinary system.
It needed something capable of limitless processing, storage, and calculation.
A Moon Spirit Crystal?
Not enough.
Izumi's gaze drifted upward.
Toward the massive Tree of Life supporting the world.
As the world had grown stronger, the Tree of Life had evolved alongside it.
Perhaps...
No.
There was something even more suitable.
"The Root..."
A smile appeared on his face.
The Root already contained all information within the world.
Using it as the ultimate network terminal was practically perfect.
Once the idea formed, he acted immediately.
Vast power surged from his body.
Countless streams of energy spread outward as he connected every network in existence directly to the Root.
The scene left the girls speechless.
Most of them came from ordinary worlds.
They had never witnessed power on this scale before.
Yui Hirasawa couldn't hold back her curiosity.
"What is Izumi-sama doing?"
The others quickly turned toward Kayo.
Among everyone present, she was the only one who seemed to understand.
Kayo nodded.
"Izumi-oniichan is connecting every network across every region."
"In the future, no matter where you are, you'll be able to access the same network."
"It won't be like now, where each area has its own isolated system."
The girls' eyes immediately lit up.
"Seriously?"
"That's amazing!"
"Finally!"
They had complained about that inconvenience countless times.
Who would've thought Izumi would solve the problem personally?
Excited chatter erupted among the group.
Just then—
Several figures suddenly appeared nearby.
The girls jumped in surprise.
When they looked closer, however, they found a group of beautiful women dressed in elegant maid uniforms.
Kotori's eyes sparkled instantly.
The uniforms were gorgeous.
Absolutely gorgeous.
And the woman leading them was especially striking.
Her silver hair shimmered brilliantly, and every movement radiated elegance and perfection.
The girls couldn't help staring.
Who was she?
She looked less like a maid and more like a noble queen.
As the group approached carrying refreshments prepared for the guests, even the normally composed members of μ's and Houkago Tea Time found themselves captivated by the flawless beauty standing before them.
And at the front of the procession stood none other than—
Grayfia Lucifuge.