Rita blinked in surprise at Izumi's response.
"Are you certain, Izumi-sama?"
Izumi nodded without hesitation.
"Absolutely."
"If Rika wants to do something, let her do it."
"Whatever she asks for, accommodate her."
"There's no need to report every little thing to me."
"I understand."
Rita bowed respectfully before disappearing once more.
Watching her leave, Izumi shook his head with a faint smile.
As far as he was concerned, Rika opening a shop was hardly worth worrying about.
In fact, he welcomed it.
...
Meanwhile, Rita returned to Rika's residence.
As though she had expected the maid's return, Rika had already resumed her dignified and elegant demeanor.
There was no trace of the lazy side she had shown earlier.
"Lady Rika," Rita reported.
"Izumi-sama has approved your request."
"Do you have any preferences regarding the shop?"
"I can make the arrangements immediately."
Rika thought for a moment before answering.
"A shop in a quiet, secluded location."
"Magic should remain mysterious."
"And elegant."
"The interior should reflect that elegance as well."
Although Rita did not fully understand the reasoning behind those requirements, she simply nodded.
"Understood."
"I'll prepare everything right away."
And once again, she vanished.
...
The moment Rita disappeared, Rika immediately slumped onto the sofa.
Her refined posture evaporated instantly.
If anyone had witnessed the transformation, they would have been utterly shocked.
Unfortunately, no one was there to see it.
...
Rita worked at astonishing speed.
First, she contacted Minamiya Natsuki and secured a remote storefront.
Afterward, she personally oversaw every detail of the renovation.
Mysterious.
Elegant.
Refined.
She faithfully recreated exactly what Rika had requested.
Frankly speaking, very few people could have achieved such a result.
Yet Rita managed it flawlessly.
Once everything was complete, she returned to escort Rika to inspect the property.
The moment Rika stepped inside, her eyes lit up.
She was extremely satisfied.
"You did an excellent job."
As a reward, she immediately bestowed several powerful spells upon Rita.
They were magical techniques that did not yet exist within Izumi's world.
Rita stared at them in shock.
Not only were they powerful, but they also suited her magical affinity perfectly.
"Thank you very much."
"You deserve it."
Rika waved her hand casually.
"You helped me greatly."
"A few spells are nothing."
"In fact, I could improve your existing magic further and make it more compatible with you."
"Tailoring magic is one of my specialties."
...
Meanwhile, Izumi paid no attention whatsoever to Rika's affairs.
Rather than worrying about her, he preferred spending time with beautiful girls.
Why waste time managing a shop?
That was his honest opinion.
And so he happily returned to his usual routine.
Dates.
Conversations.
Relaxing.
Enjoying life.
As far as he was concerned, Rika's arrival had changed absolutely nothing.
...
Unfortunately for him, while he ignored her entirely, Rika rapidly reverted to her true nature.
Before long, she had become close friends with a certain shut-in goddess.
And another notorious gaming addict.
The former was none other than Shiro.
The latter was Gabriel White Tenma.
Together, the three NEETs quickly dragged one another into endless gaming sessions.
Within days, the Origin of Magic had become an internet addict.
It was honestly quite an amusing sight.
Unfortunately, Izumi knew nothing about it.
...
At that moment, he was far more interested in someone else.
Stella Vermillion.
After a series of carefully engineered "coincidental" encounters, their relationship had improved dramatically.
Now they could be considered close friends.
And under Izumi's relentless sweet-talking, Stella's defenses were steadily crumbling.
"You're beautiful."
Izumi gazed at her affectionately.
The straightforward compliment struck Stella like a critical hit.
Her face turned scarlet.
Steam practically seemed to rise from her head.
"I-Izumi-sama..."
"Please don't say things like that..."
"I'll get embarrassed..."
Stella lowered her head shyly.
Although Izumi had openly declared his affection for her, his status was simply too overwhelming.
It all felt unreal.
Almost like a dream.
At the same time, guilt lingered in her heart.
Eris and Asuna had repeatedly made their feelings toward Izumi clear.
Yet here he was, flirting shamelessly with her.
And worst of all—
She was actually falling for it.
Naturally, Izumi understood exactly what was troubling her.
So he continued his assault.
"Don't worry."
"I know what you're concerned about."
"It's fine."
"I don't mind."
"And neither do they."
"As for how I feel about you—"
His words flowed smoothly, like those of an experienced playboy.
Stella's defenses were already hanging by a thread.
With every sentence, her heart softened further.
Seeing the perfect opportunity, Izumi slowly reached out his hand.
Stella's body trembled.
Her heart raced.
And then—
"Having fun?"
An icy voice suddenly echoed from behind him.
Izumi froze.
Slowly turning around, he found two familiar figures glaring at him.
Eris.
And Asuna.
Both wore terrifying smiles.
The kind that made even heroes question their life choices.
Stella immediately shot to her feet.
"L-Leader!"
"Lady Eris!"
"I-I can explain—"
"You don't need to."
Eris cut her off instantly.
"Stella."
"Step aside."
"If I don't beat this idiot to death today, I'm not worthy of being called the Goddess of Luck."
She cracked her knuckles.
A frightening aura erupted around her.
"Bastard!"
"Take this!"
Her divine power exploded as she launched herself toward Izumi.
Unfortunately for her—
The next instant, space itself froze.
Eris stopped mid-charge.
Asuna was immobilized as well.
Neither could move a single finger.
Izumi folded his arms and looked at them with utter disdain.
"Ah... women."
"Do you honestly think I'd let myself get punched?"
Then he turned back toward Stella as though nothing had happened.
"Don't mind them."
"Now then, Stella."
"Where were we?"
Stella stared blankly at the scene before her.
Her mind had completely stopped functioning.
Ah...
This man...
Seriously... what kind of person is he?!