Rias's question immediately silenced the entire room.
Who would know where Izumi had gone?
To begin with, none of them could even confidently say how many acquaintances, allies, and friends Izumi actually had.
His network stretched across countless worlds.
Trying to figure out where he might be hiding was nearly impossible.
Seeing that nobody answered, Rias could only rub her forehead.
A deep sense of helplessness washed over her.
"Honestly..."
"What a headache."
She let out a long sigh before continuing.
"So what are we supposed to do now?"
The moment she finished speaking, Rin Tohsaka snorted.
"What else can we do?"
"Everyone can just go home."
"I'm leaving."
"This is seriously boring."
Without waiting for anyone to respond, Rin stood up and left with Sakura Matou.
Following behind them were Irisviel von Einzbern and several others.
Seeing them leave, the remaining girls exchanged glances.
Eventually, they also decided there was no point staying.
One after another, they dispersed.
And just like that, the coalition that had originally gathered to hunt down Izumi dissolved without accomplishing anything.
Watching everyone leave, Rias and Sona Sitri exchanged helpless looks.
Both of them sighed simultaneously.
"Let's go too," Rias said.
"Since we're already here, we might as well look around."
"It's been a while since I've visited this place."
A faint smile appeared on her face.
Recently, she had been occupied with matters in the world of High School DxD and had not visited Dimension City.
Since she had finally made the trip, she intended to enjoy herself.
Sona naturally had no objections.
Even if Izumi had escaped, that didn't mean they couldn't spend some time exploring.
Soon, the girls who had gathered for the "capture operation" split up and began wandering throughout Dimension City.
...
Meanwhile, the culprit himself remained completely unaware of these developments.
At that very moment, Izumi was comfortably hiding out with Kaguya Houraisan.
The two were sitting in front of their computers, immersed in online games.
Here, Izumi felt perfectly safe.
Very few people even knew Kaguya's location.
Aside from Gaia and Alaya, nobody knew that Izumi had dragged Kaguya out from the depths of the internet and given her a place here.
And neither Gaia nor Alaya would ever expose him.
As a result, this hideout was practically impregnable.
...
While controlling her character, Kaguya shot Izumi a suspicious glance.
"Is it really okay for you to stay here all day?"
"Aren't you worried they'll eventually find you?"
Without even looking up, Izumi replied,
"I'm not worried at all."
"Quit talking and get over here."
"I need backup."
"The enemy team is trying to gank me."
Kaguya glanced at his monitor.
Then her expression turned strange.
"...Seriously?"
"Are you cheating in a video game?"
"Is that really necessary?"
"Send me the program too."
"The enemy jungler has targeted me five times already!"
Izumi immediately protested.
"I'm not cheating!"
"I'm just applying a tiny bit of my abilities to the game."
"As an upright and honest person, how could I possibly cheat?"
"Stop slandering me!"
Naturally, there was no way he would admit it.
Not a chance.
Unfortunately for him, Kaguya looked at him with complete contempt.
"Yeah, sure."
"Your skin is thicker than the moon itself."
"Go to hell."
The two continued bickering back and forth.
Days passed in this fashion.
Izumi remained hidden away in Kaguya's residence, gaming and arguing with her.
Eventually, however, even Kaguya reached her limit.
...
One day, she pointed at the door.
"I don't need you anymore."
"Go bother someone else."
SLAM!
The door closed right in front of him.
Izumi stared at the firmly shut entrance.
The corner of his mouth twitched.
"As expected of you..."
"The moment you're satisfied, you throw people away."
Shaking his head, he stopped dwelling on it.
With a flash of light, he disappeared.
...
A moment later, Izumi returned to his own residence.
Since the girls had already left, there was no danger of immediately being surrounded.
Back home, he settled down and resumed observing the development of his world.
At the same time, he began considering what he should do next.
Lately, things had become rather monotonous.
Just as his thoughts started wandering, something suddenly caught his attention.
His gaze shifted toward a distant area beyond the world's boundaries.
Several familiar figures had gathered there.
Algol.
The Halloween Queen.
And Shiroyasha.
The three infamous troublemakers were standing together, apparently discussing something important.
Behind them stood numerous companions.
The Halloween Queen's followers.
Algol and her newly acquired little sister.
As well as Avrora Florestina, who had somehow been dragged into Shiroyasha's sphere of influence.
The moment Izumi saw the group, he couldn't help laughing.
"Those troublemakers are definitely planning something."
After carefully examining the situation, his expression became increasingly strange.
"So that's what's happening."
"Little Garden is about to merge with my world."
"And they're already preparing for the chaos that'll follow."
In only a few days, Little Garden would officially become part of Izumi's expanding universe.
The moment that happened, a major conflict would likely erupt.
And judging from what he could sense, the target was none other than the forces of Greek Mythology.
Izumi rolled his eyes.
"Of course they'd choose violence immediately."
Snap.
With a simple flick of his fingers, a figure suddenly appeared before him.
It was Senju Kayo.
The young girl blinked in confusion before quickly recognizing him.
"Izumi-oniichan!"
"Where have you been these past few days?"
"Rias-san and the others have been searching everywhere for you."
Her expression became rather complicated.
After all, the story of Izumi fleeing from his own date had already spread among everyone.
Hearing her words, Izumi immediately rolled his eyes.
"Let's not talk about that."
"I called you here because I need something."
Kayo straightened up.
"What is it?"
Izumi pointed toward the distant gathering of troublemakers.
"Go ask everyone if they're interested in causing trouble in Little Garden again."
"If they are, tell them to find Algol and the others."
"Little Garden is about to merge with our world."
"There'll probably be a huge war once it happens."
"Anyone who wants to join the fun is free to participate."
The moment she heard that, Kayo's eyes sparkled.
A huge battle?
A chance for another adventure?
For someone like her, that was far more exciting than anything else.
And judging by how many battle-loving girls lived around Izumi...
The upcoming conflict was about to become much, much larger than anyone expected.