Izumi slowly descended from the sky.
The moment his feet touched the ground, he looked at Black Rabbit with an exasperated expression.
"You're way too jumpy, Rabbit-san."
Black Rabbit stared blankly at him.
Not a Demon Lord?
That terrifying aura from earlier had absolutely been the aura of a Demon Lord, okay!?
But Izumi ignored her reaction entirely. Instead, he lifted his gaze toward the heavens with a smile.
"Try not to peek too much."
"Or I might gouge your eyes out."
The instant those words were spoken, all the hidden observers throughout Little Garden recoiled in terror and withdrew their gazes at once.
Seeing the countless presences vanish, Izumi chuckled softly.
Then his attention shifted toward Kudou Asuka and Kasukabe You.
Not bad.
Two adorable girls.
But when his eyes landed on Sakamaki Izayoi—
His brows suddenly rose.
"…A girl disguised as a boy?"
"Tsk tsk."
The moment those words left his mouth, Izayoi's expression changed instantly.
Before she could react, an irresistible force wrapped around her body.
Asuka and You both froze in shock.
Izayoi's originally spiky hair softened and lengthened slightly.
The fake Adam's apple on her throat vanished.
Even parts of her body subtly changed shape.
Not overly dramatic—
But enough to make it obvious she was a girl.
The transformed Izayoi's pupils contracted sharply.
"Who the hell are you!?"
Even her voice had changed into a clear, feminine tone.
Black Rabbit stared blankly at her.
That familiar face…
That now unfamiliar voice…
Her entire mind went blank.
...
Meanwhile, Izumi grinned mischievously.
"So Canary really left quite a few things on you, huh?"
"A form of protection, I suppose?"
The moment the name Canary was mentioned—
Both Izayoi and Black Rabbit were visibly shaken.
Black Rabbit's eyes widened in disbelief.
"I-Izayoi-sama… y-you know Canary-sama!?"
She immediately grabbed Izayoi by the shoulders, her voice trembling with excitement.
Izayoi clicked her tongue irritably and glared at Izumi.
"You've seriously got no manners."
"Messing with other people without permission…"
After grumbling at him, she turned back toward Black Rabbit.
"What?"
"You know that irresponsible woman too?"
The moment she heard that, Black Rabbit became even more emotional.
"W-Where is she!?"
Her silver-blue hair instantly turned pink from emotional overload.
At long last—
News about Canary.
How could she not lose control?
But then—
"She's dead."
Izumi casually dropped the bombshell.
Silence fell instantly.
Izayoi's expression darkened.
Her eyes locked onto Izumi.
"…You seem to know an awful lot."
At that moment, her vigilance toward him rose to an entirely different level.
Who exactly was this man?
And why did he know so much?
As for Black Rabbit—
She collapsed onto the ground.
Tears instantly welled up in her eyes.
"Canary-sama…"
"She's… dead…?"
She had thought she was finally about to hear good news.
Instead—
It was the cruelest answer imaginable.
Nearby, Asuka and You also fell silent.
Watching their reactions, Izumi's smile only deepened with amusement.
"Yep. Dead."
"But if you sell yourself to me…"
"I could revive her."
"So? Interested?"
"Honestly, it's a pretty good deal."
"I've always had a soft spot for rabbits."
"Though I already keep quite a few at home."
"But a color-changing rabbit like you?"
"Very interesting."
The moment those words were spoken—
Black Rabbit froze.
Even Izayoi's eyes widened in shock.
Revival?
Canary could be brought back?
Black Rabbit immediately released Izayoi and rushed toward Izumi, grabbing his hand tightly.
Her eyes overflowed with hope.
"…Really!?"
At that moment, the foolish rabbit had genuinely started considering selling herself if necessary.
She didn't know who Izumi really was.
But if he could truly revive Canary—
Then she would willingly pay any price.
To Black Rabbit, Canary wasn't just a benefactor.
She was family.
Meanwhile, Izayoi remained far calmer.
"You're serious?"
"You're not joking?"
She clearly found it difficult to believe.
Sure, this guy was absurdly powerful—
But reviving the dead?
That sounded impossible.
Hearing her doubts, Izumi merely laughed.
"You underestimate me too much."
Smiling faintly, he lightly squeezed Black Rabbit's hand before continuing.
"Still, let's leave that matter for later."
"When the time comes, come find me."
"I've got other business to deal with first."
As he spoke, several invitation cards appeared in his hand.
He handed one to each of them.
The instant Black Rabbit and the others received the cards—
Information flooded into their minds.
Black Rabbit's pupils shrank.
"A world from another dimension…?"
"Another Little Garden?"
That was her first impression after understanding the contents.
Izumi nodded.
"That's not entirely wrong."
"So when you get the chance…"
"Come visit."
"As for now…"
"I'm going to have a little chat with Taishakuten and the others."
Black Rabbit blinked through teary eyes.
"You mean… Indra-sama?"
"You're serious?"
Indra—
One of the absolute rulers of Little Garden.
And yet this man spoke of meeting him as casually as visiting a neighbor.
Black Rabbit immediately straightened herself and asked respectfully:
"May I ask your name,-sama?"
Izumi didn't hide it.
With a relaxed smile, he introduced himself.
"I'm Izumi."
"…A One-Digit, by the way."
Silence.
Actually—
That last part really wasn't necessary.
Black Rabbit's mind completely froze.
A One-Digit.
An existence at the absolute summit of Little Garden.
Someone like that… truly existed?
And at that moment—
She completely believed Izumi's words.
He really could revive Canary.