— — — — — —
A maid entered, poured Shiroyasha another hot cup of tea, and left.
"Hmm..." Shiroyasha stuck out her tongue, set down her own teacup, then took out another ceramic cup and poured a serving of chilled tea.
"Cold tea suits you best," she said dryly.
The moment her words fell, the square tatami mat in front of her abruptly began to change.
Its pale yellow surface darkened to a deep violet. The length shrank, the width stretched, and the thickness thinned. Its perfect square warped into something twisted, carrying a subtle but undeniable malice.
If one looked closely, they'd see it now resembled a distorted doorway, marked with faintly sinister patterns.
Shiroyasha raised an eyebrow at the sight and scoffed.
"Cut the theatrics. Keep stalling and I'll sell the news of your escape to the Greeks. I'm sure they'd pay handsomely for it."
From the other side of the warped door came a voice—light, youthful, and faintly mocking. "Such uncivilized manners."
A girl stepped through—long hair the same deep violet as the doorway, a face caught between youthful innocence and dangerous allure, every inch of her radiating the strange beauty of a starborn monster.
Shiroyasha's expression turned amused as she spotted the newcomer's detail.
"Well, if it isn't Algol. I thought you had broken free, but… just an avatar, huh?"
"Better to stay in a prison than come out and see your ugly face. At least in there, my beautiful eyes aren't polluted."
Algol walked straight to the tea table, sat down, lifted the cup of chilled tea, took a small sip—then immediately spat it out with a sharp "pff!"
"This is what the mighty ShiroYoruMaou serves her guests?"
"For an unwelcome guest, this is more than generous," Shiroyasha replied with an exaggerated eye roll.
"I didn't kick you out the moment you arrived—only because we're old acquaintances."
"Oh? And not because you're afraid the Greeks will track me to you and drag you into it?" Algol's tone was pure mockery.
"Tch."
Shiroyasha clicked her tongue, visibly irritated.
She wasn't about to admit it, but Algol was right. If news of this avatar's appearance here got out, Athena herself would probably be banging on her door within minutes.
Sure, Athena had left the 'job' of guarding Algol to Perseus, but even a fool could tell something about that arrangement stank.
Algol knew it too. It was bait—an elaborate trap meant to provoke her into revealing her escape method. No one in Little Garden hated the thought of Algol breaking free more than the goddess of wisdom, and nothing she set up was ever simple.
Seeing Shiroyasha's face twist in annoyance, Algol's lips curved into a bright, smug smile. She pulled out a small mirror and fussed with her hair.
"You know, ShiroYoruMaou, no matter how many times I see it, your groveling-to-the-gods act is always disgustingly ugly."
"You were sealed by an ugly woman."
"…With your power bound by the Buddhist sect, you really never thought of doing anything about it?"
"You were sealed by an ugly woman."
Algol's eye twitched. She snapped the mirror shut and flung the tea in her cup at Shiroyasha.
"Are you looking for a fight?"
The tea droplets never reached her. Golden flames licked through the air, burning the liquid to nothing.
Shiroyasha grinned, the curve of her mouth full of provocation. "Go ahead. Try me."
She looked as if she'd be disappointed if Algol didn't. The sheer audacity of it was infuriating.
"…Hmph."
Algol shot her a venomous glare. "In Al-chan's rankings, you're second only to that ugly hag Athena."
"Thank you."
Shiroyasha smiled like a pig in the sun, utterly unfazed.
"In that case, please see yourself out. No need to force yourself to work with me if it hurts your precious eyes."
She lifted her cup—not to drink, but to hold in that unmistakable "I'm seeing you off" gesture.
"For old times' sake, I won't tell anyone your avatar's on the loose. But that's all."
"Cowardly ugly ShiroYoruMaou."
Algol muttered the insult, then her body shimmered into violet light and vanished from the room.
When Shiroyasha confirmed she was truly gone, her lips curled into a slow, wicked smile. She tapped the table and chuckled.
"Hah… never thought I'd see the day—Ryo Yagami, of all people, teaming up with Algol. This'll be fun."
And who was Ryo?
The King of Trouble. The undisputed master of making a mess. Shiroyasha had never met anyone better at stirring chaos. Algol working with him was like a sheep inviting a tiger over for tea.
No way she'd be the one profiting from this. Algol wasn't exactly a schemer, and Ryo… well, he'd wring every drop of value out of her.
Shiroyasha leaned back, folding her fan in front of her mouth.
"If she wants to rope me into her revenge against the gods, she must have some kind of trump card. And if she's hanging around with Ryo—and even showing up here herself—"
Her eyes narrowed.
"—then Ryo must've done something in another world that'll piss off the gods big time. At least Ragnarok-level trouble."
If that was true, then teaming up with Algol made perfect sense. He was planning to let her take the fall.
The thought made Shiroyasha's grin sharpen. She already knew how they met—during Perseus's so-called "trial."
Most likely, this avatar had accompanied Ryo to another world, but hadn't been able to relay her full memories back to the real Algol. That gap in intel was almost certainly due to Athena's seal.
Which meant if Ryo was framing her, Algol's true body wouldn't even know until it was too late.
The more she thought about it, the more plausible it seemed—and the more her grin widened.
"In that case, Ryo sending Algol's avatar to me wasn't random. He wants me to connect the dots."
Shiroyasha set her fan down and picked up the decorative conch on the table. She cleared her throat.
"Pass the word—get me Perseus's recent movements. All of them."
She set the conch back, her voice turning almost playful.
"Won't be long before Algol's name is ringing through Little Garden again. Wonder if that narcissist will regret it later."
Then she smirked. "Still… mouthy as ever, but she has gotten prettier. That skin, that face… Kekekekeke…"
Her strange laugh echoed around the room.
---
Before the massive portal connecting Little Garden's outer gates—
Gate 3345—
Ryo suddenly moved, one hand resting on the Zanpakutō at his waist. He could feel it: Algol had returned.
Beside him, Leticia stopped as well, glancing his way.
"It's nothing. We'll talk when we're back," he said, starting forward again.
But in his mind, Algol's voice was a storm of rage: "That flat-chested white-haired freak! How dare she treat Al-chan like that? I'm furious!"
"I offer to team up against the gods and she won't even listen—she'd rather play lapdog to them?!"
Ryo let her rant. He didn't respond, just continued with his own thoughts.
Now that Shiroyasha knew about Algol, she'd probably guessed he'd taken her to another world. And judging by her attitude… she was fine with it.
That made things much easier.
His eyes narrowed in quiet calculation.
"Looks like Perseus's people will be coming to me soon enough," he murmured under his breath.
.
.
.