Just as Izumi had predicted, Tendō Kisara's potential was extraordinary.
Rias ended up using four Evil Pieces just to reincarnate her as a demon soldier—an amount rarely needed for anyone outside of high-tier talent. Yet the result was more than satisfying. Kisara's aptitude was simply too perfect for becoming a devil.
Once reincarnated, the mechanical parts embedded in her body—relics of her past—completely vanished, restoring her to the appearance of an ordinary human girl. The sudden liberation from her artificial restraints felt surreal.
The surge of power flowing through her made Kisara freeze in disbelief.
Just four chess pieces, and she had grown several times stronger than she had ever been.
It was beyond imagination.
Meanwhile, Shiba Miori joined Sona Sitri's peerage as a soldier.
Sona even promised to help the Shiba Corporation rebuild its weapon manufacturing base in this world.
Izumi, of course, did not bother getting involved in their "operations."
He was currently far too busy petting a cat-eared loli inside his personal world.
Fuse Midori, the tiny cat-eared girl, was nestled in his arms, melting under his gentle strokes.
She was so absurdly cute that even Avrora and the others kept glancing over, hands twitching as if they wanted to poke her cheeks.
Watching Midori, Izumi's mind wandered.
If I brought this kid to Yukinoshita… would she lose her composure?
Knowing that Yukinoshita was a hardcore cat lover, pairing her with an ultra-adorable cat-eared girl like Midori sounded… interesting.
Very interesting.
Though it was just a fleeting thought.
Izumi patted Midori's fluffy head and smiled:
"Midori-chan, let's go outside for a bit. I'll take you out to play."
Midori blinked up at him, voice soft and trembling:
"R-really? Izumi-sama… is it okay for me to go outside? L-like this?"
"It's fine," Izumi nodded. "There's even another cat-eared girl out there. You two should get along well."
Midori had been brought in by Avrora earlier and never really had the chance to leave Izumi's small world. Now that everything had calmed down, he figured it was a good time to introduce her to Koneko.
Who knew—maybe the two cat-ear girls would become good friends.
The moment Midori heard this, her eyes sparkled with excitement.
Izumi chuckled, took her hand, and stepped out of his world.
As the scenery shifted in an instant, Midori's breath caught—she stared wide-eyed at the living room of the villa.
Everyone inside was already used to Izumi appearing out of nowhere.
But when they saw the adorably tiny girl in his arms…
Instant chaos.
"Eeeeh?! She's so cute! Let me hold her! Please—just once!"
Rias was the first to stand, practically sparkling as she attempted to scoop Midori away.
But Midori refused.
Seeing an unfamiliar big sister trying to steal her from Izumi's embrace, she panicked and hugged him tightly, burying her face into his chest.
Rias froze.
Was she… just rejected?
Meanwhile, Koneko—munching snacks on the sofa—went rigid the moment she saw Midori.
A heartbeat later, white cat ears popped out atop her head.
Revealing her true form, she leaned closer in curiosity.
"Izumi-kun… who is she?"
Was there a nekomata species in that other world too?
Izumi sat down and explained:
"This is Fuse Midori. She's a child infected with a cat-type gastrea strain. Cute, isn't she?
In a sense, she's part of the same 'cat-eared tribe' as you."
Hearing that, Midori shyly peeked at Koneko—and when she saw Koneko's ears, her jaw dropped.
Izumi wasn't lying.
She really was a cat-eared girl too.
Midori fumbled and bowed slightly, cheeks flushed pink.
"U-um… I-I'm Fuse Midori. P-please take care of me."
She was so nervous she actually bit her tongue midway.
Everyone around them melted on the spot.
Within minutes, the room was full of voices calling her cute.
As they got acquainted, Midori gradually loosened up.
Koneko even shared her snacks with her, watching Midori munch with a rare bright expression.
Seeing all this, Rias made her move again:
"Izumi-kun, let me take care of Midori! I want her as my little sister!"
Izumi rejected her without hesitation.
"Nope. Absolutely not."
"Midori is mine. I'm not giving away something this cute. I can afford to raise her just fine."
Rias stared at him, speechless.
"…Izumi-kun, you're not planning something criminal, are you? You know it's at least five years in prison—possibly death penalty, right?"
It was her first time seeing him this attached to a child, and frankly, he looked suspicious.
Midori immediately turned beet-red and practically steamed.
She may have been young, but she understood enough.
Le Fay snickered, chiming in:
"Well, from what I know, Izumi-sama has tens of thousands of cute children inside his miniature world. If they decide to prosecute him… he'll probably never see the outside of a prison again."
…
Everyone's expression twisted in bizarre ways.
"Ara ara~ I didn't think you were into that sort of thing, Izumi-kun," Akeno teased.
"No wonder you haven't touched any of us."
Izumi glared at her.
"Oh? You want me to touch you? Fine. I'll take care of you tonight. Don't back out."
The moment he said that, murderous aura erupted around the room.
Kato Megumi narrowed her eyes sharply.
Another rival?
Just what she needed.
Before the atmosphere could escalate into a battlefield, a timid voice echoed from the doorway:
"Um… excuse me. Is Izumi-senpai here?"
With the door open, Fuse Midori peeked her head in.
Izumi exhaled in relief.
"Cough—Midori, I'm here."
The moment he called her by name, Midori flushed a deep red.
Still, she stepped inside politely.
Rias and the others greeted her warmly—they had already met her when Gabriel brought her earlier, and unlike typical church members, Midori's purity and kindness made her universally likable.
No one held her affiliation against her.