Izumi quietly slipped into Gensokyo and went to visit Yuyuko Saigyouji.
At the moment, she was lazily lying in the garden, absentmindedly admiring the cherry blossoms.
Normally, the sakura trees in Hakugyokurou should not have been blooming during this season.
But with Izumi around, ordinary logic had long since ceased to matter.
Thanks to the immense power he possessed, the cherry blossoms bloomed whenever Yuyuko wished them to.
The instant Izumi appeared, Yuyuko's eyes sparkled brightly.
She floated up from the veranda and immediately threw herself into his arms.
"Izumi, you came."
Yuyuko tightly hugged him, rubbing against him affectionately as if trying to absorb his warmth.
It had been quite some time since they last met.
Previously, Izumi had been occupied dealing with matters concerning various worlds, leaving him with barely any free time. Yuyuko had tried several times to look for him, but never managed to catch him.
Now that he was finally here, delight overflowed from her eyes.
"Izumi… I want you already!"
Naturally, Izumi understood exactly what she meant.
Still, he gently shook his head.
"No rush."
"I came here today because there's something important I need to do first."
"Don't worry. I'll stay with you for the next few days."
Yuyuko blinked in surprise.
"Something important?"
"What do you need me to do?"
She was more than willing to help him with anything.
Izumi softly patted her head before smiling.
"Today… I'm giving you back your body."
The moment those words fell, he immediately activated his power before Yuyuko could even react.
At the same time, he summoned a gray spiritual essence and fused it directly into her soul.
Izumi had always been especially fond of Yuyuko.
Because of that, the spiritual energy he prepared for her was of the highest grade—no less extraordinary than the one he had once given to Yukari Yakumo.
It was one of the finest spiritual sources within the underworld governed by Izumi himself.
Even across countless dimensions, it could still be considered top-tier.
As the spiritual essence merged into Yuyuko's being, her existence began to transform on a fundamental level.
Under the influence of Izumi's power, her once incorporeal form slowly became tangible.
Yuyuko's eyes widened in shock.
How long had it been since she last experienced this sensation?
Ever since becoming a ghost, she had already grown accustomed to living without a physical body.
And yet now…
Warmth.
Weight.
Touch.
The feeling of truly existing within flesh once more.
It was as though something long dormant inside her had finally awakened.
Joy instantly filled Yuyuko's face.
The moment her body fully stabilized, she immediately grabbed Izumi's hand and pulled him toward the interior of Hakugyokurou.
At last—
She, Yuyuko Saigyouji, had regained a physical body.
How could she not be overjoyed?
And naturally, Izumi had no intention of refusing her invitation.
The two disappeared deeper into the mansion together.
...
Meanwhile, elsewhere in Gensokyo, Yukari Yakumo was enthusiastically chatting with the Halloween Queen.
Both of them possessed powers related to the manipulation of boundaries and realms.
Through their conversation, each gained a deeper understanding of their own abilities.
The Halloween Queen also developed quite a favorable impression of Yukari.
Before parting ways, Yukari warmly invited her to visit again whenever she had free time.
The Halloween Queen naturally accepted.
After agreeing, she departed to meet up with her subordinates and settle future arrangements, as she would be residing here from now on.
Once the Halloween Queen left, Yukari happily went to take a bath.
Afterward, she prepared to visit Yuyuko and share the newly acquired insights she had gained.
As for Izumi?
She had completely forgotten about him.
Unfortunately for her, she had no idea that Izumi was currently with Yuyuko.
So when Yukari arrived at Hakugyokurou…
Everyone froze.
And once Izumi noticed her arrival, there was no way he was going to let her escape so easily.
After all, he still clearly remembered everything Yukari had teased him about before.
...
As a result…
The next few days proved rather unfortunate for Yukari Yakumo.
At the same time, the arrival of the Halloween Queen stirred curiosity throughout the entire world.
Particularly among several powerful individuals under her command.
One example was Scáthach.
When the Scáthach from the Moon World encountered the Scáthach from Little Garden, the two immediately began fighting the moment they met.
Elsewhere, Asuka Kudou finally managed to meet the older sister she had never seen before.
However, learning that her sister was significantly stronger than herself left Asuka deeply depressed.
As a result, she began running around everywhere, determined to earn points and strengthen her abilities as quickly as possible.
During this time, she also became acquainted with Asuna Yuuki and the others.
Before long, she had smoothly integrated into Asuna's friend group.
Asuna warmly welcomed the new addition.
Their circle continued growing larger and larger.
Even Eris had never imagined her Familia would expand to such an extent.
Not only Asuna and the others, but many girls from different worlds had gradually joined as well.
And without exception, nearly all of them possessed extraordinary destiny and fortune.
In other words—
They were heroines from countless other worlds.
This situation also forced Eris to donate an absurd amount of divine blood every single day.
If she had not been a goddess herself, she might have already collapsed from excessive blood loss alone.
Naturally, Eris felt extremely troubled about the whole situation.
There were even moments when she seriously considered abandoning the Familia entirely and running away.