A gentle breeze swept through the air, lifting cherry blossom petals and scattering them across the neatly maintained garden.
Inside a nearby traditional Japanese-style room, a low round table sat atop a tatami mat, exuding an antique charm. Upon it, two freshly brewed cups of tea emitted curling wisps of steam.
A silver-haired loli knelt before the table. Her pointed ears and small black horns complemented her absurdly delicate and youthful face.
However, her expression was anything but youthful—it carried the weight of years, giving her an oddly mismatched aura.
As soon as the teleportation process finished, this was the scene Souta witnessed upon opening his eyes.
The room had an incense burner, and the mingling scents of incense and cherry blossoms filled the air with an intoxicating fragrance.
White Night Demon Shiroyasha beckoned to him with a wave.
"Hmm... you look about how I imagined."
"Come, have a seat. Have some tea."
However, her golden eyes were locked onto the massive pile of risqué outfits that Souta was holding—like a predator eyeing its prey.
Souta's eye twitched.
She was really trying to act proper—offering him tea and all—but her hungry gaze completely betrayed her true nature.
"These are all for you."
Souta unceremoniously dumped the outfits next to the table, took off his shoes at the entrance, and then sat down cross-legged.
"Ohhh! The material of these uniforms is fantastic!"
Shiroyasha's small hands eagerly grabbed one of the outfits, rubbing the fabric between her fingers.
"And the design... it's incredibly unique! Not too revealing, yet ridiculously seductive! You hardly see clothes like these in the Little Garden. Hehehe, Black Rabbit is in for a treat!"
In truth, outer universes beyond the Little Garden had plenty of such outfits, but she couldn't simply venture out and grab them.
As a Floor Master, she had responsibilities. The gods wouldn't allow her to wander freely.
After all, she held 14 Sun Authorities. If she ran away and never came back, who in the infinite cosmos would be able to track her down?
Hearing Shiroyasha's words, Souta silently offered a moment of sympathy for Black Rabbit—exactly 0.1 seconds of it.
Souta then pulled out a stack of transparent cards from his pocket and set them on the table.
"These are the Lifespan Cards and Time Manipulation Tools. In your terms, they're basically Gifts."
"Check if the quantity is enough. If not, Kurumi and I can prepare more after the mission."
Shiroyasha glanced at the cards with mild curiosity.
"These... are like Gift Cards? Sealing Gifts within cards... But you can even store attacks in them? This makes them more versatile than normal Gift Cards."
She picked up one labeled "Time Stop", examining it closely.
Souta offered a quick tip.
"Just think [Use] in your mind, and it'll activate."
"Hmm, let's give it a try."
Without hesitation, Shiroyasha mentally activated the card and lightly pressed it against her body.
Instantly, the power of Time Stop surged forth.
Her expression froze momentarily—but of course, such temporal effects had no impact on a Star Spirit like her.
She wasn't testing whether it worked on her, but rather, she was gauging its strength.
Shiroyasha closed her eyes, feeling the energy flow, and murmured:
"This is indeed time-based power... And quite potent too. It even registers as a minor influence on me, a Star Spirit."
She opened her eyes, nodding approvingly.
"Not bad. These will do. Since I've already agreed to help, I won't squeeze you for more."
Hearing that, Souta finally let out a sigh of relief.
"So... do we head out now?"
Shiroyasha snapped open her folding fan, partially covering her chin. Her expression took on a more serious tone.
"There are a few things about the Little Garden I'd like to ask you, kid. You don't mind sharing some intel, do you?"
"Of course, I won't be prying for free. In return, if you run into trouble in the future, I'll help you again—once."
"Intel, huh... I don't mind."
"But I don't know everything. There might be some questions I can't answer."
If she asked about Queen Halloween's past scandals, he'd have no idea.
"That's fine. Just tell me what you know."
Shiroyasha pondered briefly before asking:
"I can't sense any Spirit Rank from you. How is that possible? Even ordinary humans are born with a trace of Spirit Rank."
Spirit Rank, granted by the world itself, defined a being's rank in the cosmic order.
To exist within the Little Garden, Spirit Rankwas a requirement.
Without Spirit Rank, one could not be observed, meaning their existence would be erased.
Souta thought for a moment and guessed:
"It's probably due to the system's 'Cross-World Synchronization Effect' feature."
"Even though I have no Spirit Rank, I can carry my world's cosmology with me, allowing me to maintain my existence in the Little Garden."
"Cross-World Synchronization Effect..."
Shiroyasha glanced at her system phone, her expression shifting to shock.
If creating item cards was already a minor miracle, then this function outright exceeded the central governing laws of the Little Garden.
Although surprised, she didn't dwell on it and moved on to her next question.
"Kid, do you know about... Ouroboros?"
"Ouroboros? That Demon Lord Alliance?"
Shiroyasha's eyes lit up with an intense gleam.
"Two years ago, my former friend's community, No Name, was annihilated by Ouroboros. You're aware of this, right?"
Souta was about to respond when he suddenly froze in surprise.
"Wait a minute—this is...!?"
Just now, he had intended to say 'Arcadia', but the moment he opened his mouth, the words became 'No Name' instead.
Seeing his confusion, Shiroyasha calmly explained:
"That's just how it is in the Little Garden. A community stripped of its name cannot be called by its original name. Only the new holder of the name can use it."
Souta pondered for a second.
"Even if you write it down?"
"Yes. It's forbidden."
He pulled out his system phone and typed:
Souta: "Shiroyasha, are you referring to Arcadia?"
"Looks like your world's laws don't apply to the system."
Shiroyasha glanced at her phone, her emotions complex.
The system truly surpassed the rules of the Little Garden.
From her questions, Souta now knew exactly when she was from—two years after Arcadia's destruction.
Not long from now, Izayoi and the others would arrive in the Little Garden.