Izumi tilted his head slightly as he looked at Tamamo-no-Mae.
"So? What brings you here?" he asked calmly. "Don't tell me you came all this way just to say hello."
At his words, Tamamo-no-Mae let out a playful giggle.
"I was simply curious," she replied, her golden eyes narrowing with amusement. "I wanted to see for myself what kind of person could make those two girls so wary."
She licked her lips faintly.
"And now… I've seen you."
There was something she left unsaid.
With just one glance… I've taken a liking to you.
This incarnation had descended alone—no Tamamo Cat, no split personalities. Just her.
As the avatar of the White-Faced Golden-Furred Nine-Tailed Fox, Tamamo-no-Mae possessed the ability to see into the essence of others. In all her long years of existence, this was the first time she had encountered someone as… exceptional as Izumi.
Of course, Izumi had no idea what was running through her mind.
He simply nodded.
"I see. Then you've satisfied your curiosity," he said plainly. "You can head back now."
He liked Tamamo-no-Mae, certainly. But that didn't mean he'd let anyone stay just because they showed up.
He wasn't that easy.
At least, that was what he told himself.
But Tamamo-no-Mae shook her head.
"I didn't participate in the Heroic Spirit competition," she said sweetly. "So… let me stay here."
She had her own little agenda, after all. There was no way she'd leave so easily.
—
Hearing that she intended to remain, Illyasviel and the others were stunned.
This was the legendary great yōkai of folklore. Why did she look like a clingy high school girl?
Izumi twitched slightly at the corner of his mouth, unsure how to respond.
Was this what they called delivering yourself to the doorstep?
After a brief internal grumble, he ultimately didn't refuse.
If she wanted to stay, then so be it.
It didn't matter much to him.
And just like that, a little fox joined Izumi's side.
Before long, she had already blended seamlessly with the girls around him.
Watching the scene unfold, Izumi couldn't help but admire her social skills.
Still, he didn't linger on it.
Instead, his gaze shifted downward—to the gathered Heroic Spirits below.
After a full day of work, Jeanne d'Arc and the others had collected nearly all the Spirit Origins.
Among them was the one Izumi had been waiting for the most.
Katsushika Hokusai.
When the Spirit Origin was delivered to him, Izumi broke into a smile.
He turned toward Eriri.
"Eriri," he said, lifting the crystalline core in his hand. "The thing you've been waiting for has arrived."
Eriri hurried over, eyes fixed on it in disbelief.
"That's… Katsushika Hokusai's Spirit Origin?" she asked, almost breathless. "Seriously?"
The legendary ukiyo-e master.
After Izumi had explained everything to her, she'd learned just how extraordinary this world's version of Hokusai truly was.
It was the perfect Spirit Origin for her.
Tamamo-no-Mae, watching from the side, finally understood.
So that was why he had been collecting Spirit Origins.
He wasn't hoarding power for himself.
He was preparing them—for these girls.
"I see…" she murmured softly.
Izumi nodded and pointed toward the group of foreign Heroic Spirits seated together below.
"There," he said. "That's Katsushika Hokusai."
Following his finger, Eriri finally laid eyes on her.
She froze.
"Wait… what?"
The figure seated there wasn't some elderly bearded artist.
It was a cute girl.
"You're kidding me. That's Hokusai?"
Wasn't he supposed to be an old man?!
Why had he turned into a girl?
Izumi's lips twitched.
Well… what could you expect?
Between Takeuchi and Nasu, genderbending historical figures had long since become standard practice.
"Don't sweat the details," he said with a shrug. "In this world, even King Arthur is a woman."
And that was that.
"Alright," he continued. "Let's begin."
Without hesitation, Izumi pressed the Spirit Origin into Eriri's body.
The moment it fused—
Below, Katsushika Hokusai's eyes flicked upward.
"…Hm?"
She clearly sensed it.
"They're using my Spirit Origin on someone else?" she muttered, a slight frown forming.
She was about to resist—to cause the Spirit Origin to reject its host—
But then she paused.
"…Oh?"
A faint smile curved her lips.
"How interesting."
She could feel it.
The girl receiving her Spirit Origin was… the same kind of person.
An artist.
A creator.
And more than that—
She stopped her thoughts there, her smile deepening.
Rather than resist, she actively assisted.
The fusion accelerated.
Up above, Izumi had noticed the fluctuation. He'd prepared himself for interference.
But instead, it went smoothly.
Recognition.
So in the same world, a Spirit Origin required the Heroic Spirit's acknowledgment before merging with someone else.
He glanced thoughtfully at Hokusai.
She was looking back at him.
Izumi smiled at the foreign god-possessed artist.
Then he turned to Eriri.
The fusion was complete.
Eriri's clothes had transformed into a dark, otherworldly outfit adorned with writhing tentacle-like motifs and blinking eye patterns.
Her figure remained modest—but somehow, the aesthetic suited her perfectly.
Izumi clicked his tongue in admiration.
"Not bad," he said. "You've jumped straight to A-Rank."
Eriri blinked, still overwhelmed by the flood of knowledge in her mind.
"Give it time," Izumi continued. "Once you master it, you'll reach A+. Maybe even S."
Right now, she couldn't properly use her Noble Phantasm yet. In his eyes, her overall combat power was still limited.
But even so—
She had gained Divinity.
In time, she might reach S+. Perhaps even transcend that tier entirely.
Without hesitation, Izumi infused her with the mark of his own world.
In the next instant, Eriri was incorporated into his divine system.
She didn't even question it.
Instead, she excitedly examined the power surging through her.
"This is incredible!" she exclaimed. "There are so many abilities in my head!"
She extended her hand.
A massive pen materialized.
Unlike Hokusai's brush, Eriri's was a sleek, oversized fountain pen.
Izumi nodded approvingly.
"Take some time to get used to it," he said. "And afterward, go thank the original owner."
He gestured toward Hokusai below.
Without her approval—
This fusion would never have succeeded.