"Shattered" meant exactly what it sounded like.
Izayoi had quite literally crushed Yuto's mysterious power with nothing but his fists and feet.
Whether it was destructive Kidō capable of blowing apart enemies, or binding spells meant to restrain and immobilize—every strand of spiritual force Yuto unleashed was smashed to pieces in front of Izayoi as if it were nothing more than fragile glass.
And Yuto could feel it.
The force Izayoi used to break his power didn't come from superhuman physical ability alone. It was something else. A different kind of strength altogether.
Which made him even more troublesome.
Yuto's original plan had been simple: bind Izayoi with a sealing spell and withdraw. But if the other boy could shatter Kidō itself, then that plan had already gone up in smoke.
"Kidō: Scarlet Flame Cannon!"
Fireballs erupted from Yuto's mouth as if they cost him nothing at all. One after another, blazing projectiles tore through the forest air. And each time Izayoi smashed them apart, Yuto seized the opening and charged in, hammering him with a ruthless barrage of blows.
The entire forest trembled.
Trees toppled in waves. The ground caved in beneath them, pocked with craters of varying sizes from the sheer violence of their clash.
If this had been back in their original world, some environmental protection agency would've fined them into oblivion.
The battle dragged on for dozens of minutes.
Ironically, the one taking most of the hits was Izayoi.
Until—
As though the forest itself had finally reached its breaking point, a figure suddenly appeared between them and forcibly brought the fight to a halt.
"P-Please, both of you, stop fighting! The outer gate forest may be unclaimed territory, but if you cause too much of a disturbance and draw Lady Shiroyasha's attention… Black Rabbit will be punished again!"
The one who appeared between Yuto and Izayoi was a blue-haired girl with an exceedingly sweet face—and an absurdly voluptuous figure.
But more importantly—
She was dressed in an extremely provocative bunny-girl outfit.
Thigh-high stockings. A dangerously short skirt. A pure, innocent face paired with attire that was anything but.
The contrast gave her an oddly intoxicating air—half angelic, half dangerously suggestive.
"A bunny girl?"
"A wild rabbit?"
"Black Rabbit? As in… a black rabbit?"
"A rabbit yokai? So, like, a rabbit spirit?"
Black Rabbit's self-introduction instantly caught the attention of Yuto and the three problem children.
In fact, the trio didn't even hesitate—they reached out and grabbed her long ears and fluffy tail.
When they discovered both were real, they became even more animated.
"These seem authentic."
"Does Earth even have a species like this?"
"A rabbit wearing a bunny outfit… that's kind of hilarious."
For some reason, watching Black Rabbit being tugged around by Izayoi and the others made Yuto feel an unexpected twinge of sympathy.
Still—
With the three problem children distracted, this was his chance.
He silently offered a moment of mourning for the poor, helpless rabbit—
And turned to leave.
But despite being bullied, Black Rabbit had clearly been paying attention.
The moment Yuto moved to slip away—
She exploded.
"Honestly! You problem children, please show some restraint! Black Rabbit is a noble of Little Garden—not an ordinary rabbit, and definitely not some rabbit spirit! And you over there, problem child sir, please don't sneak off! At least let Black Rabbit finish speaking!"
In a flash, the girl called Black Rabbit burst forward with speed no weaker than Izayoi's and blocked Yuto's path.
Yuto, however, showed no particular interest in her.
"So you're the one who sent them those invitation letters," he said flatly. "But I didn't receive any such invitation. Which means I'm not the person you're looking for. I have urgent matters to attend to. Please don't involve me."
Since he had arrived at the same time and place as Izayoi and the others, Black Rabbit had assumed he was one of the problem children.
Yuto corrected her immediately. He wasn't with them—and he intended to leave.
Izayoi and the others radiated trouble.
So did Black Rabbit.
If possible, Yuto wanted nothing to do with any of them.
Honestly, in his eyes, Black Rabbit wasn't exactly normal either.
What kind of sane person wandered through a forest dressed as a bunny girl?
Black Rabbit blinked at his words.
Then she realized something.
She had only sent out three invitations.
But there were four of them here.
Meaning—
As Yuto claimed, he must have entered Little Garden by some other method.
Even so, after only a brief hesitation, she stepped in front of him again, her expression firm.
"What? Are you a battle-hungry rabbit too, like that delinquent over there?"
"N-No! Black Rabbit isn't that kind of problem child! Black Rabbit simply hopes that Mr. Yuto will listen to her request before deciding!"
It wasn't strange that she knew his name.
She had been hiding nearby from the beginning, observing them carefully.
Originally, she had planned to intervene and help them land safely.
But these problem children were outrageous. Each more ridiculous than the last. They didn't need her help at all.
She was supposed to step forward the moment they arrived.
Instead, she hid.
And then… forgot she was hiding.
It wasn't until the explosive clash between Yuto and Izayoi shook the forest that this foolish rabbit finally remembered her duty.
At the same time, through observation, she realized something else.
The people she had invited to Little Garden this time were anything but ordinary.
The two girls—Asuka Kudō and Yō Kasukabe—were difficult to read. She couldn't yet grasp the nature of their "Gifts."
But the two boys—
Their Gifts were top-tier. Without question.
That was precisely why, even after realizing Yuto hadn't been invited by her, she still refused to let him leave.
The Community she belonged to was on the verge of dissolution.
The more powerful Gift holders they had, the better.
Even if the chances were slim, she had to try.
So she began explaining.
"Little Garden is a stage created so that those who possess great power—Gift holders—may live interesting and fulfilling lives."
This world housed countless races and an immense cosmology.
Humans.
Vampires.
Dragon species.
Even gods and star spirits.
A "Gift" was the power an individual possessed.
That power could refer to abilities, race, bloodline—anything.
Simply put—
Yuto's half-yokai bloodline would also qualify as a Gift in Little Garden.
And here, Gifts could even be removed from the body, traded, or used in games.
Those games were known as—
"Gift Games."
A Gift Game was a competition using one's Gift.
Its structure was simple: the winner received a prize provided by the game's host.
As long as the rules met the standards and both sides agreed, a Gift Game could begin.
You didn't have to wager your own Gift. Anything could serve as a stake.
In Little Garden—
Everything was negotiable.
But if you did wager your Gift and lost—
Your Gift would be claimed by the victor.
The winner takes all.
The loser loses everything.
Gift Games were the mainstream of Little Garden.
Disputes, territorial conflicts, battles over talent or wealth—
All of it was resolved through Gift Games.
And in this world whose surface area rivaled that of a star, groups formed by nations or races were known as "Communities."
Black Rabbit had sought out Izayoi and the others in another world precisely to invite them into her Community.
"Well then! Black Rabbit has explained the basics of Little Garden!"
She smiled brightly.
"To help you better understand the nobles of Little Garden, how about a Gift Game with Black Rabbit?"
Still dressed in her scandalous bunny outfit, she pulled a deck of playing cards from her chest while explaining the rules.
A moment later—
A parchment descended from the sky.
Little Garden's central authority had acknowledged the Gift Game.
————————
Gift Game Name: Find the King in the Deck
Participant 1: Black RabbitParticipant 2: Yuto Tendo, Izayoi Sakamaki, Asuka Kudō, Yō Kasukabe
Victory Condition for Participant 2: Without touching the playing cards by hand to confirm, identify the King in the deck. Only one attempt is allowed.
Victory Condition for Participant 1: If Participant 2 fails to fulfill their condition, Participant 1 wins.
If Participant 1 wins, Participant 2 must join Participant 1's Community as requested.
————————
Watching the parchment fall from thin air, Yuto and the others couldn't help but marvel.
It had truly materialized out of nowhere.
This world really did operate as Black Rabbit described—everything determined through Gift Games.
However—
After only a glance at the rules, they immediately noticed something off.
The game listed only the penalty if they lost.
There was no reward if they won.
From the standpoint of equal exchange—
They were getting the short end of the stick.
They might be problem children.
But they weren't idiots.
The foolish rabbit in front of them was clearly trying to trick them into a binding agreement under the excuse of "helping you understand Gift Games."