Chapter 56

Summary of the previous episode ------------------------------------------------------

We made tonkatsu and ate it together.

Aera also liked it, so we plan to sell tonkatsu sandwiches to take home.

The price is a concern, so Naoto and the others decided to supply the boar directly to Aera.

"Wow, I heard that the Inspire Sauce was delicious, but it was really, really good?"

"Really. I can't believe such a casual sauce can be so good."

We returned to the Drowsy Bear Inn, and after Haruka purified us and we changed into our room clothes, we chatted in front of the jar of sauce we brought back.

"You're practically selling a challenge to the sauce makers. --I don't know the details, but..."

They must have done a lot of research and spent a lot of time making oyster sauce and Worcestershire sauce.

"But thanks to this sauce, our meals will be much more fulfilling from now on."

"Seriously, that's true! Naoto going to Aera's shop is definitely the best move since we came to this world!"

"Say it with conviction. --I can't deny it."

"We were almost despairing of the food in this world because the first thing we ate was that dish in Saarstadt, but there are good things in certain places, huh."

"No, no, most of it is bad, so you can't let your guard down. Of the meals we ate in this town, 80% were at a level we never want to eat again."

We don't go out to eat very often, but apart from this inn, the only place I would consider going back to is that fancy café. Even that place, now that we know Aera's shop, I probably won't go back.

"But even with the sauce, it won't mean anything unless we cook ourselves. Haruka, how about the house?"

"Well, my guidance is officially over today, so I'm supposed to show you a few candidates tomorrow. Let's all go see them."

"Wow, I'm looking forward to it. Having our own house is something to dream about, isn't it?"

"Sure, if we could, I'd like to build a house to our liking, but that's a dream for the future, right?"

"No, no, it's impossible for us to build a new house at our age. ...Isn't it?"

"Maybe in the countryside. We are adults, after all?"

It's possible. Kaei, you're amazing.

We can't say it's impossible for us... Considering we had about 10 million yen a week ago.

But, of course, it was easily blown away by buying equipment, so as long as we continue to be adventurers, it will probably be impossible in the near future.

"By the way, what about Toya? Is everything done?"

"Of course! Just wait a moment."

Toya then brought out a metal plate and a rod?

"That's not a shield..."

"Is it a shovel?"

"Nice! Yuko, you got it! It's a portable shovel."

Toya said this and inserted the rod into the metal plate, and sure enough, it became a shovel.

"I wanted to make a folding one like the Self-Defense Forces use, but it was technically impossible, so I made an assembly one. The old Japanese army used something like this, apparently?"

We looked at what Toya handed us.

The metal part is only about the size of a paperback, but it has a place to put your foot, and it seems convenient for digging holes. The tip is well-forged and sturdy, but apart from the handle coming off, it's just a regular shovel.

"Is this your trump card? You went to introduce Toya as a disciple, right?"

Toya probably judged that it was okay to introduce him based on Tommy's serious work over the past few days and his personality in the original world, but to Ganz, he's just a person brought by a customer.

Isn't a shovel a weak trump card?

"No, no, shovels are actually pretty amazing. Some say it's the 'most lethal personal weapon' in some circles."

"Hmm, but that's irrelevant, right?"

Indeed, Ganz mainly deals with weapons and armor, but he didn't try to sell the shovel as a weapon.

"Of course, as a tool for digging holes."

"True, we don't sell shovels, but there are similar items, right?"

"No, no, shovels in this form are relatively recent. There were hoe-like tools in the past."

It was in the textbook. It was just a wooden one with a metal tip.

The tip is pointed, you can put your foot on it to apply force, and you can carry the soil you scoop up. That's important.

Indeed, if it doesn't exist, it seems like a tool that could sell. It's useful for civil engineering and as an adventurer, it's handy to have one.

It's important to have a tool to dig holes for the toilet or camping. You can manage with a hoe, but it's really hard to use.

"Well, it's important that it sells, but I also wanted to show the effort he put into making it. I think Ganz accepted him as a disciple partly because of that."

"Oh, so he was accepted as a disciple?"

"Yeah. Tommy was happy, I got to experience blacksmithing, and I got a shovel. Not a bad outcome, right?"

He thought more and achieved more than I expected. To be honest, it was unexpected. What was that about aiming to be a 'brain muscle'?

Yuko and the others nodded in admiration or looked at the shovel.

Well, Toya is pretty good at taking care of people, after all.

"Well, Waka, --you called him Tommy, right? It's reassuring that he got a stable job."

"Yes. It's troublesome to have problems, but my classmates are not enemies, so if possible, I'd like to help each other."

Natsuki said this kindly, but Haruka nodded with a wry smile.

"Yeah, as long as they're not landmines."

"Right. That's why we can't casually look for classmates."

"Contacting them alone could cause problems..."

They looked at each other and sighed heavily.

Apart from us, it's one win and one loss between Waka and Ume. ...No, we haven't met directly, but there are already Tanaka and Takahashi who have been eliminated, and 7 or 8 others whose names we can't identify. Considering this, the win rate is less than 10%.

The risk of contact is too high.

Of course, it's possible that the landmines have already been eliminated and most of the remaining classmates are normal. But...

◇ ◇ ◇

The next day, we all went to see the properties at a time when Diora was a little free.

She introduced us to three properties in total, and we went to see them in order.

--- First property

"This property is characterized by its large garden. It should provide ample space for practicing with swords or spears or for mock battles."

"No, Diora, isn't this just a garden? There's no house, right?"

"No, no, there is a building over there, isn't there?"

"It's there, but isn't it just a shed?"

The first property Diora showed us was a vast piece of land, about 5 to 6 times the size of the Drowsy Bear Inn.

The entire area was overgrown with grass and trees, a vast empty lot. There was a building in one corner of the property, but as Haruka said, it was just a shed, no matter how generously you looked at it.

"Originally, there was a large mansion here. But it gradually fell into disrepair and was eventually demolished. Abandoned buildings can become gathering places for unsavory people."

In Japan, the vacant house problem was serious, but the biggest issue was that a collapsing house could cause trouble for the neighbors. The land was too small.

There were stories of abandoned buildings becoming hangouts for delinquents, but I never heard of homeless people moving into ordinary vacant houses. Is it because homeless people in Japan are mostly in cities, or because the police function well...?

"Diora, the garden is as we requested, but the building... it's not even close to what we want."

When I said this, Diora nodded as if to say she understood and said,

"Here, the building is just a bonus. They said it can be removed if it's in the way."

"Meaning we have to build our own house?"

"Yes. Then you can have the house you want. And the rent is only 2 gold coins a month for this much land!"

2 gold coins, that's 2,000 ria. It does seem cheap, but I don't know the market rate here.

"But the condition is that you leave the house as it is when you move out."

"Of course, we won't tear it down when we leave."

It would be a waste to demolish it, and it would be an asset for the landlord to have a building left behind. But when I said this, Natsuki shook her head and whispered,

"(No, Naoto. In Japan, when you rent land, you usually have to return it to its original state, which means removing all buildings and structures.)"

"(Is that so?)"

"(Yes. Sometimes it can be used as a tenant-occupied property, but usually it's just a nuisance. And when you move out, it's usually because there's some problem.)"

If it's a comfortable home, you won't move out, and if it's a profitable business, you won't close it.

If it's old and you move out, you don't need such a house, and if it's not profitable and you close it, you won't find a tenant for a similar business.

So, landlords don't want to leave the buildings as they are. In Japan, they also have to pay property tax on the buildings, so they have to pay for demolition and maintenance.

"(But in residential areas, having a house can reduce the tax rate, so it's not always better to have an empty lot.)"

"(This world is different, I guess.)"

I don't know the tax system here, but I doubt it has the same detailed tax laws as Japan.

So far, the only tax we've paid explicitly is one large silver coin to enter the city.

It might be included in the guild's sales or the inn's fees, but...

"Hmm, it does seem to meet our requirements, but it's financially difficult."

"Right. Diora, do you know how much it would cost to build the kind of house we want?"

When Yuki asked this, Diora put her hand to her mouth and thought for a moment before answering.

"Well... if we save on everything, it might cost around 100 large gold coins."

"No way! It's impossible!"

"Yes, that's true. That amount is quite a lot."

When Diora said this, Yuki and Natsuki immediately said it was impossible, but on the other hand, I, Toya, and Haruka fell silent.

We actually had that much money not too long ago.

There was a special demand for Dindur, but it wasn't an impossible amount...

Diora probably knew this, which is why she introduced this property. Most of our transactions have been through Diora.

Thinking about this, the three of us looked at each other and sighed.

"Diora, let's put this on hold for now. Can you show us the next one?"

"Right. It's not a decision we can make quickly."

"Wait, Haruka, you're putting it on hold, not rejecting it? That amount is impossible!"

"Not exactly. It's a hold that's almost a rejection. Let's