Chapter 57

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

Toya helps Tommy become a disciple of Gants-san.

As part of the results, he returns with a portable shovel.

Diora introduces them to two rental properties.

-- The third one

"This property is about the middle size between the first and second ones. It's a single-story building, but it's spacious enough. It might need some repairs since it's a bit old."

"Is there any particular story about this place?"

Perhaps because of what happened earlier, Haruka looked at Diora with a glare, but Diora smiled wryly and shook her head.

"This one is quite ordinary. It's the home of someone who has lived here since the town was just a village. As you can see, there's a field, but the owner is elderly and now lives in a smaller house in the center of town."

The property is large because the town of Lafan was built by incorporating the entire village and the surrounding fields.

There used to be houses like this around here, but as the town developed, the large plots were divided, and more houses were built, so now there are hardly any left.

"This one costs 12 gold coins, but I think it meets most of your requirements."

"That's quite expensive..."

Haruka said this with a slightly sour expression. While she doesn't know the average rent, considering the cost of staying at the Drowsy Bear Inn, it seems a bit high. In Japan, it would be cheaper in a rural area.

"Haruka, why don't we at least take a look inside?"

"You're right. We came to see a house."

"That's true. Diora, can we go inside?"

"Yes, of course. I'll unlock it now."

Diora unlocked the door, and we went inside, splitting up to look around.

Perhaps because it's less humid here than in Japan, there isn't much rot, but there are signs of water leakage in some areas, and the laundry area is too small to fit a bathtub.

There are four rooms that can be called private, one large room, and a large shed. The biggest issue for me personally is that the kitchen is small and in poor condition.

You've seen Aera's kitchen, right? It's even worse. Honestly, I doubt you could cook good meals here.

After spending some time looking around, we gathered in front of the house again, and our expressions were not good.

"How was it?"

"...It's a bit iffy."

In response to Haruka's question, I hesitated but answered honestly. It's not uninhabitable, but if asked if I want to live here, I would say no.

"No, it's not good."

"I also think this one is a bit... "

Toya answered clearly, and Natuki declined more tactfully. Yuki didn't say anything but smiled wryly, and from her expression, she probably doesn't like this house either.

"I also think this one is a bit strict. It seems a bit expensive... What do you think, Diora?"

"Yes, that might be the owner's sentimental value. They might overvalue it because it's their precious home."

I see. A real estate agent can evaluate the value more objectively, but when it's their own home, they tend to overestimate the good points and underestimate the bad ones.

"Are there any other properties?"

"There aren't many large houses in this area. This is basically a place for the wealthy, so most of the houses are small. If there were similar houses nearby, the value of this one would be lower."

Without competition or comparison, the price remains high. If there were no tenants, the price would likely drop, but since it hasn't, the owner might not be in financial trouble.

"Um, Diora, can we discuss this a bit?"

"Of course. I understand it's a difficult decision. Of course, it's fine if you decide not to rent it."

"Thank you. We'll discuss that too."

We moved a bit away from Diora and leaned in close to each other.

"What do you think?"

"Um, it's a tough one. The first one had no house, and this one is in this condition."

In fact, if we're looking for a habitable house, this is the only one.

"Should we try the second one?"

"Yuki, what are you trying to do?"

"...Exorcism?"

She put her finger to her chin, tilted her head, and said something ridiculous.

"Yuki, are you a shrine maiden or a nun?"

"No, not at all. None of my relatives are involved in religion. If anything, Natuki would look good as a shrine maiden, right?"

Indeed. Haruka's hair color changed when we came here, but Natuki has black hair and a Japanese atmosphere, so she would look good as a shrine maiden.

"Me? Our family isn't from a shrine lineage... Some distant relatives married into a shrine family, but I don't have that blood in me."

"Better than me. I don't know if a shrine maiden would be effective against the ghosts here!"

Yuki, unlike the traditional shrine maiden Natuki, might fit the anime-style shrine maiden. The image of her using a large coin to hit things.

"No, you guys, you're forgetting about Haruka, right?"

"Haruka? An elf shrine maiden, how would that work? --No, that could be interesting?"

She might look good in a kimono. Without a chest, she might be the perfect fit in a way.

"Wrong! It's light magic! 'Purification' is the magic for that!"

"......Ah!? That's right, that's not a cleaning spell!"

"I forgot because it's so convenient."

I didn't expect Toya to point that out. Originally, it was a spell to 'purify unclean things.'

"Haruka?"

"Magically, it's possible, but realistically, it's not."

When I asked Haruka, she gave me that answer.

"If I could do it with my current skills, do you think the noble's mansion would be abandoned?"

"That's true. I was kind of hoping to live in a noble's mansion."

Yuki's push was probably because of that. I can understand her feelings a little.

"Let's organize our thoughts. 'Give up on a large garden and rent another house.' 'Look for a different area where the rent is higher.' 'Give up and continue living in the inn.' 'Build a house on the first property.' I think these are the options, what do you think?"

"Right, those are the options."

We all nodded at the options Haruka presented.

"I don't want to rent a house without a garden. We'd have to go outside the city every time for training, right?"

"We can't do it on the street, either."

"Right. Is everyone in agreement?"

The others nodded in agreement with Toya. Daily training is essential for us, so this is a non-negotiable point.

"Living in the inn was supposed to be a stepping stone to doing things that can't be done in an inn, like alchemy."

We were discussing renting a house to store the tools needed for alchemy and the books required for magic studies. If we continue living in the inn, all of that would be impossible.

"Right. Besides, we want to eat good food and improve our skills, so we want to move out of the inn."

"True. But both remaining options are expensive... How much money do we have right now?"

The rent in a high-end residential area with a large house, or the cost of building a new house, would be quite substantial. Our current funds are crucial, but...

"To be honest, we don't have much. We just ordered chainmail for Yuki and Natuki."

"Sorry."

"We didn't have much money to begin with..."

Yuki and Natuki looked uncomfortable when Haruka said this. But it's a necessary expense. I don't want them to get hurt.

"No, it's fine. We need it."

"True, compared to Toya's, it was cheaper."

Physically, Natuki is about the same size as me, and Yuki is a bit smaller, so the chainmail was a bit cheaper.

Chainmail is made by weaving metal into a chain, so the cost and labor are proportional to the size. In some cases, one large set for Toya could buy two sets for Yuki and Natuki.

"...All the options are off the table, then?"

"That's the case right now."

"So, we need to save money for a while?"

"That's the only option. And I think we should rent the first property and build a house."

"I find the idea of building our own house very appealing... But isn't it a bit wasteful?"

"I also want to rent a good property, but this town is basically a peaceful rural area."

There are few adventurers, and most residents are ordinary civilians who have settled in the town. Many are immigrants who moved to the town as it developed, and most live in their own properties, so there is little demand for single-family rental homes with gardens.

Occasionally, properties for the nobility and wealthy become available due to various circumstances, but they are out of our price range.

"So, if we want to fulfill our wishes, we have to build our own. I want to buy the land from the first property."

"Haruka, are you buying it? Real estate has low liquidity, and cash is better, right? We're not settling here permanently, are we?"

"If there were a bank, you'd be right. We're still low-ranking adventurers, right?"

"I see. So, the low liquidity of real estate is actually an advantage here."

"Exactly. You can't run away with land. If we buy the land, we can sell it even if we leave the town. If we rent, we lose the cost of the building."

"That's true with that contract."

"Also, it shows we're spending money clearly."

"Ah, I see. We might be seen as having a lot of money."

We always bring a considerable amount of dindles. Anyone who knows their value can easily imagine our earnings. In reality, most of our earnings go to weapons and armor, but the only thing that stands out is my spear.

"Ah, what does that mean?"

"In short, if we're seen as having money, we might be attacked, so we should spend it visibly."

Haruka summarized it simply for Toya, who didn't fully understand the implications.

"Ideally, I want to buy the land from the first property, even if we continue living in the inn for a while."

"If we can save 2 gold coins a month, why not build the house first?"

"If we build the house, the owner won't sell. We can get the house for free when we leave."

"Ah, I see."

"Let's ask Diora."

Haruka then called out to Diora, who was standing a bit away, looking around aimlessly.

"Hey, Diora, can we buy the land from the first property?"

"Buy it? The owner prefers to rent it out..."

"Just out of curiosity, what's the market price?"

"In that area, 400 gold coins should be enough, but whether the owner will sell is up to them."

To me, it seems cheap, but Japanese land prices are high, so it's not a fair comparison. At least, the house will be more expensive than the land if we build a decent-sized one. It makes sense that the owner would be willing to rent the land cheaply if they can get the house back later.

"Can you negotiate for us, Diora?"

"Um, negotiate...?"

Diora looked hesitant, and it's understandable since real estate mediation isn't the guild's main business.

"...Naoto, by the way, we made quite a lot of dried dindles, right?"

At Haruka's sudden comment, Diora's eyebrows twitched.

"Yes, we made enough for ourselves and maybe some as gifts."

"Right. They could be good gifts for people who have helped us."

The bait was too obvious, but Diora couldn't ignore it. Her hesitant expression turned into a smile as she approached Haruka.

"H-Haruka? I can't promise anything, but I'll try to negotiate."

"Ah, you don't have to push yourself. We might find land in another area..."

Haruka smiled and said this, despite the obvious bait.

"No, no, of course, we might, but this area is the cheapest! I think it's a good choice!"

"Is that so? Can we ask you to help us?"

"Yes, I'll do my best!"

"We also need to raise funds, so there's no rush. Take your time with the negotiations. If the price is below market value, that's fine, but the lower it is, the more we should thank you."

"I'll do my best!!"

Diora, encouraged by Haruka's words, pounded her chest and said firmly.