--The third house

The size of the site here is between the first and second houses. The building is a one-story house, but it has a good amount of space. It's a little old and may need some repairs.

Is there anything special about this place?

　Haruka looked at Diora with a frown, perhaps because of what had just happened, but Diora laughed and shook her head.

It's normal here. As you can see, there is a field here, but he has grown old and now lives in a small house in the center of town.

　The reason why the site is so large is because the town of Laffan was built by taking in the entire village and the fields that used to surround it.

　There used to be houses like this around here too, but as the town grew, houses were built by dividing the large plot of land, and now there are hardly any left.

This place costs 12 gold coins, but I think it fulfills Haruka and her friends' needs quite well.
It's quite expensive .......

　I don't know what the rent is, but I'm not sure.
　I don't know the market rate for rent, but it seems a little high considering the cost of accommodation at the Bear Pavilion.
　It is probably cheaper in other parts of Japan.

Haruka, would you like to take a look inside?
"Yes. We're here to see the house.
That's true. Ms. Diora, may I come in?
Yes, of course. I'll open the door.

　Ms. Diora unlocked the door and we went inside, where we split up and looked around.

　There were not many rotten parts, probably because it was less humid than in Japan, but there were some leaks, and the laundry room was too small to put a bath tub.

　There are four private rooms, one large room, and a large barn. The biggest problem for me personally is that the kitchen is small and in poor condition.

　You may have seen the kitchen of Aella's place the other day, but it is so bad. To be honest, I wonder if it is possible to make good food here.

　After taking some time to look around, we gathered again in front of the house and looked at each other, but the expressions on our faces were not good.

How did it go?
......

　I answered Haruka's question with some hesitation.
　It's not that I can't live there, but if you ask me if I want to, I'd say no.

"No, you can't.
I'm not sure I want to live here either. ......

　Despite the fact that Diora was there to introduce them, Toya answered clearly and Natsuki refused modestly. Yuki is smiling without saying anything, but from the expression on her face, it seems that Yuki doesn't like this house either.

I think it's a little hard for me too, this house. I think it's a bit expensive. ....... Don't you think so, Diora?
"Well, I guess that's the landlord's way of compensating for the memories. It's their precious house, so they overestimate it a little. ......

　I see. If a real estate agent were to intervene, he or she would be able to evaluate the value of the house with a certain coolness, but when it's their own house, they overestimate the good parts and underestimate the bad parts.

"You don't have any other properties, do you?

There aren't many spacious houses in this area. Basically, this area is not a place for rich people, so most of the houses are small. This house would be a little less expensive if there were similar houses around it. ......

　Are they staying high because there is no competition or comparison?
　I'm sure you'll be able to find something that works for you.

Hmmm, Mr. Diora, let me ask you something.
"Yes. To be honest, I think it would be difficult for you to decide. Of course, it's perfectly fine if you choose not to rent.
Thank you. I'll discuss it with you.

　We pulled away from Mr. Diora and put our foreheads together.

What do you think?
"Well, that's difficult. The first house is empty and this one is in a state of disrepair.

　The first house has no house, and this house is in this condition.

I haven't seen the second house, but I'll try.
Yuki, what are you trying to do?
"...... to get rid of it?

　I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not.

"...... Yuki, are you a priestess or a sister or something?

No, it has nothing to do with that. None of my relatives have anything to do with religion. If anything, I think Natsuki would be a good fit for a priestess.

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

I'm not sure.　I'm sure you'll be able to find something that works for you. I'm sure you'll be able to find something that works for you.
You're better than me. I don't know if maidens are effective against ghosts here!

　Yuki is not like Natsuki, who is a legitimate ...... shrine maiden, but an anime style shrine maiden. I'm not sure if this is a good idea, but it's a good idea.

You're forgetting about Haruka, aren't you?
"Haruka?　What about elves and priestesses?　--No, is that even possible?



　You might even look good in kimonos.
　You don't have breasts, so in a way, you're perfect for it.

No, you're not!　It's light magic!　This is what Purify is all about!
"............?　I'm sure you've heard of it.
"Yes, it was. It's so convenient that I completely forgot about it.

　I didn't expect Toya to point it out to me.
　I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.

Haruka?
I'm sure you can do it magically, but you're not good enough.

　You can't do that with your abilities.

You'll find a lot of people who'll be able to do this.　Do you think the nobleman's house would have been abandoned if I could manage it?
That's right. I was expecting to live in a nobleman's mansion.

　Apparently, that was the reason Yuki was pushing.
　I can't help but feel a little sorry for her.

"Let's get a few things straight. "We'll give up the big yard and rent another house. Find another place with higher rent. "Give up and continue living in an inn. Build a house on the first property. I think those are the only options, what do you think?

"Well, I guess that's about it.

　We both nodded our heads in agreement to the options Haruka presented.

I'd rather not live in a house without a garden. I'd prefer not to live in a house without a garden. We'll have to go outside the city every time we want to train, right?
We can't just do it on the street.
Yeah. I guess we all agree on that.

　The others nodded in agreement. Daily training is a must for us, so this is something I don't want to give up.

I'm sure you'll agree with me.　Alchemy.

　In addition to cooking, we were discussing renting a house in order to secure a place to keep the tools necessary for alchemy and the books necessary for studying magic.
　If she continued to live in the inn, all of those things would be ruined.

That's right. We want to eat good food, but we also want to leave the inn so we can hone our skills.

So, both of the remaining options are expensive. ...... First, how much money do you have now?

　Rent in an upscale neighborhood with a big house, the cost of building a new house . Surely, all of these would be substantial. So the amount of money you have is important. ......

To be honest, I have very little. I've just ordered chainmail for Yuki and Natsuki.
Ugh, sorry.
We didn't have much money on us. ......

　I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not.
　But it's a necessary expense. I'm not going to let you two get hurt.

No, it's necessary, and that's perfectly fine.
Yeah, it was cheap compared to Toya.

　Natsuki is about the same size as me, and Yuki is a little smaller, so the chainmail was a little cheaper.

　As the name implies, chainmail is made by weaving metal into a chain, so the labor and material costs are proportional to the size. In other words, the price is almost proportional as well. If you're not careful, the difference in price is so great that you could buy chainmail for two people with one large Toya.

All the ...... options are gone, right?
As it stands, yes.
So you're saying we save our money for a while?

It's the only way. And I'd suggest renting your first property and building a house.

I also find the idea of being able to build a house of my own choice very appealing, but ...... is a bit of a waste of money, don't you think?

If I could find a good place to rent, I would.

　I'm not sure what to make of it. The town is basically a peaceful country town.

　Because of this, there are few adventurers, and most of the residents are ordinary people who have settled in this town. Many immigrants moved to the city when it was first settled, and most of them live in their own properties, so there is little demand for rental houses with gardens.

　Houses for the aristocracy and the rich are sometimes available for various reasons, but they are not affordable for us.

So, if we want to make our wish come true, we have to build it by ourselves. We'd like to buy the first house if we can.

"Are you buying it, Haruka?　Real estate is not very liquid, and cash assets are better, don't you think?　We're not going to settle here, are we?

"If we had a bank, yes, but... We're still low-rank adventurers, right?

I see, that's why. The illiquidity of real estate is an advantage here, isn't it?

You can't run away with land and buildings. If you buy a piece of land, you can sell it if you leave the city. If you rent the land, you lose the entire cost of the building.



That's what the contract says.
It's also a way to show them that we're spending money in an understandable way.
Yeah, there's a good chance they'll think we've got money.

　We brought in quite a few dinars each time. It's easy to imagine how much money we make if you know what they're worth.
　In fact, most of the money was spent on weapons and armor, but my spear was the only thing that stood out.

"Oh, what do you mean?
To put it simply, if we had money, we might be attacked, so we decided to squander it in an understandable way.

　I'm not sure I understand what Haruka and Natsuki are saying, but Haruka sums it up in a nutshell.

If possible, I'd like to buy some land first. Even if it means living in an inn for a while.
With two gold coins a month, why don't you build a house first?

If we build the house, they won't sell it. If we build the house, they won't sell it. They'll get the house for free when we leave.

Oh, I see.
Let's ask Mr. Diora about it.

　Haruka then called out to Mr. Diora, who was wandering around aimlessly at a distance.

"Hey, Mr. Diora. "Hey, Mr. Diora, can we buy the first house?
"Buy it out?　The owner wants to rent it out. ......

For your information, what's the going rate?
Around here, 400 gold pieces would be enough, but it's up to the owner to decide if he wants to sell.

　From my point of view, it seems cheap, but since land in Japan is basically expensive, it's not a good comparison.
　At least if you build a house of a certain size, it is certain that the house will be more expensive than the land.
　That's why you can rent the land cheaply. As long as you come back later with a house.

Mr. Diora, can't you negotiate?
"Hmmm, negotiate? ......

　A slightly reluctant expression appeared on his face, as if he wasn't too keen on the idea.
　It's not the adventurer's guild's main business to begin with, so it's understandable.

I'm not sure what to make of it.

　I'm sure you'll be able to understand why.

I'm not sure. It's an expensive fruit, and it's a gift. It's an expensive fruit and might make a good gift.

"That's right. It could be used as a thank-you gift for people who have been good to us.

　It was too obvious a bait, but Diora couldn't ignore it.
　He changed his reluctant expression to a smile and called out to Haruka.

I'm not sure.　You can't be sure, but let's try to negotiate, shall we?
I'm not sure, but I'll do my best to negotiate with you." "Oh, there's no need to push yourself.　If it's just land, you might be able to get it in other areas. ......

　I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one.

It's not a bad choice.　It's not a bad choice, I think.

"Really?　Can I ask you to do it then?
Yes, we'll take care of it!

We need to make some money, and there's no need to rush, so just sit back and negotiate. I don't mind if the price is less than the market price, but if it's cheaper, we'll have to thank you for your hard work, won't we?

"I'll do my best!

　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.