The beast tamer exiled from the hero’s party and the cat eared girl from the strongest race meet
…The rooms have all filled up.
I sat alone in the living room, looking over the floor plan of my house.
Thanks to Tina’s help, I’d been able to buy this place at a great price.
It was spacious, had lots of rooms, was sturdy and well-built.
The facilities were excellent too — truly a wonderful house.
But now, we’d run into a problem: all the rooms were full.
Thinking back to when we headed to the Eastern Continent…
Rifa, Finia, Sakura, Iris, and Ms. Nokia — in one go, we’d added five new members.
Luckily, there had been exactly five rooms left vacant, so no one was left without a place to stay.
But if even one more person joined us, there wouldn’t be a room for them.
“And honestly… it’s starting to feel a little cramped.”
Eating in the living room was still manageable.
But as for the bath, we had to take turns in several rounds — it was impossible for everyone to bathe at once.
There was only one toilet, so sometimes Sora and Luna would be waiting outside with rather desperate looks on their faces…
The washroom was cramped too, and people had to wait their turn.
Other little issues like that were cropping up all over the house.
“When I bought this place, I never expected our party to grow this much. We can’t just keep going like this — something needs to be done.”
Having made up my mind, I decided to act at once.
After telling everyone I was heading out, I made my way to the Adventurers’ Guild.
Just like when I’d bought the house, I explained the situation to Natalie and asked for her help.
Since supporting adventurers was part of the guild’s job, she listened gladly and said:
“In that case, how about a remodel?”
She proposed the idea.
“A remodel… ah, right, that’s an option.”
“Your property has quite a large lot, so renovations or expansions should be relatively easy to carry out.”
“What about reinforcing the structure?”
“Hmm… I can’t say for certain since I’m not an expert, but probably unnecessary. That house is already very solid. Unless you plan to add another floor or something, in which case it would need appropriate reinforcement.”
“I see.”
“For the finer details, I’d recommend speaking with a specialist. I’ll introduce you to someone.”
“Got it. I’m counting on you.”
So, I went to meet the specialist Natalie recommended.
That specialist turned out to be…
“Hello, Rain.”
…Mr. Von.
Apparently he also worked in construction, and according to Natalie, even though he hadn’t been working in Horizon for long, he was extremely reliable.
After arriving at Von’s office, I was shown to the guest room, where we sat and had some tea while chatting casually at first.
“So, how’s it been since then? Is Nokia doing well?”
“Yes, no problems. She’s gotten her memory back and is always with Nina — actually, it seems like Nina won’t leave her side, which might even be a little troublesome.”
“Haha, then that’s no problem at all. Parents are happy to have their children depend on them. Not that I’d know personally, since I don’t have kids myself.”
“No, I think I understand.”
I’d never been a parent, but I had been a child once.
When I was little, I clung to my parents…
Even though they’d sigh and say “what are we going to do with you,” they always looked happy.
I suppose that’s how it was.
“Still… I’m glad to see Nokia looking so happy.”
“On that note… are you really okay being apart from her?”
Von probably still cared a lot about Nokia.
I asked, even though it might have been meddling, but he smiled warmly, not seeming bothered at all.
“Oh, of course. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel lonely… but just as a child wants to be with their mother, a mother wants to be with her daughter. Now that Nokia has her memory back, being with her daughter is what makes her happiest.”
Putting the happiness of someone you care about above your own —
I thought that was really admirable.
If I could, someday I’d like to be the kind of person Von was.
“Well then… I’d love to sit and talk all day, but the sun would set before we knew it. So, what brings you here today?”
“Ah, right. Actually, I was thinking about remodeling my house…”
I explained the current issues and the situation.
“I asked the Adventurers’ Guild for advice, and Natalie said you’d be the best person for the job.”
“I see — I’m honored. I’ll have to do my best not to let you down.”
“So… you’ll take the job?”
“Of course. It’s an honor to handle the remodeling of a hero’s home.”
“Please don’t call me a hero…”
I smiled wryly, but shook his hand to seal the deal.
――――――――――
“…So, I’ve decided we’re going to remodel the house.”
That night.
I gathered everyone and told them about the remodel.
“We’ll add more rooms. More toilets. Expand the bath and the washroom. Widen the entrance. Those are essential — but does anyone else have any requests? I’d like to hear everyone’s opinions.”
“Yes!”
Kanade raised her hand first.
“I want a pond!”
“A pond? I don’t see a problem with that, but why?”
“We can raise fish in it… nyafufu, drool.”
“…Anyone else?”
“Yes.”
“Me too!”
Sora and Luna raised their hands next.
“We’d like to improve the kitchen facilities.”
“I don’t think my sister needs it… but it does feel a little lacking. We’d like a higher-powered oven, and a proper pantry too.”
“I see, that’s important.”
“As for me… hmm, if I had to say, I’d like some better cleaning supplies. Though I guess that’s not really a remodel thing.”
“No, that’s important too. I’ll make sure to stock up on them.”
Thanks to Tina, our home was always kept spotless.
If she needed better tools for that, I’d happily provide them.
“I want a basement. I like cool, dark places.”
“I-I know it’s not really my place to speak up, but, um, how about… a rooftop garden!? Growing flowers up there would be wonderful!”
“As for me… as long as Mama is here, I don’t need anything else.”
“Hehe, thank you, Nina.”
The mother and daughter were so sweet that everyone smiled warmly at the scene.
“I’d like a reading room — it doesn’t have to be big. And it would be nice if it had lots of books.”
“Hmm, I see. And how about you, Sakura?”
“O-off…? Uuuhh… on, on!”
…What?
“She says she’d like something like a small athletic area where she can move her body, or a place to splash around in water, or a training ground… something along those lines.”
“I see. The yard’s pretty big, so we should be able to fit something like that… yeah. And it would be good to have a training ground for the future.”
That was just like Sakura — but still, a very useful suggestion.
“Alright, I’ll put all your ideas together…”
“Ah, wait. We haven’t heard your idea yet, Rain.”
“My idea?”
“That’s right. We can’t just go with our opinions — yours should count too.”
“Don’t you dare say you’re fine with anything, or that you’ll just put up with it, okay?”
“Hmm…”
That hadn’t been my plan — but, still, my own idea, huh?
Something the house didn’t have yet that I wanted.
Some feature, or some function.
Was there anything?
“…I’d like a playroom.”
“Nyan? A playroom?”
“A space with all kinds of toys and games, big enough that we can all play together. I thought it would be fun to have a room like that.”
“Can’t you just use the living room for that?”
“The living room already has a lot of other stuff. And also… I kind of want it to be like a secret base.”
A secret base.
Something every boy dreams of at least once.
“You really have this childish side in the strangest places, Rain.”
“I think I understand though.”
“Nyaa, secret bases are great!”
“I could display my collection there too!”
“We could even make it a hobby room where everyone can relax.”
Everyone seemed pretty enthusiastic.
I guess secret bases weren’t just for boys — they touched something in the hearts of the girls too.
“Alright, then it’s decided.”
“No objections, nya!”
“Anyone else have an idea?”
“…”
I asked around, but no one else spoke up.
I guess this was all anyone could think of for now.
“Then I’ll take this list and have it drafted up. It won’t be finalized right away, so if you think of anything later, just let me know.”
“Mm, got it.”
“A remodel’s probably going to get hectic, but… let’s all do our best for our new home!”
“Oooooh!!!”
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