"If you're building a house near the forest, can I set up a medicinal herb garden there, too?"
"I process fruits, so can I move my workshop there?"
News of the new residential area construction spread through the city, and several people from within the city began to express a desire to "relocate."
The fact that the location was near the forest was valued by people in certain professions.
"Isn't the 'no men allowed' rule harsh? Being near the forest would be great for wood processing."
"If it were connected to the river, it would be perfect for papermaking, too."
Several male craftsmen also voiced their opinion, saying, "I would build a workshop there if it wasn't women-only." However, they couldn't compromise on this, as it would deviate from the original purpose. Not only would it prevent them from supporting the young ladies, but it would also mean Ren couldn't maintain his distance from the men.
"But it would be convenient to have things like medicine and food available nearby."
"We would have trouble if people started hunting freely in the forest."
Having workshops and shops, not just houses, would make it feel more like a town.
"The only thing is, if it goes too well and men start coming to buy things, it would defeat the purpose. What should we do?"
"How about restricting such places to the outer perimeter or near the entrance of the town, and prohibiting entry further inside?"
"May-sama is reliable at times like this."
Since a decent number of prospective residents had gathered, they decided to move the discussion forward.
It was time to create specific blueprints for the houses to submit to the carpenter.
Now, before construction began, they could incorporate all sorts of requests—a privilege reserved for the initial participating members. Naturally, Ren and his companions would have the most elaborate house prepared for themselves.
"We'll prepare private rooms for me, Fuuri, Iris, May, and Shion. Should we also make two guest rooms?"
"I want the kitchen to be wider than the current one. It feels a bit small when we all cook together."
"If possible, I would like a library. A single bookshelf will no longer be enough."
"A wide pantry would be nice, too. To be able to store all sorts of ingredients for a long time."
When asked for requests, each member offered various ideas.
Ren intended to reject anything too strange, but surprisingly, most of the ideas were practical and were adopted.
"Shion, do you have any requests? Feel free to speak up."
"That's right. If you're worried about it, you can just contribute more actively from now on."
When they said this, the girl, who had been listening quietly, twitched her fox ears and replied a little shyly.
"In that case, if there were a veranda or something… Um, since my body changed, I've had an irresistible urge to take naps in the sun."
Cute.
The destructive power of animal cuteness was immense. Shion's request was unanimously approved, and a space for the girl to sunbathe was planned.
"Mari-san, it would be better for you to live in a separate house with Aisha-san, right?"
"Yes. Although I'm a little reluctant, Aisha might feel reserved if she were in the same house as all of you. That said, we will be living nearby, so please allow me to visit."
"Of course. In fact, you can even just come for meals, right, Ren?"
"Yes, please do."
Following their discussion, Mariabelle decided to continue participating in the dungeon raids as before.
However, for a while, they would be clearing the shallow floors with Shion, so they decided to re-form the main party after they safely reached the 21st floor again.
This worked out well, as they had many things to do to prepare for their new lives.
"There was an option of staying at the brothel together until the new house was finished, but the public image would have been too poor."
"It would also be difficult for the students to visit you…"
"Yes. It might be time to seriously distance myself from the management."
"Who will be the owner then?"
"We will probably appoint one of the more experienced prostitutes. There's no rule that the person in charge cannot take customers."
If someone still wanted to work, they could, and if someone wanted to retire from the front lines, they could concentrate on management, killing two birds with one stone.
"Speaking of retirement homes, what do the women at the brothel do after they retire?"
"There is no single answer. They can save up enough money and live a relaxing life, or they can start another job. Some might even challenge the dungeon."
"I see. It depends on the person."
This other world itself was still a new place.
The life of each resident gradually defined the way the world was.
Ren thought that while it was inconvenient compared to Japan, it was also slightly enjoyable to see their efforts reflected directly in the world.
◇ ◇ ◇
With the women-only district project virtually formalized, the carpenters, stonemasons, and furniture makers began processing and stockpiling materials.
Construction couldn't start yet, as the house blueprints still needed some time to be completed, but it wasn't often that craftsmen got to build multiple houses at once. It was best to prepare early.
They borrowed the construction funds from the brothel and paid a percentage as a down payment.
They had to write a loan agreement, and Ren thought,
"I never thought I'd be taking out a loan at this age…"
"You don't have to worry about it, Ren. It's not like you're struggling to survive."
In reality, it was similar to taking out a business loan from a bank, so it was slightly different from personal debt.
Nevertheless, facing the written document made him feel a sense of responsibility.
"We have to keep working hard."
"We have to be able to pay back the money ourselves if it comes down to it…!"
"That's right."
Iris, who had become something of a sub-manager for the project, was also highly motivated.
Mariabelle, who witnessed the contract signing, smiled.
"Even if it came down to a critical situation, Ren-san, you could earn the money alone."
She offered a terrifying hypothetical. While it was true that Ren, as a Succubus, could probably become a top earner at the brothel… he definitely wanted to avoid that.
"I need to raise my level more and hunt lots of monsters."
Since then, Ren had also been regularly guiding his juniors.
After instructing them not to go alone because it was dangerous, he began to receive frequent requests to "Please come with us."
For Ren, once he got involved, it was better than abandoning them halfway.
He accompanied the girls on their raids, making sure to intervene and advise only when necessary, being careful not to be overprotective.
He thought the possibility of a trap was gone now, but May still came along, saying, "Just in case."
Though her expression never changed, her friendly nature allowed her to quickly bond with the girls, establishing a position for herself that was like a zoo panda or a frequently seen stray cat.
Of course, Ren didn't feel left out or anything.
He engaged in casual conversation and, during battles, used Drain Bolt to provide a support that was questionable in its usefulness while recovering his MP and, incidentally, increasing his max MP.
As a result, they successfully cleared the first floor in three explorations.
The girls were ecstatic to receive the World Fragment for the first time, nearly jumping for joy.
"If we have a lot of these, we can create land, right?"
"That's true, but they sell for quite a high price. If you need living expenses, selling them might be the better option."
"Oh. Did you sell yours, Ren-san and everyone?"
"Ah. In the beginning, we did. After that, we kept them and used them all at once when necessary."
Using them as Ren and the others did was the minority approach.
Land is usually needed by producers or people who run shops. So, it was more common to provide them to those who wanted them and receive money in return.
It seemed like an "all's well that ends well" situation because they needed them anyway, or perhaps because they used them themselves, new uses kept appearing one after another.
"It's not something you have to do in a certain way. It's not good to waste them, but if not, you should use them as you like."
"In that case…"
"We can't think of any use for them, so maybe we should sell them?"
The girls who cleared the first floor were no longer completely ignorant amateurs.
While they were still beginners, it could be said that they were starting to understand how to navigate the dungeon. Ren hoped they would proceed step-by-step from here and graduate from being beginners.
In any case, Ren's guidance would continue for a while longer.
They had personally requested him to "come with us," and it would be disastrous if they were left alone in a precarious state and wiped out.
"Selling the drop items will bring in a decent amount of money, so it might be better to proceed without rushing too much. It's okay to tackle a floor you've already cleared again, and the more times you raid, the higher your level gets and the easier the battles become."
The Sage might say he wanted them to reach the front lines quickly, but that old man could be ignored.
When Ren said this while walking toward the temple stairs, the girls nodded solemnly, then said,
"Ren-san is weird, isn't he?"
"…Huh. Am I weird?"
"Yes, very much so."
"Your appearance is that of a beautiful woman, but your way of speaking is masculine."
It was natural since he was originally male, but,
"…Is it that weird?"
"Yes, very much so."
When he checked again, they emphasized it again.
Being told that much was discouraging. Since other girls had said it before, he couldn't help but complain about it when they got back.
Then,
"I like the way you talk, Ren-san, but…"
"Maybe you should just give up and change the way you talk."
"Seriously?"
He felt discouraged because even he thought, "Maybe so."
"Master. Is there a need to overthink it? Changing your tone of speech won't kill you."
"But it's a habit. It's quite difficult even if I'm told to change it."
"You use polite speech with older people, don't you? It's the same thing. It means you should speak in a way that suits your position and the situation."
Hmm, Ren looked at Shion, who was sitting on a cushion on the chair, and said,
"Then, perhaps I should adopt Fuuri's suggestion and try speaking in a polite manner for a while?"
"Yeah, sorry, Ren. That sounds really unnatural, so please don't use polite speech."
"Yeah, I felt nothing but a sense of unnaturalness saying it myself."
It was still quite difficult to change his manner of speech.
"Why don't you start practicing with something simple? Like changing your first-person pronoun."
"My first-person pronoun, huh. Should I say watashi? …Wow, that feels incredibly strange."
"You'll get used to it eventually. Come on, practice."
"Watashi. Watashi. Watashi."
After becoming a "repeating watashi machine" for a while, he was seen by Aisha and Mariabelle, who looked at him with a "What is this strange creature?" expression.
Seeing Ren slump his shoulders in disappointment, Mariabelle chuckled softly.
"Fuuri-san. How about having Ren-san practice in a state where he is aware that he is a woman?"
"Eh, does that mean… that?"
"Yes, it means that."
"What kind of unsettling conversation is that?"
Ren looked at them with half-closed eyes, but Fuuri replied, "It's fine, it's fine," and whispered into Iris's ear.
"Iris-chan, will you help, too?"
"Eh, that's… But, if it's for Ren-san's sake…"
"Um, what are you going to do to Ren-sama…?"
"It's better if Shion-san doesn't know. Let's sleep together tonight."
"O-Okay."
Shion agreed, with a face that seemed to ask, What about the night? Seeing this, Ren generally grasped the situation.
As expected, that night, Fuuri and Iris came to Ren's room.
"Here, Ren. Behave yourself."
"Ren-san, don't worry, this is for training."
"Wait, what are those ropes!? There's nothing about this that feels safe!?"
Even though he was a high-level magic user, he wasn't a proper vanguard. Faced with two people from classes that handled weapons, he was helpless (unless he seriously counterattacked with magic), and Ren was quickly stripped of his clothes and tied to the bed.
On both sides were two girls, looking a little embarrassed but also a little excited.
In a sense, it was a desperate situation.
"Come on, Ren. Time for special training."
"Please try to say watashi, Ren-san."
"Wait, was it necessary to tie me up?"
"If we didn't tie you up, you'd just reverse the offense and defense, wouldn't you?"
The special training was neither painful nor distressing.
In fact, it was rather pleasant, but precisely because of that, he couldn't resist or endure it.
As a result of repeatedly saying "watashi" while being thoroughly made "aware of being a girl," as Mariabelle had advised, Ren was able to largely get used to the new first-person pronoun overnight.
It should be noted that he amply returned the favor to both Fuuri and Iris on the next opportunity.
============
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