"Yay, the kitchen is bigger, and cooking has become fun again!"
"Yes! I feel like I could make an amazing feast here!"
Dinner in the new house tasted even better.
It wasn't just imagination; the effects Furi and Iris mentioned must have played a part. Daily meals had become even more enjoyable.
The pantry was also upgraded.
Having two rooms underground—one for cold storage and one for regular storage—made it easier to stock up on ingredients.
"I'm looking forward to more delicious food."
"You got it! Let's earn lots of money and eat delicious things!"
When Ren called out (with a slightly self-serving request), Furi replied with a bright smile.
Iris, the cooking assistant, was also in a good mood with the easier-to-use kitchen, and Shion happily voiced her thoughts: "It's delicious."
There were two more members joining them for their first dinner in the new house.
"I'm sorry we ended up imposing on you for dinner."
"Oh, it's fine! You two are like family, aren't you?"
Mariabelle and Aisha, who hadn't finished moving, were also at the dining table.
The expanded living room featured a large table that could seat easily ten people, so it didn't feel cramped with the current number.
The sheer size of the land was one of the few great advantages of this inconvenient alternate world.
Also, the lack of a TV, air conditioning, and audio equipment meant more space could be utilized.
"When do you think you'll be able to move, Mariabelle-san?"
"In two or three days, I think. We don't have many belongings."
"Then please have your meals here until then. I imagine it's inconvenient since we took most of our stuff with us."
"Thank you, Furi-san. I'll make sure to give you a gift in return. How about some alcohol?"
"Thank you! We're totally fine with as much alcohol as you can give us!"
Since they would be living in separate houses, Mariabelle would no longer pay rent to Ren's group. Instead, Ren and the others would now have to repay the debt to the brothel.
Fortunately, there was no set deadline or interest, so repayment would depend on the rent collected from other residents and their income from adventuring.
Living in a world with no escape route is a slight benefit in this situation, as it's easier to gain credit due to the impossibility of defaulting on a loan.
"By the way, Aisha-san, how do you earn your income?"
As the meal progressed and the mood became amiable, Mei asked a question.
What a question to ask just because she was bored, Ren thought. What if it was a landmine? However, Aisha replied without any sign of distress.
"I receive some assistance from the Sage, and I also do a little private tutoring."
"The assistance isn't anything shady, is it?"
"Of course not. I receive a sort of service fee in exchange for checking on the students."
It seemed to be money that had also been paid to past homeroom teachers. Making rounds to various houses to offer advice inevitably takes up time. The payment was a form of compensation because it made it difficult to earn money otherwise.
The private tutoring mainly involved teaching academics to the native generation's children, often upon request from the transferees' parents.
While some parents teach their children themselves, the transferees are effectively high school dropouts. It's a natural progression for parents to want a proper teacher if they can afford one.
There was a fair number of applicants and a shortage of personnel, so requests came to Aisha.
"I also sold the memory of several books for money. Those were mainly textbooks."
"Ah, you were at a good private school, weren't you? They probably used good textbooks, especially for English."
There is high demand for "updatable books" like textbooks. The same goes for sequels to popular manga, but that seemed to be unrelated to Aisha.
"But if there are so many kids who want a teacher, why not build a school?"
"The idea of building one came up in the past, but it was ultimately canceled due to problems and opposition."
The problems included the number of children. Certain ages might have more students, and generally, later generations had more children. It was difficult to determine the appropriate size if a school were to be built.
Then there was the issue of securing teachers. Even if one new teacher arrived each year, their subjects varied. Moreover, the need was for people who could teach elementary and middle school subjects, rather than high school teachers.
Setting tuition fees was also complicated. They would need to charge enough for the teachers to make a living, but that would impose a significant financial burden on some families.
Other issues included whether to incorporate 'combat training' into the curriculum, where to build the school, and whether it made sense to follow a Japanese-standard curriculum when it was uncertain if they could ever return to Japan.
Furthermore, some people declared that they wouldn't send their children to a school, arguing that it was more beneficial to give them combat skills or teach them a trade than to teach them academics.
"I also have an elementary school teaching license, so if there was such a place, I'd definitely want to help."
Aisha is the kind of person who has "Class: Teacher."
She must enjoy teaching people, and Ren could see that she was suited for it.
Then, Mei sent a long, steady gaze toward Ren.
"Mei?"
"No. I was merely thinking that this is the point in the conversation where Master should declare, 'Then let's build a school.'"
"No, this is something we absolutely can't manage on our own."
The matter of the house had only just been resolved. Taking on a school now would clearly be too much of a burden, and Ren wouldn't even know where to start.
"If Aisha-san and our homeroom teacher said, 'Let's build a school!' I'd cooperate, but right now we're still in debt."
Aisha smiled wryly and said, "Thank you."
"I don't intend to force the creation of a school, either. I enjoy private tutoring, too."
"I was talking to Aisha about whether she could create a sort of Terakoya (private temple school) once things settle down, without needing to establish a full school."
Mariabelle told them this.
A privately run school, perhaps like a cram school. That might be feasible within an individual's capacity, which sounded good. Ren decided she would at least mentally prepare herself to assist if that plan ever became serious.
"On a different note, Ren-san. You'll be conquering the 20th floor soon, won't you? Please let me know when the date is set."
"Thank you. But it won't be that soon. We've only just cleared the 16th floor."
Although that was her answer at the time, just three weeks later, Ren's party had cleared the 19th floor and was poised for the 20th-floor conquest.
-----------------
"...Wow, we came back so fast."
In those three weeks, the women-only residential area was mostly completed, and hopeful residents had moved in one after another.
A space inhabited only by women was much more comfortable than Ren had imagined, and Ren was especially happy that she could take walks and float around without worrying.
No men would look at her lewdly, even if she dressed casually, and no women would view her as a romantic rival.
It was so comfortable that their traditional celebration after a boss conquest was often held at home, with food taken out from the Western restaurant. Ren had acquired a magic skill called "Message" for sending short notes to people she knew, so she would use this to contact the restaurant after leaving the dungeon and pick up the freshly made food on her way home.
The celebration for the 19th-floor conquest included Mariabelle and Aisha.
After everyone toasted and sighed in bliss over the delicious food, Ren mumbled her impressions of their rapid progress.
"Maybe we should have taken it a little slower?"
"Ren, what are you saying? You were enthusiastically defeating enemies the whole time!"
"Well, you know, I got carried away."
Even though it felt fast, it was already close to the end of October.
Autumn was passing, and it was time to "prepare for winter," so a fair amount of time had passed. However, catching up in about four months to a path that had taken nearly a year to complete was clearly a high-speed pace.
"Next is finally that 20th floor."
"The infamous great horde will be our enemy once again. My arms are tingling."
Iris and Mei offered reassuring words, having already braced themselves.
(Note: Since the Golem girl's body possesses sufficient hardness and durability, the gag of her "arms actually tingling" did not occur.)
At any rate.
Ren nodded to the two of them.
"Yes. We've all leveled up quite a bit since then. I want to win without struggling like before."
Furi and Shion agreed.
"When it comes to fighting, I feel like I'm just an extra now, but with Ren and Shion-chan, it seems like we can fight quite easily."
"I, too, have been accumulating experience with the intention of conquering the infamous 20th floor."
The 19th-floor boss was annihilated without ceremony, as planned and expected, by a rainfall of magic attacks.
They had accumulated experience and had some skill points left over from the conquest so far. They planned to use these to further strengthen themselves for the second 20th-floor conquest.
Mariabelle, who had been separated from the party for a while, would also rejoin them from now on.
This would be their first battle as a full party of six.
"Everyone. I'd like to propose something about that. Why don't we try conquering it with just us this time?"
Mariabelle brought up an important point.
"The battles from the 21st floor onwards will become increasingly difficult with each level. I believe we should overcome this floor with just one party to prove to ourselves that we can overcome the subsequent battles."
It was none other than Mariabelle who had warned them excessively during the last conquest.
"Hey, Mariabelle-san. Does that mean you trust us?"
"That's exactly right."
Mariabelle nodded without any shame or jest.
"The current group can win. ...Otherwise, I wouldn't make this proposal. I have no intention of dying in a place like this."
Aisha smiled when Mariabelle looked at her.
"I won't participate in the battle, but I'll be praying for everyone's victory."
"Thank you, Aisha-san."
Just recently, Mariabelle had appointed a manager for the brothel and stepped away from its operation.
She had almost all the money she had earned saved up, enough to live comfortably with Aisha for about ten years without doing anything. But she was enthusiastic about conquering the dungeon, saying, "Please let me earn some money, too."
Now that she had reunited with Aisha and had little reason to return to Japan, her active participation was greatly appreciated.
Having Mariabelle, a high-level Kicker, would give them the strength of a hundred people.
"If we're challenging it alone, the main force will still be Ren and Shion-chan."
"Yes. If the two of you don't reduce the enemy numbers, we will surely be outnumbered."
"The front line is practically just Mei-san and Mariabelle-san..."
Even if the two of them handle the enemies they can't defeat, the main goal will be for Ren and Shion to defeat the enemies before they get close.
"Then we should acquire skills with that in mind."
"Yes. ...Though, in Shion's case, just increasing her attack power and the number of her attacks might be enough."
If her MP runs out, Ren can rapidly cast magic, and Shion can collect the excess magical power to continue fighting.
"But in that case, maybe we can try a slightly different fighting style than before."
"? What do you mean by that...?"
"Well, for example..."
Ren briefly explained her plan. While the others voiced concerns that it might be dangerous, they also agreed on its usefulness.
After discussion, Ren's party decided to adopt the plan.
"If that's the case, I have a good skill in mind that we should acquire."
"That is... I see. That might be a good idea."
The consultation continued after the celebration until bedtime, and once the general direction was decided, Mariabelle made another suggestion.
"Ren-san. Just in case, one more thing. Isn't it about time to seriously acquire weapons?"
"You're right. We'll get a fair amount of money again after clearing the 20th floor, so maybe we should buy some good ones here."
The next day, Ren and the others visited the weapons shop and browsed for new equipment.
Up until now, they hadn't been particular about their weapons. Furi used a knife, and Mei had purchased a mace, but these were all very ordinary items. They had been using them by buying spares, repairing them, or replacing them whenever they became worn out.
This approach worked because many members could fight regardless of their weapon, but they wanted to purchase something good in preparation for the upcoming battles.
As a result, several pieces of equipment were renewed—and the day of the 20th-floor rematch arrived.
============
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