"An apartment complex for adventurers? That sounds amazing!" Tricia chirped, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
Tricia and Spin were completely ecstatic.
"It certainly makes sense to have one in this town," Spin agreed warmly, nodding along. "After all, a lot of adventurers use this place as their base."
"Exactly!" Tricia chimed in, leaning forward. "Plus, there are plenty of C-ranks and above here, so I doubt many of them are completely strapped for cash... If we require the rent to be paid monthly in advance, we won't have to worry about anyone skipping out on the bill."
"True," Spin replied with an approving smile. "That would definitely be the best approach."
Spin nodded along in thorough agreement.
"Are you planning to live there as well, Tricia-san?" Spin inquired curiously.
"Yes!" Tricia declared proudly. "I intend to take the absolute best room for myself."
She had decided that from the very beginning. Instead of renting everything out, this was going to be her castle. She was going to build a home tailored exactly to her desires.
A warm, delighted smile spread across Spin's face.
"I'm certain that any home you build will turn out wonderful, Tricia-san," Spin murmured gently.
This was the first time she had ever spoken so passionately about her dream. It wasn't that she felt embarrassed by it, but rather that she hadn't wanted anyone to rain on her parade. That was how deeply precious it was to her.
"Still, I must say... I'm deeply impressed that a C-rank could save up such a substantial budget," Spin noted, looking genuinely amazed.
"Ah... haha..." Tricia offered a weak, defensive laugh.
Tricia couldn't exactly bring herself to speak openly about that particular matter.1
Leaving the central plaza behind, they passed by the side of the Merchant's Guild.
"It's just a little further," Spin guided.
A short while ago, they had turned right onto a narrower path, then left... then climbed a slight slope before taking the left fork... plunging deeper and deeper into the secluded corners of the district.
(It's like a hidden European alleyway.)
An uncontrollable wave of excitement began to well up inside her. Every single path was kept immaculately clean, the doors of the houses were adorned with simple yet beautiful decorations, flowers bloomed at every turn, and the elderly enjoyed chatting outside, their faces bright with smiles. There was even a quaint little bakery and a tiny general store catering to the local residents.
"There's also a small tavern and a cozy little cafe on the next street over," Spin added, matching her enthusiastic pace.
Noticing the look on Tricia's face, Spin chimed in with even more enchanting details.
(Ah... how absolutely wonderful... I'm completely enchanted.)
However, there was still one minor problem.
"Do you actually remember the way...?" Tricia whispered, leaning close.
"More or less," Luke muttered back, a smug grin tugging at his lips.
Tricia whispered her concern to Luke, who responded with a smug, confident grin.
"Haha!" Spin laughed heartily, waving his hand reassuringly. "On our way back, let's take the route that leads straight to the Adventurer's Guild! That path isn't nearly as convoluted as this one."
It seemed this entire neighborhood was a residential area primarily populated by locals. Just as the frequency of passersby calling out to greet Spin began to increase, they finally arrived at their destination.
"...Wow..." Tricia breathed, her jaw dropping slightly.
"Well... this is certainly something," Luke observed drily, his eyes scanning the structure.
Neither of them could bring themselves to give Spin their completely honest impressions. Tricia found him incredibly easy to talk to and truly wanted to maintain a good relationship with him moving forward. She didn't want to say the wrong thing and risk making him dislike her.
"Ahaha!" Spin chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Please, feel free to say exactly what you're thinking! It's a total wreck, isn't it?"
Spin clearly caught on to their polite hesitation.
"The floorboards... have completely caved in..." Tricia noted softly, peering through the entryway.
"And the windows... don't have any glass left," Luke muttered, poking a finger through an empty frame.
It was a massive ruin. Its appearance made it clear that (once upon a time) it had been quite grand. The first floor featured a spacious layout, suggesting it might have been used as a shop of some sort. From the side of the building, the entrance leading to the backyard was clearly visible.
"But the structural framework is actually quite solid!" Spin insisted eagerly, gesturing to the heavy beams. "And since the seller is willing to part with it for a very low price, you'll be able to channel plenty of your funds into the renovation costs!"
"Is that so?" Tricia asked, her interest piqued despite the decay.
"Yes, because I'm actually the owner!" Spin revealed with a triumphant grin.
"Huh?!" Tricia gasped, taking a step back.
She never expected to receive a direct sales pitch straight from the property owner himself. Tricia instantly found herself putting her guard up just a bit.
"My family ran an inn here up until my great-grandfather's generation," Spin explained softly, his gaze softening. "No one could quite bring themselves to let go of the place, which is how it ended up like this... but just holding onto the building racks up taxes..."
"...So it's a place filled with precious memories," Tricia murmured, her voice softening in sympathy.
Watching Spin speak with such nostalgia, Tricia found her caution melting away.
She realized that the only reason someone would continue to pay taxes on a building for so long was because it held a profoundly important place in their heart.
A gentle, warm smile graced Spin's features.
"As you can see, when a place is this old and the interior is so heavily damaged, the restoration costs are bound to be high," Spin continued, looking back up at the facade. "And then there's the location... it took us quite a while to get here from the Merchant's Guild, didn't it? No one these days is looking to turn a place like this back into an inn."
He continued to speak, his gaze fixed on the building.
"But I really didn't want to sell it to the wrong person..." Spin added, turning to look directly at her. "Hearing your plan, Tricia-san, made me feel like this place has finally found its chance to be reborn."
Then, as if suddenly snapping back to reality, he blinked in surprise.
"Ah, forgive me!" Spin blurted out, frantically waving his hands. "More importantly, please have a look inside! Ah! Do watch your step!"
As they pushed open the massive front door and stepped inside, the floorboards let out a sharp, ominous creak.
"Whoa!" Tricia squeaked as her foot started to slip.2
The floor gave way, but before Tricia's foot could plunge through the gap, Luke caught her and pulled her back.
"Thanks..." Tricia panted, leaning against him.
"And you're a C-rank?" Luke teased, raising an eyebrow with a dry smirk.
"Ugh! I am a C-rank healer, thank you very much!" Tricia huffed, snapping her head back to glare at him.
Even after her footing was secure, Luke didn't let go of Tricia's arm.
When they made their way up to the second floor, a sly grin spread across Spin's face.
"Hehehe! To tell you the truth, there's a fantastic view from up here~" Spin chuckled conspiratorially, gesturing toward the opening ahead.
"Whoa! Is that the ocean?!" Luke exclaimed, his cynical expression momentarily vanishing.
"It's even clearer from the top floor," Spin boasted proudly, puffing out his chest.
The vantage point felt almost like looking out from a high plateau. Far beyond the sprawling rooftops of the surrounding houses, a sliver of the sea was visible on the far left. Even setting the ocean aside, the rest of the scenery was absolutely breathtaking.
"The yard is quite spacious too, isn't it?" Tricia observed, peering down through a broken frame.
"It is," Spin nodded. "There used to be a stable out there back in the day. It's completely collapsed now, though."
Outside, the remnants of several structures could be seen scattered across the ground. According to Spin, those ruins had once been an outdoor restroom and the old stable.
"The walk up here didn't feel like much of a slope, did it?" Tricia mused, looking back toward the town.
"It's not so much that this spot is exceptionally high," Spin clarified, tracing the horizon with his hand. "But rather that the land on the other side dips down quite low."
Just then, a perfectly refreshing breeze swept past, brushing gently against their skin.
(Oh wow, what should I do! This is so amazing...!)
She could feel her heart pounding faster and faster with pure excitement.
(I hadn't even thought about a yard! What should I do!?)
Spin looked at Tricia's expression and felt a profound sense of relief. Just as he had anticipated, she had fallen completely in love with the building.
Summary:
Navigating deep into a peaceful, maze-like residential sector, Spin guides Tricia and Luke to an expansive but completely dilapidated building. Tricia struggles to hide her dismay over its ruined floorboards and glassless windows, but her perspective shifts dramatically upon learning that Spin owns the ancestral property and kept it out of emotional attachment. As they inspect the upper floors, Luke breaks his sarcastic demeanor when an unprompted, breathtaking panoramic view of the sea reveals itself. The sudden addition of a massive backyard leaves Tricia overwhelmed with speculative excitement, leaving her ultimate purchasing decision precariously balancing on her secret budget limitations.
Trivia:
Tricia is highly sensitive about discussing her past party savings, as she avoids expanding on how she accumulated her substantial budget.
The property taxes on the decaying property have been actively paid by Spin's family for generations simply due to sentimental memories of their ancestral inn.
The building is located near a quiet residential area on high ground where the surrounding neighborhood topography drops off sharply on the far side.
Luke stays physically close to Tricia throughout the inspection, keeping his grip on her arm even after preventing her from falling through the floor.
Translation Notes:
1 ↩ The source text mentions "この件(Party savings)" which explicitly references the funds accumulated from her previous adventuring party that subsequently discarded her, creating lingering social and emotional awkwardness.
2 ↩ A sudden vocalization of surprise or shock from slipping on a compromised structure, localized here to convey immediate physical clumsiness without changing punctuation context.
Notes:
• Tricia - A pragmatic C-Rank healer and orphan with shoulder-length dark hair and obsidian eyes, she hides her exceptional healing and rare item-restoring "Reset" skill to avoid exploitation. Abandoned by her party, she now lives in an infirmary tent in Edinbia, using past-life memories and a Japanese wish notebook to strategically build a passive income empire by opening a boarding house for low-rank adventurers.
• A - A student from South Middle School described as an idol who has been recruited into R's high school squad.
• T - A first-year student at District 13 High School who has recruited K and N from East Middle into his group.
• Spin - A young, enthusiastic architect at the Valentia Workshop who specializes in city walls but aspires to design residential homes.
• S - A first-year student at District 13 High School who has taken B from North Middle into his squad.
• M - A first-year student at District 13 High School and the childhood friend of Anonymous Student 0006, described as an atavistic strong-female who looks plain but possesses significant power.
• N - A student from East Middle with an eccentric personality who entered National High School due to complex family circumstances and used herself as leverage to negotiate a protective agreement for K.
• Luke - A silver-haired, blue-eyed S-rank adventurer, noble Marquis's son, and mercenary captain leading a dungeon expedition. Surly yet mischievously carefree for Tricia—his childhood friend and ally—he acts as her wealthy companion, manager, and protector, supporting her passive income empire. Pragmatic, observant, and dryly teasing, he balances overwhelming combat power with devoted, grounding support.
• B - A student originally from North Middle School who was added to S's group.