(Good grief...)
Regardless of its dilapidated state, Tricia found herself growing fonder and fonder of the building.
Spin explained that the shop-like space on the first floor had originally been the inn's dining tavern, which gradually transformed into a general store selling all sorts of odds and ends.
"A long time ago... well, a very long time ago, apparently the Merchant Guild used to be located quite close to our place," Spin said.
This town had fallen victim to monster raids [Stampedes] multiple times, with some residential areas suffering catastrophic damage over the years. As a result of rebuilding each time, Edinbia's districts were systematically reorganized around the Central Plaza into the layout seen today.
Realizing that this former inn had once attracted customers from a reasonably prime location gave her a profound sense of the town's history.
Including the first-floor shop, the building stood three stories tall, complete with a spacious basement and an even grander attic.
"If we prioritize the view, we could totally renovate the attic into the landlord's quarters~" Spin murmured, his eyes sweeping upward.
Watching Spin get swept up in his own imagination—muttering about building a staircase around here—Tricia practically itinerary-ached to jump into the conversation.
"Baths and toilets, you say... The second floor has six four-person rooms, and the third floor has eight two-person rooms. Each one is roomier than your average Adventurers' inn, but the total area falls short of what's considered an ideal boarding house, so it's perfectly fine to alter the room count," Spin noted, tapping his chin thoughtfully.
"...The bath and toilet were honestly just a wishlist item, though," Tricia admitted softly.
"No way! Imagining things doesn't cost a single coin, does it?!" Spin exclaimed, turning to her.
With that, he flashed another bright smile and kept right on talking.
"Besides, there's no rule saying every single room has to be the exact same size! There's a public bathhouse nearby anyway, so going without an in-house bath wouldn't even be an issue."
Luke nodded along, conceding the point. "True enough," he agreed.
Suddenly, a vivid image of this dream turning into reality flashed through Tricia's mind, striking her with a wave of fear. She was terrified because she was simply too happy.
Somewhere deep down, Tricia realized she might have believed her dreams would remain forever out of reach. That was why she hadn't given it proper thought. To think that today, the exact property she wanted would actually appear before her.
(Ah, I'm truly in a bind...)
According to her plan, after purchasing a secondhand property, she intended to use her skills1 [Reset]. Tricia possessed the ability to apply [Reset] to merely a specific portion of an object. Her plan had been to use it to fix up the parts that looked like they would cost a fortune, thereby cutting down on renovation expenses.
However, if this building suddenly became pristine and beautiful right before the eyes of Spin, who knew its current state inside out, he would realize instantly that something was afoot. And that was a massive dilemma, because she had genuinely realized she wanted to entrust this project to him. He took her opinions to heart and constantly pitched countless ideas—all of them perfectly tailored to her tastes.
Hence her hesitation. Should she confess the truth about her skills to Spin, or shouldn't she?
(Should I just suck it up at this point, pay the full price, and let him do it manually? No, but if I do that, it'll completely derail my other plans...)
Tricia wanted to invest properly in the interior decor as well. Beds, tables, chairs, sofas, wardrobes, not to mention kitchenware and Magic tools... once she started listing them, there would be no end to it.
Adventurers always traveled light. That was precisely why she wanted them to enjoy a peaceful, comforting time, at least for the duration of their stay at her boarding house.
(Maybe I should get to know Spin-san a bit better first... No, time has nothing to do with it.)
She had trusted someone with her life for years, only to be betrayed in the end. The length of time you knew someone meant absolutely nothing.
(Well, I suppose that just proves my judgment was right back then when I chose not to mention my skills to them.)
The memory brought a faint, self-deprecating smile to her lips.
"When you're stuck, trust your gut," Luke advised quietly.
Luke had a vague inkling of what was weighing on Tricia's mind. That was why he gave her a gentle nudge, a slightly lonely shadow crossing his expression. Pretty soon, this secret wouldn't belong exclusively to just him and Tricia anymore.
Even so, his words allowed Tricia to make up her mind.
(No use overthinking things and tying my brain in knots!)
"Spin-san, actually, there's something I'd like to discuss with you. It's a matter I'd rather not have anyone else overhear..." Tricia murmured nervously.
"...Understood! In that case, if it suits you, would you care to come over to my family's home?" Spin offered readily.
Spin's family residence was located just a short distance away.
Spin assumed that the topic Tricia wanted to discuss was a financial consultation. He had listened to her ideal vision for the place, but he knew all too well that with the budget she had previously mentioned, fulfilling every request would be utterly impossible. If that were the case, whether it concerned the building itself or the renovation costs, price negotiations were naturally to be expected.
(Alright, I'm going to pull out all the stops here and absolutely secure this renovation contract! Who knows when a golden opportunity like this will ever come around again!)
Consequently, before they even dove into the heart of the matter, Spin was completely caught off guard when he was asked to sign a Magic contract for non-disclosure.
"What on earth is this discussion about?!" Spin gasped, blinking in shock.
"Oh, well... Ah! It's not a crime or anything illegal, I swear! It's more like... something crucial to my personal safety..." Tricia stammered, raising her hands defensively.
Tricia faltered over her words, but since Spin couldn't fathom what else it could possibly be, he readily gave his consent.
Luke managed the execution of the Magic contract. They shared a ritual exchange, drinking from a cup infused with a drop of each other's blood. A sudden rush of heat surged through Spin's body, making him realize that this stemmed from an incredibly powerful skills.
Spin's heart pounded against his ribs. He had never imagined a situation carrying such a dangerous aura would happen to him. When he woke up this morning, he had assumed it would just be the start of another monotonous day.
Swallowing hard, he waited for Tricia's secret confession.
"Wah! Please don't look so expectant! It's really not that grand of a secret!" Tricia cried out, flustered.
Flustered by the intense, dead-serious gaze focused entirely on her, Tricia blurted out the truth about her extraordinary skills all in one breath.
"Incredible!" Spin breathed, his eyes wide.
Seeing how Spin immediately reacted to her skills with pure admiration, Tricia let out a sigh of relief.
"But since this skills is the sort of thing that could potentially rob people in your line of work of their livelihood..." Tricia trailed off, looking down.
(Ah, no. I only said that because I was desperately fishing for him to tell me 'that's not true at all'...)
Entirely oblivious to the touch of self-loathing flickering across her face, Spin began to speak, his voice brimming with raw excitement.
"What are you saying?! It's not as if you're breaking the law! I mean, sure, losing work would put me in a tight spot, absolutely! But that skills means you can restore things to a pristine, brand-new state, right?! Which implies we could actually extract building materials from the structure beforehand... Ah! Can you target the exact same spot multiple times?! Because transporting construction supplies all the way out here costs a pretty penny, so if we can source them right on the spot, we could drive down the renovation expenses drastically and—"
"Calm down, calm down!!!" Luke interjected loudly.
Luke threw out a lifeline, stepping in to rescue a thoroughly overwhelmed Tricia.
Snapping back to his senses, Spin offered a sheepish, apologetic laugh.
"My apologies," Spin muttered, scratching the back of his neck.
He took a deep, stabilizing breath to compose himself.
"To put it simply, I don't mind in the slightest! From what I can see, Tricia-san uses that marvelous skills of yours with perfect moderation anyway," Spin concluded warmly.
"He's a weird fellow, isn't he~? This guy goes out of his way to worry about the state of the broader market," Luke chuckled, shaking his head.
"Ahaha! What a completely selfless person!" Tricia laughed, the tension leaving her shoulders.
To the people native to this world, someone possessing Tricia's strict moral compass was the real oddity. In this world, which was far more cutthroat and dictated by the law of the jungle than her previous life, one couldn't easily survive on hollow idealisms alone.
"Be that as it may... I just want to be able to sleep with a clear conscience every night!" Tricia declared firmly.
Watching Tricia declare this, both Luke and Spin let out small, incredibly gentle smiles.
Summary:
Tricia considers the potential of her Reset skill as she explores an old building with Spin and Luke. She ultimately decides to disclose her secret to Spin to facilitate the renovation, securing his cooperation via a magic contract. Spin reacts with unbridled excitement rather than judgment, leading to a new level of trust among the group.
Trivia:
Edinbia was reorganized around a central plaza due to repeated monster stampedes.
Tricia's Reset skill can be applied to specific parts of an object, not just the whole.
Spin assumed Tricia wanted a financial consultation to lower costs, not to reveal a magical secret.
The blood pact ritual creates a physical sensation of heat, indicating the power behind the magic contract.
Translation Notes:
1 ↩ In this context, the Japanese term 'skills' is used as a loanword to denote special, often supernatural, abilities or powers specific to individuals in this fantasy setting.
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.
• R - A first-year student at District 13 High School who has successfully built a squad and added multiple girls, including M and A, into his group.
• 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.
• A - A student from South Middle School described as an idol who has been recruited into R's high school 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.
• B - A student originally from North Middle School who was added to S's group.
• 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.