It's been three days since I went on a mission with Shinobu.
After that, she started going out on missions very frequently, aiming to earn her Hashira title.
She was already a Kinoe, and at that pace, it shouldn't take long for her to join the pillars.
'It's been a few days since I've been to the Butterfly Mansion. I wonder how the girls are doing.'
Kanae had been busier than ever since Shinobu started her streak of missions and demon slayings.
Kanao and the others should be fine.
"Craah! Usan!" A crow landed on my shoulder.
"Hey, Kuroha. What is it?" I stroked her neck with the back of my finger.
She enjoyed the affection before returning to her usual seriousness and delivering the news.
"The house is ready."
It took me a few seconds to process it.
"That fast?" I muttered, rubbing my chin.
'There probably wasn't much to renovate, then…'
Before I could think much more about it, Kuroha took off again, making a short circle above my head and joining Hotaru and Tsubaki up there.
"Let's go, girls!"
"Let's go!" they said in unison, already flying toward the so-called new house.
I followed them through the forest.
I couldn't speed up much since I still didn't know where it was, so it was a calm run at their pace.
It didn't take long for us to reach a dirt path that likely led directly to the residence.
To my surprise, it was quite close to the Butterfly Mansion, you could get from there to here with a short walk.
I slowed down as the house came into view among the trees.
And then I stopped, taking in the front view.
A single-story house, minka-style, surrounded by nature on all sides.
Nothing extravagant, but it definitely looked cozy.
I opened the wooden front door, which was unlocked.
I took a deep breath and stepped inside.
'Pretty empty…'
I closed the door behind me and took a few steps forward. A small hallway greeted me, leading straight to a living room.
I walked slowly, observing every detail, or lack thereof.
"At least it's quite spacious."
I slowly turned my head, analyzing the place.
No furniture, no decorations, nothing.
My eyes stopped on a single desk in the middle of the room.
I walked over to it.
On top of it were three things: a set of keys, a thick package, and a letter.
I picked up the letter first, immediately recognizing the author's name: Kagaya Ubuyashiki.
I skimmed through its contents.
According to him, he believed I would enjoy the experience of doing this on my own.
A small smile tugged at the corner of my lips, he was right.
I kept reading.
He also mentioned an advance on my salary… along with a bonus for the potions I've been providing, so I could buy things for my new house.
And another bonus as a "gift" for my promotion to Hashira.
"I said I didn't need to be paid for the potions…" I muttered, already opening the envelope.
"…"
"Damn…" The word slipped out before I could stop it.
I stared at it for a few seconds.
It was a lot, probably triple my salary, which was already considerable.
"Well, who am I to refuse?" I let out a small nasal chuckle, storing the money in my haori.
I shook my head, still a bit incredulous, and placed the letter back on the desk.
I picked up the set of keys, spinning it between my fingers for a moment before storing it as well.
Then, without further distractions…
Time to explore.
I started with the bedrooms, there were three standard rooms.
All empty, as expected.
Good space, nothing too small, but not excessive either.
And then…
I opened a sliding door that stood out quite a bit from the others.
The main bedroom, this one was different, much larger, and unlike the others, it had a bed.
And what a bed! It was big enough for… three people? Maybe four, depending.
I walked over and pressed my hand against the mattress.
Super soft, but still firm enough not to mess with my back.
I let out a small amused huff.
'If I lie down now, I'm not getting up again.' I stepped away before temptation could win.
I continued exploring.
Two bathrooms, one of them exclusive to the main bedroom.
A simple kitchen, but one that could fit everything I might need, with a wood-burning stove and an indoor hearth with a pot hanging in the middle.
And then, a storage room.
Its door was the second non-sliding wooden door in the house, besides the front door.
This one was filled with shelves and some wooden crates in the corners, all empty.
I closed it and moved on.
Only one door remained. It was sliding, but had a sturdier appearance.
The door to the veranda.
I opened it, sliding it aside smoothly.
A gentle breeze hit me immediately.
I took a few steps outside, looking ahead.
The backyard.
Surrounded by a low stone wall, with a large cherry tree at the center, unfortunately not in bloom yet.
It was the only tree within the yard, but beyond the stone wall lay an entire forest, with branches stretching over it, casting a pleasant shade over much of the yard.
I raised my gaze to the cherry tree branches.
My three crows were there, also looking around the place.
I watched them for a few seconds, and then an idea began to form for the yard.
"Maybe I'll build something here for you girls…" I murmured softly, so they wouldn't hear.
I shook my head and looked back at the house.
The house was far more than I had expected, it would be perfect for me.
I wonder if the Master planned for it to make me feel this way.
Much bigger than my family's old cabin…
'Family…'
I exhaled slowly.
But before thinking about that kind of thing, I needed the basics: furniture, food, and utensils.
"Well…"
I turned around, already walking back inside the house.
"I guess it's time to visit the city."
─── ◆ ───
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