Leaving behind the noise of the city center, a drive of several dozen minutes.

Deep within a lush, high-end residential district, that castle stood there.

From the window of the hired car prepared by Sumeragi Real Estate, I looked up at the target property.

A stately red-brick Western-style mansion surrounded by a tall stone wall.

It had the air of Meiji or Taishō-era modern architecture, with trees in the garden growing thickly and completely blocking outside sightlines.

“…Not bad.”

When I muttered that, Saotome, who was seated beside me, nodded while checking her tablet.

“The location and surrounding environment are both excellent. There are no clear lines of fire from the street.”

As always, it was a military perspective, but it seemed to pass her standards.

The car came to a stop and we stepped outside.

In front of the iron gate stood a single woman who looked like a statue, standing stiff with tension.

She was a woman named Ueno from Sumeragi Real Estate.

After deeply bowing to Hibiki and Karen, who had gotten out first, she finally looked at me as I stepped out last and visibly panicked.

…Wow, what a rugged man…

She hadn’t said it out loud, but it was clearly written on her face.

And the look in her eyes was one peculiar to women of this world.

The gaze that saw me as a rare man being kept by Kujō Hibiki and Tennoji Karen.

Well, that wasn’t exactly wrong.

They were the ones paying the money.

I couldn’t really deny that I was in a position where being called a kept man would stick.

“O-oh, we’ve been expecting you! I’m Ueno, the person in charge!”

“The door’s already unlocked, right?”

“Y-yes! I’ll guide you right away—”

Just as Ueno-san turned toward the entrance to lead us inside, it happened.

“Excuse me.”

From beside me, a black shadow shot forward.

It was Saotome.

She pulled shoe covers from her pocket and, with lightning-fast movements, put them on over her shoes, then overtook Ueno-san and flung the door open.

“Eh… w-wait, customer!?”

Ignoring Ueno-san’s yelped protest, Saotome slipped soundlessly into the dim hallway.

Several seconds of silence.

Then, as if the wind itself returned, she reappeared at the entrance.

“…First-floor intrusion routes: three windows. All have iron bars. Structural strength sufficient. No listening device detected.”

With perfectly steady breathing, Saotome snapped a crisp salute toward me.

“Clear. Approved. As a base, it has sufficient qualities.”

“Good work.”

When I nodded, she stepped back behind me with a satisfied look.

As for Ueno-san, she stood there frozen, mouth hanging open.

It was understandable. Anyone would react that way after seeing a special-forces-style breach during a routine viewing.

“…Sorry for startling you. Shall we go in?”

“Y-yes…”

We collected ourselves and stepped inside.

The entrance hall was an open atrium, with an antique chandelier hanging above.

There was no musty smell and it was clear the place had been well maintained.

“Let’s start with the basement.”

At Hibiki’s request, we headed down to the basement.

The space, once used as a wine cellar, was bare concrete and wrapped in cool, quiet stillness.

It was spacious and the ceiling was high.

“…I like it.”

Standing in the center of the room, Hibiki clapped her hands.

The dry sound echoed.

“With soundproofing, this would become a perfect studio. I could bring in editing equipment and write here too. A sanctuary where I can immerse myself in creation without anyone interfering.”

Her eyes had become those of a creator.

She was probably already simulating equipment placement and wiring in her head.

Next, we moved on to the second floor.

What we were shown was a spacious marble bathroom and a large terrace connected to it.

“Kyaa! Look, Jō!”

Karen let out a childlike squeal and ran onto the terrace.

From there, you could look down over a wide garden.

Thanks to the high walls, it was a complete blind spot from neighboring houses.

“This terrace can connect directly to the bath! We’ll knock out the wall and turn this into an open-air jacuzzi! We can soak together while feeling the night breeze and looking at the stars!”

Karen clung to my arm and looked up at me pleadingly.

“T-together!?”

Behind us, Ueno-san let out something like a scream.

Her face was bright red as she looked down.

Ah, right. In this world, mixed-gender bathing was considered a fairly indecent and stimulating act.

“…I’m worried about the structural strength.”

I ignored Karen’s fantasy and pressed my foot against the terrace floor.

“A filled jacuzzi weighs tons. If we install it as-is, the floor will collapse. Reinforcement work is necessary.”

“Oh, then I’ll ask an architect I know. Money’s no issue.”

Karen didn’t seem concerned at all. A truly reliable patron.

The last place we were shown was the kitchen, located deep in the first floor.

For me, this was the real main event.

As befitted a former noble residence, the space was large, but the equipment looked frozen in the early Shōwa era.

“This area will… need quite a bit of renovation. Even if we install a system kitchen, the piping is old…”

Ueno-san explained apologetically, but I stopped her with a hand and strode inside.

I knocked on the walls, peered into the ventilation duct and checked the floor material with the sole of my shoe.

‘…Not bad.’

The blood of a craftsman began to stir in me.

It was old. But as a structural shell, it was excellent.

“…We’ll knock this out and line the walls with easy-to-clean stainless steel.”

Pointing at the empty space, I began renovating it in my head.

“An island layout would just get in the way. We’ll run a long workbench along the wall. The sink should be a deep double-basin. And here.”

I pointed to the innermost space.

“We’ll place a commercial gas range here. Three burners—no, I want one high-calorie burner for a wok. Something in the 15,000-kilocalorie class. That means the current ventilation fan is useless. We’ll need to replace the duct with a thick commercial one and add intake fans too, or we’ll run out of oxygen.”

“Huh?”

Ueno-san’s eyes went blank.

Her expression clearly showed she couldn’t keep up.

“U-um… do men cook here? And you’re even familiar with such professional-grade equipment?”

In this world, even if men cooked, it was probably limited to mixing salads or baking cookies.

A man worrying about exhaust duct capacity was likely unprecedented.

I turned around and answered with a grin.

“Yeah. With household-level heat, fried rice doesn’t dance.”

Ueno-san murmured blankly, “Fried rice… dancing?” and took a step back.

She didn’t need to understand the meaning.

* * *

After finishing the tour, we returned to the spacious living room.

With the western sun streaming in, it was finally time for negotiations.

“…How did you find it?”

Ueno-san straightened her posture and took out her tablet.

“For this property, including land and building… the asking price is 1.2 billion yen.”

1.2 billion.

By my previous-life standards, it was an amount you couldn’t buy even if you won the lottery.

I could tell Ueno-san was bracing herself to explain a long loan screening process.

“U-um… since this is a very expensive property, we would proceed with a loan screening through an affiliated bank, but—”

However… the two women sitting on either side of me didn’t even exchange a glance.

“Cash is fine, right?”

“Yes. I’d like to skip the troublesome screening and paperwork. Can you process the transfer today?”

Hibiki and Karen spoke as casually as if they were buying gum at a convenience store.

“…Eh?”

Ueno-san froze.

“Y-you mean, not just the deposit, but the full amount?”

“Yes, the full amount. Put it under joint ownership between me and Karen. Ah, but leave the management of ownership rights to him.”

Hibiki said it flatly.

Ueno-san looked like she was about to roll her eyes back, but seemed to be desperately holding onto consciousness through sheer professionalism.

“U-understood… I’ll draft the sales contract immediately!”

While Ueno-san worked the tablet with trembling hands, I slowly surveyed the living room and looked up at the ceiling.

A high ceiling. Solid walls. A wide garden.

“…Feels like we could live here without worrying about anyone else.”

I muttered softly.

It was worlds apart from the cramped feeling of a tower apartment.

Here, no one would complain whether Karen made a racket, Hibiki blasted movies in the basement, or Saotome ran security drills.

And above all, I’d have a place where I could cook to my heart’s content.

“Alright. From today on, this is our base.”

I turned to Ueno-san and told her in a low voice.

“Hey, realtor. Get renovation contractors lined up immediately. I want someone skilled enough to rebuild the kitchen exactly as I instruct.”

Ueno-san sucked in a sharp breath when she met my eyes.

“Y-yes! As you wish!”

She answered instinctively, snapping to attention.

And so, leaving behind the legend of an instant 1.2-billion-yen purchase, we obtained a new castle.