Side: Tori
Nice to meet you, I'm Tori. This time, I'll be moving the story of our dungeon management forward from my perspective.
That said, regarding the topic Yuki-san is currently discussing—housing for residents—Ratz-san, Eris-san, and Milly-san are taking the lead, so we beastfolk and the children haven't been able to participate much.
I'm incredibly grateful to Yuki-san and want to help however I can... but I'm not particularly smart, so I'm poor at this sort of thing. I'm much better at physical activities.
"Hey, Tori. Don't you think we should say something? I don't want Yuki-san to think we're useless."
Riel, of the Catfolk, said to me with her ears pressed flat against her head. She clearly wants to help him in her own way.
"Hmm... but Eris-san and the others are handling the talking so well. I wonder if we can even come up with a good idea?
"...But, but... even if it's not through brute strength, I want to help. I don't think it's right to just leave everything to Yuki-san and Eris."
I understood exactly what Riel was feeling. Yuki-san always says "the right person for the right job," meaning we have our own places to shine and there's no problem if we aren't active in every single meeting. Even so, he lets us join these conferences and gives us a place to speak our minds. That's why it's frustrating when we can't contribute.
"Hey, Kaya, do you have any good ideas?"
Riel called out to Kaya, who had been quietly sipping her cocoa.
Kaya is a Foxfolk and, unlike us, she's the type who specializes in magic-based combat. I held out hope that she might have a different perspective.
"...None. The conversation is already wrapping up with the plan to provide private rooms. If we butt in poorly now, we'll just end up back at square one."
Kaya isn't very talkative, but it seems she listens intently. Her view was that we shouldn't interfere further regarding the housing.
"Kaya's a no-go too, huh? I think private rooms are great, but honestly, I don't really feel embarrassed around anyone here. Especially since you and Kaya are beastfolk too, Tori. Even if I did something weird, you'd just chalk it up to instinct, right?"
"...I think so too. But a private room is definitely more convenient. I want to keep this photo in my own room. It's... my treasure."
I understand Riel's point. We've all lived together, so I don't mind shared spaces. But as Kaya said, I want to display the photo Yuki-san gave me in a personal space.
Photos of me and Yuki-san, me with Riel and Kaya, me with everyone, me with Aslin... There are so many. It might be a nuisance to clutter a shared room with them. I have ten photos of just myself! I'd probably get angry if someone accidentally threw them away or crumpled them.
"Hmm, but wait. We want private rooms because we have things like these to keep safe, right? But the people coming here for the first time aren't like that..."
"...Yuki said it himself. He wants them to buy things for themselves later so they can experience the convenience of a private room."
It seemed Riel still had a lingering attachment to a shared living space. Wait... does that mean Aslin and the others will have to live all alone in their own rooms from now on?
"Um, Yuki-san. I have something I'd like to ask."
"Hmm? Tori, did you come up with a good idea?"
"No, it's just... you said you'd give us private rooms too. Does that include Aslin and the others?"
"Yeah, of course. Aslin's group gets one room each."
"Does that mean... they won't be sleeping with you anymore?"
"Well, they'll have their own rooms. There's no reason to sleep together anymore, right?"
When Yuki-san replied, Aslin and Filia froze.
"N-Noooo! I wanna sleep with Onii-chan!!"
"Nii-sama, I don't want a private room! I want to be together!!"
"...Good grief. Yuki, you really should have thought about how you worded that."
Labyris sighed.
Aslin and Filia started wailing, clinging to Yuki-san.
"Sorry, sorry! Hey, stop crying. It's fine to sleep together. Just because you have your own room doesn't mean you're banned from coming to mine."
Yuki-san patted their heads to calm them down.
"Um, I'm the one who brought this up, but please hear me out. I don't think it's necessary to force private rooms on people like Aslin. Sometimes it's better to stay with the people you've lived with until now."
Hearing my words, Eris-san seemed to catch onto the idea and spoke to Yuki-san.
"...I see. Tori-san makes a very good point. We agreed because we heard the benefits of private rooms, but if you ask if we hate our current shared room, the answer is no. Why not grant private rooms only to those who request them?"
"Right. We're expecting more kids like Aslin. We'll need a space for collective living."
"In that case, Onii-san, why not offer private rooms in a 'rent' format? In a way, it becomes a privilege for those who work hard, and it would be necessary for couples who want to live together. Though that would mean separating them into individual and family units."
"I agree with Ratz's method. We can set the private rooms as a future goal. For the beginning, we can give them shared rooms like ours to make it easier to teach them the rules and lifestyle of this place. Those who don't want to move can stay in the shared rooms and act as mentors for new residents."
Eris-san and Ratz-san took my disorganized thoughts and presented them perfectly. I'm so grateful for these meetings; even someone without an education like me is listened to properly.
"Onii-san, also, rather than building specifically for 300 people, shouldn't we build enough private and shared rooms for 1,000, looking toward the future?"
"That's a good point. If it's too big we can't manage it, but at that scale, we can just have the 300 newcomers do the cleaning. Tori, thanks for the input. This is proof that cooperating is the way to go."
Yuki-san patted my head. I'm not a child like Aslin, but I didn't mind at all when Yuki-san did it...
Ah... that spot right behind the ear... mwahhh...
Wait, what happened to Aslin and the others who were crying earlier? I can't hear them anymore.
"...Aslin, Filia. If you listen to what I say, you can sleep with Yuki forever."
"Is that true, Labyris-chan!?"
"Together with Nii-sama forever!?"
Ah, Labyris was the one soothing them.
"The way to do it is... you have to become Yuki's wives! If you bear his children, you can stay with him even more!"
"I'll do it! I'm gonna be Onii-chan's wife!"
"Me too!"
"Good answer. With that spirit, I'm sure you'll be great wives."
Labyris said with a faint, dark smirk.
I often think this, but Labyris really has a wicked side to her.
"Hey! Labyris! What are you teaching Aslin and Filia!? They're still kids, you know..."
"...Yuki, female slaves are basically kept for that purpose. They're 'educated' so they won't be rude to the person who buys them."
Labyris explained.
"Gah! I hate how realistic this conversation is getting!"
Yuki-san is... how should I put it? Innocent? Pure in strange ways? Why? That's just the way things are for slaves.
"Onii-san, don't waste time on that. Let's summarize Tori's opinion and finalize the housing construction plan. We have a lot to do in the fifteen days before Seraria-sama arrives. Don't stumble at the very beginning of construction."
"Right. I have high hopes for Aslin's group, but for now, preparing for the immigrants comes first."
"Huh? Eris, you're not even denying what Aslin and Filia said?"
"...? I see no reason to deny it. As long as it isn't forced, they have the motivation themselves. The rest is up to you, Yuki-san, isn't it?"
"Come on, Onii-san. Let's get out of here and inspect the third floor. If we don't start building by the third day, we won't make it in time."
Yuki-san was dragged away by Ratz and Eris. We followed them out of the room.
"We did it, Tori! We were helpful too!"
"...Tori, you're amazing."
"No, I only thought of it because you two were thinking so hard. Let's keep it up!"
Yuki-san says our real turn to shine is still ahead. The real work starts now. I have to do my best to help create the happy place he described.
