Moving Plans (3)
"Welco— eh? Aren't you the folks who came by yesterday? So, have you perhaps made a decision?"
The one who greeted us was none other than one of yesterday's mouse beastkin—the younger of the two, the one who'd been wearing glasses.
"Yes. We'd like to buy a house."
It was she who spoke up.
Not to rent a house. To buy one.
She'd told me that would be far better.
"Five gold coins a year. Fifty over ten years. And even then, if the landlord has a change of heart, you'd have to leave and find somewhere new. Renting just can't compare to buying. You can't even decorate as you please, and if something breaks, you're on the hook for the repairs. All in all, it's simply not as good as owning."
Exhausted, I leaned against her as she washed the saliva from my body, listening to her whisper.
"If you've come into this kind of money, it's much better to go to the landlord with the gold and ask them to just hand over the whole house. Not many people would turn down a sum like fifty gold coins."
A soft peck left a red mark on my freshly cleaned cheek, and then she dressed me in underthings of the softest cloth.
"So shall we go talk to them tomorrow? We'll say we'll pay ten years' rent all at once—so sell us the house. Of course, they're free to refuse."
Laid down upon the bed, I gazed up at her lingering, sultry eyes with my own slowly closing ones. Instead of answering, I ran my fingers through her hair—washed once, but still damp—and that was my reply. I stroked her long ears, too. Always so soft and warm, no matter how many times I touched them.
...Wrapped in her love, which had grown all the more brazen, I slept soundly. And then it was the next day.
"Which of the properties I showed you yesterday were you interested in?"
"The very first one we saw. The house in the western district."
"Eh? Ah, sir, that building is rental-only. Perhaps there's been some misunderstanding...?"
"No. We came to buy that exact house. Would it be possible to meet with the owner?"
"Ah... well, there's no reason we couldn't. Please wait just a moment... Grandfather!"
He disappeared through a doorway, and before long came back out with a whistle and a single silver coin.
"Please wait just a moment. I'll get in touch with the owner right away and try to arrange a meeting."
"Ah, just a moment. Could you let them know that this isn't simply an expression of interest—that we're prepared to pay ten years' rent all at once?"
"Pardon? Fifty gold coins? Do you... have that with you right now?"
The instant the words left his mouth, I pulled a pouch from my belt and held it up. It was quite heavy, and even just lifting it produced a rich, clinking jingle all on its own.
"...Just a moment—just a moment—Grandfather!! Grandfather!!"
Forgetting even to take the silver coin, he rushed back into the room, and moments later the old man from yesterday came bursting out, hastily shoving his glasses back into place.
"Ah—oh my, s-sir, are you truly going to buy that house? For fifty gold coins!"
A brief silence fell.
The mouse beastkin in front of me were still panting, staring at me—but the voice I'd been expecting still hadn't spoken. Puzzled, I glanced beside me. She stood with her hands neatly folded, smiling as she looked my way.
"Why aren't you saying anyth—"
"Master...? Me?"
I stared at her, dumbfounded. She'd been handling the conversation just fine this whole time. Why was she suddenly deferring to me like this? And going out of her way to mention that she was a slave, no less.
"Come now. It's the Master's money, so the Master should be the one to decide."
Feeling oddly awkward and unsettled, I scratched my head irritably and looked at the mouse beastkin. They were staring at me with their hands clasped together in desperate entreaty.
"W-well... yes. I intend to purchase the house."
"...Ah! Y-yes, of course. B-before we proceed, could you please confirm that you actually have the funds!"
I set the pouch on the floor, untied the string, and showed them the gleaming gold coins inside. The old man pushed his glasses up with one finger, then drew two palm-sized silver coins from his coat with trembling hands.
Well—palm-sized by their standards, at least.
"To-Toby. Send this express. Quickly! Tell the owner it's a fifty-gold-coin deal—hurry!"
Two more silver coins were pressed into the hands of the young man who'd been attending us just moments ago—Toby, as he was called. He hurried outside and put the whistle to his lips.
"Fweeeeeee—"
I'd expected something a bit more dramatic. Rather than a sharp trill or a piercing blast, it was more like a failed whistle—just a wheezing hiss of escaping air. For a moment, nothing happened.
Then, with a flutter of wings, a bird beastkin... oh. One wearing a rather proper uniform landed in front of him.
He had enormous wings folded against his back, a scarf wrapped tightly up over his nose, and a pair of strikingly intense, gleaming eyes. The snug cut of the uniform even served to emphasize his lean, well-toned physique.
"Express delivery, if you would. Please take this letter to Enver Carmen in the city center!"
"Received and understood."
He snatched the document, tucked it into his coat, turned around, and then—with a great whoosh—spread those enormous wings wide. He beat them once, powerfully, and soared high into the sky.
It was... quite an impressive sight.
As I sat sipping tea, her strange behavior from earlier kept nagging at me. The way she'd deliberately deferred the answer to me. The way she'd so clearly called me "Master" in front of other people.
Hadn't she always resisted the idea of being a slave?
Unlike my troubled thoughts, she was perfectly at ease, continuing to bring her drink to her lips. She didn't forget to flash me a smile now and then, either.
"Hey."
"Yes, Marcus?"
See? Now she was calling me Marcus just fine.
"Why did you call me Master earlier?"
"Because we were in front of other people."
"And what difference does being in front of other people make?"
"I think the relationship between you and me is something very special. Something that belongs only to the two of us."
Without the slightest hesitation, she showed me a very dangerous smile. The corners of her mouth were turned up, but her eyes were sharp, pinning me in place. A glimpse of her tongue made me flinch.
"A relationship like that... I don't think we need to show it to other people. I don't think there's any reason to. What do you think?"
"What do I... think."
I'd always thought a romantic relationship was something to be proud of. Something you'd want to show off. Wasn't love supposed to be a little more... open? That kind of atmosphere?
"Pfft. That said, I don't think this is the place to discuss it any further."
She carefully brought a finger to her lips, then pointed that same finger toward the closed room beyond.
"They say the birds hear what you say by day, and the mice hear what you say by night, don't they?"
"They have that proverb here to— ah, no..."
I'd almost slipped up. I shouldn't have said they have that proverb here too... I should've gone with something like, oh, there's a saying like that? or is that so?
Damn it. I'd tangled myself up...!
As I shook my head, thinking that, she stared at me for a moment, then took another sip of tea.
"Well... let's talk about the rest when it's just the two of us."
Clack. She set her mug back down on the table.
"And it seems our guest has just arrived."
The moment the words left her mouth, the door flew open.
"S-so then."
The figure panting heavily in the doorway was none other than... a boar?! With some very impressive tusks.
"I hear you've offered fifty gold coins!"
He vigorously rubbed his coarse-haired hands together, then strode right up to me and seized my hand.
"Well now, a pleasure to meet you! Enver Carmen's the name! I hear you're interested in my house!"
He seemed quite delighted by the situation—his beaming face made that abundantly clear.
"Y-yes... um, before we talk business, would it be possible to take a look at the house first?"
"But of course! I've got every confidence in my house. The one in the western district especially—that's a work of art, I tell you. Right this way!"
Following him outside, we found a rather luxurious carriage waiting. Accented in black with lines of gold, it had a certain... well... English gentleman's carriage sort of feel to it.
The ones who boarded were myself, Carmen, Ely, and the old man from the real estate agency.
"Once you see the house, you'll fall in love with it. Two stories, plus a basement you can use as a storeroom. There's a small garden, too... and I designed it with newlyweds in mind, so the soundproofing is rock-solid. Hahaha!"
He slapped his knee, gave Ely a little bow of his head, then turned back to me.
"Whew, but I must say... you've got quite the beauty at your side. I'm envious, I am. No wonder you're looking to buy a house like this."
"Y-yeah. Haha..."
Even though she'd been the one making all the decisions.
The carriage gradually slowed, and he stretched a hand out the window, pointing to a house. Among the rather widely spaced homes, one stood out clearly—and it had a rather fresh, pleasant look to it.
Built of timber and brick, the house carried itself with such understated elegance that I could almost have believed I was looking at a modern home. Gray and black bricks were laid in a pleasing arrangement, interwoven with wooden posts and planks, and though the garden was a bit neglected, the place certainly looked good.
"I had a hand in designing this one myself, quite some time ago. The aesthetics are excellent, but... what with the location and the price... it never quite became the kind of house people would snap up easily. Most folks would rather squeeze into something in the city than settle out in the suburbs, you see."
He let out a heavy sigh, then turned to me and grinned.
"Still, I can't tell you how glad I am that someone who appreciates this house's charms has finally come along. Well then—shall we go inside?"
He produced a key from his coat with a flourish, and before I could even say a word, he strode ahead and opened the front door.
It was time to see the inside properly.