Chapter 3
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Laying the Groundwork Firmly!
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Tap, tap, clank.
The maintenance workers Rize had sent were efficiently repairing the facilities inside the shrine.
From the rusted faucets to the pillars that were starting to rot.
No matter how hard the Yagitsune mother and daughter tried to keep things looking presentable, there were just too many spots for two people alone to handle.
But now the workers were fixing them all up.
"Wh-what? Huh?"
Yagitsune Ayame stared at the scene in a daze, blinking in disbelief.
"Young Master, here's your green tea."
"Thanks, Rize."
Since this was a shrine, Rize had brewed green tea to match the atmosphere.
I'd have to praise her lavishly when we got back.
She was the sharp, cool maid from the game around others.
But when it was just us, she was my adorable maid who subtly acted spoiled.
"Shrine Priestess, please have some green tea."
"Y-yes!? Oh, yes. Th-thank you. *Slurp.* ...It's delicious!"
"You're welcome."
Rize brewed both green and black tea perfectly.
"So, does this convince you that I'm really Rubelt Eldra?"
"O-of course. But to help us like this..."
It was natural for her to be flustered by the sudden repairs.
But times like these were perfect for pressing the advantage.
"As heir to the Eldra family, I've received all sorts of elite training. Part of that included identifying places with good foundations and positive energy."
"The Eldra elite training includes something like that...!"
"And in my judgment, this shrine is far too magnificent to let decay like this."
"Ah, aah...! Ru-Rubelt...!"
Yagitsune Ayame's eyes welled up with tears at my words, deeply moved.
It was no wonder.
This was my first time seeing it in person, but I'd read reports on how hard Yagitsune Ayame had worked to maintain the shrine.
That included its history, its spiritual efficacy, and efforts to spread the word about what a great place it was.
Of course, those efforts had been thwarted by bribes and pressure from those blocking their path.
And now look.
They'd been backed into a corner, and here I was extending a helping hand with repairs and sponsorship.
No matter how much they'd promoted it, everyone had turned them away.
Now I was praising it and calling it wonderful.
Her tears were proportional to the frustration and sorrow of all those rejections.
With this, she was practically won over.
"Oh, by the way, what was your name again, Shrine Priestess?"
"Ah! R-right, I haven't even introduced myself yet. I'm so sorry."
Yagitsune Ayame placed a hand on the center of her impressively ample chest—which looked like it could bury a face—and spoke.
"I'm Yagitsune Ayame, the Shrine Priestess of this Yagitsune Shrine. Rubelt, thank you so much for helping our shrine... Sniff! Thank you."
"No, no. I just couldn't stand seeing such a fine shrine go to waste."
"Ahh, your heart is as noble as can be...!"
She must have been through a lot, because even a little flattery like that moved her deeply.
It pricked my conscience just a tiny bit.
Well, I'd make up for it with generous ongoing support.
"Yagitsune... Hmm, it's awkward since it matches the shrine's name. May I call you Ayame?"
"Of course!"
"Ayame, if there are any specific requests for the repairs—like the type of wood for the shrine pillars or colors that must be used—tell the workers everything. We'll handle it right away."
"Yes, got it."
After that, Yagitsune Ayame instructed the workers on what the shrine needed, then returned to me, bowing repeatedly in gratitude.
And while we discussed future sponsorship plans for the Yagitsune Shrine—boosting her favor toward me—
"Mom! Wh-what are all those people outside?!"
Yagitsune Kagura had returned from school.
Dark purple hair and eyes just like her mother's.
A ponytail tied with red braided cords, and voluptuous breasts and hips.
If not for the academy uniform, she looked exactly like her character illustration from my past life.
"Ah! Kagura! Come say hello!"
"Say hello!? No, those people outside..."
"They're workers here to repair our shrine. Don't worry."
"Workers!? But we don't have the money for that... D-don't tell me it's a loan! A loan, Mom!? Our shrine doesn't have the credit for... N-no, loan sharks!? No! We can't do that, Mom! ...Ugh!"
Yagitsune Kagura glanced back and forth between us and her mother, then stepped in front of Yagitsune Ayame, glaring at us.
"Y-you tricked my mom, didn't you! Sweet-talked her until her soft heart gave in and forced loan sharks on her...!"
"L-loan sharks!? It's not like that!"
"Mom, it's okay! I'll handle everything!"
She seemed to have quite the misunderstanding.
"Hey! G-get those people out! Our shrine may be poor now, but we don't need loan sharks! If you don't leave right now...!"
Yagitsune Kagura reached into her cleavage and pulled out a talisman with red writing on white paper.
"I'll give you a piece of my mind!"
"...!"
I watched the scene with wide eyes.
And felt moved at the same time.
Zzzzt!
It was the signature motion for Yagitsune Kagura in Blaze Blood—practically her trademark!
Even in my past life's communities:
'What's with the tit-slap? We've got tit-talismans lololol'
'Sigh! A talisman soaked in fluids beats a chunk of metal any day.'
It had sparked so much buzz, pulling talismans from her cleavage.
Ahh, to see it in real life.
My heart swelled.
"How dare you to the Young Master..."
Ah, Rize was on the verge of exploding.
Her favor toward me had maxed out since childhood, so her boiling point was low whenever I was involved.
"Rize, stand down."
"But Young Master..."
"Stand down. Got it?"
"...Understood."
I stopped Rize from drawing the dagger attached to the choker on her thigh, hidden under her maid skirt.
She wouldn't need to anyway.
"Kagura!"
Yagitsune Ayame would scold her own daughter.
"What are you doing!? Put that talisman away right now!"
"Mom!"
"Rubelt isn't a loan shark! He's someone who was so moved by our shrine that he decided to sponsor us! Put it away now!"
"S-sponsor?"
At Yagitsune Ayame's shout and the word "sponsor," Yagitsune Kagura panicked and looked back at us.
This called for a fresh chaebol smile.
"Hello. Yagitsune Kagura. I'm Rubelt Eldra, the sponsor who's decided to support the Yagitsune Shrine."
"E-Eldra? That Eldra... the world's top conglomerate...?"
The mother and daughter's flustered reactions were identical.
After Yagitsune Ayame explained, Yagitsune Kagura understood and immediately bowed to me.
"I'm sorry!"
I was a bit surprised by the immediate apology.
Yagitsune Kagura was a feisty character in the academy's disciplinary committee.
I'd expected her to admit fault calmly and composedly, but with a subtle defiance.
Evidently, their financial woes had taken a heavy toll on Yagitsune Kagura too, not just her mother.
"No, no. I was actually moved by how you jumped into action for your parent's sake."
It really was a moving tit-talisman moment.
"It's getting late, so we'll head out. Oh, could you give me your account details? I need to send the first sponsorship payment."
"Y-yes! Wh-where's some paper!? Please wait a moment!"
As Yagitsune Ayame rushed to another room for paper,
Yagitsune Kagura was bowing her head and mumbling.
Reflecting on her mistake?
Or favor toward me for accepting her apology so readily?
I leaned in slightly and listened.
"Money's coming in... money... money's coming. No more worrying about the electricity bill getting cut... No more months of just bean sprouts... S-snacks whenever I want... I can buy all the aburaage I want for Lady Yorugitsune at the market..."
Oh, she was reciting hopes of escaping poverty.
Quietly enough that Yagitsune Kagura wouldn't hear, I asked Rize,
"I didn't catch anything about months of bean sprouts."
"I only heard they had poor diets. I didn't realize it was this bad."
Rize gave Yagitsune Kagura a look of pity.
For Rize to pity someone who'd shown me even slight hostility meant she felt tremendous sympathy.
"H-here's the account number!"
Yagitsune Ayame returned with a paper bearing the account details.
"Got it."
I sent a "very modest" sponsorship amount to the account.
"Just sent it. Check and see."
Ding!
Right on cue, Yagitsune Ayame's phone chimed.
"Yes, okay!"
Yagitsune Ayame swallowed hard and checked her phone.
Yagitsune Kagura peered intensely at it too.
They gaped at the "very modest" sponsorship I'd sent—an amount enough for the mother and daughter to live comfortably while running the shrine for three months.
"Wh-wha, wha...!"
"Z-zeroes... one, two, three, four...!"
"That's the initial sponsorship. Of course, you don't need to pay for the current repairs. Was it not enough?"
"N-no!"
"N-not at all!"
"Good."
The mother and daughter turned their heads with creaky jerks to stare at each other.
"M-Mom! Mommm!"
"Kaguraaaaa!"
They burst into tears and hugged fiercely.
"W-we're okay now, right!? No more just bean sprouts! I-I want meat... meat...!"
"Yes! Eat up...! Eat as much as you want! Sniff! I'm sorry for making you suffer all this time, my daughter...!"
What a touching scene.
Best to give them space.
"We'll be going then. Let's go, Rize."
"Yes, Young Master."
"Ah, wait! Ru-Rubelt! H-how can we ever thank you...!"
"It's fine. Sponsoring a great shrine is just what I wanted. Spend this precious mother-daughter time together."
Anyway, I'd get plenty of thanks once I turned twenty.
Rize and I descended the shrine steps.
"You did great today too, Rize. You're the best maid ever."
"Thank you."
She tried to play it cool and expressionless, but the faint blush was utterly cute.
And so, before becoming an adult, I laid the groundwork for the heroines whose backstories I knew from my past life.
This was the second piece of groundwork I was setting.
There'd be no end if I listed every groundwork I laid, so I'll just highlight the key ones.
Next up: the third and crucial piece for realizing my wish.