I Became a Janitor and Building Owner - 1
I held Janet in my arms and listened carefully to her voice.
The oracle’s contents were long and ambiguous, filled with a great many things I found hard to grasp. Just as they had been before.
Fortunately, Janet had added annotations here and there and explained how she had interpreted each passage to reach her conclusions, so I managed to follow along. The verse about the sea binding everything but the head was one such example; the rest of the lines were no clearer.
Strange…
How had they known I had been reincarnated? Could the god Janet served have been the one who brought me back? All sorts of questions rose in my mind, but I set them aside for the moment. That was not what mattered right now.
“So that’s why you came to Korea?”
“Yes. At first I naturally thought of Europe… but I decided this country was the most likely to meet the conditions. And that guess turned out to be exactly right.”
“And if it hadn’t been?”
“I was prepared to search for a lifetime. Unless God Himself had told me otherwise.”
Janet tightened her arms around me, and the soft, smothering pressure grew even stronger.
“You could have just lived well as you were. It would have been enough.”
“And if you had been in my place?”
“I would have gone looking, of course. Even if it took my whole life.”
“Then so would I.”
Janet lifted her head a little and smiled bashfully. She was more beautiful than before—perhaps even more than in the past—so much so that meeting her gaze almost felt embarrassing.
“Anyway, I’m so happy we met like this. It almost feels like a dream.”
“Honestly, I still can’t believe it. Your hair isn’t black anymore. And the atmosphere around you feels a little… maybe a lot different.”
“That’s probably because I grew up in such a privileged environment.”
Then, mid-sentence, Janet tugged at my sleeve. Wondering where she was leading me, I watched her walk without the slightest hesitation toward the bedroom set up in the corner.
Surely not…?
Even in our past life she had come to the act of joining late and then taken to it with almost alarming enthusiasm. Now that she knew it was me, was she already thinking of mixing our bodies first?
Anticipation and a faint sense of fluster flickered through my mind—until Janet simply offered me the seat by the table near the window beside the bed.
“I thought it would be nicer to talk sitting here rather than in the living room. It’s cozy, and with such a fine bed nearby, it looks perfect for resting right after.”
And there I was, thinking whatever nonsense I had been thinking. Realizing that the mere suspicion had been a mistake, I smiled wryly as I sat across from her. Even the night view beyond the window looked unusually lonely.
“I just feel a little unsettled because the room is too nice.”
“It’s far more splendid than the house we used to live in. Still… I think I liked that house better.”
“Same here. Though when it comes to bathrooms, the modern age wins without question.”
“I can’t argue with that.”
The corners of Janet’s eyes curved into crescent moons. The way she laughed while carefully muffling the sound so Henri wouldn’t wake was charming in its own right.
“Oh, by the way—do you know what became of our house?”
“Around the time I got the free use of my hands and feet again, I looked it up online. It’s flourished quite a bit.”
“Enough to surprise you, right? It surprised me too.”
The business Leo of Ystua had started had only grown as the generations passed. The way it had stood firm even through the violence of history filled me with pride. I had learned while searching that there had been an era in the Middle Ages when notions of hygiene had hit rock bottom—thanks to what passed for medicine or science back then.
“It made me feel truly proud. They kept the history going for so long without letting the quality slip.”
“That’s because you taught them so well.”
“It wasn’t me—it was Janet’s bloodline. They’re the Saint’s line, so of course they all grew up upright.”
“Don’t say things like that. I’m not that remarkable a person.”
Janet’s cheeks flushed red. Just like in the past, she seemed embarrassed by such blatant flattery.
“How have you been all this time?”
“It would be hard to say ‘ordinarily’… Unlike before, I was in a wealthy environment, and the era itself was different. So the way I spent my time was different too.”
We traded old stories and, through them, came to know each other’s present pasts. There was no need to rehash the days of France.
“By the way—how many days do you plan to stay in Korea? You have to go back, don’t you?”
The moment I brought up her return, Janet’s expression clouded over at once. The good mood plummeted straight into the abyss; it felt like swinging between heaven and hell in a matter of seconds.
“That’s right. I have to go back. I had hoped, but I never imagined we’d meet this quickly.”
“Of course.”
When I sighed, Janet let out a matching sigh of her own. The thought of having to part again so soon was clearly weighing on her. Only her sigh, it seemed, carried a different meaning from mine.
“I’ll come right back. As soon as I wrap up my schedule.”
“Huh? You’re planning to come right back?”
“Of course. Leo is here—where else would I go? Or… don’t tell me…?”
For an instant Janet shot me a sidelong glance, clearly worried there might be another woman.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I was wondering if there might be another woman. There… isn’t, right?”
The tremor and anxiety in her voice as she asked again were quite open. It was so cute that blood threatened to rush somewhere it shouldn’t. For a fleeting second, memes about not being able to hold back and wanting to do it even flitted through my head.
“There isn’t. Don’t worry. I was too busy with janitor work for anything like that.”
I gave a light smile and waved a hand; Janet pressed a hand to her chest in relief. The slightly over-the-top reaction only made her cuter.
“Thank goodness. I was fretting over what I’d do if some other woman started coveting you.”
“That was way too much worry. But when you say you want to come to Korea—do you mean to settle here for good?”
“I’m trying to set things in that direction first. To stay without visa worries, there are all sorts of measures that need to be taken.”
“I feel like France will object… or will they not?”
“In this life I intend to live solely for you, not for any country. Because that is my happiness.”
Even if they opposed her, she fully intended to crush the opposition. I could read the resolute will in Janet’s eyes.
Would it be better if I went to France instead? A nameless janitor crossing over would cause far less noise than the Saint coming here.
“Would it be better if I crossed over instead?”
“If Leo truly wishes it, that would be fine too. But… you like living here, don’t you?”
“Huh? How did you know?”
I hadn’t even said anything. Her answer, as if she had seen straight into my heart, made my eyes go round.
“I still remember vividly what you were like when I first met Leo—when you were acting as my guide. You looked so at ease. More so than when you lived in France.”
Janet smiled gently and shook her head. Her sincere consideration for me was truly touching.
“To be honest… you’re right. It’s shameless of me, but I was even hesitating about leaving with you. I’m sorry.”
Three reincarnations. After more than a hundred years, I had finally returned to Korea. The fantasy-tinged modern world was different from before, yet it was still my homeland. That was why I could not easily say I would leave. Truly shameless of me.
“You don’t need to apologize. What’s most important is that Leo lives comfortably.”
“Still, I have nothing to say for myself. I should be declaring that of course I’ll go with you… but it’s not that easy.”
“I told you not to.”
As if she understood everything, the corners of Janet’s eyes curved softly. It was a look full of tenderness—the kind of gentleness only a Saint could show—and it felt like being comforted.
Ah. Janet blinked with a look of sudden realization and opened her mouth, as if a powerful inspiration had struck her.
“This might not be a proper substitute, but… would you quit your job there for me?”
“My job?”
My eyes went wide at a request I had never even imagined. Quitting work was something I truly had not expected to hear.
“Yes. It’s a good place, but the transportation looked terribly inconvenient.”
“I can’t deny that.”
“So at the very least, I’d like you to come out to an urban area. And it would be even better if the defenses against specters were solid.”
As we talked, the initial shock quickly settled. When one’s wife asked for something like that, it was not difficult. Especially when there was no one left who would grab my pant leg and cling.
“Then I’ll look into the metropolitan cities.”
I had already decided to rule out the capital region entirely. Even when this was not a fantasy-tinged modern world, house and land prices there had been high; now they were even higher.
“Metropolitan city… what does that mean?”
“It means a city with a wide administrative area.”
She had been using difficult words just fine, yet the term “metropolitan city” seemed new to her; she looked awkward.
“Ah, yes. That sounds good.”
“Since you’ll be coming too, a studio would be a bit much… I’ll look for a cheap long-term rental. It’s embarrassing, but I don’t have money, so for now it’ll have to be a cheap place…”
“What? Why would Leo spend money?”
Janet’s head tilted to the side. Her eyes filled with pure incomprehension, as if she truly could not understand.
“Then who?”
“Of course I’ll pay. Don’t worry about the cost—just use the card I gave you…”
Startling words were tumbling out when Janet abruptly closed her mouth and straightened her posture. The bewildered look in her eyes hardened into something resolute.
“…No. Just wait comfortably. I’ll take care of everything myself.”
“Huh? You really don’t have to.”
“I want to. I insist.”
Janet closed her eyes and smiled gently. Even though she was clearly smiling, the pressure that seemed to settle on my shoulders was considerable—as if she would accept no further argument. In the end I could only nod meekly, as obedient as a docile lamb.
Night passed and morning dawned, and Elodie moved about busily. Her official schedule was almost finished, and there was no urgent need to leave at once, so she had some leeway.
Elodie, Henri, and the driver. Only the three of them sat in the spacious black car. Seo Ji-hyuk had left for Galdo to handle his resignation.
“You’re suddenly saying you’ll buy a house in Korea?”
Henri, seated beside her, widened his eyes and asked. The abrupt declaration that she would purchase a house had clearly thrown him.
Elodie nodded a few times before speaking.
“I intend to buy one. And then live in Korea.”
“Are you serious?”
Henri’s low voice rose sharply in an instant. He looked so taken aback he had almost lost the ability to form words.
Elodie gave a soft laugh and asked,
“Strange, isn’t it?”
“Of course it is. There will be plenty of noise from the government, and the family…”
“Those people will support me, so it’s fine.”
“That may be true, but… why on earth?”
The fundamental question slipped from Henri’s lips. He could guess that last night’s conversation with the Korean, Seo Ji-hyuk, had been the trigger, yet without a concrete reason he remained confused.
“Is it because of that Korean man?”
He kept his mouth tightly shut for a moment, then put strength into his eyes. The excitement that had colored his voice settled as if it had never been there.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Did he ask you to buy him a house? Did he try to seduce the Saint?”
“And if he had? How do you think I would have acted?”
“If he had… you would never have fallen for it. You’re someone who doesn’t so much as flinch at that sort of temptation. And the other party didn’t even look capable of it.”
Henri rolled his eyes and sighed. For a fleeting instant Elodie’s gaze flashed sharply, but she said nothing. Because it was Henri, she let it pass.
“Exactly. Therefore this is something I am doing entirely of my own will. In fact, he was going to prepare a place on his own, and I stopped him.”
“You’re unusually firm about this.”
“To an outsider’s eyes it may be hard to believe… but I have my reasons.”
She had found her precious partner—someone who might even be more precious than God. How could she not be firm? For Elodie it was simply impossible to be otherwise.
There’s no talking her out of it.
Having read that resolve, Henri closed his mouth. He knew better than anyone that once Elodie set her mind on something, no one could stop her.
I want to see him soon.
Impatience began to sprout in Elodie’s heart. The mutual love they shared, and the vivid memories bound up with him, pushed hard at her back.
What kind of house should she buy? How should she furnish the inside so he would like it?
A faint curve touched Elodie’s lips. Her mind was completely filled with thoughts of matching Seo Ji-hyuk’s tastes.