Breakfast was held at the old man's house. Noticing Chizuru still hadn't returned, Ryunosuke asked, "Has your granddaughter really not been back since last night?"
The elderly couple answered in a calm, synchronized tone, "No need to worry. She most likely just fell asleep at the secluded mountain shrine out back."
At that very moment, Chizuru was indeed snoring away at a remote shrine on the mountain. However, she was self-aware enough to have set a phone alarm for her university classes.
When the alarm blared, Chizuru woke up, her soul still only halfway back in her body. A stray yellow leaf was stuck in her hair, and she had a bit of drool at the corner of her mouth. Realizing she was cutting it close, she scrambled into her shoes and sprinted toward campus. Clearly, this wasn't the first time this had happened, which explained why her grandparents were so nonchalant.
"A shrine, huh..." Ryunosuke muttered, lost in thought. Seeing that the couple wasn't anxious, he didn't pry further. After breakfast, he headed to the construction site with the grandfather.
On the way to his plot of land, Ryunosuke stopped at a snack shop and bought 18 servings of breakfast for the crew. Once there, he distributed the food, waited for them to finish eating, and the work began.
As usual, Ryunosuke simply sat and supervised from under the shade of his umbrella. After all, it wouldn't be right to ask the benefactor to do manual labor, would it?
The site foreman approached, intending to share the shade. However, Ryunosuke heartlessly kicked him back out.
"Back to work!"
"I'm not paying you so you can lounge under an umbrella with me!"
"Ow! That hurts!" The foreman rubbed his sore backside, but he didn't dare protest since Ryunosuke was the boss. The problem was, as a foreman, he didn't actually have any physical tasks... his job was literally just to watch everyone else work. Forced away, he found a secluded spot under a large tree where he couldn't be seen and continued his slacking.
If there was anyone in this project who excelled at "getting paid for doing nothing," it was definitely the foreman. His business model involved bringing dozens of subordinates to a site and taking a cut of their wages for himself. The crew didn't mind because he was the one capable of finding them steady work.
After a while of lounging, lunchtime arrived. The foreman put out his cigarette and emerged right on time for the meal. Ryunosuke just shook his head; he wasn't blind to the fact that the man hadn't lifted a finger.
They returned to the small eatery, and once again, Ryunosuke picked up the tab. Since he had promised to cover three meals a day, the workers ordered with enthusiasm. Of course, they were respectful enough not to choose the most expensive items, opting for relatively cheap sets instead.
Ryunosuke, however, ordered several extra meat dishes as a supplement to show his appreciation for their hard work. Building a house is grueling physical labor; food that is a bit saltier and greasier provides much-needed energy. Ultimately, the positive impact would return to him: they would work harder and more meticulously.
What was the big deal about a few meat dishes? In his previous life, many bosses didn't understand this simple logic. They were stingy with their employees, and as a result, the workers performed half-heartedly or even sabotaged equipment behind the boss's back, leading to much greater losses. Ryunosuke chose to treat people with heart, knowing that those who felt his sincerity would reciprocate in kind.
Thanks to his treatment, work that was supposed to take three days was finished in just one and a half. The rebar foundation was set and the concrete was poured. Now, all that remained was to assemble the wooden frame on top.
Japan is a quake-prone region, which is why most building materials are wood. Interestingly, they used the mortise and tenon technique, similar to the nearly extinct Luban Lock technique from China. The entire process used no expansion bolts; they relied on perfectly fitted wooden joints to lock into one another for stability. Even if an earthquake hit, this structure wouldn't budge.
The quality of construction in Japan was beyond doubt, given they faced hundreds of minor quakes every year. Shoddy "watered-down" projects wouldn't last long here.
Once the foundation dried, the rest of the job was just assembling the pre-cut timber like Lego blocks. This part would be finished in a few days.
Chizuru's grandfather approached Ryunosuke with a somewhat hesitant expression. "Um, Young Boss, once the house is built, you'll definitely need furniture, right? Could you leave that part to me? My skills are quite decent—I've been making furniture since I was a boy."
Ryunosuke looked at him intently. He knew the old man was looking for extra income. Calculating it out, a full set of furniture could cost millions of Yen.
Ryunosuke agreed, except for the bed, as he wanted to buy a ready-made one to use as soon as the house was done. The rest of the furniture could be made at a relaxed pace.
The grandfather was incredibly grateful and promised to work with flawless precision. He also asked if Ryunosuke had any special requests. Ryunosuke didn't demand much, as long as it was functional. He didn't expect the old man to craft him a "Dragon Throne."
At the mention of a "Dragon Throne," the old man's lip twitched. "You're really making it hard for me! You think I can carve a dragon into a chair? Only a high-level master carver can do that!"
Ryunosuke laughed and told him he was joking. However, he did have one small request. "Could you build a few secret drawers into the furniture? For example, in the nightstand or the wardrobe, create a small hidden compartment for... 'secret' items. Like adult magazines or emergency savings."
Ryunosuke figured that if he got married later and his wife was too strict with the finances, he needed a "ninja way" to survive. The grandfather immediately flashed a "men understand men" expression and gave a thumbs-up. "Say no more. Leave it all to me!"