Morning..
Kaito began working on areas outside the Jade Chamber within the world of the spatial gate.
He even considered merging it with the small world.
Theoretically, it was possible, like bringing in a part of a continent or something.
But...
After trying, he sighed helplessly.
The integration of the Jade Chamber was nearing its limit; it couldn't be merged with anything more.
But...
He needed to upgrade.
Only through upgrades could he attempt to merge the small world.
"Kaito... um, you're up this early?"
Kie came to the square, unable to help but call out when she saw Kaito.
Though her body felt tired, her complexion was rosy and healthy.
She didn't look like someone who had stayed up all night.
"Yeah, I woke up a bit early. I was just thinking about whether there's a way to improve this Jade Chamber."
Whether looking around or up at the sky, everything was pitch black.
The only illumination came from the eternal candles and lights within the Jade Chamber itself; otherwise, it would be a dark place.
"Alright, let's go out."
"Mm."
Taking Kie with him, they exited. This was the courtyard area.
The morning sun shone upon them, and Nezuko, who had been practicing her fireball technique, saw them and pattered over to hug Kie.
"Mom, Kaito-nii! You're back! Where did you go yesterday?"
"Uh..."
Kie didn't know how to explain and found it hard to meet Nezuko's eyes.
"Hehe, I went to a big town with your mom to buy some local specialties. I got you some presents too, here~"
He pulled several snacks from a golden ripple. Nezuko took them from Kaito excitedly.
She didn't doubt his words.
"Thank you, Kaito-nii~"
"Okay, go share these with your brother and sister."
"Okay~ I know!"
Nezuko ran back inside with the snacks. Mitsuri seemed to have heard the noise too and came out of the house. Seeing them together, she showed a knowing smile.
Kie was her sister now~
And...
She wouldn't have to bear the pressure from Kaito alone.
Even though she felt her body was strong and could endure for a long time,
In front of Kaito...
Her natural gifts didn't mean much; she could only recover a bit faster and last a bit longer.
Plus, with the attitudes of this era, she wouldn't complain about Kaito. Instead, she smiled and called Kie 'Sister'.
Yes, Mitsuri was a good person.
She was the quickest to adapt to her role.
"Alright, let's have breakfast first! We can talk about other things later."
"Okay!"
After breakfast,
Kaito, having some free time, first asked where Sayuri had gone to play, then began exploring the inn with Kie.
They had been here for a few days but hadn't properly looked around, which was a shame.
But after one walkthrough, he felt something was lacking. So, Kaito used a large-scale hypnotic spell, then used his abilities to slightly remodel the Kamado Hot Spring Inn.
Some parts were reinforced with hard, ornate stone, and the hot springs were upgraded with better stone.
He improved the plumbing system and, on the hillside, created a larger reservoir. Within the surrounding mountain, he built a water storage tank. When it rained, water would slowly seep in, and after reaching a certain level, it would flow out through a filtration system.
With magical arrays in place, water from other mountains would also be channeled here.
This way, Kie wouldn't need to have people haul water to the boiler room, nor would she have to create water with her abilities. The original mountain spring would sometimes run dry during the off-season.
Well, since he had a deeper relationship with Kie, putting a little thought into this was worth it.
Now, the inn was larger, more spacious, and more luxurious!
Some of the decorations were replaced with carved stone statues, etc...
All this took Kaito a day. If anyone asked, they would say they hired many people to renovate.
Since the town and its visitors had been hypnotized, even if Kie didn't explain, they would help explain.
They would only talk about how spectacular it was seeing hundreds of people pulling various carts and working together over those few days.
Hmm...
While this might make Takeo busier, Kaito also hypnotized the staff, instilling them with modern service experience and management skills. The rest could be handled by hiring more people from other large towns.
These people would become managers, etc.
That way, Takeo's workload wouldn't be so heavy, and Kie wouldn't have to worry about the inn, giving her more free time.
"Kaito-nii, thank you for the jade pendant~~"
"And me! And me!"
That night, after a busy day, Kaito gave the pendants he had prepared to Nezuko and Hanako. He also gave one to Takeo.
Later, while soaking in the hot springs alone, waiting for Mitsuri or Kie to join him, the two sisters came instead.
Perhaps due to their age and different attitudes, they had no reservations around Kaito. They jumped right in and sat beside him, affectionately thanking him.
"Okay, okay, I appreciate your thanks."
Kaito sighed helplessly, stroking the hair of the two girls.
Now, even if he wanted to do something, he couldn't. He just soaked with Nezuko and Hanako.
Incidentally, Kaito infused the hot spring water with a large amount of magical power, slowly improving Nezuko and Hanako's physical foundation.
"Oh? Is that Nezuko and Hanako?"
Mitsuri arrived.
Seeing the two girls, she smiled wryly.
Wasn't this a lost cause?
Didn't they know the torment of having tasted something sweet?
In the end, Kie didn't come, probably having gone to bed early or feeling too shy to come.
Well, understandable.