Chapter 10: Secretly Rewarding Oneself

“Cough, cough, let’s end the farce here. It’s time to get down to business,” Kobayashi said earnestly.

Kazuma Sato sneered inwardly. The ones who caused the commotion earlier were the others, yet it seemed as if they were the ones messing around.

“So, Sato-kun, do you have anything to say?”

“No, no,” he replied reluctantly under the pressure of her gaze.

Having dealt with the only sensible member of the squad, Kobayashi began her explanation.

“Sato-kun must have told you that I want all the squad members to live together.”

Seeing them nod in understanding, she continued, “However, we don’t have the money right now. For us novice adventurers, saving a large amount is very difficult. That’s why I went to find a sponsor.”

“A sponsor?!” the four exclaimed.

Darkness and Megumin looked puzzled, while Sato and Aqua were surprised.

Sato was familiar with sponsors. Back in high school, he had participated in school events like sports festivals and cultural festivals, where poor students often collaborated with nearby shops. The shops would provide ingredients or tools for free or at a low price, and the students’ job was to promote the shop’s name or give them a share of the profits.

This was common in their island nation.

But Sato, being a gloomy loner, never enjoyed such cheerful school life. A truly sad story.

Kobayashi continued, “I made a deal with a magic equipment store in town. Although we didn’t receive much money, we get to claim 200,000 Eris worth of magical equipment from their shop every month for free. Our job is to help boost their reputation, and whenever we defeat enemies using their magical equipment, we must say that the equipment was purchased from Wiz’s Magic Shop.”

This meant that during tasks, they would be promoting not only their squad but also Wiz’s shop.

Sato understood immediately.

“Isn’t this just advertising?”

“Bingo! Exactly!” Kobayashi’s explanation was straightforward, and after chatting with Sato, the others also grasped the arrangement.

“Two hundred thousand worth of magical equipment per month…”

“That’s quite impressive! Not a small amount at all!”

“We could buy many mugs of sparkling wine with that!”

A giant frog only costs 5,000 Eris; after labor and transport costs, less than half remains. Two hundred thousand Eris was indeed a substantial sum. Although it couldn’t be converted into cash, it effectively reduced the squad’s expenses.

Yet Sato was not satisfied.

He lowered his voice and asked, “Kobayashi-senpai, don’t you think this amount is a bit low?”

“Oh? You mean...?” Kobayashi raised an eyebrow, urging him to continue.

Sato said, “We have Aqua and Kobayashi-senpai. Isn’t 200,000 Eris too little for advertising?”

He had the sharp instincts of a natural-born merchant when it came to money.

Two hundred thousand Eris was a generous sponsorship for beginners, but since Kobayashi and the others were advanced professionals growing rapidly with a goddess and cheats, their fame would soon soar.

The impact of their rising fame would be immense, making the return on investment unbalanced.

Kobayashi glanced at him approvingly.

“You’re right. But don’t worry, I’ve thought about that. There’s a clause in the contract with the store manager stating that the funding will be adjusted based on our popularity.”

Though it would likely be small.

Wiz’s willingness to sponsor wasn’t just because of Kobayashi’s potential but also due to trust.

To not betray that trust, Kobayashi wouldn’t be greedy.

“In fact, if we help her increase sales and turn around the store’s long-standing deficit, the sponsorship could even double.”

“Is that true, Kobayashi-senpai?” Sato suddenly became excited.

He had many novel ideas but lacked a suitable opportunity to showcase them.

If they could help the shop break even, the rewards would be substantial—a win-win situation.

“I advise you not to get your hopes up,” Kobayashi poured cold water on him. “That shop manager isn’t someone ordinary.”

“Why?” Sato asked, puzzled.

Kobayashi clasped her hands under her chin and said seriously, “Because that manager has the talent of ‘even if she earns 2 billion Eris, she’ll spend it all on high-quality magic crystals that can’t be sold in the newbie village if she’s not careful.’”

“Is that even a talent?!” Sato exclaimed.

Kobayashi shrugged, “In a way, it is.”

Hearing this, Sato gave up on his grand plans.

After all, he didn’t want the money they earned to be wasted on the manager’s frivolous purchases and experience the crushing disappointment of losing everything overnight.

“All right, let’s go see the house now,” Kobayashi proposed.

“A house?” the four asked in confusion.

“Yes. The contract includes a house for us to use free of charge. Otherwise, how could I be satisfied with just 200,000 Eris worth of equipment?” Kobayashi said with a proud thumbs-up. “But don’t get your hopes up. The house isn’t anything special.”

“No way!”

“It’s already great just to have a house!”

“Exactly! It’s better than living in a stable!”

They were all excited.

They hadn’t expected that right after deciding to live together, Kobayashi would secure a house so quickly. The efficiency was astonishing!

However—

“Better than living in a stable… but honestly, a dilapidated warehouse isn’t much better than a stable!” Sato couldn’t help but roar. “That was just polite talk earlier!!!”

They were now in the northern suburbs.

On the way, they argued endlessly, speculating about the layout, number of rooms, how many floors it would have, and who would get which room.

They were all lost in dreams of a mansion.

But the warehouse before them had a torn roof and a giant hole in the wall. The breeze could swirl inside and pass through the hole on the other side.

To put it nicely, it was a warehouse; harshly speaking, it was a ruin!

Well, given the impoverished lich shop manager who survived on vegetable leaves, how could she afford a mansion for them?

“Don’t be so upset,” Kobayashi smiled and comforted the disdainful group, then encouraged them, “As the saying goes, ‘If you want something done well, do it yourself.’ Let’s build our own mansion!”

No problem. The nearby mountain was full of building materials—whatever they needed, they could find.

It was time for these locals to witness what a true infrastructure fanatic looked like!

Under Kobayashi’s command, the group rolled up their sleeves and got to work.

Aqua and Sato experienced the cement work they missed out on with the city wall construction team. Darkness and Megumin tried tasks they never imagined.

They went on adventures and completed extermination quests in the mornings, then worked as construction maniacs in the afternoons and evenings.

This grueling schedule lasted seven full days until everyone was complaining bitterly.

The mansion was not built.

But after patching up the torn roof and holes in the walls, the warehouse was barely livable.

“Hmm, not bad,” Sato said, hands on hips, admiring the warehouse they had built.

Kobayashi happily patted him on the shoulder. “Now you can reward yourself at night without hiding. You have your own room to do as you please.”

“W-what are you talking about? I don’t understand,” Sato blushed and turned his head, pretending to be an innocent youth, though his posture involuntarily bent forward.

A mischievous smile tugged at Kobayashi’s lips. “You know, Sato-kun, aside from not knowing how Aqua sneaks up on me, I pretty much know everything that happens at night.”

“?!”

“And Aqua probably knows too. After all, even in the darkest midnight, it’s like daylight to her.”

“?!!!”

“It’s okay, I understand the restless feelings of adolescence.”

“Please, stop talking!” Sato covered his face in embarrassment and shame, not daring to show Kobayashi his flustered expression.

Megumin and Darkness looked puzzled.

“What’s wrong with him?”

“He’s fine. He’s just really happy to have his own room.”

Kobayashi teased him on purpose.

Then she called out to the rest of the squad, “All right, the house is ready. Let’s have a proper celebration tonight!”

“Yeah!!!” the three cheered.

“Yeah, hehe…” the boy seemed less enthusiastic.

It looked like someone was going to lie awake, tangled in thoughts tonight.