Chapter 50: After the Rain, the Ground Hardens
Tln: Sorry, guys, I released chapter 49 as chapter 48, so please read chapter 49 first before this chapter. T_T Sorry.
"Thank you for everything. Next time, I’ll come by just for a meal."
Jin said his goodbyes to Hanna, one of the inn’s staff. She’d taken care of his meals and laundry every day and even looked after him when he’d gone drinking with Erza. His stay as a guest had come to an end, but he planned to stop by again just to eat sometime.
"Come by anytime. We’ll be waiting." Hanna said with a smile.
It wasn’t a farewell forever, and both of them knew it. With a final wave, Jin left the inn that had taken care of him ever since he arrived in this world, heading at last toward one of his original goals: his new home.
"You’re late!"
"You’re so late, Jin-san."
The ones complaining in front of the house were Erza and Rachel—both looking unusually displeased. Next to them were two carts loaded with furniture.
"What happened? You were so late that the delivery guys had already left."
"Yeah, this isn’t like you, Jin-san."
Neither of them looked happy. In fact, they’d been waiting for over an hour, watching the road anxiously. When Jin still didn’t show up, the movers—who had other jobs lined up—finally left. Just as their worry began to outweigh their irritation, Jin finally appeared… walking calmly, not even trying to hurry. That calm attitude, after they’d been so worried, only made them more upset.
But the truth was—Jin had never arranged to meet them.
From his point of view, he was being scolded for something that wasn’t his fault at all. He’d left the inn feeling a little sentimental, but that mood was blown away instantly.
"Hold on a second!"
He raised a hand to stop the two women who looked ready to start in on him again. His other hand went to his temple as if to ease a headache. Jin believed that men should treat women kindly—but that didn’t mean he should just nod and accept anything they said. Sometimes, if someone was wrong, it was important to say so. And sometimes, caring for someone meant being a bit firm. This, he decided, was one of those times.
…Though if he was honest, he was just plain irritated at being unfairly accused.
"First of all. I said I’d be moving today, but I never gave a time. Second, I never heard that you two were coming, and we didn’t arrange to meet, right?"
As he spoke, Jin finally understood why he hadn’t run into Erza that morning—they’d been up to something else. He gave the two a sharp look.
It was the first time either of them had heard him speak so sternly. Startled, they glanced at each other, replaying the past few days in their minds. It didn’t take long before realization hit—and both of them shrank back, looking genuinely sorry.
"S-sorry."
"We’re really sorry."
Erza’s usually upright ears drooped flat against her head, and Rachel’s eyes were already glistening with tears.
"Phew. Well, it looks like you’re sorry, so I’ll let it slide."
Relieved to finally be free from their unreasonable scolding, Jin sighed and gave a wry smile as he forgave them. In fact, he even started to feel a bit of self-loathing and embarrassment for having raised his voice so immaturely.
"Well, it is true I ended up keeping you waiting, so… why don’t we go ahead and open the front door?"
Shaking off the awkward mood, Jin unlocked the door in a lighthearted tone. Then he propped it wide open so Erza and Rachel could easily bring in their things.
After that, he motioned for them to start carrying the luggage inside, but instead of doing so, the two of them simply walked up to stand in front of him empty-handed.
"I’m really sorry. I guess I got too excited and lost my head."
"I’ve been looking forward to this day so much. I feel awful for misunderstanding and taking it out on you."
They both looked genuinely remorseful as they reflected on their behavior.
Sure, ever since Jin had shown them the house, they’d been giddy with excitement.
Sure, they’d spent all of yesterday shopping together for new furnishings.
Sure, they’d been too excited to sleep, barely getting half their usual rest.
But those were their choices.
They hadn’t even told Jin the time they’d planned to meet—and yet they’d assumed he knew, got irritated when he didn’t show up, and then took it out on him.
Now that they realized that, all they could do was apologize from the heart.
And of course, there was no way Jin couldn’t pick up on the sincere remorse the two were showing. He quickly realized that their earlier behavior had just been the result of getting overexcited, and understanding that made him smile a little. Knowing they’d been that eager for today made him genuinely happy—though at the same time, remembering how harshly he’d spoken earlier brought back a wave of guilt.
Still, maybe this little commotion, hardly even a real fight, was actually proof that the three of them had grown closer.
Now that they were on familiar terms, a sense of trust, comfort, and a bit of careless ease had started to form between them. And sometimes, that kind of comfort can turn into a bad sort of complacency, leading to tension or misunderstandings.
Truly, "good friends still need good manners." All three of them were feeling the weight of that old saying just now.
"Alright, don’t worry about it anymore. I was too harsh myself—sorry about that."
Jin gently patted both their heads, and when they looked up, he made sure to smile as he apologized.
"I’m really sorry."
"I’m the one who should apologize."
The two bowed again and exchanged one last apology, then—seeing Jin’s smile—ended up smiling themselves faintly.
"Okay! Let’s start getting everything inside. I’ll help too."
Jin spoke brightly, brushing off the lingering tension with a cheerful tone and a grin.
"Yeah!"
"Okay!"
This time, both girls responded with energy and matching smiles.
In the end, the whole incident might have been a blessing in disguise—a reminder of the most important thing when living and working together: communication and understanding.
"(Huh? Something’s off…)"
As Jin carried boxes, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right. At the moment, he and Rachel were moving a simple single bed. Erza’s room already had one, and they’d also brought in dressers, mirrors, and other daily necessities.
"(Why would they need a bed in a storage room? Maybe it’s old and they just want to leave it here? No, this thing looks brand new…)"
He was starting to put the pieces together, but he didn’t want to admit what that meant. So he kept looking for reasons to deny it, clinging to denial as a form of escape.
Then he remembered what Aria had said the other day:
(Aren’t Erza-san and Rachel-san going to live here?)
And the uncertain look on her face when he had confidently told her no.
"(Wait… could it really be…? No, no, not yet!)"
Jin stubbornly kept running from the conclusion forming in his mind—but he had his reasons.
"Just a bit more to the right, please. Perfect! Thank you, Jin-san."
Rachel beamed, already starting to make the bed.
"Jin, is it okay if I move this over here? I think it’ll look better that way."
Erza, too, was smiling from ear to ear.
Yeah… they both looked so happy.
From Jin’s point of view, a man and two women living together was absolutely out of the question. If that was really what they were planning, he knew he’d have to make it clear right away—but seeing how genuinely delighted they were made it incredibly hard to say anything. Just picturing the sad faces they’d make if he refused was enough to hurt.
And after that scene at the door earlier, Jin was already emotionally exhausted and deep in self-reflection. There was no way he could bring himself to confront them about it now.
So he kept running from the truth, and before he knew it, all the furniture, including the beds, had been successfully moved and set up.
"Alright, that’s everything big taken care of. We can handle the small stuff ourselves. Jin, how about we all go shopping for the shared things next?"
Erza said it with a pleasant smile, and Rachel nodded, just as cheerful.
"Yeah! We’ll need dishes, a dining table, and maybe even a sofa if we can find one."
Their bright smiles were almost blinding—but Jin, still clinging to his last shred of hope, decided to put up a little resistance.
"So… you two are going to be living here from now on, right?"
That was all Jin could manage to ask, just barely.
"What are you talking about, Jin?"
"Yeah, what are you saying, Jin-san?"
Both Erza and Rachel laughed like he’d just said something ridiculous.
"Right? Yeah, I thought it sounded stupid even as I said it."
Hearing their responses, Jin took them to mean ‘Of course we’re not moving in!’—and he couldn’t help but smile in relief.
…But people often only see what they want to see, and sometimes they’ll even turn away from the truth on purpose.
"Of course we’re living here!"
They both said brightly, smiling from ear to ear. Naturally, Jin’s fragile hope was crushed in an instant.
"Looking forward to living together!"
"Please take care of us!"
The two followed up with those cheerful words, and Jin only had one possible response left.
"…Yeah. Same here."
His reply came with a strained, awkward smile—but who could blame him?
After that, Jin excused himself under the pretense of "tidying up his room" and left the scene for a bit. Once alone in his own room, he got to work setting up his futon and bedding on the bedframe he’d brought in yesterday. As he worked, he tried to sort out his thoughts—forcing himself to accept the situation and find a positive way to look at it.
"(Well… rent’ll be cheaper, we can split cleaning and laundry, and since we’ll be spending more time together, coordination and communication will get even better. Honestly, it’s all upside. And come on, living under one roof with two gorgeous women? That’s pretty lucky, right?)"
He tried to inflate that faint spark of excitement to lift his mood—but doing so only made him aware of all the trouble that could come with living alongside two young women.
After all, throughout his long life, Jin had never lived with a woman—let alone two. And even though he wasn’t made of stone, and his body and mind had both become young again, meaning those urges still existed, he also had the restraint and experience of an old man.
Inside him coexisted two sides: the older man who saw them as much younger friends, and the young man who couldn’t help but notice them as women his own age. The former definitely dominated—but every now and then, the latter side peeked through.
He didn’t think he’d lose control or anything, but… it was obvious that life was about to get more complicated.
…"Lucky pervert"? Yeah, there’s nothing lucky about it.
"No, this won’t do. If it’s come to this, we at least need some rules."
Finally giving up on denial, Jin decided not to force false optimism anymore. Instead, he started thinking seriously about the potential issues that could arise from living together—and concluded that prevention was the best policy.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. So, about how we’re going to handle things moving forward…"
Having sorted himself out a bit, Jin rejoined Erza and Rachel to discuss the details. Since there wasn’t even a proper place to sit yet, the talk was short. They agreed that rent, shared furniture, and living expenses would all come out of their party funds—a given for adventurers living together.
However, since the party fund wasn’t exactly overflowing yet, they each chipped in three small gold coins for the time being, apart from the rent Jin had already paid upfront. From now on, a larger cut of their rewards would go into the shared fund.
Jin, as the leader, was in charge of managing the money. Having spent many years as a bachelor, he was used to keeping a household budget—and planned to track everything neatly in his trusty Notepad.
They also formally agreed that Jin’s room would be the largest, since he was the one who found and secured the house in the first place.
Once they’d covered the essentials, the three went out to return the cart they’d rented and took the opportunity to shop for more household items. Jin didn’t have much confidence in his sense of design, so he mostly left it to the girls, only giving input here and there. Thanks to that balance, they all ended up satisfied with their choices.
After returning home, they set up the dining table and other furniture, then decided to greet their new neighbors before finishing the smaller tasks.
In this world, there wasn’t really a custom like bringing "moving-in soba" as a greeting gift, but the three brought store-bought sweets around to introduce themselves. Since adventurers like them were often away from home on jobs, having a friendly neighborhood network could be a big help during absences.
Although this round of greetings was initiated by Jin, they were welcomed warmly everywhere they went.
After that, they set up the dishes, magic tools, and other small items, and cleaned up their own rooms. By the time everything was finally done, the clock had already passed nine at night.
"Good work, everyone. Man, I’m starving."
Resting his elbows on the six-person dining table, Jin sat across from Erza and Rachel. Both girls also looked exhausted.
"Starting tomorrow night, I’ll cook properly, I promise. But for today, let’s just make do with something pre-made."
With that, Jin secretly pulled out some food and drinks he’d bought in advance from his Item Bag and lined them up on the table. The tired girls didn’t even notice how he’d taken them out. And with how hungry they were, the three of them just focused on eating for a while.
"""Gochisousamadeshita."""
Erza and Rachel had already gotten used to saying "Itadakimasu" and "Gochisousama."
After the meal and their usual post-dinner words, Jin leaned back and spoke to the two.
"Erza, Rachel. Once again—let’s get along from here on out. I’m sure a lot of things will come up, but let’s handle it all together."
It was the first time Jin had openly said something positive about living together. Now that he’d sorted out his feelings, he felt it was important to say it properly.
"Yeah. Same here. You can leave everything but the cooking to me."
"Please take care of me, too. I can handle cleaning and laundry."
It was unclear whether they noticed Jin’s change in attitude, but both girls smiled warmly at him.
"Alright, I’ll handle the cooking. As for all the little chores, we can make a task chart tomorrow or something. We’ll also need to set a few ground rules—nothing too strict, just the basics."
The two nodded in agreement.
"Also, Rachel, I’m sure you’ve already talked to Clark-san about this, but Erza, have you told Seema-san about the move yet?"
As he said that, Jin pictured Rachel’s grandfather, the temple head Clark, and Erza’s relative Seema, the wife of a bow craftsman.
"Not yet. I’ll go report it to her tomorrow."
"Alright. I’ll go with you when you do. Rachel, you and I will also go greet Clark-san. And you both need to write letters to your parents to let them know, got it? I’ll add a note myself too, so tell me when you’re sending them."
"That’s not really necessary, is it?"
"She’s right. I already told my grandfather properly."
The girls felt bad about making Jin go through all that trouble, so they couldn’t bring themselves to agree right away.
"Lister, do you two realize you’re both at that age where you’re very attractive young ladies? And now you’re living with some random guy whose background your families barely know? Of course, they’re going to worry. So it’s only natural for me—the guy you’re living with—to introduce myself to your relatives nearby, and to send a note to your parents who are far away. I know it won’t completely erase their worries, but if it helps even a little, then I should do it. Don’t you think so?"
Jin looked at them intently, asking with his eyes if they understood.
His choice of words, honest and straightforward, came from having thought long and hard about this whole situation.
The two girls blushed faintly at his phrasing, but still took his words seriously.
Even if living with party members was common among adventurers, it was only natural for any parent to feel concerned if their daughter suddenly moved in with a man. Especially since, unlike Clark or Seema, who already knew Jin, their parents didn’t know what kind of person he was.
Realizing that, both girls eventually nodded in understanding—though they still felt guilty about making him go through the trouble.
"I get it, but still…"
Erza tried to voice that lingering feeling, but Jin interrupted her.
"At the very least, I plan to take responsibility for that much."
He said it with the intention of "taking full responsibility for their safety and well-being."
But since he said it with a completely serious face, Erza froze up, speechless.
It wasn’t just that she was happy to see how deeply he cared about them—it was the way he’d said "take responsibility" that hit her differently.
Those words echoed in her mind on repeat, and her thoughts stalled. Rachel’s face turned red for the same reason.
In this world too, when a man says "I’ll take responsibility" to a woman, it carries a certain… special implication beyond the literal meaning. Of course, Jin hadn’t meant it that way, and both girls knew that.
Even so, they couldn’t help reacting like maidens in love might.
…The fact that they were sleep-deprived and exhausted probably didn’t help either.
"Are you two okay with that?"
Noticing their silence, Jin looked at them curiously. Naturally, he didn’t understand why they were acting that way.
Seeing their slightly flushed faces, he wondered if he’d said something embarrassing—but after going over his words in his head, he couldn’t find anything out of line. So he just brushed it off and asked again directly.
Well, Jin was being completely serious—so it was only natural he didn’t notice.
""Yes!""
The girls both replied with a bit too much energy, reacting once more to the "take responsibility → okay?" combo.
You couldn’t really blame them. If anyone was at fault, it was their tired, romantic hearts.
Jin blinked in surprise at their enthusiastic responses, but smiled happily, glad they understood him.
"Thanks. Oh, and once we’re all settled, I’m planning to host a little party for everyone who’s helped us out. I already promised, so I’d like to follow through. Of course, I’ll invite Seema-san and Clark-san too, so be ready for that."
With that final line from Jin, they decided to call it a night and continue tomorrow.
The three returned to their rooms and lay down on their beds. Jin drifted off to sleep rather quickly.
But as for Erza and Rachel—despite being exhausted and running on little sleep from the day before—they found themselves replaying Jin’s words in their heads, and it took quite a while before either of them managed to fall asleep.
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