We hired a contractor to not only repair the house but also do other things. One thing worth mentioning in particular was that they built storage spaces about one meter square under the floor in the room that Reiko and I would use as our own room, as well as in several other places. They were puzzled as to why we were doing construction work just for a storage space that was only one meter square when we had so many rooms, but they understood when we explained that we would be storing seasonings and preserved foods in a place with minimal temperature change. Of course, what I really wanted wasn't a storage space, but a "secret entrance". I would be creating a basement underneath here later, so I planned on using this as a hidden entrance. It was hard to imagine a doorway that looked like just a floor when closed as a potion container, and it was unlikely that even Reiko's earth magic could work with it. That was why I left it to the experts.
The windows were originally made of wood, so although I wanted to replace them with glass windows, I held back. If you make yourself look too wealthy from the start, you'll attract the attention of bad people. Glass windows are an easy target for thieves.
...Well, it's a bit strange that they bought a building like this (with land included) with cash, but there's no way they'd sell it to two young girls from outside the city making a purchase like this without any guarantors, so there's no other way. So I'll at least pretend that I spent all my money to buy this place and am now penniless. So, I have to start working as soon as possible.
Okay, let's start by gathering all the furniture we need. The things that the previous owner used were left as they were, but if it was a shop with all its furnishings, fixtures, and accessories, such as a restaurant or store, then it was fine, but it would be remiss if they bought all the household items—and especially for an orphanage— So, since we had plenty of space, we decided to put off getting rid of the furniture and equipment for now and just buy things that we would use ourselves.
"...Do it?"
"Let's!"
It was midnight, when even the plants and trees were asleep. Even if someone saw us from outside, they probably wouldn't know what we were doing, but just to be safe, we made sure there was no one around and then started working.
"Storage!"
The soil and rocks were stored beneath the building to create a basement. Of course, to prevent it from collapsing under the weight of the building above, it wasn't made too wide, and instead of leaving the whole thing empty, it was left with pillars and walls to act as support, and Reiko cast earth magic on it to reinforce it. It seemed to be a magic that hardened the earth like stone. And we added some rooms across—This was the first stage.
Then, by storing soil from the basement in the item box again, I dug a passage diagonally downwards, moving out of the area directly below the building and reaching the bedrock. I then extended the passage further into the bedrock and created a proper basement there. Rather than creating one huge space, I divided it into rooms to maintain its strength —Of course, I also cast the Reiko's strengthening magic just to be safe.
Yes, the first basement was a dummy. When you search a house and find a basement, you rejoice, saying, "Yay! I've found a secret room!", get the few gold coins hidden there, and feel satisfied, without realizing that there is more beyond that. That's just how humans are. Well, I actually planned to use it as a storage room or warehouse, and also as a little secret room, so it was not like I was just leaving it there to waste.
Of course, we had been digging up until now towards the other side of the ocean. If we went towards the sea, we would end up halfway up the cliff. Now we started digging towards the sea. From here, we dug diagonally downward toward the sea, approaching sea level. From there, we dug further under the sea and connect it to the seafloor underground. Yes, that way, we could fish underground without going outside— No, of course, it's a secret escape route. If we prepare a small submarine there, we could escape safely even if we were surrounded by enemies. Surely the enemy would not have predicted something like that and surrounded the sea with ships, and even if they were surrounded by ships, it would be no problem if we used a submarine.
If Kyoko were here, she would probably say, "What on earth are you guys fighting against?" but unfortunately, Reiko was just like me. ...Yes, they're the "I'll be cautious before I break it" and "I thought something like this might happen" types. They're both science majors after all...
Then, taking into account the tides, a waterway was created connecting it to the sea and the reef was temporarily raised. On the way back, we made the passage we'd dug into a staircase-like structure by fine-tuning the items stored in item boxes, and then shaped it with earth magic from Reiko, making it safer and easier to walk on. Otherwise, we would definitely trip and slide all the way to the bottom. Well, I guess I might fall down the stairs too...
Today we finished creating space in the hallways and rooms. Once the major construction work is completed, all that's left to do is make small adjustments here and there when installing furniture and other things.
So, after a few days it was pretty much finished. The basement directly below the floorboards was prepared as a warehouse for storing unnecessary items—furniture and other things left behind by the previous residents—, a storehouse for non-perishable food and consumables, a room to playhouse in case an 'unwanted guest' came over, and many other things. I could store all my supplies in my item box, but I should at least have that sort of appearance just in case. We didn't go to town to buy things every day, so it would be weird if we didn't have some sort of stockpile.
Various things were set up in the base inside the bedrock and in the area even lower, which was used to escape to the sea. …Yes, various "potion containers"… It's a secret that Reiko was astonished. "Compared to this, my magic is no big deal!" she said, but I don't know, though...
Since it would be difficult to "absolutely not allow anyone in" the above-ground area, the building was designed so that it didn't look out of place even if it was exposed to the public. Anything that might stand out in a bad way was placed in the basement. Well, even though we would enjoy the comforts of modern conveniences, we wouldn't be installing air conditioners or TVs. We just wanted to add something extra to the lifestyle of this world, and we were not trying to recreate life on Earth. Now we were no longer Japanese people, Kaoru Nagase and Reiko Kuon, but people of this world, Kaoru and Reiko. So, I bought a bed in town and all my other daily necessities in the normal way. The economy needed to keep going, so just saving up gold coins in my item box wasn't good enough. As much as possible, we should do things normally.
...But, of course, there were some things I couldn't compromise on. Therefore, the kitchen utensils and chairs were made from potion containers. I can't be bothered to put firewood in the stove and light the fire every time! And with an unstable heat, there's no way you can cook a decent meal!! Well, I'm sure that's how the chefs and housewives of this world do it, but it's too difficult for us. ...And the chairs are important! This is important, so I'll say it again. Chairs are important!! No, even if I hurt my back, I'm sure it will heal if I drink a potion...
And then laundry. Of course, I didn't use fully automatic washing machines or dryers. They were just too out of place— However, it would also be remiss if I had to scrub them with a washtub and washboard. It was hard work and would damage the fabric —No, there's a convenient way to do this. When storing things in the item box, just "store the clothes, but exclude the dirt components" and it'd be fine. But that's not it. Something's not right. So I decided to put the laundry in a basin and step on it with my feet. Of course, I put in a "Potion that removes dirt in one shot", so it only took a few steps to finish. It's okay, as long as it looks good, and you don't have to worry about being seen by others!
Water was originally drawn from a ditch dug from a nearby stream. Of course, there's no way that water would come out from underground just by digging a little on the edge of a cliff like this. Under the old mansion at the top of the rocky mountain, there was a roaring river of groundwater—but this wasn't a suspense novel from the Taisho era—Where does that water come from at the top of the rocky mountain, and where does it flow to?
Apparently, the ditch was dug by the previous residents. Because it flowed uncovered, leaves and garbage could get mixed in. It was fine to use it for washing clothes or taking a bath, but drinking it required a bit of courage, no, quite a bit of courage, so there was a device installed to properly filter and sterilize it. Of course, the wastewater goes through an underground purification facility and into the sea. Now it's perfect!
The story of "The Girls Who Bought the Land and Building of a Bankrupt Orphanage" had probably already spread to some extent. I had used up all my money on the purchase and repairs, and I would need to earn money to live on, so I made sure to give a generous amount to the real estate agent and the repair company when I was negotiating the price. The townspeople, hungry for entertainment and conversation, would no doubt be curious about the mysterious girls (us), and there was no way they wouldn't ask the real estate agent and repairman all about it, and the guys would no doubt chatter away, prioritizing their relationships with their neighbors over the privacy of the strange girls they didn't know. After that, we would just take it easy and see how things go for a week or two, then start thinking about it. A job that was easy and didn't have to be tied down to specific times, where you could do some decent shopping without drawing attention to yourself even if you were acting strangely, and you could earn enough money without raising suspicion...
There was a time when I thought that way too...