Zzzzzzz—
The piercing sound of a chainsaw echoed through the dark forest. As wood chips flew, the towering tree finally succumbed and collapsed.
Amid the swirling dust, Marisa, who had been diligently carving the wood, silently stared at the pile of untouched logs beside her, her eyes devoid of light.
Can I really fix this house...?
Damn those youkai!!
I'll drive every last one of them out of the Forest of Magic—no exceptions!!!
Plop~
"Wah—!"
A mushroom suddenly flew over and snapped Marisa out of her frenzy.
"Stop slacking off. Hurry up and carve—we need these soon."
"I'm working, I'm working..."
Marisa grumbled as she resumed her task, though the aura of resentment around her grew even thicker.
Meanwhile, after stacking the last needed log beside her, Rin returned to the ruins at the center of the clearing and pressed his hands against the ground.
『 Equivalent Exchange·Reconstruction Alchemy』
Intricate magical patterns instantly lit up on his hands, and the space around him warped unnaturally.
Under Marisa's astonished gaze, the entire ruin seemed to undergo a reversal of time—fragments, rubble, and debris flowing backward as they reassembled into the surrounding broken walls.
In just a few breaths, the walls were completely restored, looking as pristine as if they had never been damaged.
"Whoa!! Boss, that's amazing! Can you teach me how to do that?!"
"It's an innate ability—can't teach it. But you can ask Patchouli later if she knows any similar magic. She's more knowledgeable about this stuff."
"Oh... I wonder if Patchy would even teach me."
Marisa scratched her cheek, but soon her gaze sharpened as she noticed something.
"Boss, what about all the stuff in my house...?"
"Well, it's all right here."
Rin knocked on the wall, his meaning painfully clear. Her face instantly turned green.
All the treasures I've hoarded for so long—gone!!
And worst of all, even after sacrificing all of them, it still wasn't enough to fully repair the house!!!
Marisa felt her vision darken, nearly fainting on the spot.
Before Rin could even pinch her philtrum to revive her, an eerie sensation of being watched crept into his mind.
Turning his head, he spotted a small doll standing in the shadows beneath a distant tree, staring intently at them.
Clad in a deep blue maid outfit, with golden hair tied in a large ribbon—much like Marisa's—the doll's delicate, well-behaved face evoked an involuntary sense of fondness.
It's one of Alice's dolls!
Rin's eyes lit up. Is Alice nearby?
He tentatively waved at the doll in greeting, but instead of responding, the doll pointed at him.
The next moment, dozens of similar dolls emerged from the forest, charging straight toward Rin and Marisa.
Under Rin's bemused gaze, some of the dolls gently carried Marisa aside to rest, while the others began processing the piled-up logs at an astonishing speed.
In no time, most of the wood had been neatly and flawlessly prepared.
Seizing the opportunity, Rin joined in, swiftly measuring, cutting, and polishing the wood.
As soon as he finished shaping a piece, the dolls took it from his hands and transported it to the roof.
Marisa, look at how efficient they are!
Rin shot a disdainful glance at the still-fuming, unconscious black-and-white magician in the distance, but didn't bother waking her. Instead, he continued working alongside the dolls.
With a series of clinks and clatters, the framework of the roof quickly took shape.
At this rate, the house would be livable again before nightfall.
While things were progressing smoothly here, the situation back at the general store was a bit more... peculiar.
Yakumo Ran, carrying a basket of groceries, looked up at the corpse hanging penitently from the flagpole outside the store and felt her eyelid twitch.
Before she could even begin to process what had happened here, a petite figure suddenly pounced on her.
"Ran-samaaa~!"
Chen clung to Ran with utmost affection, burying her face deep into the comforting embrace of Ran's ample bosom.
Ran gently patted her head, a soft smile forming on her lips.
Chen really is the cutest.
"Where's Lady Yukari?"
"Inside, eating watermelon."
Following Chen's pointing finger, Ran spotted Yukari sitting with Reimu, who had once again skipped work to laze around. The two were devouring freshly cut watermelon in perfect sync.
Noticing Ran's gaze, Yukari finally adjusted her eating manners and waved at her with a grin.
Before Yukari could speak, Ran tensed up and nervously scanned the surroundings—
"Lady Yukari, where is... she?"
"Hmm? Oh—she went out to handle some business. Might not even make it back for dinner."
Yukari watched Ran with amusement. Was she really this interested in Rin?
So she likes this type, huh~
Ran let out a small sigh of relief. At least the mistress isn't here. I'm not ready to step into a battlefield between the rightful wife and the homewrecker.
After all these years, the Yakumo family finally has a chance to expand normally... only for it to happen through NTR?!
Just thinking about how Yukari remained stubbornly unrepentant despite her warnings made Ran sigh again.
This is too sinful...
Misinterpreting Ran's dejected expression as disappointment over not seeing Rin, Yukari cheerfully patted her shoulder—
"Don't worry, I'll introduce you two tonight."
"Eh?!"
Ran's pupils trembled. She's even planning to drag me in front of the mistress to provoke her?!
I never should've come here!
Before Ran could protest, Yukari happily pushed her along and urged—
"Never mind that for now, Ran, hurry up and cook lunch. Otherwise, we might all starve to death here."
"Look, Patchy's already passed out from hunger."
Yukari pointed at Patchouli, who was currently napping at the counter, catching up on lost sleep.
Watching Patchouli's peaceful sleeping face, Ran's eye twitched.
Why does it feel like everyone in this house is just too lazy to cook...?
"But... since the owner isn't here, wouldn't it be improper for us to use the place?"
"It's fine, we got permission."
Permission?!
Ran's mind shook violently as overwhelming guilt threatened to drown her.
I'm sorry, silver-haired maid-san.
I tried my best, but as just a shikigami, I can't interfere with Lady Yukari's homewrecker ambitions.
*If you two ever end up in a catfight... please leave me out of it...