Alice’s claim that she had built a house in a single night left me stunned at first. But as I settled down, I realized that if anyone could do it, she could. Even though she’d finished it before I’d even told her what I wanted, I had a feeling things would turn out fine.
"Then I’d like to see it right away," I said.
"Understood. Let’s get moving, then. This way."
"Aren’t we going to use teleportation magic?"
"Oh, no need. It’s very close."
I followed Alice out of the room. My initial surprise had given way to a profound sense of ease, rooted entirely in my trust for her. If Shiro-san or Eden-san had built the place, my heart would have been heavy with anxiety. But with Alice, I felt at peace. She’s a prankster and often acts like an idiot despite her genius, but when it comes to practical matters, her sense of balance is impeccable.
I suspected the house would exceed my imagination and leave me speechless, but I also knew I’d ultimately be satisfied. I wasn't naive enough to think a "standard house" was an option. Most of my friends and lovers are Kings or Gods; a home where they might drop by needs a certain level of dignity. Alice had likely aimed for that sweet spot—a place I could settle into that was still grand enough to host someone like Kuro without embarrassment.
"What is this?" Alice asked suddenly. "I feel a gaze of profound trust coming from you, Kaito-san. It’s actually a little embarrassing. Now I’m really glad I didn't go with my prank proposal."
"I really do trust you, Alice. You say some ridiculous things sometimes, but I rely on you more than anyone."
"S-Stop! Please! I’m weak to such straightforward praise! Just so you know, if you throw your affection at me with that serious face of yours, I’ll turn into an easy heroine in a heartbeat!"
"Is that the kind of thing people usually announce so forcefully?"
I smiled, watching her speed up to hide her blushing face. As we moved through the corridors, however, a sense of dissonance struck me.
"Hey, Alice?"
"Yes?"
"We are heading to my house, right?"
"Of course. Why do you ask?"
"Because the front door is in the opposite direction."
"That it is."
"Wait, what?"
Despite my confusion, I followed her as she continued away from the entrance. Just as I was about to ask again, a strange sight appeared ahead of us.
"Wait... what is that?"
Spanning the gap ahead was a structure that looked like a covered bridge. It was impossible. I had lived in Lilia-san’s mansion for a year, and I had never seen such a thing.
Ignoring my bewilderment, Alice stopped at the foot of the bridge and turned back to me.
"We’ve arrived! Beyond this bridge—or more accurately, from the midpoint onward—is your house, Kaito-san."
"I... uh... what?"
"Oh? You look lost. Well, I suppose it’s hard to grasp the scale from inside. Let’s take a look from the outside!"
Before I could protest, Alice snapped her fingers. My body began to float, and she guided me out a nearby window, rising high into the air until the entire estate was visible below.
The view that greeted me was, as expected, entirely unexpected.
"Alice... Lilia-san’s mansion looks like it doubled in size. Or rather, it looks like an identical building sprouted up right next to it."
"To be precise, the one on the right is Lilia-san’s, and the one on the left, connected by the bridge, is yours."
"I have so many questions... but is this even allowed?"
"Don’t worry. I made sure to get Lilia-san’s permission first."
"Wait, really?"
I was worried about the toll this would take on Lilia-san’s stomach, but Alice pulled a document out of thin air.
"To summarize: it’s a legal grant to modify the estate as I see fit. It has Lilia-san’s personal signature and her official seal right here."
"I... see. Well, if she’s actually okay with it, I guess I am too."
The initial shock was fading, replaced by a sense of relief. To be honest, I would have been lonely moving away from everyone. Having a home where I could go back and forth freely was a wonderful surprise. Since the gardens were connected as well, I was sure Bell would enjoy the extra space to run around.
"By the way, is the interior identical too?" I asked.
"No, it’s quite different. I’ll explain the details while we walk through it."
As we descended, Alice added, "Also, while the exterior matches, the materials are different. It’s not built to withstand a Kuro-san Punch or anything like that; I just used high-quality materials found locally in this world."
"Stop using Kuro as a benchmark for durability like it’s a standard unit of measurement. Still, that’s a bit of a surprise. I expected you to build some kind of indestructible fortress."
"There was no need for that. If a meteor falls or lightning strikes, I’ll just stop it myself. Besides, the God of World Creation can see every moment of the past and future, and she’s keeping an eye on us. Nothing bad is ever going to happen here."
"That... is a fair point."
"Now then, let's head inside!"
"Right. Oh, by the way—this is a bit of a tangent, but it’s actually pretty rare to see you fly like this."
"I suppose it is. There isn't much point to it, usually. For short distances, it’s faster to run; for long distances, I teleport."
"True. What about when you need to scout a large area?"
"Hmm. I’ve already memorized the structure of every building in the world, along with their blind spots, so clairvoyance magic usually covers it. If I really need a bird’s-eye view, I can just jump."
"You really are incomprehensibly brilliant, aren't you? Even though you usually act like such a clown."
"I'm not sure if I should be flattered or insulted! But I’ll say it as many times as it takes: Alice-chan is powered by affection! You’re allowed to spoil me much more, you know!"
"You only get flustered when I actually try. But thank you for everything, Alice. I love you."
"......Auh."
Exchanging that kind of idle chatter, we stepped through the doors and into my brand-new home.