One day, Noin-san sent me a letter saying she had something to discuss, so I visited her room in Kuro’s castle.
Each member of the family living in Kuro’s castle is given their own private quarters. However, since the spaces are expanded with Space-Time Magic, they are far larger than the word "room" suggests.
In Noin-san’s case, her room was so expansive that it contained a gravel path and an entire single-story house. It was a bizarre sight—a house inside a room—but she had apparently built it all, garden and all, because she simply had to have an engawa.
Even calling it a room felt like an understatement. Magic had been used to make the walls display blue skies and sunsets; if I hadn't known better, I would have forgotten I was indoors.
I sat looking out at the simple yet meticulously kept garden from a room facing the veranda. Noin-san placed a cup of green tea on the table before me.
"It's not much, but please."
"Thank you."
"I apologize for summoning you so suddenly today."
"Don't worry about it. So, you said you had something to discuss?"
As I soaked in the traditional atmosphere of sipping tea in a tatami room, I asked about the matter at hand. Noin-san’s expression turned solemn.
This might be more serious than I expected... I’d better listen closely.
"Yes. The truth is... I would like to find a way to earn my own income."
"...Huh?"
"I believe you already know this, Kaito-san, but I currently rely on an allowance from Chrome-sama for all my funds."
"I think I've heard that before."
Every month, Kuro gives her family an allowance. Most of them don't actually take it because they have their own steady incomes, but Noin-san basically lives off hers.
It clearly bothered her. When she first mentioned it to me, she had looked incredibly embarrassed. It seemed today’s consultation was about changing that status quo.
"...Out of curiosity, why ask me?"
"I don't have many acquaintances outside the family. If I were to ask them... well, they would likely just invent some simple chore so they could give me pocket money as a reward..."
"Ah, I see."
Kuro had told me before that Noin-san was the youngest member of the family and was essentially the pampered little sister.
Some of them supposedly dreamed up trivial tasks for her specifically because they wanted an excuse to give her money.
"I understand the situation, but it sounds tricky. Wait, I remember Kuro saying you occasionally accompany her as a guard. Doesn't that count?"
"...Kaito-san, do you honestly believe Chrome-sama needs a bodyguard?"
"...No, not really."
"Chrome-sama knows I’m worried about it, so she’s just being considerate..."
"Right... Hmm."
I understood what she wanted, but honestly, it was a tall order. To earn an income independent of her family, she had the massive hurdle of her identity to deal with.
As the First Hero, Noin-san was a world-class celebrity. If people found out she was still alive, it would trigger a global frenzy.
Since she wasn't particularly good at Recognition Inhibition Magic, finding work that didn't involve her family while keeping her face hidden was incredibly difficult.
"...What if you made something to sell? You could leave the actual selling to someone like Zex-san and just pay him a commission."
"That sounds like a good plan, but I’ve spent my life focusing on swordsmanship. I don't really have any professional trade skills to speak of."
"Yeah, creating something high-quality enough to sell isn't exactly easy."
I'd thought it was a decent suggestion for an off-the-cuff idea, but not everyone was a multi-talented genius like Alice. It was a tough nut to crack. I’d always had the impression Noin-san was capable of many things, but...
As I let my eyes wander while I thought, a hanging scroll on the wall caught my attention. The calligraphy was masterful and striking... but something felt off. Oh, wait!
"Noin-san, that scroll has Kanji on it. Did you buy that somewhere?"
"Eh? Oh, no. I made that myself. I couldn't find any interior decor that suited a Japanese-style room, so I tried my hand at it. I used to practice calligraphy, though only as a hobby."
"Your handwriting in your letters is always beautiful, so it makes sense. Thinking about it... couldn't you sell those?"
"The hanging scrolls?"
"Yeah. There are quite a few people here interested in otherworld culture. I know someone who even built their own veranda... I bet hanging scrolls featuring otherworld characters would be a hit."
"I... I see. That makes sense. It’s not something that would require mass production; since it would only appeal to a specific niche, I could probably manage the workload on my own."
"You could probably charge a premium, too. You could even take custom orders for people who want specific words or phrases written in your world's script. Though, you should probably talk to Kuro about the actual business side of things..."
Personally, I thought it was a brilliant idea. Noin-san seemed to agree; she was already lost in serious thought.
I personally thought hanging scrolls were pretty cool. Regardless of whether they fit in a Western-style room, I decided I’d buy a few to support her once she started selling them.
Serious-senpai: "Being able to write Kanji is a massive advantage in another world."
???: "Definitely. People would probably want it just for the fact that it's 'otherworld characters!'"