Lanpeach Complex is an abandoned building and the base of the minor villain in the slums.

The slums are massive.

Ruined residences located even further in the outer ring of the gigantic land that is called the Surface District, and it is where many impoverished people live.

The Lanpeach Complex is especially big even within those.

The 1st and 2nd floor were originally a shopping mall, and it is not a multistory building that stretches out vertically, but does the fancy move of spreading out horizontally.

The residents don’t need to go out. The selling point is that you can live within this complex.

A crook called Lanpeach Kouza is occupying that abandoned building, and rules it as the boss of the base.

Even when the residents are gone and it has become an abandoned building, it is still a building that’s a level higher than others to use as a base.

The minor villain Lanpeach Kouza, who had his dream as an explorer broken and fell into the slums with no talent, skills, equipment, money, and courage, shouldn’t be on the level where he could become the boss.

It is originally a building that would require an intermediate team or higher to station themselves there as a base, but the brain of Lanpeach Kouza spun a bit faster than others, so he intimidated others with his big physique, and used his silver-tongue.

He went around gathering guys that were young and didn’t even have proper strength to fight as drop-outs.

Even without proper equipment or attacking bases to take away their bases, Lanpeach still gathered enough numbers to have the surroundings say it would be too detrimental to attack them.

This is how the people who would normally live in hiding began to gather money with rent and protection fees. That said, it was like a droplet of a sum though.

The residents knew that it was a paper-mache base, so the quick-witted people and the ones that could fight a bit didn’t live there and would leave.

Only the more impoverished even within the slums, who couldn’t move away even when they faintly knew this, stayed there.

This is how it became a base where only weaklings stayed.

And so, the Lanpeach Complex became the last dwelling of the weaklings in the slums. It was a base that even the people of the slums would sneer at, and Lanpeach Kouza didn’t even establish his name in gossip as a weakling.

—Until the raid of Tsuyoshi.

◇◇

It has been a week since the raid that was called the Tsuyoshi Disaster happened.

Putting exaggerated names to fights between crooks was an issue with the details of the small conflicts in the slums.

At the time when the cold would increase more and more with the snowy winter, and before the fallen snow melts with the sun and creates a new cover of snow…

The residents of the Lanpeach Complex were panicking.

“Uhm…is it really okay to live here? I-I can’t pay r-rent and stuff.”

One of the residents, a man somehow managing by being a laborer with a wife and raising two children, nervously looked at the room they were living in until now, and nervously asked this to the girl standing in front of him.

The man is wearing working clothes, and doesn’t have anything that would mitigate the cold.

His wife and children were wrapped up with several layers of thin cloth around their bodies to endure the cold.

“Of course. I don’t know about the future, but there’s no issue at all right now. We won’t be asking for rent… That said, I think you will need to pay what you can when you have the surplus.”

The girl with pink blonde hair smiled at this family while answering them. She had both beauty and cuteness that would charm others even when she is under the circumstances of the slums.

Chihiro, who is always by the side of Lanpeach as his lover.

She is awfully polite even when interacting with residents of the slums. That sight of hers lowering her head with a gentle atmosphere relaxed even the highly cautious man.

That man has been looked down on at all times even in his job. His boss would talk down to him as if it were normal. It wasn’t only violence with words, he would be punched and would be blamed for mistakes he didn’t do.

The gentle attitude of Chihiro felt fresh. The man felt happy by this kindness and lowered his head profusely.

“Thank you very much. I didn’t think we would be able to live in such a beautifully remodeled room.”

“That’s exactly right. Cold days will continue on, so this is a saving. I will be looking forward to working with Lanpeach-san as well.”

His wife also lowered her head and tried to give the little money they had to Chihiro. It is a balled up and dirty 10,000 Ele bill.

Even so, this is a massive amount for that married couple, and they kept it to use when there was the need to.

But there’s worth in that.

Because the Taraworkers Lanpeach prepared had finished repairing the electric cables and water system, and went on to repair the rooms of the residents afterwards.

They panicked at first.

Giant Spider Artificial Spirits entered and began to repair their rooms after all.

They were worried that maybe they would be chased out of their rooms and thrown out right when the winter was picking up. They were trying to ask them in tears to please let them stay in that room, at least until the winter is over.

The residents went in tears to Chihiro when they had fallen into a panic.

She brought along a mage blue haired girl with her as a bodyguard, and told them they were not going to be chased away, so to not worry.

They were relieved, but couldn’t be.

“Uwaah, the room is sparkly, mommy. See, even the broken walls and the broken window are back to normal!”

The innocent merry voices of the children that entered the room that had regained its beautiful state of a long time past.

This spacious room which was made for the affluent that has 3 bedrooms, dining room, and kitchen was unsuitable for residents of the slums.

They were scared that they might get chased away once spring comes, so they gave them the little money they had in hopes something could be done.

“Thank you very much. Please rest well. You can use the water and electricity, so it is possible to use the bath and toilet.” (Chihiro)

Chihiro would also understand that feeling. And so, she received the money without refusing and put it in her pocket.

They would be needlessly worried about them being chased out if she were to refuse here, and it is not like they are maintaining this base as a charity.

“Thank you very much, thank you very much. Being able to use water and electricity is just… Please thank Lanpeach-san too.”

“Of course. Well then, I will be going now. Please be careful of fires at least.” (Chihiro)

The couple know just how great of a saving it is for the wind to not enter from the cracks, so they lowered their heads endlessly in gratitude.

Chihiro responded with a gentle smile and left.

“Gotta clean. The room is pretty now, but there’s still dust and little pieces of rubble.”

“Yup, I will help too, mom.”

“Alright, let’s try cleaning in a while.”

“I will go clean the bathroom!”

Once Chihiro exited the room, she heard the merry voices of the family. Chihiro also felt happy about these voices that were mixed with laughs.

She could also hear similar voices from the other rooms.

There’s an unexpectedly high number of families in this Lanpeach Complex.

It is most likely because the rooms need to be big to a certain degree for families.

There were many people until now that have had broken doors, trash left inside the room, dirty clothes, and scraps of cloth that were used as a substitute for a mattress

Chihiro thought that there would be a number of people who died from the cold or starved to death, but they might not see dead bodies now. They might be able to survive.

“Hn, seem to be happy. Thanks to Peach-oniichan.” (Dry)

“Right. I think so too. What Lan did is impressive. The other teams wouldn’t do something like this… But…” (Chihiro)

Her bodyguard, Dry, walked by her side and made a proud face. Her opinion was honest and didn’t seem to have any underlying tones.

Dry was plain happy about the good deeds of Lanpeach.

The slums are a bundle of malice. Lives are lost as if they have been abandoned by God. The weak would be taken advantage of by others and would expose their corpses at the side of the street.

That’s why they were proud of Lanpeach who has secured safety in this base, moreover, saves people who don’t have money.

The happiness showed in Dry’s strides. Her steps were light as she walked together with Pochifer.

Chihiro showed a smile as well, but there was a shadow in that smile.

“What’s the matter, Chihiro? Trying to pocket that money somehow?” (Dry)

“That’s not it. It is true that we got an unexpectedly high amount, but I plan on giving it all to Lan.” (Chihiro)

Chihiro has 200,000 Ele in her pocket.

They were all given gratuitously like the family of before. It seems like they were saving an unexpectedly high amount and gathered it easily.

Chihiro moved her brows closer after seeing the crumpled bundle of 1,000 and 10,000 Ele bills.

“Hey…do you think Lan will accept this large amount of money?” (Chihiro)

“Hm? I think he will. This base is Peach-oniichan’s. Water and electricity are valuable, but he is letting them use it for free.” (Dry)

It is hard to get water in the winter. Electricity goes without saying. That’s why Dry was wondering why she would ask such an obvious thing.

But Chihiro was worrying about something. She couldn’t answer with ‘that’s true’.

“I think the past Lan would have happily taken it. Not only that, he would see that they had money saved and would try to squeeze even more money from them. But I feel like the current Lan wouldn’t take it.” (Chihiro)

They got on the repaired elevator and arrived at the 8th floor.

A ring sound was made and the door opened with Chihiro making a troubled face.

“Lan is not telling us at all to go out and earn money. Doesn’t this mean he is not interested in maintaining the base at all? Don’t you think so?” (Chihiro)

She felt uneasy about how Lanpeach is not trying to make the children work because they are children.

That maybe he isn’t trying to maintain it because he plans on throwing them away at any moment.

“Hmm~… Saying that Peach-oniichan is planning on throwing us away? Possible. If he goes back to being an explorer, he will most likely move to a richer district.” (Dry)

Dry finally understood the worry of Chihiro.

She has seen and heard of explorers from the slums that have begun to earn a large sum of money, easily abandoning their lovers and friends.

And so, she didn’t have the confidence to say that’s not the case for sure, and even thinks the chance of that is higher.

“But it is okay. I am an explorer. I will rise together with Peach-oniichan.” (Dry)

Dry easily reached the conclusion that there would be no issue in her following after Lanpeach if that happens. She planned on working hard so that she could always be by his side.

“That may be fine for you, but I am a normal person, so that would be troubling! You are so dry!” (Chihiro)

“I am Dry.” (Dry)

“Right!” (Chihiro)

Chihiro sighed, thinking that’s heartless, but Dry also reached that conclusion just like she expected and unease pressed on her heart.

Her body grew heavy and she tried to think of a way to solve this.

There really is no other choice but to have a deep relationship with him.

In that case, the issue would be when sleeping. Koume has been asking to sleep together with Lanpeach lately, so she couldn’t make any advances.

“What should I do…? Hm?” (Chihiro)

Chihiro thought with a serious face, but…she noticed that there were voices coming from the room of Lanpeach’s room they arrived at.

“Someone’s talking?” (Chihiro)

“Muh! This voice…” (Dry)

The two of them put their ears on the door and tried to listen in but…

“That personage…”

“The experiment this time around was…”

“Do your best…”

The two heard fragments of the conversation, held their breaths, and looked at each other.

Lanpeach really had become the subordinate of someone -it is a conversation that made them sure of this.

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