“Ha!”

“You call that a punch!” I shouted and smacked the outstretched fist in front of my face. “Rotate those hips ladies! Again!”

Seven boys ranging from eleven to fifteen reset themselves into ready stances. Each was sweating and gasping for breath as the sun baked all of us on the roof. The flat and open design made the roofs of my buildings the perfect place to establish a makeshift dojo.

“Punch!” I cried.

“Ha!” In unison, my students each unleashed another punch.

“Again!”

“Ha!”

“Again!”

“Ha!”

“Alright! Drop and give me thirty!” I clapped my hands and grinned evilly as the groans started.

Yes, you gluttonous little shits! I know you guys need protein to develop, but meat ain’t cheap! I’ll be working you all to the bone!

I was training these brats in the basics of karate so they could better serve as guards. Making sure trouble doesn’t come knocking on my tenant’s doors was part of the value proposition after all. Originally, I had envisioned Dustin or Finley taking care of this task, but they both had refused.

It had been over three months since my group merged with Dustin’s and moved into the two apartment buildings. In the end, our numbers were high enough that eight of the twelve rooms served as dormitories. The remaining four were rented out, but the rental income was truly pitiful. Still it was better than nothing. In fact, I had recently acquired a neighboring building. It was currently under reconstruction as the roof and floorboards had rotted. I got a good price for it, given what a poor state it was in. I even splurged and had the first floor converted into one large room to be used as a classroom. Once it was fixed up, the other four rooms would be the real start to my rental property portfolio.

While the construction of my real estate empire was slow going, my school was coming along nicely. Well, it was more of a glorified tutoring service right now. Roland and I were still in the process of teaching a handful of the others enough to become teachers. In another month they will hopefully reach a level where they can pass their knowledge onto others. In the meantime it was mainly Roland and I teaching around a dozen kids.

It had been a real chore convincing the first few parents to give us a chance. Yet once they realized we weren’t scammers, the referrals came pouring in. In this world, or at least in Foso, the chance to be educated was near impossible to come by. So naturally, parents jumped at the chance to give their kids a chance to avoid a life of working in the mines.

“Arlo.”

Turning around, seeing Emily carefully making her way up the stairs to the roof. I rushed over and took her free hand and placed my other behind her back. The building was not handicap friendly.

“Thank you,” Emily blushed slightly and wiggled free from me once we reached the top. “Dustin came back with the food for this week, but he said that he was being followed.”

I frowned. “Who do you think it was?”

“It’s probably the Red Hands, as we are closer to their territory. Buying all these properties probably got us noticed.”

I nodded. That would make sense. “Do you think they will try anything?”

“Perhaps,” Emily said and bit her lip. “It would put them at risk of violating the agreement. However, the market place is on their turf. We should up the number of people we send out, and warn them to be ready for anything.”

“Sounds good to me,” I sighed. We had barely started to get up and running, and already trouble came knocking. “You didn’t have to come all the way up here to tell me that. I can come to you. Send Katy if anything urgent comes up. Where is she anyways?”

“Poor girl runs herself ragged looking after me. I made her take today for herself.”

“Still, climbing two flights of stairs is dangerous.” I said.

Emily sighed. “You and my brother need to relax. I’m not some piece of delicate pottery. Sometimes, I just want to feel normal.”

The smile she gave me almost made me weep. Apparently this wold had gods. I was skeptical, because how could each and every one of them allow someone like Emily to suffer. Another similarity this world had to Earth, I guess.

“You have a point,” I said and scratched the back of my head. “I’ve been an ass. I’m sorry.”

“For being an ass? I doubt it,” Emily giggled and pointed to the struggling teens. Most had finished their last rep, but a few were soldiering on with shaky arms. “Admit it, you enjoy tormenting them.”

I coughed. “This is for their own good. If they want the benefits of being guards, they have to be fit and well trained enough to fulfill their role. Whether I experience any joy is irrelevant.”

“Sure, keep telling yourself that,” Emily rolled her eyes and gently slapped my arm. “What are you doing today? Would you like to grab some lunch?“

“I wish,” I huffed. “I need to make sure the contractors are making progress on the renovations, and then I’m hosting a tutoring session. After that, I have a meeting regarding another potential property.”

“Oh my, you are that busy?” Emily brought a hand to her mouth.

“Yup. You’d think being the boss meant I would work the least, and have minions to do everything for me. Boy was I wrong.”

Emily chuckled. “Still, skipping meals isn’t good. I know, meet me at the bottom floor entrance in a few.”

With that she turned and struggled her way down the stairs. A part of me wanted to assist her, but our conversation made me pause. She valued her independence, and sometimes helping does more harm than good.

After making sure everyone finished their reps and did a round of stretches, I made my way downstairs. The moment I walked out of the building a sandwich was thrusted in front of my face. In between two pieces of bread were freshly cooked eggs and two chunks of cured sausage. The smell alone eliciting a loud rumble from my stomach, demanding I devour it.

Swallowing a mouthful of saliva, I tenderly took hold of my breakfast. Upon a closer look I could make out melted bits of cheese. The oozing liquid gold nearly brought me to tears. It wouldn’t be fair to compare it to a piping hot bowl of miso soup and rice, but it was the closest meal I had so far that resembled something I’d actually eat back in Japan.

A pang of sorrow dampened the enthusiasm I had over my sandwich. It seemed like yesterday, I was squatting in the local bookstore, reading the latest isekai light novel to hit the shelves. My favorite pastime back when I attended high school. Technically, I was living the dream. I had awesome powers in a world of magic. Unfortunately, life was far from a fantasy novel. Power brought with it tyranny and that in turn caused suffering. Resulting in me bumming it up in the slums. Sure, my life was starting to turn around, but I’d give almost anything to go back to the days of fantasizing being where I am now. I guess the grass really was always greener on the other side.

Realizing I was silently staring at my food like a total nutcase, I took a bite and an explosion of flavor filled my mouth. It tasted as good as it looked. I flashed Emily a playful grin. “This is delicious! Did you cook this yourself? You shouldn’t have.”

Emily’s face flushed red and her free hand shot up and combed through her hair. Trying to position her hair over her scar. “I-I’m glad you like it.”

I blinked, my mouth nearly dropping open and spilling my second bite. I shuddered as I wielded all the self-control I could muster to not reach out and stop her.

She is so beautiful! If only she could see it in herself.

I had only been teasing her. I hadn’t expected that she actually took the time to make me breakfast. The memory of her hurrying down the stairs earlier filled me with butterflies. She was too good for me. We had a silent acknowledgment in regards to the tension between us. It had been slowly building ever since we had first met, and it was growing hard to overlook.

Whenever either of us had free time, we somehow found ourselves gravitating towards each other. A chance encounter in the hallway turning into a conversation that had gone on for hours. Lame jokes eliciting more laughter than they deserved, and random touches of the arm and hand holding. We clearly both had feelings for each other, that was a fact no one could deny. Even if I were to be lacking in the EQ department, there were too many signs to ignore. I could also tell she was waiting for me to make a move. Something I had been waffling on.

“This has to be the best sandwich I ever had,” I said. Doing all I could to avoid an awkward silence. I knew it was the wrong thing to say. That she was expecting something different, something more. A part of me wanted to say more. Instead, I pointed to the building under renovation and offered an arm. “Shall we?”

Emily smiled and hooked her arm around mine. Leaning ever so slightly against my shoulder. The warmth of her body and the loose strands of hair caressing my neck, served only to make my heart want to explode from my chest.

“Why did you choose to buy this building?” Emily asked.

“It’s all about cash flow,” I said reflexively. “This area is quite frankly, a dump. Even after the gangs decided to stop waging turf wars here, the local community is fractured and filled with bad actors of all kinds. My aim is to find properties that I can make a profit from. Granted I am eating small losses with the renovations.”

“How do you know which ones to pick?”

“That is a little complicated,” I said. I hadn’t wanted to bore her with numbers, but her gaze showed me that her curiosity was unsatiated. “There are multiple factors I consider, but one of the main things I focus on is something called the annual capitalization rate. It’s a formula that calculates projected annual income. I basically calculate it by taking the total amount of rent I can obtain in a year, before expenses and taxes, then I divide it by the current value of the property. Lastly I turn it into a percentage, and if it is around ten percent I consider it. If it is less than eight percent I pass on the deal.”

“So if you charge two copper a month, for four rooms. That makes ninety six copper a year. I don’t know…”

I laughed as I could almost see smoke rise from the top of her head as she struggled to do the math. She had only recently started learning her numbers, and was one of the faster learners. Still, this was a bit much for a beginner.

Emily shook her head and shrugged. “I give up. Where did you learn all of this?”

From some friends in America.

Like I could say that. Well, saying we were friends would be a stretch. A certain Japanese tycoon had been using laundered money to purchase properties in America. I had spent close to eighteen months undercover getting close to the man’s most recent business deal. I had been pretending to be a high level consultant. That was one slog of a job. The plus side, I retained most of the knowledge, and it is serving me well here. At least more than my computer skills. Damn technologically backwards civilization. They could have at least discovered electricity by now. It’s a shame I was clueless on that particular subject.

“It’s a secret,” I said and brought my finger to my lips.

I got an unhappy pout in response. I pretended to not have noticed, and let myself get lost in her eyes. Eventually she gave up with a defeated sigh. We both had secrets. Memories from our past that we would rather stay forgotten. The kind that popped up unwanted in your dreams, or randomly when you are taking a shower.

Emily rested her head on my shoulder and looked up at me. I had always been taller than her by a bit, but my growth exploded recently and now I was around a head and a half taller than her now. Her eyes focused and filled with wonder. “So why do you bother fixing them up?”

I had to peel my eyes away from hers and pointed to the buildings next to the ones I own. “For a plethora of reasons. Not wanting the people I am providing a roof for to live in squalor is one. Another, is that it allows me to slightly increase the price of rent, and in turn attract a slightly better tenant than the norm. Lastly, I believe that should my other business ventures succeed, the property value of this area will see a meteoric rise.”

“You are trying to raise the standard of living,” Emily contemplated out loud. She liked to do that when her mind was digesting something. “Making this place more palatable to those with more coin. Perhaps not the truly wealthy, but those who want a better life for themselves and their family.”

I nodded. “You pretty much hit the nail on the head. The school I hope to create will make this area more desirable, and when combined with housing that is actually livable. Families with better finances will move here. Especially if we control the area and keep crime low.”

“Hence why you are taking the martial arts and physical training of the guards so seriously.”

The smile that worked its way onto my face widened. “This will be the start of something greater. A new chapter for the lower class of Foso. A chance to rise and be more.”

We entered the building, and I slowly escorted her around the property. Needless to say it was a total mess, and more importantly there were only two people working. My steps paused and I frowned at what I saw.

“What’s wrong?” Emily asked, turning her head from side to side, trying to find the source of my ire.

“Hopefully it’s nothing,” I grunted and continued forward.

There was meant to be at least a crew of five on site. It was part of the contract. Something else stoked concern within me.

I brought us to the more senior looking of the two men. He had a potbelly and was experiencing some unfortunate levels of wrinkles. Most likely from all the time he spent outdoors under the sun, based on his sunburnt skin. His shirt was also covered in dirt and grime, a hard working man. If not one that lacked proper hygiene.

Maybe I should have a bath house built? Eventually.

The thought was random, but I soon found myself attached to the idea. I filed it away for now. For the current me, a project of that kind would be a money pit and a distraction. Still, it would be nice, and the thought of having a mixed bath with Emily did cross my mind. More than once in fact. Regardless, there were bigger fish to fry.

“Where are the others? How come it is only you two here?” I asked.

The man paused his work. He had been mid-strike on a nail that was slightly bent to one side. From the awkward position he had paused in, it was apparent the man wanted to brute force the nail in.

“Hello sir,” the man gave me a quick bow of the head. “The boss had another project he had to urgently finish, and had to divert most of the crew there to finish on time.”

I massaged my forehead. “I am paying for FIVE men by the day. Can I expect to be reimbursed for the difference?”

“Um,” the man shuffled his feet and refused to meet my gaze. “You would have to talk to the boss about that directly. I am not in the loop in regards to such things.”

“I see,” I hissed. “And what is your name?”

“Bernard, sir,” the man replied courteously. Sweat streaked down his face. Probably more from nerves than anything else.

“Well, Bernard, I hope you can understand the awkward position your boss has put the both of us in?”

The man nodded. Clearly uncomfortable with how direct I was being. The signs of guilt quashing the last doubts I had been harboring. In the past, thanks to my profession, I could only assume the worst intention behind any action made towards me by others. Originally, I was hoping to be more open minded and magnanimous. It would seem that I would have to drag the old me out of the closet.

“Do you know where I can find your boss?” I leaned down and got into the man’s face.

“He’ll be here tomorrow,” Bernard mumbled. “Like I said, there was an urgent job he had to complete in person.”

“Did that job also require some of my materials?” I asked, staring daggers into the poor man. He may know what was going on, but was at the complete mercy of his employer. “I notice I am lacking quite a bit of the lumber I had purchased for the new floors.”

“Missing lumber? It should all be there, sir,” Bernard visibly gulped.

“Arlo,” Emily tugged gently on my sleeve.

When I turned to face her, I could see the concern in her eyes. She may be older than me in this life, but she was barely in her twentieth year. Add in the limitations of her lived experience, and her anxiety was justified. These craftsmen were a whole class above us in society. Men who thought they could walk all over people like us.

I gave her a reassuring smile and got my emotions under control.

Perhaps they thought they could get away with this little scheme due to my age. To them, ripping off a kid should be simple. All I had to do was convince them that it was in the best interest of both parties that the agreed upon contract was fulfilled in a timely manner. Where good faith had failed, Kento Murakami would succeed.