The room suddenly grew tense.
Everyone had stopped maintaining their equipment—except for Miria, who only paused after Roxanne quickly translated my words for her.
"There's no need to be nervous, and you don't have to stop your work," I clarified calmly. "I just want you to listen… and speak your mind freely if you wish."
At my words, the invisible pressure in the room eased slightly.
Still, most of the girls didn't resume their work, keeping their full attention on me.
"Master, please speak. We are all listening," Roxanne said, her gaze unwavering.
"Alright. Let's start with this house… this entire mansion and the estate within its walls," I said, gesturing around us with a slow circle of my finger. "You all know my background—I've never owned or managed something this large before. My understanding of how to properly run a place like this is… lacking."
The girls nodded. And as Roxanne was staying focused on me, Lillia quietly translated my words for Miria at the side.
"Right now, our Kaga household has nineteen members, including me. And all of us are living under this one roof," I continued, letting my gaze pass over each of them. "We've rented this place for a year. So, at the very least, this will be our home until then."
I paused briefly before continuing.
"That's why… going forward, I think it would be best if we shared the workload of maintaining this place. Cooking, cleaning, upkeep—everything. But how exactly we divide that work… I want your suggestions."
I could have simply assigned everything myself—or left it entirely to Roxanne or Sherry.
But that came with its own risks.
With so many girls, it would be difficult for them to properly manage everyone alone. And more importantly… not everyone might follow their instructions as seriously as they would mine.
That's why I wanted this discussion to happen openly, in front of me—so I could identify and nip future problems in the bud.
"Assigning work to specific people is the most efficient way," Sherry said with a nod.
"Hmm… I understand. It's like in a kitchen—you assign tasks properly so the meal turns out well," Erina added thoughtfully.
"We did the same when running our shops," Anastasia said, nodding in agreement.
"Master, I understand what you mean. Just give us your orders, and we will complete whatever tasks you assign," Roxanne said energetically.
"Setsuna will obey Master's commands," the wolfgirl added obediently.
"I'm quite good at handling various household chores," Vesta said with a grin.
"My Rem here is also very good at housework," Ram said proudly.
"But Nee-sama is still better than me," Rem replied bashfully.
"It's good to see all your enthusiasm," I said with a wry smile. "But let's focus on specifics—who will do what. I think it's best if we first categorize the work, and then you can all share your ideas and opinions."
"Hmm… if we're talking about housework, cleaning is the main thing, right?" Sherry said, counting on her fingers. "But there's also restocking supplies, washing clothes, refurbishing empty rooms, refilling water in the toi—"
"Let's start with cleaning first," I interrupted before her list could grow any longer. "Which areas need cleaning? Who will handle them? How much time will it take? We should clarify all of that."
"There's the main house, then the second house," Roxanne began, thinking aloud while rubbing her chin. "Then the garden at the back, the front yard, the gate and entrance, the forest on the right, and the lake on the left."
"…Master's house is really big," Lillia said with a small sigh. "There's so much to clean. Back in my village, we only had to take care of two rooms."
"It was the same for me!" Shea added proudly. "And I could clean everything super fast—just swish, swish, and done!"
"I don't think everything needs to be cleaned daily," Viviana said calmly. "The front yard, entrance, forest, and back garden can be tidied up once, and after that we'll only need to maintain them monthly."
'The pond also doesn't need much cleaning. The water is clear, and the fish look fat and healthy,' Miria said in Burner tongue while wiping her drool, which Lillia translated for everyone.
"If it's the house, then back where I lived, we had to have it cleaned twice a day," Jasmine said thoughtfully. "But that was in the desert—dust gathered very quickly. Here… I don't think it will be the same."
"We can clean the house once every week, unless there's some special occasion," Yasaka added.
"We haven't even checked the other house yet, so we don't know how much work it needs," Lillia reminded.
"Also, the back garden and the front yard need a lot of work at the start," Shera said, wincing slightly while arcing her back. "We didn't even finish pulling out all the weeds today, and I'm worried they'll grow back again tomorrow."
Listening to them, I realized something.
Just cleaning and maintaining a place this large was already a headache.
At least we had numbers on our side… that should ease the burden somewhat.
"So," I spoke up, "who is willing to take responsibility for which part of the cleaning?"
"Can't we just do it together?" Shea asked, looking around. "Like we did today?"
"We can do that, or we could take turns," Sherry suggested with a nod.
"We could even create a daily schedule so everyone knows their responsibilities for each day of the week," Anastasia added with a grin.
"But Master, what about labyrinth runs?" Roxanne asked curiously. "Should we do the cleaning in the evening after returning?"
"No," I shook my head. "That would be too late—and you'd all already be exhausted from the labyrinth."
"Maybe we assign just one day in the week for cleaning, then?" Sherry suggested thoughtfully. "Since the seventh day is a day off… maybe the sixth?"
"That could work, yes," I nodded. "But there's another option as well. Since we're already talking about the labyrinth… let me address that first."
I glanced around the room.
"From today's runs, it's clear that quite a few of you need proper combat training."
"I am sorry, Master…" Kunou was the first to speak, lowering her head. Several others followed, their expressions turning downcast.
"No, there's no need to apologize," I said firmly. "Just a week ago, I wasn't good at fighting either. In fact… I struggled against a single Slow Rabbit on the outskirts of a small village."
"Really? Master struggled against it?" Shea exclaimed in disbelief.
"But you handled even those bandits so easily," Remu added.
"That's because my bloodline powers keep awakening," I explained with a wry smile. "They grant me knowledge and experience from all the different jobs I have. Combined with my skills and equipment… my combat ability has improved very quickly."
"Master has grown a lot since we first entered the labyrinth," Roxanne said, nodding with a proud look. "It's quite amazing."
"Thank you, Roxanne," I replied. Out of everyone, she had seen my growth firsthand.
"So what I'm trying to say is—it's okay if you're not good at fighting right now," I continued, looking at all of them with a calm smile. "I can teach you what I know. We'll train together… and improve together."
"Oh! Master will teach us personally? I'm so lucky!" Vesta said excitedly.
"I will humbly accept your teachings, Master," Viviana said with a grateful nod.
"You'll improve in no time if Master is teaching you," Yasaka added, gently patting Kunou's head.
"Mm…" Kunou nodded with a small, hopeful smile.
The rest of the girls also looked visibly excited at the idea.
"Master, when will you teach us?" Roxanne asked, her eyes shining. "Will it be early in the morning? I used to train at that time—it's quite refreshing."
I didn't know why she looked so eager. It wasn't like I could teach her anything new. In fact, the intensity in her gaze made me slightly uneasy about this whole training idea.
"I was thinking… we could train after our morning meals," I said, clearing my throat.
"Hmm… so first there's the early morning labyrinth run—from around five, when it's still dark, until ten or eleven," Sherry said, frowning slightly. "Then a training session after that?"
"Yes," I nodded. "We train for an hour or two, then head back into the labyrinth around noon or one. After that, we return home by five or six for dinner."
"…Sounds perfect, Master," Roxanne said, clearly pleased.
"Master, will all of us go with you for these labyrinth runs?" Remu asked curiously.
"A party can only have six members," Shera replied with a slightly condescending look. "So only five others can accompany Master. How do you not even know something that basic?"
"That's exactly why I'm asking Master who will go," Remu shot back, glaring at her.
"About that… I'm not comfortable letting you go into the labyrinth on your own right now," I said honestly. "It's not just about safety—it's also about efficiency. With me around, you gain experience much faster. If I had to put a number to it… you level up almost forty times faster with me than without. Which means going with me once is the same as going to the labyrinth 40 times."
"…Forty times?" Shera blinked in shock.
"That sounds completely unbelievable," Viviana said, her eyes widening.
"Hahaha! Then I'll become the strongest Rabbitkin in no time!" Shea said, practically bouncing in her seat.
"Even a Sheepkin like me can become strong then…" Lillia said, her expression brightening.
"I can become strong… that quickly?" Jasmine murmured, staring at her hands in thought.
Even Nyx looked at me with wide, astonished eyes.
"Master's powers really make no sense at all," Sherry muttered with a deep sigh.
Roxanne, meanwhile, looked around at everyone's reactions with a proud grin.
I had explained this before… but it seemed like they were only truly grasping it now, after experiencing the labyrinth firsthand.
I didn't mind.
Their reactions were… flattering.
Though, of course, they still had no idea that my experience gain was closer to eight hundred times instead, not forty.
…Honestly, part of me wanted to tell them just to see their faces.
Maybe another day—when I felt like causing chaos.
"So… does that mean only five girls will go to the labyrinth with you, Master?" Remu asked again, placing a hand on her chest as if steadying herself after the shock.
"Not five—four," I corrected. "Roxanne will always be part of the team as our main scout." I glanced at Shea and added, "Though I have no doubt Shea will eventually grow into a capable scout as well."
"I will personally teach her everything I know, Master," Roxanne said, turning to Shea.
"Thank you, Roxanne-san! I'll do my best and become the greatest Swift Scout ever!" Shea declared, pumping her fist.
I knew she would never reach Roxanne's level… but I was still rooting for her. Having another competent scout would greatly expand our options.
"Which means two different groups will go to the labyrinth daily," I continued. "One in the morning, and one after the training session. The next day, two different groups will go and so on."
I looked around at everyone.
"This way, those not assigned to the labyrinth can focus on household duties. It's an alternative to setting aside a full day just for cleaning."
Of course, this also meant Roxanne wouldn't be doing household chores—but she was far too valuable as a labyrinth member to be kept at home. If anything, this could be her privilege as the Head Slave and her role could be shifted toward supervising the others instead.
"Yes, that arrangement makes sense," Sherry said with a nod.
"But if we exclude Roxanne-san, that leaves seventeen of us," Anastasia calculated quickly. "With four girls per group, that makes four groups… with one person left out."
"Ah! Then Master just needs three more girls to form another full party!" Shea said, smacking her fist into her palm with a satisfied grin.
…
The entire room fell silent.
All eyes turned toward her.
Even I stared at her, speechless.
…Her logic wasn't wrong.
In fact I wasn't planning to expand the harem anytime soon…
…but if it was for efficiency… for growth… for the future of the household—
Maybe…
I really should go and buy three more girls!
After all… it would be for the greater good, right?