Buying even a single apartment complex wasn't cheap.
Adrian Blake knew that much—and right now, he didn't exactly have that kind of money in his pocket. But then again, who said he had to?
He cast a sidelong glance at Mio Naruse. This woman was practically drowning in wealth. The kind of money she had in her accounts could let an ordinary person live comfortably for the rest of their life without ever lifting a finger.
So he decided to be blunt.
"You've probably got quite a bit of savings, right? I'm thinking of buying an apartment building."
"An apartment building?" Mio blinked in confusion. "Why?"
They were living here just fine. Why go out of his way to purchase property now?
He shrugged, casually. "Who knows when some demon or fallen angel might come barging through the front door? If this place gets destroyed, we'll need somewhere else to stay. Better to buy one in advance."
He tapped his temple, smirking faintly. "Besides, any unoccupied rooms could be rented out. It'll bring in some steady income."
Mio opened her mouth, hesitated—then nodded sweetly, her trust in him nearly absolute. "Alright… I'll leave it to you, then."
Yuki Suou had been quietly watching the exchange from the couch. Her lips curled into a playful smile.
"Onii-chan… are you mooching off a rich lady?"
Adrian shot her a glare. "Excuse me? Mooching?"
He looked mildly offended. Yuki simply giggled, resting her chin on her hands.
For once, she'd managed to leave him speechless. Adrian grunted, choosing to ignore her smug face as he stood and stretched.
"I'm going to visit the neighbors. Don't burn the place down while I'm gone."
"Got it! I'll show Mio-chan around while you're out~"
Yuki flashed him a V-sign and gleefully dragged Mio off by the wrist, chattering away. Maria, ever the loyal shadow, followed behind them with a bundle of snacks in her arms, like an obedient little minion.
The apartment Adrian had purchased wasn't exactly in the high-end districts, but it was still a premium property. Quiet, secure, and decently sized. His neighbors on the left had yet to move in, but the unit to the right was already occupied.
He checked the time. No rush to visit yet—showing up empty-handed would be poor manners.
On the way to a nearby dessert shop, Adrian made use of the walk to put up a few flyers.
After all, his newly opened exorcism agency had zero reputation here. His previous fame had been rooted in a different city altogether, and if there was one thing he'd learned in this world, it was that even good wine needed good advertising.
"If I want to draw in more attention, I should revive my old writing account, too."
He chuckled to himself. Back in the day, he'd dabbled in light novels—just enough to make his first real chunk of change when he'd been forced out of the Hero's village with nothing but beginner-tier combat skills.
Logging in, he was immediately greeted by a torrent of unread messages.
99+ notifications. Not a good sign.
Tapping into the comments, he winced. It was a flood of grief posts and jokes about his "death."
RIP DaYuan-sensei.
Gone but not forgotten.
Give the old thief his incense sticks!
He sighed.
Desperate for cash back then, he'd ripped off a few tropes and published half-plagiarized novels under a pseudonym. After that, between slaying spirits and being chased out of various towns, he'd pretty much abandoned the account.
"Still… drawing more attention helps increase Fate Progression, doesn't it?"
It wasn't as fast as killing protagonists or sleeping with heroines, but it was still a path. And right now, he wasn't in a rush for power. He could afford to revisit old trades.
With a hint of guilt, Adrian typed out a few posts announcing his return.
[Status Update – DaYuan-sensei]
> I'm back from the dead.
Also, I run an exorcism agency now. Come by if you've got ghosts.
Yes, I'm serious.
Comments flooded in almost instantly.
What the hell? The dead guy resurrected?
You switched careers to an exorcist?! Just stay dead, man.
Bro, did you take a three-year sabbatical to study scam artistry?
Adrian cracked his knuckles and started replying.
[Reply by DaYuan-sensei]
> I never died. I've always been an exorcist. Writing novels was just my side hustle.
I'm legit. Not a scammer. Come to the office and see for yourself.
"Perfect," he said to himself, satisfied. "Top-tier advertisement."
Of course, there was still the matter of keeping angry fans from showing up in person.
"I'd better reinforce the building with a barrier. Just in case."
He was still grinning when a direct message came through.
A single question mark.
It was from a familiar handle: Kashiwagi Eiri.
Better known online as "Eriri," the illustrator he'd worked with years ago.
Lying on her bed in a frumpy tracksuit, her phone hovering above her face, Eriri blinked at the screen, stunned.
Yesterday had already been overwhelming. She'd debated all day whether to message Adrian. And now, before she could even make up her mind, DaYuan-sensei's account had come back to life.
The attached link to the exorcism agency left no doubt.
"Holy crap," she muttered. "It is him…"
Her fingers hesitated—then she sent the question mark.
A second later, a reply popped up.
[DaYuan-sensei]
> What's with the question mark, Eriri?
Her heart nearly stopped.
"Wait… wait a second. He knows?!"
She sat bolt upright. How did he know it was her? They'd never met face to face. He wasn't supposed to know her real identity.
There could be only one explanation.
He'd unboxed her. Hacked straight into her personal info.
"Unbelievable!"
She was still fuming, cheeks flushed, when a glowing magic circle lit up in the middle of her room.
Before she could react, Adrian stepped through, brushing off a swirl of blue light as he calmly surveyed the mess.
"You should tidy up, Eriri."
"YOU—! YOU FOLLOWED THE SIGNAL?!"
She stumbled backward in horror, nearly falling off the bed.
"I gave you a protective charm, remember?" he said, casually. "It served as a beacon. Let me teleport directly to you."
Then he pointed at her screen with a crooked smile.
"You think I cracked your identity? Really?"
"…N-No," she stammered, face burning. "That's not what I meant!"
He reached out, gently pinching her twin tails.
"Relax. I figured it out three years ago."
"Three years?!"
She stared at him, wide-eyed, her porcelain skin flushing deeper by the second.
Before she could hurl the pillow in her hand, Adrian twisted around it, catching her off-balance. She landed face-first onto the bed with a startled yelp, the soft mattress muffling her protest.
Her delicate curves pressed into the sheets, slim black tights stretching taut over her legs.
She caught him staring—and instantly blushed harder.
"You… pervert. Let go!"
"Hmm?"
He released her, only to grab her by the waist and flip her over.
Now pinned against the headboard, she had nowhere to escape.
His face loomed close, and his hand cradled the curve of her hip.
Their breath mingled.
Time itself seemed to hold its breath.