Let’s Manage the Tower

Book 5: Volume 2 Chapter 1, Conversation with Collete

Translator: Kazumi

Editor: Silavin

Kousuke generally did not interfere with the management of Little Amamiya Tower.

‘Generally’ meant he did not directly intervene. Though, he naturally lent Mia a hand indirectly. The biggest contribution was the loan of his kin.

Managing the Tower sometimes required going to various floors to check on things, and while Mikage might manage on the lower floors, the middle floors and higher became nearly impossible to explore while protecting Mia simultaneously.

This was why he loaned out his kin and dependents.

Ideally, Kousuke believed, if he could grow his kin within Little Amamiya Tower itself, external support would not be necessary. However, considering the situation in the other six Towers, creating high-level kin was far from easy. If anything, Kousuke’s rapid evolution of Nana and Wanri was abnormal, far removed from the norm.

Normally, one would steadily accumulate Divine Power, increase dependents, and then create monsters that could evolve from there. Most Administrators stumbled at the initial accumulation stage. Furthermore, even those who managed to accumulate Divine Power and summon dependents had no guarantee of smooth evolution afterward.

Even successful Tower conquest did not guarantee freedom if the accumulated Divine Power remained low. This was in particular for smaller Towers, where placing objects freely was restricted.

In that sense, Amamiya Tower, where Kousuke could place items quite freely from the start, was indeed exceptional.

The difference became evident when comparing it to Little Amamiya Tower. Mia’s initial Divine Power had been enough only to place a single teleportation portal to the outside. It was only natural that she would scratch her head when first viewing the management menu.

While glancing at Mia’s pondering face, deeply troubled by what she should place, Kousuke successfully set up a teleportation circle connecting both Towers and returned safely to Amamiya Tower.

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“Oh. So Mia’s still working hard over there?”

“Yeah. Though she does come back for meals, of course.”

“I see.”

To conserve her Tower’s Divine Power, Mia had decided against using ingredients there. Instead, she used the teleportation circle to return to Amamiya Tower for her meals. As a result, there had been no incidents that made them feel the need to visit her, just to check in on her.

“She has the habit of forgetting to eat when absorbed in something. This is definitely something in Kousuke’s blood, no matter how you look at it.”

“We have to be careful when raising this one then.” Collete said, stroking her belly after discovering she was pregnant.

Kousuke was currently visiting her as she recuperated in the Elf Village.

The Conquest Battle had calmed down, and Collete’s condition had stabilized, making it an appropriate time to discuss the situation. Sylvia and others visited often but seemed to deliberately avoid detailed discussion of the Conquest Battle.

Collete herself also said she wanted to hear it directly from Kousuke.

He had wanted to visit as soon as the connection with Little Amamiya Tower was complete, but various factors had prevented him from visiting earlier. Furthermore, Sylvia pointed out that he should wait until Collete had properly settled in before visiting.

Sylvia was currently visiting the village midwife, discussing matters based on her own experience. Until the village’s relocation to the Tower, the Elf midwife had hardly any opportunities to practice her craft.

Recently, however, she has been complaining. Though, not entirely unhappily complaining, about becoming much busier. As the only midwife in the village, she had been scrambling to handle the sudden increase in births.

However, she now had apprentices and seemed to be passing on her skills effectively.

The Elf Village had truly reached its peak when it came to pregnancy and childbirth.

It was only natural, in a sense, that Kousuke and Collete were praised as saviors within the village. However, Kousuke himself, leaving Collete aside, insisted he did not possess such attributes and firmly refused the designation of a ‘savior’.

Still, both Collete and Sylvia expected he would eventually succumb to the pressure, like he always does.

From Kousuke’s perspective, Collete seemed calmer now. This change had likely led Sylvia to conclude she was more stable.

Rather than the negative emotions she’d felt before, Collete’s whole being radiated joy at carrying a child. Perhaps her earlier emotional instability had been due to the incomprehensible changes occurring within herself.

As Kousuke gazed intently at her, Collete seemed to notice and burst into a chuckle.

“What? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I never thought you’d have a child so soon. So, I was just savoring the joy.”

Collete’s expression darkened at his words.

Kousuke tilted his head inward, wondering if he’d said something wrong. Collete sighed.

“You should never say that on the Management Floor.”

Hearing this, Kousuke immediately understood what she meant.

“Yeah. I won’t. Especially not to Peach.”

“Exactly. Even so, I thought I would be the last, so this is a bit of a disruption to our plans.”

“It happens. Not like we can control it. It simply can’t be helped.”

Collete’s concern centered on Shrein and Peach. Neither showed signs of pregnancy yet. As far as the group was concerned, they did not seem anxious or sad about it. At least, they still brought up Collete’s pregnancy in everyday conversation.

Kousuke and the other members had not noticed any signs of distress in either of them.

“It’s difficult. Being overly careful might backfire.”

“At least Shrein doesn’t seem to want children right now, probably because of her race.”

“I can understand that. Vampires probably have similar sensibilities to us Elves.”

Collete nodded in agreement. Perhaps due to her race’s nature, Shrein always said she would have children eventually and did not seem particularly concerned about not having any yet.

The only problem was Peach.

“Peach… Maybe it’s her race, or maybe her training, but she’s too good at hiding her true feelings.”

To Kousuke, Peach was actually the one whose emotions were hardest to read. Hidden behind her usually calm smile and demeanor, her true feelings often remained indiscernible.

Kousuke had no idea whether this was a trait of her succubus species or something acquired through training for undertaking shadier work.

“Huh? I guess that’s also to be expected.”

“Plus, Peach is much more sensitive to others, and when I’m being overly considerate.”

Honestly, aside from Kouhi and Mitsuki, Peach was the best at reading Kousuke’s emotions. If Kousuke showed too much consideration for her, Peach would notice immediately.

“So I’ve decided not to worry about it anymore. Or rather, if it bothers me, I’ll just ask her directly.”

“Yeah, that might be a good idea.”

If being excessively considerate and attempting to hide it would only worsen the situation, Kousuke decided being direct was better. However, after Collete nodded initially, she quickly added a warning.

“But if possible, it’s best not to try discussing this on your own, Kousuke.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“It’s better to have someone nearby and talk together. Well, Kouhi and Mitsuki will definitely be there, so we don’t need to worry too much.”

“Oh, I see. Okay, I get it.”

Kousuke was aware he could be sharp in some ways and dull in others. Collete’s advice that such delicate topics required a third party’s presence could only have him nod obediently.