The new house was still located in the suburbs. Guided by Iwao and Koganehiko, the group arrived at another suburban area.
Because he often traveled all over western Rukongai, Duan Mu was extremely familiar with the region. If he had not misjudged the location, this should be the wilderness between the western and northern districts, roughly between Areas 3 and 5.
Was the whole point just to find somewhere peaceful?
Duan Mu could not help complaining inwardly. The four districts of Rukongai—east, south, west, and north—rarely interacted with one another, and there were even fewer people living in places between two districts. Living here felt like staying in a suburban villa. Even buying groceries would require a half-hour drive...
"Hey, it's right up ahead." Iwao, who was leading the way, suddenly pointed forward.
Duan Mu looked in the direction he indicated. The familiar giant chimney and familiar low buildings looked almost identical to the previous house.
However, two arms taller than the house had been added to either side of the front. They held up a banner bearing the words "Shiba Kūkaku" in large characters!
"So it really is here."
Although he had seen it several times through a cold screen, when this outrageously conspicuous building appeared in reality, Duan Mu's brows still twitched, and admiration welled up inside him.
"Truly one of a kind."
After holding it in for quite a while, Duan Mu could only use those words to describe the endless admiration surging through his heart.
"Right? It took me ages to come up with it." A woman's voice rang out. Looking toward it, Duan Mu saw a black-haired beauty walking over from the front of a nearby house.
Judging solely by her appearance, she looked to be in her twenties. Her right arm had been severed at the elbow and was wrapped in bandages, while her tattooed left arm, bearing the character "Kū," held a tobacco pipe. She had beautiful features and a graceful figure. Between her revealing clothes and those prominent breasts, Duan Mu felt as if she might roll over at any moment and smack him... Even the colors of her clothes were almost identical.
The instant he saw her, information about her surged into Duan Mu's mind.
Shiba Kūkaku, the current head of the Shiba Clan.
One of the foremost firework masters in Rukongai. Although she was not a Soul Reaper, she possessed considerable strength and was exceptionally skilled in kido.
"You're Duan Mu, right?"
Kūkaku came before the group and looked Duan Mu up and down before laughing heartily. "The owner of the tobacco shop in District 3, whom I visit often, keeps mentioning you. She says you're always willing to help, and that after her shop's business improved, you even went over to help her in your spare time. I've heard it so often my ears are practically callused."
The owner of the tobacco shop in District 3?
A kindly old woman immediately came to Duan Mu's mind. Granny Hidariha was one of the few people whose favorability toward Duan Mu exceeded fifty. She was gentle by nature and often commissioned Duan Mu to harvest tobacco leaves for her.
"Granny Hidariha is too kind. If anything, I'm the one who's always been receiving her care. She introduced me to quite a few customers from the tobacco shops." Duan Mu spoke earnestly. He truly meant it. The reason Yorozuya had gained so many customers in such a short time was that the residents of Rukongai who liked him had voluntarily helped him.
This also let Duan Mu experience a warmth he had never felt before, strengthening his belief that his idea of "trading sincerity for sincerity" had been the right one.
Compared with tricking people into liking him, approaching them with the sincere intention of making friends made Duan Mu feel his own changes more clearly.
Perhaps...
This was what they meant by "only being able to change after dying." Although Duan Mu had no idea how he had died, or why he had inexplicably ended up in Rukongai.
Seeing the genuine expression on Duan Mu's face, Kūkaku laughed and patted him on the shoulder. "You're a pretty good kid. Much more sensible than my Iwao."
Duan Mu restrained his instinct to dodge and sighed inwardly. Do these siblings both like patting people on the shoulder so much?
Maybe it was because such a lofty gesture was unpleasant, or perhaps his "half-socially-anxious" nature simply made him unaccustomed to such intimate contact. Either way, Duan Mu did not like people patting him on the shoulder, nor did he like patting other people's shoulders.
'Shiba Kūkaku' favorability +1, gained 300 experience points
Huh?
Duan Mu froze and stared blankly at Kūkaku before him.
Increasing her favorability from zero to one had actually granted him 300 experience points. Did that mean that once Kūkaku's favorability toward him reached nine, he would gain 2,700 experience points?
That was equivalent to the total experience provided by six or seven residents of Rukongai who had a favorability of sixty toward Duan Mu.
Moreover, that was only the experience provided from one to nine. Every increase of ten favorability points doubled the experience gained.
Seeing Duan Mu staring into space, Kūkaku waved a hand before his eyes. "Hey, kid, what's wrong?"
"Ah, nothing."
Duan Mu hurriedly shook his head and put on his trademark gentle smile, preparing to draw a little closer to Kūkaku.
However...
Kūkaku did not give him the chance. After greeting Duan Mu, she stretched and walked toward the small house, saying as she went, "I haven't finished building the lower level yet. Just leave the things you brought outside. Koganehiko, stay here and keep an eye on them."
"..." The smile on Duan Mu's face stiffened.
Sure enough, making friends was not that simple.
One favorability point was practically no different from none at all. It probably amounted to having met once and leaving a slight impression as a stranger.
Besides, to put it bluntly, Kūkaku was the employer, while Duan Mu was the person being paid to do the job. For the noble head of the clan, Kūkaku to come and speak with Duan Mu for a few minutes was already a considerable show of respect.
Still, Duan Mu was not discouraged. Instead, he looked at Iwao beside him and reached out to pat him on the shoulder.
"???" Iwao.
"When there's no commission, how about I become your underling? I won't charge you!" Duan Mu said with complete sincerity.
Although Duan Mu's policy was to make friends sincerely, he still needed an opportunity. Besides, his target was someone like Shiba Kūkaku, who was powerful and held a lofty status. As a lowly resident of Rukongai, why would she want to befriend him?
In the past, Duan Mu had relied on opportunities when choosing whom to befriend. In short, whenever someone needed help, he would step forward, get to know them, and then raise their favorability through continued contact.
That was why he had never deliberately approached anyone. He had always met and befriended people through happenstance.
Now that he wanted to take the initiative, he obviously could not rely on that method.
Besides, even though the Shiba Clan had fallen into decline, it still possessed deep reserves. It lacked neither money nor manpower, and Shiba Kūkaku herself was terrifyingly strong. Trying to raise her favorability by helping her was practically impossible, since he could hardly find an opportunity.
That left Duan Mu with only one path: first build a good relationship with Iwao, then work hard to make his presence known before Kūkaku.
Normally, even neighbors who saw each other frequently would gradually become familiar without realizing it. If he made his presence felt enough, he should be able to raise her favorability by a few points, right?
"Really?"
Although Iwao was puzzled by Duan Mu's sudden increase in enthusiasm, when he heard that Duan Mu could become his underling—and would not even charge him—he decisively tossed that doubt aside and thumped his chest.
"This choice will absolutely be the wisest decision you've ever made in your life. Whenever you run into trouble, just give them the name 'Shiba Iwao.' I guarantee I'll settle every problem for you!"
Before you continue