"This is a lovely house."
"Mr. Kaim?"
Jasmine tilted her head when she saw Kai Mu quietly listening to her. Noticing this, Kaim gave a wry smile.
"It's nothing. I'll get dinner ready now, so wait a little and talk to Cynthia."
"Oh, yes. Thank you."
After Kai Mu told Jasmine this, she sat on the living room sofa. Cynthia sat down opposite her, while Kaim tied on an apron and headed to the kitchen.
"Mr. Kaim, you cook?"
"Yes, and Kaim's cooking is delicious. You have something to look forward to."
Jasmine couldn't help being taken aback by Cynthia's beaming smile.
Still, Jasmine felt it would be a waste to remain silent, so she spoke up.
"Miss Cynthia, do the two of you live here together?"
"Yes, we've been together here for several years now."
"Did you two buy this place, or something?"
Maken didn't know exactly how much a Champion earned, but knew it was more than a Gym Leader made. Beyond her income, Cynthia was also famous as an archaeologist. And considering Kaim's earnings, it wouldn't have been surprising if he could afford this house.
"Oh, I originally had this house built. I wanted an environment where I could both research and battle."
She said it calmly, but building a house at her age would have been impossible without a considerable income. Maken shuddered at her words, which made Cynthia realize just how active she had been.
"That garden is a space you can use for battles, right?"
"Exactly. It was a necessary investment to keep the Pokémon from feeling cramped."
It was a way of thinking that put Pokémon before oneself. Easy to say, but few people could put it into practice so thoroughly. Maken felt this offered a glimpse of Cynthia's strength as Champion.
"It