In a World Where Chastity is Reversed, I Ended Up Working as a Hot Spring Attendant - Chapter 106

“In terms of marriage, I wasn’t the official first wife back then, so I couldn’t really speak up…”

Grandmother Yata began the conversation with a serious tone in the empty office.

“Yes…”, Misago and I replied gravely.

“Since Hisui officially courted me, I’ve become the third official wife…”

“Congratulations.”

I offered my congratulations, even though I already knew since I was present.

“The paperwork isn’t finalized yet, so it’s still unofficial, but this means I can start speaking up more.”

“That’s true.”

“So, let’s settle the money talk for now.”

“That’s pretty blunt.”

“We can’t ignore it. Honestly, since everyone here is family, if everything were handled within this inn, we could adjust the expenses so that the actual personal burden would be practically zero.”

As of now, all the employees are planned to become official wives.

“Even the two from the Protection Bureau have proposed marriage.”

“There’s that, and also the guests who rushed in before the official announcement. If they just wanted a casual fling, it wouldn’t have been a problem, but…”

“I’ve also received a proposal.”

From the looks of it, there are clearly many who are emotionally invested, not just casually interested.

“Hisui doesn’t seem to mind either, so he’ll probably become an official husband soon.”

“Well, Hisui is wonderful, so it can’t be helped.”

Since we can’t restrict a man’s free will, it’s basically impossible to stop him.

“I could try to stop him a little, but it’s not good to make things uncomfortable by tying him down. So, we need to decide how to handle the external financial burden.”

“There are three of us now, so maybe 100,000 yen per person per month?”

In this world, the wives collectively support the husband, so the more wives there are, the less each individual’s financial burden becomes.

In theory, if there were 100 wives for one husband, even if each paid 10,000 yen a month, the husband could comfortably live on 1,000,000 yen per month.

That’s the benefit of polygamy.

The reason for the 1,000,000 yen figure is that, based on the inn’s lodging rates, 1,000,000 yen per month is the break-even point, so that’s the basic line.

The 100,000 yen per night course is a luxury option, so it’s treated separately.

“I wouldn’t mind covering it myself, but…”

“The external expenses are a bit much, right?”

If one person covers more of the costs because they have more money, it could upset the power balance and lead to tyranny, so it’s best to distribute it evenly to keep things harmonious.

“We should set a total of 1,000,000 yen per month, so each person’s share would be around 10,000 or 20,000 yen, with the inn covering the rest. At this rate, we’ll quickly gather about 100 people.”

It might seem a bit cheap, but it’s an amount that even a relatively well-off student could manage with their allowance.

“Good and bad, I guess.”

If we rotate one person per night in order, it would take about six months or a year before your turn comes again. That’s just how it is.

This is the downside of polygamy—each person gets less time.

It hasn’t happened yet, but the inevitable future looms, and I can’t help but sigh at the thought.

“The honeymoon phase is just a moment when you look back later. Even as the head wife, it’s the most luxurious time. It’s best to take full advantage of it, even using up your vacation time.”

“But things have blown up.”

Suddenly, we got a lot more work, so I’ve been completely tied up with that.

The flow of information is much faster in the modern age than I had imagined.

“The reservations are already full, so we don’t need to deal with phone inquiries. We should stop taking reservations except through our website and close the phone lines.”

“That’s a bit harsh…”

Considering that not long ago, some people were saying they had no work and were bored, sleeping through the weeks, it’s quite the change.

Anyway, this person has decided to live in comfort, so even if we’re busy, it doesn’t concern them.

They just enjoy chatting with the guests or pretending to be a Zashiki-warashi and playing around, so it’s true that they get bored when there are no guests.

I’ve heard that Wolbachia carriers never die of old age, so their end is usually due to accidents or just growing tired of the world and starving to death after falling asleep. I don’t even know how many years they’ve lived.

By the way, inheritance tax is quite scary, so we’d be in trouble if they died. That’s the honest truth.

“Rather, you should be more selfish. At this point, you’re still holding back, aren’t you?”

“Huh?”

I tilted my head at the unexpected comment.

“Holding back…?”

“You’re holding back, aren’t you? From Hisui, and from us.”

“Ugh…”

She hit the nail on the head, and I was at a loss for words. Grandmother Yata still reads people like a book.

“If you don’t take the lead in indulging in Hisui’s affection, the ones who come after you will hold back too. Also…”

“Also?”

“If you’re already feeling lonely about the future, it’s a sign that you haven’t been fully satisfied. I’m not saying you should become clingy, but it’s not too late to get more attention.”

“But there are so many others…”

With so many candidates—my sisters, the guests—I feel like I need to distance myself from Hisui soon.

I even thought it would be fine to skip my honeymoon phase.

Whack.

“Ouch.”

Suddenly, she poked me on the forehead, and I glared at her while holding my head.

“Honestly, the youngest daughter, the youngest sister, shouldn’t hold back. If you do, the others will feel they have no right to indulge either.”

“Hmm…”

I couldn’t help but groan.

“Skipping your turn is basically forbidden. Enjoy your honeymoon phase to the fullest. As for the guest candidates, we never intended to accommodate everyone from the start. If more guests become an issue, we could even close down the new or old wing.”

“Is that okay?”

“The new wing was originally for the wives. When Kohaku’s old man passed away and the wives left, we opened it up to guests. Even if we double the lodging fees, the revenue would be the same, and the hit rate would double, so the guests might even be happier.”

“That’s true, but…”

I think there’s something to be said for the quality of the cuisine.

“In the end, we’re just returning to the original prices. The quality of the food has always been high, so the current rates are somewhat underpriced.”

“That’s true.”

Sister Aoba’s cooking is unmatched in this area. I’ve never had anything better.

“Well, we’ll adjust the prices and the guest rooms gradually. If we do it all at once, people might think we’re being greedy.”

“That’s true.”

I couldn’t help but smile. Reviews and word of mouth are important after all.

~Postscript

In the hospitality industry, it’s normal for prices to double during peak seasons, so it might not be such a big deal. But she’s a sincere girl who worked hard even when there were no guests, so she might be a bit awkward.