After a few days of Kaito's stay, he was almost completely recovered thanks to his sacred arte, something he remained deeply thankful for.
"What should've taken weeks for me to recover from, I did in just one week!" Kaito said happily, his voice echoing in his small room. "This healing arte is great!"
He could only imagine what else was possible if he could someday learn healing magic himself.
As the thought passed through his mind, Kaito balanced upside down, knocking out handstand push-ups with easy rhythm. His body was back to full strength, and it showed.
Without knocking, Dante pushed the door open, ready to ask for something, only to stop dead at the sight of Kaito's exercise. "How did you heal up so fast?!" he blurted out.
When Kaito had first arrived, he looked like he had one foot in the grave.
Dante's eyes lit up suddenly. "Hey, if you're feeling better, you think you could help me with my part-time jobs today?"
Kaito hopped back to his feet. "Sure," he said without hesitation.
"You're not even gonna ask why?" Dante raised a brow.
Kaito shook his head. Truthfully, the reason he agreed was simple: as much as he liked helping Lilah and Dante around the inn, the endless chores were beginning to bore him. Adventure, that's what his spirit longed for.
Dante, delighted at the quick agreement, grinned. "I want to get everything ready for mama's birthday tomorrow, but I need to make sure I can get the rest done first."
Kaito dressed in his freshly washed and stitched clothes, Lilah's careful handiwork had made them look almost new again. He silently promised himself he'd find a way to repay her kindness.
That morning, Kaito and Dante set out.
Their first stop was helping a kindly older woman clear her yard. She clearly knew Dante and welcomed them warmly. With Kaito's raw strength, what normally would've taken hours was finished in minutes. She tried to press extra coins into Dante's hands, but he politely refused.
The next job was posting fliers around town. This was where Kaito's trouble started.
"Here," Dante handed him a stack. "Just paste them to the walls."
Kaito studied the paste bucket, dipped his hand in, and promptly slapped the entire flyer flat to the wall with his palm, paste dripping everywhere.
Dante groaned. "No, not like that! Use the brush!"
"Brush?" Kaito tilted his head, paste oozing between his fingers.
By the time they finished, half the fliers were crooked, upside down, or smeared with fingerprints. One passerby even chuckled, "Is that one supposed to be sideways?"
Kaito scratched his cheek. "It'll give people something to talk about."
Their next job was helping carry crates at the market. Kaito, eager to prove his strength, stacked three crates high and strode confidently, until he clipped the corner of a stall. Fruit went spilling everywhere.
"Kaito!" Dante scrambled to help gather apples rolling into the street.
The merchant laughed good-naturedly. "Strong lad, but maybe just carry one at a time, eh?"
After that embarrassment, they moved on to dishwashing at a café. Kaito had never seen so many fragile plates before. He picked up a sponge and scrubbed so hard that the pattern on the dish began to fade. When he rinsed, he splashed half the water onto the floor.
"Maybe just dry them," Dante sighed, handing him a towel.
Later, they helped fix a squeaky door at a tailor's shop. Dante held the hinge steady while Kaito tried using a screwdriver for the first time. He twisted it the wrong way, muttering, "Why isn't this thing coming off?" Then the screwdriver slipped, and Kaito nearly stabbed the wood.
The tailor quickly snatched it away. "Maybe stick to carrying things, lad."
By the afternoon, they ended up babysitting. Dante carefully changed the baby while Kaito stood nearby.
"Kaito, could you bring him here?" Dante asked, reaching out.
Kaito scooped the baby up one-handed, dangling him upside down like a sack of flour.
"Thanks for the HE-!?" Dante shouted, snatching the child and supporting his head.
"What? That's how I used to carry my little sisters around," Kaito said proudly.
Dante shook his head. "How did they survive you?"
At last, with the baby sleeping and the day's coins in hand, Dante let out a breath of relief. "Alright. That should be it. Thanks for your help today, Kaito."
"No problem," Kaito said, smiling.
Dante couldn't help smiling back, grateful not just for the extra pair of hands, but for the simple companionship. He finally had enough money to finish his plans for Lilah's birthday.
As they walked back toward the inn, Kaito suddenly asked, "Hey, Dante, you wanted to be an adventurer, right?"
"Yeah, why bring that up?"
"Do you know anything about fighting?" Kaito tilted his head, curious.
Dante gave an awkward laugh, scratching his cheek. "Yeah… I studied the sword my entire life."
Kaito grinned, pleased by the answer. He broke into a jog, running ahead, energy renewed after the long day.
Dante just shook his head. "That guy…"
Kaito had thought odd jobs with Dante were tough… but helping Lilah around the inn was somehow even worse.
"Alright, Kaito, just sweep the floor for me," Lilah said, handing him a broom.
Kaito eyed it suspiciously. "Like a spear?"
"No, like a broom," she said with a laugh.
Kaito swung it experimentally, spinning it behind his back like a staff. Dust puffed into the air in every direction. A passing guest coughed, waving a hand.
"Not like that!" Lilah hurried over, plucking the broom from his hands before he could start a mock duel with a chair.
Next she set him on dish duty. That went only slightly better. It seemed as though everything he just learned with Dante was already forgotten. Kaito stacked plates like tower shields, rinsed them too quickly, and dropped one with a crash. He froze, eyes wide.
"I.,.I can fix it," he stammered, gathering the shards.
"No, no, don't touch it!" Lilah knelt, smiling patiently even as she cleaned the mess herself. "You'll cut yourself. Just… dry the ones I wash, alright?"
Drying sounded simple. Until Kaito pressed a plate too hard with the cloth and it snapped in two, and he smiled at Lilah.
"…You're not allowed near the plates anymore," Lilah declared.
By the afternoon, she gave him a less risky task, refilling the oil lamps. While yes they had lights, in case of a power outage they needed to be filled. Kaito filled the first one to the brim… then overfilled, oil spilling across the counter. He quickly grabbed a rag to wipe it, only to toss the oily rag into the fireplace. A small flame shot up.
"Ah! Fire! Bad fire!" Kaito panicked, grabbing a pitcher of water and splashing half the hearth and half of Lilah's skirt.
Soaked but surprisingly calm, Lilah sighed. "Kaito, maybe just… carry the towels upstairs."
That, at least, he could do. Or so she thought. Ten minutes later he returned with every towel on his shoulders, dragging like a cape behind him. Guests looked on in confusion as Kaito marched through the common room, proud of his load.
Lilah pressed her hands to her face. "Spirits give me patience…"
Despite everything, she never raised her voice. She corrected gently, explained carefully, and even laughed at his stranger mistakes. To Kaito, that patience was just like Moon back at home.
By evening, the inn quieted. Kaito was heading toward his room when he heard voices drifting from the front door. Lilah was speaking in a low, firm tone, but her words carried a tremor.
"Please, just give me another week. My son and I-we'll have enough by then."
A man's voice answered, harsh and cold. "We've already given you months. If you don't have the payment by the end of tomorrow, the building belongs to the creditors. Do you understand?"
Kaito froze in the shadow of the hallway. His chest tightened. He peeked just enough to see Lilah clutching her apron, bowing her head as the two men left.
When the door closed, silence lingered. Lilah stood there alone, shoulders slumped in a way Kaito had never seen before. The cheerful, patient woman who smiled through his mistakes looked suddenly… small.
He stepped forward slowly. "…Lilah?"
She turned quickly, forcing a smile. "Oh, Kaito, you should be resting."
But Kaito saw the glisten in her eyes, the strain behind her smile. He remembered Dante's endless energy, the way he jumped between jobs without complaint, the exhaustion he tried to hide.
It all made sense now.
Kaito lowered his gaze. For the first time in a long while, he didn't know what to say. He only knew one thing, Dante wasn't working himself ragged for nothing. He was trying to save their home.
"I can help." Kaito said quietly, fists clenched. "I'll find some way to help, I promise."
Lilah blinked at him, surprised, then softened. She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You're already helping, Kaito. More than you realize."
Her words were kind, but they only made Kaito's resolve harden further. He would not let their kindness go unrepaid.
Not now. Not ever.