Agung froze mid-snap, his fingers poised in the air as the "magic" sizzle in his palm fizzled out like a damp firework. He looked around the kitchen, met by a wall of nineteen—well, fourteen present—pairs of unimpressed, deadpan eyes.
"Agung," Umi said, her voice like a cold bucket of water. "You can't just 'manifest' a palace in the middle of a protected seaside town. Do you have any idea how the zoning laws work? The coastal permits? The architectural harmony of the neighborhood?"
"And the taxes!" Maki added, crossing her arms. "You'd be audited by the National Tax Agency before the cement even dried. You can't just play Minecraft with real Japanese real estate."
Agung's round face turned a light shade of pink. "But... but I have a Quadrillion dollars? I thought magic solved the paperwork?"
"Magic doesn't solve bureaucracy, Panda," Lanzhu sighed, shaking her head. "Even Lanzhu has to file permits for her private helipads."
Mari, however, suddenly let out a bright, melodic laugh, her eyes twinkling with a "Shiny" business opportunity. She stepped forward, leaning her hip against the counter.
"Oh, wait! I have the perfect solution!" Mari chirped, clapping her hands. "Darling, if you want a sanctuary that's already legal, historical, and has plenty of room for twenty wives and fourteen children... why not buy the **former Uranohoshi Girls' High School building and land**?"
She leaned in closer, a mischievous grin on her face. "The Ohara family still owns the deed, and since the school merged, it's just sitting there on the hill, looking beautiful but lonely. It has a courtyard for the kids, a massive kitchen, plenty of rooms that can be converted into suites, and—most importantly—it's already zoned for a large group of people!"
Agung's eyes widened. He looked out the window toward the hills of Uchiura. The old school sat perched above the sea, overlooking the very water they were currently standing near.
"Buy the school?" Agung murmured, his brain already working. "A school... for my 'kindergarten' of a family? It has a gym for Aoi's kendo... it has a music room for the idols... it has a rooftop for... well, hopefully not for throwing knives."
He looked at Mari. "How much, Mari-chan? Name your price. Remember, non-lessening Quadrillion."
Mari waved a hand dismissively. "For the father of my triplets? I'll give it to you for a 'Family Discount' of ten million USD. That's basically one percent of your pocket-change card!"
Agung didn't hesitate. He reached into his apron, pulled out the obsidian black card he had given Kanata, and handed it to Mari with a flourish.
"Sold! I'm buying the school!" Agung declared. "But, if I can't manifest a *new* building, I'm definitely using my magic to **renovate** it. In forty-five minutes, that old school is going to become the **Panda Manor**. It'll have heated floors, a five-star spa for the mothers, and a playground that will make Disneyland jealous!"
He turned to the kids. "Yuki, Hime, Aoi! Finish your bowls! We're going to go claim our mountain!"
Aoi stood up, his wooden sword at his side.
"The Kurosawa gems will need a proper training hall, Papa. I'll inspect the gym first."
"That's my boy!" Agung laughed, his "Infinite Stamina" finally finding a productive outlet. "Everyone, pack the leftovers! We have a school to move into before the 'Kasu-Kasu' and the Tokyo Five arrive!"