“Ha?”

The man twisted his face in disbelief at my words. Then, he quickly turned away and waved his hand dismissively.

“Oh, you’re a real estate agent. I’m not selling this building. Goodbye.”

I couldn’t let him leave like that. Unless I had another option, I really needed this building.

“Saying ‘I’m not selling’ doesn’t end the conversation! I absolutely need to…”

“I’m not interested in your situation, okay? I’m not selling. So, goodbye.”

Looking at the man’s indifferent expression, it was clear there wasn’t even a needle’s width of room for negotiation.

In the end, I pulled out my secret weapon: the deed to the building, which I had brought back along with the lottery numbers when I traveled through time.

“I… I’m already the owner of this building! I got the deed from the previous owner.”

“What nonsense…”

The man glanced at the deed I was holding out, his expression indicating that he thought I was talking nonsense. Then his eyes widened in surprise.

“What?”

His large hand reached for the deed. Fearing he might snatch it away, I quickly moved my hand and hid it behind my back. The man scrunched up his face and asked, “What is that? Is it a forged document? Are you not a real estate agent but a con artist?”

“Calling me a con artist is harsh! It’s real, can’t you tell?”

“It’s just unbelievable. I’ve never handed over the deed to you, so how do you have it?”

His sharp question left me momentarily speechless and frozen.

He cast a suspicious glance at me and asked, “Who exactly are you? Who sent you?”

“Well, that’s…”

I hesitated, unsure if I should mention magic when he might not even be the master.

While I was lost in thought, the man tried to snatch the deed again. Fortunately, he didn’t succeed.

“Still lying… Ow, that hurts!”

A small spark of electricity jumped from his fingertip when it touched the paper. Startled, I tightened my grip on the deed, fearing it might catch fire.

As I struggled to process what had just happened, he blinked in confusion and said, “Maybe it’s not a lie?”

Tilting his head, he kicked the blanket he’d been wrapped in to the corner. As he climbed the stairs, he said, “Come on up. This might take a while.”

The top floor of the building, the third floor, was even more chaotic than the ones below.

‘Wow, how can anyone live in a place like this?’

The room was a mess, with bottles and unidentified liquids scattered everywhere. The only clean spot was the kitchen.

‘Ugh, it’s filthy. At least the kitchen is clean, thank goodness.’

The master was obsessively tidy, so this must definitely belong to someone else.

But whoever he was, the way he was bustling around the kitchen reminded me of the master.

As I watched him, he looked back and gave me a bright smile. His radiant smile made me pout.

‘Why is he smiling like that? Well, I must admit, his smile is pretty!’

But what was the use of that?

From now on, we’re going to be fiercely competing over this building.

He came over with two thick mugs and handed one to me.

“I’m Yuri.”

I nodded slightly and offered a belated greeting.

“Hello, I’m Titiana Este.”

In response, he smiled gently and waved his hand.

“Just speak comfortably. I’m younger, after all.”

His casual remark made me flinch, prompting me to frown and ask, “Are you saying I look older? How old are you, then?”

Yuri chuckled slyly and waved his hand dismissively.

“Oh, is it okay to ask someone’s age so freely when we just met?”

“Then why do you assume I’m older at our first meeting?”

“Just a feeling. I’m good at sensing these things. You’re definitely older.”

What a ridiculous statement, like something a failed fortune teller might say. I looked at him, puzzled. Noticing my disbelief, he added with a grin, “Why not just speak comfortably when I give you permission? It’s not a bad thing for you, right?”

What was so advantageous about that for me? I pouted, thinking, ‘Even if he allows it, it’s awkward to start speaking casually just like that.’

We hadn’t even finished discussing the building yet. Lowering my gaze to the mug, the aroma of freshly ground coffee tickled my nose.

“Coffee…”

I wondered what he was tinkering with, and it turned out he was making coffee. Seeing my curious expression, Yuri shrugged.

“I can’t live without coffee. I feel like my brain doesn’t work without it.”

That resonated with me.

“Thanks. I’ll enjoy it.”

As soon as the coffee touched my tongue, my eyes widened. The bitter yet invigorating taste of strong caffeine pleasantly tingled my palate. Having had countless coffees as the Marchioness of Sardena in my second life, this was one of the best I’d ever tasted.

I looked at the coffee in amazement and murmured, “Wow, it’s rich. It doesn’t have much acidity, but the aroma is wonderful.”

Yuri beamed with delight at my response.

“I’m so glad you noticed. The good aroma is because I use special beans.”

“Not everyone can make such delicious coffee just by using expensive beans.”

“Hmm?”

While sipping another mouthful of coffee, I shared my thoughts. Yuri raised an eyebrow.

“Are you a con artist, saying only nice things?”

“Not at all!”

How could he call me a “con artist” with such a cheerful smile?

‘His face is friendly, but he’s no pushover.’

I glanced at Yuri, understanding that I might seem suspicious enough to provoke his doubts.

“If it’s not a scam, how did you get that document? I don’t recall giving it to you. I have a better memory than most, so don’t even think about lying.” Yuri asked in a light tone.

“Hmm.”

Where should I start? How could I explain this?

Should I mention that the owner of the tavern I frequented happened to be a mage? And that he gave me the deed to this building so I could succeed next time?

‘A normal person would probably laugh it off as nonsense.’

But the man in front of me didn’t seem ordinary.

A man with the same aura as the master lounged around in the building where the tavern was. If he and the master weren’t the same person…

‘Then he’s not the one who casted the spell on me.’

But I wasn’t sure yet, so I decided to take a bold gamble.

“I know.”

“Know what?”

I gazed at him for a moment before slowly speaking.

“Your secret. You’re a mage, aren’t you?”

“…What?”

Yuri’s blue eyes shrank like a cat’s pupils in surprise. He spilled coffee on the table and spread his hands with a hollow laugh.

“Hold on. I just heard something so absurd. You think I’m a mage?”

“There’s no use pretending. If you want me to ignore it, I will. But this is something you handed over with magic…”

I was about to say “the deed to the building” when he interrupted.

“Wait, wait.”

Yuri cut me off, flustered, scratching his cheek awkwardly.

“It’s really not like that. I’m not pretending. I did spend some time at the Magic Tower, but I failed to become a mage.”

“What?”

I tried to stay calm despite the unexpected revelation.

“Why did you fail to become a mage?”

Yuri hesitated, as if he was unsure whether to share such a personal story. Then he sighed, speaking in a small voice, as if his pride were hurt.

“My magical powers suddenly disappeared. Such a thing usually only happens when using a very large spell, but somehow it happened to me.”

I blinked in disbelief at his words.

‘The gamble failed. He’s not a mage.’

He had once been on the path to becoming a mage but lost his magic and could no longer be one.

Hearing this, the messy room and dusty building took on a different meaning. I looked at Yuri with a sympathetic expression.

“So you’ve been lounging around here like a bum out of despair?”

“A bum? Your words are harsher than you look.”

Well, if living with trash strewn around wasn’t being a bum, then what was?

‘Anyway, it seems he’s really not the master.’

I let out a groan. I couldn’t entirely dismiss the possibility, but now it was clear.

Still, there was one last thing to confirm. With a serious face, I asked, “Do you have any siblings or relatives with pink hair?”

Yuri now regarded me warily, his expression shifting.