Working a regular job? No way. Dispel would never admit to something like that. He was just temporarily crashing at a place that provided food and shelter while helping out with the shop. That's all.
Dispel didn't get a salary, but he earned a cut from any items he sold. That was the deal he and Kira had struck.
Kira despised bosses who didn't pay their workers, but when he was the boss? Well… that was different. He did pay, just in the form of commissions! Isn't that how sales worked?
After a quick explanation to Dispel, Kira dove back into developing his latest creation: an Anywhere Door that could open portals to other realms. It required spatial magic, but fortunately, Kira was naturally gifted, and with Etherion's massive magical energy backing him, the experiments progressed quickly.
"Experiments" was a loose term—it was mostly forging and casting spells simultaneously, a process Kira had down pat. Most of the time was spent crafting the item itself, with the rest dedicated to reading magic books to deepen his understanding of relevant spells, boosting his mastery of specific magical attributes, and flipping through dictionaries to find simple words for his incantations.
The more he learned and the deeper his understanding, the smoother his spellcasting became, and the more durable his creations. As a result, Kira's personal library was massive—probably bigger than the Magic Library itself.
On the third day of Kira's crafting frenzy, Maria, the nun who ran the orphanage, came knocking.
The moment he saw her, Kira remembered he'd promised to teach the kids at the orphanage. But with everything going on, he'd completely forgotten. He was supposed to go right after returning from Zonia, but the Phantom Lord mess happened, then the Magic Council dragged him in for questioning, and Dispel's arrival threw his rhythm off entirely.
Maria probably knew Fairy Tail's guildhall had been destroyed and that Kira was swamped, which was likely why she waited so long to check in.
"Tomorrow! I'll go tomorrow!" Kira assured her.
Watching Maria leave with his promise in hand, Kira returned to his room and dug out the image-recording magic crystal he'd nearly forgotten about.
Wizard vs. demon, wizard vs. dragon, wizard vs. evil cultists—three epic battles, perfect for the kids to watch over and over. Kira was sure his heroic feats would spark their passion for magic. Fairy Tail's future was secure!
With a few tweaks to the magic crystal, Kira spent the night turning the footage into three movie-quality films, ready to dazzle the orphanage kids the next day.
Speaking of the orphanage, it all came back to Kira.
Years ago, Magnolia didn't have an orphanage. Orphans were taken in by the church, run by Father Brock, an old man about Makarov's age. Charity in Magnolia relied heavily on meager kingdom grants, but the townsfolk were kind, so the kids were never mistreated.
Per Ishgar's customs, 18 was adulthood, so orphans had to leave the church at that age—or earlier if they could work. Kanna was a prime example. At six, she came to Magnolia searching for her father, penniless. Before becoming a wizard and joining Fairy Tail, she lived at the church, staying until she learned magic and could earn a living.
After that, she moved to Fairy Tail's girls' dormitory but still visited the church often.
Magnolia's residents were good-hearted, and child abandonment was rare. Most orphans either lost both parents with no one to take them in or, like Kanna, wandered in from other towns. Father Brock single-handedly kept things running.
Besides the kingdom's fixed grants, occasional donations came from wealthy folks, churchgoers, or former orphans who'd made it on their own. It wasn't steady, but together, it was enough to give the kids a relatively stable childhood.
Then, a few years back, an unexpected change improved their lives—and it all traced back to Kira.
To live it up in Magnolia, Kira had poured money into building entertainment spots: a food street, a water park, a movie theater, and even a love hotel (for who knows who). Surprisingly, these drew a ton of tourists, boosting Magnolia's economy.
With more tourists came more jobs, more spending, and even a population boom, giving the orphans new ways to make a living.
To keep the city looking good and the economy growing, the mayor generously allocated a portion of the monthly profits to the church. Later, deeming it inappropriate, he established an independent orphanage, separating it from the church.
To support the mayor's initiative, Kira decided to educate the masses, making sure everyone could attend school and buy his books. Besides the novels that had Dispel hooked, Kira also wrote a few magic-related books befitting his wizard status, which were a big hit.
With the mayor's free promotion and eager readers, Kira made a fortune selling all sorts of books, quietly amassing several small fortunes. He was very satisfied.
Thanks to Kira's celebrity status and the influx of tourists, the mayor's achievements soared, his life got cushier, and he even secretly kept a mistress. He was extremely satisfied (and when he later bragged to Kira, it wasn't clear which part he was most smug about).
With Kira and the mayor's help, the orphanage kids got a major upgrade in food, clothing, shelter, and education. Some with talent even started learning magic. They were extremely, totally satisfied.
Thanks to the mayor's support, both locals and tourists noticed a higher quality of life and richer entertainment. With Kira's books and gadgets, their physical and mental needs were met beyond expectation. They were extremely, totally, absolutely satisfied.
In short, Kira's little desire for a lavish life created a win-win for everyone. The only losers? Those who hadn't come to Magnolia.
Father Brock got along great with the kids, but he was old and stretched thin managing the church. So, he and the mayor decided to hand the orphanage over to Sister Maria.
Maria wasn't much to look at, but she was wonderful with the kids. Every time Kira visited, he could feel the deep affection the orphans had for her.
The next day, the weather was perfect.
Kira set off for the orphanage in high spirits. Once a month, he spent a day teaching the kids. Besides magic, he shared his proud "way of life"—though the kids seemed more interested in his magic lessons.
Once, when he complained about this to Kanna, who happened to be at the orphanage, she gave him a matter-of-fact pep talk. "You should focus your limited time on something meaningful. Teach them what you're best at—magic. Leave the life lessons to me."
Does she think I'm an idiot? Who wouldn't hear the sarcasm dripping from that?
Hmph! If there weren't kids around, Kira would've thrown a punch… or rather, told the naive kids, "Your big sister Kanna's so broke she buys everything on credit!"
What was she buying? Obviously the sparkly, shiny trading cards kids their age loved!
Kira was sure that would tank Kanna's image with the kids. From then on, they'd only trust him, join Fairy Tail when they grew up, and buy his gadgets. Heh heh heh…