The Accidental Rise of a Retired Hero

Kaito woke up to an unsettling sight: a house. Not just any house, but a full-on wooden cabin standing just a few paces away from his own cottage. He blinked, rubbed his eyes, and then looked again. It was real, and it wasn't his.

"Did I... did I build that?" he muttered to himself, still half-asleep. But no, he hadn't. He had been too busy trying to figure out how to get his "retirement" back on track. No time to build anything new, especially without being asked.

Curiosity and dread mixed as he stepped outside, still in his nightshirt. As he walked toward the house, a voice came from behind him.

"Good morning, Kaito!"

It was the fox girl, who had apparently decided to take on a new, more useful persona. She waved from the porch of her newly constructed house. "I hope you don't mind! I thought I'd try my hand at carpentry. It's not perfect, but I think it'll do for now! I can help you with anything!"

Kaito's head snapped toward her, his jaw slack. "You built this?!"

She nodded eagerly. "Yeah! The bear and I did! Well, I mostly directed him while he did all the heavy lifting. But we thought it would be nice to have our own place. You know, just in case you want to have company over or need more space for... whatever it is you're doing here."

He turned to face the house again, as if hoping it would vanish in a puff of smoke. But no such luck. The building was solid, standing proudly against the morning mist, its wood a little rough, but functional.

He could already see where this was going.

"No, no, no. I don't need company!" Kaito protested, hands up in the air in exasperation. "I came here for peace, not... not... a whole village!"

But before he could continue, another voice interrupted him. This time, it was the bear-man, lumbering toward him with a large bundle of sticks slung over his shoulder.

"I brought more firewood!" the bear-man said, his tone upbeat. "We thought you might need some extra in case you're busy with... whatever it is you're doing. We can help with anything. I'm getting the hang of making tools!"

Kaito slowly turned to look at the new house again, then at the bear-man, then back at the fox girl. "I didn't ask for any of this!" he half-yelled. "Why are you building houses here?"

The bear-man shrugged. "Well, we wanted to make sure you had company nearby. It's a bit lonely out here, don't you think?"

"I'm not lonely!" Kaito shot back, his patience wearing thin. "I'm perfectly fine by myself!"

At that moment, Kaito heard a faint thump behind him. He turned to see that a third house had appeared. This one was smaller, more rustic, and covered with vines. And there, standing in the doorway, was the wolf-man, who had been causing him so many headaches.

"Hello, Kaito," the wolf said, his deep voice carrying a sense of smug satisfaction. "We thought it might be a good idea to join in too. You know, build a place for ourselves. Nothing too fancy, but it'll do."

Kaito's face drained of color. "You've got to be kidding me."

The wolf grinned, his sharp teeth glinting in the sunlight. "Not kidding. Everyone's been talking about making this place a community. You're the leader, after all."

"No, I'm not!" Kaito shouted, clenching his fists. "I'm not the leader! I'm not in charge of anything! I just want to be left alone!"

But the wolf didn't seem to care. In fact, he seemed pleased with the idea.

"Too bad, Kaito," the wolf replied, his ears twitching. "It's happening whether you like it or not."

Kaito turned to the new house. A small part of him—a part he wasn't proud of—wondered what kind of "community" was springing up around him. How had things gotten this out of hand? He hadn't even asked for it!

It didn't take long before more creatures showed up, each bringing something to add to the increasingly chaotic expansion.

A raccoon-person arrived with a bucket of paint, ready to "decorate" their newly built house. A squirrel-person was carrying bundles of fabric, planning to make curtains. A pair of birds—who were now quite capable of flying, even in humanoid form—hovered nearby, offering to "spread the word" about the new "neighborhood."

By midday, it was clear that the peaceful solitude Kaito had hoped for was gone. There were now five houses around his cottage. Five, and he hadn't even gotten through his first cup of tea.

Kaito slumped against the side of his house, his head in his hands. "What did I do to deserve this?"

The fox girl popped her head out from her new cabin, grinning. "It's okay, Kaito! It's going to be great! We'll all live here together. It'll be like one big happy family!"

"Oh no," Kaito muttered, closing his eyes. "I didn't sign up for this..."

But it was clear now that his presence in the forest, combined with his overflow of mana, had set something in motion. The creatures weren't just evolving—they were building an entire village around him. Whether he wanted it or not.