The Neighborhood High School Girl, Miss Isezaki, Is the Great Saintess Returned from Another World~ And I, Suddenly Awakened as Her Exclusive Mana Supply Uncle, Travel Between Earth and Another World with Time-Space Magic~ - 107. First Time at the Shopping Mall

107. First Time at the Shopping Mall

Up until now, we’ve only been window shopping, so this is the first time actually stepping into a store.

Lady Levia, upon entering the shopping mall, looked up at the atrium with her big round eyes, widening them even further.

“Oh my goodness! What a spacious and glamorous array of shops! Mr. Matsunaga, what exactly do they sell here?”

“Well, this isn’t just one store, it’s a facility where multiple stores gather. So, they sell all sorts of things here, and various events take place too.”

“I see… In Grandain, we have squares and streets where stalls gather, but gathering them all under one roof like this… It’s a grand and splendid endeavor!”

Lady Levia, showing an odd admiration perhaps due to her position as a ruler. Miss Isezaki then addresses her.

“So, Levi, is there something that catches your eye?”

“Yes, sister. It’s obviously that!”

Immediately answering, Lady Levia points straight ahead. What was there—

“Oh, escalators?”

“Ah, so those are called escalators. It seems like the stairs are moving and carrying people upwards… I’d like to try riding one too!”

It seems she’s more interested in the escalator itself than the shops. Well, she hasn’t seen them in her world, so I guess it’s understandable.

With that in mind, we walk up to the escalator. Lady Levia stares at it intently, swallowing nervously.

Her expression looks somewhat tense. Come to think of it, I remember being scared of escalators when I was young.

“Um, do I just step on it here?”

“Hey Levi, if you’re scared, should I hold your hand?”

“Ugh, this is a perfect opportunity to hold hands with my sister…! However, as a noble, I can’t afford to show such weakness!”

Lady Levia clenches her fists tightly, emphasizing her point. Even though this is a different world and there’s no need to worry about public opinion, she must have her own pride.

“Haah, haah… I’m ready, so please wait a moment. So please, don’t push me, don’t push me, okay?”

Lady Levia mutters in a fragile voice while staring at the escalator. I secretly thought, “Is that so?”.

Well, fortunately, the shopping mall, which is nearing closing time, is sparsely populated. The escalator is also empty, so I hope she can take her time and get on at her own pace.

After a while, Lady Levia, who seems to have made up her mind, straightens her back.

“Please watch, sister, Mr. Matsunaga… Here I go… Lady Levia Carius, here I go…! Hyaaaaah!!”

With a spirited shout, Lady Levia steps onto the escalator. Her body moves forward smoothly.

“Look, look! I did it! I rode the escalator!”

Lady Levia turns around, grabbing the handrail with both hands. Her legs are trembling, but let’s pretend we didn’t see that.

“Uh, yeah. Congratulations, Levi.”

“Congratulations, Lady Levia.”

We smile awkwardly as we follow Lady Levia onto the escalator—

Applause, sparse but noticeable, can be heard from the surrounding area.

Looking back, a few customers are clapping and smiling at us with a warm look. It seems they’ve been discreetly watching Lady Levia all along.

Well, with two beautiful women like Miss Isezaki and Lady Levia, and us making a fuss in front of the escalator with unfamiliar words, it’s no wonder we stood out.

It’s like, “Foreign exchange student from the countryside challenges escalator for the first time!” or something like that. It’s not entirely off the mark.

And in response to the applause, Lady Levia waves her hand cheerfully towards the lower floor.

She seems to have no fear of escalators anymore, but whether she got used to it during the ride or it’s the result of noble pride, she truly is remarkable.

As long as I’m accompanying them, it might be impossible to avoid standing out. With that thought in mind, I ascended the escalator.

—

Escorted by warm-eyed spectators, we reached the second floor. Lady Levia, with a face filled with accomplishment, descended from the escalator and then gazed at the escalator leading further up.

“So, you can go even higher from the second floor. While I would like to explore each shop one by one, I don’t think we have enough time for that. Could you recommend some shops, sister?”

It was a suitable request, understanding the situation. In response to her inquiry, Miss Isezaki answered with her hand on her chin.

“Well… I believe there was a game shop in this mall—”

“P-Please recommend something other than a game shop!”

“Hmm… I suppose that’s unavoidable. Then how about a cosmetics shop? …Um, sir, you might get bored, though…”

Miss Isezaki frowned apologetically. But Lady Levia seemed delighted with the convenience store cosmetics she received before, so there’s no doubt she’ll enjoy the suggested shop.

“In that case, I’ll wander around the mall for a while and kill some time. Don’t worry about me, just take your time and enjoy.”

“Understood. Thank you for your consideration, sir.”

Since I feel embarrassed to enter a cosmetics shop, this should suffice. I doubt I’ll be approached for anything like flirting there, at least.

“Then contact me when you’re done with your shopping.”

“Yes, of course. Let’s go, Levi.”

“Yes, sister!”

With smiles exchanged, the two of them headed towards the cosmetics shop happily. After making sure they were on their way, I left the area.

…Now, what should I do? Oh yeah, wasn’t there a game shop here? I might as well check it out while I’m here.

As I made my way towards the game shop, a familiar voice stopped me in my tracks.

“Oh, hey! Aren’t you senpai? What are you doing here?” 

Turning towards the voice, I saw Aihara, dressed in what seemed like office attire, standing there.