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~ - 123. Festival Aftermath

123. Festival Aftermath

“Ah, Grandma?”

As Isezaki-san saw the landlady I brought into the dining room, her eyes blinked in surprise.

Sitting in her chair, Isezaki-san straightened her back and calmly turned her face towards us. However, there were no hamburgers left on her plate; only the carrot glaze and potato salad remained, looking lonely.

She must have been really hungry to eat so quickly. But—

Before I could speak, the landlady stepped forward.

“Hey, Seina, sorry to interrupt your enjoyment… Oh, but it seems the festival atmosphere is still lingering here,” the landlady said as she approached Isezaki-san with a smirk, wiping the demi-glace sauce from the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief.

I was grateful that the landlady brought it up since I was unsure how to address it. Isezaki-san blushed and stammered in embarrassment.

“S-Sorry about that! S-So, what brings you here, Grandma?”

“I wanted to ask about something. It’s about Juuzou’s granddaughter,” the landlady said.

“Oh…”

I couldn’t help but let out a sound. Juuzou’s granddaughter would be referring to Aihara.

When it came to matters concerning Isezaki-san, I always kept the landlady informed. I had already reported that Aihara, who was formerly a colleague, was Juuzou’s granddaughter.

At the time, it ended with “Oh, I see. It’s quite a coincidence,” and I felt a bit disappointed. But I wondered if something had changed.

Isezaki-san tilted her head slightly and asked, “What happened to Juuzou-san’s granddaughter?”

“Seina, you met Matsunaga-kun’s junior, right? Well, that kid is actually Juuzou’s daughter’s daughter. So, you two are relatives,” the landlady explained.

“Eh, his junior!?”

Isezaki-san looked at me with her hand over her mouth. I nodded, urging the landlady to take a seat at the table.

“Yeah, apparently so.”

“Well… Did the old man already know about this?”

Isezaki-san asked with a slightly dissatisfied look, but before I could respond, the landlady interjected.

“Now, now, don’t blame Matsunaga-kun. It seems it was truly a coincidence, and Matsunaga-kun knows that Seina doesn’t want to be involved with the Jounai family. He didn’t say anything out of consideration for you.”

Originally a member of the Jounai Group, Isezaki-san had apparently faced various difficulties upon her return from the other world.

It was understandable. After the incident where Isezaki-san’s parents, who held important positions within the Jounai Group, passed away in an accident, and then Isezaki-san, who was thought to have also died, was found, there had finally been some calmness.

The chaos within the Jounai Group could easily be imagined, and the stress on the young Isezaki-san, who had become the center of the turmoil, must have been immense.

So, feeling sorry for Isezaki-san’s physical and mental exhaustion, the landlady had proposed that she distance herself from the Jounai main family by cashing in her parents’ inheritance and becoming her adopted child. Isezaki-san had accepted.

Given this background, the only relatives left were Juuzou-san and a few others, as the landlady had heard from her.

So, if my junior was a relative—well, it would be better not to know if it could be avoided. After all, there would be no need to interact with each other…

“So, Seina, it seems Juuzou heard about your last name and wanted to ask if he could tell his granddaughter. That’s why he’s locked himself in the bathroom to wait for your response,” the landlady said, showing his phone. On the screen was Juuzou’s name and the indication that the call was in progress.

Apparently, Juuzou-san was currently waiting for Isezaki-san’s response from inside the bathroom. He must have hurriedly escaped from Aihara.

The landlady tapped on his phone, and Juuzou-san’s face appeared on the screen, with his voice coming through the speaker.

“Oh, Seina-chan! Sorry for the sudden call. Well, I think there won’t be any impact since the Aihara family is a collateral line, but still, I thought it might be better to tell Seina-chan directly—”

“Thank you for your consideration, Juuzou-ojisan. But it’s okay. You can tell Riori-san about me.”

“Is that so? Knowing Riori’s friendly nature, she might end up dragging Seina-chan around…”

“Hehe, that’s exactly what I’m hoping for. Because you and Riori-san get along so, so, so well… I also really, really, really want to get along with her.”

Isezaki-san spoke quietly into her phone. Although her expression couldn’t be seen from behind, for some reason, Juuzou-san on the phone seemed to shrink back as if intimidated.

“I-I see! Got it, then get along nicely! So, wipe that look off your face—”

Then, there was a knock-knock-knock! Sound coming from the phone as if someone was knocking on a door.