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~ - 131. Lunchtime in the Wilderness

131. 131. Lunchtime in the Wilderness

I and Miss Isezaki sat down under the shade of a tree, a little away from the carriage.

By the way, we laid out an alternative space leisure sheet just like the alternative hammock at our feet, raising it a few centimeters above the ground.

Thanks to this, we can sit without worrying about whether it’s mud or water underneath. It’s the ultimate leisure sheet.

The only drawback is that it lacks a glamorous leisure feel due to its plain black mesh pattern. Maybe we could cover it with a real leisure sheet from above, but that would be too much trouble.

“Well then, do you have any requests for something to eat?”

We had stocked up on groceries in preparation for this mission, so we should be able to meet a wide range of requests. I asked Miss Isezaki confidently.

However, Miss Isezaki’s request was completely different.

“Well then, sir. Could you please take out the backpack I brought?”

“Huh? Of course, but…”

This time, I had also taken suitcases and bags from Miss Isezaki in advance. They contained daily necessities and spare clothes.

I had taken the backpack from Miss Isezaki when she came to my house earlier today. Maybe she had forgotten something in the backpack.

I took out the large backpack from the “storage” that didn’t quite suit Miss Isezaki and handed it to her.

Then, what Miss Isezaki took out of the backpack was a square object wrapped in an elegant navy blue furoshiki. It seemed to be the majority of the contents of the backpack.

Furthermore, when she opened the furoshiki, a square lacquered box with a shiny black finish appeared from inside – a traditional bento box, so to speak.

Miss Isezaki handed the bento box to me with a slightly embarrassed look, and looked at me with upturned eyes.

“In fact… I wanted you to eat it, so I made a bento for you.”

“Huh!?”

I couldn’t help but let out a surprised voice.

I could imagine Miss Isezaki eating a bento while smiling despite feeling a bit awkward, thanks to the landlady being so lenient. Imagining that… 

But, if this had been going on for a couple of days, it would have been a big deal if things hadn’t gone as expected. Making a bento box like this must have taken quite some effort.

In other words, this bento was made by Miss Isezaki with considerable effort and determination for my sake.

I couldn’t help but think that she didn’t have to go that far for me… but saying that here would be rude.

Nevertheless, I felt grateful. Let’s express it honestly.

“Thank you. I’ve never eaten a bento box before, so I’m looking forward to it. …Um, can I open it?”

“Oh, then I’ll open it!”

Miss Isezaki, who smiled brightly, opened the lid and began to arrange the bento boxes one by one on the floor.

I had imagined a bento box with a Japanese taste because it was a bento box.

However, what emerged from the bento box was a colorful and vivid palette filled with a variety of dishes from Japanese, Western, and Chinese cuisines. It was something that made you want to say, “It’s like a treasure box of something.”

“Please, sir, enjoy your meal.”

Handing me chopsticks, Miss Isezaki smiled and stared at me without losing her smile. It seemed that she wouldn’t touch her chopsticks until I took a bite.

“Okay. Then, I’ll dig in right away.”

In that case, the first thing my chopsticks reached for was the rolled omelet.

It was beautifully shaped, and you could tell that Miss Isezaki had carefully made it.

I picked up the rolled omelet and put it in my mouth. It was still slightly warm. Maybe she had reheated it lightly. Now, let’s see how it tastes—

“H-How is it? Sir…”

Miss Isezaki asked with a slightly nervous expression. I slowly savored it and swallowed.

“It’s delicious. It tastes just like the rolled omelet I like.”

It was plump on the outside and moist on the inside. With a Japanese-style broth flavor, it seemed like it would go well with sake. I prefer rolled omelets that aren’t too sweet.

“I’m glad… I was debating whether to make it a bit sweeter.”

Miss Isezaki lowered her eyebrows with a relieved expression. I think even if Miss Isezaki had made it, a sweet rolled omelet would have been delicious.

After that, I offered chopsticks to Miss Isezaki, and we both finished the contents of the bento box.

From fried chicken to shrimp chili, shrimp tempura, mini hamburgers, and sautéed burdock root, various dishes were supported by neatly rolled seaweed-wrapped rice balls.

It seems there weren’t any dishes made with monster meat this time, but it was still delicious. Miss Isezaki is really good at cooking after all.

—And then, it happened when I picked up the glossy black beans with my chopsticks.

“Ah.”

Did I put too much force? The black beans bounced from between my chopsticks and landed on the ground, bypassing the alternative leisure sheet.

Well, it couldn’t be eaten anymore. These black beans were slightly sweet and made you want to eat more. It was a shame to waste them.

“I’m sorry for wasting the food you made. It’s embarrassing that I can’t even handle chopsticks properly at my age.”

“No, not at all. They say, ‘Even a master can make a mistake.'”

“Well, I wouldn’t say that.”

I wouldn’t want to be compared to that legendary monk.

But still, I’d like to avoid dropping the black beans again as an elder. The black beans were very delicious, and not eating them wasn’t an option—

—That’s right. There was that trick.

I focused my consciousness to create a new alternative tool.

“Oh, um, if it’s alright with you, I can pick up the black beans for you, and then, um, feed you with ‘aah’—”

Miss Isezaki leaned forward and spoke rapidly, but I didn’t pay attention. For now, I concentrated my consciousness—

—and I created an alternative spoon shaped like a spoon.

“I’ll use this to scoop up the black beans in case I drop them again. By the way, did you say something earlier?”

“…N-No, it’s nothing…”

Miss Isezaki replied with a dejected expression.

While tilting my head at her response, I successfully used the alternative spoon to scoop up the black beans onto my small plate. Yeah, black beans are delicious.