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~ - 183. Dinner Party

183. 183. 183. 183. Dinner Party

“Why does Senpai move around like he’s fast-forwarded or something?! He jumps around like crazy! And just when I thought he threw an iron pipe, he overtakes it?! And that last ‘BOOOOM’ makes no sense, seriously!!” 

Aihara ranted and raved, spitting out saliva as she complained. 

Certainly, when you think about it, the movement of [Accelerate Haste] might look odd at first glance. Especially because when I use [Accelerate Haste], I can move freely, jumping and bouncing. It might seem like defying the laws of physics to others. Overtaking an iron pipe and using [Eject]… I might have gone a bit overboard, yeah.

But then again, it’s Aihara we’re talking about. If I just play it cool, maybe I can get away with it somehow—

Just as I was thinking that, my sleeve was tugged. It was Isezaki.

Isezaki opened her mouth while staring straight into my eyes. 

“Sir. If it’s Rio-san, I’m sure everything will be fine.”

Fine, I can smooth things over – That doesn’t mean that. Prompted by Isezaki’s earnest gaze, I simply nodded.

“Anyway. Thanks to those guys bothering us, we’ve wasted time. We need to get to the meeting place quickly.”

The scheduled time for the dinner with the landlady was approaching. Even if we could catch a taxi right now, it’s touch and go whether we’d make it on time.

The landlady, with her punk rock attitude, still valued etiquette and was strict about time.

Back when I was more careless and immature, I was scolded a lot by her. Thanks to that, I think I’ve become a somewhat better person.

So, I really don’t want to be late if I can help it. Of course, she’s understanding, so I think it’ll be fine if I let her know, but… well, it’s a good opportunity.

“Hey, Senpai! You can’t just change the subject like that and try to smooth things over out of the blue!”

“Aihara…”

I grabbed Aihara’s slender shoulders firmly with both hands to stop her from moving. I can’t have her moving right now.

“Uh, um…? Isn’t that… kinda cheating? And I’m not that… easy to deceive—”

“Just be quiet and don’t move.”

“Eek!”

Aihara trembled, closing her eyes tightly and stopped moving. Somehow, her chin was up, but maybe that’s just a habit of hers when she puts effort into something? Oh well.

Since Aihara stopped moving so obediently, I moved one hand from her shoulder to Isezaki’s. Now we’re all set.

Isezaki, for some reason, was glaring at me with a pout… but for now, let’s hurry.

[Dimensional Teleportation]—

Suddenly, our surroundings changed dramatically, and we arrived in a dimly lit room with a concrete floor.

It was the entrance to my home. It’s much closer to the meeting place to catch a taxi from here.

Aihara still had her eyes closed as I looked ahead. But before I could say anything, Isezaki cut in between us.

“Rio-san? How long are you going to keep your eyes closed… like… this!?”

Isezaki pinched Aihara’s nose tightly. It was quite an extreme gesture for her, as if she were dealing with Lady Levia herself. They must have really become good friends…

“Ow! That hurts! That hurts! Ouch! Hey, that kind of play is a bit— Wait, Seina-chan!? Huh, huh? Where is this!? This is Senpai’s place, isn’t it!? Can I come up for a bit!? Wait, no, no! Just a second ago, we were in the alley, right!? What’s going on!? I seriously have no idea!”

Aihara started making a fuss again. Well, I suppose that’s to be expected. I spoke to Aihara slowly, as if chewing over each word.

“Aihara, calm down and listen to me… Actually, I’m a wizard.”

“Eh, Senpai, at your age, playing wi—”

“It’s not like that.”

The conversation seemed to be veering off track, so I quickly corrected course.

“I can actually use real magic. Just now, I teleported us to my home using the [Dimensional Teleportation] spell.”

“…Huh? Magic?! Teleportation?! Wait, Senpai, are you serious!?”

A startled Aihara took a step back. But in the narrow entrance, she quickly hit her back against the wall.

With no escape route for Aihara, I continued.

“I’m serious. Isn’t the fact that we’re here right now proof enough?”

“W-Well… I mean… yeah, but…”

Looking around, Aihara weakly responded.

“Anyway, now that it’s come to this, it’s better to talk with the landlady. We can explain later. Let’s hurry for now. Understand?”

“Ugh… Y-Yeah, got it.”

Aihara nodded reluctantly, despite feeling pressured. Alright, we’re managing somehow.

And so, we hailed a taxi and headed to the meeting place with the landlady.

—

After a while of riding silently in the taxi—

We arrived at a mansion quietly nestled in the suburbs, surrounded by a Japanese garden. This was the exclusive restaurant designated by the landlady. Although we arrived well before the meeting time, it seemed the landlady had already arrived.

With modern lighting and a chic Japanese-style entrance, we were engulfed in an elegant atmosphere befitting a long-established restaurant. Guided by the proprietress, we walked quietly down a long corridor.

By the way, all the arrangements since arriving at the restaurant were handled by Isezaki, who said she had visited here several times before. I’m really sorry for this unreliable old man. I’ve never been to such an expensive-looking place before.

And as I glanced beside me, Aihara, unusually, was stiff with tension. Feeling a sense of closeness, I whispered to her.

“I understand. It’s intimidating to come to such a fancy place…”

But just as a sense of camaraderie started to emerge, Aihara looked up at me with a puzzled expression.

“Huh? Oh, it’s not like I’m scared of the place or anything. I come here occasionally too, you know?”

Oh right, this girl is also technically from the Jounai Group. It’s a distant branch, so I completely forgot since she’s usually like that.

Which means, am I the only commoner among us…? Despite feeling a slight sense of alienation from that fact, I asked Aihara.

“Huh… So Aihara, what exactly are you nervous about?”

“Well… We’re going to meet Seina-chan’s grandmother, right? Of course, I’d be nervous too. Jii-chan even warned us to be polite.”

“Eh? You, who speaks casually to company executives… are nervous about the landlady?”

“What are you saying? There’s no comparison between a company executive and Seina-chan’s grandmother. Haruna Jounai, formerly known as ‘The Foundation of the Jounai Family’s Prosperity’ and ‘The Witch of Jounai,’ is a legendary figure. I used to hear stories about her from my mom as often as old tales.”

“Oh really…? I had no idea.”

“Is that so? Well, even facing a legend, it feels just like you, Senpai. And that’s why—”

“Sir, Rio-san. We’ve arrived.”

Interrupted by Isezaki’s slightly sharp voice, Aihara and I stopped our idle chatter. Isezaki immediately called out from behind the paper sliding door.

“Grandma, it’s Seina. I’ve brought Sir and Rio-san.”

“Alright, come in.”

The landlady’s voice sounded as usual.

“Excuse me.”

The proprietress spoke up, and slid the paper door open silently.

And so, we entered the private room where the landlady awaited us.