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~ - 215. Business Begins

215. 215. 215. 215. Business Begins

“Ah, there you are, Rio and Matsunaga-kun. I’ve been waiting for you.”  

Using [Dimensional Teleport], we arrived at the VIP ward in the hospital room belonging to Rio’s grandfather, Jounai Juuzou.  

The room didn’t resemble a hospital room at all—it was luxurious, almost extravagant. Juuzou greeted us with a warm smile as we entered.  

“Sorry for the trouble, Juuzou-san, and for using your room like this…”  

Initially, I’d planned to teleport somewhere near the hospital instead of barging into Juuzou’s room. But Rio had gone ahead and called her grandfather on her smartphone, saying, “Why not just use Grandpa’s room?” before I could stop her. Considering this was unrelated to Juuzou, I felt a little guilty.  

“Haha, don’t worry about such small things. Feel free to use it anytime. But more importantly, the potion you mentioned—the one from the other world—were you able to procure it?”  

“Yes. Rather than ‘procure,’ we gathered the ingredients. And I had Isezaki-san prepare it.”  

“Oh, Seina-chan made it? Excellent. Could I take a look at it?”  

“Oh, nice, Grandpa! I haven’t seen it yet either, so this’ll be fun.”  

“If you’d like, why not try drinking some? It’s the same potion we’re about to distribute, after all.”  

“Really? Then please, let me try it.”  

“Me too, me too!”  

I poured the potion—carried in a plastic bottle—into glasses prepared by Juuzou’s staff.  

Juuzou and Rio both picked up their glasses, carefully observing the potion’s contents. Perhaps because they were family, their curious mannerisms were oddly similar.  

“Hmm… It looks just like water.”  

“Yeah, no particular smell either~”  

“This is diluted, but the undiluted version glows faintly.”  

Using the undiluted High Potion as-is would’ve been too potent. To avoid causing a commotion while distributing them in the lobby, we watered it down, turning it into a high-quality regular potion. This should be much more manageable, according to Isezaki-san.  

“I see. Well, here goes.”  

“Alrighty, bottoms up!”  

Juuzou and Rio tilted their glasses back, finishing the potion in one gulp. It was quite a sight.  

Afterward, they both seemed to reflect on how they felt, placing a hand on their chests or exhaling lightly. Juuzou spoke first.  

“Hmm… My body feels warm, and I feel very refreshed.”  

“The taste is kinda like bitter water, but it’s refreshing and feels amazing? Like, super chill vibes—this is wild!”  

While their impressions differed, they both seemed pleased.  

Incidentally, the potion can easily cure issues like stiffness, headaches, and chronic fatigue. Since neither mentioned feeling significantly better, it seemed they were both already in good health.  

“Alright then, we’ll be heading to the lobby to distribute these. Rio, let’s go.”  

“Got it. See you later, Grandpa!”  

“Hmm. Rio, you know what to do…”  

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll be careful about who I give the potions to. So don’t worry, Grandpa.”  

“Hmm? Rio, what does he mean?”  

“Oh, this ward is full of wealthy people. So, you know, there’s always some quirky characters around. But don’t worry—my grandma and grandpa’s friends are all cool!”  

I see. That made sense. If you’re in the VIP ward, you’ve got enough money to turn heads and likely a personality to match. If I wasn’t careful, even minor comments could spark trouble.  

……For now, I figured it was best to leave things to Rio and keep myself as inconspicuous as possible. Not that I was scared or anything—but, yeah, better safe than sorry.  

With my resolve steeled, I left Juuzou’s room alongside Rio.  

◇◇◇  

When I sold monster meat to Juuzou, I always teleported directly to his room. So visiting the lobby again felt fresh.  

The high-class furnishings and serene atmosphere still gave it the feel of a luxury hotel or resort rather than a hospital.  

In the center of the lobby was a Japanese garden. Sunlight illuminated the pine trees swaying gently in the wind, while koi swam leisurely in a pond. A pond and koi fish… in a hospital? Yeah, this place really was out of the ordinary.  

The lobby bustled more than I remembered, likely due to Rio’s claim that it was an active time of day.  

As we walked across the plush carpet, a portly old man and a stylish middle-aged woman approached from the opposite direction. However, Rio didn’t seem inclined to speak to them. So I guessed they didn’t meet her criteria for potion recipients.  

The elderly man bore a striking resemblance to a retired politician I used to see often on TV. But it was probably just my imagination. Meanwhile, the woman accompanying him wore a bold, shoulder-revealing top and clung to him closely.  

Now that I think about it, Juuzou once mentioned that this ward was sometimes used by people hiding from the public or bringing in their mistresses. Could that elderly man be one of them?  

Then again, it’s perfectly normal for children or grandchildren to visit their family in the hospital. Maybe she’s just a granddaughter doting on her grandpa. As I chastised myself for being judgmental, I saw the old man casually fondling the woman’s backside as they passed by.  

……..Well, I guess I wasn’t entirely wrong.  

With that amusing observation, I followed Rio while taking in the lively atmosphere of the lobby. She seemed to be heading directly toward the central courtyard.  

By the pond in the courtyard, a lone elderly man sat on a bench. Rio tugged on my sleeve.  

“Senpai, that old guy is someone I know.”  

“Really? Who is he?”  

“He used to work for the Jounai Group and was kinda like Grandpa’s right-hand man back in the day. Wanna go chat with him for a bit?”  

Apparently, he was one of Juuzou’s former confidants. Since he was someone Juuzou knew, it would likely make things easier for me as well.  

We entered the garden and approached the elderly man.  

At first glance, it seemed like he was watching the koi in the pond. But as we got closer, it became clear he wasn’t looking at the koi—just staring blankly into space. The sight was honestly a bit concerning.  

I glanced at Rio, who whispered with a resigned look, 

“Yeah, he’s been like this a lot lately.”  

The crunch of gravel under our feet seemed to stir the man from his stupor. His shoulders moved slightly, and he turned his face toward us.  

“Oh… Rio-chan. Visiting Juuzou again today?”  

“Yep, and while I’m at it, I’m visiting you too, Grandpa Shuuji!”  

“Haha, so I’m an afterthought? I’m still happy to see you, of course. And who’s this young man?”  

He shifted his gaze to me for the first time. The man was gaunt, his body and face emaciated, almost skeletal. But his eyes were sharp, like a blade. His piercing gaze made me hold my breath for a moment.  

“Uh, nice to meet you. I’m Matsunaga Koutarou. I used to work with her at the same company.”  

“I see. But why would someone like you be here? You should know this isn’t a place you can visit out of mere curiosity. I’d suggest leaving before you cause any trouble.”  

He frowned and scrutinized me with suspicion. Before I could respond, Rio stepped between us with an exaggerated sigh of exasperation.  

“Ughhh, Grandpa Shuuji, you’re as grumpy as ever! Senpai knows Grandpa too, okay? So it’s not weird for him to be here!”  

“He knows Juuzou? …I see. That old man’s been getting healthier lately. Is he planning to come out of retirement and start some new venture?”  

“Nope, not that either! Senpai’s like… Grandpa’s friend! Right, Senpai?”  

“Uh, haha, yeah… something like that.”  

I wasn’t exactly Juuzou’s *friend*, but explaining our business relationship would only complicate things further. I decided to just smile and nod.  

“His friend… I see. My apologies. It was improper of me to question someone Rio-chan and Juuzou know.”  

With that, the man—Souda Shuuji—gave a slight bow.  

“Matsunaga-san, forgive me. It’s an old habit from my working days. I can’t help but be wary of unfamiliar faces. Please, think of it as the ramblings of an old man and let it slide. I’m Souda Shuuji, just an elderly man waiting for the end of his days.”  

“Hey, hey, enough with the gloomy talk. Are you feeling worse lately or something?”  

“Well, my cancer has progressed to a later stage. Palliative care can only do so much. But unlike Juuzou, I don’t have close family ties to complicate things. So it’s not all bad.”  

Leaning back on the bench, Souda gave a faint, weary laugh.  

“Come on, Grandpa Shuuji! Stop with the depressing stuff! You’ve gotta live longer!”  

“Haha, you’re right. I need to stick around a bit longer so I can spoil Rio-chan with some pocket money.”  

“Yes, please do! I’ll take it!”  

…Wait, did a working adult just casually accept that?  

Before I could process that odd exchange, Rio abruptly changed the subject.  

“Anyway, we’ll get to the pocket money later. By the way, Grandpa Shuuji, are you thirsty right now?”  

Out of nowhere, Rio transitioned the conversation to the potion. That was… a rather aggressive pivot.