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~ - 216. Chill Drink

216. 216. 216. 216. Chill Drink

“Huh? Thirsty? …Uh, well, yeah, I’ve been here for a while, so I guess I am… thirsty… maybe…? Haha…” 

Souda-san awkwardly accepts the curveball from Aihara, a testament to his years of experience. It seems he’s well accustomed to Aihara’s sudden antics.  

However, Aihara is oblivious to his effort to adapt. She beams with a carefree smile, practically bouncing with excitement.  

“Whoa, really?! That’s perfect! I have the best drink, and I’ll give it to you, Grandpa Shuuji! Hey, Senpai, bring it out! You know, *that thing*!”  

“O-oh… sure…”  

Prompted by a grinning Aihara, I took a plastic bottle and some paper cups out of my bag.  

Incidentally, the potion was in the bottle. But here on Earth, with no magical essence, potions deteriorate more quickly. To combat this, I store them in my [Storage Space] and only pretend to retrieve them from my bag.  

“Oh? Matsunaga-san, do you normally carry things like this around?”  

Souda-san narrowed his already slender eyes, inspecting the bottle suspiciously.  

Well, who could blame him? It’s odd to have someone pushing drinks on you this insistently, especially since the bottle label (originally for cola) was removed. It makes it look even more dubious.  

But if he has concerns, I’d really appreciate it if he directed them at Aihara, not me. I didn’t expect her to be so pushy about this. When she confidently told me, “Leave everything to me! I’ve got this, it’s like my home turf!” I foolishly believed her.  

“Come on, Grandpa Shuuji, don’t sweat the small stuff! You said you’re thirsty, right? Go on, give it a try! It’ll blow your mind!”  

Please stop saying things like “it’ll blow your mind,” it makes this seem even more suspicious. But Aihara, blissfully unaware of my silent protests, eagerly poured the liquid into a paper cup and held it out to Souda-san.  

Reluctantly, he accepted the cup, though he didn’t drink it immediately. Instead, he looked at Aihara with a hesitant smile.  

“R-Rio-chan. So, what exactly is this drink? It looks like water, but…”  

“Huh? This? Oh, it’s, uh… yeah! It’s my latest obsession—a chill drink!”  

“Chill…?”  

“Yeah, chill! Don’t you know, Grandpa Shuuji? These days, drinks that make you feel all relaxed~~ calm~~ and gooey~~ are super popular!”  

“T-that wouldn’t happen to be something illegal, would it…?”  

“As if! Oh my gosh, Grandpa Shuuji, you’re hilarious! You crack me up!”  

Aihara laughed heartily, but I’m pretty sure Souda-san wasn’t joking.  

He let out a long sigh, then said,  

“Well… I suppose it doesn’t matter. I’m not long for this world anyway, so there’s no point worrying about it. And if it’s something Rio-chan is giving me, then…”  

With that, he tipped the paper cup back and downed the potion in one gulp—  

“Gah, cough, hack! Cough, cough, hack!”  

Only to start choking spectacularly.  

“Wait, Grandpa Shuuji, are you okay?! That’s what happens when you chug it all at once!” 

“Cough… cough… Yeah… maybe I overdid it a little—cough!”

“Don’t talk! You’re getting old, Grandpa Shuuji, so you’ve gotta take better care of your body! Come on, try breathing slowly. Alright, ready? Hoo, hoo, haaa. Hoo, hoo, haaa. Hoo, hoo, haaa.”  

With her brow furrowed in concern, Aihara gently rubbed his back, reciting Lamaze breathing techniques for some reason. I didn’t even have the energy to comment. But after a while, Souda-san’s condition seemed to stabilize.  

(Note: Lamaze breathing is a conscious breathing technique that focuses on slow, deep breaths.)

“……Phew, I’m feeling much better now. Thank you, Rio-chan. Sorry for troubling you.”  

“This is nothing; don’t even worry about it!”

Aihara smiled, looking quite pleased despite everything. It felt like she was enjoying this too much. But maybe it was just my imagination.  

As Souda-san took a moment to catch his breath, a female nurse walked toward us. She stopped in front of us and bowed politely.  

“Mr. Souda-san, I apologize for interrupting your conversation. But it’s time for your regular checkup. What would you like to do?”  

“Oh, today’s the day for that, is it? My apologies, I had completely forgotten. …Rio-chan, Matsunaga-san, I must excuse myself. I couldn’t quite grasp the taste of that drink, but I had a good time. It’s been a while since I’ve felt this way. I hope you’ll humor an old man again sometime. Goodbye for now.”  

With that, Souda-san grabbed his cane, which was propped against the bench, and attempted to stand. The nurse moved in quickly to assist him, showing her professionalism.  

“Hm…?”  

But just as he started to rise, he paused mid-motion. 

“Mr. Souda-san, is something the matter?”  

“No, it’s nothing.”  

Souda-san stood up straight and, to everyone’s surprise, began walking without even using his cane. Alarmed, the nurse hurried to his side.  

“Um, Mr. Souda-san, what about your legs…?”  

“Oh, they feel quite good today. Perhaps spending time with young folks did me some good.”  

With that, Souda-san left the courtyard, accompanied by the nurse.  

I watched him go, then turned to Aihara.  

“What do you make of that?”  

“Huh? What do you mean, ‘what do I make of that’…? Oh!”  

Aihara’s eyes widened, and she covered her mouth with both hands before exclaiming:  

“I forgot to ask him for pocket money…”  

She slumped forward in defeat.  

—After that, we continued to walk through the VIP ward, distributing free samples of the potion.  

In the end, though, Aihara’s absurd plan only worked on Souda-san. Her other elderly acquaintances politely declined, clearly uninterested.  

It made sense. These people seemed particularly health-conscious. And it’s no wonder they wouldn’t drink something suspicious. Honestly, we were lucky no one reported us.  

That said, I think my presence didn’t help. Having a stranger like me by her side probably heightened their caution.  

In that sense, it was remarkable that Souda-san drank it. But considering he seemed to have already accepted his mortality, it felt like he’d been half-indifferent to the risks.  

Still, the fact that he drank it might lead to the best possible outcome. At least, I couldn’t shake that feeling.  

As for Aihara, she seemed a bit down about the results. But when I treated her to some cheap cake at a family restaurant near the hospital under the guise of a “review session,” her mood immediately improved. What a simple person—though that worked out for me.  

◇◇◇

By evening, I parted ways with Aihara and headed home.  

I wondered how Colin, whom I had entrusted to Isezaki-san, was doing. With that thought, I made my way to the Isezaki residence.