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~ - 218. The Gate That’s Not Just Anywhere
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- The Gate That’s Not Just Anywhere
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“Um… there’s something I’d like to try.”
“Oh? I don’t know what it is, but go ahead and give it a shot.”
With their approval, I stood up and scanned the area. I was searching for a suitable wall. My eyes landed on the sliding fusuma doors in the guest room we had just passed through. Perfect. The rectangular shape of the fusuma seemed ideal for what I had in mind.
(Note:
Fusuma doors
)
I placed my palm against the fusuma, focusing my mind.
What I was envisioning was not just any door, but… a gate. Yes, a gate rather than a door. Unlike a door, a gate didn’t necessarily need to have a physical barrier.
Concentrating deeply, I pictured the gate in my mind. Gradually, the space in front of me warped to match the shape of the fusuma. And a jet-black void emerged, as though ink had spilled across it.
“…….!”
I heard gasps from the three people observing behind me. However, this wasn’t much different from the usual void I summoned. It wasn’t complete yet.
I refined the image of the gate in my mind. What exactly was a gate? It wasn’t merely an entry or exit. It was something that defined boundaries, separating the inside from the outside. It wasn’t strange to imagine an entirely different world unfolding on the other side of the gate.
I willed myself to believe in the existence of a place beyond this black void—a place that shouldn’t exist, yet was there. And then—
Ripples began to spread across the darkness. The undulating ripples gradually erased the blackness. And from the center of the ripples, a familiar scene started to appear.
“This is… Uncle’s room!?”
Indeed, as Isezaki-san said. The scene before us was my room in the Haruna apartment, where I had lived since my university days.
“Yeah, that’s right. Let’s call this… hmm, the [Void Gate]. I’ll test it out now.”
“Ah, Uncle—!”
Ignoring her startled shout, I stepped through the [Void Gate] into the other side—my room—without any discomfort.
The familiar feel of the cheap carpet under my socked feet, surrounded by the inexpensive furniture and bed, confirmed that this was unmistakably my room.
Turning around, I could see through the [Void Gate] into the guest room. The three onlookers were staring at me from the other side. The spaces were still connected.
Alright, it seemed my new spatial magic had worked.
“What do you think? I’ve linked my room to the guest room over there—”
“Uncle, let me check too!”
Isezaki-san exclaimed as she darted through the [Void Gate] into my room. The moment she entered, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
“Suuu-haaa… suuu-haaa… suuu-haaa…”
“Uh, Isezaki-san? What are you doing?”
“Suuu-haa—! Ah! S-sorry! Um, well…! The air in Uncle’s room was so refreshing, I couldn’t help but take a deep breath!”
Wait, what? My room? Refreshing air? I mean, I guess it’s better than being told it smells like an old man’s room, but still.
“Excuse me.”
“Pardon us!”
Before I could find the words to respond, the landlady and Colin entered my room as well. The landlady surveyed the space, nodding approvingly.
“Whew, it’s been a while since I’ve seen this place. Looks like you’ve kept it in good shape.”
“Of course. You told me from the start that you wouldn’t rent to anyone who didn’t take good care of the room.”
The rent was affordable even for a student, and it hadn’t increased since then. To keep such a deal, I had been meticulous about maintaining the place.
“Good memory, Matsunaga-kun. Well done.”
“Matsunaga-sama! With this… it’s perfectly… fine… isn’t it!”
I turned toward Colin, who was now leaping back and forth through the [Void Gate]. She frantically crossed between my room and the guest room at an incredible speed. She moved so fast that she started to look like a blur, almost as though she was duplicating herself.
I nodded, satisfied with the results.
“Exactly. You can even hear sounds from the other side. So, even if something strange happens while you’re staying at Isezaki-san’s estate, you can immediately return to my room, right?”
“Yes, absolutely!”
“Heh, that’s an impressive bit of magic. By the way, with this [Void Gate], could you go to London or LA?”
“No, I can’t. Or rather, it only works for places I’ve been to before…”
That aspect of it is no different from [Dimensional Teleport]. I can’t connect the [Void Gate] to any place I haven’t visited. Forget London or Los Angeles—I’ve never even been abroad.
“I see, so it’s not an ‘anywhere-you-want’ kind of thing. I thought it might be like *that* thing,”
The landlady teased, gesturing toward the anime playing in the guest room.
Please, don’t set such high expectations for a regular guy like me.
“But! I’ve never seen or heard of magic like this before. As expected of you, Uncle!”
“Haha, thanks.”
As I casually responded to Isezaki-san’s typical over-the-top praise, I felt relieved that the issue of Colin’s lodging seemed to be resolved.
◇◇◇
Later, after consulting with the Isezaki family, we decided to keep a permanent [Void Gate] between my home and the Isezaki estate while Colin stayed there.
For the record, as long as I supply it with magic, the [Void Gate] can remain active indefinitely. In essence, my home temporarily became an annex of the Isezaki estate.
Of course, I sought renewed permission from both the landlady and Isezaki-san. And honestly, I was surprised they allowed it. I mean, isn’t it weird? Connecting a random guy’s house to theirs, even if he’s not family?
Determined to live up to their trust, I resolved to live even more respectfully and responsibly than before.
For starters, I decided not to use the [Void Gate] for convenience. If I needed to visit the Isezaki residence, I’d go through the front door like a normal guest. Manners matter, after all.
However, the [Void Gate] did create one small but significant problem: I no longer had any privacy.
Since the guest room where Colin was staying and my room were now connected, my private space was effectively exposed. Having a live-in guard is no joke. If I desperately needed alone time, I’d have to lock myself in the bathroom or something.
With this new issue on my mind, I nonetheless took my first solid step forward toward helping Lady Levia and furthering my potion sales endeavors.