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~ - 225. Business Negotiation 2

225. 225. Business Negotiation 2 

“Okay, sorry to keep you waiting.” 

“Thanks for the juice!” 

Colin began happily sipping the orange juice placed on the table through a straw. Mr. Shouda narrowed his already thin eyes even further and watched for a moment. He then shifted his gaze to me. 

“……Now then, it was time for an explanation, right? First of all, let me say this: I haven’t lied about anything I’ve said so far. I really do need that potion. But I wanted to avoid a situation where I’d be blackmailed over it. That’s why I thought I’d get some dirt on you too. That was the surprise.” 

“By ‘surprise’, you mean that threat you pulled on me?” 

I said it bluntly without hesitation. I’m beyond formality at this point. But Mr. Shouda nodded without the slightest hint of remorse. 

“Yeah, exactly. I thought if you fell for it, we could be on equal footing…… but looks like I miscalculated.” 

“Uh, I see……” 

From my side, I never had any intention of using the potion as bait to do whatever I wanted in the first place. I’ve always considered the relationship between me, the seller, and Mr. Shouda, the buyer, to be equal. 

Mr. Shouda’s distrust of people is pretty intense. But if he’s someone who’s called Mr. Juuzou’s right-hand man, then maybe he’s had a lot of stuff happen to him in the past. It’s a world I don’t understand at all, though. 

“The men in black were actors from a theater troupe I know. I asked them to come under the pretense of setting up a little birthday surprise for a business partner. Of course, I didn’t tell them anything about you. They probably just think I’m some rich guy with bad taste.” 

“It’s definitely bad taste, that’s for sure. Did you not consider that I might get pissed off and stop selling the potion?” 

“Hmm, not really. Based on my past experiences, people who don’t fold under these kinds of threats usually have a big heart. They either laugh it off, punch me once and call it even, or use it cleverly to raise the terms—so, what’s your move?” 

Mr. Shouda stared into me like he was observing something. …Well, honestly, I was surprised. But I’m not mad at all. 

Of course, I’m not saying I have a big heart or anything. It’s just that I already had a safety margin in place from the start. So there’s no reason to get angry. 

Even so, it seems like Mr. Shouda has a bit of a history of pulling these kinds of stunts with other people too. Now I’m finally starting to understand what Mr. Juuzou’s warning meant… 

“Well then, Matsunaga-san. Let’s hear your answer.” 

Mr. Shouda asked, still looking directly at me. I couldn’t read at all what he was thinking behind those thin eyes—he was just quietly waiting for my reply. 

I’m not good at playing mind games, so I’ll just be straightforward. 

“Of course, I’ll sell it to you. But I’ll be adding a nuisance fee on top.” 

Naturally, I’ll sell the potion. I’ll also ride along with Mr. Shouda’s proposal and raise the price. Honestly, I hadn’t even thought of a nuisance fee until he mentioned it. But I could tell he was hoping to settle things around there too. 

Just as I expected, Mr. Shouda gave a faint smile at my proposal. 

“I see, agreed. So then… how much will the potion cost?” 

…Alright, now we’re getting to the main topic. 

Of course, I’ve already decided on the price of the potion. The price is exactly 3 million yen. That’s a price wealthy folks can afford. But this time, I’ll add the nuisance fee on top of that— 

“The same amount as the one you drank the other day, a paper cup’s worth… for five million yen.” 

“Fi-five million……??” 

For the first time, Mr. Shouda’s calm demeanor cracked. And his voice trembled in surprise. 

Ah, crap. Maybe that really was too expensive? I mean, it’s originally just tap water, so maybe I should’ve gone cheaper—no, no. If I back down here, I lose. Hang in there, me. 

Hiding my inner panic, I calmly answered again. 

“Yes. Five million yen.” 

“I see. Then, let’s hear the rest of the conditions.” 

“Huh? No, there aren’t any other conditions.” 

“……So basically, you’ve priced the potion at five million yen, is that it?” 

“Y-yeah. I believe it’s worth five million yen, though……?” 

Somehow, Mr. Shouda’s reaction wasn’t what I expected. He didn’t complain about the price being too high, but he didn’t seem convinced about it either. 

It felt like we were talking past each other. Just as I was about to ask what he meant, Mr. Shouda let out a slow breath. And with a softer expression than before, he began to speak. 

“I see. So you’re a much less greedy person than I had imagined…” 

“Um, what do you mean by that?” 

“I thought you were a dangerous man who wouldn’t hesitate to use any means to achieve his goals.” 

“Ehhh… What on earth made you think that about me…?” 

To my question, Mr. Shouda answered with a wry smile. 

“Haha, what made me think that… well, let’s see? At your age, you’ve already gotten close to Juuzou, one of the heavyweights in the Jounai Conglomerate, and even made a move on his granddaughter, Rio-chan. …And when I looked into it, I found out you’re also on good terms with Haruna-sama, the so-called ‘Witch of Jounai,’ and her precious foster daughter Seina, who never shows herself in public. A man with those kinds of connections is now approaching me. Naturally, I’d be suspicious about what your intentions were, right?” 

Huh? Wait, wait—what is this guy even saying? 

“I met Mr. Mr. Juuzou purely by chance, and my relationship with Aihara is nothing like what you’re imagining—she’s really just a junior to me. Also, Ms. Isezaki Haruna is my apartment landlady. And if we’re neighbors, it’s not strange that I’d be reasonably close with her foster daughter Seina, right?” 

“It’s a story that’s hard to believe. But it seems that’s how it is. Which means there was no need for me to resort to such forceful measures. …Haha, I had completely forgotten that such honest conversations even existed. Matsunaga-san, I’m a twisted old man. I’m deeply sorry for everything.” 

Up until now, Mr. Shouda hadn’t shown any signs of remorse. But for the first time, he bowed his head. 

“N-no, please raise your head. M-more importantly, about the five million yen—will that be alright?” 

“……In that case, I’ll speak frankly as well. Five million is *too* cheap—it honestly left me feeling a bit let down. I expected you to add more conditions.” 

Too cheap? We’re talking about five million yen for a single paper cup of water, you know? That’s around the average annual income in Japan! 

“You probably don’t know this, but the rent for this room per month is about that much.” 

“Eh!?” 

“The kind of people you’re going to be dealing with don’t even bat an eye at that kind of money. A mere five million? It doesn’t even need to be weighed against their health. …Well then, what do you say? Want to up the price now after all? I don’t mind.” 

“……No, I’m not planning to raise the price any further. If I go too high, it could lead to trouble. ……Like, uh, this time.” 

“Haha, yeah, that might be true. …Say, if you’d like, I could handle future sales for you.” 

“You mean you would connect me with people who want the potion and take a brokerage fee?” 

“Not quite. I don’t need any fee. I would simply introduce you to people who genuinely need the potion. Didn’t I tell you? What I fear most is that you’ll stop selling the potion. As long as you need me, you’ll keep selling it, right?” 

“I don’t intend to be stingy with the potion… but, uh, can I think about the brokerage part for now?” 

“Of course, no problem.” 

I should talk to Mr. Juuzou about this first. This guy seems like he has a lot going on behind the scenes. And honestly, he’s kinda scary. I probably need to learn how to handle him properly. 

“Well then, since we’ve wrapped up the discussion, let’s end the business talk here. Would you mind selling me the potion now?” 

As soon as he sensed the conversation was over, Mr. Shouda neatly brought it to a close. 

You often hear that old folks love to talk endlessly. But the elderly people I know—my landlady and Mr. Juuzou—tend to be refreshingly brief. I really appreciate that. 

——A little while later, Mr. Shouda brought out a bundle of cash from a room in the back and plopped it down on the table. It was five neatly stacked bundles with paper bands. 

“So much money! Matsunaga-ojichan, how much orange juice can you buy with this?” 

Colin looked curiously at the bundle of cash on the table and asked. 

By the way, “Matsunaga-ojichan” is how Colin calls me in front of others. At first, she tried to call me “Uncle” like Isezaki-san does. But for some reason, Isezaki-san rejected that. 

“You could buy a mountain of orange juice with it. Let’s stop by a café later and have some tea.” 

“Yay!” 

Watching Colin, who was already looking forward to her *third* glass of orange juice, I reached into my bag— 

“Then, this is the potion I’ll be selling you today.” 

Pretending to take it out from my bag, I used my [Storage Space] to pull out a plastic bottle. I then poured its contents generously into the glass Mr. Shouda had prepared. 

“Thank you. Mind if I drink it right away?” 

“Of course.” 

Mr. Shouda tilted the glass and gulped down the potion in one go. 

This time, without coughing, he drained it completely. Placing a hand on his chest, he stayed still for a moment. He then slightly brightened his expression. 

“Hmm… As I thought, I feel like my body’s condition has improved even more. I wonder if the cancer might shrink further, or even disappear?” 

“Who knows… If it worked once, I think it’ll probably get better. But I’m not exactly sure. Ah, just in case, please keep quiet about the potion, alright?” 

“Of course. Like Juuzou, I’ll just vaguely call it a miracle or something. Ahh… I’m actually looking forward to my next checkup now. I never thought the day would come when I’d look forward to something I used to dread.” 

Mr. Shouda shook his shoulders in amusement for a while. But he suddenly began rummaging through his jacket pocket. 

“…Sorry, I can’t hold back anymore. Just one—may I?” 

What Mr. Shouda took out from his chest pocket was an elegant cigar case and lighter. Apparently, he wanted a smoke. 

“Ah, please go ahead.” 

“I will endure!” 

Colin took a deep breath and then held it completely still. It seems tobacco exists even in the other world, and she’s not fond of it. Still, the fact that she had no intention of leaving the area must be part of her bodyguard duties. A true professional. 

Nodding at our responses, Mr. Shouda took a cigarette from the cigar case and lit it with practiced ease. 

He then took a deep inhale and slowly exhaled the smoke. As it drifted through the air, Mr. Shouda murmured, 

“I had thought I’d like to take one last drag with my lungs full before I died. But once your lungs are actually diseased, you can’t even smoke even if you want to. That’s what I regretted the most. Finally, I was able to have that long-awaited smoke. Thank you, Matsunaga-san. Ahh… It’s good…” 

There was a glint in Mr. Shouda’s thin eyes, and his voice trembled. 

I started selling potions just as a way to make money. But seeing people up close like this, truly happy—it’s not such a bad thing after all. 

——And so, I had finally succeeded in earning a huge income in Japan: five million yen.