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~ - 36. The Legendary Fighting Game

36. The Legendary Fighting Game

Weaving through the people bustling along the main street at full speed, I finally let go of Aihara’s wrist and stopped, making sure there was no sign of the man behind us.

“Haa, haa… Are you okay now, Aihara? Did you get hurt?”

“Pheeew… I’m totally fine. Actually, now’s the toughest time for me… Pheeew, pheeew, pheeew, bleh…”

“Geez, be more careful, alright? Even kids nowadays know not to follow strangers. What was that all about?”

“Pheeew… That? They said they were recruiting hair models, so I thought I’d get my hair trimmed and went along. But it turned out to be a painful pick-up line. Phew, I’m really grateful. Senpai, you’re so cool! *Clap, clap, clap!*”

Aihara, sweaty and applauding me while praising me, occasionally says things like, “Well, even if Senpai hadn’t come, I would’ve KO’d them with my special punch!” But I decided to ignore the bravado.

As Aihara continues to dance around me in gratitude, suddenly she stops clapping, puts her index finger to her chin, and tilts her head.

“But, what was with that waterfall-like water and the kettle falling… What on earth was that?”

She finally noticed, huh? I put my hand on Aihara’s shoulder and spoke quietly.

“Aihara…”

“Huh, w-what is it!?”

“…Do you know about ‘Ar*on Champion’?”

“Huh? …What’s that?”

I continued speaking to Aihara, who blinked in surprise.

“It’s an ancient fighting game. Yeah… In my opinion, it’s a masterpiece that has left its mark on the history of fighting games as the originator.”

“Uhh… And what about it?”

“Well, in that game, it’s a one-on-one street fight, and sometimes the resident from upstairs drops flower pots and attacks the players.”

“Whaaat… Why?”

“Probably on one side or the other. Well, the flower pots hit both sides, though.”

“Could it be…?”

Aihara opened her mouth in realization, and I nodded deeply.

“Yeah… They probably saw us in danger and helped us out. I saw a mysterious person from upstairs dropping buckets of water and kettles.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, for real. There are genuinely kind people out there. This world isn’t all bad. So, you better make sure to express your gratitude too.”

“R-right. Got it.”

Aihara nodded solemnly. I’m glad this idiot is safe.

“But…”

While looking up at me, Aihara fidgeted nervously.

“I’m grateful to that upstairs person, but I’m most grateful to Senpai. Well, I knew it already, but Senpai is really reliable. Hehe, hehe…”

“I see. Well, just be thankful on your own.”

“Got it. By the way, Senpai. What were you doing wandering around here empty-handed? You don’t have any business at the company anymore, right?”

Aihara looked at me with a raised eyebrow. I thought I could bluff my way out, but apparently not. If that’s the case, I have no choice but to tell the truth.

“Uh, well. Um, you see… I was… I’ve been staring at the river on the riverbank from morning till now…”

“Huh? What’s that? That’s weird.”

Aihara was repulsed. But I couldn’t mention storing the river water in the ‘Storage,’ and the items from the 100-yen shop were also in the ‘Storage.’

After omitting everything I couldn’t say, all that was left was the fact that I had been staring at the river endlessly.

“I see… So even after resigning, you’re still doing various things… If you want, you can tell me about it. Oh, how about going for drinks together after a long time?”

Aihara said with an indescribable expression, patting my shoulder.

“Ah, sure… Let’s do that.”

And so, I ended up going for drinks with Aihara, and at the izakaya, I was lectured about life from a junior’s perspective.

(Note:”Izakaya” is a type of Japanese drinking establishment that also serves food, similar to a pub or tavern. It’s a casual place where people go to socialize, eat, and drink alcoholic beverages like sake, beer, and shochu.)