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~ - 5. Flambé

5. Flambé

We were led to a private room on the second floor, the only one remaining, and once Emmy exchanged a few words with Isezaki-san, she promptly left the room.

I plopped down onto a nearby chair and let out a deep sigh.

“Phew. Finally, some peace and quiet.”

“Indeed. Now, regarding our future—”

“Wait a moment… I have an idea about that.”

Sensing the tension in the air, Isezaki-san, who was sitting on the bed, straightened her posture.

“Please, go ahead, sir.”

“I’ve got a half-price steak I bought from the supermarket. We should eat it soon before it goes bad.”

“…That’s true. You’re absolutely right, sir!”

Isezaki-san clapped her hands in agreement, her face slightly stiff, but perhaps it was just my imagination.

Without being refrigerated, the half-price steak had been left at room temperature for some time. It was starting to look a bit dodgy. Consuming it was definitely a priority.

—

With that settled, our first order of business was to fill our stomachs. Mine was rumbling quite loudly.

Though it was already evening in this other world, my smartphone’s clock indicated it was around three in the morning of the day after I got stabbed. If it was still keeping time accurately after the transfer, it made sense that I was feeling hungry.

The inn didn’t provide meals, but with Emmy’s permission, we were allowed to use her private kitchen.

Upon entering the kitchen located behind the counter on the first floor, the first thing that caught my eye was a cooking appliance resembling a stove. I had assumed they cooked with firewood in this world, but apparently, they had advanced technology.

“A stove, huh? Is it fueled by gas or electricity?”

“No, it’s different. This is a magical stove.”

Saying so, Isezaki-san pointed to a red gem-like object in the center of the stove.

“If you channel magic into here, it converts the magic into fire. Let me try it out.”

Isezaki-san touched the gem with her finger—

“Hmm?”

She tilted her head in confusion. Then, she repeatedly touched and released the gem, shaking her head lightly.

“Magic isn’t flowing into it… Rather than a malfunction of the magical stove, this is…”

With a furrowed brow, Isezaki-san fell into thought. Meanwhile, I was feeling nervous beside her.

“I don’t really understand, but can I give it a try?”

“Eh, yes, please do, sir.”

Excited about the magical stove, I approached it in place of Isezaki-san and touched the red gem.

There might have been some famous manga about battling over a soft stone, but this felt just like touching a normal hard stone. The idea was to channel magic into it.

Magic was probably that thing. The power that had swirled inside my body when I recovered from near-fatal injuries.

Even now, if I concentrated, I could feel it swirling inside me. All I had to do was release it from my fingertips. Alright, here goes.

“Hnnggh!!”

With a burst of determination, I channeled magic into the gem—

Boom!!

“Whoa?!”

In an instant, a huge pillar of flame shot up, like when you flambe with alcohol.
(Note:”Flambé” is a cooking technique where alcohol is added to a hot pan and ignited to create a burst of flames. It’s often used to enhance the flavor of dishes and to add a dramatic flair to the presentation.)

“Sir! You’ve put in too much magic! Control it, control it!”

“R-right!”

Following her instructions, I reined in the flow of magic. The fire quickly diminished. Wiping the sweat from my forehead, I stepped back from the magical stove.

“Ah… That was surprising.”

“I-I was surprised too. Normally, a pillar of fire like that wouldn’t occur even if the knob was turned… Wait, the knob is still turned. Emmy is as careless as ever…”

Smiling nostalgically, Isezaki-san adjusted the knob to shut off the fire completely. Then, she turned it again.

As Isezaki-san adjusted the knob, the fire grew or shrank accordingly. It seemed to operate on the same principle as a gas stove.

“Now that the magic has accumulated, it should work properly. But… even though the knob was turned, normally, a pillar of fire like that wouldn’t happen… Maybe you, sir, have some talent for magic?”

“Huh? Really? If that’s the case, it’s kind of exciting.”

After all, if I’ve come to another world, I want to try using magic. Magic is romantic, no matter how you look at it.

“Hehe, shall we talk about magic while cooking?”

Isezaki-san seemed amused by my grin and, with a smile, put two packs of half-price steak into the frying pan.

Soon, the aroma of the surprisingly high-quality steak filled the air, and my stomach growled loudly.