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~ - 88. Taste Test

88. Taste Test

With the plate of roast boar presented before him, Juuzou made a sour face.

“Ah… certainly, if it’s roasted, even I could eat it now, and I appreciate the thoughtfulness. But honestly, to be frank, I’m not much of a fan of roast…”

It seems Juuzou isn’t too keen on roast. However, the landlady, without showing any concern, pushed the plate towards Juuzou.

“Come on, just try it. Or do you want me to feed it to you?”

Teasingly, the landlady said, causing Juuzou to grimace with genuine dislike.

“Stop it. If I let Nee-san do that, my brother will kill me in the afterlife. Fine, fine, I’ll eat it!”

Reluctantly, Juuzou picked up the roast boar with his chopsticks and opened his mouth wide. But as he did, his eyes, which had been narrowed with disinterest, suddenly widened.

“…!?”

The moment the roast boar entered his mouth, his eyes widened in surprise.

Juuzou, with his eyes wide open, slowly chewed and swallowed, then silently picked up another piece of roast boar with his chopsticks and carefully examined both sides.

“Hmm…”

However, it seems he couldn’t figure anything out, as Juuzou tilted his head and put the roast boar back into his mouth.

This time, he closed his eyes as if savoring the taste. After a while, he swallowed it, let out a breath, and picked up another piece of roast boar with his chopsticks.

Continuing in silence, Juuzou swiftly finished all the roast boar on the plate.

For a dying old man, he sure has a hearty appetite, as he himself claimed. Although the landlady mentioned he only had about six months left to live.

“So, how was it?”

With a smirk, the landlady asked as Juuzou, who had placed his chopsticks on the plate, raised both hands in surrender.

“I surrender. I’ve never tasted roast this delicious… No, it’s not about the cooking method. The quality of the meat is exceptional. Where is this meat from?”

“Hmph, even though I cooked it, what a disrespectful guy—well, I’ll let it slide as you say. Matsunaga-kun, explain where the meat is from in detail.”

The landlady, folding her arms proudly, turned to me. It seems he knows about Isezaki-san’s circumstances, so it should be fine to mention the other world to Juuzou.

“This isn’t branded meat; it’s wild boar meat.”

“Ha, wild boar? Wild boar from the wild, huh. But for game, it’s delicate and not gamey. Where is it from?”

“Well, it’s not like that… it’s a creature from another world called ‘Great Boar.’ It’s preferred by the wealthy over there…”

“Wait, wait a minute.”

Interrupting my words, Juuzou scratched his head vigorously.

“Another world? A creature from another world?”

“Yes, but…”

“Um… did you say Matsunaga-kun? If you can’t say where it’s from, you don’t have to deceive me by saying it’s from another world. It’s fine as a secret. I know there are plenty of ingredients in this world that are subject to confidentiality. I won’t try to pry it out of you forcefully. So rest assured… Well, it’s disappointing, though.”

Leaning back against the bed with a resigned expression, Juuzou rubbed his chin. Huh? Did Juuzou misunderstand something?

“No, I’m not trying to deceive you; it really is a creature from another world. Well, I received it from the trading company I’m indebted to, so I don’t know where it was hunted or anything like that.”

But Juuzou furrowed his brow and waved his hand as if annoyed.

“Enough of that. If you persist, I won’t be able to laugh.”

Turning his head towards the window, Juuzou became visibly displeased.

…Huh? Wait, what? Didn’t Juuzou know about Isezaki-san’s circumstances? What’s going on here?

I glanced at the landlady, hoping for some answers. The landlady shrugged casually.

“Matsunaga-kun, you see, he’s been like this for a while. He still doesn’t believe that Seina went to another world. He thinks her memory got confused due to some shock. Pretty amusing, right? That’s so funny, oh yes it is.”

But even with the landlady’s harsh words, Juuzou looked at Isezaki-san, who was beside me, with a concerned expression.

“Seina-chan was shocked to the point where her hair changed color. It’s understandable that her mind’s defense mechanism created different memories, and I don’t mind Nee-san comforting her. …However, well, it’s not just about Nee-san—”

At that point, Juuzou turned to me and spoke in a different, more intense tone than before.

“What exactly are you planning? …You’re not pretending to believe in another world just to cozy up to Nee-san and Seina-chan, are you?”

Juuzou, with eyes containing a sharp glint that belied his old, dying appearance, glared at me.

“If you’ve gone to the trouble of sourcing such delicious meat that I’ve never eaten before from somewhere, you’re quite cunning. …But these two are important relatives entrusted to me by my brother. If you’re up to something, I have my own thoughts on the matter. Be careful in your words and actions.”

With a veiled tone, Juuzou spoke to me slowly, as if savoring each word.

Truly a pillar of the Jounai family. Even though he wasn’t raising his voice, there was an indescribable intensity and power to his words. If someone had any guilty conscience, they would surely tremble at Juuzou’s words from the bottom of their heart.

Upon calm consideration, while it may be a bit extreme, I could understand Juuzou’s perspective. Rather, it’s a little unusual that the landlady easily believed in the existence of another world.

However, being misunderstood as a scammer by Juuzou is problematic. Now, what should I do?

Just as I pondered this—

—A figure swayed into view in front of me, as if to block Juuzou’s piercing gaze.

It was Isezaki-san, who had been silent up until now.