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~ - 94. Juuzou
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- Juuzou
There we were, Juuzou in his aloha shirt, and me, staring at each other.
But seriously, it was quite a transformation for that old man who had such a dignified aura. To suddenly become funky like that…
Wanting to please his grandchild, he might not be related by bl00d, but he sure had that landlady vibe going on… or maybe he just copied the landlady.
While thinking about such things, both Juuzou and I remained frozen on our respective sides of the door’s boundary line.
Various emotions flooded in, and I didn’t know what to say. Juuzou was probably feeling the same way.
Breaking the deadlock was, as always, Aihara. Alternating her gaze between me and Juuzou, she raised an eyebrow.
“Huh? What’s going on? What’s with those reactions? Wait, could it be you two know each other? No way, seriously?!”
Quick to respond to her words was Juuzou.
“Y-Yes. Actually, that’s the case! I never imagined we’d meet here like this! It’s been a while, Matsunaga-kun!”
“T-That’s right, Juuzoucchi!”
I also went along with it. It would be too much to act surprised like this and then claim we’re not acquaintances.
“Wow, really? Hey, hey, how did you two meet?”
“Well, um, it’s… Well, it goes back to before I was hospitalized a few years ago. I lost something, and Matsunaga-kun kindly returned it to me. As a token of gratitude, we once had a meal together!”
“T-That time, you treated me to a delicious meal, so thank you very much!”
Nodding in agreement, I tried to keep up with the conversation.
But Juuzou’s explanation was nothing but lies. From the way he spoke, it seemed like he wanted to hide the fact that we had just met a few days ago.
Indeed, it would be too unnatural for Juuzou, a seriously ill patient, to meet me. Aihara would ask all sorts of questions, and that would only complicate things further. Juuzou was quick to avoid that potential trouble. He really was reliable.
“Wow, what a crazy coincidence! Senpai, why don’t you come in without hesitation? Let’s have a nice chat inside!”
“Y-Yes, that’s right. Please come in.”
Invited by the confident Aihara and the somewhat regained composure of Juuzou, I was ushered into the room.
—
In the reception room, sitting across from Juuzou, Aihara and I were separated by a table. It seemed everything was already prepared, as there was a coffee with a rich aroma on the table.
Without delay, Aihara fluttered her hand towards me and began to speak.
“Grandpa, let me introduce him again. This person is my boyfriend, Matsunaga-senpai! He’s a senior from the company where I work.”
“What a truly incredible coincidence… But what do you mean by ‘senior’?”
“Oh, um, Senpai quit the company. I heard he’s going to help out with relatives’ business or something.”
“Hmm, Matsunaga-kun. Were you unemployed?”
“Uh, yes. That’s right…”
It’s awkward to be an unemployed middle-aged man. But Juuzou nodded lightly without seeming to mind.
“Hmm… well, you should be fine. I’m not concerned.”
“You see, Senpai, Grandpa isn’t worried! And, Grandpa, don’t you think highly of Senpai? He’s really amazing!”
“Hehe, indeed. But to think Matsunaga-kun is Rii’s boyfriend… Recently, the world has felt both vast and narrow…”
Rubbing his chin, Juuzou narrowed his eyes with a nostalgic expression–
–This is it…! This is the turning point for my future.
Gathering my resolve, I looked Juuzou straight in the eye and spoke up.
“Um, Juuzoucchi!”
“W-What is it, Matsunaga-kun? And also–“
“In truth, I was only brought here as Aihara’s boyfriend role, and Aihara and I are just a senior and junior relationship!”
“What?”
Juuzou’s eyes widened in response to my sudden confession. Aihara grabbed my shoulder and exclaimed loudly.
“Whoa!! Hold on, Senpai! Why are you suddenly saying that?! I seriously don’t get it!”
As Aihara shook my shoulder, I calmly replied.
“Sorry, Aihara. But if we stick to this lie here, I’m sure it’ll only get more complicated later on. I don’t think I can handle that mental burden. Plus, honestly, I can’t keep up with this charade for too long.”
“Uwaaah! Don’t say something so pathetic with those straight eyes, you jerk! You traitor!!”
While I do feel bad for Aihara, our promise was that this relationship would only last for today. However, Juuzou is someone who can help me by buying demon meat, so I’ll have to maintain a relationship with him in the future.
Continuing to lie to such a person about being his granddaughter’s boyfriend would be impossible. I turned my face towards Juuzou, swayed by Aihara’s influence.
“Um, Aihara just wanted to please Juuzoucchi, so she just made me pretend to be her boyfriend. Please understand that.”
“Hmm…”
Juuzou, who had been dumbfounded for a while, regained his composure after taking a sip of coffee and spoke gently to Aihara.
“Rii, you did it for my sake, didn’t you? So I’m not disappointed, I’m actually very happy. Thank you, Rii. Besides, I feel like I still have plenty of time left. If you make a boyfriend at your own pace, that’s good enough for me.”
“Ugh, Juuzoucchi… I’m sorry for lying…”
“No, I should apologize for making you worry because of my timid complaints. …But still, Matsunaga-kun. You’re asking for such a plan, and despite being just a senior, you seem quite close to Rii, don’t you?”
While still being swayed by Aihara, I turned to Juuzou, who was scrutinizing me. But of course, that was a misunderstanding.
“Does it seem that way to you, Juuzoucchi? But I’m just being used by Aihara.”
“Is that so? But looking back now, there was a kind senior at the company, and because of him, I heard work was enjoyable…”
“Wow wow wow!”
Aihara interrupted Juuzou’s words with a loud voice. However, I heard everything, but I don’t think that kind senior was me.
Aihara was loved by her seniors because she looked good, and I, who was in charge of education, always felt like I was nagging.
“That’s just Juuzoucchi’s misunderstanding. I’m not as–“
“U-Um, Matsunaga-kun?”
Juuzou stopped the conversation with a stiff expression.
“W-What is it, Juuzoucchi?”
“That. Um… Can you… stop calling me Juuzoucchi…?”
Juuzou muttered with difficulty, averting his eyes.
“Uh, um, sure…”
I was actually trying to be considerate and call him that. But it seems like he didn’t like it after all.
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