"Delicious!"
"I'm glad to hear that. Eat as much as you want."
Linne, devouring the pizza, had her head petted by Mom. The pizza boxes, spread across the table, quickly turned into empty boxes and were stacked one after another.
After all, there are more than twenty people... Even though more than half are kids, including me, one or two slices are normal to eat. If eight people start eating, a box will be gone in no time.
Touya, however, didn't seem hungry and didn't want to eat. Instead, her subordinate god, Blanca, was being fed by the children for fun. It wasn't really "feeding," but rather they were amusing themselves by feeding her.
Is pizza safe for dogs...? I think onions can be toxic for them, right? Well, since she's not an ordinary dog in many ways, I assume it’s fine...
"Well, with this many people, meal times are a hassle, huh... Touya-kun, what are you planning to do for dinner?"
"Hmm, I was thinking about going to a family restaurant nearby, but..."
I pondered over my dad’s question. We went to the family restaurant by bike before, right...?
The kids can technically ride bikes, so it’s not like we can’t go, but if there’s a group of twenty people on bikes, we’d stand out like crazy.
Should I go first and open the [Gate]?
"Teleportation magic, huh... That’s really fantasy-like. Can you go anywhere with that?"
"[Gate] can only open to places you’ve already been, but with [Teleport], if you know the direction and distance, you can go anywhere. There’s a possibility you might end up in some strange place, though..."
As I answered Dad, I recalled the time I accidentally used [Teleport] and jumped into Nia, the leader of the Thief Guild [Red Cat], while she was changing.
For safe teleportation, [Gate] is better. It’s easier to get information or visuals of the destination when it’s Earth.
Well, if I use [Dimensional Travel], I could jump without anyone noticing.
"Then maybe we could go to a tourist spot and stay in a ryokan or hotel. They’ll provide meals, and we can also enjoy the sightseeing."
"Ah, I see! That’s an idea..."
I was struck by Dad’s words.
I had vaguely thought we’d have to return to this house, but we could just stay there, couldn’t we?
If it’s a ryokan, we can get meals there. And if it’s a tourist spot, we can also enjoy sightseeing.
"Well, I mean, that’s what a trip is normally like..."
Dad muttered in exasperation. ...Yeah, that’s what a trip is supposed to be like...
Ah, but Lu and Arcia wanted to cook with ingredients from here. To cook for twenty people, we’d be missing a lot of kitchen tools and appliances...
Should I think about doing both cooking here and over there?
"Hey, but do you think we can all stay at a ryokan...?"
I remember it wasn’t impossible, but there were some conditions. Something about parental consent...
Even Yae and Hilde, who look the oldest, still seem underage. If we insisted they were adults, it might work, but if they ask for IDs, we’re done for.
If I use [Mirage], I could trick them with an illusion, but if they ask for copies, it would be bad.
"I think it’d be fine if we’re together. I’m sure Tsuzuri-san knows a few ryokans, so even if it’s a little unreasonable, it should be fine."
"Huh? Does that mean you’ll come with us to the trip?"
I accidentally asked again, surprised by Dad’s words.
"Come on, rely on your parents once in a while. It’s no big deal, and we want to make plenty of memories with our grandkids, too."
"Yeah. You’re family, so don’t hesitate to ask. Don’t hold back."
Before I knew it, Mom had come up behind me and lightly tapped my head. Both of them were looking down at me with kind eyes, smiling.
Their kindness was truly appreciated. It was heartwarming, but...
"But what about deadlines?"
"“Ugh.”"
Both of them immediately looked away from me. Hey.
Mom’s work isn’t just being a picture book author, she also has work as an illustrator. She must have tight deadlines.
Dad has a monthly column, too. It’s not as busy as a weekly magazine, but I’m sure there’s a solid deadline once a month.
"I have two cut jobs, but if I can leave Fuyuka with someone, I think I’ll be done by tomorrow... I think."
"As for me... There’s still a lot of background work left..."
I was thinking of asking Tsuzuri-san for help with it...
Huh? If it’s the background, can’t I just ask the assistant to help? Didn’t my classmate Himura-kun work as Dad’s assistant?
"Himura-kun started his own series three months ago. His debut one-shot became a series."
"Huh?!"
No way!? Himura-kun’s only eighteen, right!? Or is it nineteen now? But it’s not that unusual in the manga world, I guess...
The series he started isn’t the one he showed us in the name draft before. It’s apparently a coming-of-age story with kids who have mysterious abilities, set in a rural town. ...Wait, I’ve read that before. It’s the new series in the same magazine Dad’s published in... That was Himura-kun’s manga... It was pretty good, though.
"They say it’s number two in the survey this month. Pretty impressive."
"Well, you’ve been passed up by your disciple, so you should be a little more disappointed, Fuyuichirou."
Haha, Dad laughed while Mom gave him an exasperated look. Well, I guess their manga genres are different.
Dad’s seems more heartwarming. When I asked, it looks like his survey results are somewhere in the middle, so for now, he won’t get canceled.
But no assistant to do the background work, huh? After Himura-kun, they hired a new assistant, but that person quit a few days ago after getting a job at a design company... I guess not all manga assistants want to become manga artists themselves...
"Maybe I could..."
"No, Touya-kun, you’re impossible. You’re the ‘Gahaku’ after all."
Guh.
The term "Gahaku" here refers to someone who’s so bad at drawing, it’s almost incomprehensible. It’s a term used in jest for people with a very unique art style that’s hard to understand.
Sure, I’m not the best, but I think I have a certain charm to my drawings.
"Where? The landscape painting you did looked like 'Crawling Chaos.'"
"Ah, that one would’ve lowered anyone’s sanity..."
How rude. That’s because Dad and the others were looking at it upside down. Plus, it looked like that just because some paint dripped a little.
Having been labeled as useless by my parents, I turned away sulkily. Then, someone’s gaze met mine.
"Linze, come here for a second."
"Huh? What is it?"
I called Linze over and took a sketchbook out from [Storage], handing it to my parents.
"This is something she drew..."
"Huh? Where did you...!"
"Oh, this is really good!"
Mom was surprised that I took a sketchbook out of thin air, and Dad was surprised by the illustration of the magical girl children on the pages.
Originally, it started when the women wanted to transform into protective suits to avoid divine magic toxins (weak), and the kids said they wanted to transform too.
Linze got carried away and designed all the magical girl outfits for everyone. (Except for Kuon.)
Even from a layman's perspective, her art skills are pretty impressive. I’d even say it’s better than Dad’s. I won’t say that though, since that would upset him.
"Linze, you can also draw backgrounds, right?"
"Backgrounds, you say?"
"The scenery, like what's drawn behind the characters in a manga."
"Ah, yes. It’s difficult if I’ve never seen it before, but if I have actual reference materials, I can manage."
She can do it.
"Actually, I want you to help with finishing Dad's manga. I think you'll mainly be drawing backgrounds..."
"Huh! Me, draw it?!"
"It would really help if you could. Of course, I'll pay you as an assistant..."
As soon as Dad opened his mouth, Linze quickly responded.
"I’ll do it! I’ve always wanted to see how manga is drawn! Please let me do it!"
"Hahaha, I’m not sure if my drafts will be useful as reference though."
Come to think of it, Linze was interested in manga too. During our honeymoon, she bought some manga along with novels.
Maybe Linze’s hand will spread manga in that other world as well.
...But now that I think about it, should I really let Linze draw manga...?
I’m worried it will end up being all in the same special genre... Maybe I should train other manga artists too...
Should I ask Dad for help? Since we can upload things to the internet, we could publish it over there too.
Though we can't email, if Dad uploads his manga online, I can use my [Drawing] to put it on paper and other people over there can read it.
I think Dad's art style would be well received over there. The only issue is, I can only pay the manuscript fee when we go back home...
Anyway, I’ll ask Linze to assist Dad for the night. Mom can help too once her work is done.
"Then, should we take care of Fuyuka?"
"Yeah. If you could do that, I’d be able to focus on my work. Fuyuka seems to have warmed up to your wives too."
Mom said this while watching Fuyuka, happily playing on Yae's lap.
She really isn’t afraid of anything. I wonder if she remembers meeting us when she was a baby. It looks like she trusts and feels close to us.
The kids seem really curious about their younger aunts too.
Well then, I’ll have Linze and the two of them transfer to my family home and start working.
When I opened the [Gate] to my family home using divine energy, Dad and Mom froze, looking at me with surprised expressions. It was a little funny.
Linze casually stepped through the [Gate] first.
Then, with a bit of hesitation, Mom followed, and afterward, Dad entered.
When I closed the [Gate], I heard Mom’s shout, "What’s this?! This is amazing!" and I couldn’t help but laugh a little.
"Mom? Dad?"
Fuyuka, who had suddenly found both parents gone, looked around, confused. Oh, no, she’s going to cry, isn’t she?
"They’re working, so let’s wait here with your sisters, okay?"
"Okay."
As I patted Fuyuka’s head, who was on Yae's lap, she nodded as if she understood. Did she really understand? Wow, is my little sister a genius?!
"She’s a calm child, isn’t she?"
"Yes, she is. She’s composed, or rather, she doesn’t get shaken by things... I can sense the potential of something great in her."
It looks like Yae and Hilda both highly praise her. Hmm, I wonder if this calm demeanor comes from Dad, or is it from Mom?
It feels like a mix of both. In that case, I’m kind of the same... I might have been like this when I was a kid too.
So, what should we do for dinner... Another round of pizza would be a bit much...
Maybe we should buy bento or something from the convenience store or supermarket...?
As I was pondering, Lu and Arcia quietly approached.
"If we go shopping, it’s going to be eye-catching with so many people, so let’s go just the three of us. With Touya-sama’s [Storage], it won’t be hard to carry things back."
"Yes, that’s right. As long as we get the ingredients, we’ll manage. We can cook all day long if we need to!"
I understand what the two of them are trying to say, but I can’t help thinking that Arcia just wants to cook.
Since I have a lot of ingredients and food in [Storage], we won’t go hungry, but since we’ve come here, I want to make sure we eat things that can only be found here.
Even the pizza from earlier probably tastes different from one made with vegetables and wheat from this world.
If I cook rice multiple times starting now, will I be able to prepare enough for dinner? If I store it in [Storage], it will always be freshly cooked.
In the worst case, I could just buy cooked white rice from the supermarket or a bento shop.
"Well then, shall we go shopping, just the three of us?"
"Eh?! We want to go too!"
The ones showing a dissatisfied face were Linne and Steph. If everyone goes, things will get out of hand, so I try to calm them down.
When I said, "Since Fuyuka is staying behind," they stopped being selfish in front of their younger aunt.
"Yumina, call me if anything happens."
"Yes. Have a good time."
I used [Dimensional Travel] to instantly transfer to the alley behind the shopping street at the bottom of the hill. There are no prying eyes or surveillance cameras here.
I immediately opened the [Gate] and invited Lu and Arcia into the alley.
I took a large backpack out of [Storage] and had Lu carry it. When in public, I pretend to put things in it, but I’ll actually place them directly into my [Storage].
Of course, I’ll only store as much as can fit. When we move to another store, I can discreetly put more in without anyone noticing.
After the three of us passed through the alley, we arrived at an old-fashioned arcade street.
It hasn’t changed much since I last came. It hasn’t been decades, so that’s to be expected.
Although it’s a little faded compared to the shopping center we went to earlier, I feel it’s safer here since there aren’t many surveillance cameras.
It’s a weekday afternoon, so there aren’t many people around. This way, even Lu and Arcia, who look like foreigners, won’t stand out too much.
"Mother! There are so many vegetables over there! It’s a greengrocer!"
"Arcia, not 'Mother,' it’s Lu-san. Or 'sister' is fine too."
Lu gently corrected Arcia, who was super excited after spotting the greengrocer. Well, they don’t look like mother and daughter, so that’s understandable.
"Hey, welcome! Running errands, huh? Good for you!"
The greengrocer greeted Arcia with a smile, though slightly surprised. If a foreign-looking kid suddenly burst into your shop, I’d be surprised too.
"Radishes, carrots, cabbage, onions... These vegetables look almost identical to the ones from the other world."
"Tomatoes and potatoes are a little different in shape. What’s this... it’s a vegetable I’ve never seen before."
As Arcia and Lu were gazing at the vegetables lined up in front of the store, their gaze landed on a green, bumpy, and spiny stick-like vegetable.
"That’s goya. It’s a bit bitter, but if you stir-fry it with tofu and pork, it makes a delicious goya champuru."
"Goya champuru! I’ve read about that in a book!"
"So this is goya, huh!"
"Y-yeah."
The two of them suddenly got excited, and the bearded shopkeeper looked a bit taken aback. My apologies.
The two of them began tossing several goya into the basket. They also threw a variety of other vegetables they found into the basket one after another.
"Hey, hey, are you really buying that much?"
"Well, we’ve got a big family..."
I replied to the shopkeeper’s question as an excuse. Honestly, I couldn’t think of any other reason...
"Can you carry it all? It’ll be evening by the time you finish, but if that’s okay with you, I can deliver it."
Delivery? I see, there’s a system like that. The shopping street is thinking of ways to compete with the shopping center, huh.
This is helpful.
I smiled wryly as I watched the mother and daughter duo grabbing vegetables one after another.
"Then, can you do it for us?"
"Sure. Just leave your address and phone number here."
The shopkeeper tore off a memo sheet from the pillar and handed it to me along with a pen.
The address of Grandpa’s house is fine, but what should I do about the contact number...? I guess I can use Dad’s phone number. I’ll send an email later.
Now that delivery is an option, Lu and Arcia were even more excited.
They ended up buying nearly every type of vegetable in the store.
If I’d left them alone, they might have bought up everything, so I had to stop them. That would definitely inconvenience the other customers.
"Well, it’s fine with us, but... Are you sure it’s okay? Shouldn’t you check with your parents?"
"It’s fine. Please, let’s settle the bill."
I took out several thousand yen bills and handed them to the greengrocer. The shopkeeper entered the price into the register, and I received the receipt and my change.
"Thanks as always. I’ll deliver it in the evening."
"Thank you. We appreciate it."
After buying everything, Lou and Arcia, satisfied, left the greengrocer with me.
"Oh! It’s the butcher’s shop!"
"And there’s the fishmonger too!"
"Wait, wait, one at a time?!"
I chased after the two of them, who had found their next targets and were running toward them inside the arcade. How many times do I have to repeat this?
After that, we visited the butcher, fishmonger, rice store, bakery, and even entered a supermarket to buy side dishes, bento, snacks, and ice cream.
The store that took the most time was the one selling kitchenware and household goods. The two of them were completely hyped up by the unfamiliar cooking tools.
They kept wanting to buy more, and I wasn’t sure what to do. But then, I learned that this store also offered a delivery service for purchases over a certain amount, so I decided to make use of that.
There’s no way kids could carry things like clay pots or Dutch ovens.
Still, I can’t help but think, is it really okay to buy so much without any restraint?
Do we even need an egg cutter? If I have the material, I can make one myself, right?
We don’t really need a sandwich maker either, though we could make it ourselves. Or is there some meaning in buying it here locally?
Next, I bought larger rice cookers, an air fryer, and a hand mixer from an electronics store. Thankfully, they also offered delivery.
I didn’t want to stand out, but I feel like I probably did...
I hope the rumor stays at the level of "The Mochizuki family’s relatives bought a lot of stuff" and doesn’t go beyond that...
No comments:
Post a Comment