Chapter 247: Grandfather
“If only—”
“Is that you, Kaede!? Are you safe? Where are you right now!?”
As soon as I slid the green receiver icon to answer the call, a low voice echoed through the phone, filled with urgency. I instinctively pulled the receiver away from my ear, noticing the speaker icon on the smartphone screen. I pressed it to let everyone hear.
I hadn’t realized it before, but it seemed we were no longer out of range.
“Hello! Kaede! Please respond!”
“Whoa!”
Ivan reacted to the sudden loud voice coming from the smartphone.
“Is anyone there!?”
It seemed the voice on the other end had picked up on our presence, demanding to know who was there.
“Kaede… please respond…”
A moment of silence followed, and then I heard a sound of despair from the other side of the line.
“I’m sorry, but Kaede-san isn’t here.”
The atmosphere turned heavy, and I somewhat regretted answering the call, but I stated it clearly. I didn’t know who Kaede was, but it was certain she wasn’t here.
“…I see… I had a feeling it would be like this.”
The voice that returned was calmer, though tinged with sadness compared to before.
“Rather, I’m grateful that you found my granddaughter’s smartphone.”
“No problem.”
“I would like to meet in person and discuss this further. I would also like to express my gratitude for finding the smartphone.”
We exchanged glances, unsure of how to respond. A grandfather worried about his missing granddaughter… it was understandable that he would be concerned.
“Hey, Shu, isn’t using something you found a crime?”
“Well, yeah, but this is the only lead we have on a missing person. I doubt we’d be charged suddenly.”
I whispered back to Ivan, who was speaking quietly to avoid being overheard.
“Ah, don’t worry about the purchases made with Kaede’s smartphone. Consider it a token of gratitude.”
It seemed our whispers had little effect. Whether he heard us or not, it was clear he genuinely wanted to talk. Did he already know about the purchases? That was quick…
This smartphone was obtained at an auction in the Commercial City, but I had heard it had been researched in some lab for years prior. Given that it hadn’t been connected for years, he must not want to let go of any leads we represented.
“Ha… I’m sorry.”
“No, no, it’s actually thanks to you that we’ve discovered the whereabouts of Kaede’s smartphone. I have nothing but gratitude.”
“That’s a relief.”
“So, how about it?”
The caller confirmed again, and I turned to Rio, who nodded in agreement.
“Yes, I don’t mind talking. However, I only obtained this smartphone at an auction, so I don’t know anything about its owner…”
“I see… that’s fine. There are other things I wish to ask as well.”
“In that case, understood. What about the time and place?”
I was completely unfamiliar with the geography here, so moving from this spot would be difficult. If only I could use the smartphone for a map app…
“I intend to come to you. Will you have time now?”
“Oh, you’re coming? And right now? Unfortunately, the smartphone screen doesn’t display the date, but it’s not a weekday, is it? No, if it’s a lead on your missing granddaughter, you might skip work…?”
“That’s fine.”
“Oh, really? That’s great to hear. Then I’ll head over now, and you should wait for me. It shouldn’t take more than an hour.”
“Understood. I’ll be waiting.”
“Yes, see you later.”
“Okay.”
With that, the call ended, and I tapped the red button to disconnect. I decided to keep the smartphone in my pocket instead of the Dimensional Box, as it might lose signal.
“Wait, we didn’t tell him our location. Is that okay?”
“I think it should be fine. It’s his granddaughter’s smartphone, so he probably knows the location.”
“Wow… is it like your Spatial Magic, Shu? This world is amazing.”
Ivan seemed impressed for some strange reason, but of course, it wasn’t magic. I didn’t feel like correcting him.
“Well then, let’s relax and wait until he arrives.”
“…What about exploring?”
Just as I was about to take a breath, Phonia looked up at me with hopeful eyes. It was hard to refuse her when she asked like that.
“Only until the person from earlier arrives. You can go with Rio.”
“Okay!”
“Hehe, then let’s go!”
“Woohoo!”
As I watched Phonia excitedly leave the convenience store parking lot, Nil also chimed in and followed her. Ivan observed them for a moment before turning back to me.
“…I’ll go too.”
He said, scratching his cheek awkwardly as he joined them. Considering they were relying on the smartphone’s location, it wouldn’t be wise to wander too far.
“Guess there’s no helping it.”
I stored the table back into the Dimensional Box and headed toward the convenience store again. I remembered that convenience stores sold maps. They probably had magazines too, so I decided to gather some information while I waited for Kaede-san’s grandfather to arrive.