Chapter 252: A Request as Expected
“Is it a request, then?”
“Yes. Could you please help us find Kaede?”
Mr. Jinpei bowed deeply, pleading earnestly.
“I would like to ask as well. I can only imagine how difficult it has been for you to be here, but we have no one else to rely on but you.”
As both of them lowered their heads, an uncomfortable sensation washed over me. Perhaps “uncomfortable” isn’t quite the right word. After all, I had only encountered arrogant individuals who looked down on me until now, so this humility felt oddly unsettling. Yet, the nature of their request was exactly what I had anticipated. Strangely enough, being asked in such a manner made me feel inclined to accept.
“Of course, we will offer a suitable reward. If you’ve come from Japan, you likely don’t have any identification. That means you wouldn’t be able to buy a smartphone.”
“Ah, that sounds good. I was thinking about what would be a fitting reward. If that’s the case, let’s make sure you can use smartphone payments as much as you want.”
Following Jushiro-san, Mr. Jinpei suggested a smartphone as a reward. And not just any smartphone—unlimited smartphone payments? Seriously?
“Unlimited usage? I might end up buying a lot of things…”
“Indeed. You can purchase whatever you like, even if it has nothing to do with the search for Kaede. It’s a token of gratitude for finding the smartphone.”
“That’s true. Plus, with a smartphone, you can look up information about this world.”
“Wait? A smartphone can do all that?”
Ivan looked astonished, but it’s true that smartphones can do a myriad of things. If that’s the case, perhaps I should consider accepting this request.
“Sounds good, doesn’t it?”
“Do you think so too, Rio?”
“I mean, we can buy ingredients without limit, right? We can’t let this opportunity slip away!”
“Exactly!”
“I don’t really understand, so I’ll leave it to you two…”
As Rio and I nodded in agreement, Ivan seemed to abandon his thoughts. Phonia had even made herself comfortable, using Nil as a pillow and dozing off.
“I understand you both have your own plans, but could you at least try to search for her, even if it’s just part-time?”
“Yes, I understand. We’ll take on the task.”
“R-Really?!”
“Yes. We were originally just traveling through this Otherworld in search of food, so we didn’t have any grand objectives.”
“Thank you… truly, thank you!”
With tears welling in their eyes, I reassured them, saying, “We’re already on board with this.”
“Now then, it’s getting late. I was thinking of having dinner. Would you like to join us? Of course, it’s on me.”
“Then I won’t hold back and will join you.”
Looking outside, the sun had already set, casting darkness over the land. However, the city below was aglow with lights, creating a beautiful nightscape.
“Hey, Phonia, wake up.”
As I stood up and approached the window, I gently roused Phonia, who had been sleeping nearby.
“…Huh?”
With drool marking her cheek, Phonia blinked sleepily around the room before her gaze froze when she looked out the window.
“It’s beautiful…”
“Ha ha, it is. Are you hungry? We’re going to have dinner.”
“Yes!”
Her ears perked up at the mention of food, and she responded energetically.
“Ha ha, I thought it was quiet, but you were sleeping here…”
Even though it was a conference room, there was carpet on the floor. If she had been using Nil as a pillow, it must have been quite comfortable.
“Shall we go?”
I led the way, with Nil yawning widely as we followed Mr. Jinpei.
“Delicious! So good!”
“Yummy!”
Ivan and Phonia were eagerly devouring the sukiyaki with their forks. This dinner was the result of Ivan’s request for meat and our preference for Japanese cuisine. The sauce, boasting a golden ratio, added a delightful flavor.
“Ha ha, there’s plenty, so don’t hold back.”
We were at a sukiyaki specialty restaurant located in the same building that Jushiro-san had brought us to. As I watched the two of them eat heartily, unable to use chopsticks properly, I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Thank you. This is incredibly delicious…”
Even though we were in a private room and didn’t have to worry about others, Nil couldn’t join us. I felt a twinge of guilt as I noticed how quickly they were eating, perhaps out of concern for Nil, who had been turned away at the door, looking disappointed at the delicious smells wafting from the restaurant. I promised myself I would treat her to something good later.
“To dip it in egg before eating is amazing. I never thought it would taste this good…”
“I wish Nil could have had some too.”
“Ha ha, isn’t it said that dogs shouldn’t eat seasoned food?”
Laughing at Phonia’s words, Mr. Jinpei continued.
“Nil isn’t a dog; she’s a monster, so she can eat anything.”
“Huh? A m-monster?”
“Yes, that’s right. She can eat things like onions without any issue, and she always eats the same food as us.”
Her tail was so fluffy that it was hard to notice, but she definitely had three of them. As I explained about Nil, I noticed that Yanagihara-san and her son had stopped moving their chopsticks and looked a bit pale.