Chapter 253: A Night in Modern Japan
After enjoying a delicious sukiyaki dinner, we settled in for the night at a hotel that Yanagihara-san had reserved for us. Although the hotel in the same building typically didn’t allow pets, Chairman Yanagihara’s insistence made it possible for us to stay there. Tomorrow morning, we were scheduled to continue our discussions in the 72nd Floor Conference Room. We received our entry passes, allowing us to head straight there without any hassle.
“It’s more spacious than I expected,” Rio remarked as we entered the room.
“Yeah, it really is. I didn’t think we needed such a nice room, though,” I replied.
The entrance led into a living room, with two doors that opened into twin rooms. The room was located on a high floor, offering a great view, and it had a decent amount of space, making it quite a nice accommodation.
“Today was exhausting…” I sighed.
“Absolutely. So much happened that I didn’t even realize it was already night,” Ivan agreed.
“But I’m happy because we got to eat so many delicious things!” Phonia chimed in, her eyes sparkling with joy.
It was true; Phonia had genuinely enjoyed herself. I remembered her gazing out the window during our discussions in the conference room, only to fall asleep moments later.
“Well, let’s take a bath and hit the hay,” I suggested.
“I’ll go first, then. Come on, Phonia-chan,” Rio said, leading Phonia away.
“Okay!” Phonia replied enthusiastically.
“Have fun!” I waved them off as they headed to the bath, stifling a big yawn.
“Shuu,” Ivan called out as we discussed modern Japanese society in the living room.
“Hmm? What’s up? Is it my turn for the bath?” I asked, getting ready to stand.
“Not exactly. I realized we need to restock on more than just ingredients,” Rio interjected.
“Hmm? What do you mean?” I asked, confused.
“I think you’ll understand once you go to the bath, so I’ll explain later,” she said, settling onto the sofa to dry Phonia’s hair.
Not entirely sure what she meant, I decided to find out for myself. “Alright, I’m off. Nil, let’s go.”
“Woof!” Nil responded energetically, wagging her tail as she followed me.
I undressed in the changing room and entered the bath. There, I found soap, shampoo, and conditioner—all things I hadn’t seen in the Otherworld.
“Could this be what she meant…?” I pondered, relishing the long-awaited experience of a modern bath.
As I washed my hair with the shampoo and applied the conditioner, I noticed my hair felt a bit shinier and smoother. I made sure to give Nil a thorough wash, and her fur gleamed beautifully afterward. I realized I’d need to teach Ivan how to use the bath as well. He’d probably be baffled by the control panel with buttons for “automatic bath” and “reheat.” Modern conveniences really are something else.
After enjoying the bath, I went to explain the usage to Ivan. As expected, he struggled to grasp the instructions, and I could hear his occasional yelps from inside the bath.
When I talked to Rio, it turned out she was referring to the shampoo and conditioner. We had grown accustomed to life in the Otherworld, but living in the modern world made us realize how much we wanted these little luxuries.
The next morning, I quickly changed into clothes that felt less out of place in modern Japan, though the feeling of awkwardness still lingered. After having breakfast at the hotel, we checked out and headed to the 72nd Floor Conference Room at ten o’clock, as promised. Ivan was still marveling at the comfort of the bed, which I had to admit was on par with the one made by Beldran Workshop.
“Excuse us,” I said as we entered the conference room.
“Ah, thank you for coming. Did you sleep well at the hotel?” Mr. Jinpei greeted us with a warm smile. Jushiro-san was nowhere to be seen; perhaps the president was busier than the chairman.
“Yes, thank you very much,” I replied, feeling a bit embarrassed by the kindness of the Japanese people after spending so long in the harshness of the Otherworld.
“Now, let’s get started. Could you choose which smartphone you’d like?” Mr. Jinpei gestured to a table filled with various models.
They were high-end smartphones compatible with Dragon Corporation’s network.
“…They all look the same to me. What’s the difference?” Ivan said, crossing his arms and furrowing his brow. They did all appear to be flat slabs.
“Haha! They may look similar, but they have different specifications. This one—” Mr. Jinpei began explaining, but I wasn’t well-versed in smartphone specs either. When he started talking about processors, I was lost, so I just picked one based on his recommendations.
“What about you, Ivan?” Mr. Jinpei asked, noticing Ivan’s hesitation as he observed the smartphones from a distance.
“Hmm… I don’t feel like I’d be able to use it well, so I’ll pass,” Ivan replied.
“I don’t really understand them either,” Phonia admitted.
“Haha, I see. Just let me know if you ever need one,” Mr. Jinpei said with a smile.
“Thank you,” Ivan replied, a wry smile on his face. For now, it might be best to lend our smartphones to him. Even modern folks sometimes struggle with technology, and he could always ask for help when he needed it.
“Alright then, I’ll prepare two smartphones for you, Shuu-kun and Rio-kun. I’ll handle the main procedures here, but it would be helpful if you could fill out your names and ages where indicated,” Mr. Jinpei instructed, handing us the smartphone contracts for both of us.