After that, Shiruaās first-ever birthday party ended without a hitch, with Shirua as the star of the show, who somehow returned to normal despite her slightly strange condition.
It wasnāt even a fraction of the budget of Adelaide-chanās and Beatrice-chanās debutante party, though.
Oh, except for the cost of the gifts, of course.
However, I think that the <degree of her happiness> was probably as high as those two.
That girlā¦ Shirua was clearly expressing her feelings. After all, she looked so happy, joyful, grateful, and she felt very blessed at the same timeā¦ā¦
After the party, I left, but since they are already at home, and tomorrow is a holiday, maybe theyāll redo the celebration on their own after their employers, who they need to take care of, left the establishment.
Yep. The bosses should get out of the way and let the young people enjoy themselves. Thatās what superiors should do.
ā¦ā¦I donāt read just salaryman novels, but alsoĀ 4-koma mangaĀ about office workers.
Well, Iāll just leave them alone for nowā¦ā¦.
Tomorrow, Iām supposed to meet with someone.
Of course, Iāve already made an appointment.
Today, Iāll sleep soundly at my home in Japan instead of [General store Mitsuha]ā¦
If I return toĀ [General store Mitsuha], there is a possibility that Sabine-chan will be waiting for me and wonāt let me sleep at all, so I should play it safe.\n
I guess I made a mistake giving the key to Sabine-chanā¦ā¦
And in that private room, itās just me and one elderly person Iāve invited.
I met up with him at another place, somewhere in the capital of the country where I always asked for aerial reconnaissance, and then āmovedā here, so I didnāt have to worry about being bugged or having a spy among the shopkeepers.
We arrived at a city in another country through a <continuous transfer> while taking a leisure walk, so even if the other party was tailing me, we would have been able to completely shake them off.
ā¦ā¦Being followed like that is extremely scary!
And since they know Iām that much capable, so thereās no need to hide it now.
Since we came to a country with a different language, the people in the store wouldnāt be able to understand what we were saying, so that was a relief. Unless itās a coincidence that one of the employees here happens to be fluent in the language of a certain country, that is.
[Thank you for coming all this way today.]Ā Mitsuha
Yes, Iām grateful to the person who took the time and expense to come and meet me, because I can be anywhere on the planet in an instant.
The fact that he came to meet me despite the disadvantages of a possible accident on the way deserves my sincere gratitude. It was also a great opportunity for me to meet a highly respected scholarly professor who was using his precious time, which he has very little left due to his ageā¦ā¦.
[No no. As a researcher, it is an honor and a fortuitous thing to be able to meet Her Highness Viscount Nanoha, the sister of the King of the other world, alone.\nNow then, time is running fast, letās get down to business!]Ā Old Man
He may be an elderly man with a lot of knowledge, but he seems to be a researcher idiot who doesnāt care much about manners, or he may think itās a hundred times better to ask relevant questions than spending his time on such trivial things.Ā Perhaps he thinks that heās not being rude since heās using polite words, heās basically a self-centered old man who likes to talk about his research topic.Ā Heās even using ćåć(Washi)*Ā to refer to himselfā¦ā¦.
But, well, I donāt really care about that, because thatās what a researcher isā¦ā¦ And men, no matter how old they are, all of them are still [children] deep insideā¦ā¦
So yeah, Iām sure heās not taking me lightly because Iām a woman or because I look like a child. Itās just that all men who are crazy about pursuing their dreams are like [boys] who are excited to show off their new toys.
[Well then, Iāll take your word for it and get right to it.
Also, in order to save time and to ensure better communication, Iād like to skip the honorifics, the roundabout phrases, and the use of restrained wordsā¦ā¦ Letās <talk frankly as equals> is what Iām trying to sayā¦ā¦]Ā Mitsuha
[Splendid! Now, letās start with why do you want to talk to me!]Ā Old Man
[Understood.]Ā Mitsuha
Yeah, I wonāt speak so rudely, no matter how <unrestrained> my words are. I donāt forget to be respectful to the elderly. Itās just that itās too much trouble to speak politely and courteously, so I just said that as a <buffer> or a safety measure.
Iāve never talked to an old, famous researcher before, so I might accidentally speak rudely to him. Heās probably used to meeting subordinates, disciples, students, and other people far below him, so I was worried that my appearance, age, and sheer ignorance might offend him.
No, I donāt intend to hurt him or make him uncomfortable, although Iām sure he wonāt be angry with me if I misspoke a little, because of my position.
It would be best to get along and build a good relationship with each other.
And so the discussion begins!\n\nEvery time I give them a creature or plant from another world as thanks, was it too much?ā¦ā¦
No, not per flight, of course, but per request.
[In addition, the Armyās helicopter crew were able to obtain valuable samples of animals, plants, ores, and soil, so the crew was awarded the Medal of Honor for <taking a step on another world>, while the Naval Air Force crew were only able to obtain photographsā¦ā¦ Next time, please give some consideration to the Air Force and the Navyā¦ā¦]Ā Old Man
Ehļ½ā¦ā¦
But, well, itās not good to make too much of a difference between them, surelyā¦ā¦ Wait a darn frickin minute!
[Soil? When did they collect that?ā¦ā¦.]Ā Mitsuha
[No, wait, didnāt everyone deliberately fall or āaccidentallyā get caught up in soft soil or mud?]Ā Old Man
[Ahā¦ā¦]Ā Mitsuha
Iāve been haaaaddddd~!!
Damn it! I made sure they didnāt have any plants or ores hidden away, so I had excluded those from the transfer, but I didnāt mind about the dirt on their clothes or mud on their shoes!
No, of course, I ruled out the insects, bacteria, viruses, and such, but I wasnāt going to go as far as give them clothes stain removal cleaning serviceā¦ā¦
U Å Å o~o ~~!!
The researcher-sensei was laughing at me, as I hold my head in frustrationā¦