Isekai C-mart Hanjouki v1c2

Chapter 2: Returning the Favor

It doesn’t even need to be said that I searched and searched for a method of returning to that other world.

As for why that doesn’t even need to be said…

For one, I kind of like that world.

In addition, I don’t particularly have any attachment to this world.

Finally, I want to repay oba-chan for the food she gave me.

Over and over I walked along the alleyway I pa.s.sed through while going there and coming back. However, it took several hours for me to accept the fact that I couldn’t go back just by walking along that alley. I became exhausted and tired, and sat down. I wanted to drink something, so I went to the vending machine. When I pulled out the 2000 yen from my pocket, I realized it.

I grabbed the 1000 yen bills I got as change from the vending machine, and dashed towards the supermarket.

Salt. Salt. Salt. Where is the salt?

I remembered that in the other world, salt was a rare commodity. But what about this world? If you go to the supermarket you can buy as much salt as you- Ah! There it is!

Bags of salt were lined up on the shelf. The price for 1kg was… 98 yen!

Without wasting a moment, I brought a shopping cart. I put as much salt as I could afford into the cart, specifically 20 bags. The cas.h.i.+er made a weird face, but I paid no attention to that while pa.s.sing through the checkout register. I lifted the heavy bags in both of my hands and left the supermarket.

When I exited the supermarket, I remembered that I was exhausted. I was so excited at my idea that I had completely forgotten.

Did I perhaps do something really stupid? I began to regret.

With 10kg bags in both hands, I began walking down the street.

When I say “idea,” I am referring to the idea of buying salt in this world so I could go back to the other world and give it to oba-chan to return the favor.

The problem is finding a method of doing the “go back to the other world” part. I had already spent several hours trying.

And then I tried thinking.

But thinking was not working, so I stopped thinking.

I tried remembering back to what I had done to get there the first time.

If I remember correctly, at that time I didn’t think at all…

Under the blue sky, with a light heart, without a single care in the world I walked.

And then…

I took a step. Without a single care, I turned the corner. Without thinking of anything… oh!?

“Hooray! I made it!” I cheered.

It’s no longer the city I’m used to seeing, it’s that country road with lots of green. It’s a dirt road. It’s unpaved. I didn’t really notice it the first time, but there’s no way the streets in my world wouldn’t be paved with asphalt.

I didn’t look back, I just faced forward and ran.

“Oba-chan! Oba-chan!”

I walked through town, and upon spotting the cafeteria dashed towards it.

Perhaps it’s because it was almost evening, but the shop had many customers in it. However, I was so overcome by emotion from having returned that I shouted in a loud voice while heading to the cafeteria at full speed.

“This! This! Please accept this! As thanks for the meal you gave me earlier!”

“Eh? Eh, wait a mo-! What is this?”

“Refined Salt” was written on the bags, but… Oh, that’s right, oba-chan can’t read this.

My spoken words convey properly but writing doesn’t I guess.

“It’s salt! Salt!”

“Haa? Don’t say stupid things. If you had that amount of salt, you could build a castle!”

“There’s no way you can do that! Anyways, please accept this! To thank you for the meal earlier, as a symbol of my feelings!”

“Is this really salt?”

Oba-chan has a doubtful expression on her face.

“Try licking it”

I took out one of the bags of salt, ripped the plastic a little bit, then put a pinch of salt on the table. Oba-chan dipped her finger into the salt and licked it.

“Salty! It’s really salt! Unbelievable! Is that really ALL salt?”

“Of course.”

That was just a 1kg bag. I have 19 more of the same bag, so in total 20kg.

“Stop. If that’s true, there’s no way I can accept all of it. As thanks for just one meal… salt!? And this much of it!?”

“Please accept it, come on. It’s my feelings, so…”

“Like I was saying before, which rich family’s son are you!?”

I was trying to push it onto oba-chan, but oba-chan refused to accept it. It had become a quarrel in the middle of the cafeteria.

I bought this salt with 2000 yen, so as payment for one meal… well I guess it’s a bit high. One meal is around 1000 yen? 800 yen?

“Ok then, half!”

“Even half is too much. You can build half a castle with that!”

I don’t understand what oba-chan is saying. Salt is a very expensive and valuable good here, but even then there’s no way it’s valuable enough to build a castle. Also, what’s “half a castle.” Oba-chan certainly says some funny things.

The quarrel continued for a few minutes. In the end, oba-chan accepted only 1 of the bags of salt.

Finally. I felt reluctant. I also felt like I had run out of patience in the end. I originally intended not to yield until she accepted every single bag.

“Really, this one bag is too much for me to accept. I’ve accepted more than I should. Do you understand that?”

“I understand, I understand.”

I waved my hand at oba-chan who had accompanied me all the way to the front of the shop. In reality, I didn’t understand at all.

“Hey, keep coming back here to eat OK? I’ll give you enough to make you full whenever you want OK? It might not match your tastes though, obocchan.”

For some reason, I had become “obocchan.” It seems oba-chan really wants to call me “obocchan.”

After being seen off by oba-chan, I left the cafeteria behind me.

Turning around last time, taking a good look at that girl wearing a bandanna on her head… oba-chan definitely looks like she’s in the latter years of elementary school. If judging just by appearances, she doesn’t look like an oba-chan.

The remaining 19 bags of salt weighed heavily on my hands. Since I had already given salt to oba-chan as thanks for the food, I no longer have anything to do. Standing in the middle of the street, I stared at the blue sky.

My heart was very light.

Well then, what shall I do from now?

“Well, for now, I’ll have to do something about all this salt.”

I remembered that a short walk away there should be a “market”-like place where merchants set up stalls and line up their goods to sell.

“I guess I’ll go there”

I turned towards the market and started walking.

 

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This chapter has translator’s notes available