LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 93
“Wow, there are really a lot of people here.”
“Seems like more people are crowding because it’s Saturday. This Sunday, the mart will be closed.”
Since Saturday morning, I came to a large mart to do some shopping with Professor Chun.
On weekends, I value sleep more than meals, so waking up early like on weekdays isn’t exactly easy.
“What time did your friends say they’d come?”
“Ha-ru said she might come after 6 PM. Yuna will bring me over before that.”
“Is there anything you want for dinner?”
“Anything’s fine. Just something fresh.”
“That fresh thing. Thanks to Na-me, I’ve tried every dish there is. I’m just glad my appetite is back.”
“Is the potion still far off? I’m getting tired of this…”
“Approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety takes a while. Just hang in there a little longer.”
Products processed directly from mana often had harmful effects on the human body.
Even though we could easily make and sell a potion that enhances brain functions with current technical power, we held back due to the side effects that came along with it.
I spotted a corner selling red ginseng juice aimed at examinees.
It’s understandable why the government strictly regulates mana potions, but it couldn’t help but feel disappointing.
We passed through the Fruit and Vegetable Corner and the Meat Corner, finally entering the Snack Corner.
I momentarily handed over the shopping cart I was pushing and decided to choose snacks for the pajama party.
“How much should we buy?”
“Just enough to eat. We still have to have dinner.”
“Okay!”
Professor Chun separated for a moment to look for groceries for dinner.
It feels like it’s been ages since I had snacks.
Personally, my favorite snack is sfogliatine glassate, commonly known as nunetine.
Though it’s derogatorily called ‘human feed,’ it’s so delicious that it’s no surprise.
‘Are they not selling it here?’
Unfortunately, in this parallel world of 2051, it seems like the Illuminati-like secret societies must have eradicated it.
It’s all nonsense; it’s probably just discontinued for lack of commercial viability.
Entering a corner bustling with people, a large sign caught my eye.
[Infinite Filling Event!]
I can’t believe they’re still having these types of events.
During regular stock clearances, people were eager to stuff at least one more item into their bags, making this event quite lively.
Usually, the best one can do is stuff four or five of them, but those with skills managed to get seven in.
I wish there were some snacks I liked, but unfortunately, everything was mismatched with my taste.
Among the ladies and gentlemen, a little kid was struggling to stuff snacks into their bag.
At this rate, the other side of the bag was about to burst.
When the pile finally collapsed, the child sat down on the floor, tearing up.
“Need a hand?”
“Sniff… Huh?”
“Can I see your bag?”
Since everything would get caught at the register anyway, I couldn’t rely on using magic or aura.
But as long as I managed to keep it together until the register, releasing it at the last moment wouldn’t matter.
“If you hand me one snack each, I’ll help you pack it.”
“It’s not working well…”
“Hurry and give it to me!”
I was using static electricity to create a dipole polarization in the snack bag, allowing them to stick together using a fine aura manipulation technique.
As expected, once five snacks were stuffed in, there was no way to add more to the bag.
“Shall we keep going?”
“Yeah, I’ll stack above that.”
With every snack I stacked, I poured an aura over the surface.
Before the child could place the next snack, it would automatically stick.
“No more… I can’t take any more!”
When the fifteenth snack was placed, the child made a distressed face.
It was a shame; I could have added more.
“We set a new record, right?”
“Yeah!”
After moving the bag piled up to the register, I returned to the snack corner where Professor Chun was waiting.
“Still haven’t picked anything?”
“How about Home Run Balls? They’d be perfect for watching a movie.”
“If there’s something sweet, there has to be something savory too.”
“Then I’ll pick this as well. Right here.”
Our next destination was the clothing corner.
We decided to buy extra clothes for the approaching spring and summer. But there was a more important reason.
“I wish there were various animals.”
“Since it’s a mart, there probably won’t be many options.”
I planned to gift animal pajamas to Yuna and Ha-ru.
Initially, I wasn’t keen on wearing animal pajamas, but now I’d feel uncomfortable in other loungewear.
Maybe I’ve just gotten used to the material. It’s hard to explain.
It’s like how I can’t sleep without my usual pillow; it’s a kind of clothing attachment.
Anyway, I didn’t want to enjoy this comfort alone and wanted to share it with the kids as soon as possible.
“Are you looking for a specific product?”
“Hmm…”
Cats immediately caught my eye without needing to be asked.
“Do you happen to have bear or pig animal pajamas?”
“They’re not displayed, but let me check the warehouse to see if we have any; please wait a moment!”
While the employee stepped away, I started going through the items that Professor Chun had gathered.
“Is this for dinner?”
“I plan to make tortillas and strawberry canapés with this. How does that sound?”
“The kids won’t like bell peppers. Let’s skip that.”
“Haha, got it, got it. So Na-me doesn’t like bell peppers.”
“No, I meant the kids…!”
“Still, they eat mushrooms, right?”
This guy doesn’t even seem to be listening to what I’m saying.
I can’t exactly curse in front of someone who’s laughing like that, so I just smiled along.
To be honest, I dislike bell peppers too.
*
[Then I’ll wait for you outside at five!]
“Yeah, oh, Yuna, wait a second before hanging up.”
[Why?]
“You don’t need to bring pajamas when you come.”
[How am I supposed to sleep without pajamas? Just go to bed without any clothes?]
“It’s not that. I bought pajamas to gift you. By the way, they’re animal pajamas.”
[Really? I’ve always wanted to try those on!]
“Then I’ll hang up and see you later.”
[Okay! I’ll finish my homework in advance.]
Ha-ru left a message via text on her personal phone.
After finishing my call with Yuna, we prepared to head back home.
“It brings back memories. I had a pajama party at school when I was young.”
Professor Chun took his hands off the steering wheel, closed his eyes, and reminisced.
He used to insist on driving a manual car, but ever since I moved in, he’s only driven a self-driving car.
“So you stayed overnight at school?”
“Yep. It was fun watching movies and playing late with teachers and friends. That was already 40 years ago.”
“That sounds pretty nice. But our class might find it a bit challenging since the boys and girls don’t get along well.”
“Haha, that’s the same everywhere. But once you all play together, you kids will probably have a good time.”
“Maybe, that could be true.”
“When we get home, let’s have lunch, then clean the oven. It probably got dirty since we didn’t clean up after using it last time. And we should also clean the bathroom while we’re at it.”
It seems Professor Chun is really domestic, probably because he’s lived alone for a long time.
They say that when a man lives alone, the house usually looks messy, but I bet he enjoyed his tea time quietly when I wasn’t around.
“Na-me, I checked your bank account, and you have a lot of money. What kind of broadcast are you doing that people are donating so much?”
Professor Chun sometimes took an interest in my broadcasts.
Each time he did, I gritted my teeth and wouldn’t reveal my broadcast nickname or platform.
“A game where you… raise cats? Something like that…”
Since the game had shifted towards raising Adella.
“Like Nintendogs but with cats?”
“Nintendogs…? What’s that?”
“Oh, I guess you wouldn’t know. It was a game that was quite popular in my childhood. You took care of dogs and cats in a portable gaming device.”
“Ah, I think I get it.”
I felt a vague memory from my past life.
“When there was no virtual reality, I wonder what people found entertaining?”
“No, it was actually fun when you played for real, it felt like you were really raising them. You could go for walks and participate in competitions too. But I didn’t think it’d be any fun to watch someone else play. The trend nowadays is really difficult.”
“The desire to have pets hasn’t changed from then to now. Professor, have you ever had a dog or cat?”
“I did. I had a Pomeranian named ‘Choco.’ Want to see a picture?”
“Yes, I’m curious. But your dog’s name was Choco?”
“Why?”
“That sounds odd, like calling a person ‘cyanide’…”
“Hahaha, now that you mention it.”
Professor Chun pulled out his phone and opened a file saved in the gallery.
You could tell that he cherished that dog as there were over a thousand related photos.
“It’s been over ten years since he crossed the rainbow bridge. Letting go of a companion you’ve lived with for so long isn’t easy. That’s why you must live longer than I have, okay?”
Having lived alone for a long time, he must have quite a few memories built with Choco.
No matter how much I scrolled down, it seemed there was no end, indicating how significant a part of his life it had been.
It was even hard to find a photo where Choco wasn’t the main subject.
The only remaining pictures were of magic circles, academic papers, and outings with graduate students.
I couldn’t find any family photos at all. I heard there was a younger sibling, but it seems they didn’t have a good relationship.
“Did Professor Chun never think about marriage in the past?”
I heard that this world once hit a dark time where the birth rate fell to 0.6.
If Professor Chun was from that era, it wouldn’t be unusual that he hadn’t married.
“I thought about it. I had someone I loved and considered marriage.”
“Maybe it just wasn’t meant to be?”
“It wasn’t so much not meant to be as it was fate. But hey, Na-me, aren’t you hungry?”
“Yeah…? Yeah.”
“We should eat something delicious for dinner, so let’s keep lunch simple with grilled mackerel and seafood pancakes.”