A Late Bloomer's Powerful Restart ~My Second Life Starts at a Prestigious School Where the Gender Ratio Is Totally Off, and for Some Reason, All These Talented Girls Get Attached to Me...!?~

Chapter 25: Dinner with Grandpa

Today was the day I was meeting Grandpa. I had turned down having anyone come pick me up, so I slipped out of the boys’ dorm early in the morning.

I was a little sleep-deprived, but since we were just having a meal together, it shouldn’t be a problem.

The schedule being set so early in the morning bothered me a bit, but I didn’t have the mental space to dwell on it.

The meeting place was quite a distance from the academy, but at least I didn’t have to worry about running into other students.

Still, I had already looked it up—the traditional-style restaurant standing among the old streets was a long-established spot that only the wealthy could afford.

I couldn’t even imagine what business someone like Grandpa could have with a mere student like me.

With nothing but the thought of eating good food on my mind, I arrived at the destination… and Grandpa was already there.

“You’re here, Taiki.”

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“No, you’re actually early.”

I had arrived ahead of time because I was starving, having eaten nothing since waking up. Grandpa was surprisingly quick to prepare for his age… or maybe that was exactly why.

When I thought back to myself in my previous life, his energy still amazed me.

“That place is one of my favorite restaurants. Their one-night-dried golden snapper is my absolute favorite. Ever since you got into Teimon, I’ve been wanting to treat you to it someday.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

So that was why it had to be this early in the morning… it made sense now.

Dried fish might seem a bit mature for young people, but for me in my second life, I genuinely looked forward to it. Maybe I just wanted to fill my stomach, though.

We were led to a private room, and I sat down on the cushioned chair facing Grandpa.

The Japanese set meal laid out on the table gave off a wonderful aroma that instantly stirred my appetite.

“Itadakimasu.”

The golden snapper with sudachi was amazing, but the dashimaki tamago was simply the best.

I thought my taste buds had matured, but apparently this young body still had a lot to learn.

“How’s Teimon treating you?”

“It’s really fulfilling. The teachers are on a high level, and I’m glad I got in.”

Somehow, I felt like I had made a lot of friends too.

Ousei, Kotetsu Aoyagi, Tsukimi Kagurazaka, Kano… and Sasa and Shika.

Compared to my previous life, the fact that I couldn’t count them all on one hand was an unbelievable improvement.

“Also… I heard from Nanamiya-san. That’s probably the main thing you wanted to talk about today, right?”

“Hoho, that girl, huh. She’s really into our games. At first, I didn’t even realize she was the Nanamiya daughter.”

To think she really just loved games so much that she went straight to the top of a company… For someone with Shika’s personality, it was impressive she actually took action like that.

Maybe it was the courage of youth.

“But your guess is off the mark, Taiki. One of the reasons I came to see you today is this.”

With those words, he placed a small compact case on the table. Judging by the size, it probably didn’t contain a ring.

In that case, I could guess what it was.

“The finished product… it’s done, isn’t it?”

Rimona. Seeing the actual product version brought a wave of nostalgia.

“But I can’t give you the real product yet. Instead… how about this one as your enrollment gift?”

Of course they couldn’t let the finished product leak before release, even to family—they were being thorough about it.

As a replacement, he brought out another box that looked similar on the outside. Inside was a device that could hardly be called a ring, with a rugged design.

“This is the prototype I showed you before. The performance hasn’t changed.”

In other words, it didn’t require pairing.

This was actually more of a problem if it leaked than the finished product… but with this appearance, no one would think it was anything more than junk even if they saw it.

“…Why give something so special to me?”

“It’s also thanks for pointing out Rimona’s fatal flaw. Feel free to use it for games or whatever.”

…I doubted there were many game scenarios where it could actually be used, but I gratefully accepted the gift.

In the future, this thing would probably fetch an insane premium price… but since revealing that it didn’t need pairing would cause problems, I obviously wouldn’t sell it.

When I picked it up, it fit surprisingly well in my hand. I used to mess around with Rimona a lot back then, hijacking control from subordinates without permission.

In this life I couldn’t use it that way, but still—it was the connection from my previous life that had helped me climb the ladder. I’d keep it safe.

“Now then—the main topic is done. I’d like to take it easy from here, but you have one more guest. Well, let’s eat while we wait.”

Grandpa fiddled with his phone, apparently contacting the person who was coming to see me.

I had no idea who it could be, but wasn’t that the real reason he was here?

Anyway, it seemed like it would be a surprise after the person arrived, so I quietly kept eating. Within just a few minutes, that person showed up.

“Well, well, it’s been a while, Taiki-kun.”

“…Mitsuyama-san?”

“I’m so happy you still remember me.”

Mitsuyama-san. The president of CoBS, whom I met at the October meeting.

I thought I had turned down the scouting offer to his company… but I decided to hear him out first.

Then, after glancing at the finished Rimona on the table, he began to speak.

“Taiki-kun. Would you be willing to appear in the teaser commercial for Rimona, the new product from Yashima Electronics?”

What…?

I almost dropped the chopsticks I was holding.

When I looked over at Grandpa, he had his eyes closed, savoring the golden snapper. So that was why he brought the finished product… My sleep-deprived brain was slow, but things were finally starting to connect.