Chapter 12 Mr. Junce
When I went north along the white brick street and turned into a side road, the crowd suddenly thinned out.
Since it was a place I rarely visited, I thought I might get a little lost, but I surprisingly found the shop easily.
Because,
"Huh? Mr. Momota? No way..."
I was approached by a man in his 60s, who was tending the plants outside, and he called out.
He looked surprised, rubbed his eyes, furrowed his brow, and stared at me again carefully.
"A young man... for a son. But you look so much like him, you must be related, right?"
"Momota is my grandfather."
I feel like I had a similar chat just recently.
Apparently, my grandfather is quite well known in the entire downtown district.
And it seems I even resemble my grandfather when he was young.
"Your girl over there is a pharmacist, huh? I smell medicine."
"Huh! ...Really?"
He sniffed Yuruyana and looked up with a worried face, wondering if he could tell just by smelling, since my scent was so detectable.
"Isn't it just your hair product smell?"
"Oh, I see."
He can confidently call himself cute without hesitation, so he must care a lot about his looks.
His straight silver hair shines boldly in the sunlight today, and he looks like he's put on a bit of makeup.
If he even makes his own cosmetics, it wouldn't be strange if they had a smell only someone knowledgeable about medicines could understand.
In fact, just now when my arm was crossed, I sensed a mysterious fresh scent.
"...Are you a man? Well, whatever. What do you want from us?"
He seemed to realize he'd been overheard from our conversation.
Instead of surprise, he looked more annoyed, showing the seasoned presence of someone used to dealing with customers.
"Yes, I was told by my master that if I wanted to buy medicinal herbs in the capital, I should come to Mr. Junce's place."
The owner of the herbal wholesale shop seems to be Mr. Junce.
Yuruyana, who is serious about his work, nodded calmly from the start without even trying to fake a voice this time.
"Your master? That's rare. These days, it's not common to have a master-apprentice system instead of a school background. Being with Mr. Momota's grandson means... could your master be Elmer?"
"Yes, that's right!"
Yuruyana's face lit up when he heard the name.
Junce seemed to think something too, and he nodded, saying, "I see."
"Come in, Mr. Momota's grandson. Have some tea."
"Thank you."
The building looked like a normal house, but it was a shop.
Yuruyana seemed interested in the plants near the entrance.
Maybe they're medicine too?
We sat at a square wooden table in a room with foreign-looking furniture.
Mr. Junce brought a strange pot and made good-smelling tea for us.
I always thought all tea was the same, but now I realized that just the smell could make me feel calm.
"Some things are dangerous if you use them wrong. I only sell them by introduction."
"I understand. Oh, here's a letter of introduction."
Yuruyana nodded and handed over the letter.
It's scary if normal people can easily get mushrooms that can make even a bear sleep.
But Mr. Junce just glanced at the envelope and snorted without reading it.
"So, what does Elmer's disciple want?"
"Yuruyana. Uh, sleep mushroom, silent grass, and..."
Yuruyana rummaged through his bag and listed various medicinal ingredients, including the ingredients for the sleeping pills he prescribed for me.
Mr. Junce nodded and wrote them down one by one.
"Oh, I'm running low on Golden Velvet Antler too."
"Sorry, we don't have much in stock right now."
"Really? That's a problem."
"We have Hexagon Stone."
"Then, let's go with that for now."
I listened to their conversation, which I didn't understand, and looked around the shop.
It smells like the medicine that Yuruyana's grinder smelled like.
It's an elegant space, like a custom-made shop for nobles, and I feel calm.
After paying at the table, Mr. Junce went inside for a moment, then brought the medicine Yuruyana ordered on a tray.
They checked it together and put it in the bag.
Maybe to make sure there are no mistakes.
This checking seems to be a normal thing for pharmacists.
When I finished drinking my tea, the two finally finished their business.
Mr. Junce looked up at me as I stood up and watched me closely again.
"Even so, you look a lot like Mr. Momota. I thought Elmer finally made a youth-reviving arcane medicine."
"I wanted to meet Mr. Momota too."
"I have a photo. Want to see it?"
"Yes, please!"
Yuruyana's friendliness, or maybe his skill to remove people's guard in a short conversation, is magic!
Of course, he's cross-dressing, so I don't know how much is planned and how much is natural, but he's a scary man.
I know I'm already charmed when he let me rent a room on the first day.
"Here."
The framed black and white photo Junce brought shows several people, including a young man who looks like Junce.
And there was a man who looked a lot like me, laughing happily.
The same smile as my grandfather in my memory.
"It's true! If you didn't have the mole, you'd be almost the same. But Mr. Momota looks like a good young man. Tsukumo, smile for me."
"Sorry, I'm not a good young man."
I laughed with my nose.
Yuruyana couldn't be too rude in front of Junce, so he just mumbled, "Not cute."
Then, pouting, he looked at the photo again.
"Oh, my master is here too."
"Where?"
Hearing that, I looked at the photo again.
"This one. My master."
The slender finger pointed to a beautiful person with droopy eyes, who would get about half the votes if he and Yuruyana were in a popularity contest at a bar.
But wait, this Elmer is also a man from the looks of his bone structure.
And his ears are a little pointed, so maybe...
"Elmer still looks the same as always."
"Yes, not much has changed from this picture. He's a long-lived type. He sells medicine to regular customers once or twice a month, then just relaxes and lives lazily."
"He really is still the same."
Mr. Junce let out a snort and snuffed his nose.
Even though it looks like a photo from about 30 years ago, considering Grandpa and Mr. Junce's youth, I wonder if long-lived types really don't seem to change much in appearance.
As I was chatting happily with Mr. Junce, who had become completely relaxed, Yuruyana's tea ran out.
We decided it was not good to stay too long, so it was about time to leave, but I hesitated a little.
Then I gathered my courage and decided to ask.
"Um... where do you sell this tea..."
I hurriedly tried to explain how I liked the aroma.
Mr. Junce looked at me with a puzzled face, not one he shows during business talks, then nodded and said, "Hold on a second," went to the back of the shop, and when he came back, he placed a bag on my hand.
"It's an herbal tea that helps calm your mind."
Yuruyana explained in his place.
So, tea was also something this shop sold.
That means if it runs out, I'll have to ask Yuruyana to buy more.
But,
"And the cost..."
"It's half-drunk, I don't want it. But I'll take the next one, though."
Mr. Junce didn't make eye contact with me and quickly started packing up the tea set.
"Will you sell me some too? Even though I'm not a pharmacist."
"Tea's no problem."
Watching that exchange, Yuruyana had a strange look, like he was seeing something rare.
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