While Kaito, Aoi, and Hina were off visiting Shigenobu, Akane happened to be stopping by Kaori’s shop in the Friendly City.
Akane spoke up between bites of the set meal Kaori had prepared for her.
"Well, I gave it a look, but I just couldn't find any."
"Ah, so it really is that difficult? That’s a shame. I was hoping to use some in my cooking if I could get my hands on them."
"There might be some similar varieties out there, but I couldn't find anything like what we know from back home."
"I really was craving matsutake."
"I hear you. I mean, they might exist somewhere I don't know about, but they're definitely not in circulation."
The two were discussing a specific item Kaori had asked Akane to track down a while ago: matsutake mushrooms. While they were a luxury staple back in Japan, things were different here in this otherworld.
Akane had used every connection she had to search far and wide, but she hadn't turned up anything that fit the bill.
"There were several other types of high-end mushrooms, though... and the expensive ones were seriously, absurdly pricey."
"Oh? That much? This world really does have some incredibly rare ingredients hidden away, doesn't it?"
"Yeah. For the record, those ridiculously expensive ones are only ever sold once a year. It's at an event hosted by the World King’s subordinates in a specific district of the Demon Realm."
"Huh. I guess whenever you trace high-end produce or vegetables back to their source, the World King’s faction is usually involved."
"Well, she is at the top of the Plant World, after all."
They continued their idle chatter until Akane suddenly realized something. Her expression changed as she spoke.
"...If we asked Kaito, he could probably get some, couldn't he?"
"I wonder. If they exist in this world at all, he might be able to find them... but if they don't, I think even he would have a hard time."
"Ah, true enough. Maybe I should've asked Eden-sama for matsutake instead of a takoyaki maker?"
"Ahaha, it’s a bit late for that now... Oh, speaking of Kaito-kun, that reminds me. I heard he and those two juniors of his actually met Shige-san."
"Oh, the other immigrant you mentioned? There really are quite a few of us, aren't there? Even though I've lived in this world for ages, I never met a single one. I honestly thought I was the only otherworlder here."
In truth, while nearly thirty years had passed since Akane immigrated, she had only recently begun meeting others like her. While those with the right eye could identify otherworlders by their magic power, information regarding immigrants was generally kept private to prevent any potential trouble.
Unless one asked someone like Kaito, who held a grip on information from across the globe, there was virtually no way to know exactly how many immigrants were currently living in the world.
"Yeah, I never met anyone besides Shige-san either. But the moment I met Kaito-kun, my circle of acquaintances just exploded."
"Tell me about it. Actually, if he’s met this Shige-san too, then hasn't Kaito basically met every immigrant there is? There might be others out there, but as far as you and I know, everyone's connected now... Alright, I've decided. Let's gather everyone together and have a Takoyaki Party!"
"A Takoyaki Party... spoken like a true Kansai girl. But it does sound fun to have all the otherworlders in one place. You can use my shop as the venue when the time comes."
"Oh, that'd be a huge help! Hmm, alright. I think I'll start putting a concrete plan together."
With that exchange, the idea of all the otherworlders meeting in one place began to take serious shape, with Akane leading the charge.
Serious-senpai: "Matsutake... I have a feeling he'd have no trouble getting them if he actually wanted some..."