Osoegawa vs. The Shopping District is the fifth chapter of the The Mage Next Door manga series, written and illustrated by Hideaki Nabe. It was released on November 30, 2025.
Summary[edit]
The chapter begins with Toya and Yobuko visiting the Sakura Street Shopping District in Jogasaki City to buy supplies for their office. While there, Osoegawa considers questioning locals for mage intel, noting how crowded the area is. They are suddenly approached by a girl in a witch costume who invites them to the Magic Cafe Magical Party, claiming that she and the other staff are mages. Osoegawa and Yobuko, who are actually mages on a mission from the Divine Magus to catch evil mages, take the claim seriously and follow her to the cafe. Inside the cafe, the waitress, Misa, explains a elaborate backstory about the magic world being in a terrible depression in the year 2025 due to an invasion by the Demon Lord Vrabara. While Yobuko is genuinely terrified by this news regarding their homeland, the cafe manager, Nagisa Odawara, and her staff believe the pair are actually pros from a rival store who are deep in character to spy on them. To impress them, Nagisa serves Doki-Doki Pancakes and forces the reluctant Osoegawa and Yobuko to perform a "Get Yummier!" magic chant. Osoegawa is baffled by the concept of casting magic without a wand or for the purpose of making food tastier, but he is genuinely impressed by the flavor of the pancakes, noting there was nothing that sweet in the magic world. Osoegawa then correctly deduces that Nagisa is not a mage and is just running a themed cafe. Nagisa admits she inherited the struggling shop from her grandmother and planned to close it this month. However, Osoegawa, enjoying the food and the potential to hear shopping district gossip, offers to become a regular and uses actual magic to fix the staff's frayed uniforms. The chapter concludes with Toya transitioning his office into a consultation service for the local shopkeepers.
Characters in Order of Appearance[edit]
Trivia[edit]
- The cafe manager, Nagisa Odawara, reveals she stayed awake for 72 hours to invent the cafe's backstory and atmosphere
- Osoegawa wears a shirt that simply says "Shopping" (買物, kaimono) in large kanji.
- The cafe staff are so committed to their roles that they mistake Toya and Yobuko for professional actors or "pros" from a rival store.
Cultural References[edit]
- The entire "Magical Party" establishment is a parody of Japanese Maid Cafes or Concept Cafes.
- A shop sign in the background of the shopping district is labeled "J.LO", a reference to Jennifer Lopez.