In a World of Reversed Chastity, I’m Surrounded by a Clingy Older Woman, a Walking Red Flag, and an Exhausted Office Lady - 1

Chapter 1: The Listless Neighbor with the Notable Tear Mole

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“Manager, I’m heading out early.”

“Okaaay, good work today. Be careful on your way home at night. Don’t get attacked.”

I nodded obediently at the manager’s warning and clocked out of the convenience store where I worked part-time, heading home a little earlier than the others. It was just past 9:00 p.m., not particularly late, and you might think it was strange to tell a male college student to be careful walking home at night but in this world, that was normal, and it always threw me off a bit.

This world was what people commonly called a reversed chastity world. The gender ratio was 1:4. According to experts, the male birthrate would continue to decline, making the ratio even more unbalanced and they said that on television with complete seriousness. That alone showed how abnormal this world was.

It wasn’t men who committed groping. It was women, and that was considered normal. Instead of women-only train cars, there were men-only train cars. That said, there were no common reversed chastity world institutions like male security officers or male protection laws. You could say that only the concept of chastity itself was what had reversed.

Ah, but I vaguely remembered the talk about whether to pass some ridiculous-sounding law called the Harem Law.

Anyway, even though I was born into such a world, it wasn’t like I was insanely popular, receiving piles of love letters in my shoe locker every day, or getting assaulted… Nothing like that happened. I was living more or less the same as in my previous life.

At first, I did have certain expectations. A few slightly lewd fantasies, you could say. But sadly…

Even in a reversed chastity world, an average-looking guy was still just average. I was better-looking than in my previous life, but even being generous, I was only slightly above average. No matter how the world, its values, or its sense of chastity changed, one unchanging truth remained: the better-looking guys were the ones who got chosen.

While lamenting that absurd reality as I walked home, I received a message.

『Renka: Have you finished the report due the day after tomorrow?』

It was from Renka Koibuchi, one of my very few friends at university. This girl… Did she not turn in her report again? I guess I had no choice.

『I’ve finished mine. Let’s work on your report together tomorrow.』

As soon as I replied, it was marked as read.

『Renka: Thank you as always, Aoi-sama.』

Such a smooth talker. After replying with a bear sticker wearing an exasperated expression, I turned off my phone and walked at a relaxed pace, arriving at my apartment in less than ten minutes. It was a one-room apartment with a separate bath and toilet, and a fairly spacious kitchen. This place was more than sufficient for a college student like me.

After checking only the mailbox, I walked toward my door while searching for my key, when I noticed a woman sitting next to my apartment door, hugging her knees. Multiple earrings in her ears glittered under the light. Her head was lowered, so I couldn’t see her face, but I immediately knew she was my neighbor. She was distinctive, so I remembered her. I didn’t want to ignore her and sour our future neighborly relations, so after some thought, I spoke to her.

“Um… are you okay?”

When I called out to her, she slowly turned toward me. Her long black hair had white highlights underneath, and several earrings decorated her ears. The beauty mark beneath her eye stood out, and her languid expression carried a kind of mysterious air. She seemed older than me, who was a first-year university student.

“Oh, you’re my neighbor. I lost my key and can’t get inside. I asked the landlord, but they told me to wait until tomorrow.”

After saying that, she looked away and began staring blankly into space. She had an air about her, like someone worn down by life. Maybe it was just that her languid expression gave that impression.

…If I left her there, was she planning to stay until morning? Or was she perhaps thinking of dying? The dark circles under her eyes were heavy, and she looked fragile enough to make such thoughts cross my mind. The season had already passed summer and was heading into winter. She was dressed lightly. It had to be cold. It had to be tough.

After thinking it over, I came to a conclusion. In my previous life, this probably wouldn’t have been okay. But in this life, maybe it would barely be acceptable. I might as well suggest it once.

“Um…”

“Hm? What is it?”

She turned her gaze back to me.

“If you’d like… would you want to spend the night in my room until morning?”

As soon as I said that, her previously languid eyes widened in shock.

“Eh? R-Really? Is that okay? I’d be totally fine with it, in fact, I’d even be happy! But you’re a boy, right? I think you should have a bit more sense of danger.”

She gently warned me.

“The fact that you say that means you’re a kind person, doesn’t it? So it’s fine.”

From my perspective, there wasn’t any problem. I instinctively felt she wasn’t a bad person, so I answered that way. She widened her eyes again and gave me a wry smile.

“Well then… I guess I’ll take you up on your offer.”

“Yes. It might be a bit messy, but please come in.”

I took out my key from my bag, unlocked the door, and stepped inside. My neighbor followed, entering cautiously.

“Excuse me.”

“You don’t have to be so nervous. Please sit wherever you like and make yourself comfortable.”

I placed my belongings in their usual spot. My neighbor, fidgeting slightly, sat down on a cushion.

“Have you had dinner?”

“Ah—uh, not yet.”

“In that case, I have some food I made in advance. Would you like to eat together?”

When I suggested that, she looked surprised yet again. I had assumed she was someone whose expression rarely changed, but seeing her react with surprise so many times, that clearly wasn’t the case.

“Is that something you made yourself?”

“Huh? Yes, it is. Though I made it yesterday, so please don’t expect too much in terms of taste.”

“If you’re okay with it, I’d love to eat it. I might actually be really hungry.”

“I see. Then please wait just a moment. I’ll heat it up. And don’t get your hopes up too much, okay?”

“I’m getting my hopes way up.”

With her gentle voice at my back, I took out the garlic chicken I had prepared and stored in the freezer and began defrosting it in the microwave. When it finished, I took it out, added oil to a frying pan, and started cooking the garlic chicken. This dish was simple, and it went great with rice. That was why I liked it.

“Oh, by the way, your breath might smell a little after eating this. Is that okay?”

“I don’t mind. I’m a girl, after all.”

“No, I just thought you might have a boyfriend or something.”

When I said that, her voice suddenly cut off. It wasn’t good to look away while cooking, but since it was only defrosting, I figured a quick glance wouldn’t hurt. When I looked over at her, she had a blank expression on her face. 

“A-A boyfriend? I don’t have one.”

“Oh? Is that so? You’re beautiful, so I just assumed you did.”

When I said that, she looked even more stunned. Then her ever-languid expression rapidly changed. Her face turned bright red, and she covered it with her long sleeves.

“You—? D-Don’t tease an older lady too much. Older ladies are usually scary, you know?”

“Really? I didn’t think you seemed like that at all.”

When I told her honestly, she lowered her sleeves but turned her back to me.

“Th-That’s enough. An older lady thinks you shouldn’t take your eyes off your cooking.”

“You’re right. Sorry.”

Part of me wanted to see more of her reactions, but as she said, I returned my focus to cooking. That said, I just had to grill the chicken a bit, so all that remained was plating. The rice had been frozen, so I reheated that, plated some salad, and made instant soup. Finally, I placed the garlic chicken on a plate, and a decent dinner was complete.

I set everything on the table, sat across from my neighbor, pressed my hands together, and began eating. Whenever I cooked for someone, I always found myself watching their reaction before tasting it myself.

This time was not an exception to that tendency of mine. As I watched her expression, she chewed quietly, and even without words, it was clear she was enjoying it.

…She’s surprisingly expressive.

“You’re really good at cooking. Is this what they call ‘boyfriend material’ skills?”

“That’s not true. I just reheated it. The soup is just instant soup. I only poured hot water in.”

“No, no. An older lady like me absolutely couldn’t make this. Lately, I’ve only been eating additive-packed boxed meals and heading straight toward unhealthy living, so homemade food like this is so good it makes me want to cry. And your room is clean, too.”

As she said that, she kept eating, and before I knew it, she had finished everything.

“Thank you for the meal.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

Since she had eaten everything so neatly, as the one who made it, I felt genuinely happy. As I started to gather the dishes to wash them…

“Ah, I’ll wash them. You can rest.”

“Then I’ll gratefully accept your offer and take a break.”

I figured she might feel awkward staying over and doing nothing, so I gratefully accepted her kindness.

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