In This World That Favors Men, I... ~Starting a Sweet School Life in a World With a 1:8 Gender Ratio~ - 113

Chapter 113: Diary Holder

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I was able to hear many stories from Dad that I had never known before.

“Parent-child relationships between diary owners are actually incredibly rare. In fact, I’ve never encountered another case. Maybe it’s just because I’m not very reliable, but usually, it’s one owner per god. There was only one exception—a pair of twins.”

Is that so? Then I must be incredibly lucky since I’m able to get advice like this from my father. 

“I was summoned to this world ten years ago. Thrown into such a fantasy-like phenomenon out of nowhere, I panicked at first. I’m timid by nature, so I was always afraid someone might try to harm me. I didn’t trust anyone.”

“But you had a skill, right? Something that helps you stay calm?”

“You mean the perks of being a diary owner? The skills it grants differ from person to person. They offer various benefits and powerful effects, but they can’t change a person’s core nature. So your calmness isn’t just because of the skill. You must have had that quality to begin with.”

“Whoa, I’m learning so much. I didn’t know that at all.”

“The diary doesn’t teach you anything essential. You’ve only been in this world for a short time, right? And yet you’ve already adapted so well. Honestly, I’m a little jealous of you.”

“Adapted… Well, no, I’m really just going with the flow.”

This past year had been so hectic and confusing, I barely knew what was going on.

“Being able to go with the flow like that is already impressive in my eyes. I couldn’t accept my situation and rebelled against it completely. For ten years. Ten whole years. To be honest I’m amazed at how stubborn I was.”

So there were people who just couldn’t accept being summoned to this world so suddenly.

“These past ten years, I’ve traveled all over the world. Once I realized there were other diary owners, I wandered around searching for them. I avoided anyone who looked obviously dangerous, but I did meet a lot of owners. Among all of them, you’ve adapted to this world by far the best.”

So basically, everyone else had been struggling more than I’d thought? Why, though? That part piqued my interest.

“What kind of people are diary owners usually?”

“In terms of gender, most of them are male. About ninety percent of the people I’ve met were men.”

“Does that mean they’re specifically selecting men?”

“That might be part of it. There’s a possibility that, to supplement this world’s dire situation, they’re intentionally prioritizing men. But I think that’s more of a secondary factor. I believe the real reason lies elsewhere.”

“What is it?”

“This world calls people who have a stronger-than-average desire to achieve their dreams. That’s probably why.”

“So, men are more likely to be dreamers?”

“You could say that. Men tend to hold on to childlike dreams far longer. Women who come here must have an incredibly strong attachment to something—so much so that they’re willing to risk their lives.”

Most women were practical. Even if they had chased dreams when they were young, once they started a family, they poured their time, effort, and wealth into their family instead. Especially after having children, they were inevitably swept up by the flow of life. There was a biological time limit to having kids and once they were born, a woman’s life was dictated by that child. The sense of responsibility and pressure grew, and they had no choice but to face their new reality.

Before they realized it, they were firmly grounded with their new responsibilities, with no room left for daydreaming. That must be why the people who came to this world tended to be men. They had the leeway to keep dreaming no matter how old they got. At least, that was how the story went in this world. 

“There are more diary owners in this world than you’d think, so if you look, you might find some around you.”

“What?! Really?”

No way. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone like that so far…

“Probably. Once you start thinking about it that way, it’s like your antenna gets tuned to it. You start picking up on things.”

So if I interact with people thinking they might be owners, I’ll notice the signs more easily. I should try that.

“Oh! There was this one time I suddenly saw my friend’s profile floating in the air. What was that about?”

“Profile? Like the kind you see in your diary?”

“No, simpler than that. More like a character bio from a video game. When I saw it, I started wondering if this world might actually be a game instead.”

“I see. This isn’t a game world, though. It’s a real world where real people live and breathe. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. But since this is Japan, there’s a lot of resources from anime, manga, light novels, and games. That might explain the cause of your game-like profile screen.”

There it is again. “Resources.”

“What do you mean by resources?”

“Simply put, it’s like… Mental energy? Something like that. It’s generated and emitted by humans, so it’s heavily influenced by the preferences and culture of the people living there. So maybe you were affected by some game-like interference. Perhaps a nearby dreamer wanted to dive into a game world and live freely.”

Whoa. So even dreams like that can come true?

“Well, you’ve been doing great in this world, so I think you should just continue living like how you’ve been living, guided by your diary and your spirit.”

Wait a minute. That line… Feels familiar. Déjà vu?

Someone else said something like that recently, didn’t they? What stuck out to me was “guided by your spirit,” but I couldn’t remember what. Everything was a blur to me.

“Um, what exactly is a spirit?”

“What?! You’re asking that now? Don’t tell me you didn’t even know your own spirit and still got this far? No, no, no. I can’t believe it. I might need to bump up my evaluation of you.”

“My own spirit? I’ve never seen it… I wonder if it’s really there?”

“You’ve never seen it…? No, wait. I don’t know why, but… So you really don’t know. That’s shocking, but I guess that’s why things are going so well for you. Forcing it now might do more harm than good. Maybe that’s just the kind of bond you two have. Still… When the time comes, you’ll understand. Just wait for that moment.”

It seemed Dad was really surprised. 

So that means my spirit is already with me? Even if I’m not aware of it, the spirit is always watching over me?

“If that’s the case, then… I’ll look forward to meeting it someday.”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea. Man, when I heard from the god that I was getting a son, I was stunned. But now I get it. Of course they’d want to scout you. You’re the perfect fit.”

“Wait. Heard from god? You’ve spoken directly with a god before?”

“Yeah. You have too, right? You’re an Apostle, after all.”

《I have informed Mr. Yuusei Takeda that Master has been promoted to Apostle. It’s obvious just by looking at me.》

“…Apparently, yeah. But all I got was a congratulatory skill.”

“You just got a congratulations? Hmm… That seems kind of odd, but then again, I’ve only spoken directly with the god once myself. That was a little over a year ago, when I was told you’d be summoned to this world.”

“I see. So they wanted to give you a heads-up before dumping a fully grown son on you.”

…Wait, then when did Yui become part of this family? Dad came to this world ten years ago, so she couldn’t possibly be his biological daughter, right?

“He said it was up to me whether I continued living freely as I had been, but it sounded more like a final notice. Like I wasn’t needed anymore and the moment I thought that, I realized just how many important people I had in this world. God, I was such an idiot.”

Watching him mock himself like that, a thought came to my mind. 

Ah, no wonder he’s popular. 

There was something fragile about him that made me think that. If I were a woman, I might want to support him too. I felt like I could understand a little of how those women who offered him help in a strange land must have felt. Even as we talked, he was so expressive, not hiding his emotions at all. His happiness, his disappointment, everything was in plain sight. 

A dejected ikemen-ojisan. That kind of vibe was oddly charming. No doubt the strong, capable women of this world would feel a strong urge to protect him.

“But after meeting you, I realized it’s not too late. I can live the way I want and still contribute in my own way. Let’s do our best together! Seriously, I’m so glad you’re such a capable person.”

“No, I don’t deserve that kind of praise. I was just incredibly lucky to be surrounded by good people.”

The diary only told me to do certain things so I could gather energy. So I thought I should try to give it a shot and by sheer chance, everything worked out for the best. That was all there was to it.

“That kind of thing matters too! Or rather, maybe that’s exactly what matters most. That ability to win people over to your side. Now that we’ve got a reliable ally like you, how about we get started on recreating that Blissful Pudding?”

“Blissful Pudding… You mean that doesn’t exist in this world?”

Blissful Pudding was the name of a pudding I’d apparently been obsessed with in the previous world, according to what was written in the diary. The name was the same, so it had to be referring to the same thing, right?

“Nope, it doesn’t. But I think we’ll complete it in the not-so-distant future. That’s actually part of why I came to Japan earlier than planned.”

So I wouldn’t get to try it, huh. That was disappointing. But…

“Does that mean there’s something in Japan?”

“Of course there is. You’re here, aren’t you? This is kind of sudden, but… Mind if I smell you a bit?”

“Huh? Smell? Smell what?”

“Your body scent, obviously. …Yuusei. You’ve been smelling amazing for a while now. Like this—see?”

Whoa. Up-close shot of the handsome older guy. What is he doing, sniffing me like that? His face is super close.

“Do I smell like something?”

I couldn’t really tell myself. Maybe the lingering scent of body soap?

“Yeah. It’s insanely sweet, almost intoxicating. I’m a scent fetishist, you know. I’m pretty particular about smells. This must be what they call divine fragrance. It’s considered essential for making Blissful Pudding. I see now…”

My body scent is essential for pudding? Wait, does that mean I smell like pudding?

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