In This World That Favors Men, I... ~Starting a Sweet School Life in a World With a 1:8 Gender Ratio~ - 18

Chapter 18: Why Are You Crying?

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As I returned home from school and passed through the gate, a delicious aroma drifted from inside the house.

Huh?

I was sure Yui said she’d be late today because she was checking out a club. As I opened the front door, wondering about it, I saw an unfamiliar pair of women’s shoes on the entryway floor. Low heels? Or were these called pumps?

Wait… Could it be…! Oh, right. Maybe Mom, who was supposed to be on an overseas business trip, had come home! That must be it. No matter how you look at it, it would be weird if our parents never showed up. After all, both Yui and I were still minors.

Whoa! This is my first time meeting her. What should I do?

She must think of me as “Yuusei Takeda,” right? I wonder how she would perceive me.  Yui didn’t seem to find anything odd about me being Yuusei Takeda. But what about Mom?

What if she suddenly asks, “Who are you?” That would be unbearable. I’d be so shaken that my heart would just snap in half. And if I couldn’t stay in this house anymore, that would be a huge problem. …But I couldn’t avoid meeting her forever. For now, I should just check things out.

I quietly approached the living room and, beyond it, the kitchen. As I peeked in from the entrance of the living room—

“Oh? Did someone just come home?”

A clear, confident-sounding woman’s voice rang out.

“Oh my, Yuusei! Why are you sneaking around? Come on in.”

She called me out for sneaking. Well, I guess I was. She called me by name, so it should be okay to step forward. I wanted to make a good first impression, but… What would be the most natural thing to say here? Right. It should be—

“I’m home, Mom.”

“Welcome home.”

The woman I faced—my supposed mother—was a youthful-looking adult with dimples that suited her well.

This is my mom? She’s gorgeous. Oh, but then again, if this body is that of an ikemen, it makes sense that his mom would be beautiful too.

“Go change your clothes. Since it’s been a while since we’ve all been together as a family, I’ve been cooking up a storm. Look forward to it.”

She smiled warmly, her bright and cheerful tone carrying a gentle touch. That instantly melted away my tension. This wasn’t bad at all.

“Got it. I’ll go change my clothes.”

I changed into my loungewear and flopped onto my bed. A cute little sister and a beautiful, kind mother. This new life was incredibly fortunate. I still couldn’t feel like this ikemen was actually me, but… Whoever set this up, thank you.

As if responding to my thoughts… A yellow light flashed right next to my face.

Huh!? What’s this doing here?

Before I lay down, there had been nothing on the bed except the futon and pillow. Maybe this diary could appear and disappear at will? I quickly sat up and grabbed the yellow diary. It had today’s date!

◆ June 17 ◆

〈I have a cute little sister and a beautiful, kind mother. I feel incredibly lucky. Whoever set this up, thank you.〉

Wait, hold on. I did think that, but why was it written down as if I wrote it? And it had been slightly edited too. …What exactly was the purpose of this diary? And it definitely had been appearing and disappearing on its own too. I hadn’t brought it to school, yet I heard “the voice.”

It was undoubtedly something supernatural, but it was so out of the ordinary that I had no idea how to deal with it. And the content—this was absolutely the kind of thing I didn’t want anyone else to see. Until now, the only one in this house had been Yui. And Yui never entered this room. She always called out to me from the doorway. That was why I had just left it lying around.

Maybe I should store it properly? But where? Where does it even go when it can disappears? Can I put it away at will?

《Would you like to store it?》

Looks like I can. Alright, then put it away.

The moment I thought that, the diary vanished into thin air. I had no idea where it had been stored. Could I take it out freely too?

《Would you like to retrieve it?》

No, it’s fine. Just keep it stored. 

Now I knew I could take it in and out, and that was enough for now. Now that Mom was back, I figured it was a good time to go over everything that had happened so far. I closed my eyes and recalled the events of this world in order.

・When I woke up, I was Yuusei Takeda.

・I had a little sister named Yui.

・I transferred to a new school.

・I visited the electronics district and a hair salon.

・And today, a woman who was supposedly my mother returned home. ← Current event.

This world was very similar to the one I had lived in before, yet there were many differences. There were fewer men, and they were treated with great care by women. The government provided for our livelihoods, ensuring we’d never be in need. And today, I met the woman who was supposedly our mother. Like Yui, she seemed ready to welcome me warmly as her family.

I didn’t know why I had come to this world. A diary that granted  wishes. A happy life that had been handed to me on a silver platter. What was the price for all of this? What was I supposed to do in this world? Or was I not meant to do anything at all?

As I mulled over these thoughts, sleep overtook me before I even realized it.

“Onii-chan, wake up. Mom says it’s time for dinner.”

Yui’s voice woke me up.

“Dinner?”

“Yeah. You saw Mom earlier, right? She made dinner today. Come on downstairs.”

Oh, right. She had mentioned a family meal.

Groooowl~

The moment I became aware of it, my stomach growled. My internal clock was pretty honest. It got hungry at very predictable times. I stretched my body and let out a yawn.

Alright, time to go eat. Mom’s home-cooked meal, huh? I wonder what’s on the menu tonight.

◇◇◇

Whoa, amazing. Hamburg steak, omurice, fried chicken, shrimp gratin, and corn soup. It’s all my favorites. How does she even know?

The fried chicken still had the bone in. Seeing that, I couldn’t help but smile. Tulip-shaped fried chicken. Yeah, this was the good stuff.

“Onii-chan, you look really happy. We haven’t had fried food at home in a while, after all.”

True. Yui’s cooking was delicious, but it was mostly Japanese dishes or stews like curry and cream stew. No fried food or oven-baked dishes. Well, I guess it’d be dangerous if she got burned or something.

“Finally, the three of us are together again. I’m sorry for being away for so long. I shouldn’t have any long business trips for a while, so you don’t have to worry.”

“Mom, thanks for always working so hard. Onii-chan and I have been going to our new school properly, you know. Right, Onii-chan?”

“Yeah. Welcome home, Mom. Everyone at school is kind and it’s been fun. So far, everything’s going well.”

“That’s good to hear. Well then, let’s eat while it’s still warm?”

“”Itadakimasu!””

What should I start with? Fried chicken, obviously.

I picked up a piece from the pile on the plate. It hadn’t been long since it was fried, so it was still warm. The moment I sank my teeth into it, the juices and melted fat burst into my mouth. Delicious. Fried chicken was the best after all. The seasoning was perfect—strong flavors of garlic and ginger, just the way I liked it.

“How is it? Is it good?”

Mom tilted her head slightly, looking at me.

“Yeah. It’s really good. That first bite was incredible.”

“Yui, Yuusei has loved fried chicken since he was a child, hasn’t he?”

Mom smiled warmly.

Really? Yuusei-kun… You and I have the same taste, huh? Well, most guys our age love fried chicken anyway.

“Onii-chan, this hamburg steak is amazing too. Mom’s cooking really has that extra touch that makes a difference.”

Oh, right. I had to try the hamburg steak too. Just by looking at it, I could tell it was going to be delicious. The surface glistened with fat, but the whole thing looked light and fluffy. I could already tell that if I cut into it, the juices would spill out. Meat juice, meat juice~ I had high expectations.

“Yui was cooking for you while I was away, wasn’t she? Thank you, Yui.”

“I only made simple things. It was fine because Onii-chan eats pretty much anything, but I thought I should expand my repertoire. Guys do like fried food, after all.”

“But you’re still not allowed to fry things by yourself. If you want to, do it with me.”

“Yeah. I want to get better at cooking. They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, after all.”

Oh man, this hamburg steak is insane. What even is this? The meat juices are unreal. 

Just as I expected, the meat juices came flooding out the moment I bit the hamburg steak. This taste… It was definitely a mix of ground beef and pork. A double attack from both meats, plus a generous amount of finely chopped onions. An all-out umami assault—I could practically feel my taste buds celebrating.

Oh. The carrots on the side… They were simmered in sweet butter. I loved those.

“Hehe. Yui, do you already have someone you like at your new school?”

“It’s still an all-girls class, so I don’t know yet. But I did see a really cool-looking guy. That’s why I have to get into a mixed-gender class.”

Next up was the shrimp gratin. Just look at this indulgence. The shrimp were huge—curled up and packed into the dish. The texture was plump, and with each bite, I could hear a slight pop, pop as they burst under my teeth. That distinct, rich aroma of shrimp filled my nose. Then, the cheese stretched with each spoonful, and the white sauce—thick with butter and milk—coated everything beautifully. It was ridiculously good.

“Yui, so you’re in the girls’ class? That school is known for being tough to get into, so this is just the beginning. But if you work hard, I’m sure you’ll get good results.”

“Yeah, I’ll do my best.”

Alright, now for the moment of truth—omurice. Omurice was in my top three favorite dishes. A perfectly soft and fluffy egg wrapped around the rice, topped with a homemade tomato sauce instead of ketchup. Yes, this. That little extra effort was the charm that made all the difference. She really understood the subtle charm of omurice.

I went straight for the middle and split it open. No particular reason—it was just a habit.

But then… What? The moment I cut it, a deep yellow liquid spilled out. The yolk had been hidden inside and burst open. But that meant… Could it be? I knew it. This wasn’t just any ordinary omurice after all. Scooping up a spoonful of the red-colored rice inside, I brought it to my mouth.

Chew, chew.

Chew, chew…

Chew… It’s good. It’s really good. Because this is probably Mom’s omurice.

Minced meat and well-caramelized onions mixed into the ketchup rice. I loved this. She made this for me every year on my birthday. I was so glad. She remembered… This important memory of mine.

“Huh? Onii-chan, wait… Why are you crying?”

Before I knew it, tears were spilling down my face.

“Yuusei, does it taste good?”

Mom’s gentle voice reached me as I chewed. I nodded silently.

“I’m glad. You’ve always liked omurice with minced meat, haven’t you?”

Why…? Why was it the same recipe, the exact same taste? I thought I had lost all my past memories, and yet, I recognized it—the same flavor as when I was a child… When Mom was still healthy. I was Yuusei Takeda, and this woman was supposed to be my mother. So how…?

As I savored the nostalgic taste that lingered on my tongue, I couldn’t stop the warm tears from falling.

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