In This World That Favors Men, I... ~Starting a Sweet School Life in a World With a 1:8 Gender Ratio~ - 36

Chapter 36: First Shrine Visit and First Dream

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New Year’s Day. A new year had begun.

“Happy New Year, Yui.”

“Happy New Year. Onii-chan, you overslept too much.”

“Happy New Year. Let’s have another good year together.”

I had slept in a little (okay, a lot). After exchanging New Year’s greetings, the three of us had a late breakfast of New Year’s food and soup with rice cakes and vegetables. After that, we were going to head out as a family for our first shrine visit of the year. Our destination was the shrine managed by Yuuki’s family.

“It’s so crowded. There are so many food stalls too.”

The wide approach to the shrine was packed with people. Lining both sides of the path, countless food stalls were selling various treats, filling the air with delicious aromas from all directions.

“The line isn’t moving very fast. Want to grab a snack while we wait?”

“Oh? You’re already hungry? Even though you ate so much mochi just now.”

“I’m not hungry yet. Onii-chan, what do you want to eat?”

“That ningyo-yaki over there.”

I had been eyeing it for a while now. A little ahead, there was a stall selling ningyo-yaki. That was my target.

“Do you even like ningyo-yaki?”

“I guess because it’s New Year’s? I just suddenly started craving red bean filling.”

When the line brought us close to the stall, I successfully bought some ningyo-yaki. Inside the paper bag, there was an assortment of different shapes. I immediately popped a dove-shaped ningyo-yaki into my mouth. It was bite-sized and just right. That was when something strange caught my eye—an odd figure standing out against the shrine backdrop.

“Huh? There’s some kind of weird mascot over there.”

“What? Where? I can’t see anything from here.”

Since I barely had a view of it myself, it was no surprise that the shorter Yui couldn’t see it at all.

“I see a yellow mascot. If we get a little closer, we might be able to tell what it is.”

Mom was fairly tall, so she had caught a glimpse of it too. As the line moved forward, a yellow food stall with a brown roof came into view, along with a mascot in the same color scheme—a chubby cat wearing a brown beret with an unusually thick lower half.

“Oh! It’s Puri-nyan!”

“You know it, Yui?”

“Yeah! Puri-nyan, who came from Pudding Planet, has been a hot topic among pudding lovers lately!”

What? A hot topic among pudding lovers? I had no idea… That kind of annoyed me a bit.

“Really? This is my first time hearing about it. I wonder what that stall is selling?”

I was curious too. When the line finally brought us right in front of the stall, we found out….

“Warm and sweet—Hot Pudding Shake-nya!”

“A pudding shake? I kind of want to try that.”

“Me too. Mom, let’s all get one.”

“If it’s a warm drink, I’d like one too.”

The hot pudding shake gently warmed our bodies, which had gotten cold from standing in line. The taste? It was literally liquid pudding. Surprisingly good. At the bottom, a layer of thick caramel sauce had settled, adding a nice touch to the overall sensation.

“That was delicious. Do they not sell this regularly?”

“I think it’s just for events. But if it’s just something like this, I might be able to make it myself.”

“Really? Try making it sometime.”

“Yeah! I’ll do my best.”

Yui looked really happy. After the long wait in line, it was finally our turn to pray.

“Hey, since we’re here, why don’t we draw our fortune slip for the year?”

Fortune slip, huh? That felt very New Year’s-like. When we went to the shrine office selling the fortune slips, we saw Yuuki there in a hakama.

“Huh? Takeda? You came.”

“Yeah. Are you working here?”

“Yep. They were short on staff, so they roped me in.”

“Ren, is this your friend?”

The voice belonged to a stunningly beautiful woman dressed as a miko. She looked a little like Yuuki.

“Yeah. Hey, Takeda, from that PV I told you about.”

“Oh, him? You’re right. But he looks younger now.”

“Yuuki, this is your friend? A boy?”

One after another, more young women emerged from the back, bringing the total to four. Apparently, they were all Yuuki’s older sisters. Each of them was incredibly beautiful. Some had a traditional Japanese beauty, while others had a more cute and charming appeal—either way, the miko outfit suited them all perfectly. After greeting them, for some reason, they gave me a charm for romantic success.

Then, I drew my fortune slip… I received Daikichi (Great Blessing).

“Your love fortune is on the rise. This year, a wonderful romantic encounter awaits you.”

A love fortune, huh?

There were already plenty of cute girls around me, so did that mean I’d meet someone even more adorable? But honestly, romance still felt like something far away from my grasp.

…People always talk about “falling in love,” but what does that even feel like?

“Onii-chan, what did your fortune slip say?”

“Daikichi. It says my love fortune is on the rise.”

“That’s nice! I got Shokichi (little luck). It says now is the time to work hard.”

“I got Chukichi (moderate luck). It says my work fortune is rising. I’m happy about that, but it also feels like it’s telling me to work even more.”

After that, we browsed a few more stalls, did some shopping, and then headed home.

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Is this… a dream of a past I’ve lost?

I was at the zoo with my family.The two-flavored soft serve ice cream they bought me… The precious ice cream top that I had been waiting for… Suddenly fell straight to the ground, making me cry my eyes out.

So I was a glutton even as a little kid, huh?

During the elementary school open house, my always-busy mom had come to see me. “Your mom is so young and pretty,” my classmates had said. I’d felt embarrassed, but also a little proud.

Now I was wearing my middle school uniform. It was a standing-collar gakuran type. Since kids grow fast at that age, they told me to get a bigger size. But my growth spurt came late, so for a while, my uniform was way too baggy on me.

Time sped up like a clock’s hands spinning fast.

What…? What is this dream trying to show me? Is it tracing my past…?

My uniform changed—I was in high school now. I had joined the B-Rank Gourmet Club, met friends who shared my passion, and spent my days exploring restaurants and exchanging recommendations. Those carefree times had been fun.

Now I saw a station I didn’t recognize. The scenery shifted, showing a town unfamiliar to me.

A store?

Wait… Yui? She was wearing a yellow dress. Why was she dressed like that? Inside the store, there was a large glass display case. Inside… Pudding. Dozens of tiny puddings lined up in glass jars. Nothing but pudding. Wait… Could this be… The pudding specialty shop I used to go to in my past life? And for some reason, Yui was working there?

…Oh, but this was a dream.

Maybe fragments of different memories were mixing together. The Yui in the yellow uniform was shouting something. What? Who was she shouting at? Then, I woke up.

That was a pretty weird first dream of the year.

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