In This World That Favors Men, I... ~Starting a Sweet School Life in a World With a 1:8 Gender Ratio~ - 58-59

Chapter 58: Three Childhood Friends Part 1

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At a café terrace in a shopping mall, three girls were chatting while taking a break after shopping.

“Ken-chan hasn’t said anything, but when is he going to introduce those two?”

“I’m curious too. If they’re students from Eika Shuuei Academy, they must be incredibly smart, right?”

“Probably. The so-called gifted type? That might be something we’re lacking. But I never expected to have two of them at once.”

The “Ken-chan” they were referring to was Kento Uesugi, a second-year student in Class A at Eika Shuuei Academy.

“Really? I actually think it’s a relief that it’s only two.”

“Well, thinking in that way is probably more positive. I understand that new people coming in is inevitable, but I still can’t help feeling a little unsettled.”

“Of course you do. More rivals competing for Ken-chan… But at least we managed to stop that dangerous Elder Partner candidate from setting up a group date. If it’s between people our own age, we might be able to work something out.”

“A group date, huh? What a trap. If we hadn’t noticed that, Ken-chan would have gone for sure.”

“And then another fiancée would have been added. If we let our guard down, this always happens.”

“Ken-chan has always been too careless. That’s why he’s an easy target.”

Uesugi Kento had three fiancées. Listed in the order they met him:

◆ Ai Naoe

◆ Kei Kakizaki

◆ Shino Honjou

The three of them were childhood friends of Kento. Their relationship went back many years. 

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The Uesugi and Naoe families were next-door neighbors. Naturally, the two children played together almost every day.

“Ken-chan, what are we playing today?”

“Samurai pretend!”

At that age, Kento was completely obsessed with playing samurai, battling with plastic toy swords like any typical young boy.

“Okay, we’ll play samurai pretend first. After that, we can play house, right?”

“Yeah.”

Although they were the same age, girls matured faster mentally at that stage. This was true for Ai and Kento as well—Ai was always the one taking the lead in their games.

“Okay, here I come!”

“Bring it on!”

The light clashing sounds of toy swords echoed through the spacious Uesugi family garden.

“Ai-chan, Kento. It’s snack time. Go wash your hands.”

“”Okay!””

Since both Kento and Ai’s mothers worked outside the home, it was often Kento’s aunt, Yoko, who picked them up from kindergarten and looked after them. Yoko lived with the Uesugi family and ran a calligraphy school from home.

“Listen carefully, both of you. If a stranger talks to you, you must never go with them.”

“”We won’t!””

“It doesn’t matter how kind they seem or if they offer you candy or toys. Even if they say your mom is calling for you, don’t believe them.”

Kento, puzzled by her words, asked.

“Even if they say Mom is calling, I shouldn’t go?”

“That’s right. You must never believe them.”

“Ken-chan, bad people lie about things like that.” 

Ai explained. She had been taught that if she ever encountered a kidnapper or predator while playing with Kento, she should immediately alert an adult.

“Lying is bad!”

“It is. But bad people lie, so you have to be careful.”

“Got it!”

Lately, a string of child abduction cases had been making headlines, where young boys had been kidnapped. The culprits had already been caught, and the victims had been safely rescued. However, since the crimes had specifically targeted young boys, the case had sparked sensationalized media coverage, keeping public anxiety at a peak. As a result, families with young children remained on high alert, and it had become rare to see kids playing outside unattended. 

As usual, the two were playing in the garden.

“Ken-chan, I’m going to the bathroom, okay?”

“Okay.”

Ai ran inside, leaving Kento alone. The moment she disappeared, as if waiting for the opportunity, a suspicious figure entered the garden.

“Hello there. Hey, little boy, do you know where the Uesugi family lives?”

Kento looked up to see a woman, about the same age as his mother, dressed in stylish clothes. Even though she had stepped into their garden, she was asking for directions. That was obviously strange, but little Kento didn’t notice.

“This is my house.”

“Oh, that’s great! I’m a friend of your mom’s. So, can you tell me your name?”

“Kento.”

“What a lovely name. Since I’m such a good friend of your mom, that makes us friends too, doesn’t it?”

With a warm smile, the woman approached Kento. Then, suddenly, with surprising strength that didn’t match her delicate arms, she picked him up.

“How adorable. You’re absolutely adorable. Sniff… Ahh, this is the real scent of a little boy.”

“Stop it! Put me down!”

Kento, startled by suddenly being lifted into the air, struggled desperately. But…

“You’re quite a lively one. Just like a real little boy should be. It’ll be worth training you properly.”

Ignoring his resistance, the woman effortlessly slung him over her shoulder with great strength that didn’t seem to belong to a woman and started running toward the gate.

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Chapter 59: Three Childhood Friends Part 2

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“Ken-chan!! What are you doing to Ken-chan?!”

Ai, who had just finished using the bathroom and came out through the front door, ran into them at that moment. She shouted when she saw the woman trying to abduct Kento.

I have to call Yoko-san, but if I leave them, Ken-chan will be taken in the meantime.

With that thought, Ai instinctively made a desperate attempt to tackle the woman.

“Give Ken-chan back!”

“You’re in the way, you little brat. Get lost.”

However, Ai, being just an ordinary child in terms of size and strength, was no match for the woman. The woman, full of strength and mentally elated from having a little boy in her grasp, easily shrugged off Ai’s attack. Ai continued to chase her, but the woman didn’t slow down and kept walking forward. Ahead of them, a black van was parked there.

I can’t let her go to that car. If she gets there, Ken-chan will be taken away.

With that thought, Ai squeezed her voice to the maximum and screamed at the top of her lungs.

“HELP! HELP! HELP! THERE’S A KIDNAPPER! HELP!”

◇◇◇◇

“At that time, I was really desperate.”

Ai spoke with a distant look, recalling the events with a deep sense of reflection. The incident had been so intense that it was still burned into her memory.

“I’m glad the neighbors noticed right away.”

“Yeah. Otherwise, Ken-chan would have been taken by that creepy woman and probably locked away and raised by her.”

“But you know, even after going through such a dangerous situation, Ken-chan still doesn’t develop a sense of caution, does he? He was still absent-minded when I saved him from that ‘hugging freak’ back then.”

Kei Kakizaki, who was speaking, was recalling an incident from when she was in elementary school. On her way to kendo practice, she had encountered Kento being attacked by a random “hugging freak.” Despite being just a child, she courageously fought off the attacker. From that meeting, Kento started attending the kendo dojo that Kei went to.

“That’s why he gets groped so easily by those pervy office ladies.”

It was when Kento was an elementary school student. He had taken the train to a large library a few stations away but accidentally boarded a regular car.

“It was crazy. From the moment he was on the platform, people started whispering things like ‘A shotacon!’ ‘A solo shotacon!’ ‘Top-tier♡’ ‘So cute!’ ‘What a lucky day!’ Then, people started crowding into his car, as if there was only one car in the train.”

“Like a lamb in a pack of wolves.”

“Yeah. He was being groped all over by those perverts, his face turning bright red, but Ken-chan didn’t resist at all. And because of that, the people around him got even bolder, and the perverts became more aggressive.”

The one speaking was Shino Honjou, who had happened to be on the train. She was the one who saved him from that situation. Shino, quick on her feet, pressed the emergency stop button while filming the scene and loudly warned them that she would report them for groping if they didn’t stop. At the next station, she successfully rescued the distressed, tearful Kento from the train.

“Even this past Valentine’s Day, it seems Ken-chan was targeted again because he’s considered a hidden gem. He was pushed around quite a bit.”

“I heard he turned down quite a few people, though.”

“And then he ended up with just two who were selected. Ugh. They must be really high-level, huh? I mean, they’re probably not just smart, but also cute. The perfect blend of beauty and brains, right?”

“Ugh! I’m already doomed before I even start fighting them with my intelligence. I think I could win in terms of strength, though. But the kendo team at Eika Shuuei Academy is pretty strong too, so I guess we’ll have to see.”

“Kei-chan, what do you mean by ‘fight’? It’s not an arm-wrestling contest, it’s a discussion.”

“Well, if it’s a discussion, do you think this would be a good way to subtly hint at something? Or is it more of a provocation instead?”

Shino raised her left hand, showing off the ring on her fourth finger with a concerned expression on her face.

“The ring. We finally got a ring.I’m glad I pushed him a little. Will the discussion turn into a battle of provocation?  I won’t know until I meet them, but I’ll try my best to have a good discussion.”

Ai, also holding up her ring, gave herself a little pep talk.

“Ai, please. You’re the perfect person for discussion.”

“And Kei-chan, you’re the muscle. So, what’s my role?”

“Shino, you’re great at picking up on things and making everyone feel at ease. You don’t make people wary, so maybe you’re the one gathering information?”

“Wow. I didn’t know you thought of me that way. I’m so happy. I love you, Kei-chan!”

“Oh? Just Kei-chan?”

“Of course, I love you too, Ai-chan!”

“Good, good. As expected of the natural charmer. Shino’s got this innate cuteness, so we’ll handle the new two the same way and win them over!”

“Eh? What? I don’t plan on ‘winning anyone over’.”

“Uh-huh. You’re just being yourself. It’s because you’re naturally cute, Shino.”

“Really? You think I’m like a little animal, something you just want to cuddle?”

“Is that a compliment?”

“”Of course!””

“Hehe, well, that’s fine then.”

Not long after this conversation, the three girls with the rings were introduced to the two with the pendants, and their friendship began to deepen.

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