In This World That Favors Men, I... ~Starting a Sweet School Life in a World With a 1:8 Gender Ratio~ - 67

Chapter 67: Finally, a High Schooler

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

The discussion about Pudding Quest was put on hold for the time being. After that, everyone enjoyed skiing and returned from the trip. The start-of-term ceremony was just around the corner.

In the second week of April, there would be a formal entrance ceremony, and finally, Yui would be joining as a new student. That said, since she was moving up from the affiliated middle school, there wasn’t much she needed to prepare.

Still, for some reason, Yui seemed extremely happy. Even now, she was in an oddly good mood, singing an impromptu song while making homemade pudding, calling it “Pudding Research.”

♪ De-li-cious Pudding Pudding ♪

♪ Fluffy vanilla fra-grance ringing ♪

♪ The Ultimate Pudding is coming—yeah! ♪

♪ At the top of the sweets world! ♪

♪ Dream Pudding coming true soon! ♪

♪ Take one bite—here you go! Melts in your mouth, oh so wonderful! ♪

♪ Spreading across the world—a circle of pudding! ♪

♪ Let’s make the ultimate pudding! ♪

“What’s up with you, Yui? Why are you singing some weird song.”

“It’s not weird! Making it like this makes it super delicious!”

As I teased her, Yui puffed out her cheeks. She looked just like a little kid—no, more like a squirrel. She was pretty cute, actually.

“Sorry, sorry. A super delicious pudding, huh? I’m looking forward to it.”

“I never said I was giving any to you!”

“Wait, what? Seriously?”

I had been waiting here the whole time, fully expecting to eat some.

“Hmm, what should I do? Do you really want to eat Yui’s pudding that badly?”

“Yeah, of course!”

“How honest. Alrighty then! I’ll make you a Deluxe Decorated Giant Pudding—D.D.G.P. for short!”

“Yes!”

D.D.G.P.… I had no idea what that was, but it sounded like something amazing was coming my way.

“…Hey, Onii-chan, do you like pudding?”

Huh? What kind of question was that? That question really came out of nowhere.

“Yeah. But you already know that, don’t you? I love it.”

“Good! Still the same old smile bomb… No, wait. I mean, I know you love pudding. I really do. And that makes me happy. But don’t overdo it, okay? Take care of yourself.”

“Huh?”

Suddenly, she was worried about my health? What did that have to do with liking pudding?

“Ah… Maybe that sounded a little weird. I just meant, let’s start the new school term strong and healthy.”

“New term, huh? You’re that excited about moving up to high school?”

“Yeah! Because now, I finally get to go to school with you!”

“That’s the reason why? But we’ve always gone together in the mornings, right?”

“Well, yeah, but this time we’ll be in the same building, so we won’t have to split up halfway.”

“Hmm. But we’ll still part ways at the shoe lockers, so distance-wise, it’s not that different…”

“That’s not the point! I just don’t like seeing you off!”

Yui was surprisingly sentimental. As her older brother, it was nice to be admired like this.

“I see. Well then, this time, I’ll be the one to see you off.”

“Really? You promise?”

The D.D.G.P. I ate afterward was a bold creation to say the least. The pudding was buried under a mountain of whipped cream, along with two kinds of ice cream: vanilla and chocolate. But the whipped cream was only mildly sweet, and the caramel syrup drizzled on top had just the right hint of bitterness. The balance was perfect.

Yui might actually have a talent for making pudding.

＊＊＊

After dinner, each member of the Takeda family retreated to their respective rooms. It seemed that Yuusei had logged into his usual VR game, and their mother, Yuko, was doing her post-dinner exercise while listening to music.

As for Yui…

“Hey, Dia-chan, what’s the situation now?”

《I have already located the current holder of the problem diary. Based on their movements, there is a high likelihood they will appear at the school soon.》

“Ugh. So we couldn’t stop it after all. I really wish they wouldn’t come here.”

《It appears that their “soul energy” toward realizing their desires is quite strong. Since they have no hesitation in using forceful methods, it is expected that completely preventing their interference will be impossible.》

“Ugh, how troublesome…”

《If I could receive just a bit more protective energy, I would be able to counter them sufficiently. If they try to push their way in with brute force, we’ll just have to push back. We may not be able to completely seal them off, but we should be able to prevent them from making direct contact with Master.》

“Hmm. And by ‘just a bit more,’ how much exactly is that?”

《If a large-scale evangelization effort is carried out, it should be enough.》

“That’s not ‘just a bit more’! Evangelization? So basically, a public awareness campaign, increasing consumption, or marketing efforts, right? You say ‘large-scale’ so casually, but that part is really hard to do! Or do you actually have a plan in mind?”

《Yes. Master has been scouted to be the commercial image character for EXA Luxury Sweets’ “Ultimate Hexagon Pudding.”》

“What?! I never heard about this. When did that happen?”

《I guided certain individuals during the ski trip to ensure this outcome. The plan worked and they reached out to Master.》

“Hah? Dai-chan, you were working behind the scenes again, huh? But… Is this a legitimate offer?”

《I verified it. There are no issues. The only potential problem is whether the individual in question is willing.》

“Ah… Onii-chan would totally hate something like this. What should I do?”

《Perhaps you should consult the Host Mother?》

“Mom? Wouldn’t that get our points deducted though?”

《As long as you’re only seeking her opinion, it won’t be.》

“I see. But if I ask her to help persuade Onii-chan, then it would be a deduction, right?”

《Yes. That action would result in a penalty. However, even after deducting the penalty, the net result would still be a significant positive gain.》

“Hmm. Alright. I’ll try talking to her. There’s no way I’m letting my Onii-chan get caught up in some ridiculous otome game that’s barging into our territory so shamelessly like this!”

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー