In This World That Favors Men, I... ~Starting a Sweet School Life in a World With a 1:8 Gender Ratio~ - 70-71

Chapter 70: Let’s Go Get Mokudo Burger!

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“Is it really okay for me to join you all?”

On the way from school to the nearest station, I asked the two first-year girls who were Yui’s friends one more time, just to be sure. I was worried they might not be thrilled about an upperclassman suddenly joining them.

“It was more than okay. We’re actually super happy! We wanted to learn more about high school stuff, so this is a perfect opportunity for us to do so!”

The one who responded without hesitation was Haruka Sagara-san. She was surprisingly mature for someone in the same grade as Yui, and the long, straight hairstyle suited her really well. 

Or maybe it’s just that Yui looked kind of childish for her age?

“Yes, exactly! I’ve heard from my big sister that high school gets tougher academically, and the number of students per class increases, so the atmosphere is different from middle school. That’s why I wanted to hear a guy’s perspective too!”

The one who followed up energetically was Sanae Tawara-san. She was about the same petite height as Yui. I’d occasionally seen her during morning commutes before, so we were already somewhat familiar with each other. 

Wait, big sister?

“A big sister? Tawara-san, you have a big sister at this school?”

“Yes, she’s actually in the same class as Takeda-senpai…”

The same class!? Seriously?

“Ah! Tawara-san… You mean Saki Tawara-san? Whoa, I had no idea!”

Even though we’d known each other for nearly a year, I never knew she had a little sister.

“Now that you mention it, I don’t think I’ve ever talked about my big sister before.”

“But now that you mention it, you do kind of resemble her.”

“R-Really? I thought she had a much sharper vibe than me, though.”

“Yeah, the vibe is totally different. Maybe that’s why I never realized you were sisters even though your facial features are similar. Your sister gives off a crisp, no-nonsense impression, while you always seem kind of soft and gentle. Maybe it’s the hairstyle?”

“Soft and gentle?”

Sanae-chan had light, fluffy hair cut just around shoulder-length. When the sunlight hit it, it shimmered—it looked almost like…

“Like cotton candy?”

It looked like something you’d pop into your mouth and it would just melt away.

“That sounds… Tasty? I guess?”

“Do you like cotton candy? I like them. I always buy it when I go to festivals. It’s so cool how it starts out as hard sugar crystals, but the machine turns it into something so fluffy that just disappears in your mouth.”

“Ahhh! He said, ‘I like’! Burn that into your ears, memorize it forever and ever…”

“Sanae-chan?”

“Huh? What were we talking about again?”

“Uhh… Your sister? Or maybe cotton candy?”

“R-Right. Cotton candy… Oh! Speaking of cotton candy, there’s this super popular candy shop on Umeshita Street in the back alley area. They recently started selling cotton candy, and apparently it’s a huge hit.”

“A candy shop? That’s interesting.”

“And not just ordinary cotton candy! It’s, like, huge. This big and super colorful, with all kinds of flavors!”

As she spoke, Sanae-chan held her arms wide and made a giant triangle. It was at least three times bigger than her face. Definitely huge.

“If it’s that big, eating it sounds like a challenge in itself.”

“But surprisingly, it’s actually low-calorie! Each one is under 200 calories, and it has all sorts of fruit flavors, so people say you never get tired of it.”

That was good to know. Colorful cotton candy definitely sounded like something girls would love and the fact that it was in the back alley district was a huge bonus. It might have been a good spot for a date. I figured I should check the shop out later.

“Not getting bored of it is a great factor. Are there any other shops that are popular with girls because of cute visuals or stuff like that?”

“Let’s see…”

While we chatted, partly as a way to gather info, we quickly arrived in front of the station.

“Alright, let’s go get Mokudo Burger!”

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“Two medium-sized Pudding Shakes and one large Mokumoku Fries, please.”

“Certainly~ ♡ Please wait until your number is called~ ♪”

Since Yui and Sanae-chan went upstairs to find seats, I went ahead and placed the order for all of us, including Yui’s.

“Takeda-senpai, do you like pudding too?”

While we waited, Sagara-san, who had lined up with me, asked me that question.

“Yeah, I really like it. I often go out to eat it at shops and I end up buying it at convenience stores too.”

(Agh! Direct hit from the smile bomb! Critical damage! This is bad!)

“Is there a reason why both you and your sister like pudding so much?”

“I wonder why? Maybe it’s the smooth texture? Or the gentle vanilla scent? Or the richness of the egg yolk? I think it’s things like that. But I also just like sweet stuff in general and eat it pretty often.”

“Seriously! Don’t you worry about your figure? (What is this? A reward scene?! He’s so close! He’s way too close! He’s even more handsome when I see him up close like this!)”

“I don’t really worry about it. Maybe I’ve got bad fuel efficiency or something, but no matter how much I eat, my body doesn’t really change much.”

“That’s so lucky. Now that you mention it, Yui’s slim too. Maybe it’s a family thing?”

“Not sure. Our mom’s got a great figure too, but I’ve heard she always exercises after meals. So maybe it’s just that our metabolism is high given our age?”

“Still, being able to eat and not gain weight sounds amazing.”

“You worry about that too, Sagara-san? That’s kind of surprising. Even though you’ve got such a great figure.”

“I totally do! Since I’m tall, I will look really big if I gain weight.”

“Now that you mention it, you are pretty tall. With loafers you’re around this height, so if you wore heels, you’d be about the same height as me, huh?”

“Yeah, pretty much. I want to wear heels, but I always get self-conscious about it.”

“You don’t need to worry at all. I think you’d look really cool, like a model, Sagara-san.”

“Wow… Hearing that from you, Takeda-senpai, gives me so much confidence. Um… Do you think tall girls… Would be your type? As in, romantically?”

“I’d say yes. Whether I fall for someone or not depends on the person, or maybe compatibility? That’s what matters most to me.”

“I see. I’m glad to hear that. (I might be aiming for the stars, but this is my chance! A super big opportunity! I’m gonna use this opportunity and do my best!)

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Chapter 71: Time to Go Home

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I parted ways with the other two at the station, since they were heading in a different direction, and boarded the train home together with Yui. Fortunately, it was still before rush hour, so the train was relatively empty. Still, out of habit, I moved to the train car connection area and sat together in a corner seat. With her petite frame, Yui looked even smaller, and somehow she looked just so adorable.

“That was fun, going to Mokudo.”

“Yeah. Your friends both seemed really easygoing and like good people.”

“Right? I mean, they’re my friends, after all.”

With those two around, it seemed Yui’s high school life would be going just fine. 

“How was your new class?”

“Hmm… I’m not really sure yet. But the new student recreation event was super fun.”

“That’s great to hear. If I remember right, the ones in charge of your class were Okita and…”

“Nagakura-senpai!”

“Ah, Nagakura, right. With those two, I bet the games got really lively.”

“Yeah. They ran through the games at a crazy pace, so everything felt super busy! But that made it even more fun.”

“Thought so. Class 3-B is full of hot-blooded sports guys, but even among them, those two are especially energetic.”

“You know those senpai, Onii-chan?”

“Yeah, of course. We sometimes have gym class together, and we got friendly during the soccer match in February.”

“I see. So, what kind of people are they? Personality-wise, I mean.”

“They’re straightforward guys with good personalities. Kind of simple, or maybe just very direct? Once they set a goal, they push themselves until they reach it. That kind of type.”

“Hoooh. So, pretty much just like they look.”

“Yeah. They might be a bit of an old-school manly type, which is kind of rare nowadays.”

“Hmm hmm. I’ll make sure to tell everyone later.”

“Everyone?”

“Yep. Right now, the third-year senpai are super popular among the girls.”

“Oh? Those guys are getting all the love from the first-years?”

“That’s right. But Onii-chan, aren’t you super popular too?”

“Me? Hmm. I dunno. More than being popular, I just got tackled a whole bunch today.”

“Tackled~! I did a bunch too! Like, a big DOOON!”

“Exactly. Though it was more like BAM!BAMMM!BAMMMMM!!! really. Everyone was charging in full force, totally relentless.”

They really came at me with their whole body. I had to hold my ground with all of my might. 

“Well, it’s a rare chance to play with the third year senpai after all. Of course they’d want to get a little closer to the senpai.”

“I get that, and I’m happy about it, but… Okita and the others train their legs and hips regularly, so they probably didn’t mind. As for me, I kinda got overwhelmed by the force of it all.”

“Onii-chan, you are a little on the skinny side after all.”

–Skinny? Wait, what? That comment kinda prick me in the heart, you know.

“I do have a fair amount of muscle, though…”

My abs are even kind of defined. Not that I’d go showing them off.

“Really? But compared to Okita-senpai or Nagakura-senpai, you’re still pretty slim, aren’t you?”

Ugh. Can’t deny that. When the comparison is with those sports-type guys, there’s just no way I can win in the muscle department.

“Those senpai were really sturdy. Even when I tackled them, it was like they were saying, ‘Bring it oooooon!’ And their necks and shoulders looked like they could handle me hanging off them without breaking a sweat.”

“I—I could probably handle that… Too…”

I muttered lowly, not totally confident about that. 

But Yui’s light, so I’m sure I should be able to handle her just fine. 

“Then next time I’ll try hanging off you!”

“Sure, but next time, okay?!”

Maybe I should do some strength training in secret first… If I ever got knocked over from a hug by Yui or something, my pride as her older brother would be shattered to pieces. Better to be prepared. Just in case. Yeah! Just in case!

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“Welcome home.”

As soon as we got home, our mother peeked out from the entryway.

“Huh? You’re home early today, Mom. What about work?”

“Something came up suddenly. We’re having guests over, so I took a half-day.”

“Guests?”

“Yes. They should be people you’re familiar with, Yuusei. And besides, it’s something that involves you, so once you’ve changed out of your uniform, could you come to the living room?”

“Got it.”

After she said that, I glanced again at the entryway and noticed two unfamiliar pairs of women’s pumps neatly lined up. Something that involved me… What could it be? While wondering about that, I headed upstairs to my room.

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