It's a Chastity-Reversed World, But It's Different From What I Imagined? - 72

Chapter 72: Change in Attitude

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When I woke up in the morning, my mother wasn’t in the futon with me. 

Maybe she already went to work?

Thinking that, I went into the room where we usually had breakfast, and the women were already sitting there.

“Good morning, Yoru.”

My mother, looking a little embarrassed, took my hand and made me sit in front of a meal tray.

“Now, let’s eat. Itadakimasu.”

Mom scooped rice into my bowl. She had never done something like this for me before, so I was taken aback. It wasn’t just me—Tsuki and Yui-san, who were sitting with us, also looked surprised and turned their eyes toward Mother.

“What? Why are you all making such strange faces? The rice will get cold.”

Mom began eating breakfast. That usual sharp, prickly atmosphere she always carried seemed to vanish, and she acted as if nothing had ever happened.

A tsundere?

That side of my mother was so funny that I ended up laughing.

“Ahahaha, yeah. I kind of like this. This atmosphere.”

When I laughed, the two who had been hesitant exchanged glances and let out a breath.

“I wonder what on earth happened.”

“Mother is weird…”

Yui-san smiled with a helpless look, while Tsuki, as usual, acted harshly, giving her a look like she was staring at something bizarre. Only Yuuna silently continued eating her meal.

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After breakfast, for the first time, the three of us as a family went sightseeing during our trip. Mother walked hand in hand with me, brimming with excitement.

“Yoru! Look at that! It really is big, isn’t it?”

“Yoru, let’s eat this together.”

“Mother, don’t hog Onii all to yourself.”

For some reason, Tsuki grew competitive, hugging my other arm and challenging Mother head-on.

“Yes, yes. Tsuki really is a big brother’s girl, huh. But, Tsuki, you’re his little sister, so you can’t date him, you know.”

“T-That’s…”

“Ah, Yoru, let’s eat that next.”

Since it was a tourist spot, there were all sorts of shops, and walking around with the three of us was a brand-new experience. Traveling with my family was so much fun. Yui-san had said she was taking Yuuna somewhere else, so today we were going our separate ways.

“Hehe, this kind of thing is nice once in a while.”

The strict Mother, who usually wore a constant frown between her brows, now smiled gently. Tsuki looked at her as though she were staring at something uncanny. But I knew it was thanks to Mother finally letting out the poison she had carried inside.

“Yeah. Since this is our first time traveling as a family, it’s fun.”

“Well, if Onii wants to go, then I guess I can tag along.”

Hearing Tsuki’s tsundere remark, I laughed again, realizing how similar the two of them were.

“Ehh, but it’s not like we really need Tsuki around.”

Mother teased Tsuki with those words.

“-!!! Absolutely not! Leaving Mother and Onii alone together is dangerous!”

Behind Tsuki, I could almost see the phantom of a dog, barking in warning. Behind Mother, I saw the calm, confident grin of a tanuki.

“You two, play nice. I’m going to the restroom.”

Saying that, I stepped away from the two of them. From a distance, I could see they were still bickering, but their conversation carried on. Feeling relieved, I searched for the restroom and…

I got lost. Why? Because there was no men’s restroom.

“Um, excuse me.”

As I stood there troubled, a small girl spoke to me.

“Eh? Ah, yes.”

She was about 130 cm tall? She looked no older than an elementary schooler, and being spoken to by her left me confused.

“Are you looking for the restroom?”

It seemed she had noticed I was having trouble.

“Actually, yeah.”

“Come with me. There aren’t many men’s restrooms around.”

How pathetic I was, being helped by an elementary school girl in a busy tourist area. But with so many eyes on me, I was glad for the help.

“Thanks.”

“It’s fine… I have a little brother, so I’m used to it.”

Though surely her brother wasn’t as big as me. Still, she probably knew the struggles of having a male sibling. After being guided to the men’s restrooms and fulfilling my need without any problem, I left the restroom. The girl was still standing at the entrance, waiting for me.

“Thank you. You really helped me.”

“It’s fine. Come on, let’s go back. You don’t know the way, right?”

“Ah…”

It finally dawned on me why she had waited for me and felt embarrassed. I hadn’t even thought about how to get back until she said it.

“Thanks again and again. I want to give you something in return. How about I buy you a juice?”

Though she was younger, I gave her my thanks respectfully. Spotting a vending machine, I pointed toward it and offered to buy her something.

“…Strawberry milk.”

In a small, embarrassed voice, she told me what she wanted.

“OK.”

I bought a strawberry milk from the vending machine and handed it to her. Then I bought a canned coffee for myself, and we sat down together and drank side by side.

“My name’s Yoru Kurose. Thanks for guiding me.”

Since she had helped me when I was in trouble, I once again introduced myself and thanked her properly.

“…Tsuyu. Tsuyu Zashiki. I’m used to it, so it’s fine.”

“Tsuyu-chan, huh. Even if you’re used to it, speaking up to help someone in trouble is still amazing. Really, thank you.”

When I thanked her for the third time, Tsuyu-chan blushed and lowered her head. We both drank silently, and once we were done, I spoke.

“Shall we get going? Please take me back to the road.”

“Mm.”

Tsuyu-chan nodded and started walking. When I returned, Mom and Tsuki had apparently been looking for me, and they rushed over, hugging me in relief. I turned back to thank Tsuyu-chan—but she was already gone.

“Was that… Just a chance encounter on this trip?”

And so, another memory was made.

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