Just Being Alive Is Amazing: Starting Life Over in a Chastity-Reversed World - Chapter 5: Family

Chapter 5: Family

While I was sleeping after my visit with Mom, Yoshizawa-san came to wake me up.

It seems the evening visiting hours are about to start.

“Takuya-san, how are you feeling? Are you up for a visit?”

Yoshizawa-san checked the monitors and then leaned in to gauge my condition.

Being stared at by her big, bright eyes made me a bit embarrassed, but I nodded to hide it.

“If you feel even the slightest change in your condition, please let me know! You’re still recovering, after all!”

She leaned in closer, emphasizing her point.

As I met her gaze, her face suddenly turned bright red.

“S-Sorry! I got too close, didn’t I? My apologies!”

She apologized profusely just for getting a bit close. Yoshizawa-san is beautiful, and I didn’t mind at all, but…

“You don’t have to apologize so much. I’m not bothered.”

“Takuya-san, you’re so kind!”

Now she seemed impressed for some reason.

“O-Oh, right! More importantly, your family is here. Is it okay if I let them in?”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

The tension built as I prepared to meet family members other than my mother.

As I was lost in my thoughts, a group of people entered the room.

There were five of them, one of whom was, of course, Mom.

“Um, hello…”

I figured a greeting was the best way to start, but I got no response from the other four.

Instead, I heard the sound of their sobs.

I couldn’t tell if they were tears of joy for my survival or sorrow for my amnesia, but it was clear I had been deeply loved growing up.

“Come on! Stop crying and introduce yourselves to Taku-chan.”

Mom’s bright voice cut through the heavy atmosphere.

“I’ll go first.”

The one who spoke up was a girl with reddish-purple long hair.

“My name’s Masami. I’m a second-year high school student and the eldest daughter.”

“Next is me. I’m Karen. Takkun’s Onee-san, one year older.”

The next to introduce herself was a girl with reddish-pink curled hair. She seemed energetic and strong-willed, like a gyaru-type older sister.

“I’m Kaede. Your twin sister.”

The next girl’s introduction shocked me. A twin of the opposite sex? That’s got to be rare. Her black hair shimmered red in the light, and her big, bright eyes stood out. I haven’t seen my own face in a mirror yet, but is this what I look like?

“And last is me! I’m Sakura, your little sister!”

The final one, raising her hand energetically, was a girl with cherry-blossom-pink hair tied in twin tails, just as her name suggested.

It seems I have four sisters in this world: three older and one younger.

“I’m Takuya, your brother. Nice to meet you.”

They all know me, but I figured it was polite to introduce myself in return.

“I’m so glad you woke up, Takuya.”

Masami-san said this while holding my hand.

“Sorry for worrying you…”

Feeling the emotion in her grip, I instinctively apologized.

“Hey, Takkun? Why’re you being so formal?”

Karen-san asked, tilting her head.

My polite speech must have seemed odd. Talking formally to family is, admittedly, unnatural.

But to me, they feel like “beautiful strangers I’m meeting for the first time.”

“Are you maybe worried about not having your memories?”

“Uh…”

Kaede-san’s sharp question caught me off guard. She hit the nail on the head.

“To me, you all feel like complete strangers… I can’t help but think someone like me, with no memories, doesn’t deserve to be accepted as family…”

The more I realize the difference between the me in their memories and the me now, the more I fear being rejected or disappointing them. If I’m going to be rejected eventually, it’d hurt less to face it now. That’s why I decided to voice my thoughts.

“That’s not true.”

The one who firmly denied my words was Mom, who had been quietly watching until now.

“When we talked at lunch, I realized something. Taku-chan hasn’t gone anywhere. Yes, it’s sad that you’ve lost your memories, but I could feel that the kind Taku-chan is still alive.”

As she said this, Mom walked over and gently patted my head.

“We can make plenty of new memories once you’re healthy again, okay? So don’t say you’re not qualified.”

“O-Okay…”

Her gentle yet firm words warmed my heart.

“Hey, Takuya, drop the formal speech too, okay? We’re family.”

Kaede-san took my hand, pleading earnestly.

“Understood… I mean, okay.”

“Good, good! You’re doing great.”

When I dropped the formalities, Mom patted my head again, praising me. Being treated like this made me start to feel like her son.

As we shared this warm moment…

“It’s not fair that only the big sisters get to talk! I wanna talk to Onii-chan too!”

Sakura-san protested.

Come to think of it, I hadn’t spoken to her beyond her introduction.

“Uh, Sakura…-chan? Sorry for ignoring you. Let’s get along from now on, okay?”

Hoping to build a close family bond, I extended my uninjured left hand. Was calling her “-chan” too forward? I have no sense of how to interact with a little sister.

“Yeah! Let’s get along, Onii-chan! But instead of Sakura-chan, I want you to call me just Sakura~”

She nodded enthusiastically, grabbing my hand with both of hers, her face beaming. Then, with pleading eyes, she asked to be called by her name alone. With those big, round eyes—the same color as her hair—staring at me, I couldn’t say no.

“Alright, Sakura.”

When I called her by her name as she wished, she flashed a radiant smile, like a cherry blossom in full bloom.

Then, Masami-san and the others chimed in, asking me to call them Masami-neechan, Karen-neechan, and just Kaede. I obliged each of them.

As our first family conversation grew lively, a soft sobbing sound came from somewhere in the room.

We all turned toward the noise and saw Yoshizawa-san crying.

Nakano-san, standing beside her, rubbed her back and teased, “Why’s Akari-chan crying?”

But Nakano-san’s eyes were misty too.

“‘Cause it’s so moving~!”

Yoshizawa-san’s tearful outburst, her voice trembling with emotion, made the whole family chuckle together.