Living Normally In An Abnormal World - Chapter 110: Meeting Between Women

Chapter 110: Meeting Between Women

“… I wonder why this happens.”

The girl was isolated.

She had been isolated even in elementary school.

The girl knew the reason.

It was probably because she had older brothers she adored.

They had been there since before she could remember, and they cherished and loved her very much. Whenever she was lonely, they were always by her side, and if she cried, they would hug and comfort her.

Men were rare and hardly ever around.

She often saw them on the internet and TV programs, and because she grew up surrounded by her three older brothers, she thought that was just how it was.

But she realized it was a misunderstanding, starting from elementary school.

At first, she made friends. Her first friends of the same gender.

She loved her brothers, but there were things she couldn’t talk about in front of them, and there were things they hadn’t taught her, so she learned a lot of new things and had a lot of fun.

That was, until people found out she had older brothers.

From then on, her surroundings changed.

The topic of conversation became all about her brothers.

What they looked like, what their hobbies were, what type of person they liked, what they were doing today, and so on, to the point of no end.

Not only her friends, but also classmates who had no connection with her, came to hear about her brothers. They only ever wanted to hear about her brothers.

No one was looking at her. No one was trying to see her as a person.

Her brothers, concerned about her, gave her kind words and skinship. But it never turned towards others, and when she rejected them, it only made their relationship worse, something she could never tell anyone.

Things didn’t change much when she went to middle school.

There were some people from elementary school, but she didn’t care if they hated her. At first, they would come to talk to her when they heard about her brothers, but when they realized it was a waste of time, they would leave on their own and treat her coldly.

But half of her classmates didn’t care about her brothers at all, and they were busy talking about their own hobbies in their own groups.

However, she could never join those groups. No one wanted to be associated with someone who was a burden.

That’s why she couldn’t trust anyone.

Even if they were nice to her now, it was obviously because they wanted to show off to her brothers.

It was only a matter of time before she started getting bullied.

Things were hidden from her, she was talked about behind her back, she was ostracized, and no one stood up for her.

Women were all enemies.

Enemies.

But she was tired.

So, … no more.

“Hey.”

“What? Leave me alone!”

“That’s fine, but you’re standing in front of someone’s house, crying and soaking wet, so I can’t ignore you. It’s your fault for attracting my attention.”

“… “

“You must be cold. I can offer you a shower and some warm food.”

“Do you have milk tea?”

“I can make some.”

“Oh, thank you. Samejima-san.”

“You knew who I was?”

“Of course, we’re classmates.”

“… Yeah.”

[I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can eat with you today.]

[I understand. I’ll bring it in a Tupperware later.]

[This is very bold of me, but can you add one more portion?]

Judging by her soaked appearance, I assumed she hadn’t eaten anything, so I asked Yuuto to add one more portion, much to my chagrin.

[It’s okay. Asuka, if there’s anything I can help with, just let me know.]

“…I like you.”

Asuka accidentally let her feelings show after seeing Yuuto’s thoughtful words.

“… Thanks for the shower.”

She returned and I sat her down in a chair.

Her expression was dark, and she seemed to feel guilty for causing trouble.

“Don’t worry about it. Here’s your hot milk tea.”

“Okay.”

“You can stay here and relax for a while.”

After that, there was no conversation between the two of them.

Asuka’s expressionless mask was always on display in front of strangers and Yuuto, and she wasn’t very good at talking.

“… Are you not going to ask me anything?”

“Do you want me to ask you something?”

“… “

“… It’s raining hard, so why don’t you stay over tonight?”

Asuka understood her classmate’s situation to a certain extent.

She probably started getting bullied because she was jealous of the love Asuka received from her three brothers. But even so, she couldn’t assume that it was something that happened out of sight.

(What should I do?)

She had never heard of or experienced bullying in elementary school, so she didn’t know how to solve it.

She had heard that it was often covered up at school, so she thought about going directly to the police, but she probably didn’t want to make a big deal out of it.

Since it was a matter of male relationships, talking it out was out of the question.

(Is this impossible?)

Asuka gave up on finding a solution for a little while.

“Just so you know, I’m not interested in your brothers at all.”

“Huh?”

“That’s what I mean.”

“What do you mean?”

Her classmate was a shut-in.

She had borrowed a shower and been given a warm milk tea, so Hazuki couldn’t just push her away.

Samejima Asuka.

She was at the top of her class in terms of grades and athletic ability, and she was friends with those two, Tachibana Maria and Yamazaki Hanaka, and was part of the group that existed at the top of the social hierarchy.

“I have someone I like.”

“!”

Asuka suddenly started exposing her feelings.

No, just because she had someone she liked didn’t mean she wasn’t attracted to her brothers. She tried to speak up in defense of her brothers’ charm, but just then, the doorbell rang.

She probably heard it, because Asuka, who had been expressionless until then, seemed a little more relaxed. She called out to Asuka, and as she headed towards the door, Hazuki noticed that her steps were light.

She moved out of sight of the door and listened in.

“I brought it.”

“Thank you.”

“… See you tomorrow.”

“Yeah, see you tomorrow.”

To her surprise, the visitor was a man. She was curious as to why he would come to Asuka’s house in the rain, but the conversation was so short that she quickly sat back down in the chair she had been in.

She felt a sense of familiarity and discomfort with the voice she heard. She remembered that her brothers were always watching videos on the TV at home, and that she had started working out because of their influence.

Could this be the person behind Grauzer?

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. Who was it?”

“The person I like.”

“Huh?”

“Usually, I’d be having dinner with the person I like, but today is special.”

“… I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. Since we’re here, let’s eat together. He made Tom Yum Goong, which is kind of spicy. Are you okay with spicy food?”

“I like it.”

“Oh, that’s good.”

“So, are you two dating?”

“We’re not dating. I haven’t confessed to him, and he hasn’t confessed to me. But we both like each other, so we’re together. It’s complicated.”

“… I see.”

“I’m not going to introduce you to him.”

“I’d rather not, because other problems would arise.”

“About your brothers?”

“Yeah, they get sulky when they sees me with other men. I love that about my brothers, but sometimes they won’t talk to me.”

“You’re loved, it’s wonderful.”

“… Yeah.”

It was the first time.

It was the first time she had shown her environment to someone, and instead of being jealous or envious, they had accepted it purely.

“The person I like is the opposite. He says things like, ‘You’ll find someone better,’ and he gets happy when he senses a man nearby. What a pervert.”

“… I’m sorry, but that person sounds like an idiot.”

“He’s an idiot.”

“… Huh?”

Hazuki’s thoughts stopped for a moment when she heard her words about the person she liked. She tried to understand that she was just teasing him because she liked him, but

“He’s an idiot.”

“I think it’s better if you just do what you want.”

“I’m doing what I want.”

It seemed that wasn’t the case.

The two of them ate the homemade Tom Yum Goong and talked about their memories of their loved ones.

They chatted for a while and became close enough to call each other by their first names. However, their time together came to an abrupt end when the doorbell rang.

She knew it wasn’t a family member, so Asuka wondered who it was as she stood in front of the TV door phone.

“Is Hazuki here?!”

“It’s Hazuki’s brother. Hazuki, your ride is here.”

“Huh, Ken-niisan? What’s going on?”

“What’s going on? You didn’t contact me until this late, so I came to pick you up!”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“Your clothes are already dry, so take them with you.”

“Thank you, Asuka.”

“Hazuki, see you tomorrow.”

“… Yeah. See you tomorrow.”

Asuka, who didn’t want to provoke the stranger, only saw him off to the door. Then, after the image of the Aozora siblings disappeared from the door eye, she headed towards Yuuto’s house.

“Hazuki…”

“Hey, Ken-niisan. I made a friend.”

“Oh, that’s great.”

“If you’re interested, I can introduce you to her sometime.”

“Haha, when are you going to be interested in that?”

“Hmm, when he’s with his boyfriend?”

“She has a boyfriend in the same class?!”

“It’s probably the person behind Grauzer.”

“Hazuki…”

“No.”