Living Normally In An Abnormal World

Chapter 20: To the Neighbor

One day at school, Asuka casually mentioned, “I’m moving.”

“Are you transferring schools?” I asked.

If so, I would feel lonely. Rina, Maria, Asuka, and I often hung out together. It had become our everyday routine, a precious and enjoyable time for me. Now, it seemed like I would lose that.

However, it couldn’t be helped. Even if she transferred schools, we could still keep in touch through L〇NE.

“No, I’m not transferring.”

“Huh?”

Please give me back the slight seriousness I had in my heart just now. My feminine side came out unintentionally.

“My mom suddenly said she wanted to live in a better house, so she found a nice detached house, and we’re moving there.”

“Oh, I see. So that’s what you meant.”

“If it were just that, I wouldn’t have said it so casually.”

“I thought you were going to transfer schools and make me sad.”

“My apologies.”

She said with a smirk. What a wonderful smile.

“So… when are you moving?”

“Tomorrow, on Saturday. We’ve already transported most of our stuff, so we just need to take care of the remaining items.”

“I hope it’s a nice house.”

“It looked like a good house from the outside.”

After that, I spent time surrounded by the girls as usual.

The next day, on Saturday afternoon, while I was vacuuming and cleaning the house, someone rang the doorbell.

This was unusual. We rarely had visitors. It couldn’t be a delivery since Midsummer usually received the packages. I wondered if it was a religious salesperson or a saleswoman.

When I checked the entrance, there was a woman there. Strangely, she seemed familiar.

The woman was holding a paper bag.

“Who is it?” I asked cautiously.

“Ah… I’m Samejima. I just moved in next door today.”

“…Hmm? Could it be…?”

I opened the door, wearing a wig, and faced the woman, who resembled Asuka.

“Thank you for your hospitality. I’m Kinoshita. Nice to meet you.”

“No, thank you. Ah, by the way, I have a daughter. Asuka~!”

“… “

“It’s okay, Mom. You don’t have to shout. We’re neighbors now.”

“Yo, Asuka. From now on, we’ll be living next door to each other.”

“Nice to meet you, Kinoshita-kun. The world is surprisingly small, isn’t it?”

“Eh? Do you know each other? And Kinoshita-kun… Are you perhaps Yuuto-kun?”

“Yes, I’m very grateful to your daughter.”

I took off the wig. There was no point in disguising my voice anyway.

“No way, it’s really you!? Ah~ It really is you!! You’re so cute and cool!!”

“Wha!? Ugh!”

Asuka’s mom hugged me tightly, and her enchanting fruits… Wait, this happened the other day. Moreover, Samejima-san, this is sexual harassment.

“Mom, let go of Yuuto-kun! Even I haven’t even done that yet!”

“I’m this century’s luckiest woman, so your words are useless, young lady.”

Are you supposed to say that about yourself? And she’s hugging me even tighter now. Anyway, this is getting painful, so I slap her sides with my open palms.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I got too excited because I was happy to see you.”

“Well, I understand how you feel.”

When emotions run high, people tend to act more proactively, right? I get it.

“Would you like to come in? I can offer you some tea.”

“Yes, please!”

She answered even before I finished my sentence. She completely ignored the adult way of handling this situation.

“Is that okay, Kinoshita-kun?”

“It’s fine, but I’d rather not have people see us from outside.”

I let her into the house, but I had no idea what to talk about. Anyway, I decided to offer her some tea.

“Please excuse the simplicity, but please have some tea.”

“It’s so nice to have a boy make tea for me. I’m glad I moved here!”

“I’m sorry, Kinoshita-kun.”

“It’s fine. Oh, here, have some sweets.”

Asuka’s mom handed me the paper bag she was carrying.

“Thank you. By the way, what’s your name?”

“It’s Miu. Nice to meet you, Yuuto-kun.”

“Nice to meet you too.”

Now, what should we talk about? If it were Asuka, we could have a casual conversation.

“What kind of work do you do, Asuka’s mom?”

“Oh, Yuuto-kun, call me Miu. Actually, I want you to call me Miu.”

“But, well, okay, Miu-san.”

“Thank you. I work as an idol producer.”

An idol producer…

“That’s amazing.”

“Fufu, it’s a rewarding job.”

“The male idol you were in charge of a while ago suddenly retired, didn’t he?”

“That guy only joined for the royalties, right, Asuka?”

“Wow…”

“Asuka, is that the person you were talking about the other day?”

A few days ago, there was quite a fuss about a male idol who retired after the shortest time on record, I think. I believe he debuted a year ago.

“Yes, many male idols seem to be in it just for extra money. Right, Mom?”

“They’re not particularly good-looking, they’re selfish, their singing isn’t that great, but because they’re male, they gain popularity. And since they’re just in it for the money, they tend to quit quickly. The longest one lasted three years, I think. It’s frustrating when they keep quitting on me.”

“That sounds tough.”

“I wonder if there’s a good kid out there somewhere.”

Miu-san kept glancing at me.

“Mom, Kinoshita-kun is off-limits.”

“Okay, okay, I got it.”

“Hmm? I don’t understand what you two are talking about. Asuka, what do you mean?”

“Mom is a member of Kinoshita-kun’s fan club. So, business-related conversations are off-limits.”

Hmm, so they made rules without telling me. I’ve been leaving the official fan club matters to Ryouta-san, so I should ask her about it next time. She probably knows a lot about it.

However, male idols, huh… Should I consider having a job in the future?

“Well, if you’re interested in becoming an idol, Yuuto-kun, call this number immediately. I’ll do my best to help you.”

I received a business card from Miu-san.

Let’s see, Kongou Production… Isn’t this the biggest idol agency?

“Well, we should be heading back soon. We still have some unpacking to do. Ah, also, can I have one more hug?”

Miu-san seemed to be very straightforward and direct.

“No, Mom. See you later, Kinoshita-kun.”

“Sure, feel free to visit anytime. I’m usually free on weekends anyway.”

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow… “

“See you, Yuuto-kun!!!”

“Eh? …Ah, yes.”

Asuka seemed like she wanted to say something, but her mom interrupted and took her away. From what I heard, it seemed like she wanted to visit tomorrow, but her mom prevented that.

…I feel a bit sorry for her.

But with the new neighbors, there might be some romantic comedy-like developments…

I thought to myself, but then,

“Whoa… Amazing.”

I noticed that the tea leaves in my teacup had formed a ‘tea pillar,’ a rare occurrence where the leaves stand straight up. As I stared at it,

“Hmm… What was I thinking just now? Oh well.”

And so, I forgot about it.

Later, in our L○NE group chat, when Asuka told Rina and Maria about the move,

【I’m so jealous! I want to move next door to Yuuto-kun too!】

Rina replied, expressing her envy.

【Yuuto-sama, please wait a moment while I purchase the land next to your house.】

Maria’s reply was a bit scary.