Living Normally In An Abnormal World - Chapter 28: Saving a Spot

Chapter 28: Saving a Spot 

The long-awaited sports day had arrived. As a guardian of Yuuna, I planned to arrive at around 10 am. 

Yuuna had already gone to school, so I was making bento boxes with Mana. 

I was making onigiri rice balls, while Mana was preparing the side dishes. It had been a while since we cooked together like this, since the days when we started doing household chores. 

“Scrambled eggs, sausages, and fried chicken…” 

“And thinly sliced cucumbers in light vinegar.” 

“You just want to eat those yourself, don’t you? But we don’t have any…” 

Before Mana could say “any,” I quickly took a bite-sized piece of cucumber in light vinegar from the plate and handed it to her. 

“One of the perks of being a househusband: making light vinegar pickles.” 

I said this with a smug look and a thumbs-up. 

Mana smiled at this and took a bite of the pickle. 

“Ah, it’s delicious. It goes well with alcohol!” 

“No drinking too much.” 

“I know, but making pickles like these is more of an old man’s hobby, isn’t it…?” 

“Don’t say that.” 

I had thought this many times while we were cooking. 

“Ah, Yuuto-kun~! Over here, over here!” 

“Yuuto-sama~! Over here~!” 

“Yuuto, we’re over here.” 

Before other parents arrived, I wanted to secure a spot for us to sit, so we came early. However, Miu-san, Erina, and Ribbon-san had already arrived and saved us a spot. 

“Good morning, Miu-san, Erina, and Ribbon-san.” 

“Good morning. I didn’t expect you to be here so early.” 

“We came early to make sure we got a spot so we could sit with you.” 

“I had to beat others to it, or we might lose our spot.” 

“The loser has no right to complain.” 

Miu-san, Ribbon-san, and Erina greeted us. 

I was relieved to be with acquaintances, as it made me feel more at ease. I would gladly join them. 

“And who’s that over there?” 

A woman was relaxing in the back. Mana approached her. 

“It’s Reina.” 

“Yes, good morning~ It’s me, Reina, Rina’s mother. Thank you for taking care of my daughter, and… are you two married!?” 

Hmm, now that I look closely, she does resemble Rina. 

“Ah, you’re Rina’s mother. Nice to meet you, I’m Yuuto. Thank you for taking care of your daughter. And no, we’re not married.” 

“Moo~, even though Rina is with you~” 

“It would be wonderful, but unfortunately, it’s not the right time yet…” 

“Eh!? Are you going to marry her in the future!?” 

“It’s just a polite expression!” 

Mana lightly tapped Reina’s head. 

“Uuu… I know that already~” 

“Your eyes looked serious.” 

“Mana, you know Reina from the PTA meetings, right?” 

“Yes, we met there.” 

Ah, I see. 

“Hey, hey, Yuuto-kun, you like games, right~? I’m making a new one, so why don’t you test-play it with me~? Just the two of us~!” 

“Reina, are you trying to bother Yuuto-kun again with that game? And please don’t be so forward with him; you just met him today.” 

Erina stopped Reina, who was enthusiastically inviting Yuuto. 

I was curious about the game, though. Could it be… 

“Is that the game where I’m the model?” 

The title was something like, “A School Love Life with an Ikemen Guy, Right?” I think it sold over a million copies. 

“Yes, Yuuto-kun. Reina here did the scenario and design for that game.” 

A shocking fact. I never expected Rina’s mother to be the creator! 

“No, it wasn’t really meant to be released~ It was just my self-indulgent fanfiction~ But then the company president found out about it, and it ended up getting released~” 

“So, was it you who made the capture target, Yuuta, so difficult to capture!?” 

“Since the original character was based on you, Yuuto-kun, I added some obstacles so that it wouldn’t be too easy to capture him~ It was my way of getting back at you.” 

“Hmm, well, thank you, I guess?” 

“Ah, but I’ll transfer the money I earned from that game to your account~” 

“Huh!?” 

“I caused trouble for Yuuto-kun, so this is the least I can do.” 

“No, I don’t need it. That’s the revenue from the sales, right?” 

“No, it’s because I caused trouble for you, Yuuto-kun. I’m truly sorry for any inconvenience I may have caused. If there’s anything I can do to make it up to you, please let me know.” 

Reina-san tried to bow deeply to me, but I stopped her. 

I had a feeling this would happen as we talked. While she had a strong sense of responsibility, I didn’t mind at all, and I didn’t feel inconvenienced. So, there was no need for her to bow so deeply. 

“You didn’t cause any trouble, and I enjoyed that game, so please don’t worry about it.” 

“But…” 

“Then, since you said you’d do anything for me, I have a request. Please forget about that game and consider the money as part of your company’s hard-earned revenue. Do you understand?” 

“…” 

“Do • you • un • der • stand?” 

“Yes.” 

“Also, please go back to your usual way of speaking. I don’t like this formal tone.” 

“Well, that…” 

“Ah, I understand. It might be awkward after this conversation, so take your time. I’ll wait as long as it takes.” 

“Hah, hahi!” 

“Don’t be so nervous; just relax.” 

I said this with a smile, but it seemed to have the opposite effect, as Reina-san shrank back. It would probably take some time for her to return to her usual self. 

And as we were having this conversation, 

“Yuuto-kun, you’re amazing. I didn’t think you could be so mature in dealing with adults…” 

“I never thought you’d use polite speech like that… I want you to become an idol! But the fan club’s pledge is… so frustrating!” 

“Yuuto, I didn’t realize you could be so formal.” 

“My dear, that was beyond my expectations.” 

(I would be the same if he spoke to me like that…) 

That’s what they were thinking as they watched us. 

“Are you feeling better now?” 

“Uh, yeah, thank you~ I won’t do that again~” 

It took some time, but Reina-san finally calmed down and was able to speak in her usual tone again. 

“I wanted to apologize earlier, but Mana told me to come because you weren’t really bothered by it.” 

“Yeah, if you had suddenly shown up to apologize, it would have been awkward for me.” 

“But I thought you might be bothered by it because of the fan club pledge.” 

“Hmm, well, I guess it’s fine now that you know I don’t mind. But in the future, please don’t make scenarios where I’m the only one left out, okay?” 

“Yes, I understand~ Because of the fan club’s request, I had to deal with making the game fully voiced. But after a while, they said they only needed the Yuuta scenario~” 

“Hehe, is that so?” 

The fan club was just a hobby, and it must have taken a lot of time to make the game available for listening with full voice acting. 

“Still, I was surprised that it sold over a million copies. The Yuuta scenario became popular because it felt like a real-life romance with a guy, and people found it challenging to capture him.” 

“By the way, does Rina know about this?” 

“No, she doesn’t. She played the game and got angry, saying, ‘Who made this scenario!?’ without knowing it was me.” 

“I see.” 

Somehow, I had gotten to know the mothers of all the girls from school. 

And because they were all older than me, I felt a bit out of place. 

“Mana, I’ll set up the camera, so you girls can have a girls’ talk.” 

“No way, Yuuto-kun, please join us.” 

“Okay, I give up.” 

I gave in and set up the tripod for the camera. I took a few test shots to make sure everything was working. 

“Yuuto-sama, you’re quite skilled at this.” 

“Ribbon-san, to beautifully capture my beloved sister, I must constantly strive to improve my skills.” 

“This is Famicom Mode! I’m impressed.” 

Ribbon could feel it in her skin. She could sense his sharp eyes, his determination to learn how to handle the camera, and his dedication to capturing beautiful images. 

And she understood that he switched into this mode when he held a camera. 

“But, Yuuto-kun, you’ve never taken a photo of me before, have you?” 

Pik! 

“I’m sorry, Mana! I didn’t realize how you felt, but from now on, I’ll take lots of photos of you, okay!” 

As he said this, he snapped a picture. 

“I see, Yuuto-kun becomes more proactive when he’s in this mode.” 

“Mana, you look cute in this photo! Well, you’re always cute, so you’d look good even if I didn’t take the picture.” 

As he said this, he removed the camera from the tripod and showed Mana the photo he had taken. 

“Oh, Yuuto-kun.” 

Mana blushed and lowered her head, clearly pleased with the compliment. 

(Stop flirting in front of me!) 

They knew that when he was in this mode, he became more proactive and less concerned about his surroundings. 

“Would you ladies like me to take your photos too?” 

“「「「…! Of course we would (yes)!!」」” 

For a woman, being complimented by a man is a source of great joy. In a world where the male-to-female ratio was 1:50, men were spoiled and grew arrogant, often rejecting and mistreating women. They hurled insults but rarely gave compliments. 

These women had given up on finding decent men among those who pursued them for their wealth, like Erina. Ribbon had never met a man other than Yuuto, Mana was frustrated by the bad attitudes of the men she met through her idol activities, and Reina had been immersed in the world of 2D until she met Yuuto. 

As women age, they are less often told they are “cute” and more often described as “beautiful.” In other words, they become accustomed to being called “beautiful.” Among them, the man they currently favored had told them they were “cute.” 

The impact of this was like being run over by a bullet train. 

They felt a mix of embarrassment and joy. 

Yuuto rarely commented on people’s appearances, other than his family. This was because almost all the women he met in this world were stunningly beautiful or cute. Living among them, he was truly blessed, but if he went around calling women “beautiful” and “cute,” chaotic situations would inevitably arise. That’s why he usually refrained from commenting on appearances. (Though he had complimented them a few times.) 

In his fan club, his ideal type was described as a Yamato Nadeshiko, which referred to inner beauty. His preference for outer appearance was unknown. Additionally, Mana and Yuuna were excluded from his type due to their close family relationship. 

And now, they had learned a fact that only they knew. He had called them “cute,” which meant he had a positive impression of them. In other words, he had some level of affection for them. 

From now on, they would confidently approach him. 

As they were filled with joy, Yuuto, who had been taking photos of their delighted expressions, 

(The men in this world are really missing out. Well, everyone has their own values…) 

Unaware of his slip-up, he continued taking photos, caught up in the moment. 

Watching this, Mana thought, 

(Is Yuuto-kun interested in becoming a photographer in the future? The way he compliments people is so photographer-like.) 

At the same time, she vowed to always be by his side whenever he held a camera. 

That mode of his was dangerous for women.