Living Normally In An Abnormal World

Chapter 3.2: Interlude- The Story of a Sister and a Mother

– Yuuna’s Side –

My name is Kinoshita Yuuna. This may be sudden, but I have an older brother. A kind and cool older brother. I love him so much. To the point that I want to marry him now. Yes, marriage between family members is allowed by the country, so it’s fine.

My brother is always reading books. When I come home from kindergarten, he’s usually reading a book in the living room.

When I greet him, he closes his book and says, “Welcome home.”

But my brother doesn’t laugh much. He only smiles lightly. He doesn’t laugh out loud or act spoiled and demanding. He’s always calm, like a grown-up.

That’s why I was so surprised to see his expression when we went to see the Electrical Parade at the amusement park. My usually calm brother was excitedly running. But even like that, my brother is cute, and I love that part of him too.

I go to kindergarten.

At first, I told my teachers and friends that I had an older brother, but they didn’t believe me and said things like, “You don’t have to force yourself to lie.”

It seems because the birth rate of men is so low, and that they are highly cherished and protected as they grow up, to the point of using the word sheltered on them wouldn’t be an overstatement anymore. As a result, many of them grow up to be arrogant and demanding, and they dislike women.

But I not only talk to my brother, but I also play with him. He pats my head. We take baths together. We sleep together.

Every time I remember these things, I realize how blessed I am.

For women, true happiness has already become a part of everyday life.

But I’m really worried about something. It’s that my brother will soon turn seven years old. My brother has been saying that he wants to go to elementary school, and both Mama and I objected.

Women in this world are not so much carnivores as omnivores.

They have to take action and make the first move if they want to have a chance with a man.

My friends are also working hard to win over men. It becomes a fierce competition.

I don’t want my brother to be caught up in such a competitive environment.

But my brother says,

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Nothing will happen.”

……He’s too carefree for his own good.

After some discussion, Mama and I gave in, and it was decided that my brother would go to school.

Mama is taking a wait-and-see approach. As for me, I’ll just continue to act spoiled as usual.

There’s nothing else I can do about it.

But I worry that he might get tired of my spoiled behavior and start to dislike me.

Even so, my brother still pays attention to me. He’s so kind. But I can’t help feeling a little jealous when he shows that kindness to others besides Mama and me.

That’s why, even today, I’m wearing my brother’s T-shirt as pajamas. The scent of the sun and the scent of a man mix together, creating a wonderful fragrance.

“You’re wearing it again?”

My brother asks me. As always, I reply with a smile,

“Hehehe~♪♪ I couldn’t help it!”

And my brother, as always, says,

“You’re such a hopeless kid.”

And he gently pats me with a smile. Just by doing this, I know that my brother cherishes me. I’m so happy. But it’s not enough. I want to be cherished even more, and I want to be with him all the time. So, I continue to act spoiled.

“Nii-cha!!!”

“What is it?”

“Pick me up!”

“Leave it to me.”

My idea of a hug is a little different from the usual. Normally, you would hug someone from the outside of their clothes, but I like to crawl inside my brother’s shirt and stick my head out from his collar to be hugged. That’s why my brother has to buy larger sizes for his clothes.

At first, my brother said,

“Isn’t this a bit strange?”

But when I said,

“I like it this way!”

He accepted it. I hug him tightly, feeling his skin directly, and press my ear to his chest. Then I can hear the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, tokun, tokun. That comforting sound and warmth are my favorite things in the world.

This is my privilege, something he only does for me. That alone makes me happy.

I know that when I grow up, he might not do this for me anymore. That’s why I want to cherish this happiness as much as possible right now.

“I love you so much, Nii-cha!!!”

“I know, I’ve heard it many times.”

But I don’t think my brother realizes that I love him not as a family member but as a man.

For now, I’m still a child, but when I grow up, please marry me, Nii-cha.

Nii-cha… I love you.

　- Mana’s Side –

– Seeking love from a man is a waste of time –

That’s what I thought as I lived my life.

In this world, the birthrate of men is so low that it’s almost impossible to meet one. With a ratio of 1:50, it’s only natural to give up. But my friends around me didn’t give up on their quest for a man. They worked hard towards their ideal of finding a man and getting married.

However, the stories they shared were only about catching a glimpse of a man from a distance.

Even that was enough to make them proud among women. In middle and high school, everyone knew that boys attended the same schools as part of their compulsory education, but apparently, they only showed up for the entrance ceremony and never came to school again, not even leaving their homes.

Men are so rare that just their existence is enough. What’s the point of such men?

But I didn’t express these thoughts openly. Instead, I just went along with my friends and pretended to have the same hopes and expectations as them. I did this to avoid being ostracized for being different.

I thought that once I became a working adult, I wouldn’t have to pretend anymore. But I was wrong. There were still many women seeking men. So, I continued to hide my true feelings and went along with the crowd.

It was then that I realized that my life had no purpose or meaning. I was just living a heartless life. My heart was simply empty.

I live alone. A few years after I started working, my mother passed away from an illness.

(Why am I living alone like this?)

As I was cleaning out the house, I found an old video tape. Out of nostalgia, I decided to watch it on a whim.

When I played it,

‘Mana~~~!!! Where are you~~~!!!’

‘Mama!!! Over here!!!!!!’

It was a video of me and my mother playing in a sunflower field when I was little. My mother hugged me, and I was laughing.

……I was happy when I was a child. Just spending time with my mother made me happy. Saying “good morning” and “welcome home” to each other was enough to make me happy and fulfilled.

‘Mana…… someday, introduce me to your grandchild, okay?’

‘Yes!!!’

……Come to think of it, having a child, I never really put much thought into it. My own mother gave up on meeting a man and had me through artificial insemination.

(……I want to have a child.)

I wanted a family now. I wanted someone to say “good morning” and “welcome home” to me. Not as the one saying it, but as the one receiving those words.

After that, my actions were swift. I asked the president of the company for maternity leave and underwent artificial insemination. As my belly grew bigger, I felt my previously empty heart filling up with warmth and happiness.

And then,

“Waaah! Waaah!”

My baby was born. My child. It didn’t matter to me if it was a boy or a girl. I was just happy that a new life had come into this world.

“Mother! It’s a boy! It’s a healthy baby boy!”

So it’s a boy. Then his name will be Yuuto.

“Please hold your son! I’m so happy that I was able to hold a baby boy!”

I hold Yuuto in my arms. He looked like an angel to me.

“Oh, my!!! He’s so cute!! Let’s be happy together, Yuuto!”

And Yuuto, with a smile on his face, replied with a louder voice than his earlier cries,

“Waaah!”

And in that moment, I blurted out,

“I’ve decided! I’m going to marry Yuuto!”

The nurses around me gave me looks that said, “Well, that’s only natural,” but I didn’t care.

I felt that a wonderful life was about to begin. I couldn’t help but feel that way.

And a year later, I decided to have another child. The reason was that I didn’t want Yuuto to feel lonely. It’s natural for parents to pass away before their children, and when I die in the future, Yuuto will be alone. I didn’t want him to feel the same loneliness I felt when my mother passed away. That’s why I wanted to have another child, but not when Yuuto was in his teens, as that might be awkward. So, I decided to do it sooner rather than later.

Only the president of the company knows about Yuuto’s existence. When I talked about Yuuto, the president helped me by spreading a rumor within the company that I had been working as a nurse and taking care of my mother, thus hiding the fact that I took maternity leave.

And when I asked for maternity leave again, the president said,

“I can’t hide it like last time, you know? Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Well, if that’s what you want… Good luck.”

“Thank you.”

“Oh, can I have a picture of Yuuto-kun?”

“……Just one, then.”

“Yay!”

I didn’t expect that the president would make that photo her phone wallpaper, and that all the employees would find out and get a copy of that photo.

And so, my second child was born, a girl. I named her Yuuna. She’s a little less cute than Yuuto, but she’s still adorable. I had a feeling that our family would become even happier with her being added to it.

Four years passed, and Yuuto turned six, while Yuuna turned four. Yuuto grew up to be a well-behaved boy, and Yuuna became a cute little girl. Yuuna often acts spoiled and demands hugs from me and Yuuto. But Yuuto doesn’t act spoiled. He’s quiet, calm, and doesn’t ask for hugs or make demands. I’m glad that he’s well-behaved, but I can’t help feeling a little sad that he doesn’t act spoiled with me.

Yuuto calls me by my name. At first, I just wanted him to call me that for some reason. But now, it’s different.

I’m in love with Yuuto.

I used to think that seeking love from a man was a waste of time, but now I want Yuuto to love me, not as a family member, but as a woman.

When I come home from work, Yuuto is always there, waiting to greet me.

Lately, he’s even been helping with household chores to reduce the burden on me. It’s only natural to fall in love with a man who does things for you. He’s such a kind boy.

But Yuuto said he wanted to go to elementary school. Since it’s Yuuto, I know he’ll go to school every day. That’s why I objected. It’s dangerous for him to go out, and it’s like asking to be surrounded by women if he goes to a place where they obviously outnumber men.

At first, we argued a bit, but since Yuuto rarely makes demands, I couldn’t just ignore it, so we agreed to a trial period. If anything happens, I’ll immediately make him stop going to school.

As I was thinking about this, Yuuto asked me,

“Mana, how does it look?”

He was showing me his new blue backpack.

“It suits you.”

“Thank you.”

Yuuto said with a smile. He doesn’t smile often. That mature side of him is also part of his charm.

“I’m looking forward to the entrance ceremony tomorrow. I can’t wait.”

“If anything happens, tell me right away.”

“Nothing will happen anyway.”

He’s too carefree. I regret not educating him more about women. Being too kind can be a problem sometimes. But I can’t help it because that’s just who Yuuto is.

“Thank you for being born.”

“Why are you saying that all of a sudden?”

“It’s nothing.”

Thank you so much for coming into my life.

I love you… Yuuto.

Later, Yuuto said to me,

“Thank you for giving birth to me. I’m glad you’re my mother.”

and I felt so embarrassed that I didn’t know what to do.