Living Normally In An Abnormal World - Chapter 4: Enrollment Ceremony

Chapter 4: Enrollment Ceremony

The arrival of the seventh spring. Meaning the enrollment season has come.. Finally, after being reborn, the long-awaited enrollment ceremony has come. 

However, when I said I was going to school, Mana and Yuuna were intensely against it. They strongly opposed the idea. 

I think it’s natural for them to object since they are leaving their son and brother in a place they don’t know. 

Somehow, I persuaded them, and although they were not convinced, they promised to let me go. 

And as promised, I will be attending school. 

I hope I meet some nice people. The women in this world are too naughty for their own right. To the point that I even doubt there’d be any woman that’s Yamato-Nadeshiko life in this world.

And so I thought, 

If there aren’t any, I’ll just have to create one… 

Hehe, for now, I’ll just insert a man (myself) into the girls’ environment. Since they have no immunity to men, by interacting with a man (me) at a young age, they will develop that immunity, and it will become natural for them to talk to men! 

Do you think it will work? It will, right? It’s fine, they’re elementary school students, and they haven’t entered puberty yet, so it’s all good. 

So there should be at least one or two women with whom I can talk naturally… right? 

Now, for the enrollment ceremony, I’m wearing a suit, but instead of a skirt, I chose pants. Apparently, a skirt would have been fine too, but I prefer pants. 

“Yuu-kun, let’s go~” 

“Aye aye!” 

“Nii-cha! Let’s go!” 

We head to school by car. Normally, it’s just a 10-minute walk from home, but they were worried, so they offered to drive me. 

(I should buy a bicycle) 

Mana also has work, and I shouldn’t make her go out of her way too much for me. 

We arrive at the school and get out of the car. Then, 

Gyo!? 

The women give me a startled look. 

“No way… a boy!?” 

“….Cute” 

“Hauu” 

“Why is there one in here!?” 

“Shota moe~!!” 

I hear them whisper. Well, I guess it’s rare to see a boy around elementary school age. Well, seeing a man in itself is already rare, isn’t it?

Mana, worried about the attention I was getting, asked, 

“Are you okay? Do you want to go home?” 

I feel bad, but we’ve come this far, so it would be a waste to go home now. 

“It’s fine, really. Let’s take a picture.” 

Let’s take a picture first. It’s kind of a staple of enrollment ceremonies. I stand in front of the school sign, and tried to find someone who could help us take a picture.

I ask a woman close by, 

“Could you please take our picture?” 

“Waaah!? Me!?” 

“Ah… if you don’t want to, I can ask someone else—

“Please let me do the honors!

—Uhm, then please do?” 

I hand her my phone and Mana’s camera. Then, the three of us stand in front of the enrollment ceremony sign and take three pictures each. Other women also pointed their phones at me and took pictures. 

“Thank you very much.” 

I say with a smile as a basic manner. 

“No, thank you.” 

She looks happy, but… 

“I’m so jealous.” 

“What’s with that girl, she’s getting full of herself.” 

“Guilty!” 

“I wish he would talk to me too…” 

….Sorry for making them jealous of you.

But anyway, we’re done here, so 

“Mana, Yuuna, let’s go.” 

Of course, the ceremony is held in the gym. 

When we arrive, a teacher guides us. Mana and Yuuna move to the seats for guardians while I am guided to a chair. The teacher keeps glancing at me as we walk. 

Then, 

“Eh… is this where I sit?” 

“Yes, that’s right.” 

I am clearly guided to a spot that feels like it’s for students who are being ostracized, or for teachers. Am I a problem child or something? 

But it’s better than being surrounded by girls. 

“Thank you very much.” 

I say, just like before. 

“No, it’s my job.” 

She says, blushing, and sits down about two meters away from me. 

Hey, you’ve been blushing since I smiled and thanked you earlier. 

I need to be careful. For now, no more smiling. 

‘We will now begin the 34th enrollment ceremony of Asano Elementary School.’ 

It begins. 

Well, it will be the same as always. Just like in my previous life, the principal’s talk is long. And at the end, they talked about me. It can’t be helped since I’m a man. What’s more worrying though are the girls who keep looking at me. 

After that, I just wing it, and… 

‘And with that, we conclude the enrollment ceremony of Asano Elementary School.’ 

Oh, it’s over. Now, it’s time to move to the classroom, yay. But the atmosphere is tense. What’s going on? 

Well, anyway, I look at the class list that was distributed to each of us, and… 

“I’m in… Class 3.” 

I start jogging towards my classroom. 

When I arrive, no one is there yet. 

The seats aren’t decided yet, so I sit in the back left corner since I like corners. 

Soon after, a girl comes in. When she sees me, 

“Yes!” 

She makes a victory pose. 

Are you an athlete or something? 

She comes up to me and says, 

“Let’s have a good year together!” 

Well, it’s common sense to reply to a greeting, so I do, 

“Yeah.” 

I reply as indifferently as possible. I don’t want to be misunderstood and have her think I like her or something, that would be troublesome. 

“Ehehe, thank you.” 

Considering she’s blushing like that, she’s like a heroine in a light novel who has fallen for the protagonist at one glance. Should I just give up and accept it? 

She fidgets and asks, 

“Umm, is it okay if I sit here? Eh… well, if you don’t like it, I can sit somewhere else…” 

“Do whatever you want. I don’t mind.” 

The moment I say that, 

“Then, excuse me.” 

Oh, she doesn’t hold back. It’s fine with me, though. 

“Go ahead.” 

“Umm… my name is Kimura Rina. Nice to meet you.” 

“I’m Kinoshita Yuuto. Nice to meet you twou—!” 

….I stumbled over my words. Not on purpose, though. 

“Hehe, nice to meet you too.” 

Ah, I think we can get along. 

After that, I read a book I brought from home. In the meantime, another girl who entered the classroom reacts just like Kimura-san did earlier. She greets me, and I reply. 

Then, the teacher comes in and says, 

“Congratulations on your enrollment, everyone. Let’s get along for the next year.” 

Well… that’s how it will be. Anyway, I don’t have to worry about elementary school studies, so I’ll just take it easy. 

“Personally, I want to get along with Yuuto-kun, but…” 

Sensei, that’s something you should keep to yourself. 

After that, we do the usual self-introductions. 

Everyone says something to me at the end of their turn. 

Ah, I realized at this point. Even first graders are naughty. Their eyes are sparkling. Everyone is like a beast that has found its prey. 

When it’s my turn, I say, 

“I’m Kinoshita Yuuto. My hobby is reading. When I’m reading, I don’t want to be disturbed, so please don’t talk to me.” 

This should be good enough. By pretending to be a cold person, I can create distance between me and my female classmates. The plan about creating the first herbivore girl? I gave up on that. I’ll probably be devoured before I can achieve that goal.

After the self-introductions, we did a reshuffle of seats.

Apparently, everyone wanted to do it. Everyone probably wants to sit next to the boy. Kimura-san was making a blue face, though. 

We decide the new seats by drawing lots, and I draw first. My new seat is… the one Kimura-san was sitting in. I sit down and open my book. But in front of me, 

“Aaaaaahhhh!!!” 

“Why did it have to be the opposite end!?” 

“Yay! I got the seat in front of Yuuto-kun!” 

“So close! Just one seat away!” 

“I’m on his right!” 

They’re so noisy. I said I didn’t want to be disturbed, but I also don’t want them to make a ruckus. I’ll just wait and see for now. By the way, Kimura-san is now sitting in the seat I was in earlier. 

“Did Kimura-san get my old seat?” 

“Ehehe, I did.” 

She shows me the seat number with a smile. Uwah… what a nice smile. 

I feel like Kimura-san and I might be fated or something, and then, 

“Uhm, a moment please?” 

I turn to the direction of the voice, and there’s a girl with blonde drill hair… wait, that’s rude of me. Custard Coronet… no, that’s rude too. Spiral… never mind. Anyway, she’s a girl with an aura of a young lady. 

“I introduced myself earlier, but I’m Tachibana Maria. Pleased to make your acquaintance.” 

And she offers her hand, so 

“I’m Kinoshita Yuuto. Likewise.” 

I shake her hand. I can’t refuse to shake hands with someone I just met, that would be rude. 

“Eh!? ….Y-yes, nice to meet you!” 

She looks down and blushes. 

….She probably didn’t expect me to shake her hand when she offered it. She gives off a young lady vibe, but maybe she doesn’t have many opportunities to interact with boys. 

Wait a second, I just shook her hand. That means… 

“Please shake hands with me too!!!” 

….After that, I shook a lot of hands. They also asked me a lot of questions. 

And with the end of the homeroom class, it’s time to go home. Tomorrow will probably be the distribution of textbooks or something. Anyway, I get ready to go home. 

“See you tomorrow!” 

“See you.” 

Haha! I’ll probably do this with the whole class every day, huh? Thinking about it makes me laugh. But it’s no problem, I just have to reply. 

The girls say goodbye to me and leave the classroom. Even though they are seeking a man, they still prioritize their own lives, so they have things like cram school and practice. I, on the other hand, am a NEET. 

“I also have practice, so I’ll take my leave.” 

“Do your best.” 

“Eh?….Oh, thank you very much.” 

….It’s a habit from my previous life. I need to be careful about things like this. 

“See you, Yuuto-kun.” 

“Yeah… see you tomorrow.” 

Finally, Kimura-san greets me. I wave back… oh, there’s that habit again. 

“Yes!” 

Well, she’s happy, so it’s probably fine. 

It was the first day, so I was worried, but nothing big happened…. What should I do from now on? 

Ah, but it looks like I can get along with Kimura-san and Tachibana-san. 

Hey, will I even be able to make proper friends…? 

“Muuuuu! You’re late!” 

Yuuna was angry when we met. Apparently, she had been waiting in front of the school gate for a long time. Over an hour… 

“You could have gone home without me, you know?” 

“I wanted to go home together with you!” 

“Sorry.” 

“Mama was waiting too!” 

“Where is she?” 

“In the car.” 

Yuuna guides me to the car, and… 

“Ehehe~♪ As I thought, you look so cool in a suit, Yuu-kun~!” 

She says while looking at my picture with a big smile. ….I’m happy to be complimented, but I also feel a bit complicated about it. 

“Ah! Welcome back!” 

“I’m back.” 

“Let’s go home~” 

The car starts moving. I sit in the back seat with Yuuna, but I get carsick, so I sit by the window and open it to let the air in. Then, Yuuna comes close and sniffs me. 

“I smell a girl’s scent on you!” 

Are you my wife or something? 

“Nii-cha, what’s going on!?” 

“Maybe because of the handshake and talking…” 

“Which hand did you shake with!?” 

“….Right hand, but why?” 

When I say that, Yuuna grabs my right arm and links arms with me. 

“Yuuna….what’s this?” 

“To get rid of the smell.” 

“That’s a pretty primitive method.” 

She won’t let go now, huh? Well, it’s a cute gesture of hers, so it’s fine. 

“How was school?” 

Mana suddenly asks. 

“It was normal.” 

“….I see.” 

“I hope I can make friends.” 

“Nii-cha will skip making friends and go straight to making a girlfriend!” 

Hey, what are you saying? It’s too early for a girlfriend. 

“That won’t—”

“That’s probably true…” 

“Eh?” 

“Girls seek men, you know? It would be sad for her if you just stopped at being friends.” 

….I guess that’s true. I guess I’ll give up on making friends. 

“I’ll give up on making friends….” 

“That’s the best.” 

“But I think I can get along with—”

“Who’s that?” 

Hey, let me finish… 

“Kimura-san and Tachibana-san. They sit next to me, so we have a lot of opportunities to talk.” 

“Hmm. Be careful not to get too involved, or they might get bullied.” 

“Understood.” 

“Fufu, you’ll be fine, Yuu-kun.” 

Haa, will I be able to enjoy school life from now on? 

By the way, 

“I want to have a bicycle, can you buy one for me?” 

“You want to go to school by bicycle, right? I understand.” 

“….Is that okay?” 

“Yeah, it’s fine. Just be careful, okay?” 

“Thank you.” 

“In exchange, you have to wear an anti-crime wristband, okay?” 

“Okay, okay.” 

“Nii-cha, don’t worry! Yuuna will protect you!” 

“I’ll look forward to that in 10 years.” 

“Muuuuu~!” 

She pokes me. So cute. 

I said I wouldn’t make friends, but I hope I can find someone to talk to like Yuuna…. probably impossible, though. 

It’s tough being a man.