Living Normally In An Abnormal World - Chapter 41: Escape from Paradise

Chapter 41: Escape from Paradise

In this world, women are physically stronger than men. 

Before I share my story, there’s something I want you to know.

Even in my past life, there were women who were stronger than the average man. Most professional fighters probably fall into this category. I’ve heard stories of women with grip strength capable of crushing apples single-handedly or arm strength sufficient to remove a car door.

Women protect men, and men take care of domestic duties. However, due to the significant disparity in the gender ratio, this traditional dynamic is no longer prevalent.

Men being protected by women—it’s a blow to my pride to be in such a position.

So, why not train like those women and become stronger?

That’s the thought that spurred me to start working out. 

The bitter memories of my physical fitness tests continue to fuel my motivation for muscle training.

People often say to me, “Amongst the men in here, that’s a good record.”

Please don’t try to comfort me. 

Me, Kinoshita Yuuto, being compared to others is problematic for me. While I may be well above the average in this world, there are sure to be some who are well above that above average. Some men who dislike women may feel humiliated by being protected by the very women they detest, and they might be driven to train harder.

I must strive to match the prowess of those mighty warriors.

What am I saying? I’m not even an athlete.

And now, here I am…

“Alright! It’s finally starting. This time, our hunter is the anonymous Grauzer-kun. His true face is hidden behind a pitch-black skull full mask. He’s joining the battle in cosplay! He’s exuding a completely unique atmosphere that we’ve never seen before. Just what kind of running will he show us?”

“A typical game of tag on a TV show. Appearing on a program similar to ‘Nigechu’.”

However, instead of being a runner, I’m a hunter—the one doing the chasing.

By the way, Grauzer is just an alias I’m using.

The reason I ended up on this show isn’t particularly profound.

—One month ago—

“Nii-cha! You should try this!”

As we finished dinner and now watching a TV show, my sister, Yuuna, made such a request.

‘Escape from Paradise’

The show’s concept was similar to a game of tag, but with an all-male cast, including the hunters. It was clearly targeted towards female viewers.

The show is broadcast live, and viewers can switch between different channels to follow the individual perspectives of the runaways and hunters.

In other words, during the show’s timeslot, all channels are dedicated to broadcasting ‘Escape from Paradise.’

The show gained immense popularity from its very first season, as female viewers could watch their favorite men desperately running and trying to escape.

According to Maria, the government was behind the show’s creation. 

Erina, on the other hand, bluntly commented, “It’s just a show to keep useless men busy and give them some pocket money, right?”

The rules are simple. The runaways have a time limit to avoid getting caught by the hunters in a designated area.

Each hunter works alone to capture the runaways. It might seem like a tough task, but the runaways are equipped with small transmitters on their clothes, allowing the hunters to track their locations via their smartphones.

Additionally, the escape area is relatively confined, and with the ability to locate the runaways, hunters can set up ambushes, giving them a slight advantage.

Of course, there’s a reward for successful escapes, and hunters also receive a prize for capturing everyone. On top of that, all participants earn an appearance fee, making it a lucrative opportunity.

To be honest, I wasn’t interested in the show. 

I only watched it because Yuuna was doing so, and it would be nonsensical to silently write letter responses while she was around.

And so, Yuuna had asked me to participate in the show, wanting me to show her something cool.

“Permission from Mana… You probably won’t need it. Since it’s a lottery, the chances of being selected are slim.”

This show is popular among men as a convenient way to earn some extra cash, thanks to the guaranteed appearance fee.

However, since it’s a lottery, the chances of being chosen are low.

“In that case, let’s apply as a hunter.”

“Okay!”

There are no conditions for appearing on the show, so even elementary school students like me can participate.

I assumed that nothing would come of it, and time would pass without incident.

But the day after I sent in my application…

[You have been selected as a hunter for the next ‘Escape from Paradise’ episode, which will air on Wednesday, June 6th. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at the following phone number.

We look forward to seeing your brilliant running performance.

– Paradise Manager]

Seriously…?

Well, I’ll consult with Mana.

“You did it, Nii-cha!”

“Yeah, with this opportunity, I’ll show you my cool side, Yuuna.”

“It’s fine! Nii-cha is already cool!”

So, I’m cool, huh? I’d better step up my game!

“Now, what’s with the two of you? You seem happy about something.”

“I want to try this.”

“Hmm, let’s see… Is this for real?”

“We don’t get such opportunities so easily after all.”

It’s also a chance to see the physical abilities of ordinary men firsthand. Since they’re appearing on TV, they should have decent athletic skills and be in good shape.

I want to see how I measure up at my age.

“Well, I guess it’s fine. Even one of the male idols from Miu’s company has appeared on the show before. Let’s ask Miu for more details.”

“Yeah!”

“You’re not going to cheat on me, are you, Yuu-kun? You promised that one day you’d join our male idol group and rise to the top!”

“I never said that.”

“Aww, you could totally make it.”

“Mom, don’t be selfish.”

Asaka and Miu-san often have dinner together with us since their houses are next door to us. It would be cruel to leave a daughter alone and have dinner by herself too afterall.

By the way, tonight’s dinner is okonomiyaki.

“But didn’t you just send in the application just yesterday? There must be something fishy going on.”

“I thought so, too. Kinoshita-kun, do you have a fan out there or something?”

Eh? Are my fans scattered all over the place like Dragon Balls?

“I heard one of our idols saying that, according to one of our employees, all the participants are cooperating online and sharing the rewards and avoiding being caught while doing so.”

“Huh?”

“Apparently, one of our idols who appeared on the show was slow, lacked stamina, and didn’t seem to pose any real threat, according to our employee.”

“Seriously?”

“When you actually see them in person, they’re slow runners and lack stamina, so it seems they didn’t make the viewers feel any sense of urgency.”

I’ll pass. That doesn’t sound fun at all.

“Then I’ll decline. Yuuna, I’m sorry, but I can’t show you anything cool by doing this farce.”

“Eh? Nii-cha, aren’t you going to be strong?”

“Eh?”

“Aren’t you going to be invincible?”

“Well, not really. Do you want to see me becoming so?”

“Yes.”

“But I don’t know if I can. Adults will be there, too, right?”

“Nii-cha, it’s a challenge!”

“I’ll train for it.”

“Yay!”

Despite my anxiety about meeting Yuuna’s expectations, I decided to go ahead with the ‘Escape from Paradise’ appearance.

“Yuu-kun, remember to train in moderation.”

“Okay.”

However, the women in this room were confident that he would dominate.

He possesses athletic abilities that rival those of women.

In his first year of physical fitness tests, he ranked 14th overall among all the classes.

And what do you think the women who saw the results think?

Firstly, they felt a sense of crisis.

For them, the idea of women protecting men is a given. Having a man they are supposed to protect exhibit superior physical abilities threatened their very existence as women.

After the fitness test, they began to train rigorously, as did those who had beaten him.

And in the second-year fitness test, they pushed him down to the very bottom rank.

Everyone was extremely satisfied with this outcome.

It reaffirmed the belief that women should protect men, and that men should be protected by women. They could confidently assert that this was the natural order of things.

However, they couldn’t know. Not a single person noticed him, quietly burning with determination, as they looked at the results.

And in the third-year fitness test, he climbed back up to the 50th rank.

The girls were astonished. In a world where men are naturally weaker than women, and the gap in physical abilities widens with age, he has surpassed more than half of his classmates. (T/N: On raw it specifically said classmates, not schoolmates, so I’m confused by the 50th rank being half of the class, 100+ students in one class?)

They doubled down on their training efforts.

And in the fourth-grade fitness test, he ranked 104th.

Seeing this result, he sighed heavily and slowly returned to the classroom with a look of resignation, as if accepting that he couldn’t win.

But he didn’t know that his result was above the average for female third-year junior high school students.

“Good luck, Yuuto-sama! Do your best!”

“Haa… Haa…!”

When I told Maria that I would be appearing on ‘Escape from Paradise,’ she offered to provide a place for me to train and invited me to her home, where we worked out together.

Our focus was mainly on leg strength and endurance.

However, I was already out of breath after the initial 20km run.

Damn, the treadmill I use at home isn’t doing much good. Regular running is the way to go.

“Yuuto-sama, let’s take a break.”

Maria, noticing my condition, offered me a break, considering my limits.

“That’s bad, no need to spoil me too much.”

My goal was to dominate, not just to catch someone. I wouldn’t achieve that goal if I allowed myself to be pampered.

Besides, I could still talk, which meant I had the energy to spare. 

If I were truly exhausted, even speaking would be impossible.

“I understand! Then let’s do 10km intervals next!”

“Yes, Coach!”

And then…

“Yuuto-sama, you did a great job! Congratulations on your hard work!”

Nod.

“Yuu… Yuuto-sama, are you alright?”

Nod.

“Would you like to train together again sometime soon?”

Nod.

…I’m dying. All I can do is nod.

We started with a 20km run, followed by 10km intervals, weight training, another 10km run, and finally 5km intervals.

According to Maria, this was still on the easier side. She also mentioned that Erina’s training regimen was like hell.

“Yuuto~, leave the training to me.”

Nod.

“Yuuto-sama, you can die from it, you know!?”

“Ara, Maria. I’m just pushing him to the limits of human endurance.”

“Erina-sama, that’s not training; it’s torture.”

Nod.

“Yuuto, are you having a problem speaking?”

Nod, nod!

I initiated this, but I might die. Doing this three times a week is insane.

“Ugh…”

“Yuki-kun, good job.”

“Thanks.”

“Here, this is a present from me for you. Use it to hide your face.”

Rina gave me a full-face skull mask that was pitch black.

“What’s this?”

“It came with the first limited edition of a new horror game I recently bought. I thought you could use it, Yuki-kun. I believe this mask is worn by a character named ‘Grauzer’ in the game.”

“Okay, I’ll gladly use it since I will probably stand out if I stand there with my face out in the open.”

As long as I hide my face and use a pseudonym, no one should recognize me. I need to ensure that my appearance on the show doesn’t affect my school life afterward.

“Why don’t you cosplay as that ‘Grauzer’ character?”

“Oh, that’s a good idea.”

So, I decided to appear on the show under the pseudonym ‘Grauzer,’ hiding my face and using a fake name. The show allows participants to conceal their identities, so I’ll take full advantage of that.

After a series of events, here I am.

I also received words of encouragement from Sanae-chan, Yaya-chan, Hanaka-san, and Shiori-san, so I have no choice but to dominate now.

‘And now, let’s begin with the opening game for the runaways! Oh, look! Grauzer-kun is already in a crouching start position! He’s ready to chase them down!’

Following the template, I aim for the closest one first, then the slowest.

There’s a two-hour time limit, but as a self-imposed restriction, I decide to catch them within 20 minutes to showcase my dominance.

‘Yamamoto-kun has chosen the ‘Release the Hunter’ button! Grauzer-kun is coming after you!’

Whoosh! Smoke erupts from the ground around me, and the iron gate confining me swings open.

I put force into my legs and sprint towards the closest target.

At a glance, there’s about 50 meters left…

40…

30…

20…

10…

Caught the first one…