Living Normally In An Abnormal World

Chapter 47: The Meaning of Skinship and a Mother’s Desire to Be Spoiled

“Nii-cha, are you a bitch?”

It was summer vacation during fourth grade, and I was spending a leisurely day off as usual when Yuuna’s comment sparked a commotion.

“Where did you learn that!? I’ll punish whoever taught you that.”

“Ah, you’re trying to change the subject! I see right through you!”

I tried to forcibly change the topic, but it didn’t work.

“Why are you calling me a bitch? I’m normal, you know?”

“Ni-chan, you’re saying that because you think you’re a normal guy, aren’t you?”

“Eh?”

“Of course, that’s what you think, right? That’s normal for Nii-cha.”

“You got me.”

In my past life, there was no situation where a man would naturally fall into a crisis of chastity. Moreover, it was even more unusual because I had never been targeted by a girl before.

I didn’t even have the consciousness of protecting my chastity in the first place, so it’s understandable.

That’s why I don’t feel embarrassed even when I’m just wearing my underwear. Of course, I would feel a little embarrassed if my manhood was exposed.

“I admit that my level of skinship may be more intense than the average man. But I do draw a line.”

“But I think it’s too much to be hugging each other all the time!”

I rarely hug anyone without a good reason.

…But lately, I’ve been hugging them quite often.

I’m weak against girls’ tears. Whether they are genuinely about to cry or just pretending, I can usually tell by looking at them. However, if it’s the latter and my perception is wrong, I don’t know what to do. And even if I know it’s just an act, I can’t bring myself to refuse when they look at me with teary eyes.

I want girls to always smile. Especially if they are acquaintances, I want them to be happy. So, I thought, “It shouldn’t be a problem to just hug them,” and I ended up hugging them.

But that was a mistake.

My interactions with the girls are always equal. If I do something for one of them, I have to do the same for the others.

If I hug one of them, she will surely brag about it to her friends.

And when it spreads, other girls will come and ask me to hug them. If I refuse, they might get jealous and start bullying, saying, “You hugged her, but why not me?”

Bullying is absolutely unacceptable.

So, I hug them when they ask me to.

“Nii-cha, you know, right? They’re just using you.”

“As I thought, that’s the case huh?”

“Yeah, Nii-chan, it’s because you’re so nice to young girls.”

“But they’re all good girls, aren’t they?”

“…Nii-cha, you’re like a person receiving Domestic Violence.”

“Is that so?”

“But it’s worse because it’s mental abuse.”

Yuuna thinks. Nii-cha, because it’s you, they’re acting like good girls, but they’re just wearing a cat’s mask. In reality, they want to do naughty things, they want Nii-cha’s belongings, and some of them even act on it… Well, the one who stole his belongings was purged, though.

But Yuuna struggles with whether to tell her Nii-chan= about this. If she does, he might develop a distrust of women, and she might be disliked too. So, she’s hesitant to say anything.

“Well… There’s nothing I can do about it.”

Unless something happens that makes him distrust women, there’s nothing I can do about it. But if something like that happens, it’s clear that It’ll end up hurting those around him, so please don’t let it happen.

“It’s fine, Nii-cha. I’ll add a rule to the fan club to prohibit excessive skinship!”

“Huh? Instant solution?”

“I won’t just watch you get worn down mentally, Ni-chan!”

“Thanks, I appreciate it. Take care of it.”

“Yes!”

The following week, no one came to me to ask for a hug.

Everyone is such a good girl.

“Sorry, Yuuto-kun. You seem pure, but you’re actually a bitch, aren’t you?”

Yuuna, what the hell did you say that made them think so!?

I was thought of as a bitch now…

〇〇〇〇

I, Kinoshita Mana, am definitely the happiest person right now.

Every morning, my beloved son prepares breakfast and a bento for me. While I’m at work, the siblings do the housework together. When I come home, Yuu-kun greets me at the entrance and prepares a bath and dinner for me.

Both my daughter and son have grown up to be honest and kind children. As a mother, I’m proud of them.

But I feel even happier because…

Yuu-kun spoils me!

A few years ago, he would only let me rest my head on his lap or scratch my ears, but now he even hugs me from behind himself.

Yes, he hugs me! Yuu-kun hugs me!

However, unfortunately, he doesn’t hug me from the front but from behind only, in what’s called an “asunaro-daki” (a hug from behind).

I’m still a bit dissatisfied that he doesn’t hug me from the front, but considering the conditions Yuu-kun has for spoiling me, it’s understandable.

Yuu-kun’s conditions for spoiling are that his sister, Yuuna, isn’t around, and that I’m not doing anything. These three conditions must be met for him to hug me.

I appreciate that he’s considerate enough not to interfere with my work, but as a mother, I want him to spoil me whenever I want. Or rather, since hugging me from behind doesn’t really interfere with my work, I wish he would just hug me all the time.

Probably, he wants to focus on one thing at a time.

Also, I’ve noticed a consistent pattern in the way Yuu-kun hugs me.

First, he asks, “What are you doing?” to check what I’m doing. If I answer, “I’m working” or “I’m contacting someone from the company,” he’ll say, “Oh, okay,” and let go. But if I say, “I’m not doing anything” or “I just finished work,” he’ll hug me.

However, the tricky part is that even if I say, “I’m not doing anything,” he’ll glance at my desk or my phone screen to see if I’m lying. If he senses that I’m being considerate of him, he’ll stop hugging me.

Please stop being so perceptive in that area!

But I’ve found a solution to this problem.

It’s overtime work.

If I finish my work at the office, I won’t have to do anything at home, which means Yuu-kun will definitely spoil me.

Fufufu~, Yuui-kun, get ready to spoil me!

“Mana, good night.”

Huh?

“Eh, ah, yes, good night, Yuu-kun.”

He won’t even hug me… What?!

That’s… Why!?

Don’t tell me—

Did he think, “I can’t spoil you because you’re tired from working overtime”?