Living Normally In An Abnormal World - Chapter 59: Snow, Men, and Women, Part 2

Chapter 59: Snow, Men, and Women, Part 2

“Booo, I couldn’t take a bath with Nii-cha again.”

“You can endure it for today, can’t you? I also want to take a bath with Onii-san!”

“Hmm, I bet you’re just imagining Nii-cha’s lower half and getting nosebleeds, right?”

“N-No, that’s not true! Onii-san washes my hair, rubs my back, and I also rub his back. Ah, and I want to lean on him while soaking in the bathtub together.”

“Okay, okay, I understand. Just keep it to your imagination, okay?”

“Hmph!”

“Kyah! Nii-cha, save me!”

“Well, I think you’re entirely to blame for this, aren’t you?”

Why are you two discussing this right in front of the person involved?

And why am I being dragged into this catfight?

“Then, please take a bath with me, Onii-san!”

“But you just took a bath, didn’t you?”

“Ugh, yes, but…”

“Hmm. Well I’ll wash your hair for you, Sanae-chan, with that you won’t have any more complaints right?.”

Seeing that Sanae was feeling down, I patted my knee a few times. Understanding my intention, Sanae’s gloomy expression vanished, and she sat on my knee with a beaming smile.

“Please take care of me!”

“Sure, leave it to me.”

I carefully and respectfully dried Sanae’s hair with a hairdryer. I knew that a girl’s hair was her life, and I understood its importance.

By the way, I had the hairdryer because I had prepared it to dry Yuuna’s hair.

“Are you okay? Is it too hot?”

“Yes, I’m fine!”

“That’s good. And you have such beautiful hair.”

“Really? Thank you!”

“Hey, Nii-cha!”

“Yuuna, you should reflect on your behavior a little.”

“Huh?”

“Hmm!”

Hey, Sanae. Don’t provoke her.

“Grrr, Sanae-chan!”

“Hmm!”

But since she’s cute, I’ll allow it.

Go ahead, but don’t overdo it.

“Well then, I’m going to take a bath too.”

After drying Sanae’s hair, Yuuto also dried Yuuna’s hair and left the room.

Once again, he was the last one to take a bath. Or rather, Yuuto adamantly refused to take a bath before the women, insisting that it was wrong for a man to go in first. All the women felt that was supposed to be their line.

He’s not gay or transgender. It’s just that he might have a female brain, as is currently believed.

“The other day, Yuuto said that if he appeared in the media a lot, he could support the household financially. He seemed to be seriously considering it.”

“Eh?!”

Asuka’s sudden remark surprised Mana.

“Mana takes care of the housework, and I work… I wait for Mana and Yuuna to come home. It might be nice to have someone waiting for me at the entrance when I get back too… He was muttering to himself along those lines.”

“But what about my position as a mother?!”

She felt anxious about potentially losing her dignity as a woman and her standing as a mother.

However, this anxiety was unfounded.

Although Yuuto did consider Asuka’s suggestion, he ultimately decided against it. He realized that while it would bring in money, it would undoubtedly reduce the time he could spend with Yuuna. He concluded that he would only consider such an arrangement if there was a significant financial issue in the household or when Yuuna became a high school or university student.

Nevertheless, Yuuto was highly likely to appear in the media for another reason.

Needless to say, as Grauzer.

Mana’s anxiety grew as she desperately tried to convince Yuuto to change his mind when he came out of the bath. However, due to the overwhelming pressure, Yuuto nodded without fully understanding the conversation.

“Hey, what’s this all about?”

“The other day, you said that if you became an idol, you could make yourself Mana’s sugar daddy. And you seemed to have thought a lot about it, Kinoshita-kun.”

“Oh, I see.”

Yuuto nodded, and, feeling pleased, Mana went to her room to organize her work documents.

Meanwhile, Yuuto, who had been left alone, asked Asuka for an explanation.

“Well, it was a nice fantasy, but I don’t intend to force you into it.”

“I see.”

“Hmm, but I think it’s better to have a job. Do you think I should aim to be a househusband?”

“Yes, it’s better than working at that kind of job and getting attacked.”

“Is that so? By the way, what do you think about a job as a secretary?”

“A secretary? Hmm…”

A secretary is a profession that handles an organization or superior’s paperwork. They also take care of their superior’s personal needs, respond to emails and phone calls, greet visitors, manage schedules, and create documents and manuscripts.

Taking care of their superior’s personal needs.

…

Their superior’s personal needs.

…

“That sounds good.”

“Great! Then I’ll gradually study for it.”

Unable to suppress her desires, Asuka recommended that path. Unexpectedly impressed, Yuuto added ‘secretary’ to his list of potential future careers.

And then,

‘I’ll become a person worthy of being a company president.’

Asuka thought.

“If Yuuto-sama becomes a secretary, I’ll have to work hard too!”

However, Yuuto was still unaware that if he became a secretary, he would inevitably be employed by one of his acquaintances.

“It’s time to sleep.”

It was 1:00 AM, and it was time for everyone, good or bad, to sleep.

Usually, they would lay out futons in the bedroom and sleep in a river-like formation.

However, since everyone was staying over, they decided to lay out futons in the spacious living room and sleep together.

“I’ll sleep in my room.”

But I wasn’t included in that arrangement. It wouldn’t be appropriate for me, a man who isn’t even dating them, to sleep next to them.

I didn’t want to cause any trouble if they argued about where to sleep.

Well, just like last time, I’ll say that I have to write a reply to a letter, so I’ll sleep late. They understood and agreed to sleep in the living room, thinking that it was reasonable for a pen pal to do so.

I went to my room and prepared to write the reply.

Then, I suddenly realized something.

Oh, I remember now; I finished writing all the replies today because I had free time.

As a result, I unintentionally lied to them.

Well, it can’t be helped. I feel too embarrassed to join them now, so I’ll just go to sleep.

I got into the futon and closed my eyes.

“Yuuto-sama, are you awake?”

“Maria? … Are you unable to sleep because you took a nap earlier?”

“Y-Yes, that’s right. And I’m so embarrassed that you saw me like this.”

Maria came to my room, seemingly wanting to talk. Perhaps everyone else had fallen asleep already. Rina usually played games though, so she might still be awake.

“Come in for now.”

But I couldn’t leave Maria waiting outside, so I let her into my room.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. I’ve simulated this situation many times. Even if I’m rejected, I’ll just act nonchalantly and let it go.”

I, Maria, had made a decision.

That decision was to consult with Yuuto-sama about him being my fiancé.

Ideally, I wanted Yuuto-sama to bring it up himself, but he didn’t seem to mind it.

Even when he saw my face, he didn’t blush or act suspiciously. He treated me as if nothing had happened.

This raised many questions, but I still needed to consult with him.

I waited until everyone was asleep and headed towards Yuuto-sama’s room.

I knocked on the door and called out to him.

When Yuuto-sama noticed my knock, he asked if I was having trouble sleeping because I had napped on the kotatsu.

I felt embarrassed, thinking that he might have seen my sloppy sleeping face.

“Come in for now.”

Then, Yuuto-sama came out of his room and let me in.

Oh no! This is a man’s private space! Even mothers with sons on my mother’s side are not allowed to enter such a room.

And this is Yuuto-sama’s personal room!

I can’t believe I’m getting the chance to enter such a place so easily!

I want to go in… but I’m afraid that if I do, I might taint it. I don’t intend to dirty it, though.

I stood there, unable to move.

“Is the room too messy for you to enter?”

“N-No, that’s not it!”

“Don’t be shy. Wait a moment.”

“It’s really okay! It’s just that… this is my first time entering a man’s room…”

“Oh, I see.”

Yuuto-sama understood my concern and thought for a moment.

“Then, let me guide you in.”

“Huh?”

Without giving me a chance to react, Yuuto-sama gently took my hand and led me into the room.

I was taken by surprise and couldn’t resist as he seated me on the futon.

“Wait here for a moment. I’ll bring you some tea.”

“Huh? But…”

“Well, if you get sleepy, you can just sleep here.”

Yuuto-sama left without considering my opinion.

Why does he become so assertive at times like this?

But…

Looking around, I saw a desk, bookshelf, wardrobe, the futon I was sitting on, one window, and a closet. There was only a calendar on the wall, and no posters.

In a word, it was simple.

The only thing that caught my attention was the bookshelf filled to the brim with letters.

I’ve always wondered if Yuuto-sama is a hard worker or if he just likes to struggle.

“I’ve made some plain tea.”

“Thank you.”

“Sorry for the simplicity. I don’t have anything more interesting.”

“It’s fine. I didn’t expect you to like flashy things, Yuuto-sama. When you used to visit my house, you often held your stomach, and I heard that you always carry stomach medicine when I invite you to social events.”

“Oh, did I not hide it well enough?”

“Your arms were always crossed over your stomach, so it was obvious.”

“Umm…”

“Fufufu.”

After bringing the tea, Yuuto-sama and I had a casual conversation, and then I brought up the main topic.

“By the way, Yuuto-sama, do you know that among the nobility, it’s rumored that you’re my fiancé?”

For me, this was quite well done. I was able to bring up the topic while pretending as if I knew about it but Yuuto-sama didn’t.

My voice didn’t tremble, and I was able to speak with confidence. I even added the gesture of bringing a teacup to my lips.

Luna-san said that Yuuto-sama wouldn’t mind, and he would just brush it off.

He would probably laugh and casually say, “Oh, that’s right.”

“Oh, I know. I’ve not only gotten Maria but also gone after Hanaka-san, Yaya-chan, and Elina. And now I’m in the process of conquering Shiori-san…”

“Oh, it’s grown that big, huh?”

“I don’t know what others think about it, but if it bothers you, Maria, you can just break up with me in public.”

“No, I want you to break up with me instead…”

“No, you break up with me…”

“No, you break up with me…”

“…”

“If I break up with you, people will think that your status is lower than mine. You have good relationships with men, and you might lose them. So, for your sake, you should be the one to break up with me.”

“On the contrary, if I break up with you, people might misunderstand that there was a problem with you. I’m treated like a saint by everyone, and if I give a reason, the story might get blown out of proportion. It could affect your future interactions with the nobility. For the sake of the future, Maria should be the one to break up with me.”

It seems like this conversation is going nowhere.

“Yuuto-sama, I’m not bothered by it. I’m the one who’s causing you trouble, so I wanted to consult with you.”

“I’m not bothered either. Let’s just put this on hold for now. We should discuss it with Yaya-chan and Hanaka-san as well.”

“Yes, let’s do that. I’m sorry, Yuuto-sama. I suddenly brought up this topic.”

“No, I tried not to mind it, but now that I think about it, it’s about marriage. I was foolish not to take it seriously.”

Yuuto-sama bowed his head in apology.

Seeing this, I suddenly had a question.

“Do you even want to get married, Yuuto-sama?”

Yuuto-sama let out a surprised “Huh?” and then thought for a moment before replying.

“I do… but I can’t say more than that.”

He then came closer to me, laid my head on the pillow, and covered me with the futon.

It seemed like he had a desire to get married, but there was also a problem. I suspected that his issue was related to polygamy, given his usual behavior.

Additionally, he had developed feelings for multiple people at the same time.

Yuuto-sama was too serious, and this was his dilemma. He was not only thinking about himself but also considering others.

“Um… the futon…”

“It’s fine. You’re a guest.”

Yuuto-sama gently smiled and stroked my head. The pleasure, sense of security, and sheer comfort made me feel sleepy.

“Yes… thank you… Yuuto-sama.”

“Good night, Maria. Sweet dreams.”

My consciousness gradually drifted into a happy dreamland.

However, it was inevitable that I would be scolded for coming out of Yuuto-sama’s room the next day.

By the way, he didn’t say anything about the matter of marrying me.