Living Normally In An Abnormal World

Chapter 66: The Two Nicknames

“Well, the day has finally come to witness a historic moment!”

“After all, there are so few men who run a full marathon. Finishing it pretty much guarantees a record, but this time things might be tricky.”

“Yes, indeed. On TV, Grauzer has never been seen out of breath. This will be a great chance to see his true abilities. A significant improvement is expected.”

“After this, the other men will either be fired up or give up entirely. I think he’s aiming for the latter. He’s always said he wants to disappear from the media. But the fact that he’s participating means he’s probably enjoying it at least a little, right?”

“But if it’s a matter of disappearing or not, he probably wants to disappear.”

“Lately, it seems like he’s been trying to worsen his public image by acting rude, but to me, it just looks like a kid going through a rebellious phase. Honestly, it’s kind of cute.”

“Look, he’s flipping people off or giving thumbs-downs to everyone around him. Oh, wait, now he’s doing something around his neck with his hands?”

“Wow, that’s the motion of tightening a noose for hanging! And he’s even pretending to be dead after hanging himself.”

“Yes, I can see it, and it’s working.”

“I wonder how much he practiced to pull that off? His efforts are a bit misplaced, though.”

“Well, it’s almost time.”

“Yes, I’m so excited I can’t stand it.”

I was standing at the starting line.

Despite not having started running yet, the cheers from the crowd enveloped me. I wished they would save it for after I finished running.

But more importantly,

This wasn’t my first time running a full marathon. The distance was familiar. But the difference this time was the massive crowd watching my every move. And Maria and Erina weren’t here.

Those were the two points.

But it didn’t matter.

I had made a decision.

I was going to run.

That’s all.

I heard the sound of the pistol.

I moved, to surpass them.

“Isn’t Yuu-kun going a bit fast?”

“Nii-cha can totally handle 3 hours of that!”

“Yes, I’m sure Yuto-sama can do it with ease. But his pace does seem a little fast.”

“Do your best, Yuto.”

“Asuka, what if Yuuto-kun becomes a track star?”

“I don’t care.”

“Hey, Mom? Thanks to Yuto-kun, Grauzer’s image is starting to change. Is that okay?”

“It’s fine~ Rina. Just think of it as Grauzer from a different dimension and gloss over it~”

“Wow, Yuuto-sama is fast.”

“As expected!”

“Now, now, you two. Don’t get too close to the TV.”

“Yanagida-san, is something wrong?”

“Oh, nothing, Sanae-chan. It just feels like we’re leaving Yuto-kun out of our little girls’ club.”

“Everyone, tea is ready!”

At the same time, at Kinoshita’s house, surprisingly, everyone was gathered.

This time, the companion was the Emperor, Toudou Haruki.

Of course, Erina and Shiori were already acquainted with Haruki.

This was the second time Haruki and Mana met during this visit. And the first thing that happened when they met was Haruki apologizing to her.

Every time someone from the Toudou family (mainly Satoru) came, Mana’s beloved son was abducted.

For any parent, even objectively, it’s not a laughing matter. The typical reaction would be hysterical complaints.

However, Mana, while not entirely without complaints, brushed it off lightly, thinking it was a matter between the kids and her son seemed to enjoy it anyway. Haruki was deeply moved by Mana’s composed reaction, thinking this would help her build a harmonious relationship with her son, Satoru.

In fact, Yuuto’s consistently excellent demeanor had greatly boosted Mana’s reputation as his mother.

[The Second Coming of the Virgin Mary]

That’s what she was called by some.

But that’s beside the point. There was another issue as to why the mothers couldn’t go together.

Their relationship was simply too close.

Reina and Miu frequently accompanied Yuto. Especially Miu, whose excessive displays of affection were often criticized by the public.

Particularly the act of fist-bumping.

Don’t forget that most men dislike it when women get close to them, let alone touch them.

That’s the issue.

If you knew his usual behavior, you’d think, “Why are they making a fuss over something normal?” But to the general public who only knew him from TV, it looked like excessive physical contact.

Well, most of it was just jealousy.

In truth, it was mostly jealousy, but Yuto took it seriously. And while he didn’t distrust everyone, he wasn’t comfortable relying on others either.

And then he had an idea.

Grauzer will appear. Satoru will show up too. Naturally, Haruki will accompany him as a chaperone.

Let Haruki handle it.

With that straightforward reasoning, Haruhi ended up accompanying them.

By the way, Mana was not chosen as a companion because her physical affection with her own son was more frequent and intense than Reina and Miu’s.

Don’t forget that he’s a family computer.

2 hours, 27 minutes, 45 seconds, and 52 milliseconds.

That was his record.

The crowd’s cheers were louder than before as they witnessed the new record and his true abilities.

On the other side of the screen, there were those who gave up, thinking it was futile to compete with such overwhelming abilities, and those who were fired up with rivalry. Even those who thought they could remain indifferent found themselves unable to do so. Some developed new admiration, and the reactions were varied.

“…”

However, after finishing the race, he had doubts about the record.

Why didn’t I collapse?

Why didn’t I vomit, like I do every time during training?

Why, even after finishing, do I feel like I haven’t run enough?

Frustration bubbled at his own inadequacy. But for now, he let it be. There was more to come. Deep down, he knew that surpassing them wouldn’t happen in just a few years.

He realized that his wall was high.

Someday, for sure.

For now, he headed toward the boy who had been cheering for him.

That’s what he thought.

His record was officially registered.

After finishing the race, the awarding ceremony was held immediately. Under his mask, he looked dissatisfied, but no one present noticed, and the ceremony proceeded smoothly with polite formalities.

However, this performance would only increase Grauzer’s fame, contrary to his own intentions.

“What a joke.”

“Hey, Grauzer. Isn’t it a bit much to say that about your hard-earned results?”

“I’m not satisfied with that result.”

“Crazy runner.”

“It is truly regrettable.”

After finishing the race, he said he would do a cool-down run and started running again.

Thinking a bit of fan service wouldn’t hurt, he high-fived the crowd while running.

That was a mistake.

Naturally, people came closer, wanting to high-five him. The wide road he had been running on became as narrow as a relay lane.

He kept high-fiving with both hands as he ran, more slowly this time, but the line of outstretched hands seemed to go on forever.

As he looked into those eyes, he couldn’t stop, and he ended up running the entire course again.