Living Normally In An Abnormal World - Chapter 69: Waking Up

Chapter 69: Waking Up

“How is my son doing now?”

“He’s still in a coma. He suffered a severe blow to the head, and even if he regains consciousness, there might be memory impairment.”

“…”

“All we can do now is wait for him to wake up.”

“Yuu-kun…”

Yuto lay quietly in bed, with a bandage wrapped around his head due to a minor head injury.

He hadn’t done anything wrong. He had simply taken in a boy he met by chance and offered him shelter in his home. Yet, he had to endure such an unfortunate turn of events, Mana thought to herself.

Three days had passed since the incident.

Everyone (except for a few) were frozen in shock after the incident, and the world had changed for the worse. 

Family, acquaintances, school, society, even the economy—all shifted toward a darker, worse direction. The world that was once filled with smiles transformed into a world that had lost them.

The once cheerful world had lost its laughter, and the economy had taken a dark turn. Some even said that the gods were crying, but this was just speculation.

Anyway…

Mana sat in the hospital room, holding Yuuto’s hand and praying for his consciousness to return.

“Aachoo!”

“Huh?”

“Hmm, a white ceiling?”

“Yuu-kun!”

“Oh, yeah, what’s up? Is this a hospital?”

“You’ve been sleeping for so long! I was so worried about you!”

“I’m sorry…”

Yuuto woke up, but it wasn’t a dramatic awakening. He was surprised to see Mana crying and hugging him, but he quickly understood the situation. To reassure Mana that he was alive, he hugged her back and apologized.

During this time, a nurse who was in the room quickly left and made a call.

“What happened?”

“Don’t you remember?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you remember sheltering a boy?”

“…Ah!”

“Do you remember?”

“I remember… a boy with blue eyes and sky-blue hair. I took him home, let him sleep, and then the living room window shattered. Everything went white, and I was hit hard on the head.”

“I see.”

“What happened to the boy? Was he also taken by those people?”

“Yes, he’s now being sheltered by them. But it seems they mistook you for a woman and attacked you without mercy.”

The information had been conveyed incorrectly. In their haste to rescue the boy, they had given a very brief explanation, mentioning only the location and the presence of another man.

The crucial detail that the boy was already being protected had been completely omitted.

The unit assumed that there was another man being held captive with the boy and broke all the windows to launch a surprise attack. They found a long-haired woman in the room and immediately neutralized her.

However, what they found next was a boy peacefully sleeping in one of the rooms. There was no sign of the other man they were looking for.

And then, Erina delivered the shocking news.

The other person was a long-haired man.

So, the woman they had neutralized was…

Mana, who had been visiting Yuuto every day to apologize to him for not being there, completely ignored this new development. She didn’t file a complaint or take any action, choosing to remain uninvolved.

But now that Yuuto was awake, she couldn’t continue this behavior. Because Mana knew that her beloved son would not only forgive them but also…

“Well, well, they were just doing their job. It’s not like you see long-haired men every day.”

Yuuto defended them.

“I understand. This time only!”

“Thanks!”

“Next time, I’ll sue them and make sure they face social consequences.”

“Okay.”

“But what about the others?”

“I’ll deal with them myself.”

“Okay.”

After that, Mana spent the next three days making up for lost time with Yuuto. She stroked his head, hugged him, and showed him plenty of affection. She also filled him in on what had happened during those three days.

Yuuto was speechless.

A while later, Yuuto’s younger sister, Yuuna, visited the hospital room.

“Nii-jyaaaaaa!”

“I’m sorry I worried you.”

“Aaaaaa!”

“I’m okay now.”

“Aaaaaa!”

Yuuna couldn’t stop crying, and she hugged Yuuto tightly, burying her face in his chest. Yuuto patted her head and continued to hug her until she calmed down.

“Mou~ That’s not good you know!? You’re too kind to others! You need to live for yourself!”

“I’ve always lived for myself. This is the result of that.”

“You’re an idiot! idiot! Idiot!”

“Don’t hit me. I’m in the hospital, after all.”

“You’re an idiot! I want to go home with you now!”

“No, I’ll be in the hospital for a while. I need to undergo daily medical examinations, and it could take anywhere from a week to longer.”

“Uuuuuu!”

Yuuna started crying again, and Yuuto hoped she would return to her usual self soon.

Next to visit the hospital room was the boy I had protected, Agrius, along with his mother, Adriana, and the unit members. They had come to apologize, but Mana I had already decided to let it go. However, the other party insisted on paying for the medical expenses, home repairs, renovation costs, and compensation for the trouble caused.

But Agrius seemed uncomfortable with this situation.

Mana, sensing this, asked Agrius to stay in my room while she and the others went to a separate room.

By the way, Yuuna had fallen asleep next to me.

“Yuuto, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, I’m alive. But I’m more worried about you.”

“…”

“But before that, I want to know your name. Let’s do a proper introduction. I’m Kinoshita Yuuto. What’s your name?”

“I’m Agrius. Agrius Filia Brezin.”

“That’s a nice name. Even though things turned out this way, it’s nice to meet you once again, Agrius.”

“Yes, nice to meet you. And please call me Agrius.”

“Okay, Agrius. Have you resolved your problem?”

Agrius remained silent, indicating that he hadn’t.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to hear about it. I want to help you.”

Adolescents often find it difficult to talk about their problems with their mothers. If the problem involves family members, they might not know who to turn to for advice. That’s why Yuuto wanted to help in any way he could.

“I’m not needed”

“Huh?”

“Everyone wants a man, but not me.”

“…..”

“They don’t let me do anything. I want to do something for them because they’re kind to me. I want to do something for those who do things for me. But my mother and everyone else keep telling me I’m not needed. They say it’s enough for me to just be there. They say they don’t need me to do anything. So, I thought I wasn’t needed because I couldn’t do anything. I saw on TV that women want men, so I thought they wanted a man, but not me. That’s why I went out…”

“You wanted to be useful to those you love.”

“Yes.”

Agrius was facing a dilemma unique to being a man. The people around him were overly protective and didn’t let him do anything. This was especially true for a young child.

But it was important not to misunderstand.

“Then it’s okay. There’s no problem. You’re loved by those around you.”

“Really?”

“Your feelings are just getting ahead of you. As you grow up and learn more, you’ll naturally be able to do things for them without even realizing it.”

“Is that so?”

“First of all, taking care of you is their job. So, you just need to grow up healthily, learn various things, and become an adult. By then, you’ll be able to do things for them that will make them incredibly happy.”

“…”

“So, the most important thing you can do for them right now is to grow up healthily. That’s something no other man can do.”

“Really?”

“Yes. And because you’re you, they’ll take action. Also, if you really want to do something now, I’ll tell you my secret.”

“What is it?”

“Well…”

“Please don’t talk about money in front of the child.”

In the separate room, Mana and Agrius’s mother, Adriana, were talking. The unit members had left at Mana’s request, as she wanted to speak with Adriana alone.

“I’m sorry.”

“I’ve already decided to forgive you and my son also said the same thing. Isn’t that enough?”

“But…”

“I don’t want to keep going back and forth like this either. I’m still upset about what happened. Your son was properly protected, but mine was attacked and fell into a coma. Can you imagine how I felt?”

It was unimaginable, and she didn’t want to imagine it.

A few days ago, she had felt like her heart was being torn apart when she couldn’t find her son.

If he had been attacked and fallen into a coma too… No, Agrius’s situation might have been even worse.

“…”

“But I’ll forgive you. My son and I will. It was his decision, so I won’t hold it against you anymore. Please leave now.”

“Yes.”

Adriana grabbed the doorknob, ready to leave, but Mana spoke up.

“Also, please get along with your son. He was worried about this whole matter. So, please show him a harmonious parent-child relationship someday. That will be the greatest apology you could give to us and my son..”

“Huh…?”

“When my son was around your son’s age, he was also trying to find ways to be useful to me. What about your son? You can’t just tell him to do nothing. That’s like saying he’s not needed. We’re not raising male dolls; we’re raising people.”

Mana felt she might have said too much, but she continued, hoping for the best.

“I understand your concern, but if you don’t let him do anything, he might think you don’t trust him… I might have gone too far.”

“No, thank you.”

Adriana, who had harmed Mana’s son, was now concerned about her family situation and appreciated Mana’s advice.

Indeed, she had been overly protective and hadn’t let her son do anything.

“Adriana, I hope we can meet again as mother friends, not as victims and perpetrators.”

And Adriana would never forget the name of the great mother she had just met.

“Ah… Mother!”

“What is it, Agrius?”

“I’ll give you a shoulder massage!”

“A shoulder massage?”

“Yes, a shoulder massage! Sit down.”

Adriana was led to a chair by Agrius, who began massaging her shoulders.

It was his first time, so his technique wasn’t very good. But the fact that he wanted to do something for her and be useful made Adriana incredibly happy.

“Mother, you always work so hard. This is all I can do for now. But when I grow up, I want to support you even more. So, for now, I’ll focus on growing up healthily. I’ll learn various things and become an adult. So, Mother, wait for me.”

“Yes, I’ll wait. Forever.”

“Yeah.”

“I love you, Agrius.”

“I love you too, Mother.”

Both of them had experienced misfortune.

But that misfortune eventually led to the creation of a harmonious parent-child relationship.

Perhaps it was a fortunate turn of events after all.