Living Normally In An Abnormal World

Chapter 92: Projecting onto an Absent Figure

“Grauzer, after all, maybe you’re really my father?”

“Nah.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Scratch that, do you even know my age?”

“I don’t know. But I think you’re a little younger than mother.”

“That so.”

Satoru was born without a father, only with his mother and servants. He had never felt any dissatisfaction, but he wondered why his father was absent. When he asked deeply about it, Haruki would show a slightly troubled expression and say, “He’s just not there.”

But what about him?

He listened to Satoru’s confidential consultations that not even his mother knew about, and they spent a fair amount of time together.

As a man who had lived longer, he taught Satoru various things about how to interact with women, which would be the most crucial aspect of his life.

A different kind of presence from his best friend, Agrius—a presence that brought a natural sense of reassurance when they were together. Even though he complained with his words, he knew that Agrius would stay by his side until the end, and protect him no matter what.

That’s what a father was, isn’t it?

“Even if I’m not your father, you can still spend time together with me. You don’t need to worry too much about it.”

“You’re right!”

The gentle tone of his voice and the act of stroking the boy’s head. Even though his face was hidden behind a mask, Satoru could understand that he had a kind expression, based on those two reasons.

“But I just thought it would be nice if Grauzer was my father.”

“I don’t know if I should be happy about that, but thanks.”

“Agrius probably thinks the same!”

“Hahaha, what? Really?”

The man, who was halfway to adulthood and had unnecessary knowledge, thought to himself. He knew a way to become a father on paper, but he decided to keep quiet about it, as it would only create more problems. The prince who came to visit from the neighboring country and the habitual kidnapper—one should never underestimate the high level of agency that children possess.

Haruki, who was sitting next to him, also knew about it and kept quiet, which Satoru greatly appreciated.

(Father huh…)

In this world, most children were born through artificial insemination. Sperm banks allowed women to select the genetic material that most closely matched their ideal, based on data such as income and educational background, but the face was especially important.

Whether it was excellent, average, or inferior, it didn’t matter. As long as the face was good, that was enough. As long as it matched their taste, that was enough.

However, only the male genetic material was needed for artificial insemination. The men who provided the genetic material had no obligation to raise the child, and they didn’t want to bother with child-rearing either. Naturally, it became the norm for children to grow up without fathers.

No matter how generous the childcare subsidies and support were, it was not easy for a mother to raise a child alone, especially when it came to a rare male child like Satoru.

Yuuto, who had been conscious since he was born in this world, had seen Mana struggling with childcare. That’s why he had an even stronger desire to do something for her, and he treated women with respect.

But he had never seen or heard about what kind of person his father was or what he looked like. But since he had no interest in it anyway, he dismissed it as unimportant.

“Hey, hey, daddy.”

“Daddy here. Um, what’s up all of a sudden?”

“You know, I was just thinking that calling Grauzer ‘father’ feels kind of weird, so maybe I should call you ‘daddy’ instead.”

“That so.”

“I’ll call you ‘daddy’ until I get bored of it!”

“Just do whatever you want.”

“Hehe.”

The servants around them thought to themselves.

It was probably because he sometimes stroked Satoru’s head like that, that Satoru felt a sense of fatherhood from him.

Did he notice the way Satoru smiled happily, holding his head with his hand after being stroked?

“I’ll tell Agrius too, and we’ll all call you ‘daddy’ for a while.”

“No, you shouldn’t do that.”

“I don’t wanna!”

“Come on, daddy. It’s okay, isn’t it?”

“Haruki-san?!”

“ I didn’t have a father too, and I think it would have been nice to have someone like Yuuto-san as my father.”

“Well, thank you?”

Hearing that from the older Haruki, he felt a bit of a complex emotion.

“You know, I’ve always thought that daddy doesn’t have any bodyguards. Isn’t that really dangerous?”

“No, I’ve heard that your mother has hired bodyguards for me, so I think it’s okay, but I’ve never met those people.”

(If he was greet each of them one by one, Yuuto-san’s time with us will be reduced.)

Everyone around him was treating him like a living national treasure, without his knowledge. Even though Mana had hired bodyguards for him already, the government had voluntarily deployed several times that number. Of course, they were in plain clothes, so Yuuto had no idea.

The day before, Yuuto had approached a woman who had dropped her handkerchief, but he had no idea that she was a super veteran with over ten years of experience guarding men.

“Well, daddy doesn’t have to worry about that.”

“Is that so?”

However, Haruki didn’t want him to think about it too deeply, so she changed the subject forcefully.

“Rather, there’s one thing daddy should do.”

Suddenly, his supposed younger brother and that kid’s mother called him “daddy.” He couldn’t just do nothing in response to their teasing.

“My child, be healthy.”

“No, you sound more like a god than a father.”

“My child, if you’re always on edge, it will tire your mind. Sometimes, you should play and have fun.”

Saying that, he touched the heads of the two and left his seat.

Satoru smiled as usual, and Haruki was surprised by the feeling she hadn’t felt in a long time.

“Hey, mother.”

“What is it?”