The World Becomes a World Where Chastity Is Reversed?! - 22

Chapter 22: I Worked Late Again Today… (Narumi’s POV)

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It was past eleven at night. The night district was still lively. Even at this late hour, the young people walking through the busy streets were full of energy and looked like they were having a great time. Actually, in the middle of this bustling nightlife district, I was probably the only one walking around with dead-fish eyes…

“Haa… I’m really exhausted again today…”

I let out a sigh as I grew weary of the noise around me. Well, it was a nightlife district. Of course it was noisy. And I fully understood that someone like me, walking around with such a gloomy expression, was the abnormal one here… But it couldn’t be helped. The closest station to the company I worked at was right next to this district…

I worked at a small IT engineering company near this nightlife district. At first, I was supposed to have been hired as an office worker, but because employees kept quitting one after another, I was suddenly forced to switch from office work to programming only one month after joining the company. Of course, I had absolutely zero experience with programming. So from that day on, my daily life became one where I learned programming while being scolded by my senpai every day.

After that, I threw myself into programming reference books and manuals, doing my absolute best to get the work done each day. But naturally, there were many things I didn’t understand, so I kept having days where I couldn’t leave until the last train. And of course, all of that was unpaid overtime. Nearly three years had passed since that hellish routine began, but I was still constantly being yelled at by my senpai and supervisors, and the unpaid overtime still continued almost every day…

“Haa… But to think I couldn’t get home before the last train today too…”

I had wanted to go pay my electric and water bills today, so I asked my supervisor if I could leave early, and she actually agreed. And yet, because a new employee suddenly quit again and the work couldn’t keep up, I was abruptly called back and forced to take over the work that person abandoned. And of course, this was unpaid overtime too…

“Haa… Everything just feels so painful…”

I let out another deep sigh as I muttered that. That was how I had been getting worn down by work every single day. And not only was the work extremely demanding, but I also had to work weekends often, so I had no time to hang out with my friends from school. Even when I wanted to vent, I didn’t have anyone I could meet to vent to. Actually, most of my old friends were getting married one after another. Everyone around me was getting married, having kids, and looking happier each day. Meanwhile, I had no time at all to find a boyfriend, and I didn’t even have opportunities to meet anyone in the first place…

“Haa… At this rate I’ll never get a boyfriend, and I’ll probably spend my whole life a virgin… huh? Wait?”

As I was dragging my feet forward, I noticed a clothing store ahead. My eyes were drawn to the mirror displayed in the shop’s show window. Reflected in that mirror was my own face and what I saw was dark circles under my eyes, messy hair, and a wrinkled suit…A completely worn-out version of me.

“Haha… What is this…”

I muttered that to myself as I stared at my reflection. The mirror showed just how worn out I had become. It was proof of how desperately I had been working every day. And despite how hard I tried, the junior female employees whispered behind my back that I was useless, and even my senpai called me a slow and clumsy woman. Even though I had been working desperately every day, all I got in return was hardship…

“…Ugh…”

As those dark thoughts swirled in my head, a sudden migraine struck me. Because I had been glued to the computer every day, the tension in my head and neck had worsened, triggering the migraine. On top of that, I hadn’t been able to sleep well lately, and every morning it was getting harder to get out of bed. I could really feel my body breaking down more and more these days… Back when I was a student, none of this had ever happened… Yet now I had become this wreck of a person. The me from back then never imagined anything like this…

“Haha… What is my life even supposed to be…”

Feeling pathetic at the sight of my current self, I held my head and trudged through the nightlife district toward home.

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A short while later…

“…Huh?”

When I arrived in front of my apartment, I felt something was off. The lights in my room were on.

“…Ah. Right. Haru-kun came over today…”

Right—.  had asked Haru-kun to pay my utility bills. If they weren’t paid today, my electricity and water would be shut off, so I panicked and asked him to handle it. Even though I was the older one, I ended up begging Haru-kun like that… It was so embarrassing… Of course, Haru-kun properly scolded me for it, telling me I needed to be more responsible, but he still fulfilled my request. Thinking about it, back then Haru-kun used to cling to me and was such a spoiled, adorable boy, but now he had grown into such a reliable, kind young man. As his onee-chan, I couldn’t be happier.

“Ah—wait. I forgot to contact Haru-kun…”

As that thought crossed my mind, I realized I had completely forgotten to message him. He told me to let him know around what time I’d be home, and yet I forgot… I really was a hopeless onee-chan… And now it was past eleven at night. Even if my apartment was nearby, Haru-kun still had school tomorrow. There was no way he’d stay until this late. He must have already gone home.

“Haa… I’ll have to apologize to Haru-kun later on LIME… Huh? The lights are still on…?”

I murmured that as I looked at my room. For some reason, the lights were still on.

“…Wait. At this hour… could it be…?”

Feeling uneasy, I slowly went up the stairs to Room 203, my apartment. I unlocked the door and stepped inside..

—Click

“…Huh? These are… Haru-kun’s loafers, aren’t they?”

There were Haru-kun’s shoes at the entrance. That meant he was still here. Which also meant… He had been waiting for me all this time. But there was no sound coming from inside—no TV, no movement. Maybe he had fallen asleep. It was almost midnight, so it seemed likely. So I quietly headed toward the living room, careful not to make noise. If he was asleep, I couldn’t wake him.

—Click

“Suu… suu…”

When I quietly opened the living room door, I saw exactly what I expected. Haru-kun was asleep, slumped over the table.

Ah… There’s food on the table…

On the table, various dishes wrapped in plastic wrap had been laid out. They looked incredibly delicious—clearly meals Haru-kun had made. And…

“…Ah…”

It wasn’t just the food. There was also a sheet of paper on the table, handwritten by Haru-kun.

『Nee-san, thank you for working so hard every day! Eat this delicious food and get your energy back!』

“H-Haru…-kun…”

The paper held a handwritten message from Haru-kun. Even though I had shown him so many pathetic, disappointing sides of myself, he still cared enough to write such kind words for me.

He wrote such a gentle message… Just for me…

“…U… uuh…”

And the moment I finished reading it, tears quietly began to spill down my cheeks.

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