Chapter 6

In the evening, a chime sounded, and the display on the wall automatically showed an image.

"Has Mom come home?"

The house was always monitored by cameras, and any movement on the property would trigger a notification in the living room and bedrooms.

In the original world, fire alarms were mandatory, but in this world, it seemed that surveillance systems were also required.

"I'm home."

Mother appeared at the entrance.

She looked just as I remembered, but in person, she seemed much younger.

She looked great in a light blouse and a jacket, and her figure was excellent.

Both my mother and my sister were beautiful, and it was hard to believe they were my family.

If someone told me this was a scene from a home drama acted out by actresses, I might have believed it.

"Welcome home, Mom."

My sister and I went to greet her at the entrance.

"Oh, Taketora, you're back too. Tomorrow is your enrollment ceremony, right? Look, I bought a sea bream. Take a look."

Mother handed me a styrofoam box that was almost as big as my arms.

When I opened the lid, a bright red sea bream sat in the center. It was a bold purchase to buy a whole fish.

"Are you going to prepare it?"

My sister asked hesitantly. Even she had never prepared a sea bream before. In the original world, I doubt many teenagers could do it.

"Of course, I'll do it. Tonight, let's have sashimi and simmered sea bream. And how about some sea bream rice?"

"All sea bream dishes, huh?"

"Once in a while is good, right? I'll use some good miso tonight. It will be a treat."

Mother skipped into the kitchen.

I have many memories of my mother cooking, but since they are just visual, no matter how much I search my memory, I can't recreate the taste.

My mother seems to be a good cook, and I'm looking forward to it.

I headed to the kitchen with the sea bream in my arms.

"Hey, is Minayo still not here?"

"It's probably her usual time. I haven't seen her come in yet."

"Well, that's right. I'll give her a call... and what about Moe and Sae?"

"They're back. I think they're in their rooms now."

"Can you call them before dinner? Tell them we'll celebrate Taketora's enrollment together here."

Mother rolled up her sleeves and started operating her smartphone.

Minayo is my mother's younger sister. She works at the Public Relations Bureau in Central Prefecture, but I don't remember the details of her job.

Moe and Sae are my aunt's daughters, and they are in sixth and fourth grade, respectively, starting this spring.

This house has two kitchens, so they usually eat in the other one.

My mother's housekeeping skills are surprisingly high, and she quickly finished preparing the sea bream dishes.

My sister just wandered around the kitchen and wasn't much help.

"I got a reply from Minayo. She can't leave work, so she said to go ahead and eat."

"Auntie is always so busy."

"Living in the Special Zone is like that," Mother said wisely.

Living in the Special Zone is a super-privileged status. There are plenty of people who would want to switch places.

A mother like my aunt, who has young daughters, would try to live in the Special Zone for her daughters' future, even if it means overworking herself.

It's a dog-eat-dog world. It's hard to leave on time.

"Good evening, thank you for having me."

"Thank you for inviting us."

"Moe, Sae, welcome. Come, sit down. Today we're celebrating Taketora's enrollment."

"Congratulations on your enrollment, Taketora-niichan."

"Thank you. Moe, you'll be in sixth grade soon. Let's celebrate your middle school enrollment next year."

"Okay."

When I said that, Moe smiled happily.

I can handle such formal social pleasantries, but I can't think of any topics that little girls would like.

What do they like?

"Congratulations, Taketora-niichan."

"Thank you, Sae."

Giving up on small talk, I patted Sae's head.

Sae looked a bit surprised at first, then smiled.

My sister watched this with a warm smile.

They are both so cute. Let me say it again: these two are incredibly cute.

Despite such a blessed environment, the original owner of this body apparently wanted to escape from here.

It's true that a change of place can change one's perspective.

The population of Japan in this world is about 50 million, with only 200,000 men.

In other words, men are one in 250.

However, this is not entirely accurate. There's a trick with the numbers.

For my generation, the number of men is even fewer, about one in 1,000.

The elderly apparently lived in a world where men were one in several dozen, but that's a thing of the past.

Now, it's treated like a fairy tale.

In such a society, both men and women have a very hard time.

This crazy gender ratio forces everyone to bear unnecessary hardships.

"Moe, is it delicious?"

"Yes, it's very delicious."

Moe answered politely and clearly, as she was taught.

Sae, her younger sister, was also eating quietly, beyond what you'd expect from a fourth-grader.

Even these little girls are careful not to make men uncomfortable.

I want to talk to them more, but I can't think of any topics for such occasions.

"This sea bream rice is delicious."

Out of desperation, I turned the conversation to my mother.

"Really? I'm glad. I was a bit worried because I didn't have time to marinate it."

"It's delicious enough. Besides, it tastes even better when shared with a group."

"Oh!"

My words lightened the mood.

After that, we finished the meal, savoring my mother's homemade dishes.

The conversation didn't flow, but I hope Moe and Sae had a good time.

It's a sorry state, but this is my limit.

But I want you to see, I'll eventually become more relaxed and be able to talk naturally... I hope.