Chapter 28: S-Should I just go buy some yakisoba bread then, sir?!
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So.
Even after being told to “live a normal life” and “learn what normal is,” there still remained one glaring issue.
What exactly was a normal life?
Up until then, my daily routine had looked something like this:
Wake up at a fixed hour.
Morning exercise.
Check the news.
Go to school.
Study.
Secure influence within the campus.
Expand my sphere of control.
Absorb rival groups.
Eliminate hostile elements.
Acquire leverage over faculty members.
Resolve problems among my subordinates.
Return home.
Compile a detailed record of the day’s activities.
Sleep.
However, judging from the reactions of Father and Mother, apparently this lifestyle was not considered particularly “normal.”
Though, to be fair, it was simply the result of diligently following Father’s long-standing philosophy:
“If you’re going to do something, aim for the top.”
Well, even I understood that I differed from the average high school student I saw around town.
That much was obvious.
But which side was truly “normal,” and who exactly had the authority to define it?
I state this with certainty:
Even if I immediately began living alone at university in my current state, the end result would simply be the same as high school. Before long, I would naturally begin consolidating control over the university as well.
After all, the world is full of methodologies for deviating from normality—
But there are almost none for burying oneself within it.
Still, merely repeating the same pattern would defeat the purpose.
I could personally accept that outcome, but disappointing Father and Mother would leave a bitter taste.
And my middle-school-aged siblings would surely suffer watching their older brother fail such an important test in such a pathetic manner.
Even if I did not understand “normal,” I should at least demonstrate the effort to become normal.
After all, for some reason, humans possess a tendency to praise others with phrases like “You did your best” even when the results themselves amount to failure.
With that in mind, I altered my usual route to school and wandered alone through a residential district I normally never visited.
There was no particularly deep reason for it.
I simply thought I might casually sample the ordinary people living in this city.
“…Hmm.”
And then—
I met her.
Why exactly she caught my attention is difficult to put into words.
But if I had to describe the feeling…
Perhaps it was because she carried the same atmosphere as someone desperately trying to blend into normality through effort.
Like a fellow traveler.
The girl stood before the garbage collection area of a small apartment complex, dressed in the uniform of a nearby public high school.
My first impression was that she was a strikingly beautiful girl with a lively air about her, her hair tied into a ponytail that swayed gently in the evening breeze.
Curious about what had her so troubled, I followed her gaze.
There, among the trash bags and discarded household items, sat a bundle of books that one of the apartment residents had apparently thrown away.
“What are you doing?”
“Ah!?”
The moment I spoke, the girl nearly jumped out of her skin, apparently not realizing anyone had been nearby.
She spun around in a panic, saw my uniform—
—and let out an even louder shriek.
“T-Teikou!? W-What does someone from a rich-people school want with a commoner like me!?”
Teikou was the abbreviated nickname for the elite academy I attended.
Despite her outward appearance, she spoke like some terrified underling.
Interesting.
Wanting to calm her down somewhat, I deliberately softened my tone.
“You’ve been staring at that pile of books for a while now. I became curious what you were doing.”
“Ah, um… heh… actually, I noticed there are books in there I’ve wanted forever…”
She laughed awkwardly while scratching her cheek.
Books she wanted had been discarded here.
I see.
So she was debating whether to secretly take them home from the apartment’s garbage collection area.
“Generally speaking, ownership of books discarded in a trash site still belongs either to the original owner or the municipality. Taking them without permission could potentially constitute theft or embezzlement. I would not recommend it.”
“Ah… yeah, figures… haha… sigh…”
As I calmly explained the legal risks, the girl’s shoulders visibly slumped.
She reminded me of a mischievous cat caught in the middle of doing something naughty.
Still, I didn’t understand why she needed to feel so dejected.
“Why are you disappointed? You want them, don’t you?”
“Yeah, but taking them without permission is still wrong, right?”
“Then simply obtain permission.”
“…Huh?”
Leaving the girl standing there with a blank expression, I turned and walked toward the apartment building connected to the garbage area.
It was evening. Trash collection would not occur until tomorrow morning.
Which meant there was a reasonable chance the person who had thrown away the books was still home.
Behind me, the girl stared in obvious confusion as I rang the first doorbell.
Naturally, they pretended not to be home.
But after calling out that I had “questions regarding the garbage disposal,” I located the correct resident on the third attempt.
After explaining the situation and asking whether they would be willing to part with the books, they immediately agreed, saying they had intended to throw them away anyway.
And just like that, the books officially became ours to take.
“Good for you,” I said to the stunned girl. “Now you can carry them home proudly.”
The girl, who had been watching the entire sequence unfold with her mouth hanging open, finally rebooted.
“N-No, seriously… what kind of insane initiative is that…?”
“You wanted something, and this amount of effort was enough to obtain it. Isn’t this perfectly normal?”
“That’s not normal at all! That’s super weird!”
“…Oh?”
At her words, my lips curled into a grin.
I see.
So that had not been normal.
And if this girl could so confidently point that out to me—
Then surely she herself must possess a deep understanding of normality.
“You’ve got guts, barking like that at me. State your name, beautiful girl.”
“Ah, crap… um, ehehe~ it’s not really worth introducing myself…”
“Which part of that is your name? Ayabeehehe?”
“That’s not my name! I’m Nekoyanagi Meiko!”
“I see. Meiko.”
The instant I acknowledged her name, Meiko’s face shifted into an expression that practically screamed:
‘Crap, I messed up!?’
Was there some reason she didn’t want me knowing her name?
Well, whatever.
I stepped closer toward her.
“My name is Gouto.”
“Y-Yes, sir. Gouto-kun, right? D-Do you want me to go buy yakisoba bread or something?”
“What are you even talking about?”
After staring at Meiko in exasperation, I immediately moved on to the main subject—
—but not before first reconfirming the favor I had just earned.
“Meiko. Because of me, you were able to obtain the books you wanted. Which means you now owe me one favor. Is that understanding correct?”
“…Yes……………… Father, Mother, little sisters… please forgive your foolish daughter for becoming indebted to a terrifying person…”
Once our understanding aligned, I spoke.
“Then, Meiko. Will you teach me about this thing called ‘normal’?”
“…Huh?”
Meiko stared at me as though an enormous question mark had materialized over her head.
Standing around chatting forever served no purpose, so after officially receiving permission to take the books, we headed toward Meiko’s home.
Once she’d been told she could freely take as many as she wanted, Meiko had greedily begun grabbing book after book after book, so I ended up helping her carry the load.
As we walked, I gave her a summarized explanation of the trial imposed upon me.
“So basically,” Meiko said slowly, “Gouto-kun has absolutely no idea what ‘normal’ is, and if you can’t become normal during university life, you’ll get kicked out of your house?”
“That would be the situation, yes. Though whether they would truly exile me is debatable. And frankly, even if they did, I would not particularly mind. However, refusing to take any countermeasures at all would be a separate issue.”
“Is that really how it works?”
“That is how the world works.”
At least, I still hadn’t abandoned my feelings toward my family.
I did still possess the desire to meet my parents’ expectations.
Meanwhile, after hearing my explanation, Meiko scrunched up her face with a troubled look.
“But living normally is something ordinary people can do without even thinking about it. So finding someone capable of actually teaching it is hard. This kinda feels like being asked to explain how to breathe or walk.”
As expected.
This really was difficult.
And honestly, I could vaguely understand that perspective too.
The problem was that everyone’s definition of “normal” differed slightly.
Every single person’s standards were subtly misaligned.
So where exactly was the median?
The average?
The mode?
Where could I find a truly reliable sample?
“If only there existed some sample of a completely ordinary high school student you could find anywhere, then even imitating that would probably help.”
“Pffft!”
“Meiko?”
For some reason, Meiko burst out laughing at my complaint.
She stopped walking entirely, clutching at her stomach while tears gathered in the corners of her eyes.
“N-No, it’s just… hearing someone seriously say ‘a completely ordinary high school student you could find anywhere’ sounds exactly like something out of an old light novel!”
“…What?”
Light novels.
Of course I knew what they were.
Entertainment-focused novels primarily aimed at teenagers and young adults.
Though the publishing market itself had reportedly been shrinking in recent years, the medium had gained attention for its effectiveness at generating successful intellectual properties.
“What about them?”
“No, I mean it! Old light novels were full of those guys! The ‘perfectly ordinary high school student you could find anywhere’ types.”
“…………”
…What?
Seeing my eyes widen, Meiko grinned mischievously.
“If you want, I could lend you some. A few of my favorites.”