Chapter 5 - 5. Full House

As the housekeeper walked me to the dining room, I gathered bits and pieces of information from what she said. This house had two floors, and I had at least two family members. I wanted to know more, but it was time for breakfast.The housekeeper (if she was real) was a bit flustered, but she told me, "Please come downstairs after you've changed out of your pajamas," and then quickly left the room. If I didn't wake up from the dream soon, perhaps I would have another chance to meet her. To be honest, the duration of the dream was quite long for it to be a dream.I rummaged through the drawers in my room and found some neatly organized clothes. In my previous world, I would just throw things in the dresser, so I was a little impressed.The clothes seem to be the same as in the original world. They are all wearing long sleeves and long pants that cover no skin, which is probably because the date displayed on the digital alarm clock is March.After finding some light clothing, I headed down the stairs to the first floor. There was a bathroom right in front of me, so I washed my hands and face, checked my appearance, and then headed in the direction of the light.The bright areas were the living room and dining room. They were quite spacious and looked very clean. At the same time, there was food prepared on the dining table.The dining table had chairs for four people, and in front of three of them was a perfect breakfast of soup and three side dishes, most likely prepared by the housekeeper from earlier.Just looking at the warm miso soup and the freshly grilled salted mackerel stimulates the appetite. Thinking back, I've recently become lazy about cooking and just gorge on ready-made bento and side dishes. I don't really taste it; I'm just replenishing my calories.I thought that maybe it was just my state of mind, wanting to feel the warmth of another human being even in my dreams, but as I was about to sit down at the table, I heard a woman's voice I didn't know. It felt like it was falling in my direction."Good morning, Shun-kun."When I looked up, a woman who was probably my mother was standing there smiling. As expected, she was a woman completely different from my real mother.She looks to be in her early 30s, and although there are some wrinkles around the corners of her eyes, there's no denying her beauty. With her long, curly hair and full lips, she exudes the vibe of a magazine model for middle-aged women.Just as I was a little surprised, wondering if she could really be my mother, I heard a new voice. "Ah, Big Shun, good morning!"The voice was full of youth and very cute. Startled, I turned my head in that direction and saw a girl about 160cm tall smiling at me. Her long hair was tied back in a side ponytail, and with her large eyes, small lips, and flawless skin, she looked so feminine and attractive. Her cheerfulness made me imagine she must be popular in class.From what I picked up from the housekeeper, her name must be Yuki. She definitely doesn't have the vibe of an older sister or an aunt."...Good morning to you two, um, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting..."I replied nervously, observing the two of them. I didn't know their relationship or how close they were, and to begin with, I couldn't speak casually to a woman.Of course I want to be close with women. What kind of man wouldn't? But I just never had it in me to make an emotional connection with them. I was an afterthought, there was no girl who wanted me."Eh, Shun-kun?" "...Big Bro Shun said good morning..."They both had the same reaction as the housekeeper earlier. I wondered how I had reacted up until now, and my anxiety at not knowing grew.Ok, I had definitely fucked up, but how? I didn't even say that much, there was no real way to tell that I wasn't the same person from that little amount of information."Wow, I wonder how many years it's been since you've properly returned my greeting...?" "Hehe, Shun-nii said good morning to me."I was beginning to wonder if these two harbored any animosity towards me. What is going on in this house?While harboring a little bit of hope for my dream, I quietly put the rice and mackerel into my mouth.The conversations we had during breakfast were mostly about concern for me, like how Shun-kun's entrance ceremony will be soon, how they're worried about Shun-san because it's a co-ed school, how they should get some rest for today, etc. And both of them looked at me eating with smiles on their faces.But if they were worried about me because I went to a co-ed school, then I must be really weak. Or maybe I had been bullied by girls in the past. I had been bullied by my classmates in real life too, and middle school in particular was a time I don't want to remember. It was around this time that I started to have difficulty communicating with girls, and from then on, my conversations with women were kept to a minimum.I hate to say it, but the lack of women in my life made me a degenerate. I would take one too many glances of the butts and breasts of sexy women who happened to pass by. I never did anything crazy like stalking, but I was still a little creepy.Even during conversations and minimal contact with women, I would often take the opportunity to glance at their bodies as if licking them. This behavior made me even worse at communicating with women, and in the end, I turned into a creepy monster who simply indulged in delusions.After finishing breakfast, I went back to my room, reminiscing about trivial things like idle chat. The two of them suggested that we hang out together in the living room, but I don't have the confidence to talk to women.When I told my mother that I wanted to rest, she said, "I'll be in the living room for a while." After silently nodding, I went back to my room on the second floor.