After receiving the memories of his predecessor, Aoi recognized that alluring voice.
It belonged to his predecessor's mother, Suzuki Chiyo.
"Aoi, are you awake now? Hello...?"
Chiyo thought Aoi didn't hear her the first time as she made a series of knocks that became progressively louder, intending to wake him up.
It was at this time that the raven-head broke out of thoughts and reacted.
"Yeah, mom. I'm up now. I'll go downstairs after I finish bathing."
"Good. And be quick. You don't want to be late on your first day of school would you?"
"Okaaay...~" Aoi replied with a small grumble at the end.
Talking to his predecessor's mom was strangely natural for him. He felt no discomfort or shyness whatsoever. It was as if the reincarnated man has known her for years. Well, he technically does since he had the 'old' Aoi's memories.
And speaking of memories, while the raven-head entered the bathroom, he skimmed through his predecessor's recollections. As he did, he found the part that weirded him out.
This world seems to be a reversed one. Where women's and men's morals and roles are altered and inverted. How they act is also reversed. Instead of men, women here are generally the breadwinners, they are expected to be strong, aggressive, and bold, whilst men were expected to be polite, accommodating, and nurturing.
That also explains why the old Aoi and his male friends act 'soft.'
'Oh gosh, this is gonna get weird as fudge...'
The red-eyed teenager knew right away that this was going to be a massive headache. He wasn't homophobic, but witnessing almost all guys act as soft as pure, unadulterated maidens in his predecessor's memories made him sick.
Sighing inwardly, he promptly finished bathing and left the bathroom. Aoi put on his clothes, specifically his school's uniform which consisted of a white polo, dark blue slacks, and a suit the same color as the latter, paired with a gray checkered tie.
As he finished doing so, he went downstairs to the dining table just like his mother mandated.
There, he saw delicious-looking food served in the middle. Also, he gotta admit, seeing the 2 women seated in front of the table, it seems that they were really blessed with beautiful genes according to the old Aoi's memories.
Of course, one of them was his mother, Chiyo. She, him, and the woman next to her has the same exact features. Both of the women have silky black hair, mesmerizing crimson eyes, and smooth pale skin. Both of them were beautiful, especially his 38-year-old mother, who is youthful as she was back when Aoi was still a child.
[Chiyo Reference Image Here]
The one next to Chiyo, sitting across his spot looked a lot like his mother but younger. She was his big sister who is 2 years older than him, Suzuki Emi.
[Emi Reference Image Here]
As soon as she heard Aoi approaching, Chiyo glanced up from her food as she greeted, "Good morning, my prince. Take a seat and have breakfast." A gentle smile adorned her face after she spoke.
According to the original Aoi's memories, this mother of his is a single parent who cared for him greatly. And in this world where gender morals have been inverted, she acts like an overprotective father to him.
"Morning, mom. Morning, sis." Perching in his usual spot, Aoi replied in a casual tone. Too casual even, that his mother and his big sister, who was about to greet him also, found it a bit weird.
The Aoi they know was a soft-spoken teenager, who greeted them with a lovely smile every morning, but the Aoi today did so otherwise.
Not only are his actions and movements a bit rough when he took a seat, but his tone was also like a lazy woman's. It looked like he didn't even feel a bit of shame as he lifted his clothes to scratch his chest before serving himself some rice and other dishes.
"Aoi-kun, what the hell are you doing? You're a guy, don't just raise your clothes casually like that!"
Emi, who was a bit embarrassed after getting a short glimpse of his brother's nipple, reprimanded him.
"Huh? Oh, uh... Sorry...?"
Oh, yeah. He was supposed to act like a girl, the reincarnated man forgot. Even after receiving his predecessor's recollection, he didn't accede to the OG Aoi's behavior or morals... The reason being that, even if he inherited his memories, his brain did not treat them like it was actually his. More like a movie that he watched in first person POV.
Welp, he doesn't care. The raven-head was sure that his parents might think that he swings the other way if he keeps behaving like this, but it was better than acting like an untainted lady.
The 18-year-old sister of his just sighed at his perfunctory reaction; it was as if he treated his lax action as something trivial.
"It's okay, just finish your meal so that we can go to school quickly. The earlier we go, the more time I'll have to show you around.
And remember, if someone attempts to bully you, just tell Nee-san and I'll beat the crap out of whoever tries to do so, alright?!"
Great... a big sister who acts like an overprotective brother as well, good grief... It's not like he hates it, though... He's just not used to this kind of stuff...
"Yeah, sure, Nee-san. Thanks..."
"Anything for my little bro."
Before the dining area could descend into peaceful silence again, Chiyo, who saw the sweet interaction of the two siblings laughed to herself, "Hahahaha!"
Rather than the archetypal 'Fufufu' laugh of a mature Japanese woman, Chiyo cackled like an old man instead, something that caught Aoi off guard for a bit even when he knew that this was how his 'new' mother laughed.
•—•—•—•—•
After finishing their breakfast, the Suzuki siblings left their house, followed by their mother who escorted them out.
"Well, good luck with your new school Aoi-kun. And Emi, take care of your brother, alright? I'm sure a lot of girls will try to approach him with malicious intentions." (Chiyo)
"Of course, mom. Leave him to me!" (Emi)
"Also, Aoi..." Chiyo's words trailed off as she glanced at Aoi with serious narrowed eyes.
"Y-Yes?"
"Remember, having a girlfriend is prohibited until you're 18, understood?"
"Yah...? I guess...?"
"Good, as long as you understand..." Chiyo's expression then shifted into a smile, "Both of you can go now. And come back home early. Don't go wandering around randomly."
"Yeah, sure mom. Bye!" (Emi)
"Bye, mom!" (Aoi)
The Suzuki siblings, after receiving their mom's instructions, made their way to school. But after they barely moved 1 meter away from their home, they heard their mother reply.
"Bye! I love you two!"
"I love you too, mom!" (Emi)
"Yup! I love... you too...? Mom..." Aoi answered back, confusion riddling him. The memories he got from the OG Aoi made him subconsciously blurt out his response. Even though he did not inherit the old Aoi's feelings and affection, he did inherit his knowledge and his subconscious perception of things that came along with it.
In other words, the reincarnated individual knew that he loved her, but he felt no love for her. It was such a complicated feeling that disturbed him.
And Chiyo, who noticed the tinge of uncertainty in his tone when he said those words, simply ignored it for the time being as she waved goodbye to her children's receding figures as they made a beeline to their school.
How was it? Is my paragraph structure good? Am I over-expounding things? Have I done any mistakes? Lemme know!