After the emotional morning, the family gradually went their separate ways.
Rebecca left for her university classes.
Alexia grabbed her school bag and hurried off to her first-year classes at high school.
Soon, the house fell quiet.
It was just him...
And Amelia.
She seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood after what had happened during breakfast. A bright smile never left her face as she cheerfully hummed a tune while tidying the house, occasionally pausing just to smile to herself.
It was almost as if the words "Love you, Mom" had completely made her week.
He couldn’t help but chuckle.
"I guess those four words really meant that much to her."
With nothing else to do, he sprawled across the living room couch and turned on the television.
Almost immediately, he realized that even television in this world operated on completely backwards logic.
The morning news anchor smiled warmly at the camera.
> "Good morning. We begin today’s broadcast with a beautiful disaster. A city-wide power outage has left thousands without electricity or heating in the middle of winter. As temperatures continue to fall, we encourage everyone to embrace this opportunity to build endurance and reflect upon your own inadequacies."
"..."
He stared blankly at the screen.
"...What?"
He slowly switched channels.
A sports reporter appeared.
> "In sports, our local football team suffered the most humiliating defeat in its history yesterday. Fans were seen leaving the stadium in tears, and we sincerely hope they’ll continue feeling the sting of this loss for many weeks to come."
"..."
He blinked.
"...Are they... celebrating losing?"
This entire world’s media seemed to have developed a completely different definition of good news.
He leaned back against the couch with a tired sigh.
"I honestly don’t know whether to laugh... or cry."
Still...
As absurd as it all was, he’d seen stranger things during his previous life while wasting hours on the internet.
He’d once watched a man spend thirty uninterrupted minutes counting every strand of hair on his head.
Compared to that...
This wasn’t too outrageous.
...Probably.
Curious, he switched channels one last time.
The anchor wore an enthusiastic smile.
> "A local couple has made headlines for a truly remarkable display of unconventional affection. After only one month of dating, the boyfriend managed to completely forget his partner’s birthday while simultaneously misplacing her favorite possession. Relationship experts are calling it a spectacular demonstration of emotional neglect, praising the incident as proof that the deepest devotion leaves one’s beloved feeling thoroughly overlooked."
Silence.
He slowly lowered the remote.
"..."
"...Okay."
A muscle twitched at the corner of his eye.
"...Fuck this."
He pressed the power button.
The television screen went black.
"...I’m done."
He had accepted that this world was insane.
He had accepted that everyone here was a masochist.
He had even accepted that its dating culture was completely upside down.
But he refused to spend another minute listening to news anchors enthusiastically praising emotional neglect as if it were an Olympic sport.
"...Maybe reading a book would be healthier."
At least books, he hoped, couldn’t possibly be any weirder.
...Though, considering the world he had reincarnated into, he wasn’t willing to bet on it.
I stood up from the couch and walked toward the hallway to find my mother. As I approached, I saw her bent over the washing machine, digging through the laundry. Her tiny hot pants were pulled tight against her body, showcasing her plump, heart-shaped ass.
Convinced by the twisted reality I had seen on TV, I decided to finally test the rules of this world. I didn’t hesitate. I reached out and swung my hand down and smacked her right on her ass.
Smack.
The sound of my hand hitting her skin echoed in the hallway, and her ass cheeks jiggled from the force of impact.
"Ahhn~"
Her body seemed to lose all its tension the moment the slap landed. She let out a sweet, needy, and breathless moan.
As if the sensation had completely overwhelmed her senses.
Her legs gave out from under her, and she collapsed onto the floorboards, her chest rising and falling in quick, panting heavily.
When she turned her head to look at him, her appearance was startling.
Her face was flushed a deep, vibrant pink flushed with intense pleasure, and her eyes were glassy, shimmering with a misty dazed look of pure bliss.
The blissful, dazed smile on her lips made her look completely undone.
He stood there, stunned by the sheer power of the moment.
He had expected a reaction, but seeing her so thoroughly affected—reduced to a state of such visible pleasure and vulnerability from a single strike—felt like an eye-opening revelation.
Amelia slowly turned to face him.
A blissful smile spread across her flushed face as she met his gaze.
"My dear Art..."
Her voice was gentle and filled with emotion.
"I already believed you when you said you loved me. You didn’t have to go this far for my sake."
She smiled warmly, her eyes glistening.
"I know how much men usually hate doing this."
She placed a hand over her heart.
"I love you very much... and thank you, my dear, for giving me an experience I’ll treasure for the rest of my life."
He stood there, completely dumbfounded.
...I had just spanked a woman without her permission, and instead of being angry.
And she’s... thanking me for it?
He rubbed the back of his head in disbelief.
Man... I already love this world.
Then another thought struck him.
Now how am I supposed to explain this to Mom?
He cleared his throat awkwardly.
"It’s nothing, Mom. I really didn’t mind it at all."
He gave an amused smile.
"If... if it would make you happy, I could even do it for you every day from now on."
Amelia’s eyes widened before a radiant smile blossomed across her face.
"The thought alone is more than enough, my dear."
She gently shook her head.
"What you’ve already done for me today is enough to make me happy."
"You don’t have to put yourself in an uncomfortable position just for my sake."
Her smile remained as warm as ever.
"I’d rather know you’re happy than ask you to force yourself to do something you don’t enjoy."
She gave me a gentle pat and turned back to her laundry, acting as if nothing unusual had happened.
He watched her for a few moments before quietly letting out a sigh.
Maybe... I should learn more about this world’s customs first.
Then I’ll know what’s actually normal here.
Nodding to himself, he came to a decision.
Yeah... that’s probably the better approach.
******
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