"Yay!"
Shin-chan nodded excitedly. He wanted to keep watching, but it was past four o'clock and he had to go home. Otherwise, Misae would start nagging him again. "Mister, I'm heading home now. See you next time!"
"See you next time!"
After seeing Shin-chan off, Souya started thinking about what to make for dinner. The refrigerator at home was completely empty. Although he had Cooking Mastery, it was useless without ingredients.
Despite having watched Crayon Shin-chan for so many years, he had no idea where to buy groceries. The show never showed a complete route.
"Luckily, I have my phone, wallet, ID, and other things with me."
Souya rummaged through his pockets and found a pack of cigarettes, a windproof lighter, his phone, his wallet, and various documents inside it. It was worth noting that the wallet was completely empty, not even containing a single coin.
He picked up his ID and saw that he was 23. The photo on the ID looked very handsome and youthful. He had no idea why Shin-chan kept calling him "Mister."
"Mister, what are you looking at?"
Just as he was lost in thought, Shin-chan's voice suddenly came from behind him. Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.
"Shin-chan? How do you walk without making a sound?" Souya patted his chest, startled. If he weren't so brave, the sudden scare might have given him a heart attack.
Shin-chan shrugged and turned his head with a mischievous grin. "Because I wanted to see if you were watching the match behind my back."
"Come on, why would I need to watch it behind your back?" Souya gave Shin-chan an exasperated look. This kid always said the most unexpected things.
"Don't worry about such trivial things, mister," Shin-chan said as he ran to the front of the TV and sat down.
Kurasaki Souya rubbed his forehead. "It's 'trivial matters,' not 'chicken-garlic-peel'!"
"It's all the same," Shin-chan replied, watching TV.
"All right, just tell me—did your mom send you?"
Souya stood up, walked over to Shin-chan, sat down beside him, and ruffled his prickly little buzz cut.
"Mr. Souya, you're so clever!" Shin-chan looked up at him in surprise.
"It's 'clever,' not 'clever.' Never mind. Just tell me what your mom asked you to say."
Souya shook his head helplessly, seemingly accustomed to Shin-chan's quirky behavior.
Shin-chan patted his shoulder like a seasoned adult. "Mom said that since you're new here, you probably don't have a place to eat. Why don't you join us for dinner? We don't have anything fancy, so you'll have to make do."
Hearing this, Kurasaki didn't refuse. After all, he hadn't planned on eating dinner. "Mrs. Nohara is so kind and thoughtful. I'll gladly accept the invitation."
Upon hearing these words, Shin-chan suddenly looked around cautiously. After making sure no one else was around, he beckoned Kurasaki closer.
"What's wrong?"
Souya was taken aback, but he leaned down closer to Shin-chan instinctively.
"Mr. Souya, let me tell you, my mom is actually a stingy old lady with three layers of flabby swim rings," Shin-chan said with the utmost seriousness.
Souya burst out laughing. "You little rascal, daring to badmouth your mom like that? Be careful; I might tell Mrs. Nohara."
Shin-chan shrugged and turned his head, grinning his signature grin. "Ah, mister, we're best friends. I know you wouldn't rat me out."
Souya neither agreed nor denied this. Instead, he turned off the TV and walked toward the hallway. "All right, it's getting late. Let's head to your place."
Shin-chan followed behind, shrugging. "Really, Mr. Souya, you just don't understand the romance of being a man."
'Such a little kid with such a big personality,' thought Souya as he glanced back at Shin-chan. For a five-year-old kindergartener, he sure talked like a middle-aged man.
The two arrived at the Nohara residence, opened the door, and stepped inside.
"You're home!"
Shin-chan kicked off his shoes and headed toward the living room.
"It's 'I'm home,' not 'you're home'!"
"How many times do I have to tell you? The first thing you do when you get home is rinse your mouth and wash your hands!"
As soon as he reached the living room, Misae grabbed him by the collar and dragged him toward the bathroom.
"Ah, what's the big deal? I didn't even go outside to play," Shin-chan protested, squirming. But under Misae's absolute control, resistance was futile.
"That's not the point! Go rinse your mouth and wash your hands, or I won't let you watch tonight's Action Kamen!" The moment she mentioned Action Kamen, he immediately behaved and ran obediently to the bathroom.
As he ran, he shouted, "Action Kamen, I'm coming!" and "Action Kamen, wait for me! I'll save you right away!"
"Kurasaki-kun, sorry for the embarrassment. This kid is always like this," Misae said, finally noticing Kurasaki Souya standing at the entrance and watching the scene.
"Mrs. Nohara, please don't say that. I really like Shin-chan. Besides, I'm causing you trouble tonight. I'm really sorry," Souya said, quickly waving his hands.
"Don't mention it! We're neighbors. Helping each other out is only natural," said Misae as she and Souya walked into the living room.
After chatting for a while, Misae hurried off to the kitchen again. That was just how she was—once she started talking, she would lose track of time.
As time passed, the sky gradually darkened. The sun set, the moon rose, and the twilight slowly faded, replaced by boundless darkness.
"I'm home."
Just as dinner was ready, a slightly weary voice came from the doorway.
"Dad, you're back!"
As soon as Shin-chan heard it, he ran out and hugged Hiroshi's leg.
"Welcome back, hubby."
Misae came out of the kitchen holding Himawari.
"Misae, is dinner ready?"
Hiroshi chuckled, picked up Shin-chan, and walked inside.
Misae nodded. "Dinner's ready. We were just waiting for you. We have a guest today, so don't throw your socks around."
"A guest?" Hiroshi was taken aback. He quickly turned around, picked up the socks he had tossed in the hallway, and headed to the bathroom. He threw them into the basin near the washing machine.
"Hello, Mr. Nohara. I'm Kurasaki Souya, your new neighbor next door. Nice to meet you," said Kurasaki, standing in the hallway and running into Hiroshi just as he left the bathroom.
"Ah, hello. I'm Nohara Hiroshi. This is my wife, Misae, and these are my two children, Shin-chan and Himawari," Hiroshi said, slightly flustered, as he quickly introduced his family to Souya.
Shin-chan climbed onto Kurasaki's shoulder and sat down. "Dad, this mister already knows all of us. You're the last one to meet him."