The room wasn't large, but even with all the kids squeezed inside, it didn't feel too cramped. After all, they were all tiny.
As expected, the kids were very curious about Shin-chan's "uncle."
"Excuse me, what school do you go to?"
The only girl in the group, Nene, sat up properly with a notebook in hand, who knew where she pulled that out from, and questioned him seriously.
Wow, this is pretty formal.
Sato chuckled at the sight and casually replied, "Private Mixed High in Usagiyama Town."
"Private Mixed High?"
Nene looked up at him, confused. Clearly, something like cross-district education was a bit advanced for her age.
Unexpectedly, the slow-looking kid with the constantly running nose raised his hand.
His face was expressionless, and he spoke in a slow, measured tone.
"I know that school…"
"Private Mixed High is one of the top-ranked schools in Chiba Prefecture. It's a prestigious prep school, and lots of its students go on to Tokyo University."
"Not only that."
The cool-looking boy added, his eyes full of admiration as he looked at Sato.
"Private Integrated also has an international division for students preparing to study abroad. Every year, a large number of graduates go overseas."
"It's one of the schools I'm considering for the future. They even have a junior high division. Am I right?"
"Yep, you got it."
Kids these days are wild… Sato was genuinely surprised. They were so well-informed!
"Uncle used to study in Akita, right? If you got into Private Integrated, your grades must be really good."
Kazama continued his questioning.
Uncle… That word made Sato twitch a little. He had just started high school himself, yet these preschoolers were calling him uncle?
Technically, though, by family hierarchy, they weren't wrong.
Suppressing a sigh, Sato gave a strained smile. "I guess my grades are pretty good."
"Pretty good? How good exactly?"
Nene continued to jot things down, clearly unwilling to let him off easy.
"Um… probably full marks across all subjects."
The room went silent.
Crunch, crunch...
Shin-chan lay sideways on the tatami, one hand propping up his head while the other fed rice crackers into his mouth. Noticing the sudden quiet, he turned and asked, "Huh? What happened?"
"Full… full marks in everything?!"
Kazama's eyes widened in disbelief, even his pupils trembling. The next second, his whole body lit up with excitement. This was the ideal he aspired to!
"Amazing!"
Masao looked absolutely stunned.
"So handsome and smart… a total high-quality guy," Nene muttered while scribbling frantically in her notebook.
"Whoa…"
Bo-chan remained spaced out as usual.
"That's amazing?" Shin-chan asked, still sprawled sideways.
"Of course it is!" Kazama nearly exploded in frustration. "If Uncle keeps this up in high school, he might even get into Tokyo University!"
"Wow! That's incredible!"
Shin-chan jumped to his feet, genuinely shocked.
Kazama finally felt some relief, Shin-chan finally realized how great a Tokyo University student was.
"But… what's a Tokyo University student? Is it something you can eat?"
Everyone: "..."
"Shin-chan!!"
Kazama fumed, glaring at him like he was about to erupt. This guy… so infuriating!
Tokyo U was his dream!
How dare Shin-chan trample all over it like that. And to think he had an uncle this awesome, but didn't even know what Tokyo University was!
"Alright, alright. Kazama, Shin-chan... no more fighting!"
Nene stepped in and pulled the furious Kazama away while Sato watched with great amusement.
As Shin-chan's friends, they sure have a lot of patience...
"I've written a brand-new script. Let's play house!"
House play?
Sato blinked. Wow, kids everywhere really do play the same games.
"Uncle of Shin-chan, could you play the role of the dad?"
Nene looked sweetly at Sato.
"Of course," he replied with a smile. Just a simple kids' game, it could even be kind of fun.
But then, he noticed something odd.
Behind Nene, Shin-chan and the others were frantically shaking their heads, eyes wide with terror, faces pale.
Huh? What's going on?
Before Sato could figure it out, Nene turned back around, still smiling sweetly.
"Then I'll be the mom, Kazama will be the dentist from the clinic, Shin-chan will be the child—"
"Um… Nene!"
Kazama suddenly stood up with the look of a man going to his doom.
Nene's smile never wavered as she locked eyes with him. "What's wrong, Kazama?"
Gulp.
Kazama swallowed hard and trembled. "I… I need to use the bathroom!"
He bolted for the hallway, legs visibly shaking as he ran.
"Anyone else need to go to the bathroom?" Nene asked cheerfully, turning to the others.
The rest of the kids shook their heads furiously.
"Great! Uncle of Shin-chan, let me explain the script."
Wow, even the house play has a script these days? Kids are seriously on another level now…
Eyes shining with curiosity, Sato leaned in to listen.
Seeing his eager expression, Shin-chan, Masao, and the others all looked at him with deep sympathy, and a touch of pity.
…
Evening.
"Thanks for having us—we'll head home now!"
"Mm, see you all! Come play again when you have time."
Misae waved goodbye to the children and returned to the living room. When she saw Sato sitting there looking a little dazed, she asked with concern, "Sato, are you alright?"
"Huh?! Oh… I—I'm fine."
Sato snapped out of it and mumbled somewhat blankly.