"Ume-sensei, I'll leave things here to you for now. I'll take them to the principal's office first."
"Mm!"
"Alright, everyone, please follow me."
Matsuzaka Ume led Sato and the others into Futaba Kindergarten. Along the way, children kept greeting her while curiously looking at Sato's group.
"So cute..."
Sato faintly heard Nishimiya Shouko murmuring behind him. Turning around with interest, he asked, "Shouko, do you like little kids?"
"Mm. They just seem really cute."
Nishimiya Shouko nodded, her eyes sparkling.
Cute, huh?
The image of Nohara Shinnosuke and the others suddenly flashed through Sato's mind. The corners of his mouth twitched involuntarily.
Hopefully they wouldn't shatter Shouko's impression.
"Nohara, how did you know the way here?"
Isshiki Iroha suddenly looked at Sato. She still seemed bothered by this.
Matsuzaka Ume's expression shifted slightly as she quietly perked up her ears to listen.
What was this about?
"Because I've been here before, of course."
"Hm? Nohara-kun has been here before?"
Matsuzaka Ume paused, then turned toward Sato in surprise.
"Yeah. My nephew goes to school here, so I've come here before to pick him up."
Sato answered with a smile.
"Huh?!"
The girls and Matsuzaka Ume all stopped in their tracks and stared at him in surprise.
"Sato, you have a nephew?"
"You actually have a nephew?"
"Senpai even has an older brother?"
Each of the girls asked differently, but they all arrived at the same question.
"I have two older brothers. I'm the youngest."
Sato answered simply, then noticed Matsuzaka Ume looking at him with a rather strange expression.
"Is something wrong, Matsuzaka-sensei?"
Her expression turned unusually serious as she asked him with complete sincerity,
"What's your nephew's name?"
"Nohara Shinnosuke."
Instantly!
Matsuzaka Ume's expression became incredibly complicated.
It really was that little potato-headed brat!
Sato keenly noticed the corners of her mouth twitching uncontrollably. Confusion briefly arose in his heart before quickly fading away.
It must have been... difficult.
He looked at Matsuzaka Ume with sympathy.
Receiving that silent message, she met his gaze for a moment before letting out a long sigh and waving her hand.
Some memories were simply too painful to revisit.
Yuuki Asuna and the others looked completely bewildered by the inexplicable exchange between the two.
...
"Madam Principal, the students have arrived."
Matsuzaka Ume led everyone into the office. The spacious room contained only an elderly-looking woman.
"Ah, welcome, everyone!"
Mrs. Takakura, the principal's wife, greeted them with a smile.
After everyone introduced themselves, Mrs. Takakura explained what they would be doing.
None of the tasks sounded difficult. Most of the time, they would simply be playing various games with the children.
After all, this was a kindergarten.
The difficult part wasn't teaching them anything.
It was figuring out how to deal with the children.
Just then, the sound of a vehicle pulling in came from outside. Looking through the window, they saw a pink school bus covered with animal stickers stopping in the small playground. One child after another climbed off with the teachers' help.
"Nohara, which one is your nephew?"
Isshiki Iroha suddenly asked curiously.
Sato glanced at the pink school bus and thought for a moment.
"He's probably not on the bus."
"Hm? Has he already arrived?"
Yuuki Asuna looked at him curiously.
"No."
Sato paused before saying with a somewhat complicated expression,
"I just think... he probably missed the kindergarten bus."
Mrs. Takakura asked curiously,
"Your nephew?"
Matsuzaka Ume answered from the side,
"It's that Shinnosuke."
Mrs. Takakura immediately stared at Sato in surprise.
Shinnosuke was this student volunteer's nephew?
But...
Why did the two of them feel so completely different?
Then she thought about it again and quickly accepted it.
If he were really anything like Shinnosuke, then something would be wrong with the world.
One child like that was already more than enough.
The office door suddenly opened.
A dark-skinned man walked in, wearing a yellow plaid shirt and matching pants. He had brown glasses, short curly black hair, and light stubble.
When he saw Sato and the others, he seemed momentarily stunned before breaking into a fierce-looking smile.
"Hm? So these are today's student volunteers! Hahaha! Welcome, welcome!"
"Huh?!"
A yakuza came to a kindergarten to collect protection money?!
In an instant, Isshiki Iroha and Nishimiya Shouko turned pale and hurried behind Sato. Only Yuuki Asuna managed to remain outwardly composed. She had already pulled out her phone, ready to dial a number.
Sato glanced at Asuna's phone and was startled. He quickly stopped her.
Meeting her puzzled gaze, he said helplessly,
"He's the kindergarten principal."
At that moment, Sato saw Asuna's eyes widen slightly as she looked toward Takakura Bunta, who was awkwardly scratching his head.
"You're sure he's the principal, not a gang boss?!"
Isshiki Iroha cautiously peeked out from behind Sato and asked exactly what Yuuki Asuna had been thinking.
"Please don't judge people by their appearance."
Sato rebuked her righteously, completely forgetting that the first time he'd come here, he'd almost made the exact same mistake.
Fortunately, no one knew about that.
Back then, he'd at least been cautious enough not to make a move immediately.
Otherwise, this visit probably would have been impossible because this fierce-looking but kindhearted principal might not have survived the misunderstanding.
"We're very sorry, Principal!"
The girls exchanged glances before stepping forward together and bowing slightly.
"Haha! I-it's... it's alright!"
Takakura Bunta hurriedly waved his hands, telling Yuuki Asuna and the others there was no need for that.
After clearing up the misunderstanding, everyone introduced themselves.
"So you're Little Shin's uncle."
Takakura Bunta first looked at Sato in surprise before speaking seriously.
"Educating children requires great care, patience, and a strong sense of responsibility. I hope all of you can keep that in mind. I'll write an honest evaluation in your reports."