Just arriving downstairs at the apartment, Shin-chan discovered that at the entrance of the apartment, there was a familiar figure, hesitantly looking at something.
Yukinoshita Yukino didn't expect that, finally living alone for the first time, on her very first day she would encounter a major crisis.
'Does this apartment really not prohibit keeping pets?' Why was there a dog sitting in front of the elevator, staring at her the whole time?
Yukino was a total cat person, and because of some experiences from her childhood, she had an inexplicable fear of dogs.
Even if the little white dog in front of her looked fluffy and very cute, Yukino was still very afraid.
"Yukinoshita Ruler, even if our little Shiro is cute, if you keep staring at it like that, it'll get shy, you know."
Shin-chan had just arrived and saw Yukino and Shiro locked in a big-eyed staring contest.
Shin-chan knew that Shiro wanted Yukino to help press the elevator button, and Yukino was probably so afraid of dogs that she was frozen in place.
'Yukinoshita... Ruler? What an impolite form of address!' Clenching her fists, just about to use aikido, Yukino saw Shin-chan and froze again.
'Why is Shin-chan here?'
Taking two steps forward, he scooped up Shiro into his arms and pressed the elevator button.
Ding~
The elevator doors slowly opened, and Shin-chan stepped in, looking at Yukino in front of him.
"Ruler-san, aren't you coming upstairs?"
"My name is Yukino!"
"Then I must've remembered wrong." Shin-chan scratched his head in embarrassment, as if being praised.
"No one's praising you!" Her fists were clenched tight.
Glancing at Shiro being held in Shin-chan's arms, Yukino hesitated for a moment, then took two steps forward into the elevator. But she kept a significant distance from Shin-chan, about two steps away.
For some reason, Shin-chan's annoying personality reminded Yukino of her sister.
"Which floor?"
"Fifth floor."
Yukino was still mad about being called Ruler. Was she really that flat? And even if she was a bit flat, so what? She was still super cute.
Shin-chan nodded. He didn't expect they were living on the same floor.
Soon, Shin-chan discovered that not only did they live on the same floor, they were actually door-to-door neighbors.
Yukino stayed very wary of Shin-chan, who kept following her, until she saw him open the door and enter the room next to hers, then she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
This man was actually her neighbor? Yukino felt like she might be in some danger.
She quickly opened the door and entered her room. Only then did Yukino feel a little safer. This guy called Shin-chan was honestly kind of scary. Yukino couldn't find any weaknesses in him at all.
Only those familiar with Shin-chan would know that the only two things that could scare him were, ultra-realistic pretend house play and green peppers. Aside from that, Shin-chan had no weaknesses.
Back in her room, Yukino sighed. She had always been top of her class since she was a child, but after coming to this school, she suddenly became average.
She had been the top student since elementary school, but at this school, becoming number one was extremely difficult. Even a genius like Yukino felt completely hopeless.
Even her sister probably couldn't do it, right? Talents from every family and every field across all of Japan had gathered here. Everyone had astonishing skills.
How could she possibly prove herself?
———
On the other side, Shin-chan returned to his room with Shiro and put her down.
The encounter just now reminded Shin-chan of the mission that Yukino had assigned him. He needed to make Yukino willingly meow like a cat in front of him.
That task seemed difficult, but if he thought of a strategy, maybe it wasn't that impossible to pull off.
The woman who left first the first time he met Shizuka, that should be Yukino's sister, right?
Just one look and you could tell, definitely a troublesome and scheming person.
Then from Yukino's reactions, it was easy to see that her parents must be especially strict. Contradictory yet aloof, stubborn yet genuine, she was a very cute girl.
Eleven percent of Yukinoshita Real Estate shares? No idea how much that was worth.
Thinking briefly, Shin-chan decided that this mission should be set aside for now.
He had too many things to do lately, and as someone who liked peace and hated busyness, he didn't want to go through all that trouble.
He had to visit Eriri's home this weekend, and also go to the Musashino Dojo for kendo practice. According to Musashino Kenta, the junior disciple of Musashino Art Sword School was a kendo practitioner who emphasized real combat, and had earned the title of menkyo kaiden, the strongest among the current practitioners of Kyoshin Meichi-ryu.
Also one of the few remaining real-combat-focused swordsmen in the Kyoshin Meichi-ryu.
Shin-chan wanted to spar with him and test his own kendo level.
The missions from Eriri and Shizuka seemed easier to complete. Making Yukino willingly meow like a cat in front of him, way too hard.
He poured some dog food for Shiro and then cooked a simple dinner for himself.
Living alone, he finally didn't have to eat the evil green peppers anymore.
Misae knew full well that Shin-chan didn't like green peppers, but she'd still sneak them into his bento often, under the excuse of doing it for his health. But in reality, that was just a parent's desire to control their child.
Shin-chan was actually very good at cooking, and he had high talent in many things, he could pick up skills quickly with just a bit of practice.
———
Back in the Nohara household in Kasukabe, Misae suddenly sneezed. Preparing dinner, she couldn't help but think of Shin-chan.
That brat must be badmouthing her behind her back.
She didn't even know how Shin-chan was doing over there, was he eating enough? Was his room messy?
No, she had to find time to go check on Shin-chan. If he was living alone, he'd definitely start getting more and more out of control.
Mrs. Nohara was also someone not honest with her feelings, in this way, Shin-chan was actually a lot like her.
The truth was, she just missed her son. This was Shin-chan's first time living independently. The potato-head brat who had always been by her side and cared for by her had now grown up and moved out on his own. That contrast made Misae filled with anxious feelings and a bit of denial.
Now that she was going through menopause, she became even more sentimental.
Having made up her mind, Misae prepared to choose a time for a surprise visit to see what kind of indulgent lifestyle Shin-chan was living on his own.
If it was truly sloppy and messy, she'd definitely show him what she was capable of.
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