Weekend.
"Yo! Lin Zhi, heading out?"
After washing up and getting ready to leave, Lin Zhi ran into his upstairs neighbor, Mr. Saitama, in the stairwell.
"Yeah," Lin Zhi replied. "My older brother lives in this city. Before I came, he told me to visit when I had time. Are you heading out for groceries, Saitama?"
Lin Zhi greeted him politely, though his gaze was a little wary.
Saitama looked… rough. He was holding a plastic bag full of vegetables, had only one slipper on, and his clothes were smeared with mud and some kind of strange, sticky slime.
Noticing Lin Zhi's look, Saitama scratched his bald head and grinned. "Ah… I just took a little fall earlier."
"Really? You okay?" Lin Zhi asked with mild concern.
He hadn't known Saitama for long, but he already understood the man was rather careless and easygoing.
"No problem, no problem at all! Actually, I caught—uh, I mean bought—a giant lobster claw! If you've got time tonight, come over and we'll feast on it together!"
Saitama proudly lifted the shopping bag as he laughed.
Lobster claw?
Lin Zhi peered into the bag and saw that besides vegetables, there really was an enormous lobster claw inside—each half was about as big as a human face.
Whoa.
Lin Zhi couldn't help but stare in disbelief. A claw that big? What kind of monster lobster did that come from—and how expensive must it be?!
"If I have time, I'll come by," Lin Zhi said.
"It's a date, then!"
Saitama clapped him on the shoulder, laughing as he headed upstairs, still brushing off bits of slime from his clothes.
"Tch, who knew lobsters could become monsters…"
His muttering echoed faintly through the stairwell.
Kasukabe Town.
Kasukabe wasn't far from Usuyama—just a few stops away by train.
As Lin Zhi walked through the residential area, he compared the scenery with the memories in his mind. Passing by a convenience store, something clicked, and he turned in to buy a few boxes of Koala's March cookies.
Following his mental map, he soon stopped in front of a single-family house. The nameplate by the door clearly read: Nohara.
Ding-dong!
The doorbell chimed crisply.
After a short wait, a cautious child's voice sounded from inside.
"Who is it?"
Lin Zhi recognized the voice immediately and replied, "It's me, Shinnosuke."
"You? Who are you?"
Lin Zhi narrowed his eyes slightly at the door. So, his second brother and sister-in-law weren't home. But he doubted they'd leave without telling their little potato of a son to be careful.
Smiling faintly, he raised the shopping bag in front of the peephole and said softly, "You've got ten seconds to think this through."
"Ah! Koala's March!"
There was a gasp from inside, followed by the scraping of a chair and the click of a turning doorknob.
Click!
The door opened, and the unmistakable potato-shaped head of Shinnosuke Nohara appeared before Lin Zhi.
Striking a ridiculous pose, Shinnosuke batted his eyes with exaggerated innocence and said, "Oh my, isn't this my handsome and charming uncle! I had no idea you were gracing us with your presence. How terribly rude of me not to welcome you properly!"
"Tch."
Lin Zhi clicked his tongue. Sometimes this kid could be so disgusting.
He rubbed the little potato's head a few times and handed him the bag of snacks.
"Here, brat. One box per day, understand?"
"Uncle's the best! Uncle's the best!"
Eyes shining, Shinnosuke grabbed the bag full of cookies and jumped up and down with glee.
As Lin Zhi stepped inside and moved the stool blocking the door, he asked while changing his shoes, "So, Shinnosuke, where are your parents?"
Shinnosuke thought for a moment. "Stinky-feet Dad went to work overtime. And bargain-hunting, three-layer-belly, big-butt Monster Mom went shopping at the supermarket."
Following behind, he munched happily on cookies he'd already opened, one handful after another.
"Did they take Himawari with them?"
"Nope. She's taking a nap."
As he spoke, Lin Zhi's ears twitched—he could hear faint baby babbling coming from the other room.
His expression softened. He quickly walked over.
The living room was in its usual state of chaos: toys scattered everywhere, comic books and rice crackers piled on the low table.
In the middle of it all, little Himawari—barely a year old—was crawling energetically around the room like a chubby yellow hamster.
"Himawari."
Lin Zhi smiled warmly and called her name.
"Ah!"
At the sound, the baby turned her head, her eyes lighting up.
"Ahh! Ahh!"
Too young to form words, she babbled happily and started crawling toward him at full speed.
Lin Zhi caught her just in time, lifting her up by the armpits.
"Hey there, little one. Missed me?" he teased with a grin.
"Ah! Ah!"
Himawari waved her tiny hands, trying to touch his face.
He leaned closer, and her soft little fingers brushed across his cheek. Then, with a giggle, she pressed her chubby face against his.
Her baby-soft skin made him chuckle, and soon they were both laughing together.
"Oh, really," Shinnosuke said dramatically, spreading his arms with mock helplessness. "Lin Zhi, you're a high schooler! How can you still be so obsessed with noisy, drooly babies?"
"You little potato—where do you get all this nonsense?"
Veins bulged on Lin Zhi's forehead as he looked at the kid.
This brat… he was definitely his father's son.
(Cue the Crayon Shin-chan theme music—use your imagination.)
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T/N:
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