Saitama Prefecture, Kasukabe 🍁
The weather was clear, and the sun was high in the sky.
Chen Fan stood dazed in front of House No. 904 in Futaba Town.
Moments earlier, he had transmigrated into the body of Kurasaki Souya.
As an avid anime fan, he had stayed up all night to binge-watch all of the Crayon Shin-chan movies. It was his third time completing the series, including the daily episodes and spin-offs.
He never expected that when he opened his eyes again, he would find himself in the world he had watched countless times.
Looking at the nameplate bearing the surname "Nohara" and the two-story detached villa that was both familiar and unfamiliar, he could see the dark green family car through the gate.
"Have I really come to the world of Crayon Shin-chan?"
Chen Fan—no, Kurasaki Souya—pinched his own cheek and muttered in disbelief.
[Ding! System binding in progress...]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host on successful binding!]
[This system is fully named the Friend System. As the name suggests, you can receive rewards just by making friends.]
[Newbie task is being issued. Please befriend any member of the Nohara family.]
The current members of the Nohara family are Hiroshi Nohara, Misae Nohara, Shin-chan Nohara, Himawari Nohara, and Shiro.
"Make friends?"
Souya was taken aback. As a longtime anime fan, he wasn't good at socializing.
He looked at the detached villa in front of him, hesitating to press the doorbell. He was excited to see Shin-chan and the others, but he was also afraid of not knowing what to say when he met them.
Just as he mustered the courage to ring the doorbell, a voice sounded from behind him.
"Mister, are you lost?"
When he heard the childish voice, Souya suppressed his excitement and turned around. Right next to his leg, he saw a child with thick eyebrows wearing a red T-shirt and yellow shorts.
"This...you..."
Seeing Shin-chan, whom he had watched day and night, standing right in front of him, Souya was so excited that he could barely speak coherently.
"Mister, you're so young, yet you already suffer from a psychological communication disorder. How pitiful."
Shin-chan had climbed onto Souya's shoulder, sat down, and patted his head with a regretful expression.
Finally snapping out of it, Souya said irritably, "I was just too excited to speak. There's no need to make it sound so serious, okay?"
Unexpectedly, Shin-chan shrugged and flashed his familiar grin. "Hehe, aren't you better now?"
Souya rolled his eyes and said, "Thank you so much." His initial nervousness eased and he relaxed while chatting with Shin-chan.
Although Shin-chan could be irritating at times, his quirky personality made it impossible to dislike him completely.
"Shin-chan, why haven't you come back yet?"
"Shin-chan? Huh? Hello, may I ask who you are?"
At that moment, Misae Nohara opened the front door. Her initially tense expression turned polite when she saw a stranger. There was even a hint of infatuation in her eyes. Someone this handsome couldn't possibly be a child trafficker, could he?
Before Kurasaki Souya could speak, Shin-chan, who was still sitting on his shoulder, said, "Granny, this is a homeless, lost man."
As soon as he spoke, Souya felt a blur flash before his eyes. By the time he reacted, Shin-chan was already on the ground with a large bump on his head.
When he looked back at Misae, she acted as if nothing had happened and struck a graceful pose.
"Sorry for the embarrassment. It's almost lunchtime. Would you like to join us for lunch?"
Souya opened his mouth in surprise. "Is that really okay?"
"Of course! Please come in."
Misae stepped back into the house to make way, gesturing with her left hand for him to enter. Seeing that he was still hesitating.
Shin-chan, patted his forehead and said in a mature tone, "There isn't much to entertain you at home. Please don't mind us."
"Not at all. I'm sure your mom's cooking is excellent. I could smell the food from outside." Seeing this, Souya stopped hesitating and stepped into the Nohara house.
"The aroma of food?"
Misae smiled and sniffed the air. It was a pleasant smell, but there was a hint of something burnt, almost like an electrical short.
Burnt?
Misae's expression suddenly stiffened. Without looking back, she rushed toward the kitchen, leaving behind a parting remark: "Shin-chan, remember to rinse your mouth and wash your hands when you get home!"
"Okay!"
Shin-chan stand up and ran toward the bathroom. Kurasaki Souya naturally made his way to the living room.
There was a light green floor, a small wooden table in the center of the room with a cardboard box filled with Shin-chan's toys beside it, and a calendar on the wooden cabinet to the right showing that today was Saturday.
Just as he sat down, a noise came from under the table. Then, a baby wearing a yellow onesie and a bib crawled out.
The baby had orange hair with three curled bangs. As soon as she saw him, her big eyes sparkled.
"Hehe."
The baby revealed a grin identical to Shin-chan's. Without a doubt, this little one was Himawari, the most beloved little princess of the Nohara family.
As if she had spotted a rare treasure, Himawari threw herself into Souya's arms, her tiny hands clutching his clothes tightly.
"Ah! Himawari, this is a guest. Don't cause trouble!"
Just as Himawari lost herself in his embrace, Shin-chan appeared beside Souya and tried to pull Himawari away.
"Eee, ah, ah! No, no, no!"
Himawari protested, shaking her head and gripping Souya's clothes tighter.
Shin-chan and Himawari were locked in a stalemate, both pulling with increasing force. Himawari was quite strong, and even Shin-chan couldn't overpower her right away.
"Both of you, stop messing around!"
Misae's timely appearance put an end to the crisis. She turned to Souya, who was sitting there somewhat at a loss, and said apologetically,
"Sorry, the children don't know any better. Are your clothes torn?"
Souya waved his hand. "It's fine, ma'am. I really like children."
"That's good to hear." Misae breathed a sigh of relief and turned to head back to the kitchen. The food was already cooked and just needed to be served. Seeing this, Souya stood up and followed her to help bring the dishes to the table.
"You don't need to help. Just sit there."
Misae quickly stopped him when she saw him reaching for the dishes.
"It's all right, ma'am. I just don't like sitting idle."
Ignoring Misae, Souya carried the dishes to the living room. Seeing his determination, Misae didn't say anything more.