"Are you hungry too?" Shin-chan tilted his head. "I don't have any money, though."
The stray dog tilted its head too.
"Did your mom also tell you to buy soy sauce, and then you forgot?"
The dog barked once.
Shin-chan sighed, got to his feet, and dusted off his pants.
He still remembered yesterday's scolding from Misae. She had lectured him for a full thirty minutes.
This time she had sent him out to buy something again.
When he left the house, he had specifically told himself not to forget, not to forget—but then he saw a butterfly on the street and ended up chasing it for two whole blocks.
After that, he lost the money and completely forgot what he had gone out for in the first place.
Whatever.
If he couldn't remember, he might as well just go home.
But when he passed a dumpling shop, he couldn't help stopping.
"Ma'am, your dumplings look really good today."
"Would you like to buy some?"
"I didn't bring money," Shin-chan said matter-of-factly. "But I can help you eat them, and I won't even charge you."
The dumpling shop lady just smiled and shook her head, clearly already used to this strange child.
Shin-chan was just about to keep pitching himself when he suddenly heard a commotion behind him.
"Who's that?"
"I heard someone from the Daimyo's household arrived today..."
"With this much pomp?"
Shin-chan turned around and saw a black carriage stop in front of the dumpling shop.
A voice came from inside.
"Kuroiso."
"Yes, Princess."
Kuroiso immediately turned around and bowed slightly.
"Stop here."
"Yes."
The curtain was lifted a little.
Kuroiso stepped forward, dropped to one knee, and held out a hand. A small foot stepped onto his palm, then landed neatly on the ground.
Ai Suotome, daughter of the Fire Daimyo.
She glanced once at the dumpling shop sign, then at the shop owner, and finally at the little figure in red.
Earlier, from another street, she had seen him through a gap in the carriage curtain—running at full speed after a butterfly.
She used to chase butterflies too.
In the gardens of the capital, once, a white butterfly had flown past, and she had reached out and run after it for two steps before being stopped by her etiquette tutor.
"Princess, please mind your bearing."
After that, she had never chased one again.
But today, seeing a child about her age running after a butterfly had stirred something strange inside her.
She hadn't expected to see him again here.
"What are you doing?" Ai asked.
Shin-chan blinked. "I'm trying to help the owner eat dumplings."
"Did she agree?"
"Not yet," Shin-chan said. "But she's about to."
The owner smiled awkwardly at the side and didn't contradict him.
"Do you want one?" Shin-chan pointed at the dumplings. "They're really good."
Ai nodded, then turned to Kuroiso. "Buy the shop."
Kuroiso got to his feet, walked up to the dumpling stand, and looked at the owner with a blank expression.
"How much for this shop?"
The owner froze. "W-What?"
"How much is this shop?"
The owner opened her mouth but couldn't say anything.
The people nearby were stunned too. Buy the whole shop?
Kuroiso took a heavy money pouch from his robes and set it on the counter.
"Is this enough?"
The owner looked down at the pouch, then back up at Kuroiso's serious face.
"It... it's enough..."
Kuroiso nodded and stepped back behind Ai.
"You can eat whatever you want now," Ai said, feeling nothing in particular about suddenly owning a dumpling shop.
Shin-chan picked up a skewer from the display and handed it to her. "Here. You're the customer, so you should eat first."
"Thank you." Ai accepted it and took a bite. It was soft and chewy.
Shin-chan grabbed one for himself too and took a huge bite, his cheeks puffing out like a hamster's.
"So good."
The two of them stood in front of the dumpling shop, each holding a skewer.
The people on the street watched the scene and exchanged looks, but no one dared say anything. The dumpling shop owner, meanwhile, stared at the money pouch and suddenly felt like she had achieved financial freedom.
After finishing one skewer, Shin-chan grabbed another.
"What's your name?"
"Ai Suotome."
"My name is Nohara Shinnosuke," Shin-chan said. "You can call me Shin-chan."
"Ai repeated the name once under her breath, as if committing it to memory.
"Where are you from?" Shin-chan asked.
"The capital."
"Is it far away?"
"Very far."
"Then why did you come to Konoha?"
"To watch the exams."
"Oh." Shin-chan nodded and bit into another dumpling.
Ai glanced at him. "Were you chasing a butterfly just now?"
Shin-chan froze for a second. "How did you know?"
"I saw you from the carriage," Ai said quietly. "I used to chase butterflies too."
"What happened then?"
"I got scolded."
"Why?"
"Because it wasn't dignified," Ai said. "It wasn't proper for someone of the imperial household."
Shin-chan tilted his head. He didn't really understand what "proper for the imperial household" meant, but he did understand being scolded.
"I got scolded yesterday too," he said, scratching his head. "Because I forgot to buy soy sauce."
"Soy sauce?"
The unfamiliar word made Ai pause.
"Yeah. Mom told me to buy soy sauce, but I forgot, so she scolded me for half an hour."
Shin-chan thought for a moment, then added, "I got scolded today too. And the day before. And probably the day before that too."
Ai looked at him and didn't know what to say for a moment.
Shin-chan had already finished his second skewer and was reaching for a third.
"You can come play with me later if you want. I live over there, in the apartments behind the hot spring."
Ai nodded and stored that away too.
Shin-chan was about to keep talking when his eyes suddenly drifted across the street.
A young woman was walking by on the other side, wearing pale-colored clothes, her ponytail swaying as she walked.
Shin-chan's eyes lit up instantly.
"Pretty big sister!"
Before the words had even fully left his mouth, he had already taken off running.
The red figure dashed across the street and went racing after the young woman.
Ai stood there, still holding her unfinished dumpling skewer.
She watched the little figure run farther and farther away, then after a long silence said quietly, "He's so free."
...
The next morning, before it was fully light out, someone knocked on the Nohara family's door.
Misae was in the kitchen reheating breakfast. Hearing the knock, she wiped her hands and went to open the door.
A little girl was standing outside.
She wore a light yellow kimono, and behind her stood a whole line of bodyguards.
Misae froze. "Um... who are you looking for?"
"I'm here for Shin-chan," the girl said. "He told me yesterday that I could come find him."
"Shin-chan... is still sleeping."
The girl nodded. "Then I'll wait for him."
With that, she stepped right over the threshold and walked inside.
Misae looked at the finely dressed little girl, then at the bodyguards behind her, and her mind went blank.
Who... was this child?
Meanwhile, in the bedroom, Shin-chan was curled up under the blanket, drool hanging from the corner of his mouth, still sleeping soundly.