The weekend arrived quickly.
Yoichi had originally planned to use his day off to look through job listings, hoping to find work soon and become financially independent.
But plans rarely go as expected.
Early that morning, Misae approached him with an apologetic expression.
"Yoichi-kun, I'm really sorry, but I made plans to go shopping with the neighborhood ladies today. And Hiroshi just got called in for overtime… Could you watch Shin-chan for me?"
Yoichi looked at her hopeful eyes.
The refusal sitting on the tip of his tongue quietly disappeared.
After all, he was staying under their roof—it was only right to help out.
Besides, it was just looking after a five-year-old kid.
It shouldn't be that hard… right?
With that optimistic thought, he nodded.
"Okay, sis. Leave it to me."
Misae immediately brightened, thanking him repeatedly before launching into a barrage of instructions:
"Don't let him eat too many snacks!""Don't let him run around too much!""And don't—"
After a long list of warnings, she finally left, satisfied.
Soon, only Yoichi and Shin-chan remained in the living room.
Shin-chan was sprawled on the sofa, reading an Action Kamen comic, his short legs swinging back and forth as he mumbled to himself.
"Um… Shin-chan," Yoichi said, trying to break the silence, "where do you want to go today?"
Shin-chan looked up, blinked, then grinned brightly.
"Uncle Yoichi, let's go to the park! I want to play with Masao and the others!"
Yoichi paused for a moment, then smiled.
"Alright. Let's get ready."
"Yay!"
Shin-chan jumped off the sofa, dashed into his room, and came back in seconds holding a soccer ball.
"I'm ready! Let's go!"
Watching his boundless energy, Yoichi felt like half of his own stamina had already been drained.
After changing clothes and grabbing his wallet and phone, he took Shin-chan's hand and headed out.
Kasukabe Park looked exactly like it did in the anime.
Green lawns, colorful playground equipment, and parents playing with their children filled the space.
The moment they arrived, Shin-chan broke free from Yoichi's hand like a wild horse and ran toward a group nearby.
"Masao! Kazama! Nene! Bo-chan! I'm here!"
Yoichi followed his gaze.
There they were—
Masao, Kazama Toru, Sakurada Nene, and Bo-chan.
The Kasukabe Defense Force.
Yoichi felt a mix of emotions.
On one hand, he was genuinely excited to see these childhood characters in real life.
On the other…
He knew that whenever these kids got together—especially with Shin-chan involved—
Trouble was guaranteed.
Taking a deep breath, he hurried after them.
"Shin-chan, slow down—you'll trip!"
"Uncle Yoichi, hurry up!" Shin-chan called back.
Yoichi approached the group with a gentle smile.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Shin-chan's uncle—Nohara Yoichi. I'll be looking after him today."
"Oh, hello, Uncle Yoichi," Kazama said politely, adjusting his glasses. He still had that mature, dependable air—like a little adult.
"H-hello…" Masao mumbled shyly, sneaking a glance at Yoichi.
Nene placed her hands on her hips and looked Yoichi up and down before nodding.
"Hmm… you seem reliable. But make sure you keep an eye on Shin-chan and don't let him cause trouble again."
As for Bo-chan, he quietly stared at Yoichi, then pulled out a small stone from his pocket and handed it to him.
"Stone. Pretty."
Yoichi blinked, then accepted it with a smile.
"Thank you, Bo-chan. It really is beautiful."
A faint smile appeared on Bo-chan's face.
At that moment—
"Uncle Yoichi! Let's play soccer! I want to be the captain!" Shin-chan declared.
"Alright," Yoichi said, carefully putting the stone in his pocket. "Let's split into teams."
"I want to be on Kazama's team!" Masao said immediately.
"Then I'm on Nene's team!" Shin-chan announced loudly.
"Hey! I didn't agree to that!" Nene protested, but Shin-chan had already ignored her.
Yoichi chuckled.
"I'll be the referee then. I'll watch the game and make calls."
"Yay!" Shin-chan cheered.
The others didn't object.
And so, a chaotic soccer match—governed entirely by the moods of five-year-olds—began.
Yoichi stood to the side, watching them run across the grass.
They laughed, argued, celebrated small victories—
All under the warm sunlight.
The scene felt peaceful.
For the first time, Yoichi truly relaxed.
Maybe…
Spending time with these kids wasn't so bad after all.
At least, right now, everything felt simple and happy.
But he had clearly underestimated Shin-chan's "destructive power."
Just as the game reached its peak, Shin-chan sprinted toward the ball—
Missed his kick completely—
And went flying straight toward a nearby flowerbed!
Beside the flowerbed sat a stylish young woman wearing sunglasses. She had her head buried in her knees, her shoulders trembling slightly.
When Yoichi saw her face—
He froze.
This woman…
Why did she look exactly like Matsuzaka Ume?
"…Why… why do I always fail…? I'm beautiful… I have a great figure… so why don't any good men like me…?"