Volume 3 Chapter 21 The Peaceful Rose Group
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Under the watchful eyes of our parents, we finished our morning stretches¹ and the morning meeting without a hitch. Then, our first lesson-studying Hiragana²-began.
A large chart of the fifty sounds was posted on the blackboard. Riko-sensei pointed to the characters one by one with a pointer, carefully pronouncing each one. “A… I… U… E… O…” “Ka… Ki… Ku… Ke… Ko…” At first, the kids’ energetic voices echoed through the room, but by the time we reached the “Ma-row,” that momentum had been cut in half. (They’re only in the youngest class, after all, so it can’t be helped.)
Afterward, we practiced writing Hiragana using original worksheets Riko-sensei had made. Seeing their children sitting at their desks and studying silently, several parents looked genuinely surprised.
”Maa-kun, I did it!” Suu-chan’s proud voice came flying in from beside me.
”As expected of Suu-chan,” I said.
”Hmph!”
”Shiho did it too!” Shiho-chan added.
”Shi-chan did a great job, too,” I replied.
”Ehehe~”
Every child was even more enthusiastic than usual, eager to show off their best side to their moms and dads. On the other hand, there were also children who were being much quieter than usual.
”Jun, are you feeling okay?” I asked.
”…Mom… she isn’t looking over here, is she?”
”…She’s looking. She’s looking right at you,” I whispered.
Jun went silent. His mother had the air of a real “gutsy mom”; she had a powerful presence. If someone told me she was a pro-wrestler, I’d probably believe them. (I guess you just can’t survive raising a rowdy kid unless you’re built like that.)
”Next is ‘Fun Time’!” Riko-sensei announced. At those words, the atmosphere in the classroom shifted instantly. I suppose they were at the age where they’d much rather play than study. It was time for the youngsters to fully unleash their imaginations-folding origami into things that vaguely resembled animal faces and drawing eyes and noses on them with crayons.
”Suu-chan, what’s that?” Shiho-chan asked, peeking at what was in her hands.
”Chashibu,” Suu-chan replied.
”?”
”Chashibu.”
”??”
”Chashi-“
Apparently, she had made it in the image of the teddy bear³ she received for her fourth birthday, but unfortunately, the concept didn’t seem to get across to Shiho-chan.
”Maa-kun, look, Chashibu,” she said, showing it to me.
”Yeah, it looks just like him.”
”…Hmph!” Suu-chan huffed, looking a bit dejected until I followed up with some praise. She bounced back immediately. Shiho-chan, who was tilting her head next to us, might understand once she actually meets the real Chashibu someday… or maybe not.
While many of the girls were enjoying themselves by drawing patterns on colorful origami, the boys were playing outside the classroom, flying paper airplanes they had just learned how to make.
”Yuma, your plane flies so far!”
”Yeah, my dad taught me! He said if you tweak the back like this, it works better,” Yuma explained.
”Like this?” Kotaro asked.
”Don’t fold it that much!” Yuma barked. His paper airplane had been adjusted so that the rear of the wings flipped up just a tiny bit. Seeing that, Kotaro immediately mimicked him.
”Hey, hey! Let’s have a contest to see who can fly theirs the furthest!” Jun challenged. Kotaro’s and my paper airplanes flew a decent distance, but Jun threw his with so much brute force that it spectacularly nosedived straight into the ground.
”If you don’t throw it more gently, it won’t go the distance, you know?” Yuma said, demonstrating. The paper airplane glided through the air with a smooth zip. It didn’t have much speed, but it refused to drop, eventually sailing past mine and Kotaro’s marks.
”Whoa, awesome! Next time I’m going all out!” Jun shouted, running off to retrieve our planes.
”Maa-kun, Ssu is done too,” Suu-chan said, holding out a paper airplane with a look of immense satisfaction. On top of the airplane made of pink origami, there was a piece of brown origami.
(Chashibu is… riding on it…?)
”Nn!”
It was certainly an innovative design.
”Yah!” Suu-chan snapped her arm forward. The paper airplane carrying Chashibu was launched at what seemed like an ideal 45-degree angle, but it immediately stalled and entered a vertical freefall. Upon the impact of hitting the ground, Chashibu peeled off and tumbled away from the plane.
”Chashibu…”
”…I think it’ll probably take a lot of special adjustments for Chashibu to actually fly in the sky…” I said.
”Nn. I get it. I’ll keep trying,” she replied. After that, we played around trying all sorts of different folds until the paper airplanes were nothing but crumpled scraps. Unfortunately, Chashibu never did take flight.
The final lesson of the day was mat exercises in the gym. We lined up in two rows and held hands to walk to the gymnasium. Since we had practiced this so much for our field trip, we could do it without any trouble now. Jun was being quiet today too, which was a real lifesaver.
When we entered the gym, the mats were already laid out because the previous class had been using them. We split into four groups and took turns doing forward rolls. The kids who weren’t good at it yet rolled along with Riko-sensei’s help.
”To Maa-kun… thump!”
”Whoops… Suu-chan, you’re fast,” I said. As I finished rolling to the edge of the mat, focusing on keeping a clean form, Suu-chan caught up and hugged me from behind.
”…Mu, fuu…”
”Are you okay?”
”Whoa… Maa-kun is… spinning around…” She was clearly dizzy; when she tried to stand up, she plopped right back down on her bottom. I rolled her off the mat so we wouldn’t block the kids behind us, and once we managed to get steady, I took her back to the start of the line by playing “train.”
”Suu-chan, we’re back at the start.”
”Still spinning.”
”Is that so?”
”Nn. ……Mufuu.”
It goes without saying that my back felt warm until it was my turn to roll again. And so, the final lesson ended, and the afternoon meeting was wrapped up quickly. With the sound of hungry youngsters’ stomachs growling as the soundtrack, the Rose Group’s first-ever class observation ended peacefully.
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Summary:
The Rose Group participates in a class observation day with their parents. They transition from Hiragana practice to origami and paper airplane contests, showcasing their individual personalities. The day concludes with mat exercises in the gym, highlighting the bond between Maa-kun and Suu-chan.
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Trivia:
- Maa-kun’s internal monologue is much more mature than his peers.
- Jun’s rowdy behavior is successfully suppressed by his mother’s presence.
- Suu-chan’s ‘Chashibu’ is a recurring childhood motif/bear.
- The school follows the standard Japanese curriculum of morning radio calisthenics
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Character Insight:
Suu-chan shows a blend of competitive pride and deep physical affection for Maa-kun, while Jun demonstrates that his ‘delinquent’ tendencies have a clear biological/parental limit.
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Behind the Scenes:
Class observations (jugyou sankan) are a standard part of the Japanese school year where parents observe their children’s social and academic progress.
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TL Notes:
Notes:
• Riko – First‑time lead teacher of the Rose Class, a young woman who appears stiff and nervous at her stage intro but turns cheerful and energetic in lessons; known as Teacher or Hospital Doctor in corrupted records, she is the homeroom teacher for the Rose Group, leads the kindergarten excursion, is patient and helpful during lessons and mat exercises, works as the school nurse, knows each child well, and tends the flowerbeds.
• Shiho – Three‑year‑old Rose‑Class girl, shoulder‑length hair in a side‑up ponytail, easily excited by decorations and food. Uses training chopsticks and a white kitten‑themed placemat, often sleepy and leans on Makoto’s “secret” advice. Older sister in the senior group, attends monthly extended childcare, shares a quiet, competitive bond with Suu over Makoto’s attention, and is a neighbor and friend of Yuma.
• Jun – An energetic, restless boy in the Rose Class, the youngest of three brothers who all attended the same kindergarten. He shows extreme curiosity and surprising physical strength, often needing Makoto to rein him in. Competitive and prone to believing his brothers’ tall tales, he quiets when his intimidating mother watches, and his speech can be clumsy.
• Yuma – A frail boy with a low attendance rate due to illness. A neighbor of Shiho-chan. A boy in the Rose Group who is proficient at making paper airplanes, taught by his father.
• Kotaro – A quiet boy and friend of Makoto in the Rose Class.
• Kota – Makoto’s biological father. Met Akari while working as a cram school tutor during their second year of university. He disappeared suddenly after six years of dating upon learning of the pregnancy.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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