Volume 2 Chapter 13 Throwing a Tantrum Before Entering Kindergarten
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Before I knew it, I had turned three.
That meant the day of my big debut was drawing near.
Starting next spring, we’ll be attending kindergarten.
With Su-chan, of course.
Since our mothers are best friends and our apartments are side-by-side, there was no reason to choose different schools. My mother is always buried in work, so Mio-san took the lead and scouted some places for us.
In the end, we went entirely with the recommendation of Meguro-san, who lives on the floor below and works in the office at a local kindergarten…
So, with our school officially decided, the next step was “mental preparation.”
This is the first big wall you hit when starting school or daycare.
I bet parents all over the world have a hell of a time with this.
The kids throw fits.
”I don’t want to go!”
”I don’t want to leave Mommy and Daddy!”
For the first time in their lives, they’re being hauled away from home and their parents for hours on end. They’re dropped into an unfamiliar environment with strangers in a strange place.
Even adults get anxious about that, right? Like when you’re starting a new job or switching careers.
A kid can’t even begin to grasp why they’re being separated from their home.
For three years, they’ve only ever known their own tiny world, and now they’re being forced out. Of course they’re going to cry, scream, and sulk.
Maybe it’s a bit easier for the curious types, but the anxiety is still there.
When you think about it, the first real hurdle of a sentient life is the emotional prep for starting school. Though, for the parents, it’s probably the struggle of finding a spot in a school in the first place.
Anyway, that’s why the Yashiro family and the Totsuka family have teamed up to get Su-chan and me ready, but…
Do they really think I need that?
I’m a master at staying home alone.
Even if I have been relying on the neighbors lately.
To begin with, the guy on the inside is a thirtysomething who’s already survived the corporate grind once. In my past life, business trips were a regular thing. I don’t have any hang-ups about going to new places. I’m a city boy through and through.
So, I don’t really need to brace myself for kindergarten at this late stage. It’s just finally time to head back out into the turbulent seas of society.
Actually, now that I think about it, I am getting a little nervous.
I basically failed at human relationships in my last life.
I really pulled the worst possible outcome back then.
But hey, I’ll be fine. It’s a path everyone has to walk eventually. Whether it’s sooner or later doesn’t change that. Regardless, I’m not the problem.
The one who needs “mental prep” isn’t our house – it’s the neighbors.
And as for said neighbors –
”Mama, Su is okay. Ma-kun is with me,” Su-chan said.
”Ugh… Su-chan, don’t say that!” Mio-san wailed.
That’s the current situation.
Su-chan’s enunciation has gotten a lot better lately. Reading picture books together every day for “speech training” really paid off. Honestly, the loss of her toddler lisp is a blow to all of humanity! I mean, she’s still cute, obviously, but you get what I mean.
Anyway, back to the point.
”Su-chan, don’t you want to be with Mama?” Mio-san asked.
”I love Mama. I want to be together. …Mmm-ph!” Su-chan replied.
”Su-chaaaaann!” Mio-san cried.
See? It’s the mom.
Su-chan is totally fine.
The reason: “Because I’m with Ma-kun.”
She sure knows how to say the right things to make a guy happy.
The problem is Mio-san.
”Mom, is this… normal?” I asked.
”Well, why not? She’s always been like this,” my mother said.
”Really?” I asked.
”Yeah. Even when I tried to go to a different high school, she threw a tantrum just like that,” she replied.
”Huh…”
”Back then, I studied my butt off so we could go to the same school together, but there’s not much we can do about it this time,” my mother said with a shy laugh.
She was clearly lost in her memories.
”- If Su-chan won’t stay with me, then Mama will just become a teacher at the kindergarten!” Mio-san declared.
”Mama is coming to school too?” Su-chan asked.
”That’s right! We’ll be together forever!” Mio-san said.
”Mama is coming! Yay!” Su-chan cheered.
Whoa, unexpected plot twist.
Wait, can you just become a kindergarten teacher that easily? You need a license for that, right? It’s not like being an office clerk like Meguro-san.
”Mom, can she even do that?” I whispered.
”… Well, Mio is free to try. She actually has the license,” my mother replied.
”Oh, she has one…”
Apparently, she got it back in college.
I don’t know if someone will actually hire her with less than three months to go, but it’s technically possible.
”Mio, that’s going to be pretty tough, don’t you think? Especially with the baby in your belly,” my mother added.
Exactly.
Mio-san is currently – and happily – pregnant. The couple is as lovey-dovey as ever, which is great.
It’s only been two weeks since she found out. You can’t tell just by looking, but if everything goes well, she’ll be giving birth this fall. She really shouldn’t be overexerting herself.
”Then, Su-chan, what would you do if Ma-kun didn’t go to school?” Mio-san asked.
”If Ma-kun doesn’t go, Su won’t go either!” Su-chan declared.
”Yes!” Mio-san cheered.
”Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on!” my mother barked, stepping in to kill the momentum.
”Mio, it’d be hard for you to look after both of them while you’re pregnant, wouldn’t it?” my mother asked.
”No, not at all! In fact, I can’t survive without them!” Mio-san replied.
”… Why?”
Ah, I see where this is going.
”Because they’re so easy! With Ma-kun looking after Su-chan, it’s not nearly as much work as everyone says! Ma-kun is always so eager to help out, so Su-chan just copies him and helps too! I can breeze through the housework! I was thinking parenting is a piece of cake!” Mio-san said.
”Whatever you do, don’t ever say that in public, okay? Actually, let’s just apologize to all the other moms in the world right now. I’m guilty of it too, but still…” my mother muttered.
”Ugh… I’m sooorry for saying it was a piece of cake!” Mio-san wailed, repenting while squeezing Su-chan in a hug.
Since I’m partly to blame for this, I’ll apologize in my head too. I am deeply sorry.
”Ma-kun, thanks for helping out so much,” my mother said.
”Yeah,” I replied.
I’m at the Totsuka place almost every day.
Weekdays are a given, but I even play there when my mom is off work.
The only times I’m not there are when I have a cold or when the Totsukas are visiting their relatives.
And since I’m usually playing with Su-chan, the burden on Mio-san is – compared to other moms – way lighter. Probably. At least there’s no drama.
I mean, there’s a thirtysomething dude watching her. Which is creepy in its own way. I can never tell anyone. That’s straight-to-jail territory.
Since I’ve grown up a bit, I can handle most of my own business, and I’ve been slowly upping my “helper” game.
I’ve been working hard on the cleaning and laundry.¹
Not just picking up toys, but cleaning the toilet and the dust behind the TV. A kid’s body is small, so it’s easy to crawl into tight spaces and scrub away.
Also, folding the laundry.
Mio-san’s big pieces… I can practically wear them like a cape.
Because I’m helping, Su-chan naturally copies me.
I don’t let her do the “grimy work” – the nasty stuff like the toilet – but she helps fold laundry, uses the lint roller, picks up toys, and clears the table after meals.
When she finishes folding a shirt and gives me a huge grin like, “I did it!”, it’s way too cute. Who wouldn’t shower her with praise?
Su-chan is turning into a top-tier kid.
”At least let Ma-kun stay!” Mio-san begged.
”What about Su?” Su-chan asked.
”Of course Su-chan too!” Mio-san cried.
”Mio, give it up,” my mother said.
”But… being home alone from now on, without my little helpers to assist me…!” Mio-san sobbed.
”…”
”…”
”I can’t imagine life without Su-chan and Ma-kun anymore!” Mio-san yelled.
”…”
”…”
”Don’t leave me behind!”
It turns out that when the kids are too competent, the parents just fall apart.
”Ugh, Su-chan, Mommy is so lonely…!” Mio-san cried.
”Mama, are you okay?” Su-chan asked.
”No, I’m not okay! I want to be with Su-chan!” Mio-san said.
”There, there, Mama,” Su-chan said, patting her head.
Mio-san throws a tantrum, and Su-chan comforts her.
Usually, it’s the other way around, right?
”You seem… fine, Ma-kun,” my mother noted.
”Yeah, I’m okay. I mean, I’d like to stay with you more, Mom, but…” I replied.
”Ma-kun…!”
It’s not like I’m not lonely.
I’m just better at holding it in.
I was hugged by my mother, while in front of us, another mother and daughter were doing the exact same thing.
This little drama would end up repeating itself over and over again until the day we actually started school.
—
Summary:
As kindergarten enrollment approaches, the protagonist Ma-kun (Yashiro) maintains a mature composure while his neighbor Mio-san breaks down in tears. Mio-san’s extreme separation anxiety leads her to suggest becoming a teacher just to stay with the children. The chapter highlights the comedic irony of competent children inadvertently making their parents ‘useless’.
—
Trivia:
- Ma-kun is actually helping with deep cleaning (toilet, behind TV) because of his small toddler size.
- Mio-san is already a licensed teacher, a fact Ma-kun’s mother reveals from their high school days.
- Mio-san is currently two weeks into her second pregnancy.
- The ‘Dirty 3’ or ‘3K’ reference is a nod to Japanese labor conditions (Kitsui, Kitanai, Kiken).
- Su-chan has lost her lisp due to Ma-kun’s rigorous speech training via picture books
—
Character Insight:
Ma-kun experiences a brief moment of genuine anxiety regarding his past life’s social failures, showing that his adult ego isn’t entirely bulletproof. Mio-san demonstrates that her attachment issues are deep-rooted, dating back to her own high school years.
—
Behind the Scenes:
The author uses the ‘competent child, useless parent’ dynamic to subvert typical parenting struggles in the Isekai genre.
—
TL Notes:
Notes:
• Mio – A 25-year-old fashionable and kind young mother, she is Akari’s (Makoto’s mother’s) best friend and Ma-kun’s godmother. Known for her playful and teasing personality, she enjoys babysitting Ma-kun and encourages a future marriage between her daughter, Su-chan, and him. She’s skilled in cooking and photography, admired for her beauty—even in casual, unpolished moments—and is married to Mitsuhisa.
• Meguro – A neighbor living on the floor below. Works as an office clerk at a kindergarten. A 28-year-old single man living on the first floor of the apartment. He is a tall (180cm) kindergarten office clerk, an amateur prize-winning photographer, and a road bike enthusiast.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply