Volume 3 Chapter 22 Greeting Rounds
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
(This is from Akari’s perspective.)
Today is the day we observe Maa-kun and the others at their kindergarten. As always, Maa-kun remains his unshakeable, airy self, but Suu-chan is stuck right to his side… which is also par for the course.
”Those two are as lovey-dovey as always, aren’t they?”
”They really are.”
Whether they were on the shuttle bus or walking toward the shoe lockers¹ after getting off, the two of them were constantly holding hands. Even though Mio had set the stage for it, I felt like the bond between them had grown even deeper since they started kindergarten.
”Umu…”
Mitsuhisa had an indescribable look on his face—perhaps feeling a bit of that fatherly loneliness. But I understood that feeling all too well. While I felt proud seeing him cherish Suu-chan so much, the time he spent with me would only continue to decrease from here on. (I wonder how many more times I’ll be able to pull him close, or how many more times he’ll reach for my hand…) The thought alone made my heart ache with a bittersweet sting.
”Mii-kun looks lonely, so I shall be the one to hold your hand. Would you mind escorting me?” Mio asked.
”Well, these two are as ‘busy’ as ever, too…” Mitsuhisa replied.
Mio reached out her hand, and Mitsuhisa took it without hesitation, despite the wandering eyes of the people around them. Seeing these two passionate couples made me feel a bit left out; I often find myself envious that they had partners who put them above all else. (Well, for now, when we go home and it’s just the two of us, Maa-kun acts spoiled with me, so that loneliness isn’t really there.)
We followed behind Maa-kun and the others, parting ways at the shoe lockers before signing in at the front desk. We changed into the guest slippers with a soft shuffle and hung the cards with the children’s names around our necks. While our main goal was to see the youngsters in class, this was also a place to build connections with other parents we’d be seeing for the next three years. With these cards, you could tell at a glance who belonged to whom.
”Mio-san, Akari-san, good morning,” a voice called out.
As we arrived in front of the classroom, we were greeted by Shiho-chan’s parents—the Goto family. Ever since I’d exchanged contact info with Mayumi—who had a daughter in the older kids’ class—at the entrance ceremony, she had been looking out for the Totsuka family and me. My memories of inviting them to Suu-chan’s birthday party were still fresh.
”Oh, Mayumi-san, good morning,” I said.
”Good morning,” said Mio.
”I heard that Makoto-kun has completely taken command of the Rose Class²,” Mayumi noted.
”It… seems that’s how it’s turned out…”
”Did you hear nothing from Makoto-kun himself?”
”Well… he only said that everyone had become his friend…”
Maa-kun isn’t the type to actively involve himself with others, but his communication skills are incredibly high. He’s similar to Mio in that way, but unlike her, he doesn’t let his displeasure show… though that might just be because his facial expressions are usually so sparse. He’s shown that high level of social ability since the day he was born, and it seems that hasn’t changed at kindergarten. In fact, the moment he stepped into the classroom, he was swarmed by friends.
According to the school log, he’s become something of a leader in the Rose Class. We even received words of gratitude from Teacher Riko, saying the class stabilizes just by having Maa-kun there and that he’s an incredibly helpful presence. When the person in question heard that, he just looked off into the distance with a hollow gaze.
Maa-kun, who had skillfully guided his swarming friends toward the outside, approached a single boy. (I wonder if that’s Yuma-kun?) I’d heard he was a childhood friend of Shiho-chan and a member of the group they often played with.
”Are you… Makoto-kun’s mother?”
”Eh, oh, yes, I am,” I replied.
”It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Yoshikura Nanami, the mother of Yuma—the boy Makoto-kun is speaking with now. My son is quite indebted to yours.”
The ones who gave us an incredibly humble greeting were the Yoshikura couple. The wife, Nanami, and her husband, Shinji. Both seemed to be about the same age as Mitsuhisa and had a much more composed aura than the other parents.
”I’ve heard about Yuma-kun from my son. We should be the ones thanking you,” I said.
”Not at all. The only reason Yuma can go to kindergarten with a smile is because Makoto-kun is in his class. Truly, thank you so much,” Nanami insisted.
”N-No, please…”
According to Nanami’s story, Yuma-kun was physically frail. While he personally loved running around, he often threw up after eating, and even a little bit of stress would give him a fever. Right after the term started, his health was unstable due to the changing seasons, and they were constantly at the hospital. He’d finally started being able to attend school more regularly after Golden Week³, but because of the unfamiliar environment, he still spent a lot of time in the nurse’s office. Despite such an anxious start to his school life, meeting friends like Maa-kun and Suu-chan through Shiho-chan had given him something to look forward to every day.
”Thanks to Makoto-kun, he’s even started eating his vegetables. Apparently, Makoto-kun told him that ‘if you want to be healthy, you have to eat a balanced diet without being picky.’ Now he eats them with his eyes squeezed shut,” Nanami laughed.
”Yuma-kun is so impressive.”
”He hardly listens when we say it, so it makes me want to complain a little that he listens so obediently to whatever Makoto-kun says!”
”That… is definitely true,” I agreed.
Suu-chan was exactly like that during her “no-no phase⁴.” It brought back memories of how Mio used to over-use her “Ultimate Weapon,” Maa-kun.
”…Oh, look at me, I’ve gone and talked your ear off. I’m sure all the other parents want to greet Makoto-kun’s mother, so I shouldn’t hog you all to myself,” Nanami said.
”That’s not it at all…”
When she said that and I looked around, I noticed a lot of people stealing glances in our direction.
”It’s tough being the mother of a celebrity,” Nanami teased.
”I-I’m just grateful…”
As Nanami walked away, other voices called out as if they had been waiting for their turn.
”Excuse me, I’m Jun’s mother.”
”Oh, Jun-chan’s. Thank you for looking after him.”
”No, no, thank you for everything, truly.”
I also exchanged greetings with Imai Sanae, the mother of Jun-chan—the one Maa-kun held hands with during the field trip.
”My husband and his older brothers dote on him so much… I just don’t know how he turned out this way…” Sanae sighed.
”Raising children is difficult, isn’t it? I’m always wondering what I should be doing for Makoto as well.”
Since she was a mother raising three boys ranging from middle school to high school, I thought she might be a great resource, so we exchanged contact info—mostly so I could apologize immediately if he ever caused trouble. I exchanged greetings with several others after that. If I weren’t used to this kind of thing from work, I might have thrown in the towel.
I was nothing but proud, but Maa-kun’s favorability rating among the parents was high across the board. (I’m going to have to interrogate him later to find out exactly what he did to raise his reputation this much with his friends’ parents.)
”Akari~”
While I was taking a breather and watching Maa-kun stretch to stack some blocks, Mio called out to me.
”What do you want, after leaving me to the wolves?” I asked.
”No, sorry! I just thought there wasn’t much point in me being there… Besides, if you’re going to hold a grudge, shouldn’t it be against Maa-kun?”
”It is impossible for me to ever hold a grudge against Maa-kun.”
”Yeah, yeah, I get it. Anyway, want to go look at the photos first? I heard the area gets packed when people start leaving,” Mio suggested.
”Is that so?”
One of our goals for coming here today was to buy photos. The teachers took shots of the kids in class that we could never get ourselves, so I was looking forward to it. Led by the arm by Mio, we moved to the second floor where the photos were for sale. It was already crowded, but apparently, it gets even worse later.
”There really are a lot…” I muttered.
”Yeah…”
When we entered the room for the Rose Class, there were massive amounts of photos displayed all over the walls. They showed the entrance ceremony, the spring field trip, the gardening experience, and daily life at the kindergarten… and the volume was staggering. Other parents were staring intently at the walls, silently noting down numbers as they searched for their own children.
”Dear,” Mio called.
”Mio. I’ve already noted down all the photos where those two appear, so I’ll leave the rest to you,” Mitsuhisa said.
”Thanks!”
”Thank you very much,” I added.
Mitsuhisa had already finished scouting out the photos of Maa-kun and Suu-chan. Now we just had to consult our budget. They were a bargain at fifty yen each, but if we got carried away, it would definitely hit the household finances. While following the numbers Mitsuhisa had found, we filtered out the ones where they were cut off or where the focus was on another child.
”Mmm, I don’t think Suu-chan can afford to let her guard down,” Mio groaned.
She was frowning while looking at a photo of Maa-kun surrounded by girls.
”Isn’t it fine? She’s monopolizing the spot right next to him,” I said.
Suu-chan’s appearance rate in photos featuring Maa-kun was nearly 100%. She allowed no other pursuers. Shiho-chan was the next closest, but she was always in the shot with Suu-chan as a trio. The only time she’d missed the spot next to him was during the march on the field trip…
”As expected of Mio’s daughter,” I teased.
”Hehe, you know it!”
After checking all the photos once, we did another round to make sure we hadn’t missed anything.
”What do you think? Two copies each?” Mio asked.
”Hmm, one of each is fine for the basics. Let’s just buy two of the ones we specifically want.”
”Got it.”
If we have one, we can always make copies, but quality degradation is unavoidable. I wanted the photos of my beloved youngsters to be in the best condition possible. We ended up with a total of about fifty photos for the two of them. It didn’t decrease much from Mitsuhisa’s initial list, but considering these can never be replaced if we miss this chance, it couldn’t be helped.
* * *
We watched the rest of the lesson from the back, and soon it was time for the closing circle. Watching the youngsters have so much fun made the time fly by.
”It’s such a good class, isn’t it?” Nanami asked.
”It really is. All the children seem to get along so well,” I replied.
Nanami and Mayumi were impressed by how the kids listened obediently to the teachers’ instructions. There were some very energetic kids, but they stayed at the level of being good “mood-makers.”
”How was it when Hina-chan was in the younger kids’ class?” I asked.
”It wasn’t this peaceful. Everyone was more scattered… it looked like a struggle,” Mayumi said.
”Is that so?”
”Yes. I hear Hinomori is strict with discipline, but even so, they are still ‘younger kids’ after all.”
Mayumi said, recalling the class observation from when Shiho-chan’s older sister was that age.
”They would get into fights over toys, or someone would suddenly start crying and it would spread to the other kids… The teachers had a hard time soothing them.”
”It was really like that…?”
”Yes. It seemed like quite a few children were restless because their parents were there, which was different from their usual environment. Then parents would butt in, making the mood in the classroom tense, and the children would sense that and start crying… that sort of thing.”
Looking at Mayumi’s exhausted expression, Mio and I could only look at each other and give a wry smile.
”Compared to that, this year’s Rose Class is being handled so well. I suppose that’s to be expected of Teacher Seiko.”
Teacher Seiko, a veteran among veterans even within Hinomori Kindergarten, was well-known among the parents. I’d heard from Sanae that her older sons had also been in her care. Mayumi also said she felt relieved when she saw Teacher Seiko’s name as the homeroom teacher.
”Plus, Makoto-kun is working hard, too,” Mayumi added.
”That’s true. Maa-kun is, how should I put it…”
”He feels like ‘Teacher Seiko’s Right-Hand Man,’” Mayumi laughed.
”Pfft…!”
Mayumi said it fondly, while Mio clutched her stomach and covered her mouth. Mitsuhisa worried that she might be hurting the baby, but Mio waved him off. It seemed it just hit her funny bone. Mio probably had an idea of why. Because he was so obedient it was hard to believe he was a child…
Thus, the first class observation came to an end. It was good to see how they usually acted at kindergarten, which we don’t normally get to see. Maa-kun is reliable as ever, and I’m relieved to see that Suu-chan seems to be having a good time too. I think many things will happen from here on out, but I want them to enjoy their kindergarten life with all their friends.
And I… have to get along well with all the other parents, too…
—
Summary:
Akari attends Makoto’s first kindergarten class observation day. She navigates the complex social landscape of ‘parent greetings’ and discovers that Makoto has already established himself as a charismatic leader among the children. The chapter highlights the emotional contrast between the children’s growth and the parents’ bittersweet realization of their gradual independence.
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Trivia:
- The ‘Rose Class’ leader status is officially recognized by the teachers.
- Yuma-kun, a new friend, has a frail constitution and is often in the nurse’s office.
- Makoto successfully used logic to convince a peer to eat vegetables, which even the parents couldn’t do.
- Kindergarten photo sales are a competitive and high-volume event for parents.
- Teacher Seiko is a legendary veteran teacher who has taught multiple generations of local families
—
Character Insight:
Makoto demonstrates a ‘Right-Hand Man’ persona for the teacher, showing he can manage classroom harmony effortlessly. Akari exhibits typical parental anxiety about ‘aisatsu-mawari’ (social rounds), while Mio remains playful even while pregnant.
—
Behind the Scenes:
The ‘Ultimate Weapon Maa-kun’ refers to using Makoto’s influence to make Suu-chan behave, a recurring tactic used by Mio.
—
TL Notes:
Notes:
• Akari – 28‑year‑old single banker, 168 cm, 56 kg, dark‑brown hair, slender, melancholic smile, in a gray casual pantsuit after childcare leave. Lives next to best friend Mio, drives a black light‑compact car, cares for newborn son, prefers quiet home over crowded holidays, feels guilty missing the party. Observant, emotionally sensitive mother of Maa‑kun.
• Mio – 28‑year‑old pregnant mother of Suu‑chan, visibly round belly, wife of Mitsuhisa (164 cm, 57 kg, baby‑faced, G‑cup curves, elegant in a gray suit). Former relay runner and badminton star, now teacher, cook, photographer who bakes strawberry shortcake and chirashi‑zushi, adores babysitting Ma‑kun, subtly pushes his marriage to Suu‑chan, avoids crowds, captures family chaos, dresses the protagonist’s mother, devotes herself to her daughter’s education, and is playful and mischievous as a Totsuka family guest.
• Mitsuhisa – Tall (184 cm), 71 kg 33‑year‑old IT specialist with slick‑back hair, deep voice and meticulous grooming, often scowling. Breadwinner of the Totsuka family, doting husband of Mio and father of Su‑chan (Suzuka); reserved with Akari and family photographer with a pricey DSLR and tripod. Close to former college‑athlete Makoto, whose playful‑sometimes‑sinister humor matches his gaming habit where he lags in motion‑control accuracy. Desk‑working salaryman with a surprisingly toned physique, enjoys physical skinship with his family, and feels protective yet occasionally lonely as the children grow independent.
• Totsuka – The neighbor family consisting of a husband (Mitsuhisa), wife (Mio), and daughter (Suu-chan). They are hardcore gamers who provide hand-me-down consoles to the protagonist’s household.
• Mayumi – Elegant and beautiful, Shiho‑chan’s mother carries a refined aura and acts as a “mom‑friend” to Mio‑san. She is a fellow parent, raising an older daughter Hina and her younger daughter Shiho together in kindergarten.
• Shiho – Three‑year‑old Rose‑Class girl with shoulder‑length hair in a side‑up ponytail, easily thrilled by decorations and food, uses training chopsticks and a white kitten‑themed placemat, often sleepy and leans on Makoto’s “secret” advice. She’s a friend of Makoto and Suu‑chan, slightly less coordinated but diligent at mud dumplings, neighbor and friend of Yuma, older sister in the senior group, and shares a quiet, competitive bond with Suu over Makoto’s attention.
• Makoto – 93 cm, 13 kg three‑year‑old boy in a neat shirt and cap, gentle‑looking but actually a 30‑year‑old reincarnated salaryman. Lives with the Totsuka family, mother works, protects Suzuka‑chan. In Hinomori Kindergarten’s Rose Group he uses a booster seat, short hair, backpack, and wields adult memories, analytical skill, high dexterity, stock tricks and magic. Calm, clever, caring, stoic, known as Maa‑kun, leader of the Rose Class.
• Riko – Lead teacher of Rose Class at Hinomori Kindergarten. Young woman in a rash guard and athletic shorts for pool duties, also school nurse. Appears stiff at intro but becomes cheerful in lessons. Practices autonomy‑based supervision, lets kids resolve conflicts, tends flowerbeds, leads excursions, and practices magic tricks. Slightly cynical about being single.
• Yuma – Frail, sickly boy with low attendance; neighbor of Shiho‑chan. Member of the Rose Class and Rose Group, skilled at folding paper airplanes taught by his father. He joins Makoto’s sandbox projects.
• Nanami – Mother of Yuma. Very humble and polite. Grateful to Makoto for influencing her son’s health habits.
• Jun – An energetic, restless boy of the Rose Class, the youngest of three brothers who all attended the same kindergarten. He is curious, surprisingly strong, often needing Makoto to rein him in. Competitive and prone to believing his brothers’ tall tales, he quiets when his mother watches, speech clumsy. Described as a simpleton, he follows his brother Ko‑san’s germ warnings.
• Sanae – Mother of Jun. Raising three older sons in middle and high school.
• Seiko – Lead teacher of the Rose Class, a veteran with a steely, battle-hardened aura. Polite yet intimidating when serious; Miku calls him an ogre when angry.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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