Volume 3 Chapter 5 Every Man to His Own Trade
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The chime echoed through the classroom, bringing the morning’s free-play to an end. As the toys were tucked away, the morning meeting finally began.
”Good morning, class!”
”GOOD MORNING!!”
The children responded with everything they had to the cheerful greeting of their homeroom teacher, Teacher Riko. My ears were absolutely ringing, but I suppose it’s a good thing for kids to be this energetic. (Is it just a cynical adult habit of mine to view all that noise as a massive waste of energy?)
As names were called one by one, each child raised a hand with a bright “Yes!” Even though the teachers surely already know who’s there, I suppose the roll call is necessary for the kids to learn each other’s names. Occasionally, a couple of kids would respond to the same name and look at each other with confused faces, but Teacher Riko would just laugh softly and help them through it.
The Rose Class has twenty-two students in total. With a few kids out here and there, the attendance rate sits around seventy to eighty percent. Apparently, there’s a boy who lives near Shiho-chan¹ and plays with her often, but he’s had a cold since the first day, so I haven’t met him yet. Regardless, I’ve already memorized the faces and names of every kid in the class who has shown up.
Once the roll call finished, a familiar melody – Radio Calisthenics No. 1 – began pumping through the classroom speakers. We all spread our arms to find our personal bubbles. The younger kids didn’t really know the moves yet, but they did their best to mimic the teachers, performing a sort of interpretive dance that roughly resembled the exercise.
”…Mm, Shi-chan, that’s wrong. Other way,” Suu said.
”Huh? This way?” Shiho asked.
”…Mm, now you got it,” Suu replied.
After the exercises came the school song. The lyrics were posted above the blackboard, though naturally, most of the kids couldn’t read them yet. Even so, seeing some of them desperately trying to sing along with the parts they’d learned by ear was genuinely impressive. Still, lyrics written entirely in hiragana are a nightmare to read. It’s the same with these picture books. Not only Suu-chan but Shiho-chan as well were trying their best to sing seriously without giving up halfway through. So diligent. Especially considering there were other kids literally just rolling around on the floor.
With the morning meeting wrapped up, we moved into the morning’s actual activity. As the school had notified parents beforehand, today was all about playing with newspapers. The papers we’d brought in were collected by Teacher Riko, then redistributed as sheets cut down to one-eighth size.
(Hmm, let’s see what’s happening on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange… No, wait, I wasn’t given this to read. Besides, I’m pretty sure I already checked the news this morning. Not that I remember much of it.)
Once everyone had their paper, Teacher Riko began tearing hers as a demonstration. “Let’s see who can tear their paper from one end to the other and make the longest string! Let’s give it a try!” She called it the “Tearing Game.”
Crinkle-snap, rip, rip-
Copying the teacher’s movements, the room was soon filled with the light, rhythmic sounds of tearing paper and the occasional excited shriek. Suu-chan, Shiho-chan, and I formed a little triangle and set to work. Both girls were fighting with their newspapers with deathly serious expressions.
”Aww, it broke…” Shiho whispered.
”Suu’s too…” Suu added.
It seems fine motor control is still a struggle for those tiny hands; the paper kept splitting off in weird directions from the jagged edges. Watching them was so nerve-wracking I found myself subconsciously clenching my fists in support.
”Suu-chan, Shiho-chan. I have a secret technique,” I said, cupping my hand over my mouth. The “I have a secret” pose is magic; kids will listen to almost anything you say if you frame it like that. Both of them leaned in so fast I thought their foreheads were going to collide. “If you tear it in the same direction as the rows of text, it’s supposed to work much better.”
”ん, I’ll try,” Suu said.
”Shiho too!” Shiho cried.
Hearing that, the two scurried back to Teacher Riko to get fresh sheets. While they were gone, I decided to tidy up the discarded scraps they’d left behind.
”Ma-kun, look!” Suu shouted.
”Oh… nice job, Suu-chan,” I said.
”Look at Shiho’s!” Shiho added.
”Wow, you both did great! Those are huge!” I replied.
Having caught on to the trick, the two showed off their unbroken streamers with pride. I gave them a round of applause. And then, a certain someone arrived to rain on our parade.
”…Ah!” A small gasp escaped Suu.
A boy who had already grown bored of the game was sprinting through the room. He nimbly dodged a teacher trying to catch him, and – of all the luck – his foot snagged Suu-chan’s paper streamer. The thin strip of newspaper offered no resistance at all, snapping instantly. Suu-chan froze, staring mournfully at the torn end in her hand. Shiho-chan just looked on in shock. Meanwhile, the boy kept running, likely looking for more victims.
If it had been my paper, I would have just shrugged it off as “kids being kids,” but I absolutely will not stand for anyone making Suu-chan look that sad! I think his name was Sasaki Hiro? I’d love to have a “little chat” with him, but I’d rather not cause a scene that gets back to the parents. I’ll leave the discipline to the pros. For now, I have to get Suu-chan smiling again.
”Teacher Riko,” I called out.
”…Y-Yes? What is it, Makoto-kun?” Riko asked.
”Could I have one more piece of newspaper, please?” I requested.
”Oh… sure, here you go,” Riko said.
”Thank you,” I replied.
I began my preparations as quietly as possible. “Suu-chan, can you let me borrow that torn piece?”
”…？ ん,” Suu grunted.
Taking the ruined paper from her, I tore it into even smaller strips, bunched them up, tore them again, and finally crushed the whole mess into a tight ball in my fist. Ta-da! Humming my own little magic-show fanfare, I waved the paper ball in front of them to make sure they were watching… then tossed it into the air. They both looked up, mouths hanging open in a way that was honestly too cute for words. I couldn’t let my guard down, though.
I caught the paper with both hands, performed a quick switch, and held the result out to Suu. “Suu-chan, try unfolding this very slowly.”
”ん,” Suu nodded.
Suu-chan did exactly as she was told. Shiho-chan leaned in from the side, eyes wide with curiosity. As the paper began to open, Suu realized something. She looked at me, then started unfolding it even faster in her excitement. She turned it over and over, checking every inch. The paper was a bit wrinkled, sure, but somehow it was a single, whole sheet again. There wasn’t a tear to be found.
”It’s not broken!” Shiho shouted.
Both girls had their mouths shaped like perfect little ‘O’s of pure astonishment. (Man, that’s a cute look. Teacher Riko, I hope you’ve got a camera ready!) The “restoration” trick seemed to be a hit, even if my execution was a little sloppy.
”Makoto-kun, you’re amazing!” Shiho cheered.
”…ん! Ma-kun is the best,” Suu added.
”Thanks, girls,” I said.
I placed a hand over my heart and gave them a theatrical little bow. I was just glad to help; it looked like the sadness of the torn paper had already been chased away by the magic. The kids nearby started clapping along too. I have to admit, it was a bit embarrassing. Just as I was breathing a sigh of relief for a job well done…
Riiiiiiip!
Suu-chan immediately tore the newspaper in half. “…One more time!”
”Oh…” I groaned.
Now what? I had two pairs of sparkling, expectant eyes locked on me – and several more from the kids who had gathered around. And the problem was, I didn’t have another loaded sheet ready to go. I shouldn’t have been so stingy; I should have prepped a dozen of these things. If I tried to ask Teacher Riko for more paper now, everyone would see what I was doing. The secret would be out.
Right. Like they say, leave it to the experts.
”Suu-chan, you see, I’m still just a kid. I can only use that magic once a day,” I explained.
”Really?” Suu asked.
”Yeah,” I said.
”Aww,” Suu pouted.
”Sorry about that,” I said.
”Mmm,” Suu nodded.
”But… I bet an adult could do it. A teacher probably has way more magic than me,” I suggested.
”Wait – ” Riko started.
”Teacher Riko, here!” Suu cried.
(Phew. Good luck, Teach!)
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Summary:
During a kindergarten class activity involving tearing newspapers, Suu’s paper is accidentally broken by a rowdy classmate. Makoto uses a simple magic trick to ‘restore’ the paper and cheer her up. However, the plan backfires when the girls ask for a repeat performance, forcing Makoto to deflect the responsibility to the teacher.
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Trivia:
- Makoto’s adult internal monologue references the stock market.
- The ‘Rose Class’ size is 22 students.
- Attendance is currently lower than 100% due to seasonal colds.
- Makoto notes that reading hiragana-only text is actually harder for an adult mind.
- Sasaki Hiro is identified as the class troublemaker
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Character Insight:
Makoto demonstrates his protective nature toward Suu-chan and his quick-thinking social manipulation, while Suu-chan shows her innocent wonder and demanding childhood persistence.
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Behind the Scenes:
The term ‘Hospital Doctor’ appears to be a global find-and-replace error in some raw distributions of this web novel, replacing ‘Sensei’.
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TL Notes:
Notes:
• Riko – A first‑time lead teacher of the Rose Class, she appears stiff and nervous during her stage introduction yet is cheerful and energetic in the classroom. Referred to as “Teacher” or “Hospital Doctor” in source‑corrupted variants, she serves as the homeroom teacher for the Rose Group.
• Shiho – A three-year-old girl in the Rose Class, friend of Makoto and Suu, with shoulder-length hair in a side-up ponytail; soft-spoken yet easily excited by decorations and food, she uses training chopsticks and a white kitten-themed placemat, struggles to wake up, and relies on Makoto’s “secret” advice. She attends extended childcare monthly and shares a quiet, competitive bond with Suu over Makoto’s attention, having been his first kindergarten friend.
• Hiro – A boy in the Rose Class who gets bored easily and runs around the classroom, accidentally breaking Suu’s paper.
• Makoto – Three‑year‑old (93 cm, 13 kg) boy in Rose Class, dressed in a neat shirt and cap, looks like a gentle gentleman. He is the reincarnated adult son of Akari, living with the Totsuka family while his mother works. Protective of Suzuka‑chan, he retains a cynical, socially‑aware mind from a past life and knows stock tricks and magic.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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