Volume 4 Chapter 31 Editor-in-Chief
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
It was a quiet weekend morning.
”Mom, I brought ’em!” Makoto called out.
”Hehe, you look like a little ghost, Maa-kun,” Akari replied.
Makoto had gathered the stripped bedsheets, carrying them so they draped over his small frame like a shroud. Though his vision was blocked, the room was tidy and free of clutter, allowing him to navigate safely to the washing machine where Akari stood.
”Thanks, sweetie,” Akari said.
”You’re welcome!” Makoto replied.
Akari took the sheets and stuffed them into the machine. She pressed the start button, and the quiet hum of the motor began to vibrate through the floor.
”Well now… Mom has to stay here until the cycle finishes. What are you going to do, Maa-kun?” By “what are you going to do,” she really meant “Are you going to head over to Suu-chan’s place early?” Knowing the little girl next door was likely waiting with bated breath, Akari offered the suggestion as a kindness.
”Hmm…” Makoto didn’t nod immediately. Instead, he studied his mother’s face, deep in thought. “…I’ll wait with Mom.”
”Are you sure?” Akari asked.
”Yeah. I have plenty of time to play with Suu-chan later. Right now, I want to be with Mom,” Makoto said.
”I see,” Akari replied, her lips curling into a natural, warm smile.
She cherished her own time, of course, but Makoto usually fell asleep by eight o’clock. She’d have plenty of hours to herself then. For now, these moments with him were her greatest source of healing and daily strength. As a mother blessed with such an easygoing child, she couldn’t help but feel a surge of gratitude. She offered a silent apology to the neighbor who was undoubtedly growing fidgety, deciding to monopolize her son just a little longer.
”In that case, what should we play?” Akari asked.
”Hmm… How about Reversi¹?” Makoto suggested.
”You got it. You’ve gotten pretty strong at it, Maa-kun,” Akari said.
”…But I haven’t beaten Mom even once yet,” Makoto muttered.
”Well, you wouldn’t be happy if I just let you win, would you?” Akari asked.
”I guess not, but still…” Makoto replied.
* * *
While the Yashiro family enjoyed their quiet morning, things were a bit different next door.
”Ugh… this one isn’t growing as fast as I’d hoped. I think Akari mentioned it might be hitting a ceiling soon,” Mio muttered to herself, her eyes locked on the shifting lines and figures on her laptop screen.
She was deep in the weeds of household budgeting, beauty expenses, investments for the kids, and long-term asset building. Relying on a mix of her best friend’s advice and her own gut instincts, she was trying to predict her next move to squeeze out every bit of profit she could.
Nearby, her husband was preoccupied with their twin daughters. “Alright, Fuuka, Kyouka! Papa’s over here!” Mitsuhisa cheered.
”Ah, da!”
”Bu, da!”
”Oh, look at you! Good job, good job! One-two, one-two!”
The twins were in the heat of crawling practice. Mitsuhisa was pouring every ounce of his energy into them, perhaps trying to compensate for the fact that his eldest daughter had already found another “man” in her life and had no time for him. He worked feverishly, hoping that this time, his daughters might actually grow up to be “Papa’s girls.”
As for that eldest daughter—
”Mama, isn’t Maa-kun here yet?” Suzuki asked.
”Hmm? Oh, Akari messaged me. She said they’d be over around nine,” Mio said, checking her phone.
Suzuki whipped her head toward the clock. “Nine… o’clock?”
The long hand still had more than half a rotation to go. Because she looked forward to Makoto’s visits with such singular intensity, Suzuki had already mastered the art of telling time. To her, that half-hour felt like an absolute eternity. Overcome with tragic boredom, she flopped onto her side and began rolling across the floor. She used her father as a footstool to kick off and gain momentum, eventually coming to a stop by hugging her Chashibu² plushie tight.
It was a day off. No kindergarten. She had expected to be with Makoto from the second the sun came up, and the delay was a heavy blow to her spirit.
Seeing her daughter so despondent, Mio offered a suggestion based on experience. “By the way… aren’t you going to be the Editor-in-Chief today?”
Suzuki’s eyes lit up. “I am!”
Reinvigorated by the idea, she abandoned Chashibu and made a beeline for the corner of the toy box where her “work” was stored.
”She’s so fickle,” Mitsuhisa muttered with a wry smile.
”Hey, it makes our lives easier,” Mio replied.
Both parents shared a look. They knew that as long as Suzuki had something related to Makoto—be it the boy himself or just a photo—she would be perfectly content.
”Even though the one who made her depressed in the first place was Maa-kun,” Mitsuhisa noted.
”She’s a handful, alright,” Mio agreed.
Everything in their daughter’s world revolved around the “Makoto Axis.” It made even the thought of their upcoming house hunt exhausting. “Finding a new place is going to be a nightmare with her like this,” Mitsuhisa sighed.
”Tell me about it. Even Yoshikura-san is having a hard time finding a spot that works,” Mio said.
While the adults talked, Suzuki was already hard at work in her role as Editor-in-Chief. She held a stack of photos in her hands, with dozens more spread out before her. The count was well into the double digits. Every single photo featured her favorite person.
”Muu…” Suzuki furrowed her brow, her face set in an expression of grave professional concern. “Huff… Hmph!”
Despite the serious look, she couldn’t quite hide her happiness; her expression softened every few seconds before she forced herself back into “work mode.” She was currently editing her latest masterpiece: Maa-kun: A Record of Being 4 Years Old. This was the fifth volume in her ongoing “Record” series, specifically the April edition.
”This one goes here… and this one goes over there,” Suzuki murmured.
She scrutinized every image with the intensity of a diamond grader. To her, this series was the “Definitive Best-Of” collection. She had to select only the most sublime shots from the mountain of photos available. Of course, her definition of “sublime” covered almost every photo she owned, but that was just the nature of her love.
She moved photos from the right pile to the left, one by one. “Heh… Huff…”
By the time she finished her initial pass, the “Keep” pile was just as big as the original stack. To an outsider, it looked like she had just spent an hour staring at her crush, but to Suzuki, this was vital labor. It wasn’t her fault that every photo was a “special among specials.”
Most of these had started as digital files on a hard drive. Suzuki used to borrow Mio’s laptop every day to look at them, but she hated that she couldn’t see them whenever she wanted—like when her mom was working or when she was staying over at a friend’s house. She needed physical prints.
But printing wasn’t free. Even for a daughter as cute as Suzuki, her parents had to set limits. Between the cost of ink, photo paper, and the fact that an enthusiastic photographer could easily snap a thousand photos of Makoto in a single month, they had to put their feet down. Otherwise, Suzuki would do nothing but stare at photos twenty-four hours a day.
So, these prints represented the elite—the best of the best that she had been allowed to bring into the physical world. Narrowing them down further was an impossible task. Even when photos looked nearly identical to anyone else, Suzuki insisted they were “completely different.”
”…One more time,” Suzuki whispered, picking up the stack to start again. She didn’t have a deadline, and the agony of choice was half the fun.
But the clock was ticking.
”Excuse me, Mr. Editor-in-Chief? Do you have a moment?” Mio asked.
”The Editor is very busy right now!” Suzuki chirped.
”I’m sorry to interrupt your busy schedule, but Maa-kun is going to be here in about five minutes,” Mio said.
Suzuki froze. She checked the clock and realized she’d been so absorbed in her work that time had slipped away.
”Want some help cleaning up?” Mio offered.
”No, I’m okay!” Suzuki shouted.
She began tidying up in a frantic blur. Photos were great, but they couldn’t compete with the real Makoto. She gathered the pictures into a messy stack and shoved them into her “Editor’s box” as fast as her small hands could move. If she was late to greet him, she’d lose precious seconds of “real” Makoto time—and that was a loss she simply couldn’t accept.
—
Summary:
On a weekend morning, Makoto chooses to spend time with his mother Akari over playing next door. Meanwhile, Suzuki is devastated by his late arrival and distracts herself by acting as ‘Editor-in-Chief’ of her massive collection of Makoto’s photos. She frantically cleans up when she realizes he is finally about to arrive.
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Trivia:
- Suzuki is so dedicated to Makoto she learned to read a clock at age five.
- Mio uses Akari’s advice for financial investments.
- Suzuki’s parents limit her photo printing due to cost and her tendency to become hyper-fixated.
- There are already five volumes of the ‘Record’ series
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Character Insight:
Suzuki shows an obsessive, almost professional level of devotion to Makoto, treating her collection of his photos as a serious archival project. Akari, meanwhile, demonstrates a quiet strength, finding her daily motivation in simple moments with her son.
—
Lore And Worldbuilding Context:
The ‘Editor-in-Chief’ roleplay reflects a common Japanese trope of children acting out adult professions with high intensity.
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Glossary:
Notes:
• Makoto – Four‑year‑old Rose‑class student, 93 cm, 13 kg, in a white shirt, blue vest and cap—actually a 30‑year‑old salaryman reborn. Calm “Boss” who hands out hand cream, mediates fights, protects Suu‑chan and earns respect. Dry narrator in the Rabbit Group, using logic and coin tricks. Also known as Akari’s son, nicknamed Maa‑kun, a highly observant, popular Middle Kids student at Hinomori Kindergarten.
• Mom – A 30‑year‑old mother who recently switched jobs for more time with her son, Maa‑kun. She’s supportive, manages household shopping together with Mio‑san, and balances family life with her new career.
• Maa-kun – A young boy in the Rabbit Group at Hinomori Kindergarten. He is highly intelligent, capable of second-grade math and multiplication. He is described as calm, stoic, and helpful, often acting as a ‘handler’ for more energetic children. Akari’s son, nearly five years old. An extreme polyglot and polymath who secretly studies news, martial arts, and multiple languages. Highly sensitive to his parents’ moods. Also referred to as Makoto-kun. Narrator’s son in the Rabbit Group. Popular with other girls but maintains distance. Previously protected Suu-chan during the ‘April Incident.’
• Akari – 28‑year‑old single mother, long dark‑brown hair, subtle makeup, poised and observant. Lives beside best friend Mio, drives a black light‑compact car, raises newborn Maa‑kun and son Makoto. After childcare leave she works IT for balance, prefers quiet home, feels guilty missing the party. Strict yet loving, polite, estranged from her parents, mischievous, monitors Makoto’s health via a ‘status report’ network. Former bank employee using customer‑service skills to navigate high‑stakes parent circles.
• Suu-chan – A refined young girl with soft skin who values etiquette and ‘lady’s grace.’ She holds Makoto to a high standard of grooming.
• Suu – A female student in the Rose Class. Very close to Makoto (Maa-kun). Has mud on her cheeks and makes high-quality dorodango.
• Mio – Akari’s longtime best friend and Shiho’s mother, she’s a pregnant Totsuka resident with baby-faced charm, G-cup curves, and a gray-clad, stylishly dressed “little devil” persona—playfully mischievous yet grounded and perceptive. A former athlete turned teacher, cook, and photographer, she’s tech-savvy, financially astute, and quietly guides Makoto, Suu-chan, Fuu-chan, and Kyo-chan as the family’s nurturing femme-fatale matriarch, driving them to parties, baking with them, and encouraging Shiho’s hobbies to keep her occupied—all while serving as Akari’s trusted sounding board for parenting anxieties.
• Mitsuhisa – Mitsuhisa, 33, 184 cm, 71 kg, toned and reserved, is a giant‑physique father of three—Suu‑chan, Fuu‑chan, Kyo‑chan—married to Mio. On modified childcare leave he’s protective, doting, play‑acting with his daughters. He feels neglected by his eldest daughter, focuses affection on the twins, keeps a distant rapport with Akari, shares dark banter with former teammate Makoto, and feels unsettled by his influence on others.
• Kyouka – One of the twin daughters of Mio and Mitsuhisa, this younger sister shares her twin’s mobility and drooling habit while currently practicing crawling.
• Fuuka – Younger twin daughter of Mio and Mitsuhisa, an observant infant with soft curls and bright eyes, is now belly‑crawling and loves playing “airplane” with her father, giggling as she stretches her tiny arms toward him.
• Fuu – One of the twins, approximately four months old. Currently learning to swivel their head and grab objects.
• Kyo – One of the twins, approximately four months old. Shared traits with Fuu-chan.
• Suzuki – Suu‑chan, a doll‑like 5‑year‑old with dark braided pigtails, topknot, sleepy sparkling eyes and pink rain boots, is eldest daughter of Mio and Mitsuhisa. Model student, self‑proclaimed girlfriend of Makoto, quiet, helpful, competitive in word games, clingy, always clutching a pink candy tin. Obsessed with Makoto, she reads clocks to track his arrival, calls herself ‘Editor‑in‑Chief’ of his photo records, and they’re often seen arm‑in‑arm.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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