Volume 4 Chapter 56 Encounter Between Boss and Boss
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
A quiet corner of Akechi Park’s multi-purpose hall. I dropped my backpack under a sign that read “Hinomori Kindergarten / Rabbit Group¹,” feeling a wave of relief as the weight left my shoulders.
Now unburdened, I turned toward one of the four sections of the park. Each grade had a different destination: the Pre-K kids were heading to the Botanical Gardens, the older kids were off to the Natural History Museum, and my group—the Middle Kids class²—was bound for the Zoo.
I noticed the fourth zone, the Amusement Park, wasn’t on our itinerary. I had a pretty good idea why. Bringing this pack of wild animals to a place with rides and games would be pure suicide. The school’s policy was basically: “If you want to go there, do it on your own time with your own family.”
”Alright, Rabbit Group! We’re moving out!” Miss Ai called out. “Stay together! No wandering off!”
Since it was a weekday, I expected the place to be dead, but it was field trip season.
The park was crawling with groups from other kindergartens, preschools, and even elementary schools.
I’d have to keep my eyes peeled just to make sure I didn’t accidentally join the wrong pack.
With our teacher, Ai-sensei, leading the charge and the other teachers flanking us like a security detail, we marched forward—a parade of wide-eyed kids toddling along.
Last year, we’d gone to the Botanical Gardens.
The boys had checked out within five minutes, while the girls were all fascinated by the colors and shapes.
I suppose for most of human history, men were hunters and women were gatherers; maybe we’re just hardwired to be interested in certain things.
Even with two lifetimes as a man under my belt, I wasn’t an exception to the rule—but because Suu-chan was there to hold my hand, it had been a genuinely great time.
But today, the one holding my hand—or rather, the one dragging me along—was Jun. He was currently glued to a fence, shouting questions about the animals’ top speeds.
”His face is so long!! Hey, Makoto! Is he faster than a lion?!”
”It’s his neck that’s long, not his face,” I replied. “As for speed… I don’t know. What do you think, Hakase?”
”The lion is way faster!” said Hakase. “A giraffe can do sixty kilometers an hour, but a lion can hit eighty!”
”I knew it! The lion really is the king!” said Jun.
”Good memory,” I said.
”Yeah! I did my homework and looked it up in my book last night,” Hakase replied.
The way a kid can soak up information when they’re actually interested is terrifying. Of course, the flip side is that if they aren’t interested, you’re basically talking to a brick wall.
”Hmm…” Jun let out a long, pensive groan.
”What’s with the face? You’re actually thinking for once?” asked Makoto.
”Hey, Makoto… do you think I’d be faster if I used my ‘hands’ to run too?”
(Seriously…?)
After seeing the elephants, lions, tigers, and zebras, Jun had apparently reached a scientific breakthrough: the quadrupedal sprint. I almost wanted to call him out, but Jun’s expression was dead serious.
”Well… maybe?” I said.
The truth is, almost any four-legged animal is faster than a human.
If a human runs a hundred-meter dash in ten seconds, that’s only about thirty-six kilometers per hour.
We might hit a little higher in a burst, but we aren’t catching a lion or a giraffe.
Even a house cat can hit fifty.
I wasn’t sure how well a human body built for upright walking would handle a four-legged sprint, but more contact with the ground usually means more acceleration.
I didn’t want to be the adult who crushed his dreams before they even started.
”You should probably test that theory sometime,” I suggested.
”Like… training?!” Jun asked.
”More like an experiment,” I replied.
”An experiment! Whoa!”
”Just don’t do it right now, okay?” warned Makoto.
”Fine! I’ll do it when I get home!” Jun yelled.
I could already see Imai Sanae-san facepalming when he tried it, but hey, that’s life.
”Time to say goodbye to the giraffes!” Ai-sensei shouted, doing a quick head count. “Captain! Minato-kun! Jun-chan! Can you hear me? Nobody’s stuck in the fence, right?”
Even with teachers everywhere, trouble is inevitable.
”Teacher! Jun’s stuck again!”
Apparently, in his quest to get a closer look, Jun had managed to wedge himself into a gap in the railing. I’d only looked away for a second to use the restroom, and he’d already found a way to disable himself.
”Makoto… am I stuck here forever?” Jun whimpered. “Does this mean I can’t race?”
”You’re fine. Here, duck your head. Now turn to the right,” I said.
”How is it, Makoto-kun? Is he coming loose?” asked Ai.
”I’m out!”
”Way to go, Makoto-kun,” said Ai.
”Makoto! I can race again!” Jun yelled.
”No, you can’t,” I replied.
(Honestly, it might have been easier for everyone if he’d stayed stuck…)
”Teacher! Captain’s shoe fell over there!”
”I can get it!” shouted Captain.
”Wait! Don’t lean over the rail! I’ll get it!” said the teacher.
One kid was already trying to donate his footwear to the zoo. Luckily, it landed right by the fence, and the teacher was able to fish it out with a grabber tool. I actually kind of wanted one of those.
”Wait, where’d Jun go now?”
”Makoto, look,” said Captain.
”Jun, get back here!”
”Hoo-hoo! Eek-eek!”
The Rabbit Group finally reached the attraction that got them the most hyped.
”Makoto! Look! There’s a whole bunch of ’em!”
”Yeah, I see,” I said.
”What’s that mountain called?!” asked Jun.
”The… Monkey Mountain³? I guess,” I replied.
”Monkey Mountain! Cool!”
It wasn’t the Japanese macaques themselves that got them going. It was the “mountain”—a concrete structure with stairs, ropes, and tire swings. To the kids, it didn’t look like an enclosure; it looked like the ultimate jungle gym.
”Teacher! Are we playing on that mountain today?”
”I wanna play too!”
”Let’s play Cops and Robbers!”
”No, no! That mountain is only for the monkeys!” Ai-sensei explained. “You guys have Mt. Hiou, don’t you? And Cops and Robbers will have to wait!”
”BOOOO!!”
The boys erupted into a chorus of protests. They liked the animals, sure, but these were Hinomori kids—they lived to move. Seeing a mountain built for playing and being told they couldn’t touch it was like a personal insult.
”Teacher! That monkey is huge!”
”Oh, he must be the Boss,” said Ai.
”The Boss?!”
”Makoto?” Jun asked, looking at me.
”No,” I replied.
”The Boss?!” another kid asked.
”Not me,” I said.
”Bo-ssu!”
”Are you guys actually monkeys?” I muttered.
”Eek-eek!”
”If I act like a monkey, can I play?!” Jun asked.
”You’re already doing a great job at it… is that really the goal here?” I asked.
”Humans are monkeys too!”
”I’m gonna be a monkey!”
I really wished they’d stop looking back and forth between the alpha macaque and me. It was honestly a bit insulting. I’m sure the actual Boss monkey over there was thinking the same thing. I could outsmart him in a second, but in a wrestling match? I’d be in trouble.
Though, it made me wonder… are humans really “above” monkeys? We live longer, sure. We have civilization. But we also start wars, trash the planet, and die from lifestyle diseases. Is that really a win? Well, if you asked me if I actually wanted to be a monkey, the answer would be a hard no. I’m glad I was reincarnated as a human. Thank you, Goddess.
”But that guy is playing on it!”
”He’s not playing, he’s a zookeeper. He’s taking care of them,” Ai-sensei said. “But… I guess if you grow up to be a zookeeper, you can go on the mountain too.”
”Then I’m gonna be a zookeeper!” shouted Jun.
”Me too!”
”I’m gonna be one too!”
Whether any of these kids would actually be cleaning monkey exhibits ten years from now was anyone’s guess.
—
Summary:
The Rabbit Group visits the zoo for their field trip. Chaos ensues as Jun contemplates running on all fours and gets stuck in a fence. The chapter concludes with the children comparing Makoto to the ‘Boss’ of the monkey exhibit.
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Trivia:
- Makoto has memories of two previous lives as a male.
- The kindergarten separates field trip locations by age group.
- Akechi Park is the location of the zoo and amusement park.
- Hakase (Professor) is noticeably studious for a kindergartner.
- Suu-chan is a significant person from Makoto’s past (or current) life
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Character Insight:
Makoto demonstrates his maturity by patiently helping his classmates and reflecting philosophically on the human condition compared to animals, though he is slightly annoyed by being compared to a monkey.
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Lore And Worldbuilding Context:
The author uses the ‘Monkey Mountain’ scene to highlight the unbridled energy of Hinomori Kindergarten students, often referred to as little animals themselves.
—
Glossary:
Notes:
• Ai – Dark‑brown short bob frames a fit former long‑distance runner now teaching Middle Kids homeroom at Hinomori Kindergarten. Cheerful yet blunt, she’s the kids’ beloved “Mom,” uses regional dialects when stressed, adores muscles and praises Makoto‑kun’s leadership. Single, devoted to her classroom family, wary of parents, protective of every student. Daughter of a farming family.
• 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.
• Jun – A tanned, hyperactive preschooler known as the Champion of her class, she’s the fastest runner with a massive appetite and loud, unfiltered energy, often mistaken for a boy. Wearing a track suit, she leads peers with wild enthusiasm but tires quickly and grows moody when games stall. She idolizes her calm brother Makoto, treating him like a superior, and fiercely admires him despite their clashing personalities—he quietly manages her chaos. She views Suzuki as a rival but maintains a resilient, sportsmanlike spirit. Trains weekends on Mt. Hiou, leaks secrets, and is a core member of the Rabbit Group, her boundless energy and appetite defining her even as she strives to match Makoto’s quiet restraint.
• Makoto – Four-year-old Rose-class student, 93 cm, 13 kg, in white shirt, blue vest, and cap—actually a 30-year-old salaryman reincarnated, known as the “Boss” of kindergarten. Calm, logical, and dependable, he mediates conflicts, hands out hand cream, protects Suu-chan, and manages Jun, earning quiet respect. Nicknamed Maa-kun and falsely believed to be Akari’s son, he’s the dry-narrator of the Rabbit Group, using coin tricks and adult wisdom. Target of Suzuki’s affection and Mitsuhisa’s teasing, his hidden “ace” is his transmigrated adult mind—calm, strategic, and quietly in control.
• Imai Sanae – Middle‑aged woman, mother of Jun and three older sons, often exasperated by her daughter’s lack of typical feminine grace. She has a laissez‑faire parenting style, patiently reins in her sons’ rowdy energy, and is a friend of the narrator and Makoto’s mother, valuing Makoto’s positive influence on her daughter.
• Sanae – Middle‑aged woman, mother of Jun and three older sons, experienced parent with a laissez‑faire style. Patient yet often exasperated, she skillfully reins in her son’s rowdy energy. Friend of the narrator and of Makoto’s mother, she values Makoto’s positive influence on her daughter.
• Jun-chan – Daughter of Imai Sanae. Plays roughly with blocks and is often mistaken for a boy due to her tomboyish energy.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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