Volume 4 Chapter 59 The Field Trip Isn’t Over Until You Get Home
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
After visiting over a hundred different species of animals, it was finally time to head home.
As we said our goodbyes to the Akebono Park staff, the youngsters chimed in with their favorite moments.
”It was so much fun!” one cried.
”The lions were so cool!” shouted another.
Others yelled about the giraffes being huge or how cute the penguins were.
Watching them, I realized that everything they saw was brand new; they have such pure, flexible minds.
Their words were simple, but they’d gained more from today than any adult could realize, even if they couldn’t put it into words yet.
Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with them gave me a lot to think about, too.
”Well then, goodbye!”
”Goodbyeee!!” the children shouted in unison.
”Goodbye! Come back and play again, okay?” the staff replied with a smile.
”We will!” “I’m coming back!”
Waving our small hands “bye-bye” to the staff, we boarded the bus.
As we left Akebono Park behind, the energy that had carried the youngsters all day finally hit its limit.
Within five minutes, the bus fell silent.
Here and there, kids were “rowing their boats,” their heads bobbing as they drifted off.
Ai-sensei read the room and skipped the return-trip games.
I was reaching my limit, too.
I’d been walking all day without a nap.
Leaning back into the seat, a wave of fatigue crashed over me.
I closed my eyes, just trying to block out the world for a moment of peace.
But someone wasn’t having it.
”Makoto! The field trip isn’t over until you get home!”
(You’re right. I know…)
”Don’t sleep yet!” Jun shouted, shaking my shoulder.
Hinomori Kindergarten is full of kids with stamina forged by Mt.
Hiou, and Jun is top-tier even in our class.
She was still buzzing with excitement.
”If you’re awake, let’s do something!” she insisted.
”Like what?” I grumbled.
”I’m not playing if you can’t behave.”
”Let’s play a game! This one!”
(Which one…?) My eyelids were too heavy to open, but I could basically picture her pose.
”Since some kids are sleeping, I’ll play once—if you can be quiet.”
”Got it!! Is this okay?”
”A little more.”
”How about this?”
”Yeah, that’ll do.”
I wanted her to quiet down even more, but I figured it was faster to just play.
”Okay, Jun, you go first.”
We started the thumb game—the one where you guess how many thumbs will pop up.
”Isse-se-no¹… four!” Jun yelled.
”Dammit!”
”Isse-se-no… four,” I countered.
”Guh… Isse-se-no… three! Ah!”
”Isse-se-no… two.”
”Ah!!”
”And that’s the game,” I said, ending it quickly.
”One more time!!”
”I said only once. And stop shouting.”
”How can you win with your eyes closed!?” she whispered-yelled.
”Is it magic!?”
There was no trick; Jun is just too simple.
She always raises her thumbs with too much force.
I could win with my eyes shut just by listening to the sound of her voice.
”It’s because I have a ‘mind’s eye²,’” I told her solemnly.
”The mind’s eye!? No way! I want one too!!”
”Then you’ll need Special Training.”
”Training! I’ll do it! How!?”
She was hooked.
(Victory is mine.)
”First, sit with perfect posture. Hands on your knees, palms up. Now, close your eyes. Zip your lip. Keep that up for thirty minutes.”
I heard the rustle of other kids sitting up straight nearby.
It seemed Jun wasn’t the only one who wanted a “mind’s eye.”
Thirty minutes later, the teachers woke everyone up.
I stretched and nudged Jun.
”Wake up. We’re back.”
She blinked once, looked out the window, and immediately identified the peaks.
”I see Mt. Hiou…”
Impressive, even if she sees it every day. Then she bolted upright.
”Makoto! Mt. Hiou is calling to me!!”
”It is not! You’re imagining things!”
As we got off the bus, Jun’s energy spiked at the sight of her favorite mountain.
I’d underestimated a child’s recovery speed—especially hers.
My tired brain hadn’t realized that giving her a thirty-minute “meditation” was essentially giving her a power nap.
I lowered my center of gravity, resisting as she tried to drag me toward the mountain like a dog on a leash.
”Stay!”
”Rawr rawr rawr!”
”Ugh…”
Beside us, Yuma was sniffing, his forehead and cheek swollen red.
He hadn’t fought anyone; he’d just conked out so hard against the bus window that he’d headbutted the glass in his sleep.
Now he was just sad to say goodbye to the bus.
”Yu-kun, cheer up!” the girls said, swarming him.
”You’re so cute… Moe will pet your head.”
”Thanks…” Yuma sniffled.
The girls seemed to be enjoying themselves a bit too much, but I had my hands full with Jun.
”Hey, Makoto,” the Professor said, approaching us.
”I think… Yuma might be a lion.”
”Can this wait until tomorrow, Professor? Jun, Stay!”
”Gaooo!”
”Because lions have many wives,” the Professor continued, unfazed.
”Yuma does too.”
(Ah, so that’s what you meant.)
”Wait… many… Moms…!?” Jun gasped, finally going still.
”I know that too,” Kotarou added.
”My dad told me. Yuma is a ‘harem’ king. It’s a man’s dream.”
(Kotarou’s dad… what are you teaching this kid!?)
”What’s a man’s dream?” Jun asked.
”Hopes and goals,” Kotarou explained.
”Dad says I’ll understand when I’m older.”
”Ugh, the age gap again…”
As Jun trembled at the thought of having too many “Moms,” I gave her some parting advice.
”Don’t worry. You won’t be a lion. You should just surpass them and become a new kind of king.”
”I’ll do it!! Great idea, Makoto!”
Finally, we gathered on the playground for the Principal’s closing words before being dismissed.
I immediately looked for her.
”Maa-kun³!”
”Suu-chan⁴…!”
We shared a firm hug.
Strength finally returned to my exhausted body.
”Hehe… Maa-kun is being aggressive today…♪”
”I’m just glad to see you. Aren’t you tired?”
”Nope! Squeezing Maa-kun fully recharged me!”
”Me too,” I admitted.
We released the hug and headed for the shuttle bus arm-in-arm.
As we left, a teacher asked if we’d had fun.
”Nn.” Suu-chan nodded, but her expression darkened.
”It would’ve been more fun if Maa-kun was with me…”
I patted her head.
I knew she’d been envious of the others flirting all day.
”I’m sure we can go together when we’re in the Older Kids class.”
”Don’t let your guard down until you get home,” the teacher called out.
”Though with Makoto-kun there, I’m not worried.”
”Goodbye, Teacher,” we said together.
And so, the Middle Kids’ Autumn Bus Excursion finally came to an end.
—
Summary:
The class return from their zoo field trip, exhausted but happy.
Makoto manages to trick Jun into a nap by calling it ‘special training’ for a fake superpower.
Upon returning, the boys have a hilarious misunderstanding about lions and harems before Makoto finally reunites with Suu-chan.
—
Trivia:
- The term ‘Youngsters’ is used in English in the raw text.
- Hinomori Kindergarten children are exceptionally sturdy due to the proximity to Mt.
Hiou.
- Yuma’s injuries are entirely self-inflicted from sleeping against the window.
- Suu-chan was in a different group/bus during the excursion
—
Character Insight:
Makoto shows his manipulative side for the sake of peace, while Jun’s recovery speed highlights the ‘superhuman’ baseline of the Hinomori kids.
Suu-chan’s attachment to Makoto is reaffirmed as her primary motivation.
—
Lore And Worldbuilding Context:
The ‘Isse-se-no’ thumb game is a staple of Japanese childhood nostalgia, often called ‘Yubisuma’.
—
TL Notes:
—
Glossary:
Notes:
• Ai – Dark-brown short bob frames a fit former long-distance runner now teaching Middle Kids’ Rabbit Group at Hinomori Kindergarten, beloved as “Mom” by her students. Cheerful yet blunt, she uses regional dialects when stressed, adores muscles, and praises Makoto-kun’s leadership. Single and fiercely protective, she’s wary of parents but devoted to her farming family. Enthusiastic fan of children’s relay videos, she leads excursions with energy and joins girls’ nights, always putting her kids first.
• 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 as the kindergarten’s “Boss”. Calm, logical, he mediates fights, hands out hand‑cream, protects Suu‑chan, runs Jun, earns respect. Nicknamed Maa‑kun, mistaken for Akari’s son, uses coin tricks and adult wisdom; Suzuki‑chan’s affection, teased by Mitsuhisa, his hidden ace is his transmigrated mind, plus preternatural running, coordination and tactical awareness as part of the “old married couple” with Suzuki‑chan.
• Jun – Tanned, hyperactive middle‑kid in a track suit, she’s the fastest runner with a huge appetite and loud, unfiltered energy—often mistaken for a boy. She leads peers with wild enthusiasm but tires quickly, gets moody when games stall, idolizes her calm brother Makoto (who quietly reins in her chaos), and sees Suzuki as a rival yet respects him. A core Rabbit Group member, she trains weekends on Mt. Hiou, leaks secrets, and strives to match Makoto’s restraint.
• Yuma – Yuma Yoshikura, a frail four‑year‑old with an idol‑like face and charm, is the youngest in the Rabbit Group and eldest son of a realtor (born April 1). Cheerful and popular, he leads the train line, loves acorns, nature and clay‑car crafts, and pretends to be a husband in Moe’s play. Adored by Moe, Kana and Makoto, he’s an imaginative center of attention for the girls.
• Moe – President of the ‘House-Play Association’. She enjoys setting up strangely realistic and dramatic domestic scenarios for roleplay.
• Professor – An intellectual student who over-analyzes situations and social dynamics.
• 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.
• Kotarou – Slender, quiet boy with a focused gaze, often hunched over delicate origami or crouching to gather acorns, his precise care earning quiet respect; an intellectual who repeats complex concepts learned from his father, he’s a Middle Kids classmate and level-headed friend of Makoto, part of the Rabbit Group, shares a playful bond with Yuma and the core group, and in house-play takes on the role of father or grandfather.
• Kotaro – Quiet, slender kindergartner in Rose Class, friend of Makoto and member of his sandbox crew. He shares typical childhood interests— toys and games— helps Makoto with building projects, loves Kamen Rider, and often follows Makoto’s lead and social cues.
• Kota – Makoto’s biological father. Met Akari while working as a cram school tutor during their second year of university. He disappeared suddenly after six years of dating upon learning of the pregnancy.
• 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.’
• 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.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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