Volume 4 Chapter 77 Girls’ Night Out ⑪
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Thanks for the hard work~!”
And so, Girls’ Night has begun.
Before I knew it, it was already December.
Only one page remains on the calendar hanging on the wall, the season where next year’s is already waiting in the wings.
It’s a bit early to look back on this year, but…
The events that have been coming one after another since autumn have finally settled down.
To shift our feelings toward the end of the year, let’s take a brief moment of rest.
”Sluuuurp… Haaah…”
The usual hearty drinking has been suppressed.
Instead, the two of them hold their teacups with both hands, soaking in the afterglow as the warmth slowly seeps deep into their bodies.
What they are drinking is hojicha.¹
It’s a premium blend with elegant packaging, a soft aroma, and a slight bitterness that becomes addictive.
The tea snacks are nama-yatsuhashi.²
There are three varieties: plain, chocolate, and custard.
Apparently, they were a gift brought back by Ai-san’s nephew from his school trip.
He’s such a well-bred nephew… I’d like to be impressed honestly, but if it’s Ai-san, it wouldn’t be strange if she had demanded them in advance.
I won’t dare pursue the truth.
Thanks for the treats.
And today’s venue is once again Miku-san’s house.
She seems as busy as ever processing the data she photographed; even now, her company laptop is helping to warm up this room.
Just when I thought it was the same old Girls’ Night, today things are a little different.
There is a guest.
The homeroom teacher of the year-round Giraffe Group, Alisa-teacher.
She is a senior two years above me, and in the kindergarten, she is a teacher whose glasses-strap cord leaves a lasting impression.
She always has her hair tied back in a single ponytail, and at first glance, she looks strict and stiff, but she has a deep knowledge of manga and anime—an otaku-like side, so to speak.
She has a good sense of humor, and while she holds back in front of the youngsters, behind the scenes, black company³ jokes and borderline dirty jokes pop out of her quite casually.
Since she has a boyfriend, she hasn’t been participating in Girls’ Night, but this time she’s joining us for a reflection session and to share some complaints.
”Haaa…”
The sighs of the three Middle Kids class homeroom teachers overlapped perfectly.
The cause, of course, was that incident the other day.
”Cheer up. There was no way you guys could have beaten Makoto-kun,” Miku said.
”……”
We fell silent, unable to find words to refute the light tone.
It’s not like we were trying to decide winners and losers.
We’re just bummed out because we were conquered so easily.
The event was the Parent-Child lesson held the other day.
It was an opportunity to let the parents learn about Mt. Hiou, which the youngsters often visit, through the youngsters themselves, and to let them experience the toughness cultivated there firsthand.
Since the youngsters would get bored quickly if they just climbed the mountain, we took the form of a Stamp Rally.⁴
And, starting from who-knows-when, the homeroom teacher of each group is placed as a “Hidden Point,” separate from the regular points.
These Hidden Points⁵ are not listed on the pamphlet map, and the youngsters need to find them themselves.
This provides the youngsters with the fun of discovery and the mental space to think.
The problem is this year’s Middle Kids class.
In this grade, there is a very sharp child—Makoto-kun.
His observation, insight, and reasoning skills are all far beyond a kindergarten child; he is a child prodigy the likes of which Hinomori Kindergarten hasn’t seen since its opening.
Influenced by him, there are many strangely clever children among the surrounding youngsters as well.
As a result, the level of play required from the teacher side naturally becomes higher.
Whether it’s Cops and Robbers, playing in the sandbox, or using building blocks…
Every teacher in the Middle Kids class felt a fair amount of fear that a typical Stamp Rally might not be enough, or that they might think their usual play is more interesting.
Naturally, as homeroom teachers, we took countermeasures.
We created a new rule where you couldn’t get a stamp unless you visited the Hidden Points in order, making it so it couldn’t be beaten easily.
On top of that, based on Alisa-teacher’s plan, the first Hidden Point was placed at the starting point after everyone had already departed—a truly diabolical move.
Even if they found Ai-san waiting near the summit or me waiting at the midpoint, they wouldn’t get a stamp because they didn’t have enough hidden stamps, and they would end up having to head right back to the start.
Since that was a bit too mean, the Hidden Point at the start was just waiting there, but since Ai-san’s and my locations would be leaked, we added some tricks.
Ai-san used her natural physical strength so that you couldn’t get a stamp unless you caught her.
I don’t have crazy physical strength like Ai-san, so I just focused on hiding my body.
It was a strategy we had refined through many discussions after work, but the result goes without saying…
I want to kick my past self for having a moment of sanity on the morning of the event, thinking, (Maybe I went a bit too far?)
”Normally, would someone try to go back to the start right after starting? Did they step on a ‘Return to Start’ square?” Alisa-teacher asked.
”That’s because he’s the Boss…”
”It’s Makoto-kun, after all…”
Alisa-teacher grumbled while stuffing her mouth with nama-yatsuhashi.
”They call us ‘mean,’ but they overcome us without mercy. I wonder which one is really mean…”
”That’s because he’s the Boss…”
”It’s Makoto-kun, after all…”
Since Alisa-teacher was the one leading these strategies, she might be the most frustrated of all.
”Isn’t it a bit like cheating to use the Rose Rangers⁶ he sent ahead to gather information? Why is an information war happening at a kindergarten event? And I’m supposed to be the one who took over the current Rose Rangers, right? Directly from Makoto-kun,” Alisa-teacher muttered.
”That’s because he’s the Boss…”
”It’s Makoto-kun, after all…”
Makoto-kun apparently wanted to let the moms he loves so much have an easy time… in that regard, he’s devoted and cute.
”Ai-san is lucky. I couldn’t even make Makoto-kun move a single step…”
I also tried creating multiple locations where I might be hiding and even wore a Ghillie Suit, taking it quite seriously, but in the end, I succumbed to the violence of numbers.
”No, it seems it took quite a while until Riko was found. For me, it was a fleeting life of barely thirty seconds after Makoto-kun started moving…” Ai replied.
”But it seems they enjoyed it quite a bit.”
”That’s the only saving grace.”
Until Makoto-kun came, it was going pretty well.
When I went back to the kindergarten in the afternoon and asked the youngsters for their impressions, the rating was very high.
Also, I realized then that after Makoto-kun arrived at Ai-san’s and my Hidden Points, he had made time for the other youngsters to conquer it on their own.
That kind of consideration can only be described as expected of the Boss.
A lot happened, but I think the Stamp Rally itself can be called a great success.
It’s just that Makoto-kun conquered the strategy we squeezed out through trial and error so easily that we’re just shocked as adults twice his age.
Well, what’s done is done. We just have to use this experience for next time.
”The problem is next year…”
But—
”What are we going to do…?”
”Who knows…”
To oppose Makoto-kun—no, the Boss—and the youngsters he leads, we incorporated every bit of ingenuity we had this time.
Rules, placement, and tricks—I thought we had considered them as much as possible.
That’s exactly why I can’t think of a single next move to use next year.
I’m out of ideas and material.
”Should we just pull the Boss over to our side…?”
”!!??”
A faint ray of hope appeared in the single word Ai-san muttered.
That’s an option.
In fact, isn’t that the optimal solution?
In the first place, the reason this year’s Middle Kids class became so difficult was almost certainly Makoto-kun.
If he hadn’t been there, we wouldn’t have been clutching our heads like this.
If the youngsters were without Makoto-kun, we should be able to put up a good fight.
If the Parent-Child lesson is still a Stamp Rally next year, let’s have Makoto-kun move from the side that conquers to the side that is conquered.
It’s fine. At the very least, his intelligence is higher than anyone here.
If we treat him as a normal kindergarten child, our hearts won’t hold out.
I wonder what kind of gimmicks Makoto-kun will think up. I’m really looking forward to it.
—And so, today’s Girls’ Night became a strategy meeting for next year.
”More importantly, Miku-teacher, what’s the deal with you flirting with Meguro-teacher? I don’t think it’s good to flirt during work hours,” Alisa-teacher noted.
”That’s right. It doesn’t matter at all that things are going well. In fact, it’s a happy thing, but I want you to choose the time and place.”
”Honestly, you’re a grown adult.”
”Exactly.”
”Flirting is what you call what Makoto-kun and the others do; we were just sharing information… Your jealousy is ugly, you know?” Miku replied.
”Ugh…”
”Kuh… despite being Miku-teacher…”
”Ai-san, Riko-san, you guys should work a bit harder too. Don’t lose to Miku-teacher.”
”Hmph! Alisa-teacher, you’re acting all composed just because you have a boyfriend! Don’t act surprised when you’re crying in your drinks just like Nao-teacher did!” Ai shouted.
”……”
”Ah, eh…? Wait…, you’re kidding, right…?”
”Ai-san, you really stepped in it…”
”How are we supposed to fix the mood now?”
”Co…”
”Co?”
”Come over to this side…!” Alisa-teacher whispered.
”I think it’s okay to let her have it once,” Miku said.
”I’ll also pretend I didn’t see anything.”
”Thank you.”
”Wait!? Put that fist away!?”
”It’s okay, Ai-chan. I won’t do anything as unrefined as hitting you. I’m just going to put it in.”
”Where!!?”
—
Summary:
The teachers gather for a year-end drinks session while lamenting their defeat during the kindergarten’s Stamp Rally. Their meticulously planned traps were dismantled effortlessly by the young prodigy Makoto-kun. Desperate for a win next year, the group decides to recruit the ‘Boss’ to their side to design the next event’s obstacles
—
Trivia:
- The hojicha and yatsuhashi details suggest a high-class preference in snacks even for casual gatherings
- Miku’s company laptop being used to ‘warm the room’ highlights her overwork
- The mention of ‘Ghillie Suits’ shows the teachers were operating at an absurdly high level of competitive effort
- The ‘Rose Rangers’ were originally led by Makoto-kun but supposedly handed over to Alisa-teache
—
Character Insight:
Ai-san shifts from competitive frustration to opportunistic cunning when she suggests bringing Makoto-kun into the ‘enemy’ camp. Alisa-teacher reveals a darker, more cynical side regarding her colleagues’ relationships.
—
Glossary:
Notes:
• Ai – A fit former long-distance runner with a dark-brown bob, she teaches the Rabbit Group at Hinomori Kindergarten, where students call her “Mom.” Cheerful, blunt, and mischievous, she uses regional dialects and period-drama flair to tease colleagues. While she playfully treats Makoto as her “Boss,” she is a dedicated educator who uses her high stamina to lead energetic excursions and engage in spirited games of tag.
• Miku – Petite, patient kindergarten teacher and Pre‑K photography lead, she’s swamped editing Fall Festival and Sports Day shots, obsessed with pricey gear yet cash‑strapped. Reads romance manga, avoids alcohol, gossips at work, straight‑man to Ai, quietly pines for coworker Meguro—an open secret—now dating three months.
• Alisa – A thirty-year-old teacher with glasses who serves as the homeroom teacher for the Giraffe Group. She shares a physical resemblance to Makoto’s mother and is known for her devious but entertaining game designs.
• Makoto – Four‑year‑old Maa‑kun (93 cm, 13 kg) in a white shirt, blue vest and cap is the reincarnated adult “Boss” of Hinomori Kindergarten’s Middle Kids—calm, logical, perceptive, mediating fights, handing out hand‑cream, doing coin tricks, sitting seiza blindfolded. He protects Suu‑chan, runs Jun, admires Akari (mistaken for her son), is teased by Mitsuhisa, adored by Suzuki‑chan, and shares a lovey‑dovey bond with Suu‑chan, leading with tactical, childlike maturity.
• Riko – Riko-sensei, a northern-born Hinomori Kindergarten lead teacher, PE instructor, and nurse, balances pragmatism with a “wicked” sense of humor. An eccentric illusionist who occasionally stalks the woods in a ghillie suit, she masks cynicism with dry wit. She collaborates with Seiko-sensei, judges peers sharply, and finds calm in Makoto—whose powers she misses—while admiring Maa-kun’s skills.
• Meguro – A 28‑29‑year‑old single man, 179‑180 cm tall, 67 kg, lives below the Totsukas on the first floor. He works as a kindergarten office clerk and Teacher (teacher/staff), giving information to Makoto. An amateur prize‑winning photographer and avid road‑bike rider, he cycles regularly.
• Nao – A composed kindergarten teacher, recently heartbroken, now exudes calm confidence. Her steady presence commands quiet respect; students trust her, colleagues rely on her judgment. Once nervous, she’s become protective and gutsy. Masaki, quieter after a past incident, lingers nearby, seeking reassurance she remains steadfast.
• Kyo – One of the twins, roughly one year old, resembles Fuu‑chan in appearance and, together with her, takes part in family meals using age‑appropriate food substitutes.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply