Volume 4 Chapter 9 The Power of the Forehead
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The morning after the opening ceremony. The day following my long session of flirting and cuddling with Suu-chan had finally arrived.
”Maa-kun, you look fine. You look so handsome,” Mother said.
”Really?” I asked.
”Yes, of course. You’re the most handsome boy in the world.”
I fidgeted with my bangs, which were now significantly shorter and just outside my field of vision, while Mother showered me with praise. It wasn’t that I disliked the short hair, but it felt unsettling to have something that was always there suddenly vanish.
”Well, shall we head off to kindergarten soon?” Mother asked.
”Wait a sec, I’m going to the bathroom,” I replied.
”Can you do it all by yourself~?”
”I can.”
Mother’s energy was unusually high; she seemed to be genuinely looking forward to the walk to kindergarten. Honestly, who does she think I am? I’m the record holder-self-proclaimed, anyway-of the World’s Youngest Toilet Master title in the Youngsters Class¹.
”…Sorry to keep you waiting,” I said.
With my business thoroughly finished, I was ready. Now, off to kindergarten. We said goodbye to our home and met up with the Totsuka mother and daughter. Since we ended up in different classes for the Middle Kids² year, I was worried Suu-chan might start complaining that she didn’t want to go, but she seemed to be in a good mood.
While she used to swing my hand back and forth cutely, she had now transitioned to clinging tightly to my arm. To be honest, the increased physical contact made it hard to walk, but pointing that out would be tactless. I’m sure this closeness was necessary for her to suppress her own anxieties and frustrations.
However, as we descended the apartment stairs, a different sound reached us. (“Heh… hic… I don’t wanna go… to ‘garten…”) I heard the sound of sobbing. Don’t worry-it wasn’t Suu-chan crying.
”Yuna-chan, let’s try our best and go to kindergarten, okay?” her mother asked.
”Uuu…! Hic…”
The one throwing a fit and troubling her mom was Yuna-chan from the Hagiri-san household. Until last year, she had been in the three-year-old preschool program, but for this fiscal year, she was supposed to attend the same Hinomori Kindergarten as us.
”Oh, look Yuna-chan! Makoto-oniichan and Suzuki-oneechan are here~” Hagiri Hitomi said.
”Good morning, Yuna-chan,” I said.
”Mornin’,” Suu-chan added.
”Hic…”
”Come on, Yuna-chan, say good morning,” Hitomi said.
”Uuuuu~~”
Yuna-chan clung to Hitomi’s leg and refused to greet us. Hitomi gave me an apologetic look, so I simply nodded back to signal it was okay.
”Why don’t you just try your best for today?” Hitomi suggested.
”…Wanna stay home,” Yuna-chan replied.
”Hmm, but you have to go to kindergarten…”
”Don’t wanna go…”
”Why not?”
”‘Cause… ’cause…, uuuuu~~~”
Unable to put her vague emotions into words, Yuna-chan could do nothing but cry. The last time I saw her, she seemed happy about attending the same school as us, but I suppose she missed her old preschool. She probably had friends and a teacher there that she missed dearly.
Suu-chan stared intently at the new member of the Youngsters Class. She let go of my arm, approached Yuna-chan, and patted her on the shoulder.
”Yuna-chan, kindergarten is fun,” Suzuki said.
”Hic…”
”Let’s go to kindergarten together,” Suzuki added.
Suu-chan tried to persuade her, but the reaction was lackluster.
”Maa-kun, it didn’t work,” Suzuki said ssu, returning to my side looking a bit dejected.
”No, you did your best, Suu-chan,” I replied.
I almost felt a lump in my throat. Just two days ago, Suu-chan was the one crying because we were put in different classes. Even now, she probably wants to cry because she wants to be in the same group. Despite that, she tried to encourage the younger girl. Suu-chan is really growing up.
Well, since Suu-chan did her best, I should try too. I couldn’t just stand by and watch.
”Yuna-chan,” I said.
”Hic…”
”Watch this, okay…?”
I stepped closer and showed her the back of my left hand. Then, I gripped my left thumb with my right hand-pretending to pull it off, while actually tucking my right thumb away and showing only the tip. In my experience, this is the quickest way to cheer up a child. I put on a serious showman’s face to build the atmosphere, preparing to perform the sliding thumb magic trick-
Whap!
”…”
Whap!
”…”
Whap!
”…Yuna-chan?”
While clinging to Hitomi, Yuna-chan reached out and repeatedly slapped my forehead. She showed absolutely zero interest in the magic trick.
”…Forehead,” Yuna-chan muttered.
”…That’s right, it’s a forehead,” I replied.
However, she had stopped crying. This was my chance.
”Yuna-chan, kindergarten isn’t a scary place, you know? The teachers are kind, and there are lots of picture books and toys. There’s a big jungle gym, and you can even play in the concrete pipe tunnels. The sandbox is really big, too.”
”……Can Yuna play too?”
”Of course. You can play if you go to kindergarten. If you aren’t going, I guess just the two of us will play by ourselves~”
”……Yuna wants to play too.”
”Then shall we go together? See, I’m with you and Suzuki-oneechan is here too, so it’s okay.”
”………I’ll go.”
Persuasion complete. Mother and Mio-san broke into applause. I haven’t been a kindergarten student for a year just for show, after all.
”Maa-kunすごい,” Suzuki said ssu.
”Thanks. It’s all thanks to you, Suu-chan.”
”ssuが?” Suzuki asked ssu.
”Yeah. It’s because you cut my bangs yesterday.”
The hardest part is getting them to stop crying initially. You can’t get a kid to listen if their emotions are a mess. The reason Yuna-chan stopped was likely because my hairstyle had changed so drastically. As far as I can remember, this is the first time I’ve had my forehead completely exposed since I was a baby.
Yesterday, when I was about to have Mio-san cut it, Suu-chan insisted on trying it herself. Everyone has a first time, and failures are part of the process. So, it’s no exaggeration to say Suu-chan was the MVP here.
”Makoto-kun, thank you. You’re really impressive~” Hitomi said.
”You’re welcome. The teacher told us Middle Kids to help out the Youngsters Class,” I replied.
I decided to boost the teacher’s reputation while I was at it.
”That’s our Maa-kun. So, how long are you going to keep holding your thumb like that?” Mother asked.
”…”
”When you get back, I’ll watch your magic trick, okay?” Mother added.
”Yeah…”
Whap!
”…Suu-chan?”
”Forehead! ♪”
And so, the three of us-with Yuna-chan now in tow-set off for kindergarten.
—
Summary:
Makoto prepares for his first day as a ‘Middle Kid’ at kindergarten with a new, short-haired look courtesy of Suu-chan. On the way, the group encounters Yuna-chan, a younger girl terrified of starting her first day. After Suu-chan fails to comfort her, Makoto successfully uses his exposed forehead and descriptions of kindergarten fun to persuade Yuna-chan to join them.
—
Trivia:
- Makoto’s ‘Toilet Master’ title highlights his lingering pride from his previous life, adapted to his current child-form limitations.
- Suu-chan’s physical clinging suggests she is using Makoto as an emotional anchor to handle the stress of class separation.
- The failure of the thumb trick versus the success of the ‘forehead’ slap shows that Makoto’s physical changes are more engaging to toddlers than traditional play
—
Character Insight:
Suu-chan shows significant emotional maturity by attempting to comfort a younger child despite her own anxiety about being separated from Makoto. Makoto recognizes this shift in her, noting that she is ‘growing up.’
—
Lore And Worldbuilding Context:
The Hinomori Kindergarten structure is clarified, moving from the ‘three-year preschool program’ (pre-K) to the official ‘Youngsters Class’ (Nenpou) and ‘Middle Kids’ (Nenchuu).
—
TL Notes:
The title ‘The Power of the Forehead’ (Odeko no Chikara) is a play on the physical comedy involving Makoto’s haircut, which became the unintentional catalyst for resolving Yuna’s tantrum.
—
Glossary:
Notes:
• Suu-chan – A refined young girl of the Sheep Class, exceptionally cute with soft skin and embodying ladylike grace, she enforces strict etiquette with childlike warmth, closely bonded to Makoto whom she holds to high grooming standards—yet she’s also a victim of hair-pulling by Togawa Masaki, revealing a tender vulnerability beneath her polished exterior.
• Suu – A young girl in the Sheep Class and also a female student of the Rose Class, her cheeks streaked with mud as she crafts high‑quality dorodango; she is fiercely attached to Makoto, ends sentences with the particle “ssu”, and draws the obsessive, bullying gaze of Masaki.
• Totsuka – Totsuka Mio is the wife of Mitsuhisa Totsuka and mother of Suu-chan. She is a hardcore gamer, part of the neighbor family that supplies hand‑me‑down consoles to the protagonist’s household. Mio attends parent‑teacher conferences and worries about her daughter’s growing dependence on Makoto.
• Yuna – Hagiri Yuna, a 2‑year‑old (92 cm, 13 kg) toddler in Hinomori Kindergarten’s Youngsters Class, is Hitomi’s daughter. She is in a no‑no phase, baby‑regressing, prone to crying, fixates on Makoto’s forehead, wears pink rain gear, attends the three‑year Sannen Hoiku program one grade below Makoto, and is friends with Suu‑chan.
• Hagiri Hitomi – Hagiri Hitomi, 26, is Yuna’s mother and a neighbor in the apartment complex. Standing 155 cm tall and weighing 51 kg, she works at City Hall. She is the mother of Yuna and Jin, visibly drained by their Terrible Twos, and a local mother and friend of the narrator’s mother.
• Hitomi – Hagiri Hitomi, 26, is Yuna’s mother and a neighbor in the apartment complex. Standing 155 cm tall and weighing 51 kg, she works at City Hall. She is the mother of Yuna and Jin, visibly drained by their Terrible Twos, and a local mother and friend of the narrator’s mother.
• Makoto – Four‑year‑old, 93 cm, 13 kg Rose Class student, actually a 30‑year‑old salaryman reincarnated as a toddler. He wears a white shirt, blue vest and cap, short bangs recently trimmed by Suu‑chan exposing his forehead, and calls himself a “Toilet Master.” Calm, analytical “Boss,” carries hand cream, mediates fights, protects Suu‑chan, and is revered as a mature, athletic idol despite his cynical, gender‑confused father.
• Suzuki – Totsuka “Suu-chan” Suzuki is a doll-like 4-year-old with dark braided pigtails, a topknot, sleepy sparkling eyes, and pink rain boots—a quiet, helpful model student in the Middle Kids tier and Makoto’s fiercely possessive, self-proclaimed girlfriend who is deeply protective of him. Daughter of Mio and Mii-kun, she’s clingy and affectionate, often clutching a pink candy tin, navigating life with quiet grace and competitive charm in word games.
• Mio – 28‑year‑old pregnant gray‑clad Totsuka resident, baby‑faced with G‑cup curves. Former athlete turned teacher, cook, photographer; tech‑savvy “Love Guru” who mentors Makoto, Fuu‑chan, Kyo‑chan. Akari’s best friend, wife of Mitsuhisa, mother of Suu‑chan, protective of family, runs the ‘Bento Dividend’ system.
• Chika – A young girl in the Rose Class at Hinomori Kindergarten who gives Makoto Valentine’s chocolate. She has a mother who accompanies her.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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