The vegetable shop boss saw that if this kept going, a crowd would gather and he wouldn't be able to do business anymore. Finally, he waved his hand to stop Shin-chan: "You can't do that at the entrance of my shop."
Then the vegetable shop boss looked at Saiki: "Hey, sir, could you please keep a better eye on the kid you brought with you?"
[He's not mine.]
Even though he said that, Saiki still helped Shin-chan put his clothes back on first.
The vegetable shop boss also checked Shin-chan's pockets, found nothing, and handed them back to Saiki while saying: "Looks like it fell out somewhere."
Shin-chan looked at the vegetable shop boss: "Hey, how are you going to compensate me?"
The vegetable shop boss's face twitched: "Please…"
[It was clearly visible just a moment ago. It probably fell on the road.]
After Saiki finished helping Shin-chan put on his pants properly and set him down on the ground,
The vegetable shop boss complained: "Seriously, if moms are going to send kids out to buy things, they should at least make sure the kids understand the situation."
(It's just that this kid is a little special.)
The vegetable shop boss seemed to think of something and asked Shin-chan: "So, little guy, what are you having for dinner tonight at home?"
Shin-chan looked warily at the vegetable shop boss: "Why do you want to know what my family is eating tonight? Let me tell you first, I'm not sharing any with you."
"Who wants to eat your family's food!!! I'm just asking what you're having tonight so I can figure out what vegetables you need to buy!"
The vegetable shop boss sighed at how completely unreliable Shin-chan was. [How does this kid always manage to derail everything?]
Shin-chan tapped his head, thinking back to what his mom had said. In his mind, Misa was at home telling him: "Tonight we're having stir-fried green peppers and pork, and also bean sprouts with green peppers and pork, green peppers and pork, green peppers and pork."
Shin-chan's mind was filled with nothing but images of stir-fried green peppers and pork. Nothing else came after that.
The vegetable shop boss asked: "Well? Figured it out yet?"
Shin-chan looked at him with a complicated expression: "I think it's probably curry rice."
[Hey!!]
Saiki patted Shin-chan's shoulder and said with a smile: [Hey, didn't you say something completely different when you were at that shop earlier today? It definitely wasn't curry rice.]
"Uh…"
Shin-chan's expression grew even more complicated, but Saiki continued:
[The potatoes, carrots, onions you'd need, plus the lettuce, bean sprouts, and green peppers you mentioned today. And didn't you say you were having stir-fried green peppers and pork? If you don't buy them and take them home tonight, what do you think your mom will do?]
Shin-chan thought of his mom. If she found out he bought something else instead, the image made him shudder: "Y-yeah, it's stir-fried green peppers and pork."
The vegetable shop boss turned around and started grabbing vegetables: "Alright, green peppers, bean sprouts, lettuce…"
Finally, he packed everything up and handed it to Shin-chan.
Shin-chan took the bag and said to Saiki: "Thanks, Saiki-oniichan. To repay you, come over to my house tonight for stir-fried green peppers and pork."
(You're just trying to make me eat the green peppers for you.)
Saiki turned away, striking a pose like he was about to leave: [No thanks. You eat it yourself. I'm heading out. Bye.]
Shin-chan also struck a leaving pose toward the vegetable shop boss: "Bye-bye!"
Then he followed after Saiki.
(Did you even pay?)
"Young people these days, sigh… Wait, did you pay? Hold on!"
The vegetable shop boss suddenly realized something and chased after the two, blocking their path: "Wait a second, kid! You can't leave yet! You haven't paid!"
Shin-chan stopped: "Oh~"
Vegetable shop boss: "What do you mean 'oh'? Hand over the money!"
Shin-chan thought for a moment, then started patting his pockets again. As he patted, he began taking off his clothes once more.
The vegetable shop boss panicked immediately: "Hey, you can't take your clothes off! Please, I'm begging you, don't…"
He had only gotten halfway when Saiki grabbed him: [Good thing I was watching this time. Put your clothes back on.]
Then Saiki used clairvoyance—not crossed eyes—and spotted Shin-chan's wallet. Okay, it was back at the entrance of the coffee jelly shop they had passed earlier.
[Yare yare, what a hassle. I'll pay for you first. Just give it back to me later.]
Saiki took out a 1000-yen bill and handed it to the vegetable shop boss.
The boss took it and said emotionally: "Thank you, sir. Total is 561 yen. I'll round it down for you—560 yen is fine."
(That's really rounding down.)
...
Saiki returned to the coffee jelly shop from earlier. Sure enough, he saw a wallet on the ground, picked it up, and handed it to Shin-chan.
[Here, this should be your wallet. Don't lose it again.]
"Oh, thanks, Saiki-oniichan."
Shin-chan took the wallet, put it away safely, then looked at the two big bags Saiki was carrying and compared them to his own small one: "To repay you, let me help carry your stuff!"
[No need.]
"Don't be shy!"
[I'm not being shy.]
"Come on, let me carry it! Let me carry it!"
Shin-chan kept pestering Saiki until finally, helplessly, Saiki handed one over.
[Fine, you can carry this one then. We'll split up at the intersection anyway.]
Shin-chan took the bag, immediately dropped it on the ground, struggled to lift it, took two steps, then put it back down and looked pitifully at Saiki.
"Seriously, don't bully kids. How can you make a child carry something so heavy?"
[Your personality is really hard to figure out. I told you not to take it from the beginning. Geez.]
Saiki picked up the bag effortlessly with one hand.
When they reached the crosswalk and waited for the light, Saiki pointed in the other direction: [Alright, Shin-chan, your house should be that way, right? You remember the direction.]
Shin-chan thought for a moment: "Oh oh, yeah, it should be roughly around there! How did you know, Saiki-oniichan?"
[It's that way. You don't need to worry about how I know. Just hurry home now.]
"But I still haven't repaid you yet."
[No need.]
"Okay~"
Saiki looked at the coffee jelly in his hand. (I'll put these in the fridge when I get back. After dinner, I'll enjoy some frozen cantaloupe-flavored coffee jelly.)
Suddenly, he sensed a malicious thought. He glanced sideways. Behind him stood a man wrapped up tightly, wearing sunglasses, staring at him with intense hatred.
The man seemed to be holding something in his pocket. [People with pink hair should all die.]
(Yare yare, looks like I've gotten tangled up in something again.)
The man kept glaring at Saiki. [Koharu was the same. You had pink hair just like hers, but you were with someone else. I hate you so much. I don't want to live anymore. But since you're walking around with the same hair color as Koharu, you can die with me.]
(That's way too selfish.)