...
[So you're looking for your lost little dog, right?]
Saiki stood to the side watching Shin-chan, who was sitting in a chair eating chocolate cookies.
"Mm-hm, yep. Shiro is so disobedient. During our walk, I don't even know when he wandered off. In the end I went home alone and got scolded by Mom."
[You're the one who lost him, aren't you!]
"Don't sweat the small stuff! Okay okay, then let's go look for Shiro!"
[In that case, good luck to you.]
Saiki put his hands in his pockets, ready to leave. Since he'd already treated the kid to chocolate, it was time to go.
"Wait wait wait, Saiki-oniichan, come look for Shiro with me!"
Shin-chan tightly clutched the chocolate plate, walked over to Saiki, and hugged his leg.
[No way, too much trouble. And I already treated you to chocolate. That's enough.]
Saiki reached down, lifted Shin-chan—who was still clinging to his leg—up to eye level, and reminded him.
[You can't just bother people randomly!]
"This…"
Shin-chan looked at the chocolate in his hand, hesitated for a moment, then painfully handed it back to Saiki: "I-I don't want it anymore. Here, take it back. Just come look for Shiro with me!"
(Oh~ You actually care about your little dog, huh.)
Saiki took the chocolate box, glanced inside, and saw there was one last chocolate cookie left.
[You little… 눈_눈]
...
[What a pain. Once we find your dog, go straight home, okay? Don't cling to me.]
"Okay!!"
Shin-chan flashed his signature grin and replied cheerfully.
(That's a smile that looks completely untrustworthy.)
As the two walked, crying suddenly came from ahead.
"Waaah… wuu wuu wuu."
Saiki and Shin-chan saw a girl around five years old with twin tails comforting an even smaller child.
Nene placed her hand on the little boy's head to console him: "Don't cry, don't cry. Good kids don't cry."
"Oh… it's Nene."
[You know her?]
Shin-chan put both hands behind his head and answered casually: "Yeah, she's my kindergarten classmate. My friend."
Nene hadn't noticed the others yet. She looked troubled until Shin-chan and Saiki walked right past her.
"Hi."
Shin-chan greeted her like usual as he passed by.
"Shin-chan, who's that next to you?"
[I'm Saiki Kusuo, a kind big brother who happened to meet Shin-chan by chance.]
Saiki spoke up quickly, afraid Shin-chan would say something weird.
"Kind big brother?"
Shin-chan looked at Saiki with a hesitant expression.
[What! Got a problem?]
Saiki stared at Shin-chan as if to say he was absolutely right.
Shin-chan said nothing and didn't want to say anything.
Nene: "Hello, Saiki-oniichan! I'm Nene."
Shin-chan tugged at Saiki's pant leg from the side and urged: "Saiki-oniichan, come on. Time to go find Shiro."
[Oh, then bye, Nene.]
"Wuu wuu wuu~"
Nene looked at the still-sad little boy, then at the two who seemed about to really leave, and reminded them: "Shin-chan, Saiki-oniichan, let me tell you—this kid seems lost."
Hearing Nene's words that carried both direct and indirect hints, Saiki and Shin-chan exchanged a glance.
Shin-chan: "Oh, that's so sad, right, Saiki-oniichan?"
[Yeah!]
Nene listened to their exchange, still hoping the two would volunteer to help.
"Then let's go, Saiki-oniichan!"
[Mm, let's go.]
Shin-chan didn't forget to wave at the still-stunned Nene: "Bye-bye."
And then they really started walking away.
Nene reacted and quickly blocked them: "Wait, you two, stop right there."
Shin-chan: "What's wrong, Nene!"
Nene saw Shin-chan still acting like this and veins popped on her forehead, but she calmed her anger and said: "Shin-chan, didn't you see this kid is lost? Aren't you going to help? Can you really just ignore someone in trouble and leave them like that?"
But who is Shin-chan?
Hearing that, he immediately puffed out his chest, put his hands on his hips, and proudly declared: "Hmph! Of course I can."
(As expected of you.)
Saiki couldn't help but gain a little more respect for Shin-chan. He considered himself someone who, after everything he'd been through growing up, could be shameless, ignore people's requests for help, and brush off things that didn't concern him. But even he couldn't say something like that with such righteous confidence.
"You!!"
Nene got angry seeing Shin-chan stick to his usual style.
"How can you two just walk away like that? You see someone in trouble and just leave? Are you even boys?!"
Shin-chan pulled open his pants, looked at his little elephant, and nodded: "Mm, I'm a boy."
[You don't need to check by pulling your pants open.]
"And Saiki-oniichan, didn't you say you're a kind big brother? You have to help too!"
(Next time I shouldn't praise myself too much.)
Saiki nodded helplessly.
Shin-chan: "Saiki-oniichan is such a nice guy. Then you go ahead and do your best!"
Nene: "You have to help too, Shin-chan!"
"Eh! ("▔□▔)"
"What 'eh'? You have to help. If you go help Saiki-oniichan, the two of you can find his mom faster."
...
(In the end it still turned out like this.)
Saiki picked up the three-year-old boy in front of him and comforted him.
[Okay okay, don't cry. We'll take you to find your mom right away.]
Listening to Nene's tight logic and sharp words, she was truly a role model for their generation!
In the end, Saiki still came to help.
(No matter what, since we saw it, we have to do something. A five-year-old kid looking after a lost three-year-old is still worrying. It's just because it was Nene that I wanted to walk away right away.)
Shin-chan shook his head helplessly on the side, spread his hands, and smiled: "Nene really is something. She just ditched us to go practice piano. Sigh, we've got it rough, Saiki-oniichan."
[It really is rough. Went from having to look after one kid to looking after two.]
"Wuu wuu wuu~…"
[Don't cry anymore. Do you remember what your mom looks like?]
Hearing Saiki's words, the little boy thought of his mom. He gradually calmed down from crying, but his cheeks started puffing out again, tears still welling up in his eyes.
[Hey! Don't cry… wait.]
"Mommy… wuu wuu ∽"
[Seriously, how am I supposed to ask like this…]
"Saiki-oniichan, you have to find a way to comfort him!"
Saiki rarely took care of kids. How would he know how to soothe one? He racked his brain trying to figure out how to calm a child.
[Okay okay, look look, don't cry anymore.]
...