"Uncle Yoichi! We're here for a surprise inspection!"
Yoichi had just soaked a pile of weekend laundry in a basin when the security door suddenly shook with loud thud-thud knocks. Slightly startled, he wiped his hands and opened the door—only to find five small heads squeezed together at the entrance like a stacked tower.
Shin-chan stood in front holding toy binoculars, Kazama had a notebook ready like a serious investigator, Nene clutched her rabbit doll, Bo-chan calmly held a stone, and even Ai-chan had arrived—with her bodyguard driver standing behind like this was some official mission.
The scene looked less like a visit and more like a full-scale inspection team.
"…How did you even find this place?" Yoichi asked, already feeling a headache coming.
"Uncle Hiroshi told us!" Kazama adjusted his glasses and flipped open his notebook with a serious expression. "We heard you moved, so we came to conduct a 'safety inspection.' This is the duty of the Kasukabe Defense Force!"
Before he could finish, Shin-chan had already slipped inside like a fish. Within seconds, his sharp eyes caught something on the balcony.
"Waaah! Teacher Matsuzaka's scarf!" he shouted loudly. "Uncle Yoichi, are you and Teacher Matsuzaka dating?!"
That one word—Matsuzaka—was like pressing a trigger.
The door next door flew open with a sharp click.
Matsuzaka Ume stood there, dressed neatly with fresh makeup, her expression instantly turning dark. "Nohara Shinnosuke! How many times have I told you not to shout nonsense?! And why are all of you making such a racket here?!"
She had just bought a limited-edition eyeshadow and was planning to try it out peacefully—but her mood had been completely ruined.
Nene walked up innocently, hugging her rabbit. "Teacher Matsuzaka, you live here too? Then let's play house together! I'll be the mommy, and you can be… the strict aunt!"
"…Who are you calling strict?!" Matsuzaka nearly exploded, her voice echoing through the hallway. But seeing Nene's innocent face, she forced herself to swallow the rest of her anger. "If you want to play, go outside! Don't make noise here!"
Of course, that was impossible.
Within minutes, chaos broke out.
Kazama began explaining "proper shelf organization safety" near Yoichi's bookshelf and accidentally knocked over a coffee cup. Ai-chan had her driver lay out imported snacks on the table, only for Shin-chan to grab them and start distributing them wildly, leaving crumbs everywhere. Meanwhile, Bo-chan became completely fascinated with the decorative stone outside Matsuzaka's door and simply squatted there, refusing to move as if he had found treasure.
Matsuzaka's patience snapped.
"Enough! All of you—!"
She rolled up her sleeves, ready to erupt—
But at that exact moment, Nene tripped on a toy string and stumbled forward toward the sharp edge of the coffee table.
Everything happened in an instant.
Matsuzaka reacted instinctively, rushing forward and catching Nene before she fell—but in doing so, her elbow slammed hard against the table.
"Teacher Matsuzaka!" Yoichi rushed over immediately. A red mark had already formed on her elbow. "Are you okay? I have ointment—"
"I'm fine!" she said quickly, gritting her teeth despite the pain. "It's nothing serious, don't make a fuss."
But when she looked down at Nene, her tone softened unconsciously. "Be careful when you walk, okay?"
Nene leaned against her gently and whispered, "Teacher Matsuzaka… you're so kind."
Matsuzaka froze for a second, then immediately let go and turned away. "D-don't say weird things! I just didn't want you crying here!"
After that, things slowly calmed down.
Yoichi began cleaning up the aftermath—wiping coffee off Kazama's notebook, helping Ai-chan gather snack wrappers, and patiently convincing Bo-chan that he would help him find an even "better stone" next time.
Behind her door, Matsuzaka stood quietly, listening to the noise outside. After hesitating for a few seconds, she opened the door again and handed Yoichi a small bottle.
"This… use it after the ointment. It helps reduce swelling," she said, deliberately looking away as if she was examining the hallway wall. "It's not like I'm giving it to you—I just had it lying around."
"Thank you, Ms. Matsuzaka," Yoichi said with a smile.
As he took it, their fingers brushed slightly.
Both of them paused for just a moment.
And of course—
Shin-chan chose that exact moment to appear.
"Teacher Matsuzaka! Your lipstick!" he shouted, holding it up. Then he turned to Yoichi with a grin. "Uncle Yoichi, why don't you help her put it on? Just like in TV dramas!"
"Nohara Shinnosuke!!!"
Matsuzaka snatched the lipstick instantly, face turning red.
But when she glanced at Yoichi—still busy cleaning up after everyone—her anger paused.
After a brief silence, she sighed and crouched down, reluctantly helping pick up crumbs from the floor. "Honestly… a bunch of troublemakers…"
Eventually, the children left, and the hallway finally became quiet again.
Matsuzaka returned to her door, about to go inside.
"Ms. Matsuzaka," Yoichi suddenly called out.
She stopped.
"Are you free tonight? I made curry. You said you liked it last time."
There was a pause.
"…I just don't feel like cooking tonight," she replied, trying to sound indifferent. "So I'll… reluctantly have some."
She quickly closed the door.
But inside—
Leaning against it—
Her lips curved into a small smile as she touched her still slightly sore elbow.
Back in his room, Yoichi looked at the hand cream on the table and chuckled softly.
For a moment, he realized something.
Living alone wasn't actually quiet—
Not with a neighbor like this.
Meanwhile, in room 301—
Matsuzaka had already opened her wardrobe and was carefully choosing what to wear.
"…It's just curry," she muttered to herself.
"…No need to overthink it."
Yet—
She still changed outfits twice.