The sun slanted westward, and the first day at the Ninja Academy finally drew to a close.
Teacher Ibuki stood before the podium and closed the attendance book: "Alright, that's all for today. Remember to bring everything tomorrow, and don't be late."
The classroom immediately erupted into a boil.
Shin-chan sprang from his seat, his eyes shining like two stars, and rushed out of the classroom with astonishing speed.
"snacks, snacks~"
Murmuring to himself, the red figure zipped through the hallway like a gust of wind, across the playground, and through the school gate; his speed was even faster than when he was chasing Teacher Asagi in the afternoon.
At the school gate, the uncle on guard duty only felt a blur before his eyes, as if something had just passed by.
"Did a kid just run out?"
"Seems like it," the person beside him nodded.
"Why run so fast?"
"Probably rushing home."
The uncle fell silent for two seconds and shook his head: "It's good to be young."
Meanwhile, that "it's good to be young" figure had already run dozens of meters away.
Then, Shin-chan suddenly stopped, standing by the roadside with his head tilted, looking at the setting sun ahead.
"Hmm?"
It felt like he had forgotten something.
Shin-chan frowned, trying hard to recall.
Being dragged along by Misae in the morning... meeting Thick-Eyebrowed Uncle... refining Chakra... the green pepper at lunch... Teacher Asagi in the afternoon...
Everything seemed normal.
What did he forget?
After thinking for exactly two seconds, Shin-chan gave up.
"Forget it, if I can't remember, it probably isn't important."
He continued running forward.
"snacks, here I come!"
Guy hadn't expected Shin-chan to be so fast. Seeing that he wasn't in the classroom, he planned to wait at the school gate, his eyes fixed intently on every student coming out.
Shin-chan had agreed to go train together after school; that boy who had rushed into the crowd in the morning and shouted "Youth" with them would surely not break his word.
The setting sun shone on his green jumpsuit, casting a very long shadow.
Student after student walked past him.
No red.
Two more.
Still none.
A group.
Still nothing.
Guy's eyebrows gradually drooped, but he still didn't leave: "Just a bit longer..."
Meanwhile, Shin-chan was running like the wind, with only one thing on his mind: snacks.
He didn't get to eat his chocolate bar in the morning, met the hateful green pepper at noon, and ran so many laps in the afternoon; he desperately needed snacks to replenish his energy now.
He pushed open the front door, kicked off his shoes, and rushed into the house.
"You're back!" Shin-chan shouted out of habit.
"'I'm back' is what you should say," Misae's voice came from the kitchen. "Wash your hands first; the snacks are on the table."
Shin-chan's eyes lit up, and he quickly washed his hands before pouncing on the table.
On the table sat a plate of small cakes and a glass of milk.
Shin-chan grabbed a spoon, scooped up some cake, and stuffed it into his mouth.
Misae walked out of the kitchen, untying her apron. Seeing her son devouring the food, she couldn't help but smile: "Eat slowly, no one is going to take it from you."
"Mmph mmph~" Shin-chan's mouth was stuffed full as he responded indistinctly.
Misae sat down across from him and suddenly remembered something: "By the way, didn't you say you were going to train with that uncle in the green jumpsuit after school today?"
Shin-chan's chewing stopped. He looked up, his eyes blinking.
Then, he blinked again.
"..."
Seeing his expression, Misae's heart sank: "You didn't forget, did you?"
Shin-chan slowly took the spoon out of his mouth. His expression changed from confusion to realization, and then from realization to guilt.
"It seems... there was something like that..."
"It seems?" A cross-vein popped on Misae's temple. "Didn't you make a firm promise with him this morning? That uncle was so happy, shouting 'Youth, Youth' the whole time!"
Shin-chan lowered his head, looking at the snacks on the table.
"But," he muttered softly, "I wanted to eat snacks."
Misae took a deep breath, stood up, walked to Shin-chan's side, and knelt down. Looking into his eyes, her tone softened.
"Shin-chan, Mama asks you, if you promise someone something but don't do it, what will that person think?"
Shin-chan thought for a moment: "They'll be disappointed?"
"Right." Misae nodded. "And more than just disappointed, he'll think Shin-chan doesn't keep his word and isn't someone who can be trusted."
Shin-chan fell silent.
Misae continued: "Mama knows you want to eat snacks, and I know you've had a long, tiring day at school. But you must do what you promised others; that's what it means to be a man, right?"
Shin-chan looked up at his mother.
Misae had a gentle smile on her face. She wasn't angry; she was just seriously teaching him a lesson.
Shin-chan was silent for a few seconds, then slid down from his chair.
"Mama."
"Hmm?"
"Save the cake for me." Shin-chan put on his shoes. "I'm going to find them."
Misae smiled: "Okay, I'll save it for you."
Shin-chan pulled open the door, then suddenly looked back: "By the way, Mama."
"What is it?"
"Were those things you just said learned from a book?"
Misae's smile stiffened: "What do you mean?"
"It's just that it sounded really impressive." Shin-chan said seriously, "Is it one of those books like 'Collection of Mama's Famous Quotes'?"
"Cut the crap and just go!" Misae began to roar.
Shin-chan ran a few steps out the door, then suddenly stopped again. Standing in the sunset, he tilted his head and thought.
"That Thick Eyebrows guy, what was his name again?"
"Forget it, I remember what he looks like anyway."
Then he took off running.
Meanwhile, at the school gate.
Guy was still standing there.
The sun had dipped a bit lower, and his shadow had grown a bit longer.
Guy lowered his head, drawing circles on the ground with his toe.
"Maybe he really did forget," he said softly. "Maybe he didn't actually want to come."
"Maybe he's on his way."
A voice suddenly sounded in his ear.
Guy looked up abruptly.
A bright smiling face appeared before him, with tiny beads of sweat on his forehead from running so fast.
"Sorry to keep you waiting." Shin-chan stood with hands on his hips. "I've come to burn my Youth!"
Guy was stunned, large tears welling up in his eyes.
"Shin-chan!" Guy lunged forward and hugged Shin-chan tightly. "I thought you weren't coming; I've been waiting for so, so long."
"Uh," Shin-chan was being squeezed so hard he could barely breathe, "I just went home to eat some snacks."
"It's okay." Guy let go of him, wiped his tears, and gave a thumbs-up. "It's enough that you came. This is Youth! You're worth waiting for no matter how long it takes!"
"Then let's go." Shin-chan mimicked Guy and gave a thumbs-up as well. "Let's go burn our Youth."
Two small figures ran side by side under the setting sun.
One red, one green.
In the distance, Might Duy was walking on his hands at the training ground. Seeing the two children running over, his eyes immediately filled with tears.
"Youth!" Dai howled toward the sky, "My son has made a true friend."
Then, with a backflip landing, Dai opened his arms to welcome them: "Come, let us begin the training of Youth!"