The afternoon sunlight slanted into the classroom, bathing everything in a warm golden glow.
After finishing his Butt-Sticking-Up Push-Ups, Shin-chan was slumped over his desk with his eyes half-closed. Unlike yesterday, when he'd already started counting down to dismissal by this time, he hadn't even said a word.
Uchiha Toru packed up his schoolbag, turned to look at him, and felt that something was off.
"Shin-chan?"
"Mm."
"What's wrong with you?"
Shin-chan slowly sat up, propped his chin on both hands, and stared out the window in a daze. Somehow, he even looked a little deep in thought.
"I was wondering... why do adults always say, 'If you promised, you have to follow through'?"
Then he sighed again and looked at Uchiha Toru.
"Yesterday, I went to train with Guy, and I was really tired. This morning, when I came to school, I was actually thinking maybe after class I should just go straight home instead."
"And then?"
Shin-chan pointed at his own chest.
"There's one part in here saying, 'I want to go,' and another part saying, 'I don't want to go.' The two of them keep fighting."
"Which one is winning?"
"Still no result." Shin-chan tilted his head, looking troubled. "'I want to go' says that if I promised, I have to do it. 'I don't want to go' says I'm too tired. They keep fighting back and forth. It's so annoying."
Uchiha Toru thought for a moment. "Then who do you think will win in the end?"
Shin-chan was quiet for a while, then slowly stood up and slung his schoolbag onto his back. "I don't know, but my feet are already walking out."
Then he lowered his head and looked at his feet, as if he were talking to them.
"I haven't decided yet, so why are you moving on your own?"
Of course, his feet didn't answer.
Uchiha Toru blinked and cautiously asked, "So... are you going today or not?"
Shin-chan looked down at his feet, which were still carrying him forward, and his expression turned helpless.
"Looks like I'm going."
"Why?"
"Because my feet won't listen to me." Shin-chan answered seriously. "They seem to be under the control of 'I want to go.'"
When Shin-chan reached the classroom door, he turned back and waved at Uchiha Toru.
"See you tomorrow, Toru."
Uchiha Toru stood in the classroom, watching that red little figure disappear through the door, and suddenly had no idea what to say.
At the school gate, two green figures—one big, one small—were already waiting there.
"Shin-chan!" Guy waved hard. "Over here, over here!"
Shin-chan slowly walked over and looked up at Might Duy.
"Mister, what are we training today?"
Might Duy crouched down, put both hands on Shin-chan's shoulders, and said with a serious expression, "Shin-chan, today we are going to undergo a very important training exercise."
"What kind of training?"
"Running around the village."
Shin-chan blinked. "What's running around the village?"
"It means running all the way around Konoha." Might Duy stood up and pointed into the distance. "From east to west, from south to north, through every street and every corner of the village."
"Alright." Shin-chan sighed, without even asking why they had to do it.
Then the three of them started running through the streets of Konoha.
At first, Shin-chan ran at the very back.
Guy led in front, while Might Duy ran beside him, giving instructions as they went.
"This road leads to the Uchiha district, that way goes to the Yamanaka flower shop, and at the intersection ahead, left leads to the training grounds, right leads to Ichiraku Ramen."
Guy memorized everything as he ran, mumbling it to himself under his breath.
At the back, Shin-chan plodded along lazily, running a little and walking a little, muttering under his breath too. "So tired... so hot..."
Duy glanced back at him and shouted encouragement. "Shin-chan, hold on! Youth is meant to burn completely!"
"My youth... is already burned out..." Shin-chan replied weakly.
After they ran a bit farther, they passed a flower shop.
Standing at the entrance was a young woman in a floral apron, her hair tied up with a scarf, showing off a fair white neck. She was arranging a bouquet.
Shin-chan's eyes instantly snapped wide open.
Whoosh.
Duy only felt a blur flash past him. The red figure who had been shuffling along at the back just a second ago had already dashed to the flower shop entrance.
"Hello."
The girl looked up and saw a five-year-old boy standing in front of her, hands behind his back, tilting his face up at her with a bright smile.
"Hello there, little one." She crouched down with a smile. "Are you here to buy flowers?"
"No." Shin-chan shook his head and looked at her seriously. "I came to tell you that you're prettier than all these flowers."
The girl froze for a second, then couldn't help laughing. "You really have a sweet mouth."
"It's not sweet. It's the truth." Shin-chan said solemnly. "Big sister, what's your name?"
"My name is Yumi."
"Big Sister Yumi~" Shin-chan dragged out the words. "Are you married yet?"
Yumi shook her head. "Not yet."
"Then when I grow up, will you be my girlfriend?" Shin-chan's eyes sparkled.
Yumi smiled and nodded. "Sure. We'll talk about it again when you grow up."
"It's a promise." Shin-chan raised a thumbs-up. "I'll come find you at the flower shop then."
As soon as he finished, he turned and ran back.
Yumi stood at the flower shop entrance, watching that little red figure run away, her smile never fading. "That child is really something."
Shin-chan ran back to the group. Guy was still standing there gasping for breath, while Might Duy stared at him in total shock.
"Shin-chan, just now you..."
"Mister, keep running!" Shin-chan had already taken off ahead again. "The next pretty big sister is still waiting for me!"
Might Duy opened his mouth, but no words came out. He could only chase after him.
And from that point on, they witnessed what could only be called "intermittent sprinting." Every time Shin-chan saw a pretty big sister, he shot off like an arrow released from a bow.
He would strike up a conversation, praise her beauty, ask for her name, invite her to be his girlfriend in the future, and then run back.
Every single time, his speed was astonishing.
At first, Might Duy was shocked. Then he was confused. Finally, he just went numb.
"What kind of body does this kid even have?"
Guy was running beside him, panting desperately, clearly almost at his limit. "Huff... huff... Shin-chan... y-you... slow down..."
Shin-chan seemed not to hear him at all. He shot off again, his voice drifting back from afar:
"Pretty big sister!"
Guy finally couldn't keep going and stopped in place to catch his breath, his face full of confusion. "How... does he still have energy?"
Might Duy patted his son on the shoulder, his expression complicated.
Before long, Shin-chan came running back again, wearing a deeply satisfied smile.
"That big sister's name is Rie. She said I can come find her to play when I grow up."
Might Duy was silent for two seconds, then couldn't help asking, "Shin-chan, with all this stopping and sprinting... don't you get tired?"
Shin-chan tilted his head, looking puzzled. "Why would talking to big sisters make me tired?"
Duy fell silent.
This child... definitely seemed a little unusual.
Guy stared at Shin-chan with wide eyes.
This guy would sprint out, run back, then sprint out again. Altogether, he was covering even more distance than Guy himself, and every time he dashed off, he was going much faster than during normal running.
How could he possibly not be tired?
In the distance, another beauty appeared.
Shin-chan's eyes lit up, and he exploded forward again.
"Youth!!!" Guy shouted at the sight of his back and gritted his teeth, forcing himself to run again even though his legs were trembling worse than ever.
Might Duy looked at the two children—one chasing pretty women, the other chasing youth—and felt a flood of mixed emotions.
Especially when it came to that red little figure.
That speed. That explosive power...
What on earth was this child made of?
~~~
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