"All right, you don't have to worry about your brother. He'll definitely do well at school."
Himawari Nohara, standing nearby, looked at her mother's worried expression with a hint of helplessness.
She understood her brother better than their parents did. Shin Chan's unreliable behavior when he was young had always been a disguise.
The former Shin Chan really had been a troublesome child, but the current Shin Chan was already a man as dependable as Hiroshi Nohara.
What's more, Himawari had received some secret intelligence: the merger between Shuchiin Academy and Soubu High School this time had the Saotome Family behind it.
She was sure her brother would be completely shocked when he saw that person at the start of the school year.
Thinking about it, Himawari couldn't help but smile quietly to herself.
"Don't worry, don't worry! We'll pack up tomorrow and head out!"
"And Shiro, you're coming with me this time too!"
Shin Chan picked up Shiro. There was no way he was leaving Shiro behind when going to Soubu High School.
Although Shiro still looked energetic, he was already over ten years old—practically a senior dog.
If something happened to him while Shin Chan was away at school, that would be unacceptable.
"Tomorrow's a holiday, so I'll drive you there."
"To celebrate Shin entering high school, let's have sukiyaki tonight!"
Seeing her husband's and daughter's attitudes, Misae Nohara finally felt reassured.
Shin might be unreliable at times, but he was always dependable when it truly mattered. She was probably just overthinking things because of menopause.
In a luxurious villa in Chiba, a young girl with long, reddish-brown hair was calmly drinking tea.
Finally back in Japan… she wondered how Young Master Shin had been doing lately.
Thinking of Nohara Shin Chan, Ai Saotome gently placed her teacup down.
The Saotome Conglomerate was a top-tier financial empire, far surpassing even the Shinomiya Group.
The difference was that most of the Saotome Conglomerate's industries were overseas, which was why Ai had gone abroad to study after graduating from kindergarten.
This time, the merger of Soubu High School, Shuchiin Academy, and Toyosaki High School clearly had the Saotome Family's influence behind it.
Calling it a merger was generous—if anything, it was Shuchiin Academy outright absorbing the other two schools.
It's time to give Young Master Shin a surprise.
Looking at Shin Chan's photo on the table, Ai smiled softly—though the smile looked a little strange no matter how one looked at it.
Maeda, her bodyguard and personal maid, watched helplessly from the side.
Whenever her young lady thought of Nohara Shin Chan, she turned into an infatuated maiden.
If someone took a photo of her right now and leaked it, it would cause no small amount of trouble for the Saotome Family's reputation.
But her young lady wouldn't care about something like that.
After all, Ai had already passed her father's test and was officially confirmed as the sole heir of the Saotome Family.
Nohara Shin Chan's physical condition was excellent, and his relationship with her young lady was good as well.
If he married into the Saotome Family in the future, that wouldn't be a bad outcome at all.
Meanwhile, Shin Chan—currently enjoying sukiyaki—had no idea that someone was eagerly looking forward to meeting him at the start of the school year.
On the other side, the atmosphere in the Nohara household remained warm and cheerful.
For Shin Chan, this slow growth with the passage of time felt real—and genuinely happy.
The next day, as planned, Hiroshi drove Shin Chan to an apartment near the merged school. Since they had luggage and Shiro to deal with, Himawari stayed home.
The apartment Hiroshi rented wasn't far from school. The room wasn't large, but it was fully furnished: a bedroom, a small living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom—with a small bathtub perfect for soaking.
"Shin, if you run into any difficulties, or if your allowance isn't enough, make sure to tell us."
"Don't worry. I'll just get a part-time job. Instead of worrying about me, maybe you should worry about your own figure."
Misae, who had been feeling sentimental about her son starting an independent life, immediately clenched her fists.
"You brat!"
She punched Shin Chan on the head, and just like that, all her worries vanished. This damned potato brat deserved to suffer a little!
"What kind of look is that?!"
After hitting Shin Chan, Misae noticed Hiroshi's approving expression and instantly exploded again.
After years as a housewife, her figure had changed a bit—but wasn't that completely normal?!
"Hahahaha…"
Hiroshi awkwardly scratched the back of his head, clearly caught red-handed.
"Don't worry, Shin. Even if our family isn't rich, your living expenses will be more than enough."
After his promotion, Hiroshi's monthly salary had increased significantly. The housing loan still wasn't paid off, but Japan's first-time home loan interest rates were low.
The monthly payment on their house wasn't much more expensive than Shin Chan's apartment rent.
Shin Chan nodded, completely unconcerned. Ever since childhood, he'd never really worried about money.
After all, his luck had always been ridiculously good—especially when it came to romance.
After helping him tidy up the room, Hiroshi and Misae prepared to leave.
"Well then, we're heading out. Shiro, you need to take good care of Shin, okay?"
Before leaving, both of them picked Shiro up. Everyone in the Nohara family loved this clever dog. Shiro's intelligence far exceeded that of ordinary pets.
Held in their arms, Shiro nodded solemnly, as if he also felt that Shin Chan truly needed his supervision.
"Hahahaha, I'm counting on you, Shiro."
After putting Shiro down, Hiroshi and Misae left. Though still a little worried, they knew Shin Chan had reached the age where independence was necessary.
Watching his parents leave, Shin Chan let out a long sigh of relief.
The room had been warmly tidied by Misae, and she'd even stocked it with plenty of snacks.
Looking around at this space that belonged entirely to him, Shin Chan's face turned serious for a moment—before he broke into his familiar grin.
"Eh heh~"
First order of business: a big gulp of ice-cold cola.
Then snacks.
Then TV until late at night!
His happy solo life had officially begun.
Indeed, he was still Shin Chan—unchanged to the core.
Shiro silently shook his head and began inspecting the apartment layout. In this new place, going out for walks alone might be a bit troublesome.
Shin Chan opened the fridge, took out a can of cola, and grabbed a bag of chocolate cookies.
"Canned cola really does taste better than plastic bottles. But glass bottles are still the best."
After taking a sip, he let out a satisfied burp and couldn't help but exclaim.
"Ahhh~!"
"Beep beep beep beep…"
His phone suddenly rang. He picked it up and saw Toru Kazama calling.
"Hello, Shin Chan. Have you rented a place yet?"
"Oh, Toru! I'm drinking cola right now. Don't you think frozen canned cola tastes better than bottled ones?"
"Yeah, frozen cola is the best…"
Toru subconsciously followed Shin Chan's train of thought, imagining the taste of ice-cold cola—before suddenly realizing something was wrong.
"No, wait! That's not what I asked! I'm asking if you've already rented a place. School's starting soon. Aren't we meeting up with Masao, A-Dai, and Nene?"