Chapter 2 – Himawari and Kazama's House
Kazama carefully folded a tiny baby blanket on the couch, his brows furrowed in deep concentration.
"Perfectly aligned… corners sharp… symmetry intact…"
From the kitchen, Himawari peeked in, smirking. "Look at you, Kazu-kun. Folding a blanket like you're presenting a corporate report."
Kazama adjusted his glasses with pride. "Precision is everything. Our daughter deserves nothing less."
Just then, the baby in the crib wailed. Kazama panicked, rushing over."Wha—?! Did I fold wrong? Did I offend the blanket gods?!"
Himawari walked over calmly, scooping the baby into her arms. "Relax, Mr. CEO. She's just hungry. Not everything is a billion-yen crisis."
Before Kazama could reply, the front door slammed open.
"HELLOOO! Heroic uncle Shinchan is here to save the day!"
Shinchan burst in, carrying his son like a rocket ship. Ai-chan followed, cradling their newborn daughter and bowing politely in apology.
"Shinchan!" Kazama snapped, glaring. "You can't just barge into our home!"
"But I can," Shinchan declared proudly, setting his son down. "Family doesn't need permission! Right, Mini-Me?"
"Right, Papa!" his son shouted, striking a pose.
Kazama's eyebrow twitched. "This is trespassing!"
His argument was immediately ignored as Shinchan's boy zoomed over to the crib, leaned in, and made a silly face."Peekaboo! I'm your cousin! Wanna join my secret butt-dance club?"
The baby giggled.
Kazama froze, horrified. "…Impossible. My daughter doesn't laugh that easily."
Himawari smirked. "Face it, Kazu-kun. Shinchan's nonsense works on every generation."
Ai-chan chuckled. "It's true. Even when he was a kid, he had this strange… charm."
Shinchan puffed out his chest. "Charm? More like destiny! I was born to make the world laugh!"
Misae and Hiroshi arrived, arms full of snacks. Hiroshi handed a bag of chips to Kazama."Relax, son-in-law. Let the kids play. It's good they get along. They'll grow up like Shinchan and you — best friends, even if you annoy each other."
Kazama nearly dropped the chips. "One Shinchan was enough!"
The living room quickly descended into chaos: Shinchan's son teaching the baby a "butt-dance handshake," Shinchan stealing chips from the table, Himawari teasing Kazama, Ai-chan trying to keep order, and Misae laughing at it all.
"Honestly…" Kazama groaned, rubbing his forehead. "Why does my living room feel like a circus?"
Himawari kissed his cheek. "Because you married into the Noharas."
Kazama turned red. "…Not in front of everyone!"
Shinchan immediately shouted, "Oooh, Kazu-kun is blushing! Quick, Ai-chan, snap a photo for the comedy archives!"
Everyone burst out laughing — except Kazama, who buried his face in his hands.
As the laughter died down, Hiroshi asked curiously, "By the way, Kazama, where are your parents these days? We haven't seen them in a while."
Kazama adjusted his glasses. "They're overseas, managing business. They'll be back soon to meet the baby."
Everyone nodded. But at that exact moment, Kazama froze. He glanced toward the window, his face darkening.
"…Something's off."
"Here we go," Shinchan groaned. "Detective Glasses strikes again." He struck a mock-hero pose. "Kazama-kun, sensing danger from the evil forces of… dirty laundry!"
The kids laughed. Even Himawari giggled.
But Kazama didn't laugh. He kept staring outside, beads of sweat forming on his temple."No. I'm serious. I feel… a shadow. Watching us."
Silence filled the room for a second.
Then Shinchan loudly crunched a chip. "Relax, Kazama. The only shadow watching us is your hairline receding."
Everyone cracked up — except Kazama, who kept glaring at the window.
Outside, in the quiet street of Kasukabe, a faint silhouette lingered before vanishing into the morning light.