After school, Shin-chan finished his daily training and headed home with his Wooden Sword on his back.
His little head was still trying to figure out how Adai's snot could fly.
He'd tried several times to make his own snot fly, but all he'd managed was nearly letting it drip into his mouth.
When he passed the flower shop, Shin-chan suddenly stopped.
Someone was standing in front of the shop.
She had light brown hair and wore a pale pink dress.
Shin-chan tilted his head and watched her for two seconds, then walked over.
"Rin."
Rin jumped. When she turned and saw him, she relaxed. "Oh, it's you, Shin-chan."
"What are you doing?" Shin-chan leaned closer and looked at the flowers. "Buying some?"
"Yeah." Rin nodded. "Teacher Ibuki seems a little down today, so I thought I'd buy him some flowers and go see him."
Shin-chan blinked.
"Teacher Ibuki's feeling down?"
"You didn't notice?" Rin asked, taken aback.
Shin-chan thought about it.
Teacher Ibuki had been acting a little strange in class today. He hadn't even noticed Shin-chan fooling around at his desk.
"Oh." Shin-chan suddenly understood. "So he was feeling down."
"You only just noticed?"
"Yeah." Shin-chan nodded. "I thought he was sleepy."
Rin sighed and gave up on trying to explain. She turned back to the flowers.
"I'm trying to decide what kind to buy..."
"Aren't flowers just flowers?" Shin-chan said, not quite understanding.
"They're different." Rin shook her head. "Different flowers have different meanings. If you give someone the wrong kind, it could be embarrassing."
Shin-chan tilted his head.
"What are flower meanings?"
"They're what flowers represent." Rin pointed to a bunch of lilies nearby. "Like these—they represent purity."
Then she pointed to a bunch of roses. "These represent love."
Shin-chan's eyes lit up.
"Are there any flowers that mean 'Don't assign homework'?"
Rin paused.
"I don't think so..."
"What about 'Can I have one more afternoon snack?'"
"Not those, either."
Shin-chan sighed in disappointment.
Rin continued to ponder the flowers in the shop, muttering to herself. "Sunflowers... They represent encouragement and good wishes... These might work... But would they be too ordinary?"
Shin-chan watched her for a while, then pointed into the shop. "Why don't you ask the owner?"
Rin paused.
"Huh?"
"The owner sells flowers, so she'll know which ones are good." Shin-chan said it as if it were obvious. "Just ask her, and she'll tell you. Then you'll be done, right?"
Rin blinked.
That... did make sense.
She'd been standing there for ages, thinking it over by herself, without even considering asking.
Shin-chan had already turned and headed into the flower shop.
"Hello? Anyone here?"
Rin hurried after him.
The flower shop was small but tidy, with all kinds of flowers arranged everywhere. A faint fragrance drifted through the air.
A young woman stood behind the counter.
She was in her early twenties, with light purple long hair loosely tied at the back of her head. A small flower was embroidered on her apron, and when she smiled, her eyes curved like crescent moons.
"Welcome." She looked at her two young customers. "Would you like to buy some flowers?"
Shin-chan nodded and pointed at Rin. "She does."
Rin stepped forward and spoke a little shyly. "Um, I want to give my teacher some flowers. He's in a bad mood today, and I want to cheer him up..."
The young woman's gaze softened.
"Flowers for your teacher? What a good girl."
She thought for a moment, then took a few stems from the side.
"How about these? Sunflowers represent hope and warmth. They're a good choice for someone who's feeling down."
Rin looked at the golden flowers, her eyes lighting up.
"They're so pretty..."
"Let's add a few of these, too." The woman took out a few little white flowers. "Baby's Breath represents care, and it goes beautifully with sunflowers."
Rin nodded eagerly. "I'll take these. How much are they?"
The woman worked out the price and told her.
Rin's smile froze. She looked down at the coins in her hand, then at the flowers, and her face paled slightly.
"Um... could you lower the price a little?"
Seeing her expression, the woman couldn't help laughing. "Not enough money?"
Rin nodded, blushing.
Shin-chan patted his pockets and pulled out a piece of candy, a crumpled scrap of paper, and a small tuft of fur of uncertain origin.
"I have these. Can I trade them?"
The woman stared at the pile, then covered her mouth and laughed.
A man's voice suddenly came from nearby.
"Sakurako, what's going on?"
A man came out of the back room. He wore a green vest, a Konoha Forehead Protector, and a gentle smile.
"Acheng, these two little ones want to buy flowers for their teacher, but they don't have enough money," Hano Sakurako said with a laugh.
Akiyama Makoto's gaze fell on the jumble of things Shin-chan had brought out, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
"What... what is all this?"
"My entire fortune," Shin-chan said seriously. "Is it enough?"
Akiyama Makoto couldn't help laughing. He crouched down to look at them. "Which class are you in?"
"Class A," Rin said. "Teacher Ibuki's class."
"Teacher Ibuki." Akiyama Makoto thought for a moment. "The young teacher?"
"Yeah."
Akiyama Makoto turned to his wife, and they exchanged a knowing look.
"Sakurako, don't we have a few flower deliveries to make today?"
"Oh, that's right." Akiyama Sakurako understood at once. "Would you two like to help us out?"
"What do you need us to do?" Rin looked up.
"We have a few bouquets to deliver to customers nearby, but we're short on help," Akiyama Sakurako said with a smile. "If you're willing to deliver them, you can have these flowers for free."
Rin's eyes lit up.
"Really?"
"Really."
"I'll do it!"
Akiyama Sakurako smiled and took a small basket from under the counter. She placed the sunflowers and Baby's Breath inside, then took out several other wrapped bouquets, each tied with a small card bearing an address.
"Deliver these to these places." She handed Rin a simple hand-drawn map. "Can you remember?"
Rin studied the map carefully and nodded.
"I can."
"Good girl." Akiyama Sakurako patted her head. "Be careful on the way. You don't have to come back after you finish—the flowers are yours."
Rin carried the flower basket, while Shin-chan tucked the map away. The two of them left the flower shop.
"This way," Shin-chan said, looking at the map and pointing in a direction.
They walked side by side.
Rin looked down at the flowers in the basket, smiling.
"Shin-chan, thank you."
"For what?"
"If not for you, I'd still be standing outside the shop."
They crossed a street and turned into an alley.
As soon as they entered, they bumped into someone coming toward them.
Black hair, a spiky hairstyle, and the Uchiha Clan's clothes.
Obito.
He'd just been passing by and had looked up at the sound of footsteps.
Then his whole body froze.
Rin.
Shin-chan.
Walking together.
Rin was carrying flowers.
And Shin-chan was beside her...
Obito's mind went blank.
It was over.
His world had come crashing down.
Before you continue