A Late Riser

"You're back."

The door to the Nohara House opened, and a listless voice drifted in from outside.

"You're supposed to say, 'I'm home.'" Miya poked her head out of the kitchen. Seeing Shin-chan covered in dirt, she jumped. "Goodness, what happened to you?"

Instead of rushing for the snacks like he usually did, Shin-chan trudged over to the dining table, plopped down, and sprawled across it.

"Mom."

"What is it?"

"I'm so tired."

Miya came over and felt his forehead. "Was training that exhausting?"

Shin-chan buried his face in his arms and mumbled, "That Thick-Eyebrow Uncle made me do handstands, push-ups, frog jumps, and tree climbing. He kept talking about youth and pushing my limits. I'm completely wiped out."

Miya couldn't help laughing. "Getting some exercise is a good thing, isn't it?"

"No." Shin-chan lifted his head, his face solemn. "Mom, let me tell you, being a kid is really troublesome. I can't refuse people at all."

"Hm?"

"When you promise someone something, you have to do it, or they'll be sad." Shin-chan sighed. "But when I do it, I get so tired."

Miya paused.

"So you agreed to keep training with them?"

Shin-chan nodded. "Guy looked so pitiful when he started crying. I couldn't bring myself to say no."

Looking at her son's dirty little face, Miya felt a warm rush in her heart.

He might usually be a little goofball, but when it mattered, he could be pretty dependable.

"Shin-chan, wait here."

Miya turned and went into the kitchen. When she came back, she was carrying a plate.

It was piled high with chocolate sticks.

Shin-chan's eyes lit up at once. "Chocolate sticks!"

"Today's your first day of school, so I was already planning to celebrate." Miya set the plate in front of him. "And now you get an extra reward for keeping your promise."

Shin-chan stared at the chocolate sticks, practically drooling.

"And there's more." Miya went back into the kitchen and brought out plate after plate: fried shrimp, hamburger steak, miso soup, and rice. Soon the table was full.

"Wow!" Shin-chan's eyes went wide. "What are we celebrating?"

"Your first day of school." Miya sat down and smiled at him. "Your dad's away on a mission, but we can still celebrate properly."

Shin-chan picked up his chopsticks and looked over the feast. Then he asked, "Mom, when's Dad coming back?"

"Maybe in a few days." Miya patted his head. "Why? Do you miss him?"

Shin-chan thought about it. "Not that much. I just want to show him that I did push-ups today."

Miya couldn't help laughing. "When your dad comes back, you can show him."

"Okay!" Shin-chan picked up a fried shrimp and stuffed it into his mouth. "Mmm, delicious."

"Slow down. No one's going to steal it."

Shin-chan wolfed down his food, his cheeks bulging like a hamster's.

Outside the window, the moon rose.

The night in Konoha was quiet and warm.

Early the next morning.

Miya bustled around the kitchen, beating eggs and glancing at the clock on the wall every so often.

Six fifty.

She set down the chopsticks, wiped her hands, and headed toward the bedroom.

Shin-chan had trained with Might Duy the day before and come home filthy. He'd seemed full of energy at dinner, but surely this morning he'd be too sore to get up.

Thinking this, Miya pushed open the bedroom door.

A little mound bulged beneath the covers, slowly wriggling.

"Shin-chan?" she called tentatively.

"Mmm..." A muffled sound came from beneath the covers.

"You're awake?"

"Mmm..."

Miya walked over and yanked the covers away.

Shin-chan was curled up like a little shrimp, his eyes squeezed shut and a familiar trail of drool at the corner of his mouth, exactly as he'd been the morning before.

"Shin-chan, time to get up." Miya nudged him.

"Mmm... Five more minutes..."

"Doesn't your body hurt?"

Shin-chan cracked one eye open and looked blearily at Miya. "Hurt? What hurts?"

"After training for so long yesterday, don't your legs and arms hurt?"

Shin-chan blinked as if he'd only just registered the question. He slowly sat up and stretched, then raised his arms and rotated them, followed by a few kicks of his legs.

His movements were smooth, his expression calm.

Miya watched him anxiously. "Well?"

Shin-chan tilted his head, thought for a moment, then yawned. "It doesn't hurt."

"What?"

"I'm just a little sleepy." Shin-chan finished speaking and burrowed back under the covers. "Mom, I'm going to sleep five more minutes."

Miya grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. "No. Get up!"

"Wow, so violent."

"Enough talk!"

"But I'm really sleepy."

A vein popped on Miya's forehead. "I'm giving you three seconds. One, two..."

Shin-chan didn't move at all. He even closed his eyes.

"Three!"

Miya hauled him out of bed by the scruff, like a misbehaving kitten.

Shin-chan dangled in the air, his eyes still shut. "Mom, I can sleep while you're holding me like this."

"Wake up already!"

Miya set him down on the floor. Shin-chan stood there for two seconds, then began slowly tipping to one side.

Just as he was about to topple onto the floor, Miya caught him in the nick of time.

"Shin Nohara!"

"Yes?"

"Are you getting up or not?!"

Shin-chan opened his eyes and looked innocent. "I am getting up, but my body doesn't want to."

Miya took a deep breath.

The same familiar conversation, the same familiar scene, the same familiar spike in blood pressure.

Five minutes later, Shin-chan had put on his red T-shirt and yellow shorts, though he'd gotten them on backward.

Miya turned him around and dressed him properly.

Another five minutes later, he'd brushed his teeth, though a bit of toothpaste foam still clung to the corner of his mouth.

Miya wiped it off with a towel.

Five minutes after that, he'd washed his face, though he'd splattered foam all over the mirror.

Miya couldn't be bothered to wipe it down.

"All right, breakfast!" Miya pushed Shin-chan toward the dining table.

Shin-chan sat down and looked at the egg, bread, and milk in front of him. Then he suddenly asked, "Mom, are there any green peppers today?"

"Why would there be green peppers at breakfast?"

"Good." Shin-chan sighed with relief and started eating.

Miya watched him from the side, growing more and more astonished. After working himself that hard yesterday, he was still full of energy today.

"Shin-chan, are you sure you're not sore?" Miya couldn't help asking again.

Shin-chan's mouth was full of rice. He mumbled, "Mmm... I'm not sore... just sleepy..."

"How is that possible? You did so much exercise yesterday."

Shin-chan tilted his head and swallowed his mouthful of rice. "Maybe it's because I didn't use my muscles?"

"Then what did you use?"

"I used chocolate sticks."

Miya's mouth twitched. For a moment, she didn't know what to say.