Ever since that day when the Miyamura and Nishimiya families went out for dinner together, Akira's peaceful and ordinary winter vacation life officially began:
Played with Shouko at the park.
Played house at the Nishimiya house. Akira and Shouko were the parents, and Yuzuru played the child.
Daiki Miyamura got a 7-day break for the New Year holiday. When he tried to spend time relaxing in the living room, Akira got shooed off to play at Shouko's house instead.
After resting at home, Yaeko Nishimiya landed a high-paying part-time job for the New Year period. Akira told her to take care of her health and got a warm head-pat and some praise in return.
With New Year's Eve approaching, the Miyamura family took Shouko to the mall to shop for decorations and holiday items. Meanwhile, Yaeko was still hardworking
Both families shared soba noodles for dinner to "cut off the hardships" of the past year. Yaeko finished quickly and rushed off to work again.
Together, the families placed pine and bamboo decorations at their doors to welcome the gods and bring good fortune. They offered stacked kagami mochi for harmony and balance, then shared a feast of traditional osechi cuisine.
The Miyamuras took Shouko to a local shrine to pray for a healthy new year. Shizuka picked out lucky charms for everyone.
Too lazy to leave the house, Shizuka made plans for the whole family to eat with the Nishimiyas. That night, they learned Yuzuru had said "Mama" for the first time.
Daiki Miyamura returned to work, and Yaeko finished her final shift of the part-time job. She brought snacks back for Akira and Shouko.
On the morning of January 5, Akira stood in front of the Nishimiya house, knocking politely on the door.
"I'm coming!" Yaeko's voice called from inside.
A few moments later, the door swung open. Yaeko blinked in surprise when she saw Akira, then gave him a warm smile and gently ruffled his hair. "Have you had breakfast already, Akira?"
"Yeah, I did," he nodded. Then he tilted his head and asked curiously, "Aren't you working today, Auntie?"
Yaeko stepped aside to let him in and said kindly, "Auntie has the day off today. Want me to take you two out somewhere?"
Akira quickly waved his hands and shook his head. "No, no, you should rest! I'm just taking Shouko to Futaba Park today."
He knew Yaeko worked two or three jobs and barely got a day off each month.
Yaeko chuckled as she slipped on her house slippers. "Alright then, just be careful when you're out—watch for cars!"
Akira nodded, grabbed his slippers from the cabinet, and walked to the living room where Shouko was playing with baby Yuzuru on the tatami mats.
"Shouko, let's go!" he called.
Shouko stood up with a bright smile, took Akira's hand, and led him toward the entryway. "Let's go, Akira!"
Yuzuru, lying in her crib, watched them with wide, curious eyes. She reached out as if wanting to follow her big sister.
At the door, Akira knelt down to help Shouko into her white shoes and tie her laces. After checking that she was dressed warmly, he called back into the house, "Aunt Yaeko! We're heading out!"
"Alright! Take care!"
Ten minutes later, they arrived at the entrance of Futaba Park.
As they walked up, Akira suddenly stopped in his tracks, eyes locking onto something in the distance.
Shouko tilted her head. "What's wrong, Akira?"
A few steps ahead, lying casually on the pavement, was a crisp 1,000-yen note. It gleamed in the winter sunlight like a rare treasure.
Akira pointed it out. "Look! Someone dropped some money."
Shouko followed his gaze and gasped slightly when she saw the bill.
But just as they were about to approach, a clumsy-looking kid suddenly stomped down on the bill with one booted foot!
Their eyes slowly trailed up from the shoe to the culprit's face.
It was a chubby little boy in a thick green down jacket, with a crew cut and a blank expression. Akira guessed he was probably in his last year of kindergarten.
"Hehehe~" The boy grinned, completely ignoring the two kids staring at him. He bent down to pick up the money and tried to stuff it into his pocket.
"Hey! Wait up!" Akira stepped forward to stop him.
The boy looked up at them and scowled. "What?"
Then, as if realizing something, he quickly hid the money behind his back and narrowed his eyes. "You're not trying to rob me, are you!?"
Akira blinked. "What?"
Shouko's grip on his arm suddenly tightened. Her mind had clearly jumped to the worst possible conclusion—just like in the crime shows on TV.
"Akira! If you take that money, the police will come and arrest you!" she whispered urgently, tears already welling up in her eyes. "Please, let's not! I'll give you my New Year's money instead!"
Clearly, she was imagining Akira being dragged away in handcuffs.
Akira turned pale and quickly waved his hands. "No, no! I'm not stealing anything, I swear!"
Trying to reassure both Shouko and the boy, Akira said calmly, "I don't want to steal it. I just think… since we both saw it, maybe we could split it?"
The boy scratched his head. "Split it?"
Akira explained slowly, "Since we both noticed it, how about you give me half? If not… I could go tell the police."
He didn't mean to be mean, but kids this age were usually terrified of getting in trouble.
Sure enough, the boy's face changed. He clearly weighed his options: either lose half the money or get the cops involved and maybe lose it all.
In the end, the boy reached into his coat pocket and handed Akira a shiny 500-yen coin.
Akira smiled and accepted it. "Thanks."
Shouko let go of his arm at last, clearly relieved. Akira gave her a gentle pat on the head.
"Well," he said, "crisis averted."
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Hello guys, good evening!
Right now, I'm at a computer shop. I saw in the comments that it's okay to post using a laptop or computer—but sadly, I don't have my own, so this is my last option.
Sorry for the late chapter update. I hope you still enjoy this one!
As for the release schedule, I won't be able to update daily (like every 1 or 2 days), so I hope you understand 😔 Thank you so much for your patience and support!