"Ah!"
Seeing Shin-chan get hit on the head by Hiratsuka Shizuka with a punch that looked full of power, Eriri was stunned for a moment, then immediately pounced over.
"Mas—Shin-chan! Are you okay?!"
She almost shouted "Master" again, but Eriri couldn't care about that right now. She glared fiercely at Hiratsuka Shizuka, showing her little tiger teeth.
"Why did you hit Shin-chan!"
It appeared! The master-protecting loyal dog Eriri!
Being questioned by Eriri, Hiratsuka Shizuka also felt a little guilty. She couldn't exactly say that it was because Shin-chan had flirted with her, which made her heart flutter, but then she found out Shin-chan was her student, leaving her deeply conflicted, so she wanted to take it out on this brat?
And besides, this brat's head had such a good feel to it that she just instinctively hit it.
"That's right, Shizuka, why did you hit me! And why does your punch feel just like Mom's? Could it be… because you're both old ladies?"
'O...old...ladies!?'
With that, Shin-chan truly poked the tiger's butt. After being called "Old lady," Hiratsuka Shizuka's expression instantly collapsed, her entire body began emitting black energy, and her murderous aura nearly solidified into something tangible.
Even Eriri instinctively stood up and moved aside to give Hiratsuka space. 'Sorry, Master, if you want to blame someone, you can only blame yourself! Don't worry, even if Master is bedridden, I'll take care of you for the rest of your life.'
In Hiratsuka Shizuka, Shin-chan saw the shadow of Misae. Cold sweat streamed down his forehead, he accidentally said his inner thoughts out loud.
Fortunately, he didn't say everything in his heart. If he'd said Hiratsuka Shizuka would one day become like Misae with a big butt and flat chest, he probably wouldn't be able to leave the Service Club alive today.
Hiratsuka Shizuka launched a flurry of punches, but this time Shin-chan didn't just sit and take it, he dodged them nimbly.
"Shizuka! I was wrong! You're not an old lady! If you forgive me, I'll go on a date with you!"
After a brief moment of being moved came even more shame and rage.
"Who wants to date you?!"
"Save me, Yukino!"
Watching the chaos from the side, Yukino shook her head. Calling Hiratsuka old lady really was going too far. Plus, Yukino was also a bit upset.
She had just acknowledged Shin-chan as her friend, and this guy still only thought about limited-edition cookies? Is a cookie more attractive than her?
In the end, Shin-chan still couldn't escape Hiratsuka Shizuka's Iron Fist and had to obediently let her vent her anger. The price was another big bump on his head.
"Alright, I'll take the club applications now. Please, all of you help me correct this brat's personality! He's truly awful."
After saying that, tightly clutching the club forms, Hiratsuka Shizuka stormed out of the Service Club in a huff.
"Eriri, weren't you too heartless just now?!"
"There was no helping it, Hiratsuka-sensei is too scary."
Looking at Shin-chan, Eriri wanted to bite him again. Calling a single older woman who can't get married an old lady really was a bit much. If you had to say it, say it a few years later.
"I'll ask my older sister to help make the limited-edition cookies. Today's club activities end here."
With a look of disdain, Yukino glanced at Shin-chan like he was trash and left the Service Club.
Eriri was also reminded, on the weekend, she should prepare some limited-edition cookies for Master.
"The driver from home should be arriving soon, I'm heading out too!"
Checking the time, Eriri figured the car would be here any moment. Seeing that Shin-chan had already recovered and the bump on his head had vanished, she felt relieved and said goodbye.
"Well then, see you tomorrow." Utaha also stood up and left. With Eriri gone, there was no reason for her to stay.
"Megumi, want to go home together?"
"Sorry, I'm staying over at my sister's today, so we're not going the same way."
Shin-chan nodded. Looks like he'd be going home alone today. His pocket money, after the indulgence of the past few days, wasn't looking good. He'd need to find a way to make Yukino "meow" again.
Or he could just complete Shizuka's mission. His 10% stake in Fushikawa Publishing should still be worth a decent amount.
But why exactly couldn't Hiratsuka Shizuka find a boyfriend and kept failing her arranged meetings? What was blocking her romantic luck?
Shin-chan checked the mission description, he had no leads for now.
Based on his interactions with Hiratsuka Shizuka, Shin-chan could roughly conclude, her continued matchmaking failures weren't just about personality and habits, those were only part of the reason. It was more about her bad luck… or maybe that was just how her character setting was written.
A brash, slightly violent woman.
If she could find a boyfriend easily, that would be the real surprise, wouldn't it?
Still, since the system issued this mission, there might be some hidden reason behind it. He'd have to investigate properly.
Eriri's mission should be solvable by the weekend. Her worries were probably the simplest among them all.
———
[Musashino Dojo]
"Sensei, Shin-chan said he might not be free this weekend. He'll come to the dojo next week."
Aikou Rokushin rushed to the Musashino Dojo right after finishing kendo club activities.
Because school had just started, club recruitment and the upcoming Tournament had kept Aikou Rokushin busy until now.
"Mm, it's fine. Next week is fine." Musashino Giken nodded. His junior was busy this week and couldn't come. In the meantime, he could invite other kendo masters from various dojos to observe and test Shin-chan's level in a sparring match.
Now that Musashino Dojo had such a genius as its successor, they had to announce it to the world, show everyone that the Musashino Dojo wouldn't decline due to Giken's hand injury. On the contrary, it would rise again with Shin-chan's arrival and return to the pinnacle of kendo!
"Rokushin, what do you think of Shin-chan?"
"Shin-chan is a once-in-a-century, no, once-in-a-millennium kendo prodigy. He'll definitely lead our dojo to glory!"
Aikou Rokushin understood Musashino Giken better than anyone.
The situation with the Shuchiin kendo club was just like the current Musashino Dojo: big reputation, lacking strength. But with Shin-chan and Busujima Saeko joining, the situation would change instantly.
Would he, the kendo club president, be unhappy or feel overshadowed? What a joke! Being carried by pros was the ultimate happiness.
All he had to do was cheer on Shin-chan and Saeko and they'd win the championship. What more could a club president want?
Likewise, for Musashino Dojo, as long as they nurtured Shin-chan, the dojo would rise with his growth and become a top-tier dojo again. What could be more exciting?
Aikou Rokushin and Musashino Giken exchanged a glance, as if they could already see the brilliant future of Musashino Dojo...
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