The moment Anya reached the main deck, she took off like a small rocket, her oversized backpack bouncing wildly as she raced toward Shin-chan and his friends.
"Anya has Papa and Mama now too!" she announced triumphantly, her voice ringing with pure joy.
The declaration caught all the adults off guard, making them exchange concerned glances. The way she'd phrased it made it sound like she'd been an orphan until this very moment.
"Really, Anya?" Nene asked with bright curiosity. "Your parents are here? Where are they?"
Anya had been waiting for exactly this reaction. She puffed out her chest with pride, practically glowing at being the center of attention, before turning toward the stairs and waving her arms dramatically.
"Papa! Mama!" she called out at the top of her lungs.
"Anya!" came Loid's mildly scolding voice from above. "You can't just run off like that!"
He and Yor had been listening attentively to Gustave's detailed explanation of the Bamboo Staff's facilities when their daughter had suddenly vanished. Now they hurried down the remaining stairs, looking slightly flustered by her unexpected sprint.
"Wow!" gasped the entire Kasukabe Defense Force in unison.
The reaction was understandable - Loid and Yor made a striking pair. Both possessed the kind of natural elegance and refined bearing that immediately marked them as sophisticated. They were precisely the sort of couple that Eden Academy's Henry Henderson would describe as having "proper breeding and deportment."
Anya stood beside them with her hands planted firmly on her hips, practically radiating smugness as she watched her friends' awed expressions.
"I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience," Loid said formally, extending his hand to the nearest adult. "Our daughter can be quite... energetic."
"No, no! Not at all!" Hiroshi laughed nervously as he shook Loid's hand, though the strain in his voice was obvious.
Both Hiroshi and Misae were feeling the pressure. Compared to this polished couple who looked like they'd stepped out of a high-society magazine, they felt distinctly ordinary - just a regular salaryman and housewife from suburbia.
"Hello, children," Yor said warmly, crouching down to their eye level with a gentle smile. "I'm Anya's mother. My name is Yor Forger, but you can call me Aunt Yor."
"Nice to meet you, Aunt Yor!" Nene replied politely, stepping forward first. "I'm Sakurada Nene!"
"Kazama Toru," Kazama introduced himself with a respectful bow.
"Sato Masao," Masao whispered shyly.
"I'm Bo-chan," the quiet boy added with his characteristic runny nose.
Finally, it was Shin-chan's turn. The boy who was usually brash and confident suddenly transformed, shuffling his feet and looking uncharacteristically bashful.
"Um, well, my name is Nohara Shinnosuke," he said with unusual formality, "I'm five years old, currently single..."
He continued rattling off personal details as if he were filling out a dating profile, his eyes sparkling with obvious infatuation. Yor certainly fit his aesthetic preferences - beautiful, elegant, and seemingly gentle.
"What a charming little gentleman," Yor laughed, reaching out to ruffle his hair affectionately.
"Hehe..." Shin-chan's entire face turned bright red at the contact, a dopey grin spreading across his features.
Kazama couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed his friend's arm and dragged him aside for an emergency intervention.
"Hey, you idiot!" he hissed urgently. "Aunt Yor is already married! She has a daughter practically our age! Stop embarrassing yourself!"
Shin-chan's dreamy expression faltered for exactly two seconds before returning with renewed determination.
"That doesn't matter," he declared confidently. "I like older women with experience!"
Kazama stared at him in horror. "Your standards are even lower than I thought possible..."
Unfortunately for Shin-chan, his bold declaration had been overheard by the one person he should have feared most.
"What did you just say?" came a deceptively calm voice from behind him.
Shin-chan turned slowly to find Misae standing there, her eyes glowing red with barely contained fury. Actual steam seemed to be rising from her nostrils.
"M-Mama..." he squeaked, taking a few desperate steps backward.
But retreat was futile. With lightning-quick reflexes, Misae snatched him up in her signature grip.
"Shin-chan," she said in that terrifyingly sweet tone that promised violence, "what exactly were you saying about married women?"
"I... I was just..." he stammered helplessly.
Misae set him down gently, took a moment to straighten his clothes and position him properly, then delivered her legendary disciplinary technique.
WHACK!
A enormous bump instantly sprouted from Shin-chan's skull, leaving him swaying dizzily with cartoon stars circling his head.
When Misae looked up, she realized that everyone was staring at her with expressions of pure terror.
"Ah, haha!" she laughed nervously, her angry aura evaporating instantly. "Shin-chan was just being a little rambunctious! I was simply... reasoning with him. I'm normally very gentle, I promise!"
Nobody believed her for a second, but they all nodded politely and pretended the mini-explosion of maternal fury hadn't just occurred.
Later, when the attention had shifted elsewhere, Misae crept close to her still-dizzy son and whispered menacingly in his ear.
"Shin-chan, if you embarrass me even once more today, the consequences will be... severe."
"Y-yes, Mama," he replied with a full-body shudder, suddenly finding his shoes extremely fascinating.
Seeing that Anya's family had successfully integrated with the group and most of the expected guests had arrived, Gustave stepped into the center of the gathering.
"Alright, everyone!" he announced with enthusiasm. "Now that we're all here, it's time to begin our grand picnic adventure!"
"Hooray! Let's go!" the children cheered in unison.
"Picnic time!" shouted another voice - though this one belonged to Eiji, who had somehow infiltrated the group of five-year-olds and was jumping up and down with equal enthusiasm.
The massive procession began its departure from the Bamboo Staff, everyone laden with supplies - ingredients, cooking equipment, pots, pans, utensils, and enough food to feed a small army. They made a brief stop at Makino's tavern to collect the beverages for their outdoor feast, then headed toward the forest path that would lead them to their destination.
As they walked along the winding trail, surrounded by the gentle sounds of birdsong and the sweet fragrance of wildflowers, Gustave found himself unexpectedly transported back in time.
The scene brought back vivid memories of his elementary school days in rural France, when he'd lived with his grandparents. Back then, school regulations were more relaxed, and teachers had the freedom to organize impromptu outdoor adventures with their students.
He could almost hear his old teacher's voice: "Class, tomorrow we'll be taking a special trip to the countryside. Everyone bring pots and utensils from home - we're going to cook our own lunch!"
Those spring outings had been magical. The entire class would gather early in the morning, everyone carrying mismatched cookware borrowed from their family kitchens. They'd pool their money to buy vegetables and simple ingredients, then set off together down country roads much like this one.
The journey itself had been half the fun - children chattering excitedly, playing games, picking wildflowers, and marveling at every butterfly or interesting cloud formation. By the time they reached their destination, everyone would be buzzing with anticipation.
Then came the best part: making their own meals. They'd break into small groups of five or six, build makeshift fires, and attempt to create edible food with their limited cooking skills. The results were often disasters - undercooked rice, oversalted soup, vegetables burnt to charcoal - but somehow everything tasted incredible when shared with friends under the open sky.
"Gustave?" Po's gentle voice broke through his reverie. "You've been unusually quiet. Is everything alright?"
"Oh, sorry," Gustave smiled, quickening his pace to rejoin the main group. "I was just remembering some childhood adventures of my own. This brings back wonderful memories of spring picnics when I was young."
"That sounds lovely," Po replied warmly. "It's nice that today's outing can connect you with those happy times."
As they continued deeper into the forest, with children's laughter echoing through the trees and adults chatting companionably about everything and nothing, Gustave felt a deep sense of contentment. Some experiences - like sharing food with people you care about in beautiful natural settings - truly were universal across all worlds and cultures.
Today was going to be special indeed.
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