When Hiroshi got home that day, he looked like he was walking on air.
The key turned twice in the lock, the door swung open, and before he even stepped inside, his voice was already booming through the house.
"I'm home!"
Misae poked her head out from the kitchen and immediately noticed the six-pack of beer in his hand, along with the smug grin on his face.
"Beer again?" Misae frowned. "Didn't you just drink yesterday?"
Hiroshi scratched his head, about to say something, but Misae had already walked over and snatched the beer right out of his hand.
"You drink every day, every day. That's bad for you." She set it on top of a cabinet. "I'm putting this away for now. You can have it on a holiday."
Hiroshi's hand was still frozen in the shape of holding something as he stood there in the entryway.
"How is that fair..."
"What do you mean, how is that fair? Go wash your hands. Dinner's almost ready." Misae had already turned back toward the kitchen.
Hiroshi stood there in the genkan, shoulders drooping, then shuffled into the living room.
Shin-chan was lying on the table with his face buried in his arms.
Hiroshi paused.
"What's wrong?"
Without looking at him, Shin-chan pouted slightly. "Silver-Haired Mister gave me chocolate sticks, and Mom confiscated them."
Hiroshi's mouth twitched. "Yours got confiscated too?"
"Too?"
Only then did Shin-chan turn his head and look at him.
Hiroshi sighed and dropped down onto the tatami. "My beer got confiscated too."
The father and son looked at each other and sighed at the same time.
"Mom is so mean," Shin-chan said first.
Hiroshi nodded in agreement. "Exactly."
"Silver-Haired Mister brought those specially for me."
"I bought that beer specially for myself."
They both sighed again.
Then they looked at each other again and, without saying anything, both slumped forward onto the table, faces turned toward each other, wearing the exact same expression.
"Why do grown-ups always confiscate our stuff?" Shin-chan asked.
"Exactly," Hiroshi said.
"It's our stuff."
"Exactly."
"Mom is too much."
Hiroshi opened his mouth to agree again, but stopped himself halfway. "Well... your mom is only doing it for your own good."
Shin-chan gave him a look that clearly said, That is not what you were saying a second ago.
Hiroshi looked away and coughed awkwardly.
Misae's voice came from the kitchen. "Dinner's ready. Go wash your hands!"
Shin-chan and Hiroshi both lifted their heads, both stood up, and both headed for the sink together. That brief moment of father-son solidarity vanished instantly.
They walked side by side down the hallway, and Shin-chan suddenly spoke.
"Dad."
"Hmm?"
"Why do people with chakra have to listen to people without chakra?"
Hiroshi looked down at Shin-chan's serious little face and was silent for two seconds.
"Because the person without chakra is your mom."
Shin-chan thought about that. "What if she wasn't Mom?"
"Then she'd still be your mom."
"I mean if."
"There is no 'if.'" Hiroshi quickened his pace and headed for the sink.
Shin-chan followed behind, unwilling to let it go. "Dad, you still didn't answer me."
Hiroshi pretended not to hear him and turned on the water. Shin-chan stuck his hands under it too, splashing water all over himself.
"Shin-chan, don't get it on your clothes."
"Okay."
The two of them came back from washing up.
Hiroshi looked up and froze.
There, at his seat, was a glass of beer already poured for him, the foam still sitting high on top.
He looked at the beer, then toward the kitchen, and suddenly felt his nose sting a little. "Misae…"
"Stop standing there and eat." Misae set another dish down and sat opposite him.
Hiroshi picked up the beer and took a big gulp, then let out a long, satisfied breath. The smile returned to his face immediately.
Shin-chan stared at the beer from the side and swallowed. "Dad, is it good?"
"It is." Hiroshi took another drink and narrowed his eyes in satisfaction.
Shin-chan turned to Misae. "Mom, I want some too."
"Kids can't drink alcohol."
"Then why can Dad drink it?"
"Because Dad is an adult."
Shin-chan looked at Hiroshi, then at Misae. "Then why isn't Mom drinking any?"
Misae ignored him and turned to Hiroshi instead. "Go on. What's the good news today?"
Hiroshi set down the glass and cleared his throat.
"The Third Hokage praised me today."
Misae paused in the middle of picking up food. "Praised you for what?"
"He said I work seriously and have a strong sense of responsibility." Hiroshi puffed out his chest. "He told me to keep it up and said I might have a chance at another promotion later."
Misae nodded and went back to picking up food. "And then?"
"And then..." Hiroshi paused. "He asked me a strange question."
"What question?"
"He asked whether I had any relatives in the capital of the Land of Fire."
Misae's chopsticks stopped. She looked up at him. "What did you say?"
"I said no, of course." Hiroshi scratched his head. "Our family's always lived in Konoha. Where would we get relatives in the capital?"
Misae was silent for a moment, then set down her chopsticks.
"What's wrong?" Hiroshi asked.
Misae glanced at Shin-chan.
Shin-chan was stuffing his face with rice, cheeks bulging, looking like he wasn't listening at all.
Misae lowered her voice. "A little girl came to the house today."
"A little girl?"
"She seemed important. Her guard called her 'Princess.'"
Hiroshi's chopsticks fell onto the table. "Princess? She came to our house?"
"She came to see Shin-chan," Misae said. "She said they met on the street yesterday and that Shin-chan told her to come over and play."
Hiroshi turned to look at Shin-chan.
With his mouth full of rice, Shin-chan answered unclearly, "Yeah, she was really generous, and she even bought me dumplings."
Hiroshi opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
"There's something else too," Misae continued.
Hiroshi looked at her, suddenly feeling uneasy. "What?"
"Lord White Fang went to the school today."
"White Fang?" Hiroshi blinked. "Wasn't he out on a mission?"
"He came back." Misae took out the short blade and placed it on the table. "He gave Shin-chan a short sword."
Hiroshi looked down at the sword and drew it slightly.
"A chakra blade?" His eyes widened a little. "How much did this cost..."
"And chocolate sticks," Shin-chan added from the side. "But Mom confiscated them."
Misae shot him a glare. "I put those away. If you behave well, I'll give them back later."
Shin-chan's lips drooped.
Hiroshi slid the blade back into its sheath and sat there in silence for a while.
The Hokage had asked whether he had relatives in the capital.
Was that somehow connected to all of this?
He picked up the beer and finished it in one gulp.
"Dad, why did you stop talking?" Shin-chan looked up.
"Nothing." Hiroshi set down the empty glass. "Eat."
Shin-chan gave an "oh" and went back to stuffing his face.
From the side, Misae glanced at Hiroshi. She had a rough idea of what he was thinking and said quietly, "Don't overthink it."
"Yeah, I know." Hiroshi snapped out of it and reached for his now-empty beer glass out of habit.