Chapter 40: Mamoru-kun


    Life in kindergarten was going well.


    One day after that, I had been talking with Mamoru-kun from time to time, and we were getting along well.


    While I was in math ss, I saw a shadow crossing the sliding ss door on the yard side of the school.


    "Sir, can I go to the bathroom?"


    "Yes, that''s fine, are you sure you''re okay going by yourself?"


    "Yes, I''m fine. It will take a while, but don''t worry."


    At times like this, trust is a powerful thing.


    While pretending to listen to the ss seriously, I explore the "secondcquer refinement," quicklypleting the assignments given to me, and helping the children in need around me.


    I am the only one among the toddlers who can speak properly with adults, and I have earned the immense trust of my teachers as a child who is not to be messed with.


    So I can lie and get out of ss.


    I do not like such a cunning kindergartener very much. I''m sorry, teacher.


    I left the ssroom and walked toward the shadow.


    Then I heard a loud voice from behind me.


    "Mamoru-kun! Where did you go~"


    This is the voice of the homeroom teacher of the Violet ss. It sounds like she''s going to the staff room to issue a rescue mission.


    It''s not easy when you have a problem child. Thank you for the information.


    I saw a glimpse of a shadow, I thought perhaps it was, but thanks to her, I''m sure of it.


    I decided to search the whole kindergarten to avoid being found by the other teachers.


    It''s a game of hide-and-seek to find just one person on the kindergarten grounds. How will I find him?


    If he is not in the ssroom, the best ce to hide would be in the yground equipment.


    "Are you there?"


    I looked around to see where to look next, and what I saw was an evacuation slide.


    "Mamoru-kun, what are you doing here?"


    "......"


    I found him right away.


    The slide for evacuation, which is used to go down from the second floor in the event of a disaster, is closed off with a rope ced below it.


    In this shady and secluded spot, Mamoru was alone ying with the sand.


    If you look closely, you can see that he is drawing something on the sand.


    "What is it, a lion?"


    "Dolphin!"


    I deliberately gave him misguided expectations, which he denied, just as I had hoped.


    At any rate, if I didn''t get him to open his mouth, there would be no conversation.


    "I see, dolphins. ...... ...... sses are boring, right?"


    "...... yeah."


    From Mamoru-kun''s point of view, I guess he saw me as a fellow ss escapee, too.


    He kept up with my abrupt change of topic.


    He is always silently piling up blocks, but he must be somewhat depressed because he knows this is wrong.


    "Mamoru, are you bad at studying?"


    "...... yeah ......... it''s boring."


    "Do you like to draw pictures and y with blocks?"


    "Yes, I do."


    He responded in no time.


    From what I''ve learned about his personality over the past month, I think Mamoru-kun has the temperament of an artist with a touch of genius.


    He is devoted to what he is interested in, but not passionate about anything else. He is that type.


    I knew someone like that in a previous life. Mamoru-kun somehow carries an air simr to him.


    From his point of view, the sses must be very boring. So much so that he escapes from it again and again.


    "Your drawings, they''re good."


    "......"


    "And the blocks, you''re so good that I can see what you''re building."


    "........."


    "If you''re going to do something you love with all your might, you should stick to that attitude. You can''t half-ass it. You must keep your passion burning so that even if you hit a wall, you can ovee it. You should push forward with a burning determination, without worrying if people around you get in your way. Otherwise, you will die with regrets just like me."


    "......?"


    I know, you don''t understand what I mean when I say this out of the blue.


    But this is the only advice I can give you.


    "If you''ve found something you love to do, I think you should keep trying to do it, no matter what your teachers tell you, keep creating."


    It will bother your teachers, your parents will be worried, and you may have trouble with your education in the future.


    But it would be a waste to hold back when you have found something you love.


    You have your whole life ahead of you, so live it doing what you love.


    Nevertheless, Mamoru-kun feels guilty and it would be a real shame if he could not concentrate on his favorite activities such as drawing.


    He is a more sensible person than I thought, and I would like to give him an idea on how to get back on the right track.


    Please let me know if you have any: .......


    I draw a picture on the ground next to Mamoru-kun while pondering. Let''s draw a sketch simr to the formation to serve as a revision.


    I''m not a genius, so I can''te up with a good idea. It would be cool if I could solve the problem in a sh, but I don''t think I can.


    I wonder if there is anything, anything at all.


    It was almost the end of ss time.


    I looked around to see if there were any ideas lying around and saw the principal observing us from a little distance away.


    He is not warning us or trying to bring us back to the ssroom, he is just watching us.


    I thought I had stopped hearing the teachers'' voices calling out for Mamoru-kun, is this why?


    Either they have a mysterious trust in me, or they are just being cautious, but either way, this was a convenient arrangement for me.


    Somewhat at ease, I suddenly noticed Mamoru-kun ying with his fingers next to me. He probably had sand under his fingernails.


    Finger ...... Oh, that would be handy.


    "Mamoru-kun, do you know how to write a seal?"


    "What''s a seal?"


    The "writing the seal" action was poprized by a famous ninjaic strip.


    It has two effects: one is Onmyojutsu and the other is a physical effect.


    Onmyojutsu can change the flow of spiritual power into a specific flow and can be used to break the seal of the Tenkyo-jin.


    The other is the physical effect. This one is meaningful even to the average person.


    By making a seal, the brain waves and parasympathetic nervous system are changed, and the ability to concentrate is increased.


    "Like this, like this, and then like this."


    "......... like this?"


    Onmyojutsu instruction proceeded, and the damn father taught me how to make a full-fledged seal.


    All I know is that it''s safe and of little Onmyojutsu significance, but it''ll have to suffice in this case.


    "Yes, yes, good, good. If you get bored in ss, try this. It might calm you down. If that doesn''t work, don''t run away from the ssroom, but instead create inside the ssroom."


    "......"


    It''s the words of someone he has gotten to know a little bit, and I hope he believes me and tries it.


    In the meantime, I''ll have him stop running away from the ssroom because it''s unsafe.


    I hear the sound of children''s footsteps running around the sses.


    ss must have ended.


    I decided to return to the ssroom, wondering what to say to the teacher.


    It would be good if Mamoru could adjust well to kindergarten. It would be even better if his friendship level with me increased.


    Good luck to him as he crouches in the shadow of the slide for evacuation.