The house was silent—but not peaceful.
Misae paced the floor, wringing her hands again and again. Himawari sat on the sofa, eyes red, holding her baby close to her chest. Shinta stood in the corner with Shiro and his puppies, his small hands folded tightly as he whispered shaky prayers.
"Please… please bring Papa and Mama back safely…" Shinta sniffled.
No one spoke. Even Shiro didn't bark—he only stared at the door, tail stiff, as if waiting for a miracle.
Then—
Tap.
A soft sound outside.
Shiro's ears shot up.
Tap. Tap.
Shiro and his puppies suddenly burst into loud barking, running toward the door.
Shinta's eyes widened. "Th-they're here…! They're here!" he cried, tears spilling as he ran forward.
The door opened.
"Yo! We're home!" Shinchan's familiar voice rang out.
In an instant, the house exploded with noise.
"SHINCHAN!" Himawari rushed forward and threw her arms around him, crying openly. "Idiot! Do you know how worried I was?!"
Shinchan blinked, surprised—then smiled softly and hugged her back. "Hehe… sorry, Himawari."
Just then, a dry voice cut in.
"Ahem. Excuse me." Kazama adjusted his glasses with a grin. "You forgot me, my wifey."
Himawari froze for half a second—then turned bright red.
"Kazu!" she exclaimed, laughing through her tears. She hurried over, holding up her baby. "Look—your papa came back safely!"
The baby babbled happily.
Kazama's serious face melted instantly. He hugged both of them carefully. "I promised I would."
Shinta ran straight into Shinchan and Ai-chan, wrapping his arms around their legs. "Mama! Papa! I prayed so hard!"
Ai-chan knelt down and hugged him tightly, tears in her eyes. "We felt it, Shinta. Thank you."
Shin-ai gurgled in Misae's arms, waving her tiny fists. Misae sniffed loudly. "Don't scare us like that again, you idiot…"
Hiroshi wiped his eyes, then cleared his throat. "Well." He grinned. "Since everyone's alive, heroic, and standing—how about a winning party?"
"YAAAAY!" everyone shouted.
Nene hugs Masao and says, "It's party time, hubby!"
Masao's face turned red and says "My lovely, wifey!"
Bo-chan nodded. "…Celebrations… are important."
Shinchan's eyes sparkled.
"WITH FOOD?"
"Lots of food."
"Then I approve!"
Misae sighed—but smiled. "Fine. But Hiroshi, you're paying."
"EH?!"
Later that night, after the noise, the food, and Shinchan's terrible dancing…
The house finally grew quiet.
On the balcony, Shinchan and Ai-chan stood side by side. The city lights shimmered below them.
Ai-chan looked at him. "It really ended, didn't it?"
Shinchan scratched his head. "Yeah… but endings aren't sad if everyone's together."
She smiled. "You're surprisingly wise today."
He grinned. "Don't worry. Tomorrow I'll be stupid again."
They laughed softly.
Above them, the stars watched silently.
Together.
The End___________________________________________________________________________________