In the ordinary life of Crayon Shin-chan

Chapter 1438 Xiao Xu is Missing 5

"Auntie, please think about it again," Xiaoxin grasped at the last glimmer of hope!

Nini's mother's brows furrowed more and more. The details were like scattered beads, and she tried desperately to string them together, but they always broke at the last moment.

"I'm sorry, Shin-chan," she finally shook her head, her tone apologetic, "I really...can't remember."

"Sorry to bother you." Shin-chan sighed, turned around, and walked away. Seeing this, Nini's mother frowned; it felt strange.

Just then, Kazama and Masao came running up, panting. Seeing Shin-chan come out, Kazama hurriedly asked, "Shin-chan, what did Nene's mother say? Does she remember Asahi?"

Xiaoxin turned his head, his eyes red-rimmed, like a puppy soaked by the rain: "Auntie doesn't remember either... She said even Nini might not know."

Seeing Shin-chan's dejected look, Masao felt a strange unease. It was as if he had truly forgotten some important promise. He scratched his head, then suddenly remembered something: "That's right, Shin-chan! Let's go find Bo-chan! Bo-chan has the best memory; he might remember!"

"Yes! Bo!" Shin-chan's eyes lit up again. He wiped his face, grabbed Masao's hand, and ran towards Bo's house: "Masao, Kazama, let's go!"

Watching the three children hurriedly leave, Nini's mother stood at the door, her fingers unconsciously stroking the door frame. She sighed, closed the door, but a question lingered in her mind: Who exactly is that child named Xiaoxu? Why does hearing that name give her a sense of familiarity?

The three of them rushed towards Adai's house. On the way, they passed through the shopping street, and the shop owners greeted Xiaoxin: "Hey, Xiaoxin, why aren't you with so-and-so today?"

Hearing the boss's words, they immediately stopped and looked at him. Xiao Xin asked excitedly, "Boss, do you... do you still remember Xiao Xu?"

"Xiao Xu, hmm~ that sounds familiar, but I can't quite place it?" The boss patted his head in confusion.

Shin-chan panicked again: "Xiao Xu! You mean Xiao Xu, the one who comes here to buy groceries and meat?! Don't you remember him?!"

The shopkeeper was even more confused by Xiaoxin's rapid-fire questions. He put down the glass he was wiping, tilted his head, thought for a long time, and finally waved his hand helplessly: "A kid buying vegetables and meat? There are so many kids on the shopping street, how could I remember every single one of their names? But speaking of which, it seems like something's missing lately, someone to discipline you and help you with things?"

"What was it again? Sigh, my brain is getting worse and worse." After saying that, he patted his forehead, turned around and called to the other guests, leaving the three children standing there. The flame that had just been lit was blown off again by this ambiguous answer.

Kazama frowned and tugged at Shin-chan's arm: "Shin-chan, stop asking. Let's go find Bo-chan first. Given the boss's condition, he probably can't remember anything useful."

Xiao Xin bit his lip and nodded, but his clenched fists revealed his unwillingness. Everyone clearly remembered "Xiao Xu," but no one could say his name. It felt like looking at something through a thick layer of frosted glass, blurry and frustrating.

The three of them rushed anxiously toward Ah-Dai's house, not knowing whether Ah-Dai was home at that time.

Shin-chan ran to A-Dai's door, took a deep breath, and rang the doorbell forcefully.

After a while, the door creaked open, and Ah-Dai, still holding a stone he was examining, looked at them with a puzzled expression: "Shin-chan, Masao, Kazama, what brings you here?"

"Ah-Dai!" Shin-chan grabbed his arm, his eyes full of expectation: "You must remember Xiao Xu, right? Nohara Akihisa! The one who always played with us and helped you collect stones!"

Ah-Dai blinked, tilted his head, and thought for a moment before his brows furrowed. He put down the stone in his hand, his fingers unconsciously digging into the door frame, muttering, "Xiao Xu... Nohara Akihisa... Stone..." His expression was serious, as if he was trying to dig something out of the depths of his memory, but after a long while, he shook his head and said in a muffled voice, "I... don't remember. It seems... I don't have any friends with that name."

"How could this happen!" Zheng Nan jumped up in a panic. "Ah Dai, think about it again! Last time we played hide-and-seek in the park, Xiao Xu even helped you find that heart-shaped stone hidden in the tree hole! You even said you were going to give it to Nini as a gift!"

Ah-Dai's eyes flickered, as if some image flashed through his mind, but quickly disappeared. He lowered his head, looked at his toes, and whispered, "A heart-shaped stone... I do have one, but... I don't remember who helped me find it."

Kazama stepped forward, trying to keep his tone calm: "Ah-Dai, think it over carefully again. Do you really have no recollection at all? Does this name feel familiar?"

Ah-Dai remained silent for a long time, so long that Shin-chan and the others felt their hearts sink to the bottom. Finally, he raised his head, his eyes filled with confusion and apology: "I'm sorry, Kazama. I... still can't remember. It seems... there's never been such a person in my memory. But, the sense of familiarity you mentioned, there is indeed a bit of that."

"Impossible!" Shin-chan took a step back, looking at Akai in disbelief. "You don't remember either? What happened to everyone? Asahi is definitely here! He was playing on the slide with us in Kasukabe Park yesterday!"

"Yesterday?" Ah-Dai was even more confused: "Weren't we watching Action Kamen at your house yesterday? It was just the three of us."

Shin-chan opened his mouth, but found he couldn't say anything. Yes, yesterday... what happened yesterday? Why was it so blurry for him too? The image of Shin-chan playing on the slide with them seemed so clear, yet also shrouded in mist, impossible to grasp.

Seeing Shin-chan's distraught state, Kazama felt a surge of panic. He forced himself to calm down and tugged at Shin-chan, saying, "Shin-chan, don't get agitated. Shin-chan might just have temporarily forgotten. Let's... let's go ask somewhere else."

"Where can we ask?" Xiaoxin's voice was trembling with tears. "Mom and Dad don't remember, Xiaobai doesn't know either, Auntie, and you all forgot, the shop owner in the shopping street forgot, and now even Adai has forgotten... Who else would remember Xiaoxu? Just me and Xiaokui?"

These words were like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples in Shin-chan and Kazama's hearts. Yes, who exactly is Asahi? Why did he appear? And why has everyone forgotten him?

The three children stood in front of Adai's house. The sunlight was warm, yet they felt a chill run through them. Xiao Xu was like a forgotten shadow; apart from the three of them, no one remembered his existence. Where had that child named Nohara Akihisa gone? Why had he been forgotten by everyone?

After a long silence, Shin-chan said goodbye to the little ones and headed home. He was very confused. Was all of this really just a dream?

Kazama and the others looked at Shin-chan with some concern, wanting to follow, but Adai stopped them: "Let Shin-chan think it over by himself. By the way, let's call Nene over and talk about who Xiao Xu really is."

"Okay." The little ones nodded and got to work.

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