The Reincarnated OP Protagonist Is Now A 3rd Grade Student (Patreon)

Chapter 28: Solving Problems Through Comics

Although summer vacation had not yet arrived, the city was already enveloped in the heat. "Yang's Ice Cream Parlor," a shop that offered various cool drinks and ice cream, began to attract customers who couldn't stand the heat.

Yang's Ice Cream Parlor had just opened today and welcomed two customers. The owner, Yang Chen Chen, sat on a small stool, speculating about the relationship between the two customers. The woman was a very beautiful lady, tall enough to overshadow ordinary men, while the man was clearly still in elementary school. If they were mother and son, the age difference was too great, and if they were siblings, the height difference was too obvious.

"What's their relationship got to do with you?"

Yang Chen's wife prepared the drinks for the customers while looking at her husband without much enthusiasm.

"Isn't it almost time to place a bet? I still haven't decided which bet to place."

Yang Chen rubbed his chin. "My left eye has been twitching since yesterday; it's a sign of good fortune! So I've decided to place a bet based on the zodiac signs of the customers who come today. Honey, can you help me find out their zodiac signs?"

"I don't want to bother with you."

With an eye roll, Yang Chen's wife carried two cups of ice over to the customers. The guests, of course, were none other than Chen An and Tan Jing.

"I thought, sister, you'd invite me to a more upscale place."

Chen An looked at his snow cone and said somewhat regretfully, "I didn't expect it to be this kind of common place... By the way, I'll take the bigger one."

"You're small but demanding. Always trying to take advantage of others isn't a good habit. In the third grade, you should have already learned about Confucius's story of letting the superior party go first, right?"

"The one about Kong Rong letting the superior party have the bigger pears?"

"Yeah... Where did you learn so much knowledge that elementary school students shouldn't have?"

Tanjing looked at Chen An helplessly and said, "Alright, speak up. What did you invite me out for? Even though you don't call me 'Aunt' and instead call me 'sister,' I know there's no good reason... Remember, the police are very busy, and they don't have much time to play around with you kids."

"I have something to ask advice on from you, my esteemed sister, as an adult," Chen An said seriously. "It's a long story, so I'll keep it short—I have a friend."

"A friend, huh..."

Tanjing thought for a moment and said, "Doesn't want to go to school? Is that something you elementary school kids can decide on your own?"

"But she's sick!"

Chen An recalled the moment when Lu Li held the remote control for the bomb, her pupils not dilating in excitement, and said with confidence, "And I can be sure that her illness is not mild at all. She probably needs a very long sick leave."

After some contemplation, Tan Jing snapped her fingers confidently and said, "This is incredible, the little one is sick... most likely pretending, a good scolding should do."

No, she's the type who installs bombs everywhere when she falls ill!

Chen An shook his head helplessly, but what the big sister in front of him said was not wrong. He did plan to have Lu Li "fake an illness" because it was the only way for an elementary school student to escape from school.

"By the way, did you deliberately invite me out for such a small matter?"

Tan Jing asked in puzzlement, "Whether it's faking or real, can't you just request a sick leave yourself? What does it have to do with me?"

"Well, my friend needs quite a long sick leave."

Chen An smirked and said, "I estimate at least 60 days of rest, and the condition should be mostly healed by then."

"Pffft! Cough, cough, cough..."

Tan Jing, who was choked, looked at Chen An in disbelief and said, "Two months of sick leave? Your friend's illness seems too severe."

"That's the problem."

Chen An rubbed his chin and said, "If it's just faking an illness, requesting a sick leave for one or two days is already the limit. Trying to get a sick leave for two months is simply impossible. However, if it's a very serious illness, then it's not a problem."

"What do you mean by 'not a problem'?"

Tan Jing asked with a puzzled expression, "For an illness that requires a two-month sick leave, as long as you're forcibly taken to see a doctor, any pretense will be immediately exposed."

"So it depends on what kind of 'doctor' you're taken to."

Chen An pushed a note toward Tan Jing mysteriously. "For example, this 'Doctor Chen' is a highly skilled and virtuous doctor."

"Doctor Chen Yonghua?"

Tan Jing looked at the note with the name and address of a rural area, then immediately reacted.

"This 'Doctor Chen' living in 'Peach Blossom Village' is your... relative?"

"She's my grandmother who lives in the countryside. Yes, Lu Li will spend the next two months 'recovering' at my grandmother's place."

Chen An revealed his plan to Tan Jing.

Indeed, the simple solution to Lu Li's problem was to have her parents take the "sick" Lu Li to his grandmother's place in the countryside. This way, the two of them could spend a very enjoyable summer vacation together within the time frame allowed.

"That sounds quite simple. Is this already considered fraud? How do you plan to deceive your friend's parents?"

Tan Jing asked with interest.

"It's very simple."

Chen An snapped his fingers. "Actually, comics have already taught us how to handle such situations."

"Comics?"

Tan Jing was momentarily stunned, then said in a strange tone, "Uh... be calm when I say this, even though saying it out loud might cause you some mental trauma, but Doraemon doesn't exist."

"Doraemon doesn't exist, of course! It's called Doraemon, not Dingdang Cat!"

Chen An corrected her seriously.

"Doraemon doesn't exist either."

"Uh, maybe?"

Chen An shook his head repeatedly. "Off-topic. What I want to say is that you, Sister Tan, should come forward to 'face' Lu Li's parents."

"What?"

Tan Jing frowned. "A bunch of kids like you have such wild fantasies? You want me, an adult, to help you lie?"

"You don't need to lie, Sister Tan, I'll do the lying."

Chen An quickly added, "Don't the police have communication devices? I can hide behind the scenes while you're in front. I'll have a walkie-talkie, and you can wear a small earpiece. When the time comes, I'll say something, and you can follow up. This way, I can use your help to persuade Lu Li's stubborn parents."

"Hmm, why does this operation sound so familiar?"

After contemplating for a while, Tan Jing looked at Chen An with an alarmed expression. "Are you sure you haven't been drugged by a mysterious organization and turned into a shota detective like Conan Edogawa?!"