Forever, Just Like the Yolk

"Dad, what's your favorite manga?"
Kids always want to know what your "number one favorite" is.

I don't know if I have a number one.
After all,
Dad has never held a tournament for that, has he?

If I had to pick one

"Well, it's probably Masaru."

I say that while casually reaching for the shelf where all seven volumes of Masaru-san are lined up... and then, I gently open the forbidden book, "Sexy Commando Gaiden: Sugoi yo!! Masaru-san," for thefirst time in 30 years.A shock? A laugh-attack? It shot right through me...

Give me a break already.

I read the whole series in an instant!
I thought I'd read it again when I forgot about it, but 30 years have flown by in the blink of an eye. The humor there hadn't faded at all. Though the comics themselves were quite yellowed and faded, of course.

In the end, I really did laugh out loud!!
I laughed until my stomach hurt, and tears welled up...
It wasn't just funny; there were tears of something else...

And now, a year later

Kids have strange ways of reading manga.
They read while playing games,
they both read while fighting with each other,
or one of them opens two volumes at once and reads them left and right alternately.

...But for some reason,they haven't let go of Masaru-san since that day.They still read it sometimes, giggling and laughing out loud.

30 years in the future

I'm sure I'll bea slightly yellowed, dried-up little starby then.

But you know,

I think I'd be happy if I could continue to live on in my children's hearts, along with these seven volumes that have been cast with a mysterious magic of laughter🧙.