But class was about to start again; there was no opportunity for Nobita to do anything right now. Besides, truth be told, Nobita didn't actually have any brilliant ideas yet.
'Hmph! After school, I'll go straight home and find Doraemon!' Nobita thought resolutely. 'I want to become a transfer student too! He must have a gadget for that!' (Running to Doraemon whenever he faced a problem was his standard operating procedure.)
Lin Yu, meanwhile, was completely oblivious to Nobita's internal scheming – or rather, he simply didn't care enough to give it any thought. As an adult mind in a child's body, he acknowledged that if Nobita were to misuse Doraemon's gadgets maliciously, it could potentially be troublesome. But Nobita was, fundamentally, just a ten-year-old kid. His actions usually amounted to little more than elaborate pranks. Annoying, yes – but a serious threat? Highly unlikely. Worrying about Nobita seemed pointless compared to planning his own course of action after school.
Schools in Japan generally let out early; elementary school was typically done by around 3 PM. With no mandatory club activities and homework being trivially easy for him, his afternoons were quite free. Therefore, Lin Yu planned to go buy the necessary manga supplies right after school today and start drawing in earnest as soon as possible.
Truthfully, though, there was a hidden anxiety that constantly lingered in the back of Lin Yu's mind. His current life seemed peaceful, almost mundane. But the existence of the Time Patrol in this world was a potential hurdle he couldn't ignore. Lin Yu knew very well that he was merely a transmigrator. In the world of Doraemon, technology relating to time travel had reached frankly absurd levels, and organizations like the Time Patrol were known to closely monitor various timelines. He had no idea if his presence here was considered 'legitimate' or if he was essentially an unregistered temporal anomaly – a stowaway in time.
Before activating the System, he'd had no abilities and could only live day by day. But now, he had to be prepared. At the very least, before the Time Patrol potentially decided to deal with him, he needed to acquire some means of self-protection. Otherwise, if they captured him and threw him in some temporal prison, his System would be useless – he'd have no way to earn Reputation Points.
Therefore, speeding up his progress, getting his manga drawn and submitted quickly, was his top priority. Only through successful serialization could he gain the Reputation Points needed to acquire abilities and ensure his own safety.
Throughout the afternoon classes, Lin Yu diligently filled a page in his notebook, sketching out rough plans and timelines. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the 3 PM bell chimed, signaling the end of the school day.
Wasting no time, Lin Yu packed his books into his bag, eager to get home, grab some money, and head out to buy his manga supplies.
"Hey, Lin Yu! Wanna come play baseball with us?" He'd just stood up, bag in hand, when Gian's voice called out. Lin Yu looked up to see Gian waving him over, with Suneo grinning beside him.
"Yeah, come on! We can grab Nobita too!" Suneo added mischievously, winking at Gian. Both boys snickered. (Clearly, their plan involved dragging Nobita along mainly so they could bully him.)
"Maybe some other time," Lin Yu declined politely with a friendly wave. "I have to run some errands and buy a few things after school today, so I probably won't have time."
"Aw, that's too bad," Gian said, shrugging. He didn't push the issue the way he might have with Nobita.
"Maybe we can play later in the week? I'll treat you guys to drinks then," Lin Yu offered cheerfully. (Compared to Nobita, Gian and Suneo, despite their rough ways, were somehow easier to deal with.)
"For real? Alright, it's a deal then!" Gian's eyes lit up at the promise of free drinks. (Being elementary school kids, free soda was always a welcome treat.)
Watching Gian and Suneo sling their arms around each other and head off towards Nobita's desk, Lin Yu picked up his own bag and gave Shizuka a quick wave. "Hey, Shizuka, do you have a minute after this?"
Shizuka, who was still packing her bag, looked up and nodded slightly, looking curious. "Sure, Lin Yu. What's up?"
"I need to go to the shopping center to buy some things," Lin Yu explained with a smile. "But like you know, I haven't been here long, so I'm still not very familiar with the area. I was hoping you could maybe help me out?" Seeing his friendly smile, Shizuka didn't hesitate.
"Okay, no problem!" she agreed readily. "But I can't stay out too late, or my mom will get mad."
"Don't worry, it won't take long at all."
With that settled, Lin Yu and Shizuka headed out of the classroom together.
Left behind in a corner of the classroom, Nobita watched them leave together, chatting easily, and felt that familiar unpleasant knot form in his stomach again.
"Hey, Nobita! Baseball time!" Gian announced, arriving at Nobita's desk with Suneo in tow. Gone was the politeness they'd shown Lin Yu. Gian clapped Nobita roughly on the shoulder, exchanging mischievous grins with Suneo. (Despite Nobita's talents elsewhere, his baseball skills were abysmal, making him the usual target after games.)
Normally, Nobita wouldn't dare refuse. But now? Seeing the girl he liked walking off with Lin Yu... Nobita had absolutely no interest in playing baseball. His mind raced – he wanted to follow them! Then rush home, get a gadget from Doraemon, become impressive, and show Shizuka!
"Not going! I have stuff to do!" Nobita blurted out, already starting to push past them.
But he'd barely stood up when Gian's hand shot out, grabbing his shoulder and yanking him back down.
"Nobita," Gian growled, a 'ferocious' grin spreading across his face, "are you actually trying to refuse me?!"
"Yeah, Nobita!" Suneo chimed in gleefully. "That sounds like disrespect to me, Gian!"