"Maybe I should explain," Lin Yu interjected with a smile. He opened his bag and carefully took out the manga pages he'd been working on.
"Whoa, what's this?" Gian asked, leaning closer with Suneo to get a better look. "Looks like... manga?"
"Draft pages?" Doraemon swallowed his bite of dorayaki and picked up one of the sheets, looking puzzled. "Lin Yu, are you planning to become a manga artist?"
"Yes," Lin Yu confirmed with a nod and a smile. "Or more accurately, I'm already preparing for it now."
"Lin Yu, did you really draw this yourself?" Suneo asked, examining a page closely, his eyes wide with surprise. "It looks incredibly polished!" (Of everyone present, Suneo undoubtedly had the largest manga collection. Having read so much manga, he had a better eye for quality than the others.)
"He's right," Doraemon added, equally impressed and not holding back his praise. "Compared to a lot of the manga currently being published, while the style might still be a little unrefined, this is genuinely amazing work." He was truly surprised that a ten-year-old could draw at this level.
"Really?" Gian squinted at the pages, then scratched his head, looking unimpressed. "Looks like stuff for girls, though? Doesn't seem as cool as stories with robots or anything..."
"These are my current draft pages," Lin Yu explained, getting to the point. "I want to submit them to a publisher soon, but I've run into a problem – I just don't have enough time. Even staying up late every night to draw, it's still taking too long to finish the first chapter. So, I was hoping to ask you, Doraemon, if you might have any way to help speed things up."
"Oh, I see. But why are you in such a rush?" Doraemon tilted his head, his round hand scratching his cheek, looking thoroughly perplexed. "With your skill level, Lin Yu, I'm sure submitting wouldn't be a problem eventually, right? Wouldn't it be better to take your time? Staying up late is bad for your health, and it actually lowers your efficiency too."
Hearing Doraemon's words, Lin Yu glanced sideways at Shizuka, who quickly looked down, pressing her lips together as a faint blush dusted her cheeks.
"Well," Lin Yu began, choosing his words carefully, "I've actually had the idea for this series planned out for a long time now – the story, the characters, everything. I'm just really eager to draw it and see how people react. If there are problems, I want to know so I can improve."
(Hearing Lin Yu omit the part about her being the inspiration, Shizuka felt a pang of relief mixed with a confusing, faint sense of disappointment.)
Doraemon tilted his head, pondering this. He didn't quite grasp Lin Yu's urgency but chalked it up to the passionate dedication often found in aspiring artists. In any case, it didn't really matter; fueled by dorayaki, Doraemon was feeling exceptionally generous. He puffed out his chest reassuringly.
"Since you put it that way, Lin Yu, leave it to me!"
"As luck would have it, I just took a trip to the future a couple of days ago and bought a batch of new gadgets! And there's one that should be perfect for this!"
With that, Doraemon plunged his hand into the fourth-dimensional pocket on his round belly and began rummaging vigorously. After a moment of searching, his face broke into a wide grin. "Found it!"
He flourished his little round paw, revealing a small, transparent glass bottle filled with tiny, colorful, candy-like pellets. Gian, Suneo, and Shizuka stared at it blankly. Only Lin Yu's eyes lit up with recognition and excitement.
"Ta-da!" Doraemon announced proudly. "The Efficiency Booster Pills!"
Seeing the confused looks on everyone else's faces, Doraemon chuckled.
"Efficiency Booster Pills?" Gian repeated skeptically. "They just look like jelly beans. What's so special about those?"
"Wrong!" Doraemon puffed out his chest proudly. "These are brand-new gadgets I just picked up from the future!"
"So what do they do?" Shizuka asked curiously. "Can they help Lin Yu draw faster?"
"Of course!" Doraemon chirped, carefully pouring one tiny pill from the bottle and handing it to Lin Yu. "The Efficiency Booster Pill! Just take one of these, and whether you're studying or working, your efficiency will increase dramatically! And the effect lasts for a full day!"
"Seriously? Sounds kinda lame," Gian muttered. He and Suneo exchanged doubtful glances.
"Don't underestimate it!" Doraemon insisted, getting slightly flustered by their skepticism. "It's a product from the future world; it definitely works! Lin Yu, hurry up and try it! Show them!"
Looking at the tiny pill in his palm, Lin Yu smiled knowingly. "Okay," he said seriously, and without hesitation, popped it into his mouth and swallowed.
(Gian, Suneo, and Shizuka might not grasp the true power of the Efficiency Booster Pill, but Lin Yu certainly did. It looked ordinary, but he clearly remembered an episode from the original story where Doraemon, using this very gadget, managed to construct an entire island overnight. While the extent of the boost probably depended on the user's abilities, there was no denying its incredible potential. It was one of the gadgets Lin Yu had secretly coveted.)
"Lin Yu, do you feel any different after taking it?" Shizuka asked, leaning closer curiously, her earlier concern replaced by fascination.
"Definitely!" Lin Yu replied, already feeling a surge of focused energy. "Doraemon's gadgets always work! I feel totally energized and ready to go!" He immediately opened his bag and started laying out his manga tools again. "Doraemon, would it be okay if I used the desk for a bit?"
"No problem!" Doraemon agreed readily. "Nobita hardly ever uses it anyway."
Lin Yu took a seat at Nobita's desk. Shizuka, Gian, Suneo, and even Doraemon crowded around behind him, eager to see exactly what spectacular effects this "Efficiency Booster Pill" would produce.
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