The magical powers emerging from the cards sparked their imaginations, opening up a world of endless possibilities. Soon, Doraemon, Shizuka, Gian, and Suneo were devouring the pages so quickly that Lin Yu's incredible drawing speed was barely able to keep up with their reading pace.
"Key that hides the power of darkness, before me... Mmph!" After finishing another set of pages, Gian put down the manuscript, stood up with a very serious expression, and, unable to contain himself, began to loudly imitate Sakura's incantation from the manga.
"Hush, Gian! Keep your voice down! You can't disturb Lin Yu!" Before Gian could get any further, Doraemon quickly leaped up and clapped a paw over his mouth.
Gian, jolted back to reality, looked around to see Shizuka and Suneo also making urgent hushing gestures. He quickly sat back down, grinning sheepishly at them. "Sorry, sorry! I just got a little too excited there."
"Seriously, Gian!" Suneo grumbled, slightly annoyed. "If you disturb Lin Yu, then none of us will get to read any more manga!" Then, as if remembering something, a mischievous glint appeared in Suneo's eyes. "Besides, Gian, weren't you the one just saying this was stuff only girls would read? Your little performance just now didn't exactly match that opinion, did it?"
"Why you little...! You dare make fun of me, Suneo? Are you asking for a beating?!" Gian retorted, his face flushing red with a mix of embarrassment and anger. (Suneo had clearly hit a sore spot. Gian clenched his fists and waved them threateningly in Suneo's face.) But even as they bickered, they kept their voices carefully low, mindful not to disturb Lin Yu's concentration.
"Aah, I really want to see what happens next!" Doraemon mumbled around another bite of dorayaki, gazing wistfully at Lin Yu, who was still bent over his desk, drawing furiously. "I wonder what that giant bird Sakura saw at school was all about..."
(The first chapter of Cardcaptor Sakura served as a general introduction, covering Sakura's initial capture of the Jump card, establishing her relationship with the Clow Cards and their origins, and introducing key characters. It ended with a hint of a new Clow Card appearing – a perfectly executed cliffhanger that left the reader incredibly curious about its unique powers.)
"Doraemon, don't you have any other gadgets that could make Lin Yu draw even faster?" Gian, unable to bear the suspense any longer after their brief squabble, suddenly grabbed Doraemon and asked pleadingly.
"Even if you say so, I don't really have anything else that would help," Doraemon replied, pulling open his pocket to show them. He shrugged helplessly. "My older gadgets aren't really useful for this, and the Efficiency Booster Pills were something I just happened to buy a couple of days ago. It was just lucky timing."
"It's okay, Gian," Shizuka said softly, trying to soothe their impatience. "Just wait a little longer. Lin Yu is already drawing incredibly fast. Drawing manga is really tiring work; we shouldn't rush him." (Ever since she learned Lin Yu was drawing manga, Shizuka had secretly been looking up information about it. She knew typical manga artists might only complete two or three pages a day, often with assistants for tedious tasks. Lin Yu was doing it all himself, plus conceptualizing the story, dialogue, and expressions – an immense mental and physical strain. Even with the pill, the exhaustion would be considerable.)
Hearing Shizuka's explanation, Gian and the others, though they often bullied Nobita, weren't entirely unreasonable. Despite their burning desire to see what happened next, they settled down quietly on the floor, respectfully waiting for Lin Yu to finish the next page.
Just as they were all waiting in hushed anticipation, the sound of footsteps approached from outside the room. The sliding door opened, and Nobita walked in, his face a mask of utter misery. "Doraemon, I..." he began.
He'd barely taken a step into his own room, intending to pour out his tale of woe to Doraemon, when Gian suddenly lunged, grabbing him by the scruff of his neck and yanking him forward. Suneo quickly clapped a hand over Nobita's mouth, while Doraemon and Shizuka also swarmed around him.
"Shhh!" All four of them simultaneously pressed a finger to their lips, glaring at him.
Stared down by this intimidating, silent quartet, and completely baffled as to what was going on, Nobita could only nod frantically in terror, signaling that he understood and would be quiet. Seeing his terrified compliance, Gian and Suneo finally released him.
"Doraemon, what's going on with you guys?" Nobita whispered, still shaken from nearly being "combo-killed" by Gian and Suneo.
"Quiet! Lin Yu is drawing manga! We can't disturb him!" Doraemon hissed, his eyes fixed expectantly on Lin Yu, eagerly awaiting the next completed page.
"Huh?" Nobita looked towards the desk in confusion. Sure enough, there was Lin Yu, completely absorbed in drawing. "Drawing manga?" Nobita blinked. "Are you kidding me? Since when? How come I didn't know about this?" (The last time he'd seen Lin Yu draw, it had just looked like simple sketching. He had no idea Lin Yu was seriously creating a manga.) Hearing Doraemon's explanation, Nobita was naturally skeptical. Doodling was one thing, but actually drawing manga? That was a whole different level.