Return Home

Kelly rubbed her temples and said: "So, we don't actually have any problems returning, right? As long as we restore ourselves to our original forms, we will appear inside Nobita's room?"

Doraemon nodded. "Exactly!"

Rim added, "But… it also means destroying an entire universe…"

Connie impatiently waved her hand. "What universe? It's just a speck of dust!"

No one else spoke. That was the truth. At this moment, they were all drifting in space, but only within a tiny speck of dust.

But… what about their own universe?

As everyone pondered this question, Doraemon pulled out the Adaptation Light and shone it on them, allowing them to survive in outer space. Then, he transported them outside before taking out the Restoration Light to return everyone to their original forms. Suddenly, their vision brightened, and sure enough, they found themselves back in Nobita's room.

The spaceship had also been restored to a reasonable size, stored it back into his four-dimensional pocket.

Looking around the familiar room, Nobita was overwhelmed with emotions. After everything they had been through, returning here felt almost unreal.

This journey had brought him not only new friends but also familiar ones. However, those "familiar" friends weren't quite as familiar as they once seemed. Nobita glanced at Doraemon, Shizuka, Connie, and Rim—companions who had been with him for so long, people he trusted the most. But to his shock, each of them had their own hidden agendas.

He didn't blame them. He just felt a deep sorrow for the beautiful memories they once shared. No matter what, things would never go back to the way they were.

Nobita closed his eyes and recalled everyone's faces. He realized that the appearances of Jaian, Suneo, and Shizuka were already deeply engraved in his mind. And no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't replace them with the elegant Shizuka, the petite Connie, or the tall and graceful Rim… He could only hope that all of this was just a dream…

The six of them sensed Nobita's unease and looked at him with concern. "Nobita…"

But Nobita didn't let them worry for long. He quickly snapped out of it. He was just feeling nostalgic for a moment, after all, they still genuinely cared about him. They may have had their own reasons for approaching him, but their friendship was real. Nobita could feel that, and for him, that was enough. Instead of dwelling on the past, he wanted to create even more new memories with them.

"Let's save the solar system together!" Nobita said with a determined smile.

"Yeah!" the group responded with equal enthusiasm.

Doraemon pulled out a small table, and everyone quickly sat down, beginning their discussion on how to save the sun and the Earth. But just then, a voice called from downstairs. It was from Nobita's mother.

"Nobita, what are you doing up there?" Tamako asked, and footsteps followed as she approached the room.

Nobita panicked. He turned to look at the girls in his room—each of them wearing outfits that looked completely out of place for this time period. Shizuka was even holding a trident! If his mother saw them, things would get really complicated!

Thinking quickly, Doraemon pulled out the Dimensional Shift Bracelet and handed it to Shizuka. She immediately signaled for Kelly and the others to gather before activating the bracelet, temporarily shifting them to another dimension.

Meanwhile, Doraemon hurriedly grabbed Nobita's notebook from his desk and placed it on the small table, pretending to tutor him in his summer homework.

The door opened, and Tamako peeked inside. She was surprised. "Wow! You're actually studying on the first day of summer break?"

Nobita scratched his head, forcing a sheepish smile.

Tamako chuckled. "It's great to be diligent, but it's only the first day of summer! You should go outside and play with your friends. Dekisugi just stopped by looking for you!"

Nobita hesitated. He wasn't in the mood for playing. Seeing him about to refuse, Doraemon leaned over and whispered, "To keep your mom from getting suspicious, you should go out for a bit. It'll help clear your mind, too. When you get back, we'll fill you in on everything!"

Nobita wavered, but before he could respond, Tamako's patience started wearing thin. She frowned. "What are you two whispering about? Dekisugi rarely visits. It would be rude to keep him waiting!"

"Alright, I'm going!" Nobita sighed reluctantly and followed his mother downstairs.

Outside, Dekisugi was waiting. He greeted Nobita with a bright smile. "Wanna practice baseball with me at the field?"

Nobita frowned. He really wasn't in the mood. But with his mother watching from behind, he had no choice. He sighed again. "Fine, let's go."

…

At the Open Lot.

Nobita gripped the baseball, adjusted his stance, and threw it. Dekisugi easily predicted its trajectory, swinging his bat and sending the ball flying.

"Another home run…" Nobita muttered in awe.

He had always been jealous of Dekisugi, but he couldn't deny how impressive he was. Smart, strong, and skilled at everything, Dekisugi excelled in every aspect, far beyond what a normal kid their age should be capable of. He had no flaws, as if he were near perfection.

Caring, gentle, courageous, strong, always willing to help others…

Nobita bent down to pick up the baseball, while Dekisugi jogged over. "My turn to pitch!"

"Okay!" Nobita nodded, taking off his glove and setting it aside. He walked over to grab a bat from the nearby drainage pipes.

Meanwhile, Dekisugi crouched down, putting on his glove. Suddenly, as if remembering something, he casually said, "By the way, I wonder where Jaian and Suneo went. I was thinking of inviting them to practice together, but I couldn't find them anywhere."

Nobita sighed. Truthfully, he would have preferred playing with Jaian and Suneo instead of Dekisugi. Whenever he was with Dekisugi, he felt painfully useless…

But wait, Jaian and Suneo? How did…?

Nobita stiffened.

Jaian and Suneo… they didn't exist.

They were actually puppets created by Connie and Rim from 500 years in the future. The two had used a special ultrasonic hypnosis waves to implant the entire town with the false belief that Jaian and Suneo were real.

But when Kelly tracked them down, she had taken them away and dispelled the hypnosis. That meant no one in town should remember Jaian and Suneo anymore.

Then why… why did Dekisugi still remember them?

Nobita's body trembled. He instinctively took a step back, increasing the distance between them. He stared at Dekisugi with growing wariness.

How was this possible?

Dekisugi looked up and noticed Nobita backing away with a wary expression. He tilted his head in confusion.

"What's wrong, Nobita?" he asked gently.

His voice was soft, yet it sent a chill down Nobita's spine.

At that moment, he saw it, a faint, flickering traces of crimson light glowing in Dekisugi's eyes.

Nobita's hair stood on end immediately. He could swear that he had just clearly seen Dekisugi's eyes light up.

That wasn't just sunlight reflecting, it was a focused, intense crimson glow. That kind of crimson light in the eyes… He had seen it somewhere before... Nobita took a deep breath, trying to stay calm and recall... Then, like a lightning bolt striking his mind, the memory surged back. He remembered where he had seen those eerie, glowing red eyes before now!

The two stood in silence.

Suddenly, Dekisugi's expression changed drastically. His eyes widened in shock before he lunged forward.

Startled, Nobita stumbled back, but his legs tangled beneath him, causing him to fall. Before Nobita could get up to defend himself, a wave of dizziness overcame him and everything faded to black.