Chapter 5: After School And Making Up Homework.(Edited)

"What? Nobita, were you talking to yourself?" Minamoto Shizuka blinked her big, curious eyes at Nobita, her voice soft but inquisitive.

Nobita froze for a second, realizing the words in his head could never be spoken aloud. Quickly, he waved it off with an awkward laugh.

"Hahaha... No, no! I was just happy. It's great to have Shizuka and... Dekisugi helping me with my homework," he said, trying to sound natural.

Dekisugi, sitting nearby, raised an eyebrow at Nobita's hesitation. Why does he always say my name like it's an afterthought? Dekisugi thought with an exasperated sigh. He resisted the urge to echo Doraemon's usual reprimand: Nobita, if you keep this up, I won't help you anymore!

Still, Dekisugi reminded himself, This is Nobita, after all. No matter how much effort others put into helping him, Nobita often seemed to forget their efforts in an instant. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, they all kept supporting him. Even Suneo, who constantly showed off, would eventually let Nobita borrow whatever he was flaunting.

Perhaps that's what bound the group together—a strange but unshakable connection.

Time passed quickly as the group chatted, and soon it was time for the next class.

The subject was their national language (Japanese), taught by their regular teacher, Eiichiro Cheng. Dekisugi felt a twinge of nostalgia. It's funny, he mused, how in Doraemon, every subject—language, math, history—was taught by this one teacher. I wonder if it's still the same now.

As the bell rang, the teacher entered, and the students settled in. Nobita, of course, resumed his usual spot outside the classroom as punishment for his incomplete homework.

Inside, Takeshi Gouda and Honekawa Suneo whispered and snickered at the back of the class, while Shizuka sat diligently at her desk, focusing on the teacher's lesson. Dekisugi, always prepared, pulled out his perfectly organized textbook and listened attentively.

The teacher glanced at Dekisugi and gave a slight nod of approval before continuing the lecture. Though the material felt elementary to Dekisugi—after all, he had the memories of both his previous life and the original Dekisugi's studies—he maintained a respectful façade of concentration.

Time passed both quickly and slowly, as it often does during school days. Morning classes blended into the afternoon, and soon it was 3:30 p.m.—the end of the day.

As the teacher began packing his materials, he turned back to the class as if remembering something.

"Oh, I almost forgot—Nobita!"

Nobita, who had been slumped over his desk, snapped upright, startled. "Y-Yes, sir!" he stammered, already dreading what was coming.

The teacher gave him a stern look. "Make sure to complete the supplementary homework I assigned you, and finish today's homework as well. If it's not done by tomorrow, I'll be calling your parents!"

"Yes..." Nobita groaned, his voice full of dread. The mere mention of his parents was enough to light a fire under him.

At the back of the class, Takeshi and Suneo burst into laughter. Seeing Nobita's misfortune was always a source of amusement for them.

Their laughter, however, quickly caught the teacher's attention.

"Takeshi Gouda! Honekawa Suneo!" The teacher's voice boomed, using their full names—a sure sign he was angry.

"What are you two laughing at? One of you barely passes your exams, and the other can't even manage that! There's an exam the day after tomorrow. You'd better start preparing. And Nobita..." The teacher sighed, rubbing his temples. "Just try not to score zero this time."

With that, the teacher left, leaving behind a mix of relieved and disgruntled students.

As the other students eagerly packed their bags and left for the day, Nobita remained at his desk, pulling out the homework he had neglected the day before. Takeshi and Suneo paused at the door, their mockery far from over.

"Hehehe, look at Nobita! Staying behind to do his homework again!" Takeshi jeered. "Let's go, Suneo. With Nobita gone, we might actually win at baseball today!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Suneo agreed, his signature laughter ringing out. "No Nobita, no mistakes! We'll crush it for sure!"

As the two left, Dekisugi approached Nobita with a kind smile. Carrying his own homework, he pulled up a stool next to him.

"It's okay, Nobita," Dekisugi said encouragingly. "If you don't know something, you can always ask me or Shizuka. We'll get through this together."

Nobita looked up, his eyes brimming with gratitude. "Thanks, Dekisugi," he said softly.

Shizuka joined them, settling into the seat on Nobita's other side. Together, the three of them worked through the day's assignments, their quiet focus filling the empty classroom.

Meanwhile, back at Nobita's house, a blue, round, cat-shaped robot stared out the window, worry etched across his face.

"Nobita didn't do his homework again today," Doraemon muttered to himself. "He probably has to stay behind at school to finish it. I told him yesterday he should just do it in the morning, but noooo, he didn't listen." Doraemon sighed, his ears drooping slightly. "Honestly, what am I going to do with him?"

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