CHAPTER 37

The two might only differ by one word ("drawing" versus "drawing manga"), but the actual gap between them was enormous. Any kid could scribble on paper and call it "drawing," but creating actual manga was a whole different ballgame. In Nobita's mind, drawing manga was something adults did – it was a real job, not something kids their age could possibly accomplish.

Seeing Nobita's disbelief, Doraemon didn't bother trying to explain further, worried about disturbing Lin Yu. Instead, he simply handed Nobita the stack of previously drawn pages, which he'd kept in order, gesturing with his eyes for Nobita to see for himself.

Nobita, still skeptical, took the pages. But the moment his eyes fell on the very first cover page, his expression froze. Lin Yu's artwork was indistinguishable from the professional manga he regularly read. If Doraemon hadn't explicitly said Lin Yu drew it, Nobita would have sworn it was torn directly from a published weekly magazine.

"No way... for real...?" Nobita muttered under his breath, his skepticism giving way to curiosity as he began flipping through the pages. Just like Gian earlier, Nobita initially approached the manga with a critical eye. (After all, in a way, he and Lin Yu were "love rivals," and it was hard for Nobita to willingly admit Lin Yu was good at anything.)

But after just a few pages – Clow Cards, magic... all the captivating elements blended together – Nobita found himself completely hooked, his earlier reservations forgotten as he became absorbed in the story.

The first chapter, in its entirety, was only twenty-seven pages. Even reading carefully, it didn't take very long to get through. After finishing the last available page, Nobita eagerly looked up at Doraemon. "What about the rest? Where's the next part?" he demanded. "That giant bird, was that a Clow Card? What kind of powers does it have...?"

He'd barely gotten a few words out when he noticed Shizuka, Gian, and Suneo all glaring at him and making hushing gestures. Startled, he quickly clapped a hand over his own mouth and scurried closer to Doraemon. "Doraemon," he whispered urgently, "what happens next?"

"We're waiting for Lin Yu to draw it too," Doraemon replied with a sigh, shrugging his shoulders and casting a slightly mournful look at Lin Yu's diligently working back.

The mention of Lin Yu snapped Nobita back to reality, and an awkward flush crept up his neck. Wait a minute, he thought, embarrassed. Wasn't I just doubting he could even draw manga? And now here I am, desperate for the next page...

Just as he was having this internal crisis, Lin Yu finished another page and placed it beside him on the growing stack. Seeing a new page fresh off the "press," Nobita hesitated, wondering if he should even look. (After all, he'd been so dismissive earlier. If he eagerly grabbed it now...)

But before Nobita could resolve his internal debate, Gian lunged forward and snatched the new page. Doraemon, Shizuka, and Suneo immediately crowded around him.

"Gian, move over a bit, you're hogging it!"

"No, you move, Doraemon!"

The intense curiosity about what happened next finally overwhelmed Nobita's pride. "Hey, wait up! Save a spot for me! I want to see too!" he yelled, shoving his way into the huddle.

Lost in the world of his manga, time flew by. Aided by the incredible power of the Efficiency Booster Pill, Lin Yu found himself genuinely enjoying this supercharged creative process. Pouring all his energy into his work, watching page after page come to life under his hands, filled him with a profound sense of accomplishment that was deeply satisfying. Compared to this, his previous drawing speed felt like a snail's crawl.

Finishing another page, Lin Yu gently flexed his drawing hand, which was starting to feel a bit cramped and sore from the continuous effort. He decided to check his progress and take a brief rest. But when Lin Yu turned to look at the desk beside him, where he expected to see a neat stack of completed pages, it was completely bare. His heart skipped a beat. Whoa, hold on! Where did my pages go?!

He whipped his head around and saw Doraemon, Shizuka, Gian, Suneo, and now even Nobita, all huddled together, completely engrossed in the very pages he'd just been drawing, which Doraemon was holding.

Seeing his artwork safe, Lin Yu let out a small sigh of relief. (For a terrifying second, he'd almost wondered if the whole super-speed drawing session had been a dream. If it had, his sanity might have taken a serious hit.)

Just then, Shizuka and the others finished reading the latest page, still looking like they wanted more. As they looked up, they saw Lin Yu watching them. Shizuka quickly stood up, picked up one of the glasses of juice Mrs. Nobi had brought earlier, and offered it to him. "Take a break, Lin Yu. You've been drawing for a long time now."

Lin Yu accepted the juice with a grateful smile and took a sip. It was true; he'd been so focused on drawing that he hadn't noticed, but now that he'd stopped and relaxed, the accumulated fatigue hit him. His arm ached intensely. He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that, sometime during his drawing marathon, night had fallen.

"Lin Yu, your manga is so good!" Doraemon exclaimed, waddling over, his praise completely genuine. "It's just a shame there isn't more of it yet!" He looked genuinely regretful. (If he could, he would have gladly read the entire story from start to finish right then and there.)

"Yeah, he's right! It's amazing! Way better than a lot of the manga out there now!" Gian chimed in earnestly, completely reversing his earlier stance about it being 'for girls'.

Hearing their enthusiastic praise, Shizuka beamed, a sweet smile gracing her lips. Even though they were complimenting Lin Yu, she felt incredibly happy and proud, almost as if they were praising her too.

Even Nobita, looking slightly sheepish, shuffled over and carefully handed the neatly stacked pages back to Lin Yu, muttering a quiet, "It's... really good." (Though Doraemon and the others had eagerly passed the pages around, they had been surprisingly careful, leaving no creases or smudges on the artwork.)

"I'm just glad you all like it," Lin Yu said, a genuine smile spreading across his face in response to their praise. "To be honest, I wasn't entirely sure how it would be received." (It seemed his gamble had paid off. A work that had once captivated audiences in his world clearly had a timeless appeal that resonated just as strongly in Doraemon's era.)

"You know," Doraemon said, scratching his head thoughtfully, "we've been reading it all this time, but we still don't even know what your manga is called!"

"That's right!" Suneo exclaimed. "We've been so caught up in the story, we completely forgot to ask!"