CHAPTER 38

Nobita was curious too. He'd been a bit too embarrassed to ask Lin Yu himself earlier, but now that Doraemon had brought it up, it was the perfect opportunity.

"The title of this series," Lin Yu announced with a slight smile, "is Cardcaptor Sakura."

"Cardcaptor Sakura?" they all repeated in unison, looking thoroughly perplexed. It seemed like a rather strange title to them. Cardcaptor? What did that mean?

Lin Yu just smiled mysteriously, offering no explanation. "Let's just call that a little cliffhanger," he said. "You'll understand when you read further."

"Aww, Lin Yu, you're such a tease!" Suneo groaned.

Just then, Mrs. Nobi's voice called up from downstairs. "Nobita! Doraemon! Tell everyone to come down for dinner!"

"Huh? Dinner already?" Nobita blinked in surprise. After being scolded by his mom earlier, time seemed to have flown by. It felt like he'd only just come upstairs, but now it was dark outside, and dinner was ready.

"Yeah, I wanted to read a couple more pages of Lin Yu's manga too..." Gian grumbled, looking thoroughly unsatisfied. Suneo and Doraemon echoed his sentiment with disappointed sighs. Dinner meant everyone would have to go home soon, and once they left, they wouldn't be able to easily see Lin Yu's new pages. Besides, this experience of reading a manga chapter by chapter, hot off the press as it was being drawn, was a completely new and thrilling novelty for them.

"Don't worry," Lin Yu reassured them with a smile. "If you want to read more, I'll bring the new pages to school tomorrow and show you what happens next."

"Really?!" Gian, Suneo, and even Nobita's faces instantly lit up with excitement at his promise.

(This wasn't an exaggeration on their part. While there were famous manga in Doraemon's era, many were geared towards very young children. Compared to Cardcaptor Sakura, such stories were often simpler, more juvenile, and had basic art styles. Having grown up with that, Nobita and his friends had never encountered a work with the artistic style and storytelling depth of Cardcaptor Sakura before. They were naturally captivated. And, of course, Cardcaptor Sakura also contained elements of romance, which hadn't really come to the forefront yet.)

"Oh... you guys can see it at school, but I won't be able to..." Doraemon said, suddenly looking very dejected.

"That's okay, Doraemon," Lin Yu said kindly. "If you want to read it, you're welcome to come over to my place anytime." (He wasn't about to try and steal Doraemon from Nobita, but he certainly didn't mind strengthening his own relationship with the robot cat. Even with his System, Doraemon's pocket held countless treasures Lin Yu coveted.)

"That's right, Doraemon!" Shizuka chimed in. "Don't you have the Anywhere Door? You can just pop over to Lin Yu's!"

"Really? Would that be okay? I wouldn't want to bother you..." Doraemon asked Lin Yu.

"Not at all, Doraemon. It's usually just me at home anyway, so you're welcome anytime."

Seeing the genuine smile on Lin Yu's face, Doraemon's own face broke into a radiant grin. "Oh, that's wonderful!"

"Actually, I should be thanking all of you," Lin Yu said sincerely. "At least now I know people actually like my work. And especially Doraemon – you were a huge help today! Anyway, let's head downstairs for dinner before we keep Mrs. Nobi waiting too long."

The group trooped downstairs, chatting and laughing, their earlier anticipation now mixed with cheerful contentment.

(While he'd been drawing earlier, Lin Yu had been too focused to notice much else. But now, having received such positive feedback, he remembered the System notification with Shizuka. With a mental command, the System panel appeared in his mind's eye:

[Manga System]

[Host]: Lin Yu

[Age]: 10

[Abilities]: None

[Items]: None

[Work]: Cardcaptor Sakura

[Reputation]: 6

Last time, Shizuka's enthusiasm had earned him one Reputation Point. This time, with everyone captivated, each had contributed another point, including a second from Shizuka. 'Hmm, it seems one person can contribute a maximum of one Reputation Point per day,' Lin Yu deduced. He hadn't had much chance to explore the System before due to a lack of points. 'Six Reputation Points... I wonder what I can exchange them for,' he mused as he followed the others into the living room.)

"Come, come, sit down, everyone!" Mrs. Nobi said with a cheerful smile. "I didn't prepare too much, so please don't mind." Despite her modest words, the table was laden with a variety of delicious-looking dishes.

"Wow! This looks amazing, Auntie! It's a real feast!" Doraemon exclaimed delightedly. (Their usual dinners were considerably simpler.)

"Thank you so much for all this trouble, Auntie," Lin Yu said politely. "It all looks incredibly delicious!" His sincere compliment made Mrs. Nobi cover her mouth and chuckle with pleasure.

"Oh, you sweet boy, you always know just what to say!" she replied. "Now, eat up, all of you! And if there isn't enough, I can always make more."

After such a long and busy day, Lin Yu was indeed quite hungry. He decided to put thoughts of the System shop aside for now and focus on enjoying the meal. He could always investigate it more thoroughly when he got home later. Compared to his usual routine of convenience store bento boxes, Mrs. Nobi's home cooking was a gourmet delight. And the warm, lively atmosphere of a family meal was something Lin Yu, who usually ate alone, found incredibly comforting and enjoyable.

Who wouldn't enjoy a life filled with the laughter and companionship of a family?