"Very good!"
Seeing the table cleaned meticulously, Jin Jia nodded in satisfaction and slowly placed the tray in her palm in the center.
The baked cake, fluffy and golden, was not fancy, just unremarkable, with even the most basic cream scarce to non-existent.
The other ingredients used for decoration were merely a few sweet potatoes, but the family still felt very happy.
"Wow, it smells so good! Today's snack looks delicious…"
Beppla looked at the cake his granddaughter made, inhaling deeply with his hooked nose, showing an intoxicated expression. He quickly brought his own utensils and set them down.
Life as a fugitive was not easy.
"Of course! I just got some really good quality sweet potatoes. Today's cake will definitely be delicious!"
Her clear eyes sparkled as the girl smiled brightly, holding a sweet potato almost as big as her face, looking at Beppla with a triumphant expression.
Without dwelling on its origin, Jin Jia set up a distillation flask, added coffee grounds, and boiled them. Then she slowly poured the coffee into white porcelain cups, casually dropping in a few sugar cubes and stirring with a spoon along the bottom until all the sugar dissolved.
A perfect afternoon tea absolutely could not be without coffee.
Sweet potatoes, coffee, and other daily necessities were all 'borrowed' from the Museum. This was the unspoken secret between the grandfather and granddaughter.
"By the way, Grandpa, where did that guy Kurt go?"
Jin Jia stopped cutting the cake and asked.
"Let me see. That boy is in the Planetarium."
Beppla heard his granddaughter's words and quickly checked the screen.
As a fugitive hiding in the basement, it was simple to install his own surveillance in the Museum.
"Is that so…"
The girl pressed the heart-shaped badge on her chest. The voice connection was immediate, and on the other end, Kurt's wrist watch beeped and flashed. He quietly moved away from Nobi Hiroshi to receive the message.
"Hello, Jin Jia, what's up?"
Kurt said, holding his wrist to his ear.
"Kurt, it's afternoon tea time. Interested in coming? I made cake!"
"Of course I'll come! I'll be right there!"
Listening to the girl's sweet yet slightly mischievous voice from the watch, Kurt nodded solemnly and added a barely audible remark.
He, of course, wanted to be with Jin Jia…
His voice was like a mosquito's buzz. He didn't know if the girl on the other end heard him. He hung up the phone, blushing, and ran in front of Nobi Hiroshi.
"Gentlemen, I need to use the restroom. Please wait and play here for a bit."
With that, Kurt turned and ran without hesitation, disappearing from Nobi Hiroshi's sight in a whirlwind, making him think he had an urgent need.
Continuing to stay in the cinema to enjoy the history of secret gadget development, Nobi Hiroshi and Shizuka initially didn't pay much attention, until the movie ended, when they suddenly realized something was wrong.
Did the unreliable guide fall into a latrine?
"Shizuka, let's go back to Doraemon and the others. I don't know where that guy ran off to. If we weren't almost done playing, I'd have to give him a terrible review."
Frowning, Nobi Hiroshi looked around but couldn't find Kurt. Helpless, he had no choice but to return to the Robot Hall.
Upon arriving, he stared and saw that the others were still fishing for iron turtles.
Kong Jun grew quieter the more he fished, fortunate that he hadn't chosen to waste his time staying in this place.
"Doraemon, why are you still fishing for soft-shelled turtles? Have you forgotten why we came here?"
Nobita pulled off his fishing rod and tugged on his beard. He and Shizuka had also been playing that morning, but they never forgot to investigate for clues.
Though they had made no progress on their journey, they had ruled out most of the Museum's exhibits, leaving only the Anywhere Museum unchecked.
"Oh, right, my bell!"
"I remember now, Nobita, no time to play, let's hurry up and go."
With a pang in his cheek, Doraemon suddenly understood. He pulled Nobita by the hand towards the next location and leaped into the space-time portal.
One after another, they entered in a continuous stream. In hyperspace, everyone seemed to hear the stall owner's curses about a bunch of brats who played and didn't pay.
...
...
Anywhere Museum, the name sounds good. The secret gadgets displayed here are all very "anywhere."
For example, the transparent cloak, the penetration ring, the automatic tracking rope, the universal material hat…
"Hiro, look, there's an anywhere door here that's been cordoned off with caution tape."
After only a few steps, Tian Mei seemed to have discovered a clue and quickly called everyone over.
"Hmm, maybe the clue is inside. Let's hurry and go take a look!"
Bending down, Doraemon crawled in without a care. Was caution tape more important than his bell?
He certainly didn't think so.
"Let's go in too."
Seeing Doraemon cross the caution tape, Nobi Hiroshi and the others naturally didn't want to be left behind. They followed suit and crawled in, eager to find out what was inside.
But just then, a fresh and handsome figure suddenly emerged from the anywhere door.
"Hey, hey, hey, this is a crime scene, not a place for you little kids to be."
The unfamiliar man, dressed in a brown trench coat, strode forward, extending a hand to stop them.
He appeared to be in his early twenties, his arms swung naturally, and his footsteps were unhurried, making clear and distinct sounds.
His smooth, fair face, as his pink lips parted, revealed two rows of pristine white teeth, gleaming with a crystalline, moist luster.
"Eh!!!"
Upon seeing who it was, everyone gasped in unison. The reason was simple: he looked too much like Nobi Hiroshi. Could he be the adult version?
But according to time calculations, it was the 22nd century, and people should have been long buried by now.
Therefore, by process of elimination, the person before them was likely Nobi Hiroshi's grandson.
"Brother, what's your name, please?"
Everyone asked in unison.
"Hmm… what's my name…"
"I think being able to call out your names would better prove my identity."
"Nobita, Doraemon, Gian, Xiao Fu, Shizuka, and… myself…"
The young man in the trench coat said, resting his chin on his hand, his fingertips tracing over each person's eyes, his wandering gaze finally settling on Hiro.
Hmm, I was still so cool when I was little, Shizuka was still so cute, Nobita and Doraemon were still… still pretty good.
And the Hairu brothers were still full of bromance, and that hadn't changed even in the future.
Gian's frequent port-a-potty mishaps were unforgettable; I visited him in the ICU many times, bringing at least three or four fruit baskets a year.
"You, you really are!!!"
"But that shouldn't be right, how can you live until… No, no, how are you still so young now?"
Doraemon paused for a moment, almost saying the wrong thing, then reorganized his sentence and rephrased his question.
"Is it strange…?"
"Regarding this question, Doraemon, you will know later, and all of you, like me, are living well."
The young man's face was calm, as if longevity was a trivial matter not worth mentioning, making Doraemon and the others seem a bit overly surprised.
"Is that so? Everyone is alive, so it seems some new type of gadget has been developed…"
"Then, now I have a more important question I want to ask."
"Hiro, who exactly is Phantom Thief DX? Who stole my bell?"
Looking at the young adult version of Nobi Hiroshi, Doraemon anxiously asked. He surely knew the answer.
"Shh, Doraemon, you wouldn't not know the rules, would you?"
"If I, in my capacity, change the course of events, I'll be taken by other departments for a 'tea session'."
"Clues and evidence are what adhere to the principle."
The young man raised a finger to his lips, looking mysterious, unable to reveal the mystery due to some special reason.
"Then… then what should I do…"
Doraemon drooped his head in disappointment.
Gian immediately asked, "If that's the case, why don't you just catch DX directly?"
"Uh, Gian, why do you think I'm here, because it's fun?"
Young Hiro put his hands in his pockets and stared at Gian with a look of concern for the mentally challenged.
No matter how dirty one's body is, one's thoughts must be upright.
The latter felt deeply ashamed upon hearing this, silently retreated behind the crowd, and remained silent.
"Haha, alright, Doraemon, you don't have to be so pessimistic. I'll secretly tell you, your bell will actually be back in less than two days. You can rest assured now, right?"
Withdrawing his gaze, young Hiro patted Doraemon's head to comfort him.
"Really?!"
"With your words, I can rest easy."
Doraemon lifted his head, a smile returning to his face, everything like a clear sky after rain.
"Hey, you kids, what are you doing gathered around the lighting Museum?"
"I won't pursue the crime of trespassing past the seal. Hurry up and go play somewhere else."
With a flicker of the screen, another police officer appeared from the anywhere door.
He also wore a brown trench coat, but he was slightly older, with a more mature and steady appearance.
With thick eyebrows and large eyes, his features conveyed an exceptionally stern expression. His body had grown plump, and his potbelly bulged, threatening to burst his belt.