"Nobita! Why haven't you done your homework again?!"
On the podium, Mr. Terakoya was furious. His left hand slammed down hard on the desk, the loud bang echoing throughout the classroom.
"Get out and stand in the hallway!!!"
During homework checks, Nobita was—once again—the only one who hadn't done it. This was no longer about intelligence. It was an attitude problem.
Nobi Hiroshi seriously suspected that Terakoya's roar could be heard in the neighboring classroom.
"Y-Yes, Teacher!"
Nobita lowered his head in shame, shuffled two steps to the right, and disappeared through the classroom door.
Another glorious day of public humiliation.
And it happened right in front of this kid—Hiroshi.
Terakoya was genuinely angry. Forgetting homework once or twice could be forgiven, but Nobita almost never did it. His grades were a disaster, and he even slept in class.
Even though the teacher was used to it by now, he still got furious every single time.
After all, he was a responsible teacher.
"Alright," Terakoya said, taking a deep breath. "Everyone, turn to page 53 of your Japanese textbook. We'll continue the lesson. And do not learn from Nobita."
He opened his book and resumed teaching.
Hiroshi quickly found himself bored.
The lesson content was far too simple for him. In his previous life, he had already reached high school—this level of reading was something he could practically recite backward.
Compared to the essays he'd memorized before, this was child's play.
Beside him, however, Shizuka was studying seriously, her pen never stopping.
Her handwriting was neat and elegant. By comparison, Hiroshi's writing looked like absolute chicken scratches.
"Hiroshi… why are you looking at me?"
Shizuka noticed his gaze lingering on her and smiled faintly. For some reason, her heart beat a little faster.
"The teacher is lecturing right now."
"Ah—sorry…"
Hiroshi quickly wiped the nonexistent drool from the corner of his mouth. In truth, he had simply been spacing out from boredom and was almost about to fall asleep.
He tilted his head slightly, trying to avoid the teacher's line of sight.
A classic move.
Of course, it was usually easy to catch—but Terakoya didn't notice.
After all, only someone like Nobita, who slept like a corpse, was truly eye-catching.
"Hehe," Shizuka giggled softly. "Is it because you just transferred and haven't adapted yet? It's okay. If you don't understand anything, you can always ask me."
The kind-hearted girl covered her mouth as she laughed. As expected of Nobita's cousin—dozing off on his very first day.
"Ding-a-ling~"
The bell rang.
The class ended quickly. Terakoya closed his book and left the classroom without dragging things out—a rare blessing.
The once-silent classroom instantly exploded with noise.
Nobita, who had been standing outside the entire time, finally staggered back in, looking dazed. Judging by his expression, he had probably slept while standing again.
As a new transfer student, Hiroshi immediately became the center of attention.
Several girls surrounded him, eagerly trying to make friends.
Hiroshi responded politely, learning their names one by one.
Unfortunately, the break only lasted ten minutes. When the bell rang again, everyone reluctantly returned to their seats.
"Hehe," Shizuka said softly once things quieted down. "It seems like you're very popular, Hiroshi."
"Am I?" Hiroshi laughed awkwardly. "Not really."
Shizuka pulled out her math textbook and placed it between them.
Math class was about to start, and she wanted to help Hiroshi review beforehand—despite the fact that new material was being taught today.
Studying with a cute girl was undeniably pleasant.
Hiroshi stayed awake for the rest of the lessons and even started asking questions.
He wasn't pretending—some aspects of Japanese math were different from what he remembered. Still, it only took him a short time to understand everything.
Shizuka explained things patiently while also listening attentively to Terakoya's lecture.
From the podium, Terakoya observed Hiroshi with satisfaction.
A diligent student who actively sought improvement.
He had worried the new transfer might struggle to adapt—but clearly, that wasn't the case.
Then…
What was that sound?
A loud, rhythmic snoring echoed through the classroom.
"Nobi Nobita!!!"
Terakoya's roar shattered the calm.
Students who were spacing out instantly snapped back to attention—except for one.
In the back row, a boy in a yellow shirt was sleeping soundly.
Nobita's book had slipped down, his thick black glasses tilted sideways on the desk.
Drool dripped from the corner of his mouth as he smiled foolishly, mumbling Shizuka's name.
The surrounding students immediately threw mocking glances his way.
Terakoya's face darkened completely.
Hadn't this kid stood enough this morning?
"Nobita!" Terakoya shouted.
He slammed the desk, grabbed Nobita's ear, and yanked him upright.
"Ah—Teacher!"
Before Nobita could say anything, Terakoya dragged him straight to the podium.
"Nobita," he said coldly, "since you're sleeping so soundly, I assume you've mastered the lesson. Now solve this problem. If you can't, you're staying after school."
Nobita's legs trembled beneath his black shorts as he stared at the blackboard.
The moment he read the question, his vision spun.
Team A and Team B repairing water pipes from opposite ends? Different speeds? What kind of inhuman nonsense was this?
"Nobita," a sly voice called out, "hurry up. Don't waste everyone's time."
It was Suneo.
Leaning back in his seat with a smug grin, he was clearly enjoying the show.
"I… I…"
Nobita froze, gripping the chalk so tightly it almost snapped.
Terakoya's face had already turned pitch black.
Yet Suneo still couldn't resist stirring trouble.
"Hahaha! He can't even solve such a simple problem. As expected of Nobita!"
"Oh?" Terakoya said calmly. "Suneo, since you think it's so simple, why don't you solve it for us?"
"Ah—Teacher… I—"
Suneo's grin vanished instantly. His face turned pale as cold sweat broke out.
He couldn't solve it either.
Just as despair set in, his eyes suddenly landed on the front row.
On Nobi Hiroshi.
An idea formed instantly.
"Teacher," Suneo said quickly, "I think Nobi Hiroshi should solve this problem instead. He said he needed to sit there to study better. So shouldn't he show us what he can do?"
"…?"
Hiroshi, who had been quietly sitting, was suddenly dragged into the mess.
He turned around and stared at Suneo.
That cursed mouth really was annoying.
"Yeah!" Gian chimed in loudly. "Let Hiroshi do it!"
With Gian's support, the classroom quickly shifted its attention toward Hiroshi.
"Ahem. Quiet," Terakoya said, regaining control. "Very well. Then Nobi Hiroshi, please come up and solve the problem."
He hadn't originally intended to call on Hiroshi—but given the students' enthusiasm, he decided to let it play out.
"Hiroshi… are you okay?" Shizuka whispered worriedly.
Suneo and the others were really awful.
"Don't worry, Shizuka," Hiroshi replied calmly as he stood up. "It's nothing."
He walked toward the podium without hesitation.
From below, Nobita, Suneo, and Gian all smirked in anticipation.
They were already imagining the moment Hiroshi would embarrass himself.