"Alright, Shizuka, you can get down now."
After escaping the danger zone, Nobi Hiroshi's slightly sore arm finally gave out. Once he gently set the girl down, he nearly collapsed from exhaustion.
He was still too weak. Carrying a living person was already heavy, and the two school bags pressing down on him had made it even worse.
"Mm… thank you, Hiroshi."
With her feet back on the ground, Shizuka's ears turned red.
They were standing very close. Hiroshi's warm breath brushed lightly against her ear, sending a faint tingling sensation through her body.
Shizuka reached up to smooth her slightly warm hair and quietly followed Hiroshi step by step down the road.
By the way… Hiroshi smelled really nice.
Soon, they arrived at Shizuka's house.
Minamoto Yoshika smiled brightly as she looked at her daughter's report card.
Seeing the perfect score, she was overjoyed. It seemed Shizuka had made a very good friend.
She quickly went to the kitchen to prepare snacks for them.
After leisurely finishing their homework, Shizuka and Nobi Hiroshi began playing games together.
Hiroshi admitted he wasn't very familiar with the rules of Japanese Reversi.
Shizuka looked slightly surprised, then happily began teaching him how to play, unable to hide her excitement.
"Shizuka, so you've been keeping a diary." Hiroshi's eyes drifted to the pink diary on the table.
"Mm, it's my hobby."
"Hiroshi, do you usually write one too?"
"Of course… not. Hehe…"
They chatted casually for a while.
Before leaving, Hiroshi packed up his textbooks.
During their conversation, Shizuka had shyly suggested they exchange diaries with each other.
It was quite embarrassing for her to propose something like that.
Hiroshi recalled her flushed face at the time.
It had been truly adorable.
"Hello, Teacher!"
"Oh, hello, Hiroshi. I didn't expect to run into you here. I was just about to head to the Nobi house."
On the way home, Hiroshi ran into Terakoya Eiichirou, who was on his way for a home visit.
Hiroshi politely greeted him and walked alongside him toward the Nobi residence.
Meanwhile, Nobita had just finished showering and changed into clean clothes. He lay on the floor in front of Doraemon, pleading desperately.
"Doraemon, you have to help me get revenge! Gian went too far. I've never been so humiliated."
"Alright, alright, I know," Doraemon replied, looking down at Nobita with faint exasperation. "I'll think of a way to help you."
The scene earlier had been far too shocking. Nobita had come home like a yellow lightning bolt, leaving "marks" everywhere.
"I was eating dorayaki at the time! Do you know how much psychological damage you caused me?!"
Doraemon stared at the half-eaten dorayaki on his plate. He had completely lost his appetite.
"This child… he's already so old, and he's still doing things like this…"
At the entrance, Nobi Tamako angrily scrubbed the floor with a mop, cleaning up the mess.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
When she opened it, she found the teacher and Hiroshi outside. She quickly invited Terakoya Eiichirou into the living room.
"Nobita's mother, Nobita failed the exam again today. Although he isn't last, being second to last isn't much better.
I hope you can discipline him more strictly. It would be best if he learned from Nobi Hiroshi." Terakoya Eiichirou lectured seriously.
Tamako maintained a polite smile on the surface, but internally, a volcano was already rumbling.
Once the teacher left, it erupted immediately.
"Nobita! I really can't stand this anymore. You failed again! If you keep this up, I'm cutting off your pocket money!"
Upstairs, Tamako scolded Nobita furiously. After venting her anger, she sighed heavily and went downstairs to prepare dinner.
"Aunt Tamako, do you need any help? I've finished my homework, and I don't have anything else to do."
Hiroshi stepped forward thoughtfully.
"Oh? Then I'll trouble you. You worked very hard on today's exam… Auntie will give you a special reward later."
Seeing Hiroshi's bright eyes, Tamako's anger eased slightly. She reached out and gently stroked his head.
"Special reward? If it's the kind I like, that would be best," Hiroshi thought silently.
But the current situation probably wouldn't allow anything too outrageous.
Tamako opened the refrigerator and took out some pork, preparing to make hamburger patties.
Hiroshi helped chop vegetables at the dining table behind her.
"Your pieces are too big, Hiroshi. Let Auntie show you."
Sure enough, distracted thoughts had led to careless work. The green peppers and carrots were cut into uneven chunks—unsuitable for patties.
Hiroshi stood beside her, focusing properly this time as they worked together.
Suddenly—
"Ah! A mouse!"
A scream came from upstairs.
A mouse had dropped from the ceiling and landed directly on Doraemon's head, frightening him so badly that he fainted on the spot.
Nobita grabbed a baseball bat and chased the mouse downstairs. In his panic, he tripped into the kitchen.
He crashed forward—right into Hiroshi and Tamako.
"Ying~"
A soft, startled cry escaped Tamako's lips.
Hiroshi felt his head sink into something warm and soft for a brief moment before everything became chaotic.
"What happened? My glasses fell off!"
Without her glasses, Tamako's vision blurred instantly. Everything looked fuzzy, making her anxious.
"Hiroshi… can you get up now…?"
"I'm sorry, Aunt Tamako. It was an accident."
Hiroshi quickly helped her to her feet and found her glasses on the floor.
Once she put them back on, her expression steadied.
"Mm… thank you."
Though she looked momentarily flustered, she quickly composed herself.
As if nothing had happened, the two resumed preparing dinner.
Meanwhile, Nobita was still in the stairwell, wildly swinging his bat at the mouse—completely unaware of what had just occurred in the kitchen.