Morning.
Lin Yu, dark circles under his eyes, was jolted awake by his bedside alarm. It was the first time he'd pulled an all-nighter since coming to this world. Fortunately, being young meant he could bounce back relatively easily.
Rubbing his eyes, Lin Yu glanced at the pile of practice sketches on his desk. He'd worked until two in the morning, going through stacks of paper, but still hadn't managed to nail the first chapter's cover page. It was admittedly a bit discouraging.
"'It's truly a long road ahead,'" he sighed.
Lin Yu shook his head, quickly washed up, grabbed a piece of bread from the fridge, and headed out the door. As he walked, his mind kept replaying the details of last night's drawing session. Drawing really wasn't easy. It required long hours of practice, not something achievable overnight.
However, after a night of intense practice, Lin Yu felt somewhat more confident. Barring any setbacks, he felt he could probably finalize the cover page tonight. While there would still be a gap compared to the original artwork, after so much practice, he should be able to ensure a decent level of quality. Good enough to submit, hopefully.
Lost in thought as he rounded a corner, just like Nobita the day before, he bumped straight into someone.
"Ah!" A soft cry rang out. It snapped Lin Yu out of his thoughts. He instinctively looked up to see Shizuka on the ground, rubbing her backside with a pained expression. Her pink skirt was slightly askew, revealing her fair calves against the pavement. Fortunately, there was no cliché 'accidental exposure' scene. Besides, Lin Yu, with his adult mindset, had absolutely no inappropriate thoughts about a ten-year-old girl.
"'Sorry!' Lin Yu quickly offered her a hand. 'I was lost in thought. Are you hurt?'"
"'I'm okay,' Shizuka said, taking his hand and getting up. 'I wasn't watching where I was going either. It's not your fault, Lin Yu.'" Though she likely was a bit sore, Shizuka didn't blame him, simply dusting herself off with a smile.
"'That's good. Otherwise, I...'" Lin Yu was midsentence when an abrupt voice cut him off.
"'What are you two doing?'"
They both turned to see Nobita storming towards them, eyes fixed unhappily on where Lin Yu had just been holding Shizuka's hand.
"Nobita?" Shizuka looked at him in surprise. Nobita usually arrived at school barely on time, so seeing him this early was unusual.
"'I accidentally bumped into Shizuka just now, so I was apologizing,' Lin Yu explained calmly. He guessed Nobita was upset again seeing him with Shizuka. He couldn't be bothered arguing with the kid, so he just smiled.
"Really?" Nobita eyed them suspiciously. When he'd rounded the corner, he'd seen them briefly holding hands and seemingly talking. For Nobita, who had armed himself with a Doraemon gadget and planned to arrive early to impress everyone, this sight felt like a devastating critical hit. Holding hands with Shizuka on the way to school? That was something he'd never done! Why did this newcomer get to do it?
"'Yes, that's what happened,' Shizuka confirmed. 'What's wrong, Nobita? You seem a bit odd today.'"
Nobita trusted Shizuka completely. Hearing it wasn't what he imagined, his mood instantly brightened. (He really didn't want to end up marrying Gian's sister and living a miserable life, after all).
"'Nobita, why are you so early today?' Shizuka asked again. 'You're usually much later.'"
"'Hmph! Today's me is different from the usual me! You'll see when we get to school!'" Nobita puffed out his chest, speaking with immense pride.
Shizuka exchanged a baffled look with Lin Yu.
"'Let's get going,' Lin Yu interjected. 'We should hurry to school, or we'll be late.'" He preferred not to waste time on the road; schoolwork wasn't his priority, but school offered a place to sit and continue practicing his drawing.
"'Right, right! Let's hurry to school!' Nobita agreed with uncharacteristic enthusiasm. The boy who usually dreaded school was suddenly eager to get there.
On the walk there, Nobita constantly chatted with Shizuka, which conveniently left Lin Yu undisturbed to focus on his drawing thoughts.
When they reached the school gate, Nobita suddenly stopped. "'Shizuka, Lin Yu, you go on ahead.'"
"'What is it, Nobita? Did you forget your homework?' Shizuka asked kindly."
"'Of course not! You'll see in a bit. It's a surprise!~'" Nobita said, giving Shizuka a gentle nudge. "'Go on, hurry inside! Don't wait for me.'"
Shizuka was completely puzzled by Nobita's behavior, but seeing Lin Yu already walking ahead, she just nodded. "'Well, don't be late then, or the teacher will make you stand in the hall again.'" With that, she hurried after Lin Yu.
"'Stand in the hall? Hmph! Impossible! Starting today, I am Nobita the Transfer Student!'" Once Shizuka was out of sight, Nobita grinned mischievously. He pulled the Substitute Sticker from his pocket, wrote the characters for 'Transfer Student' (留学生) on it, and slapped it onto his chest...
Lin Yu paid no mind to whatever Nobita was up to. It would be stranger if that brat wasn't causing some kind of trouble; his daily antics were perfectly normal. Nobita's strange behavior today clearly indicated he was plotting something. But did it have anything to do with Lin Yu? Not at all. He barely felt he had enough time for manga practice, let alone wasting energy on Nobita's schemes.
Entering the classroom, Lin Yu went to his seat. Class hadn't started yet, and the room was buzzing with chatter. Lin Yu opened his bag, took out a notebook and pencil, and immediately resumed practicing the drawings from the previous night. Since he was at school, he kept his tools simple—just basic practice to improve his muscle memory. Practice makes perfect, after all.
Shizuka also settled into her seat, putting away her bag and taking out her textbook. She glanced at Lin Yu, looking somewhat puzzled, and began to speak.