Returning to the video playback!
Atop a high tower, Riruru's figure appeared on screen. She was holding a faintly glowing energy sphere in her hand and seemed to be saying something.
The camera zoomed in, finally allowing the audience to hear Riruru's voice clearly.
"All the parts should have been sent to the North Pole by now, but I haven't seen a single fragment!"
"The signal from the tracking brain has also been lost; there's no response at all!"
The truth was now obvious! Zanda Claus indeed belonged to this red-haired girl, Riruru! But as for whom she was communicating with, that remained unknown!
…
The next day, by a strange twist of fate, Riruru found herself at Nobita's house.
However, looking at the small, cramped building before her, she shook her head. "It couldn't possibly be hidden in such a tiny house. I'll search elsewhere!"
This remark happened to be overheard by Tamako Nobi, Nobita's mother, who was inside. Lines of exasperation immediately appeared on her forehead as she yelled, "Well, excuse us for having such a small house!"
Meanwhile, Nobita was enduring his daily bullying from Gian and Suneo. Suneo was maneuvering his toy robot, aiming a flying kick at Nobita's head. However, Nobita had a flash of inspiration and ducked, successfully dodging the kick. The kick landed squarely on Gian's head instead, making him see stars.
Nobita seized the opportunity, broke free from Gian's hold, and without a second thought, turned tail and fled.
"Nobita, get back here!!!" Gian, his rage meter full, face flushed crimson, chased after Nobita and Suneo.
"Nobita!"
Riruru, who was passing by, involuntarily paused when she heard the name. She slowly walked towards where the three boys were. Seeing a disheveled Nobita pinned down by Gian, she asked, "Excuse me... are you Nobita?"
Hearing her voice, the three boys looked up. They were instantly stunned!
Gazing at the angelic face of the girl before them, Nobita and his friends had only one thought.
She's beautiful! This girl is even prettier than Shizuka!
In an instant, a blush crept onto the faces of all three boys.
Nobita dazedly replied, "Yes, I'm Nobita. Who are you?"
"Riruru!"
After stating her name, Riruru reached out and helped Nobita up from the ground.
"Nobita, can I go to your house now?" Riruru asked directly, a smile on her face.
Nobita's mind reeled. We just met, and she already wants to come to my house? Isn't this progressing a little too fast?! he mentally screamed.
Before Nobita could even respond, Riruru casually slung an arm around his shoulders. Riruru was a bit taller than Nobita, so to the audience, the scene made Nobita look like a blushing little maiden being embraced by her charming suitor.
This sight made Gian and Suneo incredibly envious, and they immediately tried to intervene. "Hey, this isn't right! We found Nobita first! You can't just take him away!"
However, Riruru didn't answer, simply pulling Nobita along as she walked away.
"That's so rude!!!" Seeing Riruru completely ignore them, Gian and Suneo roared in anger. Suneo even maneuvered his toy robot, intending to teach Riruru a lesson!
But what he didn't expect was…
Riruru merely extended a finger, causing his toy robot to reverse direction and charge towards them, even launching an attack.
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat—
A barrage of rubber bullets pelted Gian and Suneo, making them howl in pain as they clutched their heads and scrambled away in a hasty retreat!
Nobita, watching from the side, was completely flabbergasted. His eyes filled with admiration, he meekly led Riruru back to his home.
...
Real world, Nobita's home.
"That rotten Nobita! How could he just bring a stranger into our house like that!" Tamako Nobi fumed, grinding her teeth. "When he gets back from school today, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind! What if that girl is a bad person?"
"Now, now, calm down. I don't think that girl looks like a bad person," Nobita's dad interjected.
Hearing her husband's words, Tamako Nobi's anger flared even more. "Are you just saying she's not a bad person because she's pretty?! Honestly, you men are all the same!"
Nobita's dad: "..."
He didn't offer a rebuttal this time, because, in all honesty, that was exactly what he had been thinking.
...
Meanwhile, in a future timeline.
Gazing at Nobita on the screen, Dorami let out a sigh, an exasperated look on her face. "That Nobita… he really knows how to cause trouble. Just like that, he brought that Riruru girl home!"
Dorami was a little worried. After all, based on the video footage shown so far, given Riruru's connection to Zanda Claus, she was definitely no ordinary person. If Nobita got involved with her, it would likely lead to a lot of trouble!
"I'll have to tell my brother to keep a closer eye on Nobita from now on!"
...
Returning to the video playback.
After returning home with Riruru, Nobita, completely off his guard, led her to his room. But what puzzled Nobita was that upon entering the room, Riruru completely ignored him and started rummaging through his drawers and cupboards, as if searching for something.
Before Nobita could even ask, Riruru took the initiative, demanding, "Where's the robot?"
Hearing that word, Nobita's expression instantly became one of extreme shock. However, he swallowed hard and, steeling himself, replied, "Robot? What are you talking about?"
Riruru turned to look at Nobita. "You really are Nobita, right?"
"I am!"
"Then you should know where the robot is."
Nobita frowned deeply. "That's strange. Why would you ask that?" Then, he shook his head vigorously. "I don't know anything about it!!"
Seeing the suspicion in Riruru's eyes, Nobita felt a wave of terror wash over him. He could even hear his own heart pounding like a drum, a clear sign of his extreme nervousness!
"Is that so?" Riruru sighed softly, then spoke in a voice laced with sorrow. "That was my very precious robot…"
The next second!
As if he'd heard something utterly unbelievable, Nobita couldn't hold it in any longer. He stared wide-eyed at the unfamiliar red-haired girl before him and yelled, "That was your robot?! How do you have… such a terrifying weapon of destruction!!!"
"So you do know!" Riruru's eyes flashed with a keen light as she stared intently at Nobita.
Just then, Nobita realized he'd been tricked and quickly clamped his hands over his mouth.
Unfortunately, it was too late!
...
Outside the playback screen.
When the audience saw this scene, they couldn't hold back either, and a barrage of comments erupted.
"Oh, for crying out loud! That kid Nobita is going to be the death of me!"
"Yeah, how could he be tricked so easily by that Riruru girl!"
"This Nobita is so dumb! Look at her 'acting' – I don't even know where to begin with my complaints and roasting!"
"Well, you can't blame him too much. He's just a kid, after all!"
"Just a kid? I don't remember being able to pilot a super-giant robot taller than a skyscraper that can shoot lasers when I was a kid!"
"Hey, buddy upstairs, you're not just being salty, are you?"
"Damn right, I'm salty! What about it? Got a problem, come at me!"