"Stop!"
The cry echoed out just as the portly man and his family stood there, screaming and watching their crops being destroyed, while the people from Galtite Mining smirked and prepared to leave.
I arrived just in time.
I flew in using the Take-copter I'd gotten from Doraemon earlier, with Roppuru beside me. But looking at the scene, I honestly just felt annoyed. Galtite Mining's people could just pop up and start wrecking things wherever they wanted, playing guerrilla. How was I, one person, supposed to put out fires everywhere at once?
That's also why I hadn't wanted to get involved with Koyakoya's problems in the first place.
If Roppuru hadn't seen the black smoke and insisted on coming, I really wouldn't have bothered with this crap. As long as Roppuru and his family survived, wasn't that enough? I didn't really know the other people here at all.
Oh, well, and then there's Morina, I guess.
On the other side, Roppuru was already shouting at the Galtite Mining guys: "You bastards, get out of these fields right now!"
One of them shot back, "You'd better leave this planet while you can! Our boss has decided—if violence is necessary, we'll use it to drive out the new immigrants."
Boss? Wait, which boss? Could it be the villain who had a shootout with me in the original story?
If it's that guy, this is going to get messy. He's not one of those dumb minions who blurt out their leader's info.
With this realization, I lost all patience for back-and-forth bickering. I cut off Roppuru, who was still trading insults with their little goons.
I just teleported in, dodging purple beams from their guns, throwing up a telekinetic shield to block the shots. Up close, I just punched them; at a distance, I stunned them with my toy gun.
But this time, I didn't hold back at all. On the surface, it looked like I just beat them up, but in reality, I broke their legs and arms—crushed their bones.
That would at least keep these small fry from causing trouble before the final showdown.
A different way to cripple the enemy's fighting strength, I guess.
Of course, I couldn't just kill them outright. Too much blood and gore would ruin my good guy image. After all, being a hero is always more popular than being a villain, right?
And if anyone actually died, the Space Patrol would never let it go. Even Galtite Mining's people wouldn't escalate to murder unless it was the last resort.
….
From far off, someone was watching Nobita slice through their minions like it was nothing.
Head Boss was observing closely. "As expected… not an ordinary kid."
He already knew how things would end, and didn't bother watching any longer, just turned and left.
….
Elsewhere, on a street in Koyakoya, an immigrant burst breathlessly into a tavern, shouting, "It's that kid again! He drove all the Galtite Mining thugs away!"
"Is that true?" the bartender slammed his glass down on the bar, and people crowded around.
"So, Roppuru wasn't lying to us last time?" one immigrant said excitedly.
"I always believed in that kid from the start," another person claimed—hindsight genius.
"As long as he's here, we won't have to fear those Galtite Mining bastards anymore."
…
And so on.
Morina was walking out of a shop, arms full of groceries, when she heard people talking about Galtite Mining getting their asses handed to them.
She thought: It must be Nobita. He's already started fighting back against Galtite Mining… If it's him, maybe he really can save Koyakoya!
But, she wondered, Isn't it kind of pathetic, relying on a child to save the planet? How are we any better than the rest?
Someone in the crowd recognized her.
"Morina, you've met that Earth kid, right?"
Morina hesitated as she started up her little airship, but replied, "He's nothing special, just an ordinary boy."
Then she piloted away.
Someone in the crowd whispered, "She's still hung up on what happened to her father, huh?"
"Yeah… it's been so long already," another replied.
….
After beating back Galtite Mining's goons again, I found myself more popular than ever.
People in every street and alley were singing my praises.
Even I was starting to get a little drunk on it.
Can you blame me? Not in my past life or this one had I ever experienced anything like this—being admired, even worshipped, like some celebrity… no, more like some kind of hero.
Especially when Clem would say, "Nobita-oniichan, you're amazing!"—who could resist the adoration of a beautiful girl? Just one is enough. More than one and you're in trouble.
Can I really resist the temptations of fame and fortune?
But at night, when I was alone, my IQ seemed to return.
That blue moonlight spilled over me, and I couldn't help but sigh:
"So in the end, I'm just an ordinary person. I'm not immune to the lure of fame and fortune."
I thought of Roppuru, sitting sadly on the windowsill earlier.
All this adulation is just clouds—it can vanish in an instant.
If I ever lose, I'll fall even harder, maybe never even make it back to Earth.
The people who lift you up can just as easily throw you down.
A superman with a weakness isn't super anymore.
Too bad, really. I never wanted to be a hero in the first place.
I'm just a selfish little pervert.
But this does warn me—enjoy it, sure, but always be wary.
That doesn't mean I'll give up the perks. On the contrary, I savor this new feeling.
I set a new goal for myself.
Before, I only got involved in these movie plots to stop things from spiraling out of control—if something happened to Earth, what would I do?
If Doraemon and I weren't around to save the day, what if everything went to hell?
I finally have a good life and don't want to start over from scratch.
No one knows if you even get a second chance.
That's why I get involved in these movie adventures. And now that I've got money, of course I want to indulge a little.
But rather than chasing the same old girls in real life, I'd rather go after the special girls in the anime or specials. They're prettier, and it satisfies my collector's kink.
Now, I've found a new purpose:
I want to experience different lives, different possibilities, as long as it's not dangerous.
Can't be a king in real life? Try it in the anime. Want to be a god? Why not?
My thirst for adventure is burning again.
But I'll still play it safe. As long as I can enjoy a good life in the anime, that's my way of survival.
Bathed in blue moonlight, I couldn't help but murmur:
"The blue moon is great. It keeps you clear-headed."
And then I smiled—my usual smile.
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