Even now, Ryan still felt that everything that had happened was somewhat unreal.
He had transmigrated for no reason, arrived in Doraemon's world for no reason, become an elementary school student for no reason, and somehow ended up as classmates with Shizuka, Gian, Suneo, and Nobita.
Everything had happened too fast, leaving him almost no time to mentally prepare.
If he hadn't read a few transmigration novels in his previous life, he might have been panicking right now instead of staying calm and composed.
The afternoon classes ended faster than expected.
Perhaps because elementary schools in the U.S. finished earlier, it gave students more free time for after-school activities.
By now, most of his classmates had already gone home.
Their curiosity about the new transfer student had lasted only through the morning—pretty normal, since children's attention rarely stayed fixed on one thing for long.
Anyway, since they would all be studying together for a long time, Ryan wasn't too worried about getting to know them later.
Now that he understood this was the world of Doraemon, Ryan needed to start planning ahead—especially before the crises from the movies began to appear.
While packing his schoolbag, he wondered if he should spend some time after school buying art supplies.
Drawing manga had been the skill he relied on for survival before, and preparing early might come in handy later.
However, as a new international transfer student, Ryan wasn't familiar with the local area at all.
At this moment, he realized he might need a local guide to show him around.
And speaking of a local guide—he happened to know a perfect candidate sitting right beside him.
Ryan's eyes fell on Shizuka, who was also packing her schoolbag.
"Shizuka, are you free after school today?" he asked.
After their earlier conversation, the distance between them had lessened, so asking her didn't feel awkward at all.
"After school?" Shizuka looked up.
"Yes," Ryan said with a friendly smile. "I want to go to the nearby shopping street to buy a few things. If you're free, could you show me the way?"
Since it was only the first day of the new semester, Shizuka's extracurricular lessons hadn't started yet.
It was only around three in the afternoon, and after going home, she usually just did her homework and reviewed her lessons.
"I don't have anything to do this afternoon, so I can go with you!" Shizuka said with a bright smile.
She had always been kind and helpful, and since Ryan had asked sincerely, she didn't hesitate to agree.
In truth, Shizuka was also a little curious about this new transfer student.
Now that she had the chance, she was happy to spend more time getting to know him.
Moreover, after their previous talk, she felt Ryan was easy to get along with—someone who carried a calm and friendly presence.
"Thank you, Shizuka," Ryan said with a small nod.
He knew that with her gentle personality, she rarely refused when someone asked for help.
Still, going shopping with such a sweet and considerate girl was definitely something to look forward to.
After all, in his previous life, Ryan had always liked Minamoto Shizuka—the everyday heroine of the Doraemon series.
In fact, not just Ryan—almost everyone who had watched Doraemon admired Shizuka.
Aside from being fascinated by Doraemon's amazing gadgets from his four-dimensional pocket, most viewers couldn't help but like this gentle girl who always thought about others.
No wonder Nobita was constantly visiting her house.
He always said it was for homework help, but anyone could guess what his real intentions were.
By now, both Ryan and Shizuka had finished packing their bags.
Just as they were about to leave, a familiar figure in a yellow shirt and round glasses appeared in front of them.
Ryan looked up, the corners of his mouth curling into an amused smile.
It was none other than Nobita, who had been late on the first day of school.
"Shizuka! Let's walk home together today!" Nobita said excitedly. "I just found a really fun manga—we can read it on the way!"
He completely ignored Ryan standing next to Shizuka as he eagerly invited her.
"Sorry, Nobita," Shizuka said kindly. "I already promised Ryan that I'd take him to the shopping street after school. Let's read your manga together another time, okay?"
Shizuka was a girl of her word, and once she made a promise, she rarely went back on it.
"Ah? Really? That's not fair..." Nobita said, his face immediately falling in disappointment.
"Well then, Nobita," Shizuka said gently, "if you don't have anything else to do, go home early. Be careful on your way—and don't forget to do your homework!"
Then she turned back to Ryan with a smile. "Let's go. Some shops on the shopping street close early, so if we leave too late, we might miss them."