Lu Ming and Shizuka watched as Nobita slowly shuffled toward them. The two sighed and walked over to him.
As Shizuka drew closer, Nobita's sense of discomfort grew stronger. The intense stimulation caused him to retreat a few steps.
Shizuka happened to see this, and her eyes dimmed as she watched Nobita back away. Lu Ming saw this but didn't know how to comfort her, so he remained silent.
After a moment of recovery, Nobita walked toward Shizuka and Lu Ming, and the two groups soon met.
Shizuka's face darkened, and she asked in a serious tone, "Nobita, tell the truth! Was that bottle of mineral water you gave Lu Ming just now a gadget you took from Doraemon?"
Nobita shuddered under Shizuka's stern gaze. "No, Shizuka! That bottle of mineral water was real. I just... I just added a bit of annoyance potion to it."
Shizuka stared at him. "Then why! Why did you give that tainted water to Lu Ming?"
Nobita stammered, "I saw that after you became desk-mates with Lu Ming, you've been chatting and studying with him every day. You don't come to play with me anymore."
I got the annoyance potion from Doraemon because I... I just wanted Shizuka to hate Lu Ming after he drank it."
Lu Ming suddenly spoke up, "So, because of that, you went to Doraemon for the 'annoyance potion' to use against me?"
Nobita said tremulously, "No... no, I only wanted Shizuka to hate you. I didn't expect... I didn't expect it to turn out like this!"
Lu Ming nodded helplessly. Though he felt a bit annoyed, seeing Nobita's remorseful look, he knew there was no point in blaming him further.
Lu Ming looked at Nobita with a serious expression. "The most important thing now is to solve the problem with Shizuka."
Nobita, do you have an antidote on you? If you do, take it out and give it to Shizuka quickly."
Nobita, you can't let Shizuka be hated and avoided by everyone forever."
Shizuka looked at Nobita expectantly, hoping he would produce an antidote.
Nobita scratched his head awkwardly. "I... I don't have an antidote on me. Besides, I'm not even very clear on the specific abilities of this gadget."
Lu Ming's face was covered in black lines as he pressed a hand to his forehead. "Nobita, you really...!" Lu Ming took a deep breath. "You don't even know the specific abilities of this gadget, yet you dared to use it on someone else?"
Lu Ming was truly exasperated. "Weren't you afraid I might just die after drinking that water?"
Nobita immediately grew nervous. "Then what should we do! Will Shizuka die since she drank it? I don't want Shizuka to die!"
Shizuka looked at the dazed Nobita, then at the speechless Lu Ming.
"Alright, alright, let's leave it at that for now! Since Nobita doesn't have an antidote, we'll just have to wait until after school to find Doraemon and see," Shizuka said.
Lu Ming sighed. "That's all we can do."
However, when they returned to the classroom for lessons, the only people sitting inside were Lu Ming, Shizuka, and Nobita. The other students didn't dare enter.
Even the school teachers stayed far away. Left with no choice, Lu Ming had to go find a teacher to request leave for Shizuka and himself.
Once the teacher understood the situation, the leave requests for Shizuka and Lu Ming were easily approved.
Nobita could only watch gloomily as Lu Ming and Shizuka walked out of the school hand in hand.
As Lu Ming and Shizuka walked toward Nobita's house, whether they were pedestrians or vehicles, everyone turned around or detoured upon sensing the aura emanating from Shizuka.
Shizuka looked at the empty streets before her; even the shops on both sides of the road closed their doors as they felt her approach.
On this empty street, although the two were talking and laughing, the atmosphere remained very oppressive.
Fortunately, Nobita's house wasn't very far from the school, and Lu Ming and Shizuka soon arrived downstairs.
Lu Ming stepped forward and knocked on the door, but there was no movement inside the house.
Just as Lu Ming was about to knock again, the door was suddenly flung open, and Nobita's Mother, Nobita's Mother, dashed out.
Lu Ming saw that Doraemon also wanted to escape and quickly tackled him to the ground.
As Shizuka approached, the Doraemon in Lu Ming's arms began to struggle violently.
Seeing this, Lu Ming told Shizuka to wait for him further away.
Once Shizuka moved away, both Lu Ming and Doraemon breathed a sigh of relief. Although Lu Ming had been with Shizuka for a long time, he still couldn't adapt to that feeling of psychological and physiological distress.
After a moment of recovery, Lu Ming and Doraemon lay on the ground.
Having regained his composure, Lu Ming looked at Doraemon. "Is there an antidote for the annoyance potion?" Lu Ming asked.
Doraemon sighed and shook his head.
"No. After all, this is just a toy for children to experience the feeling of being disliked. Besides, the effects of the annoyance potion disappear after three days, so there was never any need to develop an antidote."
Lu Ming let out a long sigh and looked seriously at Doraemon. "Are there really no other gadgets that can make this annoyance potion lose its effect faster?"
Doraemon said with certainty, "There are! But all the gadgets that could solve this problem have been taken to the future by my sister for repairs."
Hearing this, Lu Ming took a deep breath and exhaled. "In that case, I'll have to use my own method to solve it."
Doraemon looked at Lu Ming in surprise. "You have a way to solve it? What is it?"
Lu Ming looked at Doraemon. "I do have a way! But I cannot disclose it to you."
Saying this, Lu Ming stood up and walked toward Shizuka.
Lu Ming walked up to Shizuka and smiled. "Let's go to my house! I've already learned the solution from Doraemon."
Arriving at Lu Ming's house, Shizuka looked at the luxurious villa before her. "This is even more luxurious than Suneo's house, and it's much bigger too!"
Lu Ming, what does your family do? You're so rich!"
Lu Ming smiled. "My family sells a bit of everything," Lu Ming said vaguely.
In truth, he wasn't very clear himself; his parents managed everything.
Lu Ming led Shizuka into the living room and turned on the TV for her. "Shizuka, watch some TV here for a while. I'll go get the antidote for you."
Lu Ming looked around the villa but couldn't find Lin Hua, and the all-purpose cloud gas that had been in the living room was also gone.
After thinking about it, he knew Lin Hua must have taken the bamboo copter and cloud solidifying gas out to play.
Lu Ming didn't think about it further. He returned to his room and entered the Manufacturing Space.
Inside the Manufacturing Space, Lu Ming recalled the production method and upgrade plans for the annoyance potion in his mind.
After reviewing the information, his strong will demanded the creation of an antidote for the annoyance potion.
In an instant, all the information regarding the annoyance potion in Lu Ming's mind merged together, deriving an antidote through the production methods.
The plan soon manifested in Lu Ming's mind. Having obtained the formula for the annoyance potion's antidote, Lu Ming raised his hand, and various materials materialized out of thin air.
In Lu Ming's palm, they slowly fused to form a mass of transparent liquid.
With a wave of his hand, Lu Ming created a test tube and filled it with the liquid.
With a beckoning motion, Lu Ming grasped the antidote in his hand. He looked at it and then exited the Manufacturing Space.