"Doraemon! Doraemon! Are you there?!"
Heavy footsteps thudded up the wooden stairs, followed by half-crying, half-wailing shouts.
Nobi Nobita burst into the room, grabbed Doraemon's arm, and shook him violently, his face pale with panic.
"You have to help me this time, or I'm completely doomed!"
Startled, Doraemon turned around and frowned. "What is it now, Nobita? Did Gian and the others bully you again?"
"No! It's not that!" Nobita cried loudly, tears already welling up.
"There's a math test tomorrow! If I don't do well, the teacher will call my parents! I'm definitely going to fail, so… please help me, Doraemon! If you don't help me, my mom will never let me off!"
Tears and snot flowed freely. Nobita was an old hand at this—his pitiful performance was so practiced that even he felt sorry for himself.
"…Alright, alright," Doraemon sighed helplessly. He reached into his Fourth-Dimensional Pocket and pulled something out. "Here. Powerful Fan."
Nobita's eyes lit up immediately. "Thank you, Doraemon! But… how do I use this thing?"
"Simple," Doraemon replied calmly. "Use it to blow the school away. Then you won't have to take the test."
"Blow the school away?! Are you insane?!" Nobita screamed.
Doraemon wasn't done. He pulled out another gadget and said casually, "No? Then how about this flashlight? We can turn the teacher into a gorilla."
Two gadgets in a row, neither of them helpful.
Completely dissatisfied, Nobita shouted, "Can you seriously think of a solution for me?!"
"Hmph," Doraemon snorted, clearly annoyed.
"In the end, this is entirely your own fault, Nobita. If you studied properly on a daily basis, you wouldn't panic every time there's a test."
Fed up, Doraemon turned around and started to leave.
"Wait! Don't go, Doraemon!" Nobita rushed after him and clung desperately to his body.
"I swear—this is the last time! I'll really study hard from now on! As long as you help me pass this test, Shizuka will like me! You don't want me to be disliked, do you?!"
Doraemon froze. His heart wavered.
If Nobita relied on gadgets forever, he would never truly improve. None of it would be his own ability—and one day, he would become completely useless.
"…Sigh." Doraemon rubbed his forehead. "Is this really the last time?"
He already knew the answer. After all, this wasn't the first time Nobita had sworn like this.
"Yes! Yes! I swear!" Nobita nodded frantically, like pounding garlic.
"…Alright," Doraemon said reluctantly. "Remember what you said."
He rummaged through his Fourth-Dimensional Pocket again and soon pulled something out. "Memory Bread."
He explained patiently, "Just press the textbook onto the toast like this, then eat it. You'll remember everything printed on it."
Doraemon demonstrated by pressing Nobita's textbook onto the bread. After eating it, Nobita immediately recited the content word for word.
"See? Simple, right?"
"Yay! Thank you, Doraemon!" Nobita's eyes sparkled. "With this, I don't have to worry about the test anymore! Shizuka will definitely look at me differently!"
With a twisted grin, Nobita began stuffing his mouth with Memory Bread while Doraemon continued printing toast for him.
At that moment, Hiroshi returned home. Doraemon noticed him and asked casually, "Hiroshi, you're back. Do you want some Memory Bread? It can help with tomorrow's test."
"No thanks, Doraemon," Hiroshi replied calmly, shaking his head. "I appreciate it, but I'm not worried about the test."
He glanced at Nobita and added, "You should still review on your own. If you forget everything tomorrow, you'll be in trouble."
Hiroshi knew very well that once the effect wore off, everything eaten would be expelled the next day, leaving nothing behind but regret.
"Tch," Nobita scoffed with a mouth full of toast.
"I'm offering you a gadget out of goodwill, and you don't even want it. Tomorrow, I'll definitely score higher than all of you!"
As he spoke, he suddenly choked and started pounding his chest wildly.
"Nobita, can you go buy some groceries for me?" Nobi Tamako's voice came from downstairs. A moment later, she appeared at the door holding a shopping basket.
"Oh—Doraemon," Nobita said quickly. "Can you run the errand for me?"
Doraemon frowned. "How can I do that? Mom was calling you, wasn't she?"
"But I'm very busy right now," Nobita replied shamelessly, not moving an inch.
"…I really can't do anything with you," Doraemon sighed.
Just as he reached for the basket, Hiroshi stepped forward and took it first. "I'll go."
"Really?" Doraemon smiled. "Thank you, Hiroshi."
"But can I borrow your Bamboo-Copter?" Hiroshi asked.
"Of course. Use it freely."
Doraemon handed it over and went back to helping Nobita with the toast.
"Bamboo-Copter…"
Stepping outside, Hiroshi examined the small gadget carefully, excitement welling up inside him.
A tiny propeller that could lift a person into the sky—and somehow not rip their scalp off. Truly miraculous.
"It shouldn't crash… right?"
Taking a deep breath, he placed it on his head and flipped the small switch.
At first, he wobbled awkwardly, circling above the rooftop. After adjusting, he flew smoothly toward the street.
"Wow…"
The sun was sinking below the horizon. Fiery clouds slowly faded into soft white, like angel wings stretched across the sky.
From above, the town at dusk looked like a golden crescent fallen into the Milky Way.
People moved through the streets below, and in the distance, the school's back mountain stood lush and green. Everything looked like a living painting.
Hiroshi felt something stir deep in his chest. His lips parted unconsciously.
It's been a long day without you, my friend…
And I'll tell you all about it when I see you again…
We've come a long way from where we began…
Oh, I'll tell you all about it when I see you again…
His voice drifted down from the sky, gentle and sincere.
People below stopped in their tracks. No one knew why—but a strange warmth welled up in their hearts. Some even wiped at their eyes.
Hiroshi hovered quietly above the town, letting the final notes fade into the evening air.
Tomorrow was the exam.
But tonight—
The world felt unexpectedly beautiful.
...
Author's Update 18+ 📢
The fanfic Naruto: Raised by Kushina, Took His Brother's Wife – Part 1 is now officially fully completed!
It is now available on Patreon for all tiers, including the lowest Tier 1.
The complete Part 1 has been uploaded on Patreon.
📚 Category: Naruto 18+
🔗 patreon.com/Shadow_demon_007
Thank you all for your continuous love, support, and patience for this story 💙