Doraemon: Starting by Taking Care of Tamako Nobi

"Waaah! Doraemon!" Noby wailed as he stumbled home, bruised and swollen. The moment he entered, he dashed up to the second floor to cry to the blue robot cat.

Meanwhile, Hiroshi headed to the bathroom for a shower, washing off the sweat from playing baseball and easing his sore muscles with hot water.

Leaning back in the tub, he stared up at the ceiling, savoring the quiet moment of peace, though Noby's crying upstairs was a bit much.

Nobita's mom, Tamako, wasn't home likely out shopping for dinner ingredients so only Doraemon and Hiroshi were left to endure the noise.

After drying off, Hiroshi returned to his room and retrieved the Superpower Training Box that Noby had abandoned after losing interest. Today, he would begin developing his own superpowers.

"Which ability should I start with? X-ray vision, teleportation, telekinesis... If I had to pick the most practical..."

After a moment of thought, he chose to start with telekinesis.

A jack-of-all-trades ability what's not to love? Its applications were far broader than simply moving things around.

Decision made, Hiroshi got to work.

Just three hours. He could handle that. He was the kind of man who could sit through an entire day of boring teacher videos without flinching. His willpower was more than up to the task.

"Rise. Come on, rise..."

Sitting cross-legged on the tatami mat, Hiroshi focused intently on the box on the floor, willing it to lift into the air.

After about ten minutes, it finally wobbled up into the air.

Excited, Hiroshi kept his eyes fixed on it, mentally guiding it higher, steadier, until it hovered firmly in place.

Seems like he had a knack for this. Though... his eyes were starting to feel a little sore.

[Ding! Mental Strength +1]

[Ding! Mental Strength +1]

[Ding! Mental Strength +1]

An hour and a half later, Hiroshi collapsed onto the tatami, rubbing his eyes to ease the fatigue.

With the help of the system, his progress was incredible. He could already make a desk float with perfect stability.

A regular person might take who-knows-how-long to get this far. He figured it was fine to slack off a bit.

Maybe an hour a day?

Yeah, that should be plenty. After all, what the system gave him was worth far more than anything he could grind out on his own.

At this rate, he could master one power in a month. All three within three months. Ten times faster than a normal person.

"Ah, so satisfying."

"Wait... I feel like I'm forgetting something. Oh right! I was supposed to write that diary for Shizuka... almost forgot."

Stretching, Hiroshi sat down at his desk and pulled out the diary, beginning today's entry.

Though, honestly, he and Shizuka were practically glued together every day. There probably wasn't much new to write.

...

...

The next morning.

Hiroshi tossed aside his blue bedsheet, folded it, and tucked it neatly into the closet. He felt unusually refreshed.

Maybe it was the increase in mental strength. Even his usual habit of lazing in bed had vanished. He woke up a full thirty minutes early.

With nothing else to do, he went out for a morning jog to toughen up his fragile physique.

"Here you go, sir. Your newspaper."

After his run, Hiroshi entered the dining room and handed the newspaper retrieved via telekinesis to Mr. Nobi.

"Thank you. If only Noby were as dependable as you."

Mr. Nobi praised him with a smile, the dark bruise on his forehead more noticeable than ever.

He opened the newspaper, lit a cigarette, and lounged in his chair, completely unaware of the looming chaos ahead.

"Aunt Tamako, could I talk to you for a minute?"

Like a spoiled child, Hiroshi clung to her waist. Mr. Nobi, ever the easygoing husband, didn't give it a second thought. Kids will be kids.

"I... um..."

Tamako hesitated, glancing at her husband. It was awkward.

But faced with Hiroshi's pleading puppy-dog eyes, she relented and followed him to a quiet room upstairs.

Face flushed, she helped him with a minor but awkward problem. Though, the problem's origin was... not so minor.

...

...

"Ahem..."

Tamako returned to the stove, coughing into her hand as she resumed frying eggs like nothing had happened.

Hiroshi, now cheerful, swung his legs from his chair, clearly pleased.

After a hearty breakfast, he left for school with a calm-faced Noby, who cheerfully chatted about last night's anime.

Kids at that age really were simple creatures. No grudges overnight. Everything went back to normal by morning.

"Good morning, Shizuka."

Hiroshi arrived at class a few minutes before the bell. Shizuka was already seated, reading a book.

Of course, it wasn't a textbook. It was the latest issue of a popular girls' manga magazine. A must-read for young girls.

"Oh, Hiroshi! Morning!"

She looked up with a bright smile. Today, she wore a pink knit cardigan and a pleated skirt. Absolutely adorable.

Hiroshi couldn't help but glance at her fair legs.

He was already regretting not starting with x-ray vision. But oh well. That was only a matter of time. Still, nothing beats mutual consent.

Ahem... ideally she'd glare at him with disdain while handing over the "base equipment."

"That book must be really interesting. You're totally absorbed."

Taking his seat, Hiroshi turned around and started chatting with her.

"It is! The stories and art are really good."

Peeking over, he saw the manga was full of romantic tales. He skimmed a few pages but didn't find it as entertaining as Masked Lion King.

"You've been reading that too, huh? I have a bunch of back issues at home. If you want, I can lend them to you."

Just then, Suneo swaggered over with his usual smug grin.

Seeing the magazine on Shizuka's desk, he couldn't help but brag.

"That would be great! Thanks, Suneo."

Shizuka smiled politely. She was used to his show-off nature by now. Rich kids did tend to act like that.

"Haha, it's nothing."

"And Hiroshi, if there's anything you want to read, just come to my place."

Suneo leaned on the desk, grinning from ear to ear. But then a massive shadow loomed behind him.

A thick arm wrapped around his neck.

"G... Giant...!"

"Did I just hear something about manga?"

Suneo stiffened, turning his head slowly. He forced a smile, awkward yet polite.

"Oh, nothing! Just talking about some comics, haha..."

"Suneo, I can borrow some from your place too, right?"

Giant rested his elbow on Suneo's shoulder, smiling in a way that sent chills down your spine.

"O... of course! We're good friends, after all! Haha..."

He laughed on the outside, but inside he was screaming.

"You call that borrowing? You practically cleared out my bookshelf! And you never returned a single one!"

Suneo forced a grin, secretly regretting bragging so loudly. The taste of bitter silence was one he knew all too well.