Suneo stood to the side, grinning like a devil and totally enjoying the show, egging Gian on even more.
"Ah—no, really, I have something important to do…"
Nobita immediately chickened out. He flailed his hands nervously and instinctively started backing away.
"We're one player short for baseball today. If you don't come…"
As Gian spoke, he clenched his thick, meaty fist and gave it a threatening little swing in front of Nobita.
"You know what happens, right?"
"I… I get it…"
Faced with a fist the size of a rice cooker, Nobita could only force a pitiful expression and give in, watching helplessly as Lin Yu and Shizuka walked farther and farther away.
After leaving school, Lin Yu brought Shizuka back to his house for a quick stop.
Over the past couple of months, the only places Lin Yu was really familiar with were home and school. The farthest he'd ever gone was the convenience store near his house.
Everything else? Total blank slate.
When he transmigrated here, other than being able to speak and read the language and having a proper identity, he had basically nothing.
Thankfully, his home life was pretty chill—there weren't any restrictions or control.
In this life, his family situation was extremely simple. His parents had passed away when he was young, and he'd been taken in by his aunt, a historian.
Lin Yu often wanted to joke about studying history in a country like Japan, but hey—it's the world of Doraemon. Logic already left the building.
His aunt had never married, and her job required constant travel, so she was hardly ever home.
Honestly, it felt less like being adopted and more like just living on his own from an early age.
Because of this, every time his aunt went on a trip, she'd leave him a decent amount of living expenses.
Considering Japan's cost of living, it was more than enough—not only to cover daily needs but also to afford art supplies for drawing manga.
"Is this where you live, Lin Yu?"
"This is actually my first time visiting your house," Shizuka said curiously as they arrived at a quaint, standalone home after walking for a few minutes.
"Technically, you're the first classmate to ever visit," Lin Yu said with a smile, unlocking the door.
"Make yourself comfy in the living room while I grab a few things."
"Sorry to intrude," Shizuka said politely as she changed into indoor slippers and followed Lin Yu into the house.
"You don't have to be so formal—I'm the only one who lives here."
"Huh? You live alone?" Shizuka's eyes widened in surprise, her bright eyes full of curiosity.
"Yeah. My parents passed away a while ago, so my aunt took me in. She travels a lot for work, so most of the time I'm by myself."
"I'm so sorry... I didn't know."
"It's okay, don't worry about it. I'm used to it," Lin Yu said casually.
Shizuka looked around the tidy home and felt a wave of sympathy and guilt. She hadn't meant to bring up something so personal.
Living alone sounded cool and independent on the surface, but when she imagined being by herself—no one to cook, no one to talk to, no love or warmth—it felt incredibly lonely.
"Lin Yu, you're really amazing…"
Shizuka said softly, starting to understand him a bit more.
No wonder he seemed more mature than the other kids in class—this was the reason why.
She also recalled their teacher, Mr. Terakoya, specifically asking her to look after Lin Yu since they sat next to each other. Now, she understood why.
Even though she was just a kid herself, something maternal stirred in her heart.
"It's really not that bad. If anything, I actually enjoy the freedom," Lin Yu said with a chuckle as he motioned for her to sit. Then, he headed upstairs to grab some cash.
Watching his calm, gentle smile as he walked away, Shizuka sat quietly in the living room, lost in thought.
'Lin Yu really is a strong person…'
Upstairs, Lin Yu pulled a few thousand-yen bills from a drawer, then paused. After thinking for a moment, he put them back and grabbed a 10,000-yen note instead.
Turns out, his historian aunt had a solid salary for the era—he remembered her saying she earned over 4 million yen a year.
So when it came to supporting Lin Yu's daily life, she never cut corners.
Still, since he had no prior experience with art supplies in either this life or the last, he had no idea how much things would cost.
Better to be safe than sorry.
After tucking the money away and dumping out the textbooks from his bag, Lin Yu was ready to leave with Shizuka.
When he returned to the living room, Shizuka was still sitting on the sofa, zoning out a little.
Lin Yu grabbed two cans of juice from the fridge and walked over.
"Here—have a drink."
Grinning mischievously, he lightly pressed the cold can to Shizuka's cheek.
"Ah!" she yelped from the sudden chill, then quickly came to her senses and laughed, patting her chest.
"You scared me, Lin Yu!"
"Sorry, sorry. What were you thinking about just now?"
Shizuka took the drink and smiled.
"Nothing really. I was just thinking... it must be a little lonely, living by yourself."
"Maybe. I don't really feel that way though. Anyway, let's head out before it gets too late."
And with that, the two left the house together.
"So, what are you planning to buy?" Shizuka asked as they walked side by side.
"Is it groceries or something?"
Usually, she only went to the shopping district with her mom or to help buy small things like soy sauce or snacks.
Earlier, when Lin Yu said he needed to buy some daily necessities, she didn't think much of it.
But now that she knew he lived alone, she couldn't help feeling curious—and a little impressed.
"Nah, I'm actually going to buy supplies for drawing manga."
"Wait—manga supplies?!" Shizuka blinked, surprised. But then something seemed to click in her mind.