Like an oncoming flood, challenges kept coming and Doraemon kept solving them. Each time, Nobita became more independent. Each time, Doraemon grew less necessary in Nobita's life.
With intense training with Doraemon, Nobita became a decent athlete, while not as good as Dekisugi and Gian, he could hold his own against most of the others. He finally learned to swim after Doraemon took him to the middle of the ocean and refused to allow him to leave until he learned how to swim. Nobita at long last learned how to ski after a long month in the mountains with Doraemon as relentless coach. He became adept at his studies, always bringing pride to his parents and Doraemon.
As for Doraemon, with each success, he felt a surge of pride but at the same time, a sense of loss. Nobita now sought his help less frequently and his increasing competence made him more popular so he had more friends to play with, hanging out with Doraemon less and less.
Eight years had passed and Nobita had entered college with Gian, Suneo, Shizuka and Dekisugi. Nobita still lived with his parents, but his heavy workload allowed him little time to spend with Doraemon.
As always, Doraemon kept his silence.
DDDDDDD
"You're doing a wonderful job, oni-san," said Dorami in the Time TV. "Our situation here is improving drastically!"
"That's good," said Doraemon, a wistful smile on his wide face.
"Is something wrong?" asked Dorami, noticing the smile and becoming concerned.
"No, everything is fine," answered Doraemon with a sigh.
"Are you sure?" asked the younger cat-robot.
Doraemon just nodded his head.
Dorami still looked uncertain, but did not press. Instead, she decided to move on to another topic that had been on her mind for quite some time.
"When are you coming back?"
The simple question stumped Doraemon. He had been so immersed with his work that he had never stopped to contemplate about what would happen afterwards. He had never thought about returning to the future especially after spending so much time in the 20th century, which had become a home to him.
"I don't know yet," he answered honestly.
"At the rate things are going, Nobita will do just fine," said Dorami, smiling at her brother. "You can come home now, if you want. Your work is practically done."
"Not yet," answered Doraemon. "There's one aspect of his life that hasn't been secured yet. Things have altered drastically and I have to make sure that all the pieces fall into the right places…"
"What are you talking about?" asked Dorami.
Doraemon sighed. "I have to make sure he gets married."
Dorami looked a little surprised but nodded. "I guess you're right, but that would take…"
"…as long as it has to," finished Doraemon firmly. "I have to see this through."
"I understand…" said Dorami quietly, looking sad at the thought that her brother would not return sooner.
"Thank you," answered Doraemon. The truth however, was that Doraemon still did not want to be separated from Nobita.
Not yet.
"Send my best wishes to Sewashi-kun and the rest of the family," he said before switching off the machine.
He looked up at the clock and saw that it was nearly 9 o'clock at night. Nobita should be home soon…
"DORAEMON!"
Doraemon jumped. It had been awhile since he last heard it, but he could never fail to recognise it. The voice that had once so often uttered it was now older and more mature, but the whiny and pleading edge was still there. It was Nobita's call for help.
Doraemon looked at the door, wondering what kind of request Nobita would make of him…
DDDDDDDD
That Nobita, Shizuka, Gian and Suneo had decided to attend the same college was no surprise at all. After all, the four of them had been together for a long time and wanted to be together a little longer before they finally went their separate ways to pursue their dreams.
Gian wanted to become a sports star for the new sport he had discovered and was really good at: American Football. Scouts were already raving about his phenomenal ability as a lineman. But Gian was surprisingly wise, he knew that injuries were a very real risk in the sport; therefore he decided that he should have something fall back on as backup. He decided to study to become a cardiologist while at the same time, pursue his American Football dream.
Suneo already had a family business to inherit, but at his insistence, his parents had allowed him to study engineering in the unlikely event their business falls apart. But it was also because it was a profitable profession and would bring the Honekawa family even more money. It was also what their son loved to do.
Shizuka had decided that she wanted to go into journalism, backed by her desire to see the world. It was also because she found that she was much better at writing than playing the violin, much to everyone's relief.
As for Nobita, he still had no idea what he wanted to do. While he was now very good in his studies, he was still uncertain about his own future. He often talked to his parents and Doraemon about the possibilities, but had been unable to come to a decision. However, he decided that he would study multimedia, as it interested him the most.
So the four had entered the same college was different goals in mind.
However, they had all been surprised when they were joined by an unexpected, but very much welcomed friend: Hidetoshi Dekisugi, who happened to be studying the same course as Nobita. They all knew that he had won a scholarship to a highly prestigious university, but it turned out that he had declined in order to be closer to home to look after his ill mother.
So Nobita and Dekisugi studied together and before long, their classmates realised that they were witnessing a battle of two incredible intellects. Nobita and Dekisugi were both very bright and rivaled each other in their studies.
But after months, Nobita, who had once resented Dekisugi, grew to respect him. Dekisugi, who knew that Nobita was once an intellectual cripple, grew to respect him as well. The two even became friends.
One day, they had both been on their break and were having some coffee with their lunch.
Dekisugi smiled when Nobita asked the waitress to pack some dorayaki for him to take home.
"So, Doraemon is still living with you?" he asked.
"Yes," answered Nobita. "Most of the time he just helps around the house and spends time working at an old folks' home."
"The two of you are very close," stated Dekisugi.
"He's like a brother to me," said Nobita. "He's always been there for me and he was the one who helped me turn my life around."
Dekisugi nodded. He sipped his coffee for awhile before speaking up.
"Nobita-san," he said, looking down at the black liquid in his cup. "It's kind of embarrassing for me to ask you this…but, does Shizuka-san talk about me?"
Nobita looked a little surprised, but recovered. He knew that Shizuka liked Dekisugi very much and even though his future with her, thanks to a little intervention from Doraemon, was pretty much assured, he still felt a little threatened when it came to a potential relationship between Shizuka and Dekisugi.
But Dekisugi was his friend and he therefore deserved the truth. "Sometimes, I think you're the only thing she talks about."
Dekisugi looked a little surprised.
"Hide-san, she likes you a lot," said Nobita. "But she feels that you don't like her…"
"Why would she think that?" asked Dekisugi.
"Because you spend so much time competing with me in our studies," answered Nobita, chuckling. "She's actually jealous about it!"
Both of them laughed for awhile before paying for their meal and heading off to class.
Throughout the rest of the day, Shizuka was the main thing on Nobita's mind. Doraemon had once said, even if they alter events to shape the future to their liking, events in the past can still alter the future.
Deep down, Nobita knew that this was one of those events. He had to make a move and soon.
After class, Nobita was about to head for the train station to go home when he ran into Shizuka.
"Nobita-kun!" she greeted. "I haven't seen you around lately. How are your classes going?"
Nobita blushed. Shizuka had grown from a pretty little girl to a beautiful young woman. Gone were the short childish pigtails, replaced by an elegant looking ponytail. The once roundish face had grown become more angular and much more appealing. Her choice of dress had also matured with her age. Instead of the conservative blouse and skirt that she once donned during childhood, she now wore a simple blue sleeveless shirt and jeans that ended just after the knee.
"Hi, Shizuka-chan," Nobita greeted quietly. "Classes are fine, how about you?"
"Same old, same old," answered Shizuka, laughing a little as she tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, unaware how appealing it looked to Nobita. "Are you going home?"
"Yes, I'm on the way to the station actually," answered Nobita.
"I see, well I better don't keep you or else you'll miss your train," said Shizuka. "I'll see you around then, Nobita-kun."
Nobita watched her walk away, her red hair gleaming in the setting sun. Suddenly, it all clicked. Nobita chased her quickly, crying: "Shizuka-chan, wait!"
Shizuka turned to look at her bespectacled friend.
"Are you free on Sunday?" asked Nobita.
"Yes, why?" asked Shizuka.
"You see, Gian-san gave me tickets for his game on Sunday," said Nobita. "I asked Doraemon but he says he has to be somewhere on that day. So I was wondering that maybe you and I could…"
"I'd love to!" said Shizuka brightly.
"Really?" asked Nobita, hardly able to believe his good luck. "Great! Then maybe we could go and some dinner somewhere or something."
"Sounds great," answered Shizuka. "I'll see you on Sunday then, Nobita-kun."
"All right," said Nobita happily.
DDDDDDDD
It normally takes an hour for the train to reach the nearest station to his home and another hour for him to walk home. But on that day, Nobita took the train to the Tokyo Dome to see where the best restaurants would be so that he could take Shizuka there. He listed a few and crossed several off. He finally found one that he could afford, but found that he needed to make reservations at least a week before as it was a popular place and it was a Friday. He decided that he would need Doraemon's help for this.
The moment he reached home, he immediately cried out: "DORAEMON!"
Bursting through the door, he quickly told the cat-robot of his plans and dilemma. For a moment, he noticed a funny far-away look on Doraemon's face, but then quickly begged the cat-robot to help him.
DDDDDDDD
As Doraemon listened to Nobita's elaborate plea for help, he couldn't help but feel a little nostalgic. He could see in the tall, long-haired young man before him the little and helpless boy he used to be. He could almost remember all the impossible and far-fetched demands that the boy used to make of him.
Doraemon awoke from the nostalgia when Nobita shook his hand in front of his face.
"Hello?" said Nobita. "Doraemon, are you all right?"
"I'm fine, Nobita-kun," answered Doraemon, shaking his head to clear it a little.
"So could you help me?"
Doraemon chortled with amusement.
"Since when have I ever refused you?"
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