Chapter 5: The Game Book

After school, Nobita parted ways with Dekisugi, promising to meet up at his house after they had both stopped home first. He could have walked home with him, but even after class, Dekisugi was constantly surrounded by people trying to talk to him, and it was always a struggle to push through the crowd.

Today, they had been assigned a mountain of homework. Nobita wandered aimlessly toward home, daydreaming that perhaps, without realizing it, the Teacher had been affected by some Secret Gadget and caught a "Mountain-of-Homework Disease." Surprisingly, it was Shizuka who called out to him.

"Nobita-san! Suneo-san is hosting a study group at his place. Would you like to join us?"

Suneo had likely invited Shizuka to help him deal with the heavy workload. Suneo’s house was spacious, the air conditioning would be perfect, and they would surely be served snacks and juice from expensive brands a rich kid would know. Nobita knew instantly that Suneo hadn't intended for him to be there; Shizuka was just being kind by inviting him. However, Nobita shook his head.

"Sorry, Shizuka-chan. I already promised Dekisugi that she’d help me study today."

If not for that promise, he would have followed her in a heartbeat, but unfortunately, he had a prior engagement. It was a shame he couldn't study with Shizuka, but the homework would get done either way—and perhaps he could concentrate better without Gian and Suneo around.

Nobita offered his refusal as apologetically as possible. Shizuka looked a bit disappointed but nodded.

"Oh, that’s too bad. Well, I’ll invite you again next time!"

Waving goodbye, Shizuka headed toward Suneo’s house. Watching her walk away, Nobita headed home and sat at his desk, deciding to try a little bit of the work himself before Dekisugi arrived.

"Huh? The first few problems are just like the ones from yesterday."

Looking closely, many of the early questions were familiar. It made sense; the Teacher actually put thought into the homework he gave the students. If you did your daily lessons and assignments properly, the review work wasn't actually that difficult.

In fact, while the volume was high this time, the Teacher had intentionally gathered similar problems from yesterday at the start to help the students build momentum. Had he noticed this before, Nobita might have finished his homework easily every time. Unfortunately, he had never realized it until now as he kept solving the problems.

"At this rate, I might actually finish this in no time!"

As he hummed along, solving the problems, he heard his Mom's voice from downstairs.

"Nobita! Dekisugi-san is here!"

"Coming!"

When he went down the stairs to the front door, Dekisugi was standing there with a smile. Nobita was stunned; the outfit was completely different from what he wore at school. Usually, Dekisugi wore plain shirts and trousers, but now, he was dressed in something adorable that Nobita had never seen him wear before.

Wearing a ruffled dress and cute sandals, Dekisugi stood there as Nobita stared in disbelief.

"My parents told me that if I’m going out, I should dress up a bit for once. H-how do I look?"

Blushing shyly and fidgeting with a handbag, Dekisugi asked for Nobita's opinion. Flustered by the adorable gesture, Nobita managed to squeeze out some words.

"It suits you! Come on, don't just stand there, come up to my room."

Unlike his usual composed self, Dekisugi looked quite childish, evoking a strange protective instinct in Nobita. Still, he felt bad leaving him standing at the door—and honestly, focusing on homework felt much safer for his mental state than staring at Dekisugi face-to-face.

Nobita simply wasn't the type of guy who could pull off clever compliments.

The room had been tidied up (mostly), and a small folding table sat in the center. Nobita pulled some floor cushions from the closet and offered one to Dekisugi. The study environment was ready. Nobita moved his half-finished work across the desk as Dekisugi took out study supplies from the bag.

"Oh, you've already started the homework?"

"Yeah, I was bored, so I figured why not. It's mostly the same kind of problems, so I’m managing on my own for once."

Feeling a bit proud that he was doing it without help, Nobita spoke with a hint of a boast. Dekisugi leaned in to look closely at the notebook.

"Nobi-kun, I think you might have misunderstood this part here."

"Eh? Where?"

"Look, right here on question three."

Reaching for the notebook, Nobita recalculated the section Dekisugi pointed to. The result was completely different from what he had written.

"You're right! Thanks, Dekisugi-kun."

"You're welcome. But at this rate, it really looks like you could finish this all by yourself."

From there, the two worked in silence. Dekisugi didn't interrupt, but whenever Nobita asked a question, he wouldn't just give the answer; he would carefully explain the method. His teaching style was so clear that Nobita was genuinely impressed by his "Teacher-like" skills.

(He's really good at teaching. This is going much smoother than it would have at Suneo's place.)

When studying in a big group, everyone progressed at different speeds, and the sound of other people chatting was surprisingly distracting. Furthermore, while Nobita would usually whine and give up, he felt bad doing that in front of a focused Dekisugi, so he worked as hard as he could. If he were with Shizuka, he’d probably just want to talk, but looking at the math formulas in his notebook was much easier on his heart than staring at the current, "cute" version of Dekisugi.

After about an hour of progress, Nobita suddenly noticed something.

"Wait, are you already done with your homework?"

Dekisugi was the type of person who could finish in ten minutes what would take Nobita all night. Even though Nobita had a head start, it was obvious Dekisugi would finish first. Despite stopping to teach Nobita, he had already finished his own work.

"Even if I'm done, I can just preview the next chapters in the textbook, so don't worry about me, Nobi-kun."

"I know, but I feel bad making you wait while I'm doing nothing but homework..."

He felt guilty making his guest sit there. He couldn't exactly play with him yet, so he looked around the room for something to kill time.

(I guess I could let him play a game... Oh, wait, Dekisugi doesn't really play these, does he?)

That was "Greatest Flaw Number Two" of the over-achieving Dekisugi: he tended to clear games almost instantly and wasn't the type to get obsessed with them.

(He cleared that future Game Book in no time, too. I need to think of something else. Oh! A book! Books take time to read.)

Nobita stood up and looked at his bookshelf. While it was mostly full of manga, Nobita’s shelf surprisingly had a decent collection of prose books as well. He figured it was best to let Dekisugi choose.

"I still have a long way to go, so why don't you read something? I have plenty of manga, but I have some regular books, too."

Dekisugi stood up and browsed the shelf next to Nobita.

"Heh, you have a lot of biographies of great people. I lent you Two Years' Vacation before, but do you not read many novels?"

"Most of my allowance goes to manga. I read novels sometimes if I borrow them—like The Invisible Man or Sherlock Holmes."

"You're more of a reader than I thought. That's a side of you I didn't know."

Nobita felt that compared to a bibliophile like Dekisugi who had read all the classics, he was nothing special, but being praised still felt good.

"Well then, let me pick something out. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask."

With that settled, Nobita could focus on his homework without guilt. For the next hour, he asked Dekisugi whenever he got stuck, learned the methods, and tackled the problems. By the time another hour had passed, he had managed to fill every blank space in his assignment. He stretched his arms to relax his stiff muscles.

"I did it! I've never finished homework this fast before!"

"Haha, that's great. It makes my teaching feel worthwhile."

"Thanks! You're a really good teacher, Dekisugi-kun."

Nobita couldn't help but shower him with praise. It had been forever since he’d done this much homework by his own strength. What no one else had been able to help him achieve, Dekisugi had accomplished with ease. The best part was how he taught—the thrill of actually understanding the process and finding the answer yourself was special.

"At this rate, I’ll want to call you over every time there’s homework!"

"I’d like that! Why don't we make this a regular study group?"

"Eh!?"

Nobita was surprised that Dekisugi actually took his casual suggestion seriously.

"I-I mean, I don't want to keep taking up your time."

"I couldn't do it every day, of course, but studying together once a week wouldn't be a bother at all. Besides, you're a quick learner, and your ideas and perspectives are often better than mine. I find it very stimulating."

In terms of sheer knowledge and the drive to acquire it, few classmates could rival Dekisugi. Those were things Nobita lacked, but Nobita had a different strength. Because he didn't always know the "correct" answer, his thinking was flexible and free from preconceived notions. Sometimes, he arrived at answers in ways Dekisugi would never have imagined. Dekisugi welcomed the proposal because he recognized that their combined perspectives could open new paths.

While Nobita was wondering how to politely decline, Dekisugi gave a mischievous grin. The smile was somewhat boyish, reminding Nobita of just how handsome—or pretty—Dekisugi's features were.

"Actually, a lot of people have been asking me to start a study group, and it's been hard to say no. But if I tell them I’m already doing one at your house, it’ll be easier to turn them down. I feel bad for using you as a breakwater, but would you mind helping me out?"

"A breakwater?"

"Um... it's like a wall built in the sea to catch high waves so they don't damage the land."

After the explanation, Nobita finally understood. A breakwater was a barrier to stop the crowds from rushing in. However, he didn't think he was the right person for the job.

"I don't think studying with me once a week will stop them much..."

"I think most people who ask to 'study' with me don't actually want to study—they just want to chat. But if I say I’m with you, I think some people will give up more easily."

"Hmm, is that how it works? Well, if I can be of help, I don't mind."

Actually, he did mind. Even if it was only once a week, he didn't exactly want to have a study group. But as mentioned, Nobita felt a sense of obligation, and more importantly, he could never say no to someone genuinely asking for help.

(I guess it’s the same logic as when I invite Shizuka-chan to study. If I hear she’s already studying with someone else, I tend to back off.)

Come to think of it, whenever he heard Shizuka and Dekisugi were studying together, he never tried to jump in. Of course, in his case, it was because being squeezed between two geniuses was suffocating.

Nobita decided to double-check if Shizuka wouldn't be a better choice.

"If you need a 'breakwater,' wouldn't it be better to ask Shizuka-chan? You're both smart, so it would take a lot of courage for a non-studious person to interrupt you two."

"But then it would be a study group with two girls. That would just attract a huge crowd of other girls, and... well, Shizuka-kun and I are... you know, popular with the boys. If the two of us are together, people will definitely show up just to watch."

Dekisugi looked away, seemingly embarrassed to admit it. It was true—if Shizuka and the current Dekisugi were together, they’d look like a picture-perfect pair. People would probably show up just to spectate rather than study.

(True. They're both different types, but they're both beautiful. Dealing with crowds of onlookers sounds like a pain.)

Nobita himself had once been designated an internationally protected species and had even helped the star Sumire Hoshino escape the paparazzi. He wasn't popular himself, but he knew the struggle of being sought after by too many people.

"That does sound tough. Alright, you can use me as your breakwater."

"Thank you, Nobi-kun!"

Dekisugi happily grabbed Nobita's hand and gave it a firm shake. Nobita stared blankly, thinking to himself how small and soft a girl's—or rather, a "dressed up" friend's—hand could be.

Author's Notes

“Game Book”

Appears in Doraemon Volume 38 of the Tentōmushi Comics, and Volume 15 of the Fujiko F. Fujio Complete Works, in the story “Adventure Game Book.”

This is a gadget where you deposit something valuable as a prize, and on the way to retrieve it, various challenges await you.

The title of the game book was “Treasure of the Fire Dragon,” though there may possibly be other titles in the series.

If we think about it in modern terms, it would probably resemble a VR game, but the name “game book” itself carries a nostalgic charm. In the past, many anime and manga released game books, but nowadays they have become rare and difficult to obtain.

“Nobita’s Bookshelf”

This is the bookshelf often shown in Nobita’s room throughout the series.

The manga that Nobita and his friends frequently read are likely stored here, but it also contains biographies of great figures and illustrated reference books that were probably bought by his father.

However, the text-heavy books that Nobita rarely reads are usually used as pillows instead, and because they are hardly ever opened, they remain in very clean condition.

“Books Borrowed by Nobita” 

Although Nobita rarely reads the books at home, he surprisingly does read text-heavy books when he borrows them.

In the episode “Invisible Man Eye Drops” (Volume 8 of the Tentōmushi Comics; Volume 20 of the Complete Works), he borrows a novel titled The Invisible Man—most likely the work by H. G. Wells—from a classmate and becomes deeply absorbed in it.

In the episode “Sherlock Holmes Set” (Volume 3 of the Tentōmushi Comics; Volume 2 of the Complete Works), Shizuka borrows a Sherlock Holmes book from the school library. Nobita becomes so hooked on it that he ends up keeping it without returning it.

As is typical for elementary school kids with limited allowance, they often lend and borrow things among friends. However, in these kinds of stories, Gian often forcefully takes things away.

Because of that, the impression of what others are lending and borrowing tends to be overshadowed.

When I was a child, I often lent and borrowed game cartridges. I remember feeling a small sense of pride when I beat someone else’s high score on a borrowed game before returning it.

“Internationally Protected Animal” 

From the episode “Nobita Is the Only One in the World” (Volume 27 of the Tentōmushi Comics; Volume 10 of the Complete Works).

In this story, Nobita uses a Secret Gadget called the “Internationally Protected Animal Spray,” which turns the user into a protected rare species.

Interestingly, the neutralizing gas for this gadget is not sold through the Future Department Store’s mail order—it must be purchased directly in the future.

The episode was adapted into anime twice in the Wasabi Mizuta version. In those adaptations, Nobita is confined in a research facility, subjected to intelligence tests and ecological studies by scientists, and ultimately displayed in a zoo.

“Sumire Hoshino” 

A character not from Doraemon, but from Perman.

She is actually Perman No. 3, known as Pāko, and also an idol admired by Perman No. 1, Mitsuo Suwa.

When she appears in Perman, she is a junior idol, but in Doraemon, she is portrayed as an adult actress. Having grown up, she has lost her Perman powers and struggles with problems unique to being a celebrity.

She is essentially a guest character from another Fujiko F. Fujio work, often appearing as an idol older than Tsubasa Ito.

Her identity as a former Perman is only hinted at to the readers; Doraemon and the others never realize it.

—or so it seems. In the novel version of “Nobita and the Steel Troops,” she makes a guest appearance. She happens to overhear Nobita reporting the invasion of the Steel Troops on a children’s advice hotline and searches for a way to help within her position.

While no adults believe in the enemy’s existence, she is the only one who does, acting as a bridge between children and adults.

She does not appear in the original manga or the movie, existing only as a guest character in the novel version.

Apparently, she originally had more scenes, but they were cut because her role became too long.