This is more or less an English translation of 'Just like You' by Ya-chan1, who has kindly gave me the permission for this. As such, I hope you all can enjoy this version.
Again, thank you for allowing me to do this, Ya-chan1!!! (You can also find her on Tumblr with the username nobitaland)
This story takes place about a few years after the manga/anime verse.
What does it mean to be oneself?
Since when had things changed?
The truth is, she did not even know it. They had practically spent their childhood side by side, having fun and dreaming on those sunny days, idealizing their future and taking advantage of every moment of their childhood.
She, her friends and Doraemon. She believed it would stay that way forever.
But not everything is forever. Things are destined to change.
And it was indeed like that. As the summer turned to an end and the cold arrived, so did their childhood.
Doraemon's departure had been one of those signals that heralded the arrival of their next stop.
~000~
The life of each of the children in the neighborhood had taken different directions according to their personalities.
Gian had finally joined a baseball club, although he was disputed by many other sports clubs due to his physical abilities. His bullying ways remained, but he had stopped being the bully now that he kept focusing on his career a lot. Like in elementary school, his classmates avoided making him angry or stand against him, especially now that he had strengthened his muscles and threw a little belly with a lot of exercise. He continued to look threatening and imposing with his broad shoulders, so they kept calling him Gian.
Suneo on the other hand, he was not interested in sports and had joined a drawing club, but soon he got tired of it. So after school, he attended private fashion design courses or was traveling every moment he was allowed to attend fashion shows. He had not grown as much as the others and this increased his sense of inferiority, which he compensated with his tough face and vanity.
Dekisugi, as expected, was the first in the class even in high school, although he had to compete for the first place in the school with two other students from other classes. He also gained good marks in sports, even if it was not his passion, and his friendly and good-looking face increased his popularity among the girls. He was asked in so many clubs almost as much as Gian, but he had opted for a club on science, his passion.
She, Shizuka, had decided to enroll in a music club, in order to deepen the study of her favorite instrument: the violin, and to leave definitively the piano that her mother forced her to learn as a child. It had been a choice dictated by her desire, but now that she was alone in the music hall practicing for one hour with the violin, her decision was beginning to waver.
Perhaps the violin was not for her; she did not seem to have improved so much in those years, the music teacher often scolded her and she began to feel demoralized.
She put the violin on her lap and rested her shoulder on the next window, giving a distracted look out onto the baseball fields. From the second floor to the horizon she could see the sky with warm sunset tones.
And finally, it was Nobita. He...well, he...
"Shizuka-san, you're still here?"
The girl turned around as a young man of her age entered the classroom.
"Nobita-san, you too?" she asked.
"Yeah, the meeting was longer than I expected," he said tiredly as he went to lean on the window.
"I see. I was reviewing the last exercises," she explained.
"You're working hard, eh?" he smiled and then glanced out the window on one of the school's sports fields. A group of baseball players were running around the camp, intoning a song of encouragement.
"The others are busy too."
"Yeah," she nodded. Her gaze fell on the boy who was distracted looking outside. The profile of his face was illuminated by orange light, a nostalgic smile on his lips and eyes lost in thoughts behind the round eyeglasses.
What was he thinking at that precise moment? Perhaps he, like her, was sometimes kidnapped by memories of their childhood?
She would have liked to see a few fragments of his thoughts. When they were children it was much simpler.
She let out a sigh. The boy noticed it and turned to her as if wondering what was going on. Shizuka shook her hands in front, motioning not to give importance to it.
"It's just that...I was thinking if I made the right choice to choose the violin instead of the piano," she grabbed the stringed instrument and looked at it sadly. "Maybe I had overestimated my skills. I thought I was good, that by working hard I would be better...but I'm starting to believe it's not like that. Perhaps...I don't simply belong with it."
Hands immediately landed on his shoulders, causing her to jump silently.
Confused, Shizuka looked up and saw Nobita approaching her, resting his hands on her and looking at her seriously from above. The proximity to her face and his gaze fixed on her, made her cheeks color instinctively. But Nobita did not seem to have noticed it, perhaps due of the colored light that hit their faces.
"You cannot give up just like that. It is your passion; you have always exercised in every free moment and you continue to do so. To renounce is not from you. Talent is useless if there is no passion and motivation. And you have them."
"Nobita-san..." she said, surprised as she staring at his black eyes with gray reflexes.
"Continue on your way even if you encounter obstacles or people who do not believe in you. You got that?"
The girl nodded shyly, putting her gaze down. He smiled and pulled away from her shoulders before returning his gaze to the window. "Let's commit ourselves to fulfill our dreams."
"Nobita-san..."
The boy turned to look at her, waiting for her to continue. She seemed hesitant, as if something held her back.
"Nobita-san..." she started, "Did you...?"
"Nobi-senpai!" A boy came into the classroom and stopped at the entrance. "Oh sorry, did I disturb you two?" he asked as his eyes fell on the aforementioned boy and her.
"Not at all, Kosuke-kun," said Nobita. "Please tell me what is it."
"It's him again, this time he wants to do it seriously," the junior informed with a hint of regret.
Nobita sighed and scratched behind his head in exasperation. "All right, take me to him," he said almost ruefully and look at Shizuka.
"Sorry about this Shizuka-san, but I'll have to go. We'll talk later."
"Yes, of course. See you later," she bade him goodbye, while the other quickly left behind Kosuke.
She sighed with her hand still raised and lowered it slowly. It was the same situation as always; the few times they were alone, there was always someone who took it away.
She looked downward from the classroom window and saw from her post the two boys came out of the hall and went to meet a small group from which there seemed to be some kind of quarrel.
She silently snorted upon the sight. The males...if they do not fight at least once a day, they were not satisfied. She believed she could understand them more since she played with them more than with the girls as a child, but as part of growing up, she did not understand on whether the girls got smarter or the boys were becoming dumber.
Her eyes lingered on the figure of a dark-haired boy who tried to talk some senses to the group.
Nobita had changed, she noted. And not just of physical appearance; now he was about a head taller than her, still wearing the usual round glasses, but no longer had straight bangs or short hair. His gait had become firm, his voice was more masculine and he no longer had that listless or whining expression.
His grades were not that excellent and he struggled to get a good GPA, without ever trying to get noticed. He did not play sports in any club like Gian, but sometimes she saw him indulging in games for fun.
He smiled just as he did as a child, alternating with some serious moments, and was still a mess.
Nobita had changed, more than anyone. Since Doraemon had returned to his time, something had changed with the boy. And she could not say what was it. They had spent their childhood playing with the children of the neighborhood, believing that their friendship would not change, and yet since he had separated from the cat robot, Nobita had ceased to express his feelings so easily. Although all of them were sorry to no longer seeing Doraemon, they were convinced that most of all, Nobita would suffer for the farewell.
Yet at no time had he shown any failures, nor had he shared his thoughts or concerns with them. Simply, he had moved on. And they could not deny that it had surprised them.
With the commencement of the middle classes, her relations with him had become less frequent, all by now absorbed with new school rhythms and in search of new occupations. Then in high school with the sorting system of the students, Nobita was placed in a different class from them. And the contacts had become even more sparse.
Nobita had changed, it was useless to deny it. Despite maintaining his gentle and selfless character, it was like having another person within him. And this alarmed her when she thought about it. She believed she knew her dear friend Nobita well. Yet, now all she knew about him was through others.
He was not officially enrolled in any club, but he was also very busy because he was the deputy of his class, although it was clear that he was more committed than the representative in charge. He showed up at almost all school meetings, collaborated in initiatives, his classmates turned to him for any problem, he acted as a student to teacher, he held the most tedious jobs in place of the representative who seemed more interested in making a good impression before his comrades and defeating Dekisugi as in intelligence and popularity.
Dekisugi, however, did not seem to take much into consideration as a rival, in fact he spoke more often to Nobita whom he met at the meetings. Perhaps Dekisugi, more than her, Gian and Suneo, was the one who interacted with Nobita in a regular basis, coming home several times late at the same time after doing school assignments. Dekisugi himself had commented that Nobita should have been the representative and not taking charge of all the work, but when he mentioned this to Nobita, the bespectacled boy only shrugged with lightheartedness and said that it was all right.
Nobita was now went around the corridors with other people at his side. She did not know much about them, only that they had a difficult start upon entering high school and the first person they were friends with was him.
This did not surprise her much, among all Nobita had as a child was the ability to bring people to him and win their sympathy. And it was not because he was a genius or a talent or a model, simply because he was himself.
Although he had been tormented by Gian and Suneo for years, he had no remorse toward them and had given them help when they needed it. And that was why he was well liked, in their way, also by Gian and Suneo.
But...
She sighed again as she got up and put the violin back in its case.
...why did Nobita make her feel like that? As if her childhood friend-role had taken second place, receiving less attention; as if she had been excluded from his life.
One part of her wanted to be more involved in his daily life, to be the confidant of his thoughts, and...to understand more of the new Nobita.
It was like...distant.
She did not understand it, but she felt abandoned by her friends. Which was absurd, because Suneo and Gian were in the same class with her and Dekisugi often talked to her, which created some tension among her and some students.
She wasn't that blind; Dekisugi was a very nice boy and knew how much interest he had roused among his peers and even the smallest. She could not help but noticing the envious looks of them whenever she and he spent time together. And even though in elementary school it was a slight fact, with the arrival of the superiors, the looks were accentuated.
It was not that it bothered her, she did not pay attention to the elementary school, nor to the middle school, much less to the superiors. She and Dekisugi were just friends, and she liked to talk to him since he always had something new to tell her. And that relationship was maintained even over the years. Although she had to repeatedly confirm to her companions and those who were curious that there was nothing between them, in spite of appearances that saw them as a couple.
She closed the violin case and took her briefcase where she had put his scores. She then left the classroom and walked down the corridor in that deserted school, most of the students had returned home or were outside the building.
She paused at her reflection of the corridor windows.
She, too, like all her friends had grown up, did not look like an elementary schoolgirl anymore. Her hair had grown a little, but she still tied it in two pigtails that now fell over her shoulders.
Her classmates often complimented her elegant bearing and commented on how to attract the attention of the nicest guys. But she honestly did not care much. She was nice and kind to everyone, so she had no preference, apart from her childhood friends. With them it was more itself.
And recently, her relationship with Nobita began to weigh them. It was now clear to her that Nobita treated her like any other classmate.There was no more reserved treatment that was once dedicated only to her.
"Ah, Shizuka-san!" a boy ran to meet her, causing her to look behind.
"You're not gone yet-" Nobita said, bending down to take a breath and smiling in relief to have reached her. Shizuka nodded, while he raised his head.
"Well, I did in time," he said between gasps of breaths. Now that he was close, Shizuka noticed the eyeglass frame was crooked and a dark spot near the jaw, which she suspected was not paint.
She put the folder and the case on the floor. "What happened to you?" she asked worriedly, with the intent of touching his face and checking the extent of the damage.
"Oh, this?" He pointed to his face, just backwards with his head to avoid contact with her hand. "It's nothing, just a small accident," he smiled and touched behind his head. Shizuka remained with her hand still suspended forward, staring at him suspiciously.
"Ah, that's right! I came looking for you because I remembered a fifth year old girl, her name is Sakura and she has a sister who attends a music academy. I just heard her and she told me that at this time her sister is at home and willingly would give you a hand with the violin. You've always wanted it, right?" he explained.
Shizuka lowered her arm and stared at him in surprise. She thought that Nobita had not noticed what they had talked about earlier, nor that he had bothered to do anything.
"Yes, of course, I would like it," she finally said, joining his cheerful hands.
"Surely you thought you're bothering her, right?" he continued, "No worries about that, Sakura said that for her sister it's a way to keep fit and enjoy your lessons. Well then, I'll call you later to confirm it. I'll send her your number so you agree on the schedule, OK?"
Shizuka nodded, while he took his cell phone from his pocket and typed some keys.
"Well, see you tomorrow," he waved and she subconsciously waved back, watching him walked away and talked on the phone with ease and cheerfulness. Shizuka bent down to pick up the violin and her briefcase, and she too started to go home.
She tightly clutched the folder handle as she walked. She did not know what that feeling was, but felt had to rejoice after what Nobita had done for her, because in spite of the years passing, she was worried about him.
Still, she felt quite an ache in her heart. Because in spite of appearances, the situation had not changed. He had behaved as he usually did; coming when he saw someone in trouble and offering his help. She had not made the exception; he had helped her as well as the others. Because Nobita was kind to everyone and she was just an old friend, nothing more than that.
She had understood when she had tried to approach him and with ease he had moved away from her, showing her only a polite smile before leaving.
He had hurt her, and a lot with that disinterested kindness. And Nobita did not even seem to notice, absorbed as she was in her commitments and thoughts.
~000~
"I heard you're getting better with the violin," said a black-haired boy as he approached her desk. She looked up to see the speaker.
"I heard the professor talking about it," he explained. "Yes, thanks to Kaori-san's help," she said as she got up from her chair and took her lunch box. It was their habit to have lunch together.
The two left the classroom along with the other students, then went to sit down at some schoolyard bench.
"She is Sakura's sister. I remember she had talked with Nobita-san once. She's fantastic, she plays divinely and was very kind to me explaining what I was doing wrong." She opened her bento, a box containing her meal for the day, and so did Dekisugi.
"I'd like to play like her, but I'll have to try harder if I want to get to her level," she added.
The boy smiled and started eating. "I'm happy for you, Shizuka-kun. I find you more in a good mood than other days."
"Is that so?" she asked in surprise.
"Yes, I noticed that you were depressed a few days ago. But now you're better. And I think Nobi-kun has something to do with it."
She put down her eating utensils and stared at her lunch. "Why, did he tell you something?" she asked.
"No," he shrugged. "I only deduced from your expression. As a child he was the only one of us who can make you smile like that."
"You're wrong, I've always been the same with you all."
"You think so?" he smiled in amusement.
"Of course," she snorted in annoyance before resuming eating her lunch. "Nobita-san is just a friend, I've never treated everyone differently-" She then saw the boy looking at her with skepticism. "I mean it!"
"Alright, alright; I believe you," he said. She continued to stare at him before returned to gaze upon her lunch. Why did Dekisugi enjoy insisting on that subject? It was difficult enough for her to try to understand the confusion that Nobita was causing.
"Anyway," said the boy as he closed his bento, already finished, "It's better this way for me."
"What do you mean?" She looked at him, puzzled as he put away his lunch. He only smiled at her.
"Well, I do not want to have to compete with him," he simply said.
"Compete...for what?"
The boy stood up and offered her a hand to get up. She got up as a result of the thrust and their faces approached. Dekisugi looked her in the eye, but Shizuka remained impassive, waiting for an answer.
"I'll tell you later," he said in a whisper and letting her go. Shizuka looked at him in confusion, but he did not notice as he walked back into the school building.
It wasn't the first time he said sentences she did not understand.
~000~
"Mama, I'm home!" shouted Nobita from the entrance of the house while taking off his shoes. The sound of the living room's sliding door being opened echoed over the house and a woman with round glasses like him approached as she greeted him. There were a few wrinkles on her face, perhaps due to the many times she had raged upon him during his childhood, but neither he nor his father, Nobisuke dared to joke about it.
"Nobi-chan, you got home late again today?" his mother, Tamako asked as he placed his shoes in the drawer.
"Yes, I stopped to fill in some forms after school and the time simply flew," he chuckled.
"I begin to believe that all those work doesn't do you good," she said and caressed her son's face, "Look at you, you're ruffled in the face and I think you've lost weight yet again."
"Nah, it's just your imagination, Mama. See how fit I am?" He made some funny imitations of a muscled man. "And I do not even do sports!"
"Hmm..." she muttered, not truly convinced with what he told her before going to the kitchen, "Wash your hands and then come to eat."
"I'm going to put my stuff first," he said as he went up the stairs. He arrived at his room and swung the door open.
Two steps later, he landed face first on the tatami.
"Ouch!" Now that he was taller, letting himself fall down on the ground was quite humiliating. He was exhausted that he simply crawled toward his desk to place his suitcase before lying on his back, staring absent-mindedly at the white ceiling. He did not even have the strength to get up and take off his uniform.
Since when his school life had become so tiring? He couldn't believe that as a child he always complained that he was tired!
He lifted his chin and looked at the desk behind him.
The left-side drawer was closed.
He stared at it in silence and then got up. The room was tremendously quiet and it bothered him.
With a grimace, he left the room to head for the bathroom.
He took off his glasses and rinsed his face a few times before staring at his reflection in the mirror. Tufts of his black hair fell wet on the forehead. He gently touched his jaw; it still hurt whenever he moved it.
It had been a bad idea to get in the right place when the other was about to throw a punch. Oh well, he could have been worse than two years ago.
He wiped his face and put on his glasses to go to the kitchen.
"Have you already thought about what to do when school ends?" asked his father suddenly while they were having dinner that night.
"You mean, something that will secure my future? About that..." It took him a while before coming up with an answer: simply shrugging while saying, "I don't know."
"Nobita, you cannot be so irresponsible as you were before," his mother advised with a stern look. "Next year there will be exams, and if you aspire to enter some good university, you should already get started with your study."
"Tamako, don't be so hard on him," his father tried to calm her down and looked at his son. "But your mother is right, Nobita. It is important to be accepted at a good university nowadays, or in any case have good references in case you want to go into a company to work."
"I know, Papa," he feigned being tired with a yawn and got up from the table. "Thank you for the dinner," he said and left hurriedly. He heard his mother mumble something with his father, but he did not stay there any longer and climbed up the stairs.
Entering his room, he pulled out his mattress, blanket and pillow from the wardrobe before lying down on the white mattress. The silence within the room was becoming deafening, so he placed his spectacles aside and closed his eyes.
The future, eh? he thought as he tried to block out the silence. If he were to be honest, he would have replied that he already had enough thoughts about his future. And that thinking about it so much had only drove him crazy.
He did not want to think about it any more, or at least not yet. He wanted to live the present day, one by one day and enjoy that momentary serenity of life.
That thought kept playing in his mind, which then lulled him to sleep.
~000~
'The future is scary'; a phrase that somewhat had the ring of truth in it.
Not that she was afraid, but like all her peers she could not help but thinking about it. Her future, like she had imagined as a child had not changed so much; she had only enriched herself with details over the years and increased her goals without many pretensions.
After all, she was a simple girl. She liked hanging out with her friends and spending time with her childhood friends, learning new recipes and practicing the violin. And who knows, one day she would finally meet her Prince Charming.
She silently giggled upon the thought. She could hardly expect to see her knight would come riding his white horse; she was no longer a child.
"Ah!" She felt she was pushed from behind and fell forward on the ground.
"Eh? Did I hit someone?" a voice spoke and she looked aside; there was an empty box near her. Turning around, she saw a person holding stacks of boxes. She shifted her head aside to see who had knocked her out of her fantasy, but his face was hidden by the boxes.
"I'm sorry; I didn't do it on purpose!" the speaker went on and placed the loads he carried on the ground. "Are you hurt?"
"Nobita-san?" she recognized the voice and the person looked up. He was equally surprised and even more worried upon seeing her.
"Shizuka-san! I'm really sorry for that!" he stooped, avoiding eye contact with her. "I was not looking and...did it hit your head? Do you want me to take you to the infirmary?"
She shook her head. "N-no, I'm fine. I was just surprised, that's all."
"Are you sure?" he asked in concern and approached her to see the extent of the damage done. Shizuka stood still for a moment, seeing Nobita so close to her face and his movements suddenly seemed as if they were in slow motion. His eyes were fixed on her without actually looking at her.
Suddenly she felt her cheeks burning and her heart speeding up. "I said I'm fine!" she reacted instinctively, closing her eyes and pushed the boy away. At that moment she repented of her exaggerated reaction.
What had she done?
She looked up and waited for Nobita to complain or perhaps sulk, but he only looked at her for a few seconds, probably a bit startled with the sudden action before he smiled.
"Good thing," he said in relief and extended his hand to her. She accepted the offer timidly and when she got up, she let go of his hand.
As he turned to get the boxes left on the ground, Shizuka looked at him from behind and was tempted to tell him something, or at least give him an explanation, but she could not open her mouth.
"Nobita-san!" a girl came from behind her. She recognized her; it was Gian's little sister, Jaiko.
"I told you already that you would not be able to take them by yourself," she muttered as she approached him to get some of the boxes. Nobita only smiled in embarrassment, scratching his head.
"Sure, then I guessed you can do it alone," he joked. He then turned to look at the girl who was still there. "Shizuka-san? Are you sure you're not hurt?"
Shizuka only shook her head and avoided looking at Nobita.
"That's better," Jaiko said with her hands full and turned to the bespectacled teen. "Come on, they'll be waiting for us at the art room."
"See you later, Shizuka-san," she greeted and went with the boy, arms full of boxes. The ponytail-haired girl looked at them as the two had started talking about something that seemed to amuse Jaiko. She did not know what they were talking about, but they seemed to understand each other.
Jaiko, like them, had changed. Perhaps it was the one that had a more evident physical development. Always passionate about manga, she had continued her passion in various school clubs. She still kept her hair short and outside school, she normally wore her usual red cap. Perhaps it had been her drawing of the incense that had made her lose weight or perhaps because she had changed her diet, but had benefited her physique, which had become more feminine.
Unlike Gian, Jaiko was not a bully; she was kind and cheerful, and it was not usual for her to attend those in the neighborhood. In fact, she often spent her free moments on either drawing, helping her mother ran the family store and sometimes, even taking the Gōdas' dog, Muku out for a walk.
Everyone in the neighborhood knew she admired her older brother and regarded him as a hero, just as they knew that Gian was very protective of her and that he did not allow anyone to make her cry or make fun of her. That's why no one dared to approach Jaiko.
She remembered playing with her as a child several times and having crossed paths with her over and over in the neighborhood, spending time chatting. But only this, because the rest of the time was spent with her classmates, sometimes in some fantastic adventure in the company of Doraemon.
She was two years younger than her and her friends and had attended their own schools, sometimes they greeted each other in the corridor, but did not stop much because everyone was always busy with their own activities. As expected, Jaiko had enrolled in the drawing club in the first year, and then founded a manga club alternating with them for the use of the art room.
As on why Jaiko and Nobita had started talking so often, she did not know. Maybe because as a child, Jaiko used to ask for help from Nobita about his opinions of her manga and she would help him in return.
But now that they got along so well, she did not remember it. And she did not understand why this started making her feel uncomfortable.
Above all, she had missed the opportunity to apologize to Nobita.
~000~
"And with that, we're finished," said a brown-haired boy to the present group in the art room.
"The classroom is now fine. With the new materials and the new arrangement of the furniture, we can now receive new members," said a girl. The group applauded, satisfied with the work done.
"And we were able to finish these in a short time," said another member of the group, "thanks to Nobita-kun's help."
"Nobita-kun?" the brown-haired repeated, noting that the dark-haired teen seemed to be lost in his thoughts.
"Ouch!" he yelped as he received a sharp nudge from Jaiko which woke him. "Eh? Ah, that's nothing," he smiled in embarrassment upon noticing the people in the room had their eyes on him. "I'm happy to help you guys. If you need anything else, let me know."
"Of course," the representative said as they shook hands, "You are most welcome from us." Nobita smiled happily and then left the classroom in the company of Jaiko.
The two remained silent until the girl sighed as she looked out the hall window, in which the sky was darkening. "It's getting late. Today I promised my mother to help her cook, since my brother will be back late from his training."
The boy looked at her for a few seconds and then nodded. "I will accompany you. Today I have nothing else to do."
"Really? Didn't you have to complete some questionnaires?"
"I'll do them at home, don't worry." The two then took their briefcases and headed out of the school.
It was a bit chilly, but it was a nice day.
Jaiko paused to watch the sunset, then looked at the boy who was walking by.
How many years did they know each other? From what she remembered, Nobita was already present in her daily life as a child. He was the child whom his brother and his fox-faced friend belittled, he was the child who stood out for his poor athletic and intellectual qualities, he was the one that had made her cry on two occasions even for misunderstanding and ranting about a mysterious future.
Yet, it was the child who greeted her with a cheerful smile, it was the child who had appreciated her comics after her brother, it was the child who crossed her and saw her down to try to help her, was the child of which the same brother had admitted that he was a friend of the heart, was the child of whom almost nobody noticed the qualities he had on several occasions.
And now, it was the boy who had welcomed her to the school, who had encouraged her to open a manga club and to whom she addressed herself whenever she had trouble, he was the boy with whom she shared a stretch of road to go home.
Nobita had grown up much compared to her childhood memories when she saw him play with her brother and other neighborhood children, his shoulders were no longer low and uncertain but firm. And his smile remained like that of a child, though perhaps a few could see the melancholy reflected in his eyes.
As of that moment, his gaze was fixed on the road that they traveled, but his mind seemed to be elsewhere. Or like when she had come to get him to arrange the art room together; he had moved like an automaton, smiling as if to hide something.
And she knew, or at least suspected, who was the cause of this.
"Did something happen with Shizuka-san?" she asked.
The question was enough to make the boy stiffened, which was then quickly masked with a confused smile. "Oh come on, I can see it in your face," she snorted.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he retorted while looking up at the sky, "Oh, we've arrived at your house."
Here it started again. Nobita always found a way to deal with her questions. Not that it was important, but she was getting tired of his way of disguising his true thoughts.
She silently sighed and approached the front door of the Gōdas' family store. "See you tomorrow."
"Yeah, see you," the boy greeted, when she came into the house. Jaiko backed away and stood for a few seconds looking at him as he left.
"Jaiko, what are you doing outside?" asked her mother through the entrance, "Come in already, it's starting to get cold."
"Yes, mom."
"Was Nobita with you just then?" asked the woman while carrying some boxes in the store. Jaiko nodded while taking off her school shoes.
"Such a nice boy. Luckily there's him around; that slacker of your brother thinks only of sports and doesn't bother to take you home. With the times that turn, I say!"
"It doesn't matter. Onii-chan is working hard and I don't want to be in his way to success."
"Yeah, yeah, but then he doesn't even come to help me," she sighed and sat near the entrance of their home. "I will not be able to keep this shop going for long."
"There's still me," the girl put a hand on her mother's shoulder and smiled at her. The woman returned the gesture. "Ah, my dear girl. What would I do without you?"
"Put your briefcase upstairs first," she told her daughter, who nodded and then went up the stairs where her room was.
Over the years the posters and sheets had accumulated in the room, the paper bin was always empty, and the desk had all kinds of nibs and brushes.
The girl put down the folder and looked at her hands. Drawing frantically with ink, she had gotten quite a blister on her hand. She had not cared much of it in the past since she just wanted to improve her drawing skills, but lately she was paying more attention to her appearance. Not that she had the desire to put on make-up or dress up like many of her peers, for the experience of the previous year had sufficed for her; she had lost about ten kilograms due to the stress in drawing on schedule.
She paused upon the sight of a yellow envelope closed inside her drawer. She had gotten into the habit of keeping the drawer closed all the time, because sometimes, out of curiosity, his brother would peek at some of her manuscripts and she was ashamed to show some of them.
One of which was drawn years ago, featuring a protagonist that was very similar to the ten-year-old Nobita; unlucky and a coward.
She chuckled quickly as she flipped through those drawings. She did not know how it had occurred to her to take inspiration from many incidents that happened to Nobita. Perhaps because even then she stopped to look at it? Or maybe she just ran out of ideas. The fact is that the manuscript was never sent to the competition. Motoe-san had been the only one to read it and he loved it, but she did not feel like sending it to the publishing house at the last minute. Motoe-san had not explained the reason for his choice, and neither did she, but she felt that she preferred to let the manuscript stay in the drawer. And so it was.
She later drew other manuscripts for other competitions, and had gotten her dose of satisfaction under the pseudonym Christine Goda.
She put the envelope back in the drawer and left the room. Sometimes she stopped to wonder whatever Nobita would think about it. Would he be offended, or would he laugh?
Why did his opinion matter so much? It was not the first time she turned to him to show a new manuscript, rather than her brother or Motoe-san.
Motoe-san...who knows about him? She had not heard from the last time he had called her from the new city where he had just moved.
She distracted herself by waiting for some of the shop's customers while her mother cooked. Then when it was dark, she heard her brother's voice from the entrance.
"Onii-chan, how's it going today?" she asked him as she went to meet him. He was covered with dirt all over his baseball uniform. He took off his cap and put the bat on his shoulders.
"Ah, they're soft," he moaned as he untied his shoes. "If we want to focus on the Koshien, we should train harder."
"Mum has already prepared food, wash your hands and then come to the table." "Alright," he said, dragging himself up the stairs. Even if he did not want to show it, he was exhausted from training. Jaiko smiled and watched him leave.
"Ah, how did it go with the art room?" he asked, staying on the stairs.
"Well, Nobita-san helped us find the materials and arrange them." "Oh," he mumbled, looking up as if he were thinking, "I see."
The sister looked at him without understanding the reason for that pause between one word and another, but the boy entered the room without adding anything else. She paid no attention to it and went to her mother who had already served dinner on the table. Her brother joined them later on, the three went to eat because the father would have come home at night.
"Have some more, Jaiko," insisted the mother while handing her another portion of curry, "You have to eat more at your age."
"I know, I know," she sighed.
"I think it's been a while since you've practiced in the kitchen. Perhaps I should teach you some new dishes. You know, for the day you'll get married and you'll have to prepare lunch for your family..."
Both Jaiko and Gian choked their food a bit. "What's with this talk out of sudden?" asked the embarrassed daughter. "Yeah, Jaiko is still a child," her brother nodded.
"Jaiko is no longer a child," the mother was puzzled by their reaction, "It is important that you know how to cook well, for yourself and for your future."
"If it's for cooking, I can do it," her son said. "So we will end up dying of poison," the mother deadpanned, causing the boy to become depressed. "May your wife will be the one to cook and not vice versa."
Jaiko looked thoughtfully at her plate. Cooking for the future husband and family...she did not see herself yet in those shoes. Perhaps because she had never thought of herself as a housewife with children or perhaps because she had not felt that impulse to cook for someone else, apart from her family. Although she had once prepared her bento for lunch and had Nobita tasted it. At that moment she felt strangely happy while he complimented her.
"Jaiko? Are you listening to me?" said the mother, awakening her.
"Eh? Oh, yes. I'll think about it." She smiled to herself, while her brother stared at her with suspicion.
~000~
"What did you say?" Nobita asked, furrowing his brows.
"The Scholastic Recital Competition," said the boy in front of him in annoyance while leafing through a file, "How many times do I have to repeat it?"
"But...what's the point? The other two classes will also stage a show for the Cultural Festival. Shouldn't we do something different?" he reasoned.
"Listen, Hidetoshi of 4-2 will participate in the play and I cannot be outdone by him. If he can study and participate in a theatrical performance, I can do it too, and even better."
"Wait a moment...so all of this is just for rivalry?"
"In the last exam Hidetoshi passed me by two points-" he made the gesture with his fingers. "Two points! I cannot let him win this time!"
Nobita mentally facepalmed. He had heard of stupid talk, but this time Saotome was getting over it. His obsession with being the best in school, especially on Dekisugi, leading him to make selfish and senseless choices. He could not believe that he was the representative of their class.
"But we don't know how to act, nobody in the classroom is brought for the recital. How will you convince the others?"
"Already done it," the other muttered while continuing to browse the file.
"H-how? Why didn't you ask me?"
"And why should I? When it comes to persuading, nobody beats me. Since I'm also the representative; they cannot oppose my decision."
Nobita only raised his eyebrows in deadpan.
"OK, but why the same play? Both Classes 4-2 and 4-1 did Romeo and Juliet."
"Did you not hear me?" Saotome said, annoyed, "It's the Scholastic Recital Competition. How can the school know that I am better than Hidetoshi if I don't beat him in his own play? Fujo of 4-1 agreed with me and will do the same thing."
"But have you ever acted?"
"No, but what will it take? It's just a matter of memorizing the dialogue," he showed him the script he was reading. "And kiss Sasaki-san, of course."
"I don't think it is just that," commented Nobita. "Anyway, have you already thought about everything else? Like the props, the costumes and..."
"No, but there will be no problem since you will take care of it."
"Me?" the bespectacled boy pointed to himself in disbelief.
"I already have a lot to do in learning the part of Romeo by heart, studying for the next exam and defeating Hidetoshi. The preparations and all the rest I leave them to you, since you will not recite with the class." He stood up and handed him a thick bundle of papers. "I do not accept objections or errors, Nobi-kun. You have three weeks to prepare everything. That's all." With that, the boy took his script, his briefcase and left the empty room.
Nobita watched him leave, then moaned as he rested his head against the desk. Why did so many representatives have to choose Saotome? Sure, he was intelligent, but only in studies; otherwise he was vain, self-centered and not at all collaborative. One could not even remotely compare him to Dekisugi. His former classmate had often been a representative in elementary and middle school, but in no way had he made his rank for selfish purposes, nor had he boasted of his achievements. Nor was he interested in this absurd rivalry between Saotome and Fujo who contended for the rankings as the best student.
"Why didn't you just refuse?" Said a voice that he recognized. Leaning against the doorframe of the classroom was a blond teenager looking at him with bored eyes and arms crossed.
"Hiro, I cannot just do that. I made a commitment and I will complete it."
"And leaving the hard work to you while the glory to him? How many times has this story repeated itself? Then again, you simply aren't capable of opposing others, Nobi-kun," said a girl with long black hair and a pale complexion as she entered the classroom using the second sliding door.
"You don't get it, Chika-san," snorted Nobita as she took the sheets of paper. "There's a lot to do before the school's Cultural Festival..."
"But lucky for you, you're not alone," the girl sat down near the same desk with her usual passive expression. The blond did the same. "Everything to avoid this boring act."
"Guys..." he looked at them in surprise, while his two classmates took the sheets and divided them. "Thanks," he smiled.
He was happy that after spending time together, Hiro and Chika had become more friendly. When he first met the blond, he was hot-headed and Chika did not talk to anyone. The two did not even try to make friends with the rest of the class, but he knew they were basically two good people and that they only needed some encouragement.
Hiro was always a troublemaker and more than once had found himself involved in fights, but at least now he had convinced him to act only in extreme cases. Chika still had difficulty relating to classmates, because she had the defect of always telling the truth even that uncomfortable, and rarely moved like other girls. But now she spoke more and expressed herself without fear with him.
"What's with that smile?" Hiro asked suspiciously. "Eh? Nothing, nothing..." he chuckled while waving his hands in denial. "Well, let's get to work."
~000~
"If your holy relic is unworthy with unworthy hands, it is the sin of all pious hearts, these lips of mine, full of redness, like contrite pilgrims, are ready to soften that touch with a tender kiss," said a boy with black hair while taking a girl of his age by the hand. Both were dressed in traditional period clothes.
"Pellegrino, in your hand you are too wrong, because in the gentle gesture it has shown the good devotion that it must," answered the girl in a theatrical way. "Even the saints have hands, and the pilgrims can touch them, and palm to palm is the way to kiss the pious palmiers."
"So saints and palmiers do not have lips?" asked Dekisugi.
"Yes, pilgrim," Shizuka nodded, "for those are the lips that they must use for prayer. And so, dear saint, let your lips also do what your hands do: they are in prayer before you, listen to them, if you do not want faith to turn in despair." He came closer to her.
"The saints, even if they accept the votes of those who pray, do not move." He looked at her in the face. "So do not move until I pick up your prayer from your lips," the boy leaned forward, motioning to kiss her. She narrowed her eyes and waited.
At the same time, the image of Dekisugi faded, which was then replaced by another person with black hair and round glasses.
She opened her eyes in disbelief; her heart began to beat frantically, which caught her unprepared and agitated. With her hands she instinctively hit him on his chest, pushing him away.
"No! I cannot!" she shouted, and then opened her eyes.
She then realized she was still in the classroom and had just raised her voice during the lesson. The teacher had turned to look at her in surprise, as did the rest of her classmates. She still had her heart pounding with agitation and warmth on her cheeks that colored her face red.
"What is it, Minamoto-san, that you cannot?" asked the teacher, showing sympathy despite she had abruptly interrupted his lesson.
"I... I..." She was just noticed that she had fallen asleep in class and had only dreamed, "I'm sorry, I was not listening well..."
"Is that so? Alright, I will repeat the passage..." said the professor without concern. After all, Minamoto was one of his best and well-educated pupils, so he did not suspect anything.
Shizuka nodded silently as the class returned to look at the blackboard. She wanted to bury herself out of shame, for she had never fall asleep in class.
"Did you have enough sleep last night, Shizuka-kun?" Dekisugi asked an hour later while approaching her desk. The teacher had already left and the others were going to eat.
"I don't think so," she said wearily as she took her lunch. "I was going over the lines of the play yesterday, I'm afraid I will forget them."
"You have to relax, it's just a school play. You will soon learn it by heart."
"Easy for you to say, you have a good memory..." she sighed as she got up from the desk and followed him out of the classroom. "I should not have accepted the part of Juliet."
"You'll be perfect, trust me." He smiled at him. But she did not seem so reassured. They had already tried out some scenes of the play in the class before, but she tended to get stuck in some passages or get distracted. And he did not understand why.
"Maybe I just need to practice more..." she said, trying to convince herself as she looked up from the ground. She crossed the figure of a boy who came from the opposite side of the corridor with two other people. A memory came back to her, causing her to shake again. She stopped and immediately looked down, while the three passed by and continued talking, not paying attention to her.
Dekisugi must have stopped too, but he had not said anything.
She hoped he had not noticed anything strange and did not ask questions as soon as she started walking. But the boy did not, until they got to the usual bench and sat down to eat.
"So...to whom was that sentence directed?" he started. Shizuka turned to look at him in confusion. "You were dreaming, didn't you?" he reasoned. "It must have been a vivid one to make you shiver like that."
She blushed for no apparent reason. "No, I...it was just nonsense-" she looked at her bento. "Nothing important." Dekisugi looked at her as she began to eat.
"...Nobita."
Shizuka had just taken a bite of her lunch when he said it, causing her to choke. And then took a sip of water to calm herself.
"What's that got to do with him?" she began. "It was just a case of fatigue! It was he that...it's not me that decides what I dream about and...!" She stopped when he saw the boy's surprised expression. She realized too late that she had betrayed herself.
"It was...well, I just wanted to tell you that Nobita and his class will do the same thing," Dekisugi said, still surprised.
"Oh...really?" She laughed in embarrassment, "And so we would have more than one Romeo and Juliet this year...that's funny..."
"That explains why you dreamt of Nobi-kun," concluded the boy as if he had finished thinking about it, startling Shizuka. "I-It's not what you think!" she said, her face was bright red. "It means nothing." She lowered her shoulders. "It was just a dream," he agreed.
She felt more relieved with the boy's response. He did not seem to give it so much importance. Yeah, it was just a dream. Why turn it into a drama then? It made no sense that Nobita had taken Dekisugi's place in the recitation of her dream. It was not real.
And yet...why did her heart keep beating?And why that feeling of unease? It was as if she still felt guilty for pushing Nobita that time. And indeed she had not had the chance to apologize to him. Maybe it was because of that?
~000~
"The Scholastic Prize Competition?" Jaiko was surprised. "But what's on your mind?"
"Nobody wants to be stuck watching the same performance three times. That's what I tried to make Saotome-kun understand," he sighed. The two were walking back home since it was late again. "I managed to get the clothes, but as for the props it will be useless to do them three times if we use the same stage of the gym. I'm talking to Dekisugi about sharing the tasks for each class."
"The others in the art room and I will gladly give you a hand," Jaiko said quickly.
"Really? That would be great!" he said enthusiastically. "But, aren't you busy with the preparations for your class?
"We will prepare sweets for the sale," she explained. "It took a while, but now we can prepare them without incident. So I have a few hours to design the props. My brother had already mentioned it to me."
"That's great!" He took her by the hands and beamed. "I owe you a favor, then!"
"Nobita, is that you?" said a somewhat grunt voice. Nobita looked over Jaiko and saw a guy in a sports uniform.
"Oh, Gian! Did you finish your training?" he greeted his childhood friend. Jaiko quickly released his hands and went to meet her brother. "I heard you have a new recruit in your team."
"Indeed," the tanned teenager nodded. "But it's still early to decide who will be part of the team participating in the championship. I heard you're busy with the play, right?"
"Oh, yes," he chuckled, "Luckily, Jaiko will help. Well, I'm going; still have a lot to do for the play," he turned around and waved goodbye to the siblings.
"See ya!" Takeshi watched the boy walk away, then approached his sister who had remained motionless from before. "Oi, are you coming into the house?
"O-Of course!" she said and turned away, trying to hide a certain blush on her cheeks and dashed into the house. Her brother followed her and saw her running into the room and closing the door behind.
He did not like it at all.
~000~
"I don't like this at all," said Saotome, peering behind a curtain. Nobita, who was nearby looked at him puzzled.
"And one more thing: Why do we act last? Hidetoshi is getting all the attention on himself again," he went on.
"We are only respecting the chronology of the classes. I reminded you that Class 4-2 had already presented the project of the play first. Then you came up with this absurd idea of the competition, so don't complain now," Nobita explained patiently.
"Bah, it's not like he's acting so well," the other said grimly. "Even you, Nobi-kun, could do better."
"How nice of you to say so," he said sarcastically, then handed him a suit. "Rather, why don't you get changed? The others are ready for when it will end." The other took the outfit reluctantly.
"The public does not know anything. If it wasn't for Minamoto, they would not even receive applause. I don't think they're acting so good there," Saotome looked at him sideways. "I have more charm than Hidetoshi, more intelligence and more skills."
And much arrogance, Nobita thought, but the guy did not seem to notice. At the same moment a tall, slender girl in an elegant dress joined them. "How do I look, Saotome-kun?" she said, twirling in front of them.
"Yes, yes, you look nice," said boy muttered, not paying attention to her. "But don't do much. It should not be so hard to move your lips, right? With a little luck your presence will attract some more spectators."
"You mean...Does Sasaki-san even act?"
"Of course not; do you think she's smart enough to memorize the lines? I gave Hoshino the job. She'll be the one behind the scenes who will act in place of Sasaki."
"But..." he started to reply, "what's the point of all these? It's a school play, it's a project that is done together to have fun, and not a stupid race."
"You still do not understand anything about the Scholastic Competition, eh?" the other grumbled, "Then again, who is content being the crumbs and staying behind the scenes will never understand the difficulty in being the best. I do not…"
"All right, I'll work," the girl interrupted with a smile. "We will win this competition."
"Well, I'm going to change," Saotome went away, leaving the two standing there.
"Sasaki-san, why not...?"
"It's fine, Nobi-kun," she said, still beaming. "It's fine..." she repeated with her smile wavered.
He looked at her for a few seconds, then lowered his eyes. Sasaki had just entered their class that year; before that she was in Fujo's class. She was a lovely girl; having long, wavy brown hair that was sometimes tied in different, pretty hairstyles, a sweet disposition and well-raised. One would say she looked almost like an idol.
"I don't agree with Saotome. You are smart," he looked at her seriously. She blinked in surprise upon hearing his statement. "And even if my opinion is not important, you're very pretty in that dress."
"Thanks..." she smiled as if relieved. Then she moved away, just as Suneo passed by.
"Hey, Nobita," the boy greeted, "It's a pity we're not in the same class, eh? With my talent and good taste, I turn Romeo and Juliet into a fashion feast."
"Yes, I saw them. They're beautiful," he admitted.
"I could certainly have been given the part of Romeo, what with my beauty and skills, but I have many commitments and for this time I will settle for the glory."
Here's another one that lacks modesty, Nobita thought with a sigh.
"Yeah, it's a pity that my clothes are better than yours," Suneo continued. "Never mind," the tall boy shrugged, "It's just a play. I borrowed the clothes from a fifth-grade girl. Last year she had brought those dresses for a vintage show."
"Nakashima Naoko-san, isn't it?" "Yes, exactly, why?" he looked at Suneo, while said person gritted his teeth in anger.
"We attend the same fashion course. We're rivals," he said, annoyed. "You could have asked me and not her."
"Eh? But you just said-"
"I have more talent than her! And a person like you don't have such high fashion taste and thus cannot understand it!"
"Why are you angry now?" Nobita said in confusion, while the other snorted as he turned away.
"Anyway-" he peeked behind the marquee. "-we are at a highlight. There is a kiss between Romeo and Juliet. I can't deny that Dekisugi has been given the best part; any guy would want to be in his place and kiss the beautiful Juliet-" He turned to look at Nobita, but he was walking away. "Hey, don't you want to stay here and watch the play?"
"No, I have other things to do," he simply said. Suneo, however, held him by the sleeve. "Come on now, you cannot miss this," he said with a sly smile. "Or do you think your class can do better?"
"Don't insist me; I really don't want to see it," he said, shaking and pulled away from Suneo. The other looked at him surprised, while Nobita tried to avoid seeing his friend's face.
"H-Hey, Nobita! Wait!" the fox-faced said hurriedly, while he was going somewhere else. He did not have time to take a few more steps when it seemed that the floor was moving. He stopped immediately, leaning against the wall, trying to calm down.
A moment later he realized the floor was really shaking and the walls slowly rumbled: it was an earthquake. Then a blackout happened, leaving everyone in a panic.
~000~
"...all in all, the best Cultural Festival I had attended," concluded Chika as she leaned against the railing of the school terrace, where there were already two boys who looked at the view.
"Without taking into account that his stupid act has jumped that silly recitation, of course," said Hiro. Saotome was not at all happy. He continued to accuse Hidetoshi of causing the earthquake which prevented him from acting and winning the Competition.
"I think he's reached a new level of stupidity today," Chika said.
"Aren't you feeling sorry for all the hard work you've done?" Hiro asked the boy who was in the middle of the two. The dark-haired simply shrugged and looked up at the sky.
"None of us could have foreseen an earthquake in the middle of the party. At least it did not cause so much damage and we could enjoy the rest of the party outside," he reasoned.
"I have the impression that among all, you are the happiest person for this incident," said the girl while looking at him. "And I don't think it has to do with the competition."
Nobita only chuckled uncertainly, then smiled.
Already, it was the best Cultural Festival.