Chapter 3: Strange Feelings
Doramen sighed in frustration as he looked over his homework assignments. Most were the typical worksheet or two, but he dreaded one thing in particular. He had a big test in his History class on Friday, and the teacher had given everyone a practice test to prepare. Unfortunately, the practice test was required, and Doramen hadn't been able to finish it in class, so now it was homework.
"This isn't fair," Doramen growled to himself as he looked over the homework he had in his other classes.
He was getting himself into the habit of doing his homework at lunch, but he already knew that he wouldn't be able to finish it all. He'd already done two worksheets, and it seemed like he still had a mountain of more assignments to go.
Guess I'll have to finish it at home, he thought in annoyance.
Sighing again, he put his assignments back into their respective folders, then put the folders back into his pocket. He got up from the table he was sitting at and made his way to the cafeteria to get more food. At that moment, eating was all he really wanted to do, besides dread his assignments. He got himself a plate of rice cakes, his favorite snack, and headed back to his table.
As he ate, he heard footsteps coming up from behind him. He glanced over his shoulder, expecting it to be Doralien, only to be pleasantly surprised to see Doraemon. Doraemon walked around the table so that he was facing Doramen. He sat down across from Doramen, averting his gaze shyly.
"Hi Doraemon," Doramen greeted with a smile.
He was still getting to know Doraemon, and thus still felt a little awkward around him. However, he thought it was peculiar that Doraemon wasn't making eye contact. He couldn't help but wonder if his new friend was upset about something.
"Hey Doramen," Doraemon greeted back, still not looking at the red robot cat.
Doramen popped a rice cake into his mouth. When Doraemon didn't say anything else, Doramen decided to speak up.
"Is everything okay?" he asked.
Doraemon didn't say anything for a moment. Then, he sighed.
"I think I need some help," he answered finally.
"You need help? With what?" Doramen asked.
"I have to take a practice test in my History class, and I'm not very confident that I'm gonna do well on it. Your friend told me you have the same teacher, so I was wondering if you wanted to study with me."
Doramen's eyes widened. He was surprised to hear that both he and Doraemon were stuck with the same assignment.
"Actually, I have to take the same test. I don't mind if you want to tackle it together," he said.
"Really? Thank you!" Doraemon chimed, a big smile growing on his face.
Doramen also smiled. He felt warm and fuzzy inside knowing he was doing a good deed.
"Can you meet me at the library after school?" Doraemon asked.
Doramen stared at him in confusion. He was under the impression that they were going to study at home.
"The library? Why there?" he asked back.
"That's where the study hall is. We can go there after school and, well, study," Doraemon explained.
"Oh. I can meet you there, sure."
"Great! I'll see you then!"
Doramen watched as Doraemon got up and left the table. For some reason he felt a pang of disappointment as Doraemon disappeared from view.
Why do I feel disappointed? We just agreed to meet after school! Doramen thought.
He sighed and went back to eating his rice cakes.
At least I can get that stupid test knocked out.
….
Doramen groaned to himself when he stepped outside of the classroom. It was raining quite hard. Puddles were all over the ground. Students were speed-walking around campus, covering their heads in an effort to prevent them from getting wet.
Doramen stood there for a moment before putting his paws over his head and making his way to the library. He had to admit, he was looking forward to spending some time with Doraemon. Even though he was dreading the practice test, he was glad he wouldn't be dealing with it alone.
By the time he reached the library, his arms and paws were completely wet. He hurried inside, where he immediately felt better. He rubbed his paws against his belly in a halfhearted attempt to dry them as he looked around the area. There was no sign of Doraemon.
What do I do now? Should I just stand here and wait for him to show up? Doramen wondered.
He stood around for a few seconds, and when Doraemon didn't come inside, he decided to go ahead and find somewhere to sit. He walked slowly through the library, taking note of how few students there were. He could hear the rain pattering on the roof. It was a nice and quiet environment, perfect for studying.
After walking around for a minute or two, Doramen found a small table off by itself, surrounded by bookshelves. He took a seat and dug through his pocket, then pulled out a folder he used for his History assignments. He took out the practice test and laid it on the table.
As he skimmed over the questions, he heard a quiet voice on the other side of the library. The voice sounded familiar, so Doramen lifted his head to see who it was. He could just barely see a yellow robot cat standing by the entrance to the library, looking around as if they were lost.
That must be Doraemon! I bet he's looking for me, Doramen thought.
He stood up and waved at the robot cat until they finally noticed him. They perked up and immediately made their way over to him.
"Hey Doramen!" they greeted, revealing themselves to indeed be Doraemon.
"Hey Doraemon," Doramen greeted back with a smile.
Doraemon sat down across from Doramen. For some reason that made Doramen feel slightly disappointed.
"So… uhh… I have my test right here," he said, gesturing to the piece of paper sitting on the smooth, wooden table.
Doraemon glanced down at the assignment, then reached into his pocket. He pulled out a big binder with a bunch of colored tabs sticking out of the side. Doramen instantly felt a little embarrassed that he wasn't as organized. Doraemon opened the binder and skimmed through it for a minute before pulling out a piece of paper. He set it down on the table across from Doramen's assignment. Doramen glanced at the paper and could tell by the formatting of all the text printed on it that it was the exact same as his. He sighed to himself and reached into his pocket, pulling out his History textbook.
"The test is for chapter six, right?" Doraemon asked, looking a little embarrassed.
"Yeah, chapter six," Doramen answered.
He opened his textbook to the sixth chapter, then set it in front of him. He felt himself tense up a little when Doraemon suddenly reached over and grabbed the edge of the textbook, rotating it so he could read it.
He has to use my textbook… I guess he didn't bring his, or maybe he forgot it…, Doramen thought, feeling strangely happy.
"I can't believe we have to answer all 20 questions," Doraemon muttered as he turned the page.
Doramen shifted his position, awkwardly adjusting his collar. He was starting to feel a little hot.
I need to focus on my test, he thought.
Sighing, he pulled a pencil out of his pocket and began to answer the questions on the test. The first few proved to be rather easy, but soon they began to get more complicated and difficult. He was finding it harder and harder to answer some of the questions.
Doraemon sighed deeply, his breath gently ruffling the pages of the textbook. He, too, began to work on the test, but he soon found himself stuck.
"I suck at remembering dates," he muttered as he flipped through the textbook.
Doramen put down his pencil. He was suddenly overcome with the need to help Doraemon.
"Is something wrong?" he asked.
Doraemon hesitated, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"Have you gotten to question four yet?" he asked back.
"Yes," Doramen answered.
"I can't find the answer for it."
"It's on page 73."
Doraemon immediately flipped to that page. He read for a minute, then breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank you, you're the best," he said as he wrote on his assignment.
Doramen averted his gaze, blushing. A big smile forced its way onto his face. Helping Doraemon made him feel really good, better than it did when he helped anyone else.
Why am I blushing? I need to focus! he thought as he shook his head.
He turned his attention back to the assignment and picked up his pencil. Trying his best to concentrate, he resumed answering the questions. Although he needed to occasionally skim through a paragraph or two of the textbook, he was able to answer most of the questions with ease. His stress about the real test was beginning to fade away.
When he reached the last few questions of the test, he found himself stuck. He sat there for seemingly ages, trying to figure it out on his own, but he just couldn't recall the information.
He reached over to his textbook and grabbed it so that he could turn it around. However, Doraemon reached to exactly where Doramen was grabbing, intending to turn the page. Their paws made contact. They stared at each other with wide eyes for a moment before Doraemon pulled away.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to touch you!" he exclaimed.
Doramen retracted his paw much slower. He was silent for a few seconds.
"I-it's okay, it was an accident," he mumbled in response.
A blush spread across his cheeks as he recalled how smooth Doraemon's fur felt. Doraemon blushed too, but out of embarrassment rather than being flustered.
"You grabbed the textbook first, you can do whatever you were gonna do," he murmured.
Doramen suddenly felt guilty.
"No no, you go ahead. I can wait," he insisted.
"You sure?"
"Absolutely."
Doraemon hesitated before finally reaching over and turning the page. He read for a few seconds, then wrote on his assignment.
"That's all I needed, thanks," he said, not making eye contact.
Doramen didn't respond. He hesitantly grabbed the textbook and turned it towards him. He turned a few pages before finding the information he needed. As he was answering the question, Doraemon suddenly let out a big, happy sigh of relief. Doramen looked up at him.
"You alright?" he asked with a smile.
"I got the test finished!" Doraemon announced, putting his arms up in the air.
"That's great!"
"Thank you so much for letting me study with you. Your textbook helped me a lot."
Doramen rubbed the back of his head, blushing.
"No problem," he said with a big smile.
Suddenly, a human woman approached the table. Doramen immediately recognized her as the librarian.
"Study hall is over, boys. Please pack your things and leave," the woman said in a quiet voice.
Doraemon's eyes widened.
"Wow, I didn't realize we've been working for that long," he said to Doramen.
Doramen just shrugged. He put away his things and stood up, Doraemon quickly doing the same. The two robot cats went to the entrance of the library, only to stop in their tracks. It was still raining. Puddles of water were everywhere.
"I'm not walking in that," Doraemon muttered.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his Anywhere Door (Dokodemo Door).
"Thanks again for your help, Doramen," he said, smiling at his friend.
"Of course!" Doramen replied, smiling back.
Doraemon said his goodbyes and left. Now Doramen was alone. He decided to use his Anywhere Door as well since he didn't have an umbrella with him, and promptly pulled it out.
"To home," he whispered to it.
He opened it, relieved to see his living room. He stepped through the doorway and put his Anywhere Door back in his pocket. As he stood there, he couldn't help but think back on what had happened at the library.
Why did I get so flustered over the slightest things like that? I've never felt like that before… Making Doraemon happy made me feel happy, which I guess is good, but I didn't feel that way when I first met him, he thought.
He sighed and sat down on his couch.
Maybe there's something wrong with me. But, what could it be? I just don't know… Whatever it is, I hope it doesn't mean anything bad...