"Yes, this really is a great opportunity!" Shizuka agreed enthusiastically. "And it has her contact information right there! That could save you a lot of trouble when you're ready to submit."
Submitting manga in Japan wasn't a straightforward process. You couldn't just mail your manuscript to a publishing house and expect results. Sending it unsolicited was like searching for a needle in a haystack; you'd have to wait for someone to slowly review it, and if the quality wasn't up to par, it could easily be overlooked entirely. Although Lin Yu was very confident in the plot, setting, and overall concept of Cardcaptor Sakura, he was still a bit hesitant about his own artistic skills. He was still a beginner, and even if he spent a lot of time and effort meticulously copying each page, his technique was still somewhat lacking. However, if he could communicate directly with an editor, his chances of success would be significantly higher. Even though Miyoko Mangetsu was just an assistant editor, making a connection with her could definitely be a huge help in getting Cardcaptor Sakura serialized.
Lin Yu carefully tucked Miyoko Mangetsu's business card away. Seeing Shizuka's genuinely happy expression for him, he smiled. "Come on," he said, "we still need to get Nobita his schoolbag."
The rest of their walk to Nobita's house was uneventful. But, just as Lin Yu had expected, the spoiled brat Nobita was clearly still sulking and refused to see them. Even though Mrs. Nobi (Tamako Nobi) called up to him several times, he showed no intention of coming downstairs.
"Honestly, that boy is getting more and more difficult to manage," Mrs. Nobi sighed apologetically to Shizuka and Lin Yu. "I'm so sorry you had to make a special trip just to bring him his schoolbag. Why don't you both stay for dinner tonight?" (With Nobita refusing to appear, she, as his mother, felt obliged to smooth things over.)
"That's very kind of you, Auntie, but we couldn't impose," Lin Yu said politely, handing her Nobita's bag. "We mainly just wanted to drop this off. Since Nobita is still upset, could you please apologize to him for me? It seems he's misunderstood something about me, and I wanted to tell him I was sorry in person."
"Of course, dear, I'll pass on your message," Mrs. Nobi replied, impressed by Lin Yu's maturity. "I'm sure it's just Nobita being difficult again. I'll have a word with him later." (She showed no inclination to side with Nobita; in fact, she readily assumed he was the one at fault. Nobita's past behavior—constantly getting into trouble, lying, and hiding his zero-mark tests—made it hard to give him the benefit of the doubt. If something went wrong, most people's first assumption would probably be that Nobita was to blame.)
"Oh no, Auntie, please don't say that. Nobita is actually a good kid," Lin Yu said with a smile, waving his hand dismissively and offering a few placating words.
"Well, Auntie, it's getting late, so we should probably head home now."
"Alright, dears. Be careful on your way. And please come visit again when you have time!"
After seeing Lin Yu and Shizuka off, Mrs. Nobi sighed, Nobita's schoolbag still in her hand, and headed upstairs. Reaching his door, her expression hardened. "Nobita! Lin Yu and Shizuka have left! Your classmates came all this way to bring your schoolbag, and you couldn't even come out to thank them? Is that what I taught you?"
When there was no response from inside, she angrily jiggled the doorknob but found it locked. "Nobita, if you're not going to come out and reflect on your actions, then you can just stay in your room! You're not allowed out!"
She placed the schoolbag by the door, turned, and headed back downstairs, muttering under her breath, "I don't know when that boy will ever learn to be less trouble."
Inside the room, Doraemon, who had been listening by the door, watched Mrs. Nobi's retreating footsteps fade. He turned to Nobita, who was huddled in a corner, with an exasperated look. "Nobita, your mom's gone. She sounded pretty angry. You should go downstairs and apologize."
"I'm not going! Why should I apologize? I didn't do anything wrong!" Nobita's voice, thick with self-pity and defiance, drifted from the corner. Doraemon couldn't help but rub his temples in frustration.
"What's wrong now, Nobita? Did Gian and the others bully you again?" Doraemon asked gently. "But that was Lin Yu and Shizuka just now. Why didn't you go down to see them?"
Doraemon's words seemed to hit a raw nerve. Fresh tears began streaming down Nobita's face. "Doraemon," he wailed, "what am I going to do? I don't want to marry Gian's sister in the future... B-but Shizuka... sh-she..." He broke down into choked sobs, looking utterly pathetic.
"There, there, don't cry," Doraemon soothed, handing Nobita a box of tissues, his face full of sympathy. "Tell me what happened..."
"It was like this..." Nobita began his tearful tale.
After leaving Nobita's house and walking Shizuka home, Lin Yu also headed towards his own place, a thoughtful expression on his face. Honestly, neither the events of the school day nor the incident with Nobita were particularly concerning to him. However, the encounter with Miyoko Mangetsu that evening had reignited a sense of urgency within him.
Doraemon: Nobita's Great Adventure into the Underworld was one of the most classic Doraemon movies. Lin Yu remembered it vividly. Strictly speaking, if it hadn't been for Doraemon and his friends, the entire planet would have been conquered by the Demon Realm. And Miyoko Mangetsu, the heroine of that movie, had just appeared. This forced Lin Yu to consider the implications.
'Could it be,' he wondered, 'that the events of that movie are already starting to unfold?' The thought made his previously comfortable timeframe feel suddenly very tight. He hadn't even finished drawing his current manga pages, let alone started the review process or serialization. And building up popularity for a new series from scratch to gain a large number of Reputation Points wasn't something that could be done quickly; it all required time and preparation.