"Huh…? I thought I just heard Nobita and Gian's voices."
Shizuka, who was taking shelter from the rain with Lin Feng, looked towards the two figures in the downpour with a puzzled expression after hearing some sounds.
Because the distance was quite far, coupled with the increasingly heavy rain, they couldn't see very clearly.
Nobita had only just started to call out Shizuka's name when Gian intercepted him, so Shizuka hadn't heard it very clearly.
"Really? They seem to be getting along quite well."
Lin Feng naturally heard the sounds as well, and his observation skills were even keener than Shizuka's.
When he saw Nobita appear here, Lin Feng had already guessed that this sudden and somewhat strange rain might actually be related to this guy.
The most important thing is, this guy's intentions seem a little too obvious.
The street vendors who set up stalls outside prepare rain gear in advance to prevent their goods from getting wet and losing their selling value.
But it was clearly sunny just now. It's one thing that it suddenly started raining, but the most crucial point is that Nobita actually brought an umbrella here. This makes one think.
Either Nobita has the ability to predict the future and knew it was going to rain here, so he brought an umbrella to pick up Shizuka.
Or this rain might have been orchestrated by Nobita himself.
With Doraemon, who can constantly produce magical gadgets from the 22nd century, it's very likely that it could even hail, let alone rain.
Doraemon's gadgets do have such capabilities.
Analyzing it this way, Nobita's motives for appearing here are quite intriguing.
But he'd take things one step at a time, meeting each challenge as it came. Lin Feng was quite familiar with Doraemon's gadgets.
With precautions in place, it wouldn't be so easy for Nobita to pull off his pranks.
"I told you, I'm borrowing this umbrella for a while!"
"No, no, you can't have it yet..."
Nobita and Gian were still arguing about the umbrella.
"What did you say? Damn it! Nobita, you dare to disobey me! Looks like you're looking for a fight, huh?"
"Alright! Since you insist, then just be prepared for what's coming!"
Gian, having been denied the umbrella, clenched his fists and cracked his knuckles.
Just as he was about to give Nobita a good talking-to, Gian's mind seemed to be emptied in an instant.
"Today I will..."
"Huh? Hey! Nobita? Wow! You're so cool today, you're practically my idol! Since you're going to use this umbrella too, let's use it together!"
After a moment of daze, Gian suddenly changed from being furious to incredibly gentle, his eyes turning into two pink hearts.
"I'm sorry, I was wrong about you before, Nobita. I didn't expect you to have such a handsome and dashing side, it really makes me look at you in a new light~!"
"Come on, come to my house as a guest! I just bought these pastries and fruits, don't be shy, please enjoy them to your heart's content~!"
He even gave Nobita all the pastries and fruits that his mother had told him to buy for entertaining guests, completely free of charge.
"A-are...?"
Looking at Gian, whose attitude towards him had suddenly done a complete 180, Nobita was stunned. Then, he remembered that Doraemon had mentioned some usage instructions for the Friendship Umbrella when he borrowed the gadget.
"The Friendship Umbrella's effect lasts for three minutes. As long as the other person stays under the umbrella with you for three minutes, they will be attracted to you, look up to you, and develop feelings of affection."
"And this effect works on anyone, whether they are the same sex or the opposite sex, even animals, will be attracted by this effect, so Nobita, you need to pay attention when using it, okay?"
Doraemon's admonishing voice seemed to still echo in his ears, but Nobita could only force a bitter smile at the current situation.
He hadn't expected that, just as his plan was about to succeed, Gian would suddenly appear.
And judging by Gian's current attitude, if he refused to go home with him, he might just carry him off.
"Shizuka... my Shizuka...!"
"How did things turn out like this..."
Under Gian's "gentle" persuasion, Nobita was dragged away, half-heartedly. As he left, he silently shed tears of regret, gazing in Shizuka's direction.
What a pity. He was so close to inviting Shizuka to share the Friendship Umbrella with him.
If he could only replace the amorous Gian with the sweet and gentle Shizuka, how wonderful it would be...
Unfortunately, Gian, a burly classmate, kept flirting with him and currying favor.
Even Nobita felt like throwing up, but he held it back.
He knew very well what would happen if he vomited in front of Gian because his actions disgusted him.
Meanwhile, the duration of the Shower Cloud, the gadget Doraemon had given Nobita, wasn't very long. It was originally just a temporary tool for making it rain.
So, a little while after Gian and Nobita left, the rain stopped, and the sky returned to its cloudless state.
This made it even clearer that the rain earlier was indeed related to that Nobita fellow.
But judging by his current situation, he probably wouldn't be able to get away anytime soon.
This was something he'd brought upon himself.
After the little incident, it wasn't early anymore. So, after Shizuka bought all the tools and drawing paper Lin Feng needed for his manga, they started heading home together.
As it happened, the two of them were going in the same direction, which was quite unexpected. The house left to Lin Feng by his body's original parents was located near Shizuka's house.
In terms of distance from school, Lin Feng's current residence was a bit further than Shizuka's, but because of this, he would pass by Shizuka's house every day on his way to school.
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(End of Chapter)