A little over ten minutes flew by, and soon it would be eight o'clock, time for class.
Mr. Ichiro Narusei was, as always, dressed very formally. He stood on the podium before class started.
However, when he glanced down at the classroom and saw that Nobita Nobi's seat was still empty, a look of helplessness flashed across his eyes.
There was nothing he could do. Mr. Ichiro Narusei had taught this class for several years, and the one thing he hadn't been able to correct was Nobita Nobi's habit of being late.
Of course, the fact that he often scored zero on exams also gave Mr. Ichiro Narusei a terrible headache.
He'd brought up this issue countless times at parent-teacher conferences and during home visits, but that Nobita Nobi was truly incorrigible.
The longest he'd managed to go without being late was a week, after which he couldn't keep it up.
"Ahem, alright, class, it's time for class. Please take out your textbooks and turn to page..."
After hearing the school bell, Ichiro Narusei cleared his throat and told everyone to take out their textbooks and prepare for class.
"R-report! Sorry, teacher, I'm late…"
Just then, Nobita Nobi, as luck would have it, walked right into the line of fire again.
If he had just woken up five minutes earlier, he wouldn't have been late to class.
"Nobita Nobi!!! You've been late for two days in a row since school started! You've gone too far!"
"It seems you haven't listened to a single word I've said. Since that's the case, go stand in the hallway! You can come back in after the second period!"
As expected, Ichiro Narusei, standing at the podium, saw Nobita Nobi was late again. His mouth twitched slightly. After predictably scolding Nobita Nobi, he sent him out to stand in the hallway.
"Yes…"
It was the familiar recipe, the familiar taste.
After humbly lowering his head to receive a scolding from the teacher, he obediently left the classroom and went to his usual spot in the hallway for detention.
Even with his eyes closed, Nobita Nobi could perform this sequence of actions with ease.
It had almost become a daily routine, so much so that even Nobita himself was starting to get used to it.
Yesterday, out of consideration for the first day of the new semester and the presence of new classmates, the teacher hadn't sent Nobita out for detention.
But today, he was unrepentant and late again.
Besides sending him out for detention, Mr. Ichiro Narusei couldn't think of any better punishment for the moment.
"Hahaha, that Nobita, he really deserves the title of King of Being Late...!"
"That's right, that's right..."
As expected, when Nobita Nobi was being scolded, the classroom erupted in laughter.
Although it was almost always the same few people who mocked Nobita, everyone seemed to have formed an unspoken agreement. If they didn't say anything, it just felt...off.
If Nobita were ever not late one day, they might actually be a little surprised.
Lin Feng didn't really care about Nobita's tardiness. After all, as someone who knew the original Doraemon story, he knew exactly what Nobita was like.
He could be late all the time, get scolded all the time, and still be late again after being scolded. He just wouldn't change.
You have to admit, Nobita's behavior was pretty gutsy.
But when Nobita came in to report earlier, Lin Feng noticed a small detail. Nobita looked a little bruised, and there was a bandage on his forehead.
This made Ichiro Narusei recall what happened at the Shopping Street yesterday afternoon.
If Lin Feng guessed correctly, Nobita Nobi, upon seeing him alone with Shizuka shopping, would likely have felt jealous and gone back to seek Doraemon's help.
Yesterday's sudden downpour was the best proof of this.
However, because of Gian's sudden attack, Nobita Nobi's original plan was disrupted.
So, Nobita Nobi's bruised and swollen appearance today was probably related to what happened yesterday.
As for what exactly happened after Nobita Nobi was forcibly dragged away by Gian yesterday, perhaps only those two involved knew.
Half of the morning had quickly passed.
After the second class in the morning ended, Nobita Nobi finally entered the classroom.
He dragged his somewhat tired body back to his seat. Just as he was about to take his textbooks out of his bag, he suddenly noticed a figure standing in front of his desk.
"Nobita, why are you late again today? And what happened to the injury on your face?"
The person approaching was none other than the gentle and kind Shizuka.
In the entire class, probably no one other than Shizuka would care so much about Nobita.
It has to be said that Shizuka was truly a good girl, understanding and considerate. Even though Nobita was often late and his grades were at the bottom of the class, she still wanted to be friends with him. This precious friendship was indeed rare.
So when she saw Nobita injured and still coming to class, she was a little worried and walked to his side, intending to ask about his situation.
Because yesterday after school, Nobita was still fine. It had only been one night, and he had become like this, which made people feel somewhat strange.
"Shizuka…"
Nobita Nobi looked up and saw Shizuka's concern, and tears began to well up in his eyes.
Although he felt a little aggrieved, Nobita Nobi's face couldn't help but flush when he thought about what had happened yesterday afternoon. It was bad enough that he knew about such a shameful incident, he didn't need Shizuka to know as well.
"I'm… fine. I just… I accidentally tripped and fell when I was going home yesterday… Sorry for worrying you."
Nobita Nobi lowered his head to wipe away the tears in his eyes, and suppressing the grievance in his heart, he forced a smile that was even uglier than a frown, and said to Shizuka.
"Oh… I see. Well, be careful from now on, and try to avoid getting hurt, okay?"
Since Nobita Nobi had said so, Shizuka could only tell him to be careful in the future and not get hurt again.
"Mm, thank you, Shizuka. I'll definitely be more careful from now on…!"
Whenever it was, Shizuka's comfort was the best psychological solace for Nobita.
With Shizuka's comfort, the wounds Nobita received from Gian's beating didn't seem to hurt as much.
That's right, the reason Nobita was coming to class today with a bump on his head and a bruised face was indeed largely due to Gian.
(End of this chapter)