I watched as Shizuka's mom gracefully entered the room, carrying a tray of snacks and tea. At first, she seemed surprised to see me tutoring Shizuka, but then a look of understanding crossed her face. I guess Shizuka had told her about my recent academic improvements.
As I helped Shizuka with the last problem, I couldn't help but notice how elegant Shizuka's mom looked as she knelt down to serve us tea. Her long, shapely legs folded beneath her, and when she leaned forward, I caught a glimpse of her full, womanly figure. I tried not to stare, but it was hard to ignore how beautiful she was.
"Itadakimasu," Shizuka and I said in unison as we settled down to enjoy the treats.
I carefully picked up a piece of the homemade confection and savored it slowly. It was delicious - no wonder Shizuka loved baking so much. I could taste the influence of her mother's skill.
As I sipped the tea, Shizuka's mom asked how we liked everything. I smiled and told her how good it all was, trying to be as polite and charming as possible. She seemed pleased by my manners, and I could tell she was impressed by how much I'd changed.
After chatting with us for a bit, Shizuka's mom excused herself, telling us to call if we needed anything. As she left, I admired her graceful movements and understood where Shizuka got her ladylike demeanor from.
Once we were alone, Shizuka visibly relaxed. We spent the rest of the afternoon playing games, reading manga, and just enjoying each other's company. Being in her cozy room, surrounded by her sweet scent and cheerful laughter, filled me with happiness. I wished the day would never end.
...
...
...
I couldn't believe it when Suneo suddenly invited us all over to his house. As I walked there with Shizuka, Gian, and the others, I had a strange feeling of deja vu, like I knew what was coming next.
Sure enough, as soon as we arrived, Suneo dramatically unveiled a T-Rex model and a framed fossil claw. He launched into his usual boasting: "Long, long ago, about 100 million years in the past during the Cretaceous period, dinosaurs ruled the land..."
I sighed internally. Here we go again with the movie plot. Was there really no escaping it?
Gian quickly grew impatient with Suneo's long-winded intro.
"Get to the point already!" he snapped.
Suneo huffed but obliged, showing off the T-Rex claw fossil his dad had brought back from the USA. As the others oohed and ahhed over it, passing it around, I noticed Suneo deliberately skipped me when it came time to look at it up close.
Typical Suneo, always finding ways to exclude me. I bit back my annoyance, knowing I had to play along with the storyline. So I put on my best bravado and declared, "Big deal! I could find way better fossils than that. I'll dig up a whole dinosaur skeleton and show you all!"
Ugh, it felt so cringey to say out loud. But Suneo and Gian took the bait, immediately pouncing on my boast.
"Oh really?" Suneo smirked. "You'd better not be lying, or you'll have to eat spaghetti with your nose!"
I could see the gleam in their eyes - they'd been looking for an excuse to mess with me lately, and I'd just handed them the perfect opportunity. But I had to stick to the script.
"I-I'm serious!" I stammered, trying to look confident. "Just you wait and see!"
Shizuka looked worried. "Nobita, don't..." she started to say, but I cut her off with a wink. "It's okay, I've got this under control," I assured her, even though my stomach was already churning with nerves.
As Suneo and Gian cackled and made Shizuka witness our bet, I steeled myself for the adventure ahead. At least I knew how it was supposed to end. Hopefully my newfound skills would make things go a bit smoother this time around...
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# Support with Power Stones!
# Every 400 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter