I whistled my way back to Roppuru's house, feeling good. Couldn't help thinking about Morina's cold, alluring presence. I wondered if that favor she owed me would ever come in handy.
Back at Roppuru's, I saw Clem and Chammy both anxiously looking at Roppuru's bedroom door.
I pretty much knew what was going on.
"Nobita-nii, you're back? My brother, he…" Clem's face was full of worry.
"I'll go check on him. If you're worried, you can come in too, Clem," I said, pushing open Roppuru's door.
Clem, Chammy, and I walked in together.
Roppuru was sitting on the windowsill, hugging his knees, looking completely defeated. The blue moonlight of Koya Koya spilled over him, making the whole scene extra gloomy.
"I can't believe it… Even the Space Patrol can't be relied on!" Roppuru said when he saw me, his voice full of sorrow.
"But big brother, we still have Nobita-nii, don't we?" Clem tried to cheer him up.
"Yeah! Yeah! Come on, don't be down!" Chammy chimed in.
Looking at me, Roppuru seemed to regain some confidence. There's still Nobita, he must have been thinking. If we won once, we can win again.
Suddenly, Roppuru jumped down from the windowsill, as if remembering something, and took a blue item from the corner of the room. He walked over to me with a sense of ceremony.
"This was my father's, but I think you're more suited to have it than I am," he said, placing it in front of me.
It was a blue gun belt, big enough to hold two pistols—perfect for the two toy guns I'd brought from Earth.
Clem gasped. Her brother was giving me their father's keepsake? That's how much he trusted me—he was betting everything on me.
"I'm sure you understand what this means, right?" Roppuru smiled.
I did. Taking this keepsake meant I was accepting everything that came after—including the unspoken promise to protect Koya Koya.
"But… isn't this really important?" I asked, my eyes reflecting the blue moonlight, hiding any readable emotion.
"I believe it'll have more value with you," Roppuru said with a smile.
Was this my payment? Roppuru's life? Or the fate of Koya Koya? I wasn't sure. But between men, there are things you don't need to say aloud.
So I solemnly accepted the blue gun belt.
"I get it. I'll protect Koya Koya!" I said, serious for once.
Roppuru saw I understood and let out a long breath. Yeah, some things don't need words between men.
Clem looked at her brother, then seemed to make up her mind. Her cheeks red, she took a crystal flower from her red-and-white dress pocket.
"Clem, you…" Roppuru was shocked.
"Nobita-nii, I have a gift for you too—this." Face burning, Clem held out the crystal flower.
"This is a snowflower from our planet, preserved as a dried flower," she said, shy but determined.
"Wow, it's beautiful!" I couldn't help but say as I picked it up.
Clem blushed even harder when I took it.
Roppuru sighed, worried I might not understand the meaning. "This was also our father's favorite flower. To us, it's like a protective charm."
I didn't even need him to finish. When a girl gives a guy her protective charm, it's obvious what it means—anyone with half a brain gets it.
I looked at Clem, her face shy and red, my mind a jumble. Well, this reward is a bit too heavy. But I guess I have to accept this mission now. Doraemon, you see? They're paying extra—I can't say no.
I looked at the crystal snowflower in my hand.
Holding it up, I joked, "This looks a bit like a sheriff's badge!"
Meaning: I accept.
Then I carefully pinned the snowflower to my chest.
Clem's eyes sparkled. "Thank you, Nobita-nii! From now on, please protect us!"
"Of course, I'll do my best—to protect you," I replied with a grin. I said "you", not "all of you", and Clem caught the difference. She blushed even harder, mumbling, "Protect me… That's fine, too…"
…
After sealing my pact with Roppuru, and with Clem's face still bright red, I walked out of the room, the crystal snowflower on my chest and the blue gun belt at my waist.
Clem's mom was waiting in the living room. She started to ask about Roppuru, but seeing the snowflower and the familiar gun belt, she stopped. She didn't have to ask—it was obvious.
Sigh… Roppuru and Clem have made their choice. I guess it's only natural—this planet was their father's discovery. But now, they can't even guarantee their own children a home.
Any adult would crack under that humiliation and loss. Especially Roppuru, who always wanted to save Koya Koya and honor his father's legacy. Now Galtite Mining had crushed it all, Roppuru's dreams and efforts looking puny and hopeless against such a giant, like a mantis trying to stop a cart—doomed from the start.
He'd tried so many times and just kept losing. Galtite Mining were pros—ordinary people couldn't beat them, and those in power didn't care. Even if you wanted evidence, they'd clean everything up perfectly. They walked the line between legal and illegal, making a fortune in the process.
No wonder Roppuru clung to hope when he saw it.
Looking at me, Clem's mom sighed. "I hope you can really do it, Nobita."
"I will, Auntie!" I said, determined.
Then I left to get ready.
….
Watching Nobita go, she must have been thinking: Roppuru and Clem have made their choices—shouldn't I do my part, too? But what could she do…?
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