Nobita's Time Heist

Shipping celebrities is completely different from shipping people you know, especially when the main characters are childhood friends who have known each other since they were little. Shizuka simply couldn't imagine Nobita and Fat Girl in wedding attire, exchanging vows at their wedding ceremony. Come to think of it, it seemed like she hadn't seen Fat Girl in ages; in her memory, she was still the same as when she was little, and she couldn't connect with the character at all.

"So, Doraemon, he..."

After sorting out her logic, Shizuka realized some new problems. She had originally wanted to ask, "Doesn't Nobita want to marry the chubby girl?", but as the words reached her throat, she felt that the question was too sensitive and not appropriate to ask directly. No matter what answer Nobita gave, she seemed unable to find peace.

"Yes, he came all the way from the 22nd century to change my fate." Nobita, as if sensing her intent, smiled helplessly. "Besides, that terrible life... even without considering anything else, wouldn't you feel guilty? Because of me, my son, grandson, and all my descendants have been affected and become unhappy..."

"It sounds strange, but at the time, I was troubled by this for quite a while."

Saying he "struck for a long time" is a bit of an understatement. In fact, when Doraemon unabashedly showed him the future, Nobita completely broke down. He grabbed a broom and started hitting him, which was one of the few times he truly broke down.

For a 9-year-old child, this predicted future is far too tragic.

"But if the past changes, what will happen to Nobita's future children? What about that grandson's grandson... the child named Sei? Won't he just disappear?"

"Well, it's surprisingly complicated. According to Xiao Shi, he won't disappear. It involves a very complex spacetime theory. To give an example, it's like going to Osaka. There are many ways, right? It's similar. As long as the destination is the same, no matter what mode of transportation you use, you can eventually get to Osaka."

Chapter 262: That's Good

"Hey, what's the progress of those two...?" Gian, holding a goldfish water bag, squinted at Nobita and Shizuka sitting on the chair and couldn't help but complain, "They clearly agreed to come out and play together, how come they ended up sitting on the same chair? And so close? Are those two already dating?!"

“Um… Gian, I don’t think so, at least… not yet.” Dekisugi looked at the two from afar, shook his head with a smile, “Nobi-kun is very perceptive when it comes to emotions, but it seems he hasn’t made any move on this matter.”

"In fact, it's more accurate to say that they've skipped the initial, inseparable phase and gone straight into the dynamic of an old married couple. You see, those couples in their seventies and eighties in nursing homes, they live pretty much the same way." Xiao Fu, however, saw things more clearly. He shrugged and said with a sense of helplessness, "Although I've had a vague feeling about this since I was little, seeing them actually progress to this point still fills me with mixed emotions."

Nobita and Shizuka, sitting on the bench, seemed to be in a completely different world.

The surrounding noise seemed to automatically shut out two meters away from them. Nobita was speaking intently, accompanied by some gestures. Shizuka, on the other hand, sat sideways, listening attentively, her entire attention focused on the boy in front of her.

No need for elaborate descriptions; just the two of them sitting there already created an atmosphere of impenetrable distance. Seeing this, the other three naturally refrained from disturbing them and continued browsing the stalls. With the night long, choosing to spend the last day of the year with their good buddies didn't seem so bad.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

“I see, that’s how it is…” After listening to Nobita’s “Osaka Theory”, Shizuka pondered for a moment, “I have a feeling that I can deduce some prototypes of spacetime theory from this description.”

"Eh?"

Nobita was startled, and then he immediately felt the importance of learning.

Top students like Shizuka and Kosuke can often deduce a great deal of information from a single basic theory. This demonstrates their exceptional logical reasoning abilities, which, if utilized effectively, will benefit them in various subjects.

In contrast, Nobita is entirely an emotional creature, relying mostly on intuition and gut feeling. While this might not be a major problem in his interpersonal relationships, his mind immediately freezes when faced with information that requires rational deduction during an exam. Even if the conditions are right in front of him, he'll be completely clueless and unable to see anything.

In this respect, Gian and Nobita can be considered the eldest and second eldest, so their academic performance is about the same.

Doraemon once said that the brain is like an axe; if you don't use it often, it will become dull. Almost nine years have passed since he first heard the "Osaka Theory" from Shiro, yet he hasn't derived anything from it.

"Airplanes, ferries, trains, buses, even walking... you can get to Osaka by any means, right?" Just like when she tutored Nobita in his weakest subject when he was in high school, the girl explained with utmost gentleness, "provided that Nobita's family's fate has ultimately been decided to go to 'Osaka'."

"For Nobita, even if he doesn't marry Fat Girl, his grandson's grandson will still be born. That child is the unchanging 'Osaka,' and even if the bloodline of his ancestors changes, his existence will not be erased... Don't you think that's contradictory?"

"And Nostradamus."

As the cursed name was uttered, whether it was an illusion or not, the bright lights suddenly dimmed for a moment. The chaotic clamor of the surrounding crowd seemed to be enveloped and grasped in the palm of some cold, sinister force at that instant.

The next moment, everything returned to normal.

"Even though he's already dead, his name alone has such power..." Nobita remarked unconsciously.

"Asur-chan previously suggested that the most direct way is to start with his parents. Make sure his parents don't meet, and then he will disappear immediately... At least, this method works for him."

"Could we assume that there are certain events in the course of the timeline that are absolutely necessary to happen? Only when they happen can everything continue... Sounds a bit convoluted, right? Those seemingly accidental events are actually inevitable. Only when they happen is the timeline allowed to continue to exist. And if these inevitable events are disrupted, the timeline will generate another 'corrective force' to ensure that they happen as planned."

“Time Anchor…” Nobita looked at the back of his hand and murmured, “So this is what I’m used for.”

"If time is like a bonsai, then I am like the gardener, pruning the branches that don't follow the plan, so that it grows in the predetermined direction... Ha..." After further understanding the responsibilities of the "time anchor", Da Xiong could only smile bitterly and shrug self-deprecatingly, "What a heavy burden. Someone as lazy as a jellyfish like me is completely unsuitable."

"Doraemon once said that we shouldn't change things from the past, right?"

"You'll find that the longer you spend with him, the more likely he is to say something and do something different." Da Xiong shrugged helplessly and said with a wry smile, "If what he says is true, helping me change my fate is actually illegal, isn't it?"

"Yes, but the premise is..."

The premise is...

The grandson of Da Xiong's grandson, the boy named Xiao Shi, revealed the "truth" to Da Xiong.

Did the tragic future depicted in the photo album ever actually exist? At least so far, Nobita has neither confirmed nor disproven it; it's merely a few simple photographs that no longer exist in this timeline… nothing more. Did this child, destined to be born and confined within time, truly reveal the whole truth to his grandfather, his blood relative?

But after hesitating for a moment, Shizuka didn't say it.

If this hypothesis holds true, it means that Doraemon's arrival, and all the things they experienced afterward, were mixed with other motives and were not as pure as she remembered. Shizuka dared not think about that possibility, nor did she want Nobita to think in that direction. Let this friendship that transcends species continue to remain as pristine as it was originally.

That's good, that's good.

"Speaking of which, Asur... is much more perceptive than I imagined, to have noticed it so quickly."

She subtly steered the conversation away from the topic, sighing, "Who exactly is she? What kind of life did she lead before she met us?"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

At the summit of the back mountain, far from the hustle and bustle, beneath the ancient fir trees.

Asur held the candied apples, takoyaki, and mochi her friends had given her earlier, gazing at the scenery below. In the night, the city lights twinkled, their neon glow shimmering, and the sounds of people echoed through the mountains, carried to her ears by the wind. Standing here, she felt perfectly separated from the world, yet not completely overwhelmed by loneliness.

After gazing at her for a long time, she finally sighed.

"If this continues, it will never end, and I won't be able to make up my mind to leave them..."

Her tone was tinged with melancholy, but she still murmured to herself, "Now!"

Chapter 263: God

"O 'Crimson' who wanders in the vast emptiness, without heart, form, or thought, please answer my call..."

She clasped her hands together, and when she opened them again, a misty, crimson glow burst forth from the space between her palms. Runes, outlined in the light, continuously emerged from within. Asur guided them with her fingers, covering her wrists as if wearing two shimmering wristwatches. These runes seemed alive, searching for their place in the darkness, quickly filling both of Asur's arms.

In this way, she could slowly raise her hands and wave them lightly, like a conductor in an orchestra. A clicking sound, like mechanical gears meshing, could be heard as shimmering light paths formed beneath her feet and gradually spread outwards.

As the girl sang, the language that could be understood by humans gradually decreased, and more of the words became unclear, or even syllables that could not be produced by human vocal cords at all.

Conversely, her aura also surged suddenly, as if something binding her was crumbling and collapsing piece by piece. Just as the crimson light was gradually taking shape, and the shrill shriek, like boiling water, broke through the boundary and was about to materialize something, Asur suddenly stopped chanting as if she had remembered something.

“…that…person hiding behind the tree…” As she said this, her pronunciation became less fluent, as if she needed to reload her language system, “Come out!”

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Holding a large pile of festival snacks in her hands and with a skewer of grilled squid in her mouth, Lingyin obediently emerged from behind the tree, her face filled with obvious shock.

She stood there blankly for a while, then, seeing Asur looking at her helplessly, she seemed to realize her predicament and panicked, waving her hands repeatedly, "No...it's not like that! Don't look at me like this, my eyes are actually faulty, I didn't see anything! I just wanted to find a quiet place to eat, that..."

"Honestly, what kind of person do you take me for?" Faced with the girl's nonsense, Asur could only sigh helplessly. "Don't worry, I won't kill you over such a small matter."

"You're the idol who sang and danced in the open space a few days ago, right? I have some words I'd like you to pass on to Nobita and the others." To prevent her from getting confused, Asur thoughtfully added, "You were the only boy who came to shake your hand that afternoon."

"Ah...!" Rin seemed to suddenly realize something. She quickly finished the grilled squid skewers in her hand, and her surprise turned into excitement. She grabbed Asur with her free hand and shook him up and down. "I remember now. Back then, you were also standing in the front row watching our concert, right? I was so focused on Mr. Nobita that I didn't really notice you."

"You're just like him..."

Even though no one was around, the girl still lowered her voice, her face showing a mysterious excitement, a stark contrast to her usual timid demeanor.

"Is it a 'god'?"

……

Asur paused slightly, then chuckled self-deprecatingly. "I thought I had concealed it well. How could you observe it so directly? Or is there some characteristic about me that is different from others, which your spiritual vision can detect?"

“To call it ‘observation’... doesn’t seem quite accurate.” She pondered for a moment, searching for a way to accurately describe her abilities, and after hesitating for a long time, she finally said, “I can see things like the ‘flow of fate’.”

"Where does fate lead?"

"The fate of most people doesn't have many ups and downs, well, how should I put it..."

Lingyin frowned slightly, looking somewhat troubled, like a painter engrossed in abstract art who struggles to clearly articulate the visions in his mind. Even with a paintbrush, to those who cannot connect with his work, it appears nothing more than a jumble of lines and colors.

"Like butterflies, butterflies made of light, just two or three of them, resting on your shoulders. They don't move, they just stay there quietly until the moment of death, when they will fly away. From the perspective of fate, everyone is about the same... I have also seen some 'remarkable' big people, and they don't seem to have much more butterflies on their shoulders than ordinary people."

"But every decision made by the gods can easily affect the fate of every individual. When walking among people, the number of butterflies on their shoulders is more than ten times that of the gods, making them very conspicuous. Sometimes they walk among people in human form, sometimes they don't... No matter what form they take, they can be easily distinguished from others when walking among people."

"I suggest you take it easy." After being surprised by the girl's talent, Asur narrowed his eyes and warned her in an elder's tone, "This land is said to have eight million gods. In order to pray for good weather, all kinds of ghosts and monsters can be called gods, including many evil spirits. Once they realize that you can observe them, who knows what might happen."

"Have you heard the stories of fox spirits and Ouija boards? Mortals who want to use them to glimpse forbidden secrets will be taken away by them if they do not comply with their wishes. These people who are taken away are called 'disappearing spirits' and simply disappear from the world."

"Huh?" Rinne was taken aback by her words, and a look of lingering fear crossed her face. "Are gods... such terrifying things?"

“What else?” Asur patted her chest, which was as flat as a chopping board, with a rather proud tone. “Those as easy to talk to as me are, after all, a minority. The way most gods think is simply incomprehensible to ordinary people. For example…”

Before she could utter a few well-known names, a strange sound suddenly came from the thousand-year-old cedar.

"quack!"

The sound of crows flapping their wings carried an ominous air. Both sensed something amiss and looked towards the source of the sound. Several crows spread their wings in the endless, cold night and flew away from the deep-rooted, leafy tree.

This unusual phenomenon instantly alerted Asur. Upon closer inspection, the atmosphere of the mountain seemed to be gradually changing, no longer as warm as she had initially perceived. It was as if some kind of chilling gaze was peering out from the gaps in the trees, bushes, and rocks, and just passing by her brought a sense of unease, like thorns on her back.

“Someone’s watching us…” She stretched out an arm to shield Lingyin, who was at least a head taller than her, and said in a low voice, “How about it, can you feel anything?”

"I...I..." Lingyin stammered for a while before shaking her head, her face pale. "I feel a little uncomfortable, like my chest is blocked."

“Those with exceptionally high spiritual vision inevitably encounter this kind of problem. You're always the first to sense when the environment becomes unfriendly to humans.” Asur shielded the girl behind him with one hand, while extending his other hand, two orbs of light gathered in his palm as a temporary light source. “From now on, no matter what you see, stay close to me…”

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Boom!"

The sound of a heavy object falling to the ground interrupted their conversation.

Following the sound, a somewhat "tattered" figure appeared to have fallen from the ancient cedar tree and was lying on the ground in a classic Yamcha pose.

Chapter 264: Ghost

"This thousand-year-old cedar tree must be dozens of meters tall by now..."

Lingyin tilted her head back, but in the deep darkness, her vision couldn't penetrate the cedar tree. She felt as if something strange was crawling on the trunk, a pair of shifty eyes staring at her from the shadows, making her feel terrified and unable to utter a single word.

This cedar tree was there when she was very young. Even as a little girl, Lingyin had looked up at it; the thousand-year-old cedar seemed incredibly tall to her. It was said that many strong boys had fallen beneath its roots, subconsciously leaving this little girl with an indelible mark of invincibility. In her memory, this tree must have been at least several thousand meters tall.

"If someone falls from that height, is they even alive?"

“If it were an ordinary person, their internal organs would definitely be smashed to pieces, but…” Asur squatted down, checked her breathing, and after confirming that she was still breathing, he forcefully turned her over. “The bodies of the ‘ghost race’ are much stronger than you can imagine.”

It had been about two or three months since they parted ways in the Golden Land, so much so that Asur was momentarily stunned when he saw her face. He felt like he had seen her somewhere before, but couldn't quite place her, until he saw the horn on her forehead that was clearly broken off by an external force, and then he suddenly remembered that there was such a person.

At that time, Shizuka and I met her in the Grand Library of Golden Village. This oni, whose age was hard to guess but who was probably an old woman, was mysterious and seemed to be looking for something. However, she showed a clear interest in Nobita and his friends who suddenly appeared.

After resolving the incident in Golden Township, there was no further news of her, and Da Xiong and the others didn't have time to organize any intelligence. Almost without a break, the world was swept into turmoil by the Xin Dynasty, forcing their group to set out again, without even having time to review how the previous game had gone.

Several months later, the turmoil in the Xin Dynasty subsided, and everyone thought they would finally have a chance to rest.

It seems that this dilapidated world still cannot do without his personal tailor.

……

"Oh my god..." Rinne gasped. Even though Shuten-dōji's appearance differed from humans, he was still humanoid, which could provide some empathy.

At a glance, it was clear how severe her injuries were—her entire right shoulder was gone, without a visible wound, only gradually turning irrevocably black like paper scorched by flames, before crumbling into ash. This process was like some kind of virus, endlessly spreading throughout her body. In addition, her neck, arms, and thighs were covered with numerous bloodstains, as if from swords and knives, some so deep that bone was visible. The two horns that signified her demonic identity were now broken off at the root. A honey-colored, viscous liquid continuously flowed from it, soaking the soil and grass. Her face was even paler than when she had last seen her, her breathing unusually heavy, lacking the lightness of a cat and the cunning of a fox. Only when their eyes met did a trace of indifference to everything remain in her eyes—she seemed to have foreseen this end.

"It's you. I still remember you... You were sneaking around among them, looking like you had something on your mind. Ha... To be honest, I didn't expect someone like you to stay in a team for so long."

"Shut your mouth." Asur tapped her head impatiently, then pressed one hand against Shuten-dōji's chest and said seriously.

"Hmm...really...there are children around..." Shuten-dōji groaned weakly. "So you're the type who's petite but surprisingly has a strong sex drive?"

“Little sister, you’re not old enough to flirt with me.” Asur just smiled and didn’t fall for her act at all.

With a slight focus, crimson light formed tiny magic circles on her wrists. Using these circles as a medium, the radiance flowed into Shuten-dōji's heart, and in the blink of an eye, her shattered body seemed to regain its vitality, and her complexion became rosier than before.

“A technique I’ve never seen before… Compared to this, I’ve never seen a god willing to save a ‘demon’ before.” Shuten-dōji gave a bitter smile, his pupils becoming somewhat unfocused, and whispered, “It’s too late, run! Bring the message to our savior and tell him to prepare… A great battle is about to begin.”

"You might not believe it, but we just withdrew from the last major battle. It feels like we've been on the move for the past few months." Asur thought back and found it amusing. "Even in the Land of Gods, there have never been so many wars."

“I can smell your scent… You must have experienced a war I can’t even imagine, right?” She turned her head slightly, her gaze falling on the flickering lights of countless homes below the mountain. Her brief smile quickly faded. “But… no matter how exhausted you are, you must prepare immediately. There is only one thing I can guarantee: the next opponent you face… will be no less formidable than any of those we have faced so far.”

"The 'Night Parade of One Hundred Demons' is coming soon."

These words felt like a devastating blow to the locals in Japan. Rin's face immediately turned grim; possessing exceptional spiritual vision, her perception of mysterious things was even more acute. The faintly emanating eerie aura perfectly matched what Shuten-dōji had said.

"A Night Parade of One Hundred Demons?" Asur frowned and asked, "How could that be? Aren't you the boss of this area, commonly known as the 'Guardian Demon'?"

"What?!" Rinne was immediately shocked and became incoherent. Japan has eight million gods, all with names and surnames, but only a few are remembered and passed down through generations. Among them, the significance of the title "Guardian Demon" is self-evident. "This, so... you are the legendary Oni King of Mount Oe, Shuten-dōji?"

"Ah, it seems I still have quite a few loyal fans in the mortal realm, especially at times like this. It's truly gratifying." Shuten-dōji gave the girl a sweet smile, then his expression turned somewhat melancholy. "Unfortunately... I've recently become quite engrossed in playing house and haven't been back to my hometown for a long time."

"The demon race are actually very simple creatures. They are somewhat similar to humans, but completely different. Language is basically meaningless to them. Some demons were human in life, but after becoming evil demons, they will use human language to deceive humans... It's that simple. They only recognize power, pure power. If your power is strong enough, you can control all demons and make them live according to your methods."

"Sounds similar to a large pack of wild beasts like wolves." Asur had probably guessed the reason. "Simply put, you've been taken down by a new demon, right?"

"That thing wasn't even a demon, that..." Shuten-dōji closed his eyes in pain, reluctant to recall the battle, and hastily concluded, "It was a monster."