Chapter 9: The Time Machine End

After that, supported by Doraemon, Nobita was led to a bench in a nearby park, where he sat down to catch his breath.

"Here, I bought some tea from the vending machine."

"Thanks, Doraemon."

The two sat back on the bench and talked quietly while drinking their tea.

"It's probably because the Upgraded Magic Mallet changed the law of causality for various people. Originally, Dekisugi-kun was supposed to be a boy and Nobita-kun's best friend. But because he became a girl, she became Shizuka-chan's rival and fell in love with Nobita-kun... I'm going to go back to the future one more time and visit the Future Department Store."

"Say... if we were to change things back to normal, how long do you think it would take?"

Nobita asked Doraemon in a tone that was neither depressed nor particularly cheerful.

"Honestly, I don't know. It's difficult to prove the difference between the original causality and the altered causality. The problem is that it's indistinguishable from the correct history."

"So, does that mean the future where Dekisugi and I get married is also recognized as the 'correct' history?"

"Yeah, to put it simply, that's what it means."

Even though they sat right next to each other, a heavy silence hung in the air, as if words spoken would never receive a reply.

Perhaps sensing the mood, Nobita chugged the rest of his tea and tossed the plastic bottle at a nearby trash can. It completely missed. He walked over, picked it up, and placed it properly inside the bin.

"Let's go home, Doraemon. Shizuka-chan gave me some cookies today, and I saved some for you."

"Nobita-kun..."

"It's not all bad. Dekisugi looked really happy, and as for Shizuka-chan, she'll definitely find someone even better."

Doraemon tried to say something else, but Nobita grabbed his hand and forcefully pulled him toward where the Time Machine was.

After returning to the present, Doraemon went back to the future in the Time Machine, saying he needed to check how things were going there one last time.

That night, even Nobita—who possessed a god-like talent for falling asleep—couldn't sleep right away. He lay in his futon, staring at the dim light of the nightbulb, lost in thought.

As a result, he barely made it to school on time the next morning and was almost made to stand in the hallway.

He spaced out through his classes, the Teacher's words going in one ear and out the other. His eyes just kept following a certain girl in his class.

"Nobi-kun, you were late today."

"Yeah, I just had a lot on my mind."

"Is something bothering you? I'm here to listen if you want."

On the way home after school, walking back with Dekisugi had somehow become a matter of course.

"No, it's nothing! More importantly, I left the cookies from Shizuka-chan that I promised you yesterday at my house, so you should come over and get them now."

"Oh, you remembered! Hehe, actually, I prepared a surprise present for you too, Nobi-kun."

She stopped, set her backpack on the ground, and rummaged through it. She pulled out a beautifully wrapped box. Dekisugi handed it to Nobita and urged him to open it.

Inside were several delicious-looking cookies.

"Actually, I wanted you to eat them right away, so I baked them before you could eat Shizuka-kun's. Let's compare them when we get to your house."

Dekisugi smiled, looking a bit shy but very happy.

"...Hey, there's something I've been wondering about. Can I ask you something?"

"What is it? Is it about today's homework?"

There was just one thing he wanted to confirm.

"Dekisugi-kun, when you call out to boys, you usually add '-kun' to their last names, right? Like Goda-kun or Honekawa-kun."

"That's right. I often call girls by their first names, but for boys, I basically use their last name plus '-kun'."

"But when you call me 'Nobi-kun', are you doing it with the feeling of adding '-kun' to my last name? Or as a nickname for my first name?"

Instantly, Dekisugi's face turned red—incomparably redder than when she was just acting shy earlier.

Seeing that reaction, Nobita finally understood. In other words, Dekisugi saw Nobita as a romantic interest. Realizing this, Nobita felt his own face quickly become hot.

"How should I put it... I intend it more as a nickname for your first name rather than calling you by your last name..."

"No, it's fine. Other people probably wouldn't notice anyway."

In the end, neither knew what to say, and they walked straight toward Nobita's house in silence. Nobita held the box of cookies tightly in his hands.

"Oh, Shizuka-chan, you're here!"

"It's my best friend's wedding! Of course I'm here."

Nobita had entered the waiting room at the wedding venue to check on Dekisugi, only to find Shizuka right in the middle of a conversation with her.

"Did I interrupt something?"

"Not at all, you two are about to become husband and wife! Oh, but even after you're married, I'm still borrowing Dekisugi-san. We go to the same baking class, after all."

"Of course! That means I get to eat delicious sweets, too."

Dekisugi and Shizuka went to the same baking class. They remained close friends even as adults, and because their workplaces were nearby, they were often seen shopping together. Naturally, Nobita had seen them hanging out, and watching that sight always gave him a sense of relief.

"By the way, what did Goda-kun say?"

"He brought a bunch of equipment for the after-party, but he said he's short on hands and made me help. I'm the groom! It's ridiculous."

"He's probably just looking out for us. He even helped us figure out the wedding favors, remember?"

"Suneo is super fired up too, even though it's someone else's wedding. He's putting more effort into it than the actual venue staff!"

If Dekisugi's best friend was Shizuka, Nobita's best friends were Gian and Suneo. When those two heard that Dekisugi—the most beautiful girl in their class—was finally tying the knot with Nobita, they were absolutely pumped.

"Oh, speaking of which, the Teacher just stopped by too. He laughed and said, 'Nobi is late even on a day like this! Unacceptable!'"

"Right, we asked the Teacher to give a speech. He's the only one who'd know I was late."

"Since we started junior high, we walked to school together, so you had zero tardies and zero absences after that."

A flood of memories leading up to this day crossed Nobita's mind. There were fun times, and of course, they had their fights too. Overcoming all sorts of things, he was now marrying Dekisugi. He realized once again just how truly happy he was.

"We're counting on your speech too, Shizuka-chan."

"Leave it to me! It's my best friend's big day, so I prepared a letter filled with all my heart."

"I feel at ease leaving it to you, Shizuka-kun. After all, you're my best friend."

Happy laughter echoed through the waiting room.

"Umm, excuse me, is Mr. Nobita Nobi here?"

There was a knock on the door, and a man peeked his head in. He wore a work uniform, held a small package, and had sweat on his forehead as he scanned the room for the recipient. It was obvious just from looking at him that he had walked around quite a bit to find this place.

"Yes, I'm Nobita Nobi!"

"Oh, good. This is a package that can only be handed directly to you. Could I get your signature for receipt?"

"I'll be right back."

Nobita could have just accepted the package right there, but thinking that if it was a surprise gift for Dekisugi, timing would be crucial. He stepped out into the hallway to check the sender first. Many people were congratulating Nobita, but the beautiful and highly capable Dekisugi was incredibly popular at her workplace and was receiving blessings from countless people.

"I wonder who this package is from?"

Once the waiting room door was closed and their voices wouldn't be heard inside, the man in the work uniform pointed to the sender's name on the package to confirm.

"This is a direct parcel from the Future Department Store addressed specifically to Mr. Nobita Nobi. Could you please verify the contents?"

"The Future Department Store!?"

Ignoring Nobita's shock, the man held his hand over the seal of the package. The wrapping undid itself, revealing a mallet and a letter. It started with an apology for the trouble caused by the Upgraded Magic Mallet. Next, it stated that they had finally succeeded in installing a reset function to undo wishes. Lastly, it mentioned that the Time Patrol had decided that for wishes causing no critical disruption to history, it would be left to the wisher's discretion whether to erase the wish or not.

"This Future Gadget is scheduled to be sent back to the Future Department Store, so you only have one chance to decide whether to erase your wish or not. If you need time to think, you can specify a time on this document, and I'll come back to pick it up later."

"Is that so... No, it's fine. I won't be undoing my wish."

Saying that, Nobita declined to use the Upgraded Magic Mallet and signed the receipt

"Thank you. I'm sorry to deliver this right in the middle of your wedding. I was instructed to collect this thing as quickly as possible."

Looking somewhat apologetic, the man took the package back from Nobita and disappeared around the corner of the hallway. When Nobita peeked around the corner, there was no one there—as if the Future Gadget he had waited over a decade for had merely been an illusion that never existed at all.

"Well, I should probably get back to my seat now."

"Yeah, see you later."

The waiting room door opened, and Dekisugi was seeing Shizuka off.

"See you later, Nobita-san."

Waving her hand, Shizuka disappeared around the same corner. This time, however, the clicking of heels could be heard clearly, confirming the presence of a real person walking away.

Nobita walked up next to Dekisugi and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. Slightly surprised by the gesture, Dekisugi’s eyes widened a bit as she turned to Nobita. But her expression quickly softened into a gentle smile, and she firmly grasped the hand resting on her shoulder.

"By the way, who was that package from?"

"It was for me, but I didn't need it anymore, so I just processed a return... Come to think of it, I guess I really did stop feeling jealous, but what a roundabout way to grant a wish... Well, I'm happy, so I guess it's fine."

"You're acting weird, Nobi-kun."

Nobita held Dekisugi's hand as he looked toward the corner Shizuka had walked past.

"Hey... are you really sure you're okay marrying me? You were quite popular, Nobi-kun."

"Haha, you're the one saying that? You had a much harder time dealing with people than I did."

Ever since their school days, the truly popular one was Dekisugi, and as an adult, she had grown into a beauty that everyone envied. However, since Dekisugi was completely devoted to Nobita, no matter how many other men tried to make a move on her, their efforts were completely in vain.

Nobita, on the other hand, had stopped being late as often and became better at studying, so he was laughed at much less. Thanks to his natural cheerfulness and kindness, he was surprisingly highly regarded by girls, and a fair number of them harbored feelings for him.
However, Dekisugi was always by Nobita's side, and Nobita was perfectly happy with that.

"Look at Sakiko Hanaga from your company, for example. I'm sure she's noticed your charm too, Nobi-kun."

"Hanaga-san from the same department? We started at the same time so we talk sometimes, but I highly doubt she thinks of me that way."

"Jeez, you really are dense sometimes, Nobi-kun."

Dekisugi sighed and shrugged her shoulders. But even such a dense Nobita was now firmly exchanging vows and going through with their wedding.

Blessed by many people at the ceremony, the two became husband and wife.

"And now, the vow kiss..."

Nobita gently pulled Dekisugi's hand, drawing her into an embrace. Dekisugi didn't resist, naturally leaning her body into his. The two gazed into each other's eyes and softly pressed their lips together. It was as if their mutual affection and love were flowing between them.

In that moment, the venue erupted in loud applause and cheers. Still looking at each other, they gently held hands and shared a smile.

"Look, look! I found this photo while organizing Papa's drawers!"

"You shouldn't go rummaging through Papa's desk without asking, Hideyo... Ara, this brings back memories. It's a picture from when Papa and Mama got married."

The gentle-looking mother smiled as she gazed at the photo her child had brought her.

"If I remember correctly, Shizuka-kun caught the bouquet toss."

"You mean Auntie Shizuka, who comes to visit sometimes?"

"That's right. Mama has been best friends with Auntie Shizuka since elementary school. Papa and I have known each other since then too."

Hearing these stories, the child's curiosity began to bubble up.

"Why did you marry Papa? Mama is beautiful and can do anything, but Papa is pretty clumsy, isn't he?"

"That's because Papa has a lot of wonderful qualities that Mama doesn't have. You love Papa too, don't you, Hideyo?"

"Yeah! Because he's super kind, and he takes really good care of Mama!"

Hearing her child's answer, the mother narrowed her eyes in happiness. She slowly stood up, placing the photo back into the drawer.

"Today's snack is Papa and Hideyo's favorite pancakes. Papa should be back from shopping any minute now."

"Yay! I can't wait for Papa to come home!"

"I'm hoooome!"

A familiar voice called out from the entryway, and the child bolted toward the front door.

"Welcome home, Papa! Mama says we're having pancakes for a snack today!"

"Mama's sweets are the absolute best. I'll be right there as soon as I wash my hands."

"Huh? What's that thing that looks like a hammer?"

The child stared with immense curiosity at the wooden object peeking out of the shopping bag the father was holding.

"This is a wooden mallet. It's a lucky charm. I felt nostalgic somehow, so I bought it."

"Speaking of nostalgic, I found a picture from your and Mama's wedding! Hey, hey, tell me the story of how you two met!"

Pestered by his child, he headed into the living room. Outside the window, the sky was endlessly blue. The soft sunlight illuminated the room, gently enveloping their warm and happy family.