Chapter 23

Chapter 23

3rd POV

In Future.

Doraemon and Nobita stepped into a luxurious building with a grand hall that was brightly illuminated and appeared boundless, stretching endlessly in all directions.

"It's so big inside! I can't even see where it ends!" Nobita exclaimed, looking around in awe and curiosity.

"Of course, its interior is artificially expanded to accommodate a very huge amount of items. This department store sells almost every type of gadget and is one of the few places where brand-new products are available," explained Doraemon.

"About ninety-nine percent of the gadgets in the 22nd century are sold through future department stores, while the remaining one percent is privately produced without permission," Doraemon explained with a hint of pride. "That's why every major city's department store has undergone interior space expansion—it's hundreds of times bigger on the inside than it appears from the outside!"

Doraemon boasted as if he had been the mastermind behind it all.

Nobita nodded.

'In that case, this company must be a monopoly giant! Almost all gadgets come from the future department store? It must be the richest company of this era. How many world coins do they earn daily? Did major companies from the past collaborate to make this possible?' Nobita wondered, lost in thought.

Meanwhile, Doraemon led the way, with Nobita trailing slowly behind him. Doraemon stopped near a panel and began explaining.

"Because the department store is so big, we need to rent two vehicles to go around..."

Having said that, Doraemon put a world gold coin into the gap in front of the panel… After clicking a few options, from below the ground, two things that looked like scooters slowly rose.

Nobita watched these processes with great interest.

"This scooter is very fast, and it won't crash because of its safety features, this should make it easy for us to look around for gadgets…"

Before Doraemon finished explaining, he saw Nobita mounting his scooter and ride away.

"Nobita! Wait for me!"

Doraemon also quickly chased after him.

Along the way, various gadgets were placed on countless tables, making Nobita dazzled.

Among them, some gadgets Nobita found interesting, some not so much.

Doraemon owned many gadgets, but due to his limited budget, most of them were either second-hand or outdated. However, with their current funds, they could finally afford to buy new and more powerful gadgets this time.

"Sunny Baby? Hmm... this thing is useless for me. Forget it," Nobita said dismissively, scanning the options. "Gloves that don't guarantee a win in a fight but make the odds 50-50 just by wearing them? Now that could be useful! And 10 world coins? That's pretty expensive... but whatever, we've got the money!"

In addition to the 2,000 World Coins just exchanged, Nobita still has more than 14,000 points left in his saving.

"Hmmm… 3 Bodyguard robot for 1 coin? Let's get this too."

Although the bodyguard robot is not that strong in combat, it can still be helpful during emergencies like before.

"Invisibility cloak... this thing also seems to be very useful!"

Nobita's eyes lit up.

Looking at it's 2 coins price tag, he selects it too.

After wandering around for a while, Nobita saw that everything he selected was put into the shopping bag of the scooter under his feet.

The shopping bag that comes with this scooter also has a small storage function. However, the purchasing power of the world currency is more reliable than Nobita imagined.

"Nobita! Don't go so fast!"

When he was happily shopping, Doraemon finally caught up with him.

"Doraemon, I've selected some items which looked interesting for less than 20 world coins."

"Whaa… you've already spent that much?"

Doraemon pouted.

"That much used to be my income for two months..." He says sadly but slowly cheers up remembering they are rich now.

"Haha! Don't worry Doraemon! We're not poor anymore."

Nobita laughs seeing Doraemon's changing expression.

"Then... let's go!"

Doraemon was also became excited.

Last time he visited the future with 400 World Coins, he could only replace his out-dated gadgets and buy a few new gadgets. But this time, he can finally buy gadgets he wanted to buy for so long.

With 2,000 world coins? He could buy many things with them.

The two began to browse through different gadgets.

"Nobita, look at this!" Doraemon suddenly shouts from a stand.

Nobita comes near Doraemon to see the gadget he's so excited about and see… Doraemon's drooling face.

'Doraemon is drooling by looking at a Humanoid robot?' Nobita thinks weirdly.

Nobita looked at it and saw that it was a loli looking humanoid robot in a cute maid dress.

Looking at the situation, he almost shouts.

"Doraemon, don't you like cats?! Although this robot looks good, it looks like a human child!"

Listening to Nobita's words, Doraemon rolled his eyes.

"Nobita! What are you talking about? Look at her descriptions."

Doraemon points to the information of this maid robot.

"The chef robot is proficient in all the cuisines in the world, and it does not even require raw materials to make dishes, except water?"

Nobita also looks excited reading that.

'This will be a nice gadget!' He thinks happily.

"Let me tell you, Nobita, I heard that this gadget cooks food at least 10 times better than the average chef. Especially dorayaki... I can finally eat as many dorayaki as I want from now!"

Nobita looked at the price.

{God Chef Robot, price: 200, plus extra 200 World Coins for advanced menu package programs.}

"It's not cheap, and that food package program... it costs 200 world coins? It's the same price as the gadget itself."

Nobita did not expect it to be so expensive.

"Of course, it's not cheap," Doraemon explained. "In the future, the God Chef Robot's special recipes are considered part of cultural heritage. However, the extra package isn't compulsory—it just comes preloaded with all the recipes. She can still learn to make dishes on her own." Despite his explanation, Doraemon looked a bit hesitant to spend the additional coins.

"But if we're buying this and we have the budget, why not go all out and get everything?" Nobita said confidently. Without a second thought, he spent 400 coins to select the complete set.

Immediately, the two continued walking.

"This... ESP Training Box?"

Nobita was suddenly attracted by a gadget.

Doraemon glanced at it and said, "I have this too, but it seems that this is an upgraded version."

{ESP Training Box: A gadget designed to train individuals in three superpowers: clairvoyance, teleportation, and telekinesis. Each ability requires one year of dedicated training, making it a total of three years to master all three.}

"This ESP Training Box appears to have an upgrade function that allows for adjusting the speed of training. If someone can endure the effects of time acceleration, they can complete the training more quickly. However, it's still very risky—there's a warning about many people damaging their brains from excessive use." Doraemon warns Nobita.

This gadget is also called the super power training box, Doraemon also has one of it's older version which does not does not have time dilation function in it.

"Let's buy this. This will be very useful for us."

Nobita added it to the shopping cart as well.

His brain capacity had increased to an absurd level, allowing him to easily withstand the effects of time acceleration. This gave him the opportunity to gain extra power, which would be highly advantageous.

"You can buy it, but Nobita, you have to use it very carefully. And I must be there whenever you use it!"

Doraemon said seriously. He was afraid that Nobita would have another accident.

"I'll be fine, Doraemon." But Nobita waves his hand exasperatedly.

The two walked around for a while, and spent nearly 900 coins in new gadgets.

"Doraemon, shall we buy a new time machine?" Nobita really wants a better time machine as Doraemon's old one could mal-function anytime without any warning which will be disastrous if they are in it.

"The most basic models of the time machine cost more than 1,000 world coins, and my fourth-generation experimental model also cost me around hundreds of them."

After listening to Doraemon's words, Nobita decides to exchange more coins if necessary to buy the best one they could buy.

"Even if it's expensive, we should not compromise with our safety, we can buy the best one we can in our budget." Nobita tells Doraemon with a serious face.

Next, Nobita set his sights on military grade gadgets.

However, Doraemon poured him a basin of cold water.

"In this era, purchasing a military gadget from a department store requires a soldier's certificate, and the certificate holder must be present at the time of purchase," Doraemon explained sternly. He was clearly concerned that Nobita might misuse such a gadget and hurt himself or someone else, even if they managed to obtain one."

 "So, we can't buy one?" Nobita asks disappointedly.

He was determined to get a military-grade gadget because he knew he would be going into dangerous worlds in the future to complete his chat group tasks.

"Of course there is a way, we can go to the second-hand market! But why exactly do you need those military grade gadgets?" Doraemon asks Nobita with squinted eyes.

"I'll tell you about that later." He reassures Doraemon with a serious voice.

Doraemon looks at Nobita for a while longer, but still takes him towards the second-hand gadget market.

The two paid the money and put all the things they just bought into the dimensional pocket.

Doraemon is very familiar with that place, as he used to buy most of his gadgets from there when he was broke.

Doraemon took Nobita and started walking around the alley.

The more he walked, the more strange the style of the people around Nobita found. From time to time, there were passers-by with strange styles passing by.

There were also many individuals with mechanical prosthetics on their bodies, and they didn't exactly look like good people.

Nobita even felt that he had come to the world of cyberpunk?

"Affordable gadgets here! Affordable gadgets here!" Some shopkeepers shouted from time to time when he saw people passing near his shop.

Eventually, the two came near a strange facade.

Doraemon quietly sneaked over to the wall, moving stealthily like a thief. He pulled a small disk from his pocket and discreetly placed it against the wall.

Nobita chuckles lightly as it was the first time that he saw this side of Doraemon.

After briefly staying inside the mysterious shop, Nobita and Doraemon quickly leaves the place.

[E/N: The OG author of this book decided to keep it a secret for now.]

After purchasing the new gadgets, they still had over 1,100 coins remaining. However, by the time they finished their shopping spree, only 10 coins were left.

Two thousand world coins, that is, two thousand points. Spent so quickly according to Doraemon.

Despite spending most of their coins, both Doraemon and Nobita felt very satisfied and happy after their hefty shopping spree.

However, when they walked to the entrance of the alley and were about to leave, Doraemon was attracted by something on the table in front of a small shop.

Nobita followed Doraemon's line of sight and quickly sees a yellow cat robot ear.

The owner of the shop noticed them eyeing something and quickly approached with a forced, polite smile, eager to make a sale.

"Hello there, dear customers! Is there something that caught your eye?" he asked, his tone overly polite.

The shopkeeper's polite voice greets them suddenly, startling Doraemon.

Doraemon pulled Nobita and was ready to run.

"Hurry up, let's leave!"

Nobita looked at those ears, but was not pulled away by Doraemon.

"Doraemon, where are you going? Don't you want to buy this ear?"

In Nobita's memory, Doraemon seems to have his ears when he left the factory?

Doraemon is a babysitter robot style.

In the future, they are specially produced to take care of children, so when they leave the factory, most of them all look like cute cats. More suitable for dealing with children.

But the reason Doraemon does not have his ears now is because they were bitten to pieces by some mechanical mouse.

Moreover, the original Doraemon was actually yellow, the same color as the ears in the store. However, after losing his ears, Doraemon ate an expired repairing potion, leading to incessant tears.

Tears that corroded his yellow topcoat, leaving only a blue primer.

Nobita saw Doraemon stopped in front of his ears, with a sad longing look.

"Nobita..."

Doraemon said quietly.

"This shop owner is a notorious black market dealer in the second-hand market, and the items sold here are priced much higher than their actual market value!"

Nobita smiled and shook his head.

"It's okay, let's ask the price first."

Although the two spoke in a low voice, their words were caught by the shopkeeper.

"Yes, robot, your child is right. How can you refuse the purchase if you don't even know its price?" he said with a greedy smile, rubbing his hands like a shady salesman.

After finishing his spiel, he quickly took the ears off the stand and presented them to them.

"Robot, if I'm not mistaken, you must be a seventh-generation nanny robot, right? These ears in my hand are the original spare parts for your model.

They come with a particle wave detection radar, capable of scanning and generating images, with exceptionally high sensitivity. If you configure its settings properly, it can even hear an insect flapping its wings a kilometer away! This right here is one of the genuine original accessories!"

Speaking of this, the shopkeeper laughed proudly.

"You know, your model of nanny robot has been discontinued long ago, right? It won't be easy to find these somewhere else~" He adds slyly.

"..." Doraemon looked very reluctant, knowing that they would be using the coins Nobita had created. He thought they would be wasting too much money just for a pair of ears.

Nobita looked at Doraemon's expression and knew he really wanted it.

Nobita didn't hesitate and asked directly, "How much for them?"

"Oh, you're asking the right person!" he said, puffing out his chest. "I'm one of the most well-known people in the market. The ex-factory price of these ears is 188, but I'll give you a discount—you can take them for just 108!" He sighed dramatically, as if he were the one losing out.

The moment Doraemon heard the price, he nearly exploded in anger.

"108?! You're clearly trying to scam us!" Doraemon shouted, fuming. "Nobita, let's go!"

Filled with rage, he grabbed Nobita and was about to storm out.

As they were about to leave, the shopkeeper mocked them with disdain.

"If you can't afford the price, then why waste my time? Let's see if you can find these anywhere else!"

The shopkeeper didn't panic at all. Some of what he said was true. These types of ears had indeed been discontinued a long time ago.

"Doraemon..." Nobita called out softly. "We're buying it for you!"

When Nobita suggested buying it, Doraemon quickly responded.

"Nobita, don't be fooled by that guy! He's clearly trying to scam us. Even if these are rare now, they shouldn't be that expensive. At most, twenty coins would be enough for them, not whatever he's claiming!"

However, Nobita smiled gently and shook his head.

"Doraemon, I know that. But this is nothing compared to making you whole again."

Even if Doraemon tried to deny it, Nobita knew that one of his dreams was to have his ears restored and feel complete. Nobita remembered the many times Doraemon had been ridiculed for not having ears.

Even on dates with his cat friend Mii-chan, Doraemon would put on fake cat ears just to fit in. Nobita couldn't bear to see him go through that anymore.

"But... but..."

Doraemon knew Nobita's kind nature, but he still couldn't bear the thought of him spending such a ridiculous amount of money. Yet, despite his protests, tears began to well up and roll down his big eyes.

"Nobita... waaahhh... I... I..."

Doraemon couldn't even finish his sentence, overcome with emotion as he cried uncontrollably.

"Stop crying, Doraemon. Let's just buy it for you!"

Nobita smiled wryly. He was only buying Doraemon a pair of ears, but he hadn't realized how much it truly meant to him.

Although Doraemon seemed like an omnipotent robot, he was also Nobita's friend and caretaker. Even someone like Doraemon needed care and love!

Nobita resolved to treat Doraemon even better than he had already been planning.

"But… Nobita, we've already spent most of our money! How will we afford it?" Doraemon asked, tears and snot streaming down his face.

"It's okay. I still have some left in my savings," Nobita reassured him with a gentle smile.

"Nobita… you're so kind! Waaahhhh..." Doraemon bursts out crying, even louder than before.

…

With Copy Nobita…

After school, everyone was packing their belongings.

"Shizuka, here it is. Thanks for lending me your eraser~" a slightly chubby male classmate said as he returned the eraser he had borrowed earlier.

"You're welcome!" Shizuka replied cheerfully.

Suddenly, Nobita's voice rang out from the side.

"Don't come near my wife!"

Nobita rushed over, and without warning, gave the boy a not so strong kick to move him aside.

"Nobita! What are you doing?" Shizuka exclaimed in shock.

With an expressionless face, Nobita replied stoically, "He's clearly using the excuse of borrowing your eraser to get close to you. I won't let anyone take advantage of my wife!"

He finished resolutely, giving the male classmate a sharp, intimidating look.

The boy looked terrified, by Nobita's intense expression—even though Nobita was usually considered a loser.

"Hey... I just borrowed an eraser! Why did you hit me? I... I'll tell my mom about this! Waaah, Nobita hit me!"

Nobita was still giving him an intimidating glare, the boy panicked, grabbed his bag, and runs away hurriedly, not even looking back.