"Whoa, impressive! Shizuka actually brought you a 'love bento'!" Gian teased, nudging Lin Yu.
"Yeah!" Suneo chimed in. "We've known her for years, and she's never brought us anything like that!" Gian and Suneo waggled their eyebrows suggestively, their voices dripping with playful teasing.
Lin Yu calmly took a sip of water, completely unfazed. He pulled the newly drawn manga pages from his bag and waved them slightly. "So... about these pages... still want to read them, or...?"
"Yes! Of course, we want to read them!" Seeing the manga pages, Gian and Suneo instantly forgot their teasing and replied eagerly in unison.
"Then... about what you just mentioned..." Lin Yu prompted, letting the sentence hang with a knowing smile.
"Oh! I get it!" Gian exclaimed, slapping his forehead as if struck by a brilliant idea. He puffed out his chest proudly. "Lin Yu, don't you worry! I'll bring you a 'love bento' tomorrow morning too!"
Suneo stared blankly at Gian for a second, then glanced at Lin Yu, a confused frown flickering across his face. Something about Gian's conclusion didn't seem right, but he didn't dare contradict him.
Hearing Gian's enthusiastic offer, Lin Yu felt his eye twitch. What on earth was going through Gian's head? Did he seriously think Lin Yu wanted him to bring a 'love bento'? His intention had been to subtly bribe them into keeping quiet about Shizuka bringing him breakfast! Shizuka was already incredibly shy; if word got around school about the bento, she'd likely be too embarrassed to even show her face. Lin Yu definitely didn't want that to happen.
"That's... not quite what I meant," Lin Yu began patiently. "My point was..."
"Oh... so, you mean... both of us should bring you one tomorrow?" Suneo asked tentatively, glancing between Lin Yu's slightly exasperated expression and Gian's oblivious pride.
Lin Yu silently pressed his palm to his forehead. He gave up trying to explain, simply thrusting the manga pages towards Gian. "Here, just take them," he sighed. "Go on, go read. And don't crease the pages. Also," he added firmly, "not a word about this morning to anyone, got it?"
These two, Lin Yu thought with resigned amusement, no wonder they're Nobita's best friends. What a pair. (Having a cute girl like Shizuka bring him lunch was pleasant. The thought of Gian or Suneo doing it... Lin Yu shuddered inwardly. That was just... wrong on multiple levels.)
"Got it! You can count on us! Our lips are sealed!" Gian promised happily, clutching the precious manga pages. He and Suneo immediately scampered back to their seats.
"Hey, Gian, wait up! Let's read it together..." Suneo called after him.
Watching the pair of goofballs retreat, Lin Yu shook his head with a small smile. While Gian, Nobita, and Suneo often caused facepalm-worthy trouble, he had to admit, they certainly made life interesting.
Not long after Gian and Suneo had left, Shizuka returned with the now-empty and presumably washed bento box. Even after being gone for a few minutes, a faint residual blush still lingered on her cheeks. As Shizuka settled back into her seat, Lin Yu cleared his throat lightly.
"I already talked to Gian and Suneo," he assured her quietly. "They won't say anything about... you know. So you don't need to worry."
Hearing his words, Shizuka gave a small, relieved nod, though the tips of her ears remained stubbornly pink.
Just then, the melodic bell signaling the start of class rang out. Mr. Teragoya appeared promptly in the doorway. Nobita's seat, however, remained empty. Clearly, he was late yet again. Gian and Suneo grinned at each other from their seats, ready for their daily dose of 'watch Nobita get scolded' entertainment.
Lin Yu, however, didn't immediately start practicing his drawing as usual. Instead, he pulled Miyoko Mangetsu's business card from his bag, studying it with a thoughtful expression.
He had now completed the first three chapters of Cardcaptor Sakura. While his drawing skill still undeniably lagged behind the original CLAMP artists, the gap had narrowed considerably thanks to his painstaking redrawing process. Overall, factoring in the appealing character designs and novel magical setting, he felt confident it was shaping up to be a very strong piece of work. He'd worked so hard precisely for this moment – to submit his work and start earning more Reputation Points. He had the content ready; now all that remained was the submission itself.
Looking at Miyoko Mangetsu's business card – noting the publisher name "Shueisha" printed on it – Lin Yu felt a flicker of hesitation. The card undeniably offered a convenient shortcut. He was confident that if he could get a face-to-face meeting, the quality of Cardcaptor Sakura would surely attract serious attention.
But there was still that lingering concern: would contacting Miyoko Mangetsu directly significantly alter the timeline, intensifying the butterfly effect he already suspected was in play? His plan was to submit, earn Reputation Points quickly, and gain abilities to handle potential future dangers (like the Underworld plot). But what if contacting Miyoko somehow accelerated those dangers? That was the last thing he wanted. This was his first time being transmigrated; he was the butterfly flapping its wings, but the resulting storm remained largely unknown.
Faced with such a choice, careful consideration was essential. Choosing the standard submission route meant long waits and the high risk of being overlooked among countless other manuscripts. The time saved by Doraemon's gadget would be wasted. The Underworld plot could start before he earned enough points. Yet, contacting Miyoko directly carried the risk of potentially shortening the time he had left.
Faced with this difficult dilemma, Lin Yu weighed his options carefully. Finally, his gaze settled on the business card in his hand, and his resolve hardened. Whichever path he chose, the Underworld plotline (or some other major event) was likely inevitable; the only question was when. Rather than being timid, it was better to take a calculated risk and push forward aggressively. He believed that as long as he could earn Reputation Points, he could overcome these challenges. Right now, contacting Miyoko Mangetsu was his best option. Period.
'Now, the only question is, how* exactly should I approach her?'* Lin Yu mused, his eyes gleaming with thoughtful consideration, completely failing to notice Shizuka, sitting in front of him, occasionally stealing shy glances back at him.