Getting beaten up? That was secondary. After so many years, he was almost used to it. But the thought of his future wife being Gian's sister... Nobita couldn't help but shudder.
If he had a choice, he'd rather avoid interacting with this 'potential rival' Lin Yu altogether. But now, his future happiness was on the line! He had to fight for it, somehow.
Steeling himself, Nobita forced a smile onto his face – one that looked more painful than crying – and nodded towards Lin Yu. "Th-then, thank you, Lin Yu."
"We're all classmates," Lin Yu replied easily. "No need to thank me for something so small."
The three headed upstairs. Shizuka's mother watched Nobita's retreating back, her face etched with concern. "That boy, Nobita...唉..." she sighed softly.
Entering the familiar room (it wasn't his first visit), Nobita glanced at the homework laid out on the small table and felt a small measure of relief. If they were just doing homework, that was normal. It wasn't the dreaded 'private date' scenario he'd feared.
"Shizuka, let me take the first-aid kit," Lin Yu offered smoothly. "I can patch Nobita up. I have some experience with this."
Shizuka, kit in hand, had been about to tend to Nobita's scrapes as usual. Hearing Lin Yu's offer, she didn't doubt him and readily handed over the box. "Okay, thank you, Lin Yu."
(Bandaging was a simple task, but Lin Yu preferred to handle it himself, subtly preventing any close contact, however minor, between Shizuka and Nobita.)
'Lin... Lin Yu?' Nobita froze, a sour feeling twisting in his gut. In Japan, calling someone solely by their given name was usually reserved for close friends or family. Lin Yu, being foreign, was usually addressed more formally. But Shizuka had just called him Lin Yu, plain and simple. The shift clearly signaled a significant increase in their closeness. The realization left a bitter taste in Nobita's mouth.
"I..." Nobita hesitated. Faced with Lin Yu's gentle smile, even though he desperately wanted Shizuka to be the one taking care of him, he couldn't bring himself to refuse Lin Yu's offer. He just nodded silently, grateful that his bruised face probably hid his true feelings.
"Nobita, after Lin Yu finishes patching you up, you should do your homework too, okay?" Shizuka said kindly, clearing a space for him at the table. "So the teacher won't have to scold you again tomorrow." (No matter what, Nobita was still her friend. She couldn't stay truly angry or treat him coldly because of yesterday's events, especially seeing him hurt now.)
"Okay! Sure!" Nobita agreed immediately, without hesitation. Lin Yu's presence filled him with a sense of crisis. Even homework, which he normally despised, seemed acceptable now if it meant more time near Shizuka.
"Alright, all done," Lin Yu announced a short while later, neatly putting the supplies back in the first-aid kit. "My technique isn't the best, hope it's okay." He then turned back to his own desk, ready to resume drawing.
"Not at all! Your bandaging is really good, Lin Yu," Shizuka praised sincerely as she took the kit back. "Much neater than mine usually is."
"Then... Shizuka, shall we do our homework together?" Nobita asked eagerly, pulling his crumpled workbook from his equally messy bag and placing it on the table.
"But... I've already finished my homework," Shizuka said, shaking her head and gesturing to their completed books. "Both Lin Yu and I are done. I want to watch Lin Yu draw now. You should do yours, Nobita."
"If you get stuck on any problems, feel free to ask us, okay?" Lin Yu added kindly, picking up his pencil.
Nobita stared blankly at his empty workbook, then glanced over at Shizuka, who had already scooted her chair closer to Lin Yu's desk to watch him draw. He felt like crying but couldn't even shed tears. What kind of cruel twist was this? He'd hoped doing homework together would be a chance to talk more with Shizuka. Instead, he was the only one stuck doing work, while she was sitting right next to Lin Yu, watching him draw, the two of them chatting and laughing together!
A heavy, uncomfortable feeling settled in Nobita's chest. He felt like a dumb man tasting bitter herbs – suffering acutely but unable to complain. His gaze towards Lin Yu burned with envy and jealousy. But there was nothing he could do. Not doing his homework would only make Shizuka think even less of him. Swallowing his bitterness, Nobita put on a miserable face and reluctantly started tackling his assignments.
"Lin Yu, you're really amazing at drawing!" Shizuka murmured, completely captivated as she watched him work. "The characters you draw are so cute! Hey, you said you already thought of the story, right? Can you tell me about it?" She was sitting so close now, leaning in to get a better look at his drawing, that their shoulders were almost touching.
Lin Yu continued sketching smoothly as he spoke, a smile in his voice. "Actually," he said, glancing at her, "the initial idea for this story came to me because of you, Shizuka." (It was his System-provided knowledge, after all; he could frame the inspiration however he liked.)
"Huh? Because of me?" Shizuka looked genuinely surprised, her eyes widening slightly. She hadn't expected that at all. Hearing it, though, sparked an unexpected little thrill of happiness inside her.
"See this girl with the magic staff?" Lin Yu pointed to Sakura on the page. "Her name is Sakura. Her design was actually based loosely on you."
"Really? Wow..." Shizuka leaned closer. "The round face... she does look a little bit like me..."
While continuing to draw, Lin Yu began to outline the basic plot of Cardcaptor Sakura for Shizuka, explaining the Clow Cards, the magic, and some of the character relationships and settings. Hearing that the main character, Sakura, was inspired by her, and listening to the fascinating story concepts, Shizuka's eyes sparkled with excitement, like they held tiny stars.
The sound of their quiet, cheerful conversation drifted over to Nobita, torturing him as he struggled fruitlessly with his homework, unable to solve a single problem. He craned his neck to sneak a peek. Seeing the drawing was just of some cute girl, Nobita curled his lip and muttered sourly under his breath, "What's the big deal? It's just drawing. I could do that... And she's not even cool-looking. I don't see what's so interesting."
His words were drenched in sour grapes, and the uncomfortable knot in his stomach tightened.