"Nobita! You didn't do your homework again? Go stand outside!"
From the front of the class, Mr. Terakoya Enichiro slammed his hand on the desk, his voice thunderous with fury.
Once again, Nobita was the only one who hadn't handed in his homework. At this point, it had nothing to do with intelligence this was pure attitude.
Hiro couldn't help but think Mr. Terakoya's roar was loud enough to be heard by the next classroom.
"Y-Yes, sir!"
Embarrassed, Nobita lowered his head, shuffled to the door, and stepped outside to face his punishment.
Another humiliating day, and right in front of Hiro no less.
Mr. Terakoya was clearly at the end of his patience. It was one thing to forget homework once in a while, but Nobita seemed determined to never do it. His grades were dismal, he constantly fell asleep in class, and while the teacher had come to expect this behavior, that didn't make it any less frustrating. He still cared deeply about his students, and that's exactly why it made him so mad.
"Alright everyone, turn to page 53 in your Japanese language textbooks. Let's continue the lesson," he said after calming himself.
"And don't follow Nobita's example!"
Hiro flipped open his book with a sigh. The lesson was incredibly dull everything the teacher covered was way too easy for him.
After all, he used to be a high schooler in his previous life. He could recite material like this backwards. Compared to what he used to study, this was nothing.
Next to him, Shizuka was diligently taking notes, her handwriting neat and elegant. Hiro glanced down at his own chicken-scratch writing and felt a little self-conscious.
"Hiro, why are you staring at me?"
"We're in the middle of a lesson."
Shizuka had noticed his gaze, her voice gentle but curious. The moment their eyes met, her heart skipped a beat. Why was he smiling at her like that?
"Ah, sorry..."
Hiro wiped the corner of his mouth. Honestly, he hadn't even realized he was smiling. He had just been zoning out from boredom and nearly dozed off.
Turning slightly to the side, he tried to make himself less noticeable. It was a pretty standard trick though easy to catch. Luckily, Mr. Terakoya hadn't noticed. Only someone like Nobita, who snored loudly in class, could manage to draw that much attention.
"Hehe, still adjusting, huh?"
"Don't worry. If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask me."
Shizuka chuckled softly, covering her mouth. She could tell Hiro was struggling to stay awake. Like cousin, like cousin, she thought.
Ding-ling-ling~
The bell rang, signaling the end of class. Mr. Terakoya closed his book and exited the classroom, not one to linger past the bell. A rare and welcome trait in a teacher.
The room immediately burst into chatter. Nobita trudged in from the hallway, looking dazed. He probably stood there and napped through the entire period.
As the new transfer student, Hiro instantly drew a crowd of curious girls who surrounded his desk, eager to get to know him.
Hiro greeted them all with his usual charm, making a mental note of everyone's names. But with only ten minutes between classes, their time together ended too quickly as the bell rang again and everyone returned to their seats, still chatting excitedly.
"Wow, looks like you're really popular, Hiro."
"Me? Nah, not really," he replied, scratching his head with a sheepish grin.
With the crowd gone, Shizuka finally had a chance to talk to him. She smiled warmly as she placed her math textbook neatly in the center of her desk. Next period was math, and she was hoping to help Hiro get a head start.
Even though today's topic was new material, she still wanted to make sure Hiro was caught up.
Studying alongside such a sweet girl really lifted Hiro's mood. He decided to pay full attention for the next class and started asking Shizuka questions not to impress her, but because Japanese math curriculum did have a few differences. Still, it wasn't anything he couldn't handle in half an hour.
Shizuka was serious and attentive, managing to help Hiro while still listening to the lecture.
Mr. Terakoya watched them from the front, nodding in approval. A hardworking transfer student how encouraging. He had been a little worried Hiro might not adjust, but it seemed the boy was doing just fine.
But wait what was that snoring sound?
"Nobita Nobi!"
Mr. Terakoya's sudden roar made the whole class jump. Even the daydreamers snapped to attention except one.
In the back row, a boy in a yellow shirt was sound asleep.
Nobita's book had fallen forward, barely covering his face. His glasses were slipping off the edge of the desk, drool dribbling from the side of his mouth. And in a soft, happy murmur, he was mumbling Shizuka's name.
Laughter rippled through the classroom. Mr. Terakoya's face darkened as he stomped toward Nobita's desk.
Apparently, standing outside earlier hadn't been enough.
"Nobita! Wake up this instant!"
The teacher slammed a hand on the desk and yanked Nobita's ear.
"Aaah! Sir!"
Nobita jolted awake with a terrified shout, jumping out of his seat before he even realized where he was.
"Since you seem so well-rested, I'm sure you'll have no problem solving this math problem for the class."
Mr. Terakoya dragged him up to the front and pointed at the blackboard.
"If you can't solve it, you'll be staying after school."
Nobita shrank under the pressure, his knees trembling under his black shorts. He peeked at the problem and immediately felt faint.
It was one of those "two construction crews start digging from opposite sides" problems. The speeds were different, and the math involved was brutal.
Who came up with this nightmare?
"Come on, Nobita. Don't waste everyone's time," someone sneered from the back.
It was Suneo. He grinned wickedly, clearly enjoying the spectacle. A true chaos gremlin.
"I... I..."
Nobita stood frozen, the chalk trembling in his hand, completely at a loss.
Mr. Terakoya's scowl deepened.
Suneo, seeing an opportunity to stir more trouble, suddenly stood up and called out, "Sir, I think Hiro should solve the problem instead!"
Everyone turned.
"He said he needed to sit there to study better, right? Well, now's the perfect time to prove it."
"???"
Hiro, sitting peacefully and minding his own business, blinked in disbelief. He looked back and saw Suneo smirking like a little devil.
That annoying little weasel! He was just asking to get smacked.
"Yeah, I agree!"
Gian jumped in, clearly enjoying the drama.
Egged on by both of them, the rest of the class started cheering, eager to see what the new kid could do.
"Ahem, quiet down," Mr. Terakoya said, coughing lightly.
The room fell silent again.
He hadn't originally intended for Hiro to answer, but with the whole class worked up, he figured there was no harm in letting the new student take a crack at it.
"Hiro, you're up. Think you can handle it?"
Shizuka leaned toward him, concern on her face.
"Suneo's just trying to mess with you..."
"Don't worry, Shizuka," Hiro replied with a confident grin. "This one's easy."
He stood up, stepped confidently toward the board, and got ready to solve the problem while Nobita, Suneo, and Gian snickered behind their hands, eagerly waiting for him to mess up.
Little did they know.