Doraemon: Starting by Taking Care of Tamako Nobi

"Ahem! Everyone, please return to your seats. Class is starting."

As the school bell rang, Mr. Terakoya walked through the classroom door.

With a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, Gian loosened his arm from around Suneo's neck. The poor boy slumped back into his seat, red-faced and gasping, while Gian thought about asking his good friend for a few comic books after class.

"Students, have you been reading lately? Reading extracurricular books helps refine your character and improves your learning."

"Noby, why don't you share with the class what you've been reading recently?"

As class was just about to end, the teacher threw out a random question, either by accident or on purpose, and unfortunately picked the worst possible student.

"Present!" Noby stood up confidently. "I've been reading Lion Mask and Genius Nishizawa. They're really interesting!"

Mr. Terakoya rubbed his temples and sighed. That completely missed the point.

He was asking about books, not manga.

"Never mind..."

"For homework today, there's a change. Everyone must read a proper biography and write a reflection on it."

Wiping his forehead, the teacher packed up his briefcase and left the classroom, and just like that, the most exciting time of the day arrived after school.

"There's no way I can finish that homework! What am I going to do?!"

At home, Noby slumped over his desk, scratching his head in frustration.

"What's wrong with Noby this time?"

"Nothing new. The homework requires us to read a biography and write a reflection on it," Hiro said as he stepped into the room, putting down his bag and explaining to Doraemon.

There were plenty of books on the shelf, and Hiro could have picked any of them they were all biographies of famous figures but Noby had never touched them.

As Hiro laid a book open on the desk, Noby took one glance and instantly passed out, his face buried in the pages. Then he jolted awake.

"No good! Just flipping through these books gives me a headache. I can't even read a few lines without my eyes going blurry!"

Casting a pleading look toward Doraemon, the blue robot, ever the enabler, promptly pulled a gadget from his pocket.

"You really are hopeless."

"Biography Lamp!"

It looked like an ordinary lightbulb.

Hiro raised an eyebrow, curious about what it did.

Doraemon screwed the bulb onto a book, and in the next second, a human-shaped projection appeared. That was Isaac Newton!

"I am Isaac Newton," announced the blond man holding an apple, radiating an aura of academic brilliance. It felt like seeing the real person.

"See? You can even talk to him. With something this fun, even Noby should be able to learn."

"Oh, well in that case, this assignment will be easy."

Noby instantly perked up, scribbling in his notebook while eagerly questioning the strange uncle about his life.

Doraemon smiled proudly. It seemed that, with the right approach, even someone like Noby could study.

"Doraemon, do you have another one of those bulbs? Can I borrow it?"

A spark lit up in Hiro's eyes. He had an idea. He grabbed a historical biography from China off the shelf.

"Sure! I have plenty. Take as many as you want," Doraemon replied, handing one over.

Hiro ran straight back to his room, a mischievous grin on his face.

"Hee hee... Little brother, we're just projections. You can't touch us!"

"Come on, catch me! If you do, big sister will let you... hhh!"

Before long, the room echoed with flirty laughter and melodious voices.

Not just one several.

"Phew... that was refreshing. A little visual indulgence never hurt. But the developers really should improve this. Being unable to touch the projections is such a letdown."

Having completed his homework, Hiro left the room looking quite satisfied.

He tugged up his pants. "Not as exciting as I hoped."

But still, seeing Daji and Xi Shi those legendary beauties felt like a rare treat.

Too bad they weren't real. It was like talking to virtual girlfriends purely a feast for the senses and imagination.

Still, Snowy was nice.

"Now, what next? Still early... Maybe I'll head over to Shizuka's place. Real girls are still better."

Hiro stashed the lamp and made his way to Shizuka's house, but to his disappointment, she wasn't home out running errands for her mom.

"Huh? Noby? Gian? Suneo? What are you guys doing here?"

On his way back, Hiro spotted the three huddled together at the vacant lot, looking excited. In their hands was yet another gadget from Doraemon.

Clearly, Noby had been showing off again and got caught.

"Oh, Hiro!"

"We're testing something out. We want to see who's stronger: the undefeated Miyamoto Musashi or the legendary warrior Guan Yu."

Gian took the Biography Lamp from Noby's hand. Out popped a muscular red-faced warrior and a wandering swordsman two iconic historical figures.

"Oh, that's a tough one... Actually, never mind. You'll see."

Hiro grinned, walking over with interest as the clash of blades began. Even though he knew the outcome, watching was still a thrill.

In his heart, he thought Han Xin was better after all, he had crowd control and early game dominance.

Men and their simple pleasures.

"Go, go!" Gian shouted, sweating nervously for Musashi.

That swordsman was his idol, but the towering figure of Guan Yu and his massive weapon made it clear the match was uneven.

Then, a surprise twist. A concealed blade struck Guan Yu in the arm, and the red-faced general staggered and fell.

"Yes! See? I told you Musashi was better!"

Slamming the book shut, Gian beamed with pride.

Hiro twitched slightly. He was speechless.

He wasn't about to argue with Gian. If Gian was happy, that was enough.

But still... that was dirty!

Hiro had underestimated Musashi.

He should've remembered real duels aren't just about brute strength.

Musashi wasn't just a swordsman or a wandering warrior. He was a tactician a practitioner of heihō, the art of war.

But in this context, heihō wasn't about leading armies. It was the craft of gaining advantage in personal combat by any means necessary.

For a heihōka, anything goes. Tricks of light and shadow, heat and cold, psychology, even underhanded schemes all were part of his arsenal.

Sometimes, to win, you just had to fight dirty.