Lin Yu made the most of the remaining effects of the Efficiency Booster Pill during school hours, snatching every available moment to work on his manga pages. Of course, being in the classroom, he couldn't be too blatant about it, so he mostly focused on practice sketches and linework rather than full-speed drafting. Consequently, his progress wasn't nearly as dramatic as it had been at Nobita's house. By the time school ended, he'd only managed to complete about three pages of chapter four.
Finally, the school day was over. Lin Yu quickly packed his things and walked out of the school building with Shizuka, Gian, Suneo, and Nobita.
"Hey, Lin Yu! Coming to play baseball with us today?" Gian asked eagerly. Having devoured all the available manga pages during breaks, Gian and the others were now ready for their usual after-school fun.
"Not today, guys," Lin Yu declined politely. "I'm planning to submit my manga today. If it's successful, maybe you'll see my work in a weekly magazine soon."
"Really?!" Gian, Suneo, and Nobita stared at him, their faces masks of astonishment.
"You're submitting it today?!"
"Wow! Then does that mean you'll be a real manga artist soon, Lin Yu?"
"A manga artist! My friend is gonna be a manga artist!"
As the three boys chattered excitedly, Shizuka, who already knew about his plans, simply smiled softly to herself.
"Alright, alright," Shizuka interjected gently. "Let's not hold Lin Yu up. He should get going if he wants to submit it today. It might be inconvenient if he gets there too late."
"Right, right!" Gian agreed readily, nodding vigorously. He gave Lin Yu a friendly shove on the shoulder. "Baseball can wait! You go submit your manga, Lin Yu! And hey, when you become a famous artist, don't forget to give me your autograph!"
"Yeah, go for it, Lin Yu!" Suneo added enthusiastically. "When your manga gets serialized, I promise I'll buy every issue to support you!"
Nobita, standing beside them, also gave a shy but sincere nod of encouragement.
"Don't worry about baseball," Gian declared confidently. "Leave it to me, we won't be short-handed."
"Yeah!" Gian added gruffly, clapping Nobita on the back perhaps a bit too hard. "Nobita's technique stinks, but bullying him into playing is half the fun anyway!"
Seeing the genuine smiles on their faces (and Nobita's resulting miserable expression), Lin Yu chuckled and waved goodbye. "Okay then, I'm heading off! I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow."
After parting ways with Shizuka and the others, Lin Yu walked straight home. Letting himself in, he dropped his bag in the entryway, went to the phone, and dialed the Nobi residence.
"Hello, Nobi residence," Doraemon's cheerful voice answered.
"Doraemon, it's me, Lin Yu. I just got home. Did you still want to come over and read the rest of the manga pages?"
"You're home already? Great! I'm coming right over!" Doraemon replied excitedly.
The moment Lin Yu hung up, the unmistakable pink frame of the Anywhere Door materialized in his living room, and Doraemon stepped through. "Lin Yu! I'm here for the manga!" he announced eagerly.
Seeing Doraemon's enthusiasm, Lin Yu took the completed manga chapters out of his bag and handed them over. "Here you go. Have a seat. I finished chapter three last night too, so that should keep you busy for a while. I'll go make some tea."
"Oh, don't trouble yourself!" Doraemon waved dismissively, his attention already completely captured by the manga pages.
Lin Yu poured a cup of hot tea anyway, added a few cookies to a small plate, and brought them over. "Here you go."
"Thanks, Lin Yu! Sorry to make you go to the trouble."
"It's no trouble at all," Lin Yu replied. "Actually, though," he began, "there is something I was hoping you could help me with."
"No problem! Leave it to me! What is it, Lin Yu?" Doraemon responded instantly, still engrossed in the manga.
"Well, I'm planning to submit my manga today, but..." Lin Yu explained the predicament he faced due to his age and the need for a guardian. Hearing this, Doraemon momentarily paused his page-turning, looking thoughtful.
"So, the main problem is that you're too young, right, Lin Yu?"
"Yes," Lin Yu confirmed. "Since there aren't any adults usually at my place, it makes things tricky."
"Hmm... you're right. Let me see if I have a gadget for that." Doraemon put down the manga pages and began rummaging seriously in his fourth-dimensional pocket. After searching for a good minute, he triumphantly pulled out a gadget shaped like a loop of rope with buttons on it.
"Ta-da! The Age-Changing Spring Rope!"
Seeing the gadget, a knowing smile spread across Lin Yu's face. (He recognized this one. It had red and blue buttons. Connecting it in a loop and pressing red made water that aged you up physically by one year per drink; blue did the opposite. About seven or eight drinks of the red water would make him look like an adult.)
"This gadget should be perfect for your situation!" Doraemon began, enthusiastically explaining its function. (Listening, Lin Yu felt a wave of nostalgia, remembering wanting this gadget as a child to grow up faster.)
"Lin Yu, all you need to do is drink the water from the red button!" Doraemon explained. "That'll turn you into an adult so you can meet the editor. Then, when you get back, just drink the water from the blue button, and you'll change right back!"
"You really are amazing, Doraemon," Lin Yu said sincerely. "To think you even have incredible gadgets like this."
"Hehe, it's nothing special!" Doraemon chuckled modestly. "I just picked it up second-hand! Honestly, Lin Yu, you're the amazing one, creating such a wonderful manga!"
After this brief exchange of mutual compliments, Lin Yu took the gadget. He connected the ends to form a circle, then pressed the red button. Instantly, clear spring water began to bubble up from within the loop.
"There! Just drink this, and you'll be all set!" Doraemon instructed. "When you're done, just press the button again to stop the flow."
"Thanks a million, Doraemon."
"No problem! Don't mention it!" Doraemon waved dismissively. "You go take care of your business! I'll just stay here and read manga until you get back." With that, Doraemon happily settled onto the floor with the remaining manga chapters, already completely engrossed.