The summer afternoon dragged on lazily, the air shimmering in the heat. Nobita was lying flat on the tatami mat, fanning himself half-heartedly, while Doraemon sat cross-legged nearby, lazily munching on dorayaki. Satoshi, however, was deep in thought, scribbling in his notebook and tapping his pen impatiently.
Finally, he shut his notebook with a snap.
"Doraemon," Satoshi said, leaning forward, "I want you to take me to the future. Just for a week."
The blue robot cat blinked, startled. "What? No way! The Time Machine isn't a toy. It's dangerous. You could mess up history!"
Satoshi smirked. "I'll be careful. I'm not going to cause chaos. I just… want to see a few things."
"Absolutely not," Doraemon said firmly, folding his stubby arms.
"Please, Doraemon!" Nobita suddenly chimed in, his eyes wide. "If Satoshi wants to go, I want to go too! Just this once!"
The begging began—two voices against one. Nobita's pleading was dramatic, with exaggerated groans, while Satoshi's was quieter but more persuasive, peppered with subtle logic. Doraemon's resistance weakened. Finally, he sighed, defeated.
"Alright… but only you, Satoshi. And you follow my instructions exactly."
The desk drawer creaked open, and Doraemon hopped in. "Come on, this way."
Satoshi crouched and stepped inside, finding himself in the familiar glowing tunnel of the Time Machine chamber. Sleek controls blinked on the console, and Doraemon slid into the pilot seat.
"So," Doraemon asked, "when and where do you want to go?"
Satoshi didn't hesitate. "One week in the future. Same place—my room."
Doraemon raised an eyebrow. "That's… oddly specific. Fine." He entered the coordinates. The machine hummed, the tunnel whirled into streaks of light, and the air shimmered with energy.
As the machine moved, Satoshi's eyes widened. The walls of the tunnel warped, rippling into strange shapes—illusions of otherworldly landscapes, flickers of unfamiliar skies, cities bathed in alien light. For a moment, it felt like he was drifting between dimensions, not just through time.
The machine slowed, the hum faded, and a glowing portal appeared before him. Doraemon stayed behind, waving. "One week—don't do anything reckless!"
Stepping through, Satoshi found himself in his own room, just slightly different—posters shifted, the air faintly cooler. He didn't waste time. Powering up his laptop, he accessed the stock market data for the past week. His eyes scanned the numbers quickly, jotting down every company whose shares had skyrocketed. He noted patterns, hidden opportunities, and even a few emerging businesses that would dominate in years to come.
His mission complete, Satoshi slipped back through the portal. The journey through the tunnel repeated—those strange, almost mystical visions flashing in the corner of his eyes—until he emerged into the familiar hum of the Time Machine room.
Climbing out of the desk drawer, he found Doraemon sitting calmly, sipping tea, while Nobita was snoring on the floor.
Without a word, Satoshi walked over and lightly punched Nobita's shoulder. "Wake up. You were supposed to be studying."
"Ow! I'm awake!" Nobita shot upright and scrambled for his books, instantly flipping them open.
Doraemon raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected Nobita to move so fast, but he didn't comment.
Instead, Satoshi turned to him. "Doraemon, I need that gadget you mentioned the other day—the phone booth one. The one where you can… call in wishes."
Doraemon frowned. "That's the Anywhere Phone Booth. It's risky. People misuse it all the time."
"I won't misuse it. You know I'm careful," Satoshi said evenly. "But it could be… useful."
There was a tense pause, but Satoshi's steady gaze eventually wore him down. Doraemon sighed, rummaged in his pocket, and pulled out the strange, booth-shaped gadget.
"Fine. But one wish. Be precise."
Satoshi stepped inside the booth, closed the door, dialed, and spoke his request clearly into the receiver. The air shimmered around him for a brief moment before settling back.
When he stepped out, there was no smug grin—just a calm, satisfied expression. He returned the booth to Doraemon without a word and sat down, flipping open a notebook again.
For Satoshi, this wasn't just a summer day. It was the first brick in the empire he planned to build.