Shin sat on the wooden floor of his small room, looking at the old brown bag in front of him. Inside the bag were his clothes, toothbrush, and a few other things he needed for the summer vacation. But the most important thing was hidden at the bottom of the bag - the Kiteretsu Daihyakka.
"I can't believe this is real," Shin whispered to himself. He touched the bag gently. "The encyclopedia that can create amazing inventions. And I found it in our attic!"
Ten days had passed since he discovered the encyclopedia. Ten whole days of reading page after page. The book was full of incredible inventions and their blueprints. Flying machines, robots, time machines - everything was there. But Shin hadn't made anything yet because his grandfather told him they had to visit relatives.
"Shin! Dinner is ready!" his grandfather called from downstairs.
"Coming, Grandpa!" Shin shouted back. He stood up and walked downstairs.
The old house smelled like miso soup and grilled fish. His grandfather was sitting at the small dining table, waiting for him with a warm smile on his wrinkled face.
"All packed for tomorrow?" Grandpa asked.
"Yes, Grandpa. Everything is ready," Shin replied, sitting down. "But I still don't understand why I have to go. I'm happy here with you."
Grandpa laughed softly. "Shin, you're just ten years old. You need to make friends your age. You spend too much time alone in your room, reading books."
"But Grandpa—"
"No buts," Grandpa said firmly but kindly. "Your uncle will come tomorrow morning to pick you up. You'll stay with them for the whole summer. It will be fun. They have a son your age too."
Shin ate his rice slowly. He wanted to tell his grandfather about the encyclopedia, about how he could create so many things, about everything. But how could he? Nobody would believe him. Even his grandfather thought the encyclopedia was just an old book when Shin showed it to him.
"Do you know what my cousin's name is?" Shin asked.
"Hmm, I think it was... Nobita? Yes, Nobita. He's a good boy from what I heard," Grandpa said.
Shin's chopsticks stopped halfway to his mouth. "Nobita? Did you say Nobita?"
"Yes, why? Do you know him?"
Shin's heart started beating fast. Nobita. That name. In his previous life, he had watched many episodes of Doraemon. Nobita was the main character!
"No, I don't know him. I just... the name sounds nice," Shin said quickly, trying to hide his shock.
"You'll meet him tomorrow. Now eat your food before it gets cold," Grandpa said.
Shin ate his dinner, but his mind was racing. If Nobita is real, then could Doraemon be real too? The blue robot cat from the future? The gadgets? Everything?
After dinner, Shin went back to his room. He pulled out the encyclopedia from his bag and stared at it.
"If Doraemon is real and he has future gadgets, then this encyclopedia doesn't seem so impossible anymore," Shin thought. "Tomorrow is going to be very interesting."
He put the encyclopedia back in his bag carefully. Tomorrow morning couldn't come fast enough.
Meanwhile, in the Nobi household in the city, things were quite busy.
"Nobita! Stop standing there and help us clean!" Nobita's mother shouted.
Nobita was standing in the middle of the guest room with a broom in his hand, but he wasn't cleaning. He was just staring at the wall with a tired expression.
"But Mom, why do I have to help? It's not my fault that cousin Shin is coming," Nobita complained.
"Nobita, don't say such things!" Mom said angrily. "Shin is family. His parents died in an accident, and he lives alone with his grandfather in the countryside. The least we can do is make him feel welcome here."
Doraemon was dusting the shelves. "Nobita, your mom is right. We should be nice to Shin."
"Easy for you to say, Doraemon," Nobita muttered. "You don't have to share your stuff."
"Actually, I'm more worried about my dorayaki," Doraemon said quietly. "What if Shin likes dorayaki too? I'll have to share them!"
Mom heard this and shook her head. "Both of you are being selfish! Shin is coming tomorrow, and this room must be perfect. Now start cleaning!"
Nobita sighed and finally started sweeping the floor. "I don't even know what he looks like. Dad said he's ten years old like me."
"Maybe he'll be fun to play with," Doraemon suggested, trying to be positive.
"Or maybe he'll be boring," Nobita said. "What if he's one of those smart kids who only likes to study? Like Dekisugi!"
"Don't say that!" Mom scolded. "You'll find out tomorrow what kind of boy he is. Now clean faster! Your father will be angry if this room isn't ready."
Doraemon floated over to Nobita. "Hey, at least you'll have someone new to play with this summer. Maybe he likes baseball?"
"I hope so," Nobita said. "But I still wish I could spend summer vacation sleeping and reading manga instead."
"You do that anyway!" Doraemon said.
They continued cleaning the room. The guest room was small but cozy. There was a bed, a desk, a chair, and a small closet. The window looked out at the street below.
"This room is directly in front of my room," Nobita said. "So if Shin snores, I'll hear it!"
"You're the one who snores, Nobita!" Doraemon laughed.
"I do not!"
"You do too!"
"Boys! Stop fighting and finish cleaning!" Mom shouted from downstairs.
Later that evening, after dinner, Nobita and Doraemon were in Nobita's room. Doraemon was eating dorayaki, and Nobita was lying on the floor, staring at the ceiling.
"Doraemon, do you think Shin will like me?" Nobita asked suddenly.
Doraemon stopped eating. "Why wouldn't he like you?"
"Well, everyone always says I'm no good at anything. I can't study, I can't do sports, I always get in trouble. What if Shin thinks I'm a loser?"
"Nobita, don't talk like that," Doraemon said kindly. "You have a good heart. You're kind to everyone. That's what matters most."
"Really?"
"Really," Doraemon nodded. "And if Shin doesn't see that, then he's the one missing out."
Nobita smiled a little. "Thanks, Doraemon. You always know what to say."
"That's what friends are for!" Doraemon said cheerfully. "Now, let's get some sleep. Tomorrow is a big day."
"Yeah, tomorrow Shin arrives," Nobita said, rolling over to face the wall. "I wonder what he's like."
Back in the countryside, Shin couldn't sleep. He was lying in his bed, looking at the dark ceiling. The moon was bright outside his window, casting soft light into his room.
"Tomorrow I'll meet Nobita and Doraemon," Shin thought. "The characters I watched on TV in my previous life. But they're real here. They're real people."
He turned to his side, looking at his packed bag near the door.
"And I have the Kiteretsu Daihyakka," he whispered. "An encyclopedia that can create inventions that rival Doraemon's gadgets. But should I tell them about it? Should I tell Doraemon?"
Shin closed his eyes. He had so many questions and no answers. But one thing was certain - his boring life in the countryside was about to become very exciting.
"I hope Nobita and Doraemon are as nice as they were in the anime," Shin thought.
Outside, the crickets were singing their night song. The wind was gentle and cool. Everything was peaceful in the countryside.
Shin finally started to feel sleepy. Tomorrow morning, his uncle would come to pick him up. Tomorrow, his new life would begin. Tomorrow, he would enter the world of Doraemon.
"Good night, Grandpa," Shin whispered, even though his grandfather couldn't hear him from downstairs.