Nobita's Time Heist

Since that's the case... why not just leave it alone and let the Time Police handle it, letting the professionals do what they're good at? Wouldn't that be a more rational approach? Although those guys are always a step behind, they're still part of the 22nd-century government, while I, aside from the seemingly cool but actually fussy title of "Time Anchor," don't hold any official position. Constantly doing the work that the Time Police should be doing seems a bit like overstepping my bounds.

The robot cat infiltrating the foundation has been proven to be different from Doraemon. In other words, his initial motive for getting involved no longer exists. Therefore, he has no reason to drag everyone into such a dangerous situation.

Nobita's mind was clear. From the Xin Dynasty in the 8th century, the Santa Maria in 1492, to western America in 1899, to Osaka Castle in 1615, he had clashed with members of the Apairang Foundation several times, winning each battle—though luck played a significant role. It was still a threatening terrorist organization, and a few high school students weren't suitable to be his constant adversaries. After all this busy work, it was time to settle down and return to his daily life.

Yes, after working so hard for so long, wasn't the initial goal just to be able to go home?

……

"rustle……"

The chirping of birds and the rustling of leaves in the wind reached Nobita's ears.

"No, that's not right..."

With his keen senses, Nobita finally noticed something was amiss. It was a feeling of unease that had been building up since he returned, but he didn't know how to describe it.

He couldn't ignore this nagging feeling, because Xiaoshan had once explained to him that often, information is given too quickly because judgments are made in an instant, before the brain can process it. This is especially true for someone like Da Xiong, who has a strong capacity for empathy. To be precise, most of the time, his logical thinking ability is even masked by his intuition. Over time, Da Xiong became increasingly reliant on intuition, and his logical thinking ability deteriorated significantly, which is one of the reasons why he frequently got zeros.

It's so quiet.

At this time of day, the back hill is usually deserted, so the quiet is to be expected. However, human activity is frequent, and there are always some noises, such as car horns, road construction booms, and the vendors selling roasted sweet potatoes from their cars. But now, there isn't a single sound from humans. The entire town is deathly silent, as if all the people living here have suddenly stopped.

"No way, I just got back..."

Nobita sighed helplessly, then immediately took out the Anywhere Door, pushed open the wooden door, and arrived at the long-unseen entrance hall of the Nobi family's house.

The house is quiet; nothing has changed, except for the silence.

Nobita shuddered. He suddenly remembered the morning he used the "Dictator Button" to wipe out everyone in the world—it was very similar to this moment. No matter where he went, there was no sound; no matter which number he dialed, no one answered. A strong sense of loneliness urged Nobita's heart forward, compelling him to take immediate action.

"Mommy mommy!"

As I opened the paper door to the living room, my heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.

Mom was still there, and didn't seem to have any external injuries; she was just asleep, slumped over the table. This relieved Nobita somewhat. As long as she was still alive, it wasn't the worst-case scenario. It was much better than waking up to find the whole world had regressed to the beginning of the Taisho era.

However... the current situation is still not very clear.

The accounts on the table weren't finished yet; judging from the numbers, this month's income and expenses had barely broken even. Tamako (Nobita's mother, whose real name is Nakaoka Tamako, and who changed her surname to Nobi after marriage) had said that this was a required course for her as a housewife: calculating household expenses once in the middle and once at the end of each month. Today was the 15th, and it was time to do the accounting.

But it was clear that her calculations weren't finished; the last few numbers were already crooked and illegible, like scribbles. Nobita was very familiar with this kind of handwriting; when he was so sleepy in class that he could barely keep his eyes open, his notes were usually in a similar state.

“Mom’s sleep schedule has always been very regular. She goes to bed at 10 p.m. sharp and gets up at 6:20 a.m. to make breakfast for us… Logically speaking, she shouldn’t be this tired.” Da Xiong checked her breathing; it was steady and even, a sign that she was in deep sleep.

I tried shaking her shoulders, patting her face, and everything else I could think of, but she showed no signs of waking up.

"As expected, this wasn't ordinary sleep. Could it be..."

A terrifying idea popped into Nobita's mind. He turned and ran toward the Anywhere Door, opened the wooden door again, and arrived at his father's company.

"Clap!"

The door bumped into something and couldn't be opened for a moment. Da Xiong pressed his weight onto it, squeezing open a crack, only to find that there was a person blocking his way! He was lying on the ground, fast asleep, holding a stack of documents in his hand. Looking around, people were sprawled out on the ground and tables, fast asleep and snoring loudly.

Now, Nobita can confirm it.

He, who used to be a heavy sleeper, is now... probably the only person in the world who is awake.

Chapter 401: Isn't this the dream we often have?

"Go to Shizuka's side!"

After carrying his father home and settling him comfortably on the bed, Nobita didn't stop for a moment. He immediately opened the Anywhere Door and went to the side of the most important person in his heart. As expected, Suneo kept his promise and was going to take his friends on a good time to release the stress they had accumulated over the past period. At this time, they arrived at the last part of their journey—Suneo's family's villa on the Shijo Peninsula.

It was a miracle everyone was still there, but without exception, they were all fast asleep. The small table was piled high with props: a spy satellite, a time-travel television, a passageway, and various other items. Having survived countless adventures together, they immediately sensed something was wrong and acted swiftly. However, it was clear they didn't have much time; the props were scattered haphazardly, with a large pile even strewn on the floor.

Dekisugi was clutching a can tightly in his hand, refusing to let go, an unusual act that Nobita quickly noticed.

"This is... [a noise-absorbing canned food]?"

Noise pollution has become a major public nuisance plaguing modern life, and this gadget was specifically designed to address this issue, allowing noise to be contained within a can. Nobita quickly understood Dekisugi's intention; in an emergency, he must have been recording important information inside the can!

Without hesitation, I opened the can, and the first thing I heard was the beeping sound of a spy satellite printing an aerial view at lightning speed.

"It's January 10th, Nobita. The situation is urgent, so I'll get straight to the point. This is an anomaly; everyone in the world is being swallowed by sleepiness. But there are many places that require constant maintenance! And then there are vehicles like cars, cruise ships, and airplanes. If the drivers fall asleep, the consequences will be unimaginable! We... have already taken emergency measures, sticking 'Triple Time Stickers' on ourselves to slow down our perceived sleep time by three times, barely buying us a little time to operate."

"Then, we began releasing large numbers of the self-constructing robots created by Honekawa to replace these people's work, letting them take over this out-of-control world... and barely managed to keep the damage to a minimum..."

"No, no, no... Why make such a simple problem so complicated?" Nobita scratched his head and couldn't help but complain, "Use the [Dream Wind Chime]! Isn't the point of such a useless item to come in handy in unexpected situations?"

"We can't hold on much longer either. This drowsiness is so intense, it feels like something is dragging us along. Our eyes are barely open. Nobita, think of something, you have to find a way to wake us up... We're counting on you..."

"Clap!"

Perhaps realizing he was about to fall asleep, Dekisugi used his last bit of strength to put the lid on the can.

"For no reason at all, sleepiness has swept across the whole world... Sigh... Why do I always run into such strange things?"

Nobita sighed, thinking of Doraemon for what felt like the umpteenth time. If Doraemon were still alive, at least he would have someone to help him come up with ideas in this situation.

"That's not necessarily true... Doraemon is just too similar to a human. He might fall for it and never wake up again?"

He rummaged through his pockets for a moment and pulled out the most suitable item for the current situation: "[An alarm clock that can wake people up from a distance]—!!"

The title of "Illusion Buster" is no joke. Nobita set the time, threw the alarm clock on the ground, and quickly covered his ears. After three loud rings that shook the glass, the sleeping group opened their eyes, sat up groggily, and looked around, their faces filled with confusion. They seemed to have no idea where they were or how they got there.

"You're finally awake." Nobita breathed a sigh of relief and rushed to Shizuka first to check on her. He asked with concern, "It's good that you're awake. I was worried about what would happen if you didn't wake up after using the gadget. Thank goodness, you're all safe and sound."

"..." Shizuka didn't speak, her gaze seemingly unfocused. She didn't care at all about Nobita's words, but instead turned her head in confusion, seeing Gian and Suneo. "How strange, where have we gotten here again?"

"Hmm... I can't quite put my finger on it. I feel like I've seen this place somewhere before, but when I try to think about it, my head is throbbing... Strange..." Xiaofu rubbed his head and muttered in pain.

"Are you all alright?" Nobita felt a sense of foreboding as they all chose to ignore him. "I'll use the [Medical Kit] to check you out."

"Who are you?" Fat Tiger grabbed his shoulder, his expression a mix of wariness and suspicion. "Don't go near them. Come to think of it, you look familiar, but I can't quite place your name. Anyway, don't you dare touch a hair on my crew!"

"Me? I...it's me! It's me! Nobita! Gian, Suneo, Shizuka, Dekisugi, we're best friends who grew up together in Tsukimi-dai Town. We went to elementary school, middle school, and high school together, remember?!" Nobita swallowed hard, his heart pounding as if it would jump out of his throat. Last time time was reversed, at least his friends remembered Nobita's existence. How come this time, even that little bit of privilege couldn't be retained?

Are those who anchor in time and space destined to pay this lousy price?!

……

The four looked at each other, puzzled by what Nobita had said, but they didn't understand what he meant.

"Okay, at least you should remember Doraemon, right? There's a robot cat with a round head and a pocket on his stomach from which he can pull out all sorts of amazing gadgets..."

"Now that you mention it, I think I vaguely remember it." Xiao Fu crossed his arms, racking his brains, and finally came up with a clue. "Isn't this the kind of dream we often have?"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"What?" Da Xiong opened his mouth slightly, hesitated for a moment, and couldn't believe it.

“Yes, yes, I’ve had similar dreams too. There’s a blue raccoon with a round head and a guy wearing glasses. They always appear together… but that’s something I only dream about when I was a kid. I haven’t dreamed about it even once since I became an adult.” Fat Tiger slapped his thigh and suddenly realized, “It must be the Scarlet God. It’s the Scarlet God’s curse that made us fall into this place at the same time, unable to distinguish between reality and dreams.”

“That shouldn’t be the case.” Dekisugi remained calm. “If it were a curse, this dream should be full of malice, but I don’t feel that way.”

"No matter what, there's no time to waste in dreams anymore, I need to find a way to... wake up quickly..." Fat Tiger's voice gradually faded. As the effect of the prop on the human body expired, his body was once again overcome by sleepiness, and his eyelids began to droop. "Scarlet God is still here..."

"Wait a minute, Xiaoshan!" Da Xiong reacted immediately, opening the sound storage can and replaying its contents.

Hearing his own voice, Dekisugi was somewhat shocked, but his strong thinking ability helped him temporarily resist sleepiness.

"Remember, this is the real world. What you're in is a dream, it's fake! This is the real world! You must find a way to make them realize this!"

“Nobi…kun…” Dekisugi’s tone was full of confusion, but his eyes cleared in an instant, “Azur…she is…”

A crimson flame flickered in his pupils.

"Boom!"

Before he could finish speaking, he collapsed onto the tatami mat and fell into a deep sleep.

Chapter 402: Hell in a Dream

Asur.

Come to think of it, Asur was nowhere to be seen. Nobita took out the photo Suneo had mailed him again, confirming that she had participated in this trip, but now she had suddenly disappeared. There was certainly something strange about this, and Asur did indeed harbor many secrets, but if Nobita were to judge solely on instinct, he didn't think Asur would betray them.

"However, I roughly know what happened..."

Memories flooded back, recalling his past adventures and the legendary Three Musketeers of Dreams. Or rather, the experience was unforgettable—a world constructed from dreams, so incredibly realistic, filled with so much detail that he could barely distinguish reality from dreams. While in that dream, even upon waking in the real world, he believed it was the dream they often had, while the bizarre and fantastical events on the other side were the true reality.

"【Complete Dream Machine for Anything】—!!"

Despite calling his name, Nobita couldn't pull anything out of his pocket. He then remembered that this gadget had been recycled by a 22nd-century shopkeeper. Like countless gadgets in Doraemon's pocket, it was a dangerous item that could cause serious problems if not handled properly. Later, the 22nd century created a gentler alternative: the "Dream Pillow." The most terrifying aspect was that it blurred the line between dreams and reality, immersing people in an incredibly beautiful illusion from which they couldn't escape. Many even became addicted, sleeping for 20 hours a day on that pillow. For them, the dream world was reality. There, they were prophets, heroes, kings, all sorts of extraordinary figures. Because the simulation was so realistic, the huge gap between reality and reality left them disoriented upon waking. Their real selves in the real world were slowly turning into an absurd and laughable dream.

Nobita had to take a roundabout approach. First, he took out the "Invention Machine," described the requirements for the "Dream-Creating Machine," and then painstakingly built it step by step, referring to an instruction manual as thick as a dictionary. Even with the help of props, it still took him a whole day to complete the machine. Afterward, he spent nearly four hours creating the unique "Dream Trio" videotape.

"Phew... Finally, it's finally over..."

He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, inserted the videotape into the machine, found a relatively flat spot to lie down, and prepared to enter this dream that he hadn't seen for about ten years.

The Three Musketeers of Dreams, Activate!

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"vomit……"

It was completely different from the smooth access method I remembered; it was like falling into a filthy world of oil paint, where all my senses were distorted.

A strong wave of dizziness made him gag, and he instinctively covered his mouth to stop himself from vomiting. His eyes were filled with these distorted colors, and his stomach churned violently, as if his internal organs were about to be shaken out. There was no mysterious pink mist, no guiding spirit that looked like Shizuka... The entire dream world seemed to be polluted, and this passageway, exuding an eerie odor, became the only connection between the two worlds.

Falling, falling, falling endlessly.

"Just hang in there a little longer, it'll start with the most familiar scene." Recalling his last experience, Nobita could only grit his teeth and try to comfort himself. "Maybe I'll see the school corridor again, I really miss it. Back then, when Mom and the teacher suddenly peeked out of the classroom, it scared me half to death. I thought I was dreaming... Although it was definitely a dream, it was so unoriginal, it didn't feel like the start of a dare at all..."

Anxiety, unease, worry—through long and continuous adventures, Nobita had long since learned how to coexist with these negative emotions. Like comforting someone, he constantly talked to himself, distracting himself. Gradually, he felt himself adapting to the distorted senses, his body seemingly captured by gravity, about to fall to some definite place.

……

"ah-----!!!"

Piercing through the clouds, the surging shouts of battle formed a thick sound barrier, blasting straight into Da Xiong's ears and making his scalp tingle. Looking down, on a patch of black, cracked earth ravaged by some immense force, the two sides were engaged in a fierce, real battle.

Mixed with the fierce battle cries were pitiful screams, the scraping of armor, the cracking of wooden shields under heavy blows, and the crisp sound of bodies being twisted. Centered on a fortified city rising from the ground, the battlefield spread out in all directions.

The mage stood on the city wall, casting fireballs that arced through the air before landing in the center of the battle, indiscriminately attacking friend and foe alike, aiming only to inflict maximum damage. One could see people engulfed in flames, unable to remove their armor, running wildly across the battlefield, emitting screams that sent chills down one's spine.

"Retreat—!!"—On the front lines, which were like a meat grinder, amidst a mountain of corpses piled high with countless soldiers, the soldiers roared in terror and despair.

"Forward—!!"—The noble overseers, seated high on the city walls, waved their short staffs and arrogantly gave the order.

Da Xiong also had a clear impression of their opponents; they had seen them on the Notre Dame Maria in the Atlantic Ocean. They were evil creatures transformed into half-dragons, their bodies covered with a layer of scales, which could be considered dragon scales. Human swords could only produce a few small, insignificant sparks when they struck them, but their claws and tails could tear through soldiers' armor as easily as tearing paper.

This was a battle with no suspense; lives were mercilessly crushed like soybeans in a millstone, the stench of blood turning into steam that floated in the air. If hell truly existed, it would be no different.

"It's even worse than the reign of the Demon Emperor Odorom." Nobita habitually put on his bamboo dragonfly, turned his head to look, and the bright, clear rubber crescent moon he remembered was gone. In its place was a crimson full moon, which abruptly occupied a part of the night sky, as if it might collapse at any moment, giving people an extremely strong sense of oppression.

"Wait a minute, isn't this..."

……

"Thump—!!"

A heavy tail whip sneaked in from the girl's blind spot. By the time she caught a glimpse of a shadow and tried to slash it away with her sword, it was too late. The thick tail struck her head, slamming her off her horse. The stinging pain of her back hitting the ground seared her nerves. Everything went black; her helmet, warped from the impact, blocked her vision. She could see nothing but the lingering, unpleasant smell of blood around her.

"Ugh... Ah—!!"

On the battlefield where life could be lost at any moment, even a brief obstruction of vision could be fatal. The deformed helmet was stuck so tightly that it couldn't be removed in time, which made the girl increasingly nervous. Her movements became distorted, and she frantically swung her longsword with her other hand. As if sensing her fear, the surrounding half-dragons quickly converged on her, revealing sharp claws and teeth, and pounced on her.

Her vision was completely blocked. In terror, the girl heard wild, ferocious roars and howls, and...

A powerful, metallic booming sound.

Chapter 403: The Princess and the Swordsman Lived Happily

"Calm down, Shizuka! We're in a very safe place now. Even though you might not remember me, I would never hurt you. Now I'm going to help you take this off... It might hurt a little, so please bear with it."

The heavy object pressing against her suddenly lightened, and her vision brightened again. The girl's pupils instinctively contracted, and out of instinctive defensiveness, she raised her longsword above her heart. After realizing that the newcomer was human like her, she visibly relaxed, and then began to observe her surroundings. At this moment, the two were in a very quiet place, which did not match her impression of a battlefield.

"You are..." She looked puzzled. She felt that the boy with the strange decoration on his nose looked familiar, but she couldn't remember where. "Have we met before?"

Upon hearing this, Da Xiong was taken aback. Combining this with the reactions of everyone on the Sizhang Peninsula, he guessed roughly what was going on and said with a wry smile, "I guess I saw it in a dream."

"In my dreams... in my dreams... Ah! I remember now, I think I dreamt about him. There was this lazy guy who was just like you, with two strange pieces of glass on his nose. For some reason, I keep dreaming about him. But... I can't quite remember his face. He probably looked a lot like you, right?"

Seemingly recalling those "absurd" dreams, the girl's shoulders relaxed, and she was no longer as wary as before. "Thank you for saving me. My name is Jinglu."

……

really.

Although he had mentally prepared himself before coming here, things were still uncertain, and Nobita still harbored a sliver of hope. Only now, with reality shattering the bubble, did he have to consider this worst-case scenario. Just as people find it difficult to recall the contents of their dreams when they are awake, for his current companions, the real world is a distant dream. In this world, they all have their own personas and identities, everything is logical, and Shizuka even has a new name.

They won't remember themselves.

Do not……