"Ah? That's really unfortunate, Nobita. I just sent all those gadgets in for repairs. It'll take about two days to get them back," Doraemon said, spreading his hands helplessly toward Nobita.
"Ah? Why now...?" Nobita sighed. "I guess I'll just have to go out and buy them myself."
Realizing there was no way Doraemon could help him, Nobita could only carry his basket downstairs, put on his shoes, and head out to buy the items himself.
Doraemon could only watch Nobita's back with an awkward, apologetic smile.
Of course, this news was equally disappointing to Heino.
In fact, the moment Doraemon appeared from the time tunnel hidden in the desk drawer, Heino had a bad feeling.
Normally, Doraemon wouldn't use the time machine unless something important was happening.
Although sending gadgets for repairs did happen occasionally in the original story, Heino couldn't help but feel his luck was unusually bad.
He had finally come to borrow some gadgets—only to find they were all being repaired.
Truly, a stroke of unique bad luck.
"Doraemon, this is our first time meeting, and I didn't bring much," Heino said with a smile once they were alone. "I heard from Nobita that you love Dorayaki, so I picked some up on my way here. I hope you'll like them."
Heino handed Doraemon the Dorayaki he had just bought.
After all, building a good relationship with Doraemon was surely the right move—those magical gadgets might come in handy later.
"Dorayaki! Wow! Heino, you're the best!"
Seeing the Dorayaki, Doraemon's eyes practically turned into stars. His fondness for Heino grew even stronger.
Watching Doraemon excitedly savor his treat, Heino smiled warmly.
Although Doraemon often acted more mature than Nobita, moments like this revealed his childlike nature.
Doraemon's usual personality was gentle and caring—traits that came from his original purpose as a butler robot designed to look after children.
He liked to meddle in others' affairs and, while he often warned Nobita about misusing gadgets, he himself sometimes caused the chaos.
Heino knew this well.
When Doraemon panicked, he completely lost his cool, often resorting to random, impractical gadgets.
There had even been instances in the original story where he called the United Nations over Nobita's wild ideas.
In many ways, Doraemon could be as reckless as Nobita.
He could also be insensitive at times, doing things without considering others' feelings.
Yet, despite their arguments, the deep bond between Doraemon and Nobita was very real.
It was because Heino understood Doraemon's personality that he knew exactly how to get along with him.
Now that the gadgets were out for repairs, Heino's original plans had to be postponed.
For the next few days, he'd have to work hard on his manga by himself.
While Doraemon enjoyed his Dorayaki, Heino didn't rest either.
He set his schoolbag down beside the bookshelf, then stood up and started exploring the room—the place where so many dreams had begun.
The thing that intrigued him most was the time machine hidden inside the drawer by the window.
Heino walked over and opened the drawer.
But instead of the mysterious tunnel he had imagined, he only found pencils and some scrap paper.
It looked no different from an ordinary drawer.
"Heino, what are you doing over there?"
Doraemon asked, noticing Heino poking around.
"Oh, nothing. Just a little curious," Heino replied casually, smiling as he closed the drawer.
"Curious...?" Doraemon repeated, then seemed to realize something.
With a smile, he stuffed the last piece of Dorayaki into his mouth, walked over to the desk, and pulled the drawer open.
As he did, a faint, ethereal light shone out, instantly capturing Heino's attention.
Heino leaned over to look inside.
It was like peering into a dream—an endless tunnel surrounded by the shimmer of countless ghostly clocks, each casting a strange, dizzying light.
The drawer had become the entrance to the time tunnel.
Parked just beneath the entrance was the time machine, sitting quietly in that surreal space.
From the outside, it looked like an entirely different world.
"Heino, this is the time machine you wanted to see, right?"
Doraemon said with a smile, noticing Heino's fascinated expression.
"Yeah," Heino nodded.
There was no reason to lie. After all, the Doraemon standing before him had crossed time to get here using that very machine.
Even as someone from the modern world, seeing a real time machine felt surreal.
"So, Heino," Doraemon said cheerfully, "do you want to visit a special time or place?
Even though most of my gadgets are under repair, the time machine is still working!"