A Different Doraemon World

"It's unbelievable..." Connie and Rim were stunned, struggling to process the massive amount of information they had just received: Doraemon turned out to be an alien sent to Earth to destroy humanity, the Sun was sentient, and it was the cause of the apocalypse.

After a moment, once the shock seemed to settle, Kelly broke the silence. "Karen and I no longer want to be saviors or queens. I'm sorry—I was wrong!"

We were blinded by our ambition. We hope you can forgive us," Karen added sincerely.

Hearing this, Connie and Rim felt a mix of joy and apprehension. They were relieved that Karen and Kelly no longer sought to rule the world, but part of them feared it might all be an elaborate lie, like a fleeting daydream. Finally, Connie took a deep breath and said, "If you'd been like this from the start, things would've been so much better!" Then she turned and punched Rim in the arm.

"Eh, what the heck was that for?" Rim glared at Connie in annoyance after being unexpectedly punched.

"Just checking if we're dreaming!" Connie shrugged nonchalantly. Hearing this, Rim gritted her teeth, ready to say something, but ultimately shook her head and let it go. She chose not to argue with the shorty.

She turned to Kelly and Karen instead, her expression softening as she said:

"Thank goodness. We don't have to fight each other anymore!"

Karen nodded with a smile. "Let's work together to save the world!"

"Alright, enough sentimentality," Kelly interrupted, steering the conversation back on track. "What about the data on the Sun? Do you still have it?"

"Yes, we stored it in the central data archive. But right now, Connie and I don't have access," Rim replied.

Years ago, Connie and Rim had saved the Sun-related data in the archive for further study during their free time. Despite the time machine project, they had already dedicated over a decade to researching the Sun and couldn't simply abandon it.

Kelly nodded. "What are the file numbers? I'll retrieve the data and restore your access."

"S#1506 and S#2902," Connie and Rim answered promptly.

Without hesitation, Kelly stood up to retrieve the files. At that moment, Doraemon spoke up. "I'll come along. I can download the data directly into one of my gadgets for analysis!"

"Sure, let's go!" Kelly replied and led Doraemon out of the room.

Karen then stood up and said gently, "It's been a long day. You all must be tired. I'll prepare lunch." With that, she left as well, leaving the room with just Nobita, Connie, and Rim. An awkward silence hung in the air.

"Um… Nobita…" Connie and Rim hesitated, unsure how to start.

"Um… Jaian and Suneo…?" Nobita was just as flustered. Earlier, he had been composed, but now he was utterly at a loss. He didn't know how to interact with these two young women, who were and weren't Jaian and Suneo at the same time. Moreover, why did Connie seem to be his age? He had assumed all four of them were over 20.

After a long pause, both Connie and Rim suddenly bowed deeply, saying in unison:

"We're so sorry, Nobita. We've bullied you for years!"

Nobita was taken aback by their apology and waved his hands hastily. "No, please don't say that! I understand why you did it. You were trying to save the Earth…"

Seeing Nobita's embarrassed and earnest demeanor, Rim couldn't help but chuckle, her voice tinged with nostalgia. "Nobita, you're as naïve as ever."

Yeah, Nobita's such a goof!" Connie agreed, laughing as she habitually punched his shoulder playfully.

"Hey! I'm not a goof!" Nobita shouted in protest, his face flushing red.

The three of them fell silent for a moment before bursting into laughter, the tension in the room finally melting away.

Rim got up, walked over to Nobita, and looked at him sincerely. "Let's start over, okay? I'm Rim. Nice to meet you, Nobita!" She extended her hand toward him.

Connie smiled, patting Nobita on the shoulder. "And I'm Connie. Don't be fooled by appearances—I'm the oldest here! Nice to meet you, kiddo." She also extended her hand.

Nobita looked at the two of them, stunned for a moment. His eyes grew slightly misty, but instead of crying, he broke into a radiant smile and said, "My name's Nobita. It's a pleasure to meet you, Connie, Rim!" He stood up and grasped their hands warmly.