By the time the gala ended, Reo had what he needed: connections, whispers of opportunity, and the scent of blood in the water.
The night air was cool as he stepped outside the grand hall. Doraemon waddled behind him, still clutching a half-eaten dorayaki.
"Reo," Doraemon said nervously, "are you sure about all this? Business is scary... You could lose money! You could—"
"I will lose money," Reo cut him off calmly. "I'll lose opportunities, time, even trust along the way."
He slipped his hands into his pockets and smiled faintly.
"But losing is part of winning."
Doraemon blinked, confused.
Reo didn't explain further. No need. His mind was already racing ahead — setting down pieces on a chessboard only he could see.
The limousine arranged by the event organizers pulled up. As they drove back, Reo opened his tablet and pulled up the real prize of tonight: a list of mid-level tech companies on the brink of collapse.
Weak companies ripe for takeover.
He had memorized every profile, every weakness. In his past life, he had crushed corporations ten times more powerful. Now, with the right leverage and silence, he would carve his empire anew.
His fingers hovered over one name:
SunaTech Industries.
A robotics company. Crumbling under debt, but with incredible engineers. Their patents were better than 80% of the market; their leadership, however, was rotten to the core.
Perfect.
Reo tapped the screen, saving it to his private notes.
"Time to begin," Reo whispered.
Doraemon peeked over his shoulder. "Are you... planning something scary again?"
Reo smiled thinly. "No.
I'm planning something inevitable."
---
The next morning, the world around Reo moved as sluggishly as ever — but he didn't.
He woke up before the sun, shaved carefully, and dressed sharply. His movements were precise, his mind crystal-clear.
When he entered the kitchen, his mother nearly dropped a plate in shock.
"Nobita! Up so early?! Are you feeling okay?"
"Just a new habit," he replied smoothly, picking up a slice of toast and biting into it. "Trying to get serious about life."
His father looked up from his newspaper, raising an eyebrow but saying nothing.
Perhaps — for the first time — there was something about their son they couldn't quite place. A hidden sharpness.
He was no longer the clumsy, whining child they knew.
He was becoming something else.
---
At school, Reo could barely focus on the lectures.
History?
Useless.
Math?
Child's play.
Science?
Amusing at best.
All he cared about now were plans. Moves. Power.
After the last bell rang, Reo moved swiftly. While other kids laughed and talked about cartoons and baseball, he sought out the one person he needed: Dekisugi.
Smart. Logical. Naive.
Perfect.
"Hey, Dekisugi," Reo called out, jogging to catch up.
Dekisugi looked surprised. Normally, Nobita avoided him, embarrassed by their intellectual gap.
"What's up?" Dekisugi asked kindly.
"I have a business idea," Reo said casually, as if discussing homework.
Dekisugi tilted his head. "Business?"
"Yeah. You're good with numbers. Science. Planning. I'm good with people. Ideas.
We can be a team."
Dekisugi blinked. "But we're just kids..."
"Exactly," Reo said. "That's why no one expects us to succeed.
They'll never see it coming."
He grinned, a charming yet unsettling glint in his eyes.
Dekisugi hesitated. "I don't know, Nobita. It sounds risky. And... complicated."
"It is risky," Reo agreed easily. "That's why it's worth it."
He stepped closer, lowering his voice.
"Listen. I know you have dreams. Big ones. You want to go to a great university. Get a great job. Make a difference."
Dekisugi nodded slowly.
"But all that takes money.
It takes freedom.
It takes power."
Reo's words slid into Dekisugi's ears like honey and thunder at once.
"I'm offering you a shortcut," Reo whispered. "A real one."
Dekisugi stared at him, struggling with temptation.
Reo extended his hand.
"Take a chance," he said softly. "With me."
There was a long silence.
Finally — slowly — Dekisugi reached out and shook his hand.
"Alright," he said. "I'm in."
Reo's smile sharpened slightly — predatory and pleased.
"Good," he said, squeezing firmly. "We're going to change the world, Dekisugi."
---
That night, Reo worked tirelessly.
He drafted business proposals, crafted fake profiles, opened digital wallets. He used Dekisugi's identity carefully — legally — but made sure the real control remained hidden.
Doraemon sat nearby, watching nervously as Reo typed line after line of contracts.
"Are you... really going to take over a company?" Doraemon asked hesitantly.
"No," Reo said with a ghost of a grin.
"I'm going to take over the future."
---