Chapter 39 Suneo's exposed

Ken and the others entered Suneo's theater room and were surprised by its immense size. It was significantly larger and wider than Ken's home theater.

"Wow!" The friends were astonished, except for Doraemon and Nobita.

Doraemon and Nobita knew that the place wasn't actually that spacious; it was merely an illusion because Suneo wanted to outdo Ken's home theater. There were many chairs, and the screen was much larger than Ken's home theater.

"What do you think?" Suneo asked with a smug expression.

"Amazing!" Shizuka exclaimed with surprise written all over her face.

Gian nodded and attempted to run to the end of the room, catching Suneo's attention. "Wait! Gian! Don't go there!"

"Why?" Gian asked, looking confused.

"Uh... The movie is about to start!" Suneo couldn't think of any other reason, so he hurriedly started the movie.

Gian felt perplexed but allowed himself to be led to the front seat by Suneo. Nobita and Doraemon chuckled, knowing that Suneo didn't want Gian to bump into a wall. The place appeared spacious, but it was all due to the illusion.

"What do you think, Ken?" Suneo asked with a giggle.

Ken smiled, "It's impressive!"

"Impressive? No! It's a grand cinema, a luxurious massive Honekawa theater!" Suneo exclaimed with arrogance.

Ken shrugged and then asked, "Didn't you invite Dekisugi?"

Suneo suddenly paused and laughed awkwardly, "Haha, I forgot. Maybe next time."

"Oh! The movie is starting," Suneo changed the topic, and the movie began.

The screen played out, and Ken and the others, except Nobita and Doraemon, noticed that the scenes were in 3D. It looked incredibly realistic.

However, the movie turned out to be mediocre compared to what Ken's home theater usually played. Shizuka and the friends were disappointed.

"What do you think?" Suneo asked awkwardly, noticing his friends' reactions to the movie.

"The movie's alright, but the screen is amazing," Shizuka shared her opinion.

"The movie? It's not great, but I still enjoyed it because of the amazing screen," Gian said straightforwardly.

Suneo felt the corner of his mouth twitch.

"Hmm? What's that?" Gian suddenly pointed in the distance, and Ken and the others turned to see what Gian was pointing at.

They noticed that the illusion was fading, and Doraemon, Nobita, and Suneo suddenly widened their eyes, knowing what was happening.

...

In the room where the Anything Reform set was placed, a rat suddenly tampered with its functions, causing it to malfunction. As a result, Suneo's family's entire house underwent a dramatic transformation, with the walls and ceilings changing scenery according to the Anything Reform Set's whims.

Back with Ken and the others, the walls, which were supposed to create the illusion of a larger space, were now shifting scenes.

"What's happening!? The other chairs disappeared!?" Gian exclaimed.

Nobita and Doraemon exchanged glances, then nodded at each other. Suneo cast pleading eyes toward Doraemon.

Shizuka surveyed her surroundings and gasped in astonishment, covering her mouth with her hands.

Doraemon and Nobita rushed toward the door, which surprised Ken and the others. Suneo wanted to ease their concern but, as Doraemon attempted to open the door, it remained stubbornly shut.

"Oh no! It requires a password!" Doraemon thought, glancing at Suneo.

Suneo momentarily forgot about the door's password requirement and couldn't understand why Doraemon hadn't opened it yet. Doraemon gestured to indicate the need for a password.

Suddenly, Suneo snapped out of his daze and began to panic internally because he had forgotten the password.

'What is the password again?' Suneo clutched his head, not caring if Ken and the others noticed.

"What's happening? The place suddenly became smaller," Ken observed as he looked around. The white walls closed in around them, revealing that the room was actually smaller than it had appeared.

Suneo opened his eyes, witnessing the room shrinking as the illusion dissolved, revealing its true size.

"What?" Gian looked around, bewildered.

"What is... happening..." Shizuka covered her mouth in shock.

"I...I..." Suneo stammered, as his friends stared at him with questioning eyes.

"Suneo... Could it be... The theater was smaller than you made it seem?" Ken asked bluntly, fixing his gaze on Suneo.

Suneo lowered his head, avoiding Ken's eyes.

Shizuka was taken aback and covered her mouth.

"Ah! So that's why you stopped me from going further!?" Gian exclaimed after hearing Ken's words.

"That's right! It's... It's fake!" Suneo admitted, lowering his head, driven by his desire to maintain his status as the affluent young master within their group.

"Suneo..." Shizuka covered her mouth in astonishment.

Suneo bit his quivering lower lip and confessed, "I did it to outdo Ken's home theater!" His eyes welled up slightly as he responded to Ken and the others.

"Suneo..." Gian stared at Suneo in silence.

"Why?" Ken asked, though he already knew the answer, wanting Suneo to articulate it himself.

"Why?" Suneo chuckled helplessly, replying, "Well, of course... So you wouldn't take my place as the group's young master!" He declared with a mix of frustration and vulnerability in his voice.

Nobita and Doraemon exchanged empathetic glances as they pitied Suneo's predicament.

"You don't need to do that, though," Ken chuckled, then added, "If that's your only concern, you can still hold the title of the young master in our group. I don't mind."

Suneo shook his head. "Hmm! You may not care about it, but I do! I lied! It's not because I want to maintain my status as the young master; it's because I can't stand having someone better than me around me!"

Everyone: ...

Ken and the others were left speechless.

"Pfft... Hahaha!" Ken couldn't contain his laughter.

Doraemon, Nobita, Shizuka, and even Gian, who had initially been silent and felt pity for Suneo, couldn't help but join in with some laughter influenced by Ken's mirth.

Suneo, who had lowered his head in anticipation of being hit or at least reprimanded by his friends, was surprised to hear Ken laughing, and soon, everyone was laughing along.

"You're all so cruel! It's not funny at all!" Suneo gritted his teeth, seeming angry on the outside but feeling relieved inside.

"Yes, yes, Lord Petty Suneo!" Ken teased, continuing to laugh heartily. "Hahahaha..."

Doraemon and Nobita sighed in relief and exchanged knowing glances, shaking their heads.