"It's another day of world peace," the teacher thought, sitting in the middle of the first row, gazing naturally at the Book of Enchantment before the blackboard. A small difference stirred within him.

"I should be sitting in the last row by the window, just like the anime protagonist, pondering life with my chin in my hand."

The pen spun half a circle at his fingertips before falling to the ground. The girl next to him caught his eye, albeit covertly, yet his sensitivity captured it.

"I can't even spin my pen properly. What a failure. I shouldn't distract others."

Ashamed, he quickly picked up the pen and buried his head back in the textbook.

"I want to escape. If I were reborn, like in a novel, would my life be different?"

Hechino pondered silently, only to quickly dismiss the thought.

"Would rebirth change anything? Maybe I’d have been slightly more popular in elementary school. Back then, good grades could still earn you attention. Now, in junior high, there are too many wonders, and it's not enough for me…"

"Why do people think rebirth guarantees success? Even with two lifetimes, someone like me wouldn't succeed! Successful people have expertise, good character, knowledge, and appearance. Unlike me, who’s just good at playing games."

"Perhaps I have some talent after all. At least I’m prepared. Maybe I'm not too bad."

As he mused, his eyes drifted to the window seat where a beautiful girl sat, her face bathed in the golden glow of the sunset. She lay on the table, her chin resting delicately in her hands, gazing out the window, lost in thought.

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Sensing his gaze, the girl turned, and he quickly looked away.

"Oh no, she caught me staring. I don't want people to think I have a crush on her. It's embarrassing!"

"Dong~"

A finger tapped gently on his desk. He looked to see his classmate, Ye Jiaqi, watching him with a knowing smile. She whispered softly:

"I know you like Cao Aiqing."

"Eh..."

He opened his mouth slightly, then grabbed his pen in a panic, scribbling in the textbook's margin:

"Don't spread rumors; it's not good for anyone!"

Ye Jiaqi glanced at his note and wrote back:

"Is it just bad for you? What can you do about it?"

He felt his cheeks burn as he read her response, his face turning slightly red.

"Number 17, who is Number 17?"

The teacher's roll call was a timely rescue. After a pause, a voice from the back row answered:

"Teacher, Number 17 is Wen Liang. She's an art student and has taken leave for training."

"Oh, Xue Yong, you know her well. Is this a romantic day?"

"Get lost, Sir!"

"Teacher, Xue Yong is just joking around!"

Laughter erupted in the classroom, but Xue Yong remained unfazed, shaking his head.

In Hong Kong City Middle School, mentioning Cao Aiqing or Wen Liang inevitably led to teasing. Both were class beauties, and adolescent curiosity often turned into youthful infatuation.

"Alright, settle down. Number 27," the teacher called out next.

Hechino, alert at hearing his number, stood up nervously.

"Come on, solve this problem and share your thoughts with the class."

The blackboard displayed a math question:

"In a coordinate system, the distance ratio from a moving point P to fixed points M (8,0) and N (2,0) is 2. Determine the trajectory equation C of point P if..."

This problem was not difficult for Hechino, who excelled in math. But the thought that Cao Aiqing might be watching made him anxious as he approached the podium.

"Our natural brother is naturally talented."

"What do you mean by natural? Naturally dumb? Hahaha..."

Despite the muffled whispers, Hechino heard them clearly. The teacher's stern glance silenced the room.

Taking a deep breath, Hechino completed the problem quickly and returned to his seat, his head lowered.

"Wait, don't leave yet. Explain your thought process," the teacher insisted.

He remained silent, prompting a classmate to interject:

"Teacher Zhao, our natural brother usually finds these questions beneath him."

"Li Bin, that's not fair. He's just introverted, unlike us carefree types."

Furious, Teacher Zhao hurled a piece of chalk, hitting the boy squarely on the forehead.

"Xue Yong, Li Bin, out!"

"Fine!"

The two boys left, hands in pockets, heads held high as they exited the classroom.

Though it seemed the teacher was on Hechino's side, he knew this was unwanted attention.

"It's over. Xue Yong and his gang will see me as an enemy now. I’m not afraid of a fight, but being ostracized is another matter. I can’t handle that."

The socially anxious teenager foresaw future troubles, a sense of helplessness weighing him down.

Until the end of the day, he remained uneasy.

Today was just another day of world peace.