On the school's playground, Hechino was alone, sweeping paper scraps and gravel off the plastic track with a broom.

"Natural brother, you're working hard. This playground is huge; it'll take you ages to clean it by yourself," Xue Yong called, sitting on the parallel bars with a grin. Another boy, busy with his phone, suddenly exclaimed, "Brother Yong, let's go! A few girls from the next class invited us to karaoke."

Xue Yong shook his head, replying, "It's boring to hang out with schoolgirls. My sisters have booked a table at Space tonight."

"Let's sing first, then head to the nightclub around six or seven?"

"Sure, let's go."

Xue Yong jumped down from the bars, heading back to the school with his friend.

"You guys..."

Hechino stopped sweeping and called out. The two boys turned back impatiently.

"Dude, we asked you to sweep, and you actually did it. You're too honest; we didn't mean to bully you. Why keep going?"

Hechino hesitated, then asked, "But aren't you guys studying tonight?"

The pair paused, then burst into laughter.

"You're such a fool," they said, walking away.

Hechino remained standing, broom in hand, then silently walked over to the lawn and sat down.

"People really are different. Is this what it's like to be part of the winning group in life? Never mind, I'll just head home and play games. No studying tonight..."

Evening self-study at Hong Kong City Middle School wasn't mandatory, but as a third-year student facing college entrance exams, he knew he should seize every moment. He'd never missed a session before. But today, he was clearly shaken.

Feeling dejected, he stood up and headed back to the classroom to return the broom. As he opened the door, he saw a girl standing on a desk, writing on the blackboard.

Through the hazy dust in the air, he saw her outlined in the backlight, her silhouette like a golden thread. The girl, with short shoulder-length hair, seemed around sixteen or seventeen. Her playful expression was reminiscent of gentle rain or the vibrant neon lights of a city.

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"Wen Liang, is that you?"

He called out tentatively, and the girl looked back in surprise.

"Oh, Hechino? You're still alive?"

Her unexpected comment left him puzzled.

"I know I usually seem low-key, but you're..."

He started to put the broom back, intending to leave.

"Wait!" A hand caught his arm. Looking down, he noticed the slender fingers, their complexion slightly reddish, devoid of nail polish like most of the girls in class. They seemed delicate.

"What...?"

He instinctively pulled away, startled, while the girl smiled and stuck out her tongue apologetically.

"Cough, Hechino, sorry about that. I haven't seen you in a while, and didn't expect you to be like this."

"I haven't seen you in a while?" Hechino repeated. "Weren't you at a training class last Tuesday?"

"It was a performance training course," she corrected.

"Right, but that's not the point. I... I'm not really familiar with you, am I?"

Hechino, feeling tense, blurted out a rare "fierce" remark.

The girl in front of him was Wen Liang, one of the two major beauties at Hong Kong City Middle School. Unlike Cao Aiqing, who had an aloof, mountain-flower aura, Wen Liang was cheerful and straightforward, popular among both genders. As a former child star, she was hard to ignore.

Wen Liang smiled playfully. "Haven't you heard the saying 'absence makes the heart grow fonder'?"

Hechino didn't know how to handle such cheerfulness. He preferred a quiet environment where nobody spoke, which might be why he favored Cao Aiqing between the two school beauties.

After all, if I don't speak, you can't dislike me.

When people talked, Hechino was often at a loss for words, like now.

His eyes flitted around, unsure where to focus—on Wen Liang's T-shirt? That might seem perverted. On her face? No, that would only make him more nervous.

His gaze settled on the English phrase she had written on the blackboard:

"Hero’s Come Back!"

After a pause, he managed to ask, "You... you like 'Naruto' too?"

"Huh?"

She didn't catch his meaning right away.

Hechino felt embarrassed again. His thoughts seemed to take a strange turn as he tried to explain.

"The first opening theme... it's called that."

As expected, she didn't respond right away, leaving him feeling awkward. His anxiety intensified, and he wanted to leave.

"I... I should go." He turned to leave, but her voice stopped him.

"Yeah, but 'Boruto' doesn't have the same spark! A 4.1 rating is too high!"

His password was correct!

Hechino turned back, feeling a surge of joy. "Read the manga; it's better."

Wen Liang shrugged. "It's okay, but since Kishimoto only supervises it, it's practically a different work."

"Really? Speaking of that, have you seen the latest manga with a samurai theme?"

Hechino, venturing into his area of interest, became animated. But Wen Liang interrupted him.

"Speaking of samurai, my favorite is 'Vagabond.' It's unmatched!"

Critical hit!

Wen Liang's comment struck a chord with Hechino's interests. Her words felt like a duel between two samurai, drawing and sheathing swords. He was metaphorically slain by her proclamation!

Inoue Takehiko's 'Vagabond' was cherished by Hechino. Although his classmates enjoyed anime, this manga was more niche and lacked an anime adaptation, making it a rare find among his peers. Hearing it from a girl was as astounding as gathering Dragon Balls to summon Shenron!

"You don't have to look at me like that. I know this because you told me."

"Me?" Hechino pointed to himself, incredulous. In his three years of high school, his interactions with Wen Liang could be counted on one hand... or perhaps none at all.

Wen Liang nodded. "Yes, if we meet in the future, I might tell you differently. But now, facing you in this life, I think it's better to tell you directly..."

Hechino swallowed hard, his throat moving.

Wen Liang pointed to the blackboard, speaking calmly:

"Actually, I'm Wen Liang after reincarnation."

"......"

"What's wrong? Scared?"

"I knew it..."

"What?"

"I! Just knew! It!"

Hechino shouted, holding his head in his hands, his eyes unfocused, muttering.

If you listened closely, you might hear:

"I knew it, I knew it. How could there be a girl with such a password in this world? It doesn't exist, doesn't exist... Such a person doesn't exist. If it's true, it must involve crossing worlds, alien realms, superpowers, sequence magic, reincarnation, any strange existence!"

Wen Liang listened, both amused and exasperated.

(End of this Chapter)