"Ah..." Murong Qiuyu scrambled up flustered, her small face still flushed with a trace of red. "Sorry..."

"It's fine..." Yue Feather replied awkwardly, instinctively stepping back half a pace as if wanting to say more.

But Murong Qiuyu lunged ferociously at the girl who'd shoved her into him. The two started a chase, drifting away from the classroom.

Yue Feather sighed with a wry smile. Maybe it really was just an accident.

Or perhaps Murong Qiuyu was covering her embarrassment.

"Overthinking again... Time for lunch," he muttered, scratching his hair.

Life's greatest illusion is thinking 'she likes me'.

Whether Murong Qiuyu or Silver Bell, their paths might cross now—but Yue Feather knew they'd only drift apart.

Knowing one's place mattered. Ordinary guys like him didn't belong with girls who turned heads everywhere.

"Maybe one day when I get back... Silver Bell... she'll be gone."

Though they'd spent days together, she still felt mysterious to him.

He remembered her sudden appearance. Even after leaving for school, he'd thought it a hallucination. That evening, he'd expected her to vanish.

By the time Yue Feather reached the canteen, a long queue snaked out. That's why he always ran—being late meant waiting ages for lunch.

After eating, most students wandered the playground. Half the boys played basketball. Yue Feather belonged to the other half of that half. Too lazy to move, he returned to class to nap or read novels.

Reading in the afternoon sun had its own charm.

"Yue Feather." Zhan Qi approached with an exercise book. Her plain face seemed covered with more freckles and acne, making her look almost unattractive.

"Huh?" He looked up from *The Legend of the Little Soldier*, puzzled. "What's up?"

Facing girls as ordinary as himself put him at ease. Like how average folks feel no pressure beside each other, unlike standing next to a billionaire.

"The English teacher wants you for dictation," Zhan Qi said, handing him a book. "You're the only one who failed."

"Huh? No way?" Yue Feather couldn't believe it, then realized. "Damn, everyone else cheated..."

Zhan Qi shook her head blankly. Cheating was a foreign concept to a good student like her.

"Ah... I'll go. Wait, isn't this the English monitor's job?"

"She's out playing. I'm helping," Zhan Qi said lightly. Her helpfulness was her best trait.

Yue Feather slipped nervously into the office. Under the "kindly" gaze of the British-styled teacher, he grinned sheepishly. "Ahem... Teacher... I'm here..."

"You're getting special treatment. You're the only failure. Memorize these fifteen words by noon—no mistakes. Since your first class is PE, you'll stay here to study."

"Ah... no way..." he groaned. "Some cheated..."

"I don't care. You failed. What you learn is for yourself."

Trapped, he had no choice but to memorize. It felt like walking into prison—truly painful.

His pitiful English talent showed. Despite hard work, he couldn't finish by noon. He spent the entire PE class on it.

Getting all words right brought subtle achievement. But mostly disappointment.

Missing PE meant missing a whole period of playtime...

"Yue Feather, why skip PE?" Ji Fan, sweaty with a basketball, turned to him.

"I wanted to go," Yue Feather rolled his eyes. "But the English teacher caught me."

"Ah, poor kid," Ji Fan chuckled. "Learned lots of new words, huh?"

"I'm already traumatized by memorizing..."

"Hahaha... Let me treat you. If school ends early, arcade time. My treat!"

"Won't it be too late?"

"Ah, no problem. You live alone, right? And I invited others too."

"Uh..." Yue Feather couldn't explain living with a girl. He reluctantly agreed. He'd rather go home to Silver Bell—the arcade could wait. She might vanish anytime.

Luckily, school ended early. No teacher overran; no extra meetings. Dismissal came at 4:30.

"Hurry! Earlier we go, more we play!" At Ji Fan's shout, everyone sprinted. Backpacks were light—books stayed at school—so they ran fast.

Four headed to the arcade: Ji Fan, Yue Feather, Wei Xiaoxin, and Tong Junxiao.

Tong wasn't close to others but bonded well with Ji Fan.

Tong stood only 1.5 meters—shorter than most girls—and got bullied often. Once, Ji Fan stepped in. After that, Ji Fan always protected him, even with violence. Slowly, the timid Tong grew cheerful.

Ji Fan sometimes dragged him into "bad kid" stuff like arcades.

Only Tong had good grades—top ten in class. The other three ranked bottom ten, sometimes bottom fifteen. That was decent for them.

In this era, early romance and games were monsters to parents and teachers. Off-campus fun risked school penalties.

So arcade trips were secret, watching for snitches.

Funny—high schoolers still tightly controlled. Studying was the only allowed activity.

This meant if robbed at an arcade, you swallowed your pride. Telling adults meant admitting why you were there...

Even if resolved, you'd suffer. Or lose arcade access forever.

Now, Yue Feather's group faced that dilemma.

"Hey! Hand over your cash. Pay up, no harm."

"We've got no money," Ji Fan said with a forced smile, eyeing six dyed-hair thugs surrounding them.

Only Ji Fan could fight. But one against six? Best to avoid trouble.

"Bullshit! Money for arcades but not for me?"

"Uh... we—we were just passing by..." Yue Feather stammered, trembling. He was scared.

"Passing by? Running in excited? Think I'm dumb?" One thug cursed, stepping forward. He punched Yue Feather's chest—not hard, but enough to knock him down.

...

Distant memories were blurry. But events from the past six months sharpened, details surfacing in my mind.

Today was another crucial day.

If I recall right, Yue Feather would get beaten here today. He wouldn't fight back. Ji Fan would scorn him. Their friendship would fade...

And Yue Feather—that past me—would grow more insecure.

To change my life's path, this must change.

Easier if I were the past Yue Feather. But now, I'm another identity. Helping through persuasion is troublesome.

First, I must arrive on time...

The girl in the mirror looked spirited. Ready to fight.

Summer sun blazed. My morning-washed clothes were dry. I pulled on loose sweatpants, tested my movements, ensured no hindrance, then dashed out.

"Hope... it's not too late..."