William Clark's sudden departure left Sarah Bennett feeling a bit unsatisfied. Watching William Clark's back, a blush suddenly spread across her face. What was happening to her? She had actually chatted so happily with a male classmate. Thinking about it now, it was a little embarrassing—thankfully, no other classmates saw them... Ah! Wait, the one who greeted William Clark just now was actually a classmate from her own school.

　　……

　　The layout of No. 4 High School was quite simple: a four-story teaching building, a two-story dormitory, and a playground between the two. Next to them was a small grove, with a little pond inside and a small bridge over it. William Clark remembered that the grove was their favorite hangout, a place where they could sneak off to smoke.

　　William Clark went straight to the dormitory first, as he still had some clothes to put away. He remembered the dormitory quite clearly, including where his own bed was. The dorm was pretty basic—back then, students didn’t have to pay much for accommodation, so the school didn’t invest much either. Twelve people squeezed into one dorm room, and besides the beds, there wasn’t even enough space for all twelve to stand together.

　　At the moment, there was no one in the dorm. William Clark put his things on his bed, then grabbed his backpack and headed to the teaching building.

　　Because it was the weekend, there weren’t many people at school. Occasionally, a couple of students brushed past William Clark, but he didn’t recognize any of them—or maybe he used to, but had forgotten by now.

　　Everything in the teaching building felt both familiar and strange to William Clark. He remembered coming back to No. 4 High School once, five or six years after graduating, and the feeling was just like it was now.

　　But this time was completely different. He belonged to this school again, and would be living here for another year or so. That feeling was truly unique—something no one else could really understand.

　　Arriving at the door of the Class 2, Grade 2 classroom on the third floor, William Clark suddenly felt a bit nervous. The nervousness came out of nowhere, and William Clark couldn’t figure it out. After hesitating for a moment, he finally walked in.

　　There were only six people in the classroom at the time—four boys and two girls—all buried in their books, paying no attention to William Clark.

　　These six were obviously his classmates, but what frustrated William Clark was that he couldn’t remember a single one of them. Deep in his mind, not a single face matched any of the six. This made him feel a bit down—coming back to this class, he was probably just like a transfer student, having to start everything over again.

　　What gave William Clark the biggest headache was that he couldn’t remember where his seat was at all. He didn’t even know the names of the six people, so how could he ask them? Besides, asking would be super awkward—they’d probably look at him like he was from Mars.

　　“Heh, what are you standing there like an idiot for?” Brian Cooper's voice came from behind, and a big hand landed on his shoulder.

　　“Oh, just put my stuff on my desk for me. I need to use the bathroom—my stomach’s a bit upset.” William Clark shoved his backpack into Brian Cooper's hand and slipped out.

　　After wandering around for a bit, William Clark returned to the classroom and quickly found his backpack—it was in the second-to-last row by the wall. Brian Cooper was leaning on the windowsill on the other side, looking out at the playground. His chubby backside made William Clark want to go over and give it a kick.

　　Hearing William Clark's footsteps, Brian Cooper immediately turned around and sat down next to him, the fat on his chest jiggling like a woman’s breasts without a bra.

　　“Hey, when did you start dating Sarah Bennett from Class 4?” Because of his chubby face and big ears, Brian Cooper's eyes looked small to begin with. Now, squinting, they were just slits, and with that lecherous expression, it was hard not to laugh.

Chapter 005: The Arcades of That Era

　　Brian Cooper’s comment was no surprise. Thanks to his unique physique, this guy never chased after anyone himself, but he was always a bit of a gossip when it came to classmates’ romantic rumors. This kind of gossip wasn’t unique to Brian Cooper—most high schoolers back then were like that. William Clark remembered that he used to enjoy this sort of thing too, but on his first day back after being reborn, he’d become the subject of everyone’s gossip. He glared at Brian Cooper and said, “What nonsense are you talking about? I just happened to run into her. Her bike broke down, so I walked with her for a bit.”

　　“Yeah, right! Keep making stuff up! Her bike broke down, so you went to keep her company? Why didn’t you keep me company when my bike broke down?” Brian Cooper curled his thick lips in disdain.

　　“Believe it or not.” William Clark casually flipped through the things on his desk. They were all his, but felt completely unfamiliar—he needed to get used to them.

　　“Don’t look at Sarah Bennett—she usually blushes just talking to boys, but you actually managed to win her over. You’re amazing! Come on, tell me, how did you do it? Don’t worry, I definitely won’t tell anyone else.” Brian Cooper's little eyes sparkled with excitement.