"Logan, wake up!"
"Just five more minutes... Sumika..."
Whoosh…
The sound of curtains being yanked open. Sunlight poured into the room like a waterfall, instantly stabbing at Logan's barely opened eyes. He groaned, turned his head away, and tried to burrow back under the covers.
"If I say wake up, you wake up! What the hell are you mumbling about? It's Monday, and you're still lazing around in bed? You're in the third year now! Do you even have a sense of responsibility?"
The voice wasn't the one he expected. Instead, Amanda kept rambling on, "And look at your desk! It's a mess, looks like a damn kennel. You're about to head to school, and you can't even clean up a little?"
"..."
Logan's brain finally dragged itself out of its half-asleep state. He covered his face with one hand and scanned his surroundings… his computer, his desk, his collection of figurines. The small but lived-in space...
'Oh. Right. I was in my own room.'
'So awkward.' Logan reached for his phone on the bedside table. It was 6:50 AM, Monday.
"These dolls, these toys of yours… every time I clean, they're a nightmare to deal with. And how old are you now? Maybe it's time to take down those anime posters from the walls?"
Amanda continued her daily mom-style rant. Then, she suddenly yanked the blanket off Logan in one smooth motion, strode across the room, grabbed the blanket, and marched off to the balcony to hang it up, leaving him completely exposed to the morning heat.
September was still brutally hot and humid. Sitting alone on his now-barren bed, Logan rubbed his temples and let out a tired chuckle before forcing himself to get up.
The opening ceremony for the new semester had already taken place two weeks ago. After sitting through the principal's long (and completely sleep-inducing) speech, life had settled into its usual cycle.
No matter if the view outside the classroom windows showed endless drizzle or crisp blue skies, Logan spent most of his time staring blankly, listening to the murmurs of students passing through the hallway as his mind wandered elsewhere.
Water gushed from the faucet as Logan stood at the sink, his toothbrush swirling in a glass. He was now a third-year high school student, lingering somewhere in the middle-to-bottom ranks of his class, not bad enough to be ignored, but not good enough to warrant extra attention from the homeroom teacher.
And perhaps, more importantly, it had already been a year since those chaotic, life-threatening days had ended.
The reflection in the mirror wasn't all that different, though at least he no longer looked permanently stuck at eighteen. His features had sharpened, his face had lost some of its youthful softness.
It's a small change, but still a progress.
From downstairs, his mom's voice rang out, urging him to hurry up.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." Logan muttered lazily.
Back in his room, he quickly threw his things together. To be fair, his mother had a point, as his desk was a disaster zone. Pens, loose paper, notebooks, and random junk were arranged in a way that made sense only to him. He shoved everything into his bag, including a thick stack of past exam papers with very familiar names printed on them.
Yes, you read that right, Logan, like every other third year student preparing for the college entrance exams, was now doing practice tests. At this time, he was holding that hefty pile of papers with a sincere gaze… No, those aren't dead fish eyes, this is the look of someone who has adapted.
School uniform, sneakers, he no longer had to wear those worn-out Ninja sandals, and that was a huge relief. Logan headed downstairs, where his family was gathered warmly around the dining table.
He glanced at the time… and without eating, he dashed out the door.
From the brick-paved paths of the apartment complex to the asphalt of the main road, Logan reached a gentle slope and saw his bus turning the corner toward the stop, "Does it have to be this cruel?"
There were still two streets between him and the bus stop, with only about thirty seconds left before the bus would pull away.
Between him and the stop lay traffic lights and a steady stream of cars, so running straight there was impossible. A direct path, however, might still save him. Without a second thought, Logan changed course.
Ten seconds later, he slipped into a narrow alleyway. Relying on the mental snapshot he had taken earlier, he sprinted to a certain spot, glanced at the high walls on either side, and, without hesitation, planted his foot against the wall, ready to leap.
Just then, the jingling of a bicycle bell rang out
A breakfast vendor on a tricycle was passing just three meters away, steam rising from the baskets of hot food. The dark-skinned vendor spotted Logan immediately.
"..."
One foot against the wall, one hand gripping the pipe, under the broad daylight, this was… an extremely suspicious pose.
Neither of them had expected this, and they stared at each other for two long seconds.
Logan coughed, awkwardly let go of the wall, dusted off his hands, and casually stuck them into his pockets as he walked out of the alley like nothing had happened.
"Boss, I'll take… two buns." Logan spoke in a calm, steady voice.
"Oh oh."
In a strange tacit understanding, neither of them mentioned a word about what just happened.
Meanwhile, on the street outside, the bus slowly pulled away from the stop and rumbled past Logan's field of vision.
…
"What is third year? It is the final year of your high school life, the year you prepare for the college entrance exams, and the most valuable year of your youth! And what is the college entrance exam? It is a battlefield where thousands charge across a single-log bridge! What kind of spirit should you have? Students, your time… no, our time is running out! Let me tell you..."
The homeroom teacher stood at the podium, earnestly lecturing the class before the first lesson of the day. Initially, he had just intended to scold Logan for being late, but as he spoke, the graying teacher became more and more passionate. The topic grew, the speech stretched on, and soon, it had transformed into a timeless motivational monologue.
The students sitting below reacted in different ways, some tensed up, feeling the pressure, while others, already tired of hearing this speech for the hundredth time, zoned out completely.
This year, constantly talked about by outsiders and anxiously anticipated by the students themselves, was a strange and contradictory period, just like this hot and stifling weather. Emotions swirled like murky water, sinking and rising, pushing forward, pulling back, again and again.
Logan sat in his seat, head lowered, twirling his pen between his fingers. He often thought about the present and the future.
He had never experienced senior year before, but with over a decade of extra life experience, he didn't share the same sense of confusion as his peers. In the end, he was different, as he's able to see things with a calmer, broader perspective.
The lesson passed quickly. As soon as the homeroom teacher stepped out of the room, the classroom became lively again.
"Logan, you're late again. Got chewed out by the teacher?" David said as he poked his head out from behind a stack of books.
"I wouldn't have been late if not for..." Logan's face darkened slightly at the memory. Then, he waved a hand dismissively. "Forget it, it's not worth talking about."
David pouted, but he just patted Logan on the shoulder and retracted his seat. Logan took a look and David flipping through the book for a while and then taking a nap on the table.
Over the past year, David's body shape has remained unchanged. He claimed he had slimmed down a little, but to Logan, the difference was basically nonexistent.
His desk, however, was drowning in books. He had bought even more test papers and reference books than Logan.
Ever since a health scare in his family (which, thankfully, turned out to be a false alarm), David had changed. The once carefree and boisterous guy had become quieter, more restrained.
He had thrown himself into studying, buying stacks of materials in a determined attempt to improve. But despite his efforts, the results… weren't great.
Time changes people, often in ways no one notices.
Logan occasionally chatted with David about the things they used to laugh about, embarrassing inside jokes, trending news from their hobbies, but now, David would sometimes wave a hand dismissively, saying, "Eh, I'm not into that anymore."
…
After lunch break, Diane was bent over her desk, working on a practice problem. At some point, she felt a tap on her shoulder. A girl next to her whispered excitedly, "Hey, look, look! Someone's here for Logan again."
Diane glanced up. At the classroom door, Logan stood with a slightly helpless expression, listening to someone outside talk. After a moment, he gave a small nod.
"Pretty sure it's Senior Olivia from last year's class. She already graduated, but she still comes back to see him. Tsk tsk..." The girl next to her muttered.
Then, as if struck by a thought, she nudged Diane with her elbow, grinning knowingly, "Aren't you gonna do something about this?"
"Come on, what's there to do?" Diane smiled and swatted the girl playfully. Still, she stole a glance in Logan's direction, and when he turned back toward the classroom, she quickly lowered her gaze.