A new day dawned.

    I, who had stayed up all night due to programming, got up to take shower, dressed up, and headed to school.

    Arriving in no time, I made my way to school.

    "Hey Hin," Ton greeted me from beside Ploy. Ploy, seeing me, nodded in greeting as well. I smiled back at them before taking a seat next to Som.

    "Don't forget, we have tutoring today," Som reminded me eagerly.

    "And my lunch," I reminded her in return, and she smiled and nodded in agreement.

    The day's lessons began, and I immediately fell asleep. Until lunchtime, Ploy, Ton, Som, and I sat down to eat together.

    [Master, we are being watched,] Yo warned me. It had a surveillance system that, though not perfect at this moment, believe me, could detect any threats to me within a 50-meter radius.

    I glanced at the man Yo indicated was spying on me. He sat at a nearby table, eyeing me with jealousy and Som with infatuation. It was clear what he was thinking.

    I sighed slightly; being close to Som seemed to attract enemies.

    In his memory, he was known as Keng, someone who was infamous for flirting and being wealthy. He often threatened me to stay away from Som and sometimes even assaulted me. The old me would fight back, but with more of Keng's associates, I always ended up lying on the ground.

    The conflict between us was so intense that it was unforgettable.

    One of the people whom the old me hated the most.

    Keng excelled in academics, was wealthy, and athletically talented. There were rumors that someone had been pregnant with him, and then that girl disappeared.

    After finishing lunch with my group, I headed back to the classroom.

    "Hin, Teacher Ying wants to see you," a student from another class informed me.

    "What for?" Som got up to inquire the person who came to call Hin.

    The people in the classroom observed Som’s reaction, the boys looking at Hin with envy.

    The old me was used to such gazes many times; they never bothered me; instead, they made me feel indifferent. While others might have been intimidated, I remained unfazed.

    "Lead the way," I said, following the student out. Before leaving, I looked back at Som and said, "Be right back," offering her a smile and left with him.

    Looking at Hin, Som's heart skipped a beat when he smiled at her, as if longing for something.

    'He's special,' Ploy's words echoed in Som's mind, causing her face to flush. She then composed herself and sat back down.

    After walking out of the classroom, I proceeded along the path until I reached Teacher Ying's office.

    "Teacher, I've brought Hin,” the student who brought me announced.

    "Um, thank you. Hin, come in," Teacher Ying’s voice said.

    I, opening the door, entered to find her sitting at the guest table.

    "Hello," I greeted, placing hands together and bowing slightly.

    "Um. No need for formalities. Close the door," Teacher Ying instructed. I complied, closing the door, and took a seat opposite her.

    Teacher Ying looked serious and then asked, "When did you start doing these?" pulling out the exam paper I had completed the day before.

    "Not long ago," I replied.

    "So, you mean you intentionally messed up the exams because you didn't want to score perfectly?" Teacher Ying inquired again.

    "At that time, I hadn't really focused on studying, so there were some questions I couldn't answer," I continued.

    Hearing this, Teacher Ying said, "I have another question for you to solve, this one." She handed me another piece of paper.

    I took it and looked down.

    [Advanced commands?] I saw a multitude of questions along with various codes that needed to be corrected or modified.

    Picking up a pen, I began to correct it and returned it to her within five minutes.

    "May I leave now?" I asked with a smile.

    "Sure," Teacher Ying smiled back. With her permission, I walked out.

    As the door closed behind me, Teacher Ying picked up her phone to make a call.

    "Pon, he's finished. Yes, I'll bring it to you at the intelligence agency, okay." After speaking, she got up and left the room with her bag.

    Pon is her husband's name.

    ...

    Time passed until the end of the school day.

    "Hin, come with me," Som said, leading the way. It seemed like Ploy and Ton were heading out.

    Som and I grabbed some snacks before sitting down at an available table, not too far from the school's football field and gym.

    "Let's start," Som said with a smile before starting to teach me, beginning with math.

    "Why does this look odd?" I asked, pointing something out to her.

    Som, often challenged by my questions, had to find answers to explain, unaware that I was actually teaching her.

    Not far away was the football field.

    "Keng, check that out," a friend of Keng's, who liked to pick on Hin, said as they played on the field.

    "That's Som, right? You're doomed, man," another friend of Keng commented.

    Keng, upon hearing that, became even more displeased with Hin.

    "You guy watch this, pass me the ball," Keng called. The ball was passed to him.

    "Go for it."

    "Deal with him."

    His friends knew what he intended to do.

    Keng, with the ball at his feet, prepared to kick. His target was Hin, sitting nearby.

    But the moment his foot met the ball, a pebble nearby altered its course, directing it towards someone close to Hin instead.

    "Damn," Keng realized, but it was too late; the ball had already left his foot.

    The ball kept coming closer and closer.

    "Watch out!!" Keng yelled.

    Som, hearing the shout, turned and saw the ball just 5 meters away. "I'm going to get hit," her brain commanded her to close her eyes.

    As time slowly passed, the anticipated pain never came. She slowly opened her eyes to see someone's hand, not far from her face, catching the ball that had surged towards her

    "Are you okay?" the hand's owner asked. She turned to look. It was Hin.

    Som's heart fluttered once more, 'He's special,' Ploy's words echoed again.

    "Thanks, Hin," Som said.

    "It's nothing," I replied with a smile.