The Next Day,
Ethan woke up and started getting ready for school.
The maid greeted him,
"Good morning, young master. The breakfast is ready."
"Good morning. Please give me 10 minutes to prepare"
Ethan replied.
"Okay, sir,"
the maid replied, smiling brightly.
As usual, Ethan got ready, and Leandro dropped him off at school.
’Before school starts, I have to make a new friend so I can add him or her on social media.’
’And also, I have to think about the loyal friend side quest as well.’
’Making new friends, but making loyal friends will be hard and more and more time-consuming.’
’Looks like I have to see the nature of my classmates.’
Ethan decided in his mind.
He was roaming the playground when he noticed a girl sitting alone on a bench.
He approached her and asked, Hello, can I sit here?"
The girl replied, "Yes."
"My name is Ethan, and yours?"
"Sophia Laurent"
"Oh, what a nice name."
"Hmm."
Sophia replied nonchalantly.
"I’m in 4C, and you?"
"4A"
"Oh, nice"
Sophia said.
’Looks like she is not interested in talking with me. According to the mission, I have to make a friend; it can be a boy or girl, it does not matter.’
’Let’s find someone else.’
Dylan said bye to Sophia and just got up to find someone else to befriend.
’What a hassle! I must find a friend as soon as possible.’
"Wait! "
Sophie said in a hurry.
Ethan was dumbfounded.
’Wait, wasn’t she avoiding me?’
"Yes, do you need anything?"
"Let’s add each other as friends on Innocentgram"
"Oh! Sure, why not."
Ethan was secretly delighted. He couldn’t believe his judgment about her was so wrong.
He took his phone out and showed her his QR code.
She scanned it and sent a friend request.
He accepted it.
Ding!
<System Notification >
<Side quest completed >
<Make an account on social media and add your classmates as friends (10/10) >
<Congratulations, User! >
<You have acquired the Fast and Precise Learning Pill (Effect: Lifetime!) >
<Warning: User should eat it only in an isolated place so no external source interferes with the process.>
"Finally!!! Now I can easily cover my syllabus!!"
Seeing Ethan smile without any reason made Sophia feel awkward.
"What happened?"
"Why are you smiling?"
"Nothing "
Ethan replied.
" Okay, let us meet after recess. School is about to start."
"Ok, bye."
Sophia reluctantly agreed to this.
They left for their respective classes. Ethan entered the class and sat beside Marcus.
"Yo Bro!"
"Yo"
They dap with their hands, showing their brotherhood. Although it has only been one month since they first met.
"Ethan, are you ready for the upcoming test?"
"Partially, yes. I mean, I am not confident enough."
Ethan replied.
"Bro, I think I will somehow pass"
Marcus said with a sigh.
"Looks like we both have to study hard"
"Yeah, man"
Ethan and Marcus were happily chatting and gossiping about anything that looked interesting to them.
Marcus asked.
"Yes, bro, I like football a lot."
"You like football?! I thought you were American, so you would not know much about football, he said. In addition, people call it soccer, not football."Marcus said.
"You are right, but I watch football on social media, and from there I gained an interest in football and have been playing since I was 8," Ethan replied.
"I see"
"My big brother will debut for his club. Will you come with me to see the match?"
Marcus asked.
"What?! Your brother is a professional football player!"
"Why didn’t you tell me earlier?" Ethan asked.
"Oh, that, before his debut, he didn’t want anyone to know about it ", Marcus replied
"I see"
"Ok, I will come to see the match."
Ethan said.
After attending a few lectures, the bell rings.
The heavy school doors burst open, and students flooded the courtyard, laughing and shouting after hours of quiet classes.
Near the exit, a strict monitor watches everyone as they head out through the large iron gates. Once outside, the fresh air replaced the stuffy classroom smell, mixed with the warm, sweet scent of fresh pastries from the nearby bakery.
Some students ran toward the bakery for a chocolate croissant. Others hung out on the sidewalk, chatting in French slang, checking their phones, or walking together toward the bus stop. Behind them, the heavy iron gates shut with a loud clang—school was done for the day.
Ethan was just heading towards the school gate when Sophia came over to him to say something.
"Hey, Ethan. Can we chat for a second?"
Sophia asked awkwardly.
"Sure, let ’s chat near that tree," Ethan said, pointing towards a tree that was in a secluded place.
"Is that your favourite spot?"Sophia asked in a teasing manner.
"So tell me, what do you want to talk about? Is there anything else you require from me? Just say it. After all, we are all friends."
Ethan asked with a warm smile.
"Actually, my birthday is on the upcoming Friday. I would like to invite you in advance. In addition, if you need notes or any kind of help related to studying, just call me."
Sophia said in a high voice.
Some students passing by saw Sophia talking to a new transfer student. They felt a pang of envy.
The so-called cold and distant school beauty shyly approaching and chatting with a male student broke many boys’ hearts.
"Oh wow! Your birthday is coming up; it looks like I have to pick a proper gift for you."
Ethan was secretly joyful. Getting invited to a birthday by a friend brought back old memories.
Before he was 13, everything was normal; he just got less attention, but he could still at least visit his friends.
However, his stepmother forcefully kept him inside the basement. He lost contact with all his friends.
Then a voice cut in, interrupting his thoughts,
"Nice, I will send you the invitation and address tomorrow", Sophia said.
She was secretly relieved. A few minutes before, she was tense about how to invite him. She had no experience in personally inviting a man.
In addition, whenever she sees him, her heart flutters.