The morning bus rumbled along the potholed streets of his hometown, swaying rhythmically as it navigated the busy traffic. Lysander sat beside Marco, who was gesticulating wildly as he recounted their gaming session from the previous weekend.
"I still can't believe you pulled off that combo in Tekken!" Marco exclaimed, his eyes wide with excitement. "You never told me you were that good at fighting games. First the dojang, now this? Who are you and what have you done with my best friend!?"
Lysander smiled, enjoying Marco's animated enthusiasm. In his first life, he'd missed these simple pleasures, the unfiltered joy of childhood friendships, the freedom to be excited about small victories. Now, he savored every moment.
"Speaking of the dojang," Lysander said, lowering his voice slightly, "something interesting happened yesterday."
He recounted the training session to Marco how Master Reyes had paired him with advanced students, how he'd surprised everyone with techniques that should have been beyond his experience level. He carefully edited the story, attributing his success to "watching a lot of martial arts videos online" rather than admitting the truth that he has his adult muscle memory to thank for using its experience through his child's body.
Marco listened with rapt attention, occasionally interjecting with exclamations of awe.
"Man, that's incredible! You're like... turning into a completely different person," Marco said, shaking his head in disbelief. "Next thing I know, you'll be trying out for the basketball team!"
His boisterous storytelling had attracted attention. Across the aisle, Erica Santos and Gabrielle glanced over, giggling at Marco's theatrical retelling.
"Marco, sit down!" Paulo called from the seat behind them. "The driver's going to kick you off if you keep standing up like that."
Jin nodded in agreement. "Yeah, man. You're going to get us all in trouble."
Marco reluctantly dropped back into his seat but continued in a stage whisper, "But seriously, you should have seen Lysander on Sunday. We were playing 'Crash Team Racing,' and he totally destroyed all of us. Like he knew every shortcut on the map!"
Lysander winced inwardly. He needed to be more careful. His adult knowledge was seeping through in unexpected ways. He'd played that game extensively in highschool his future highschool and had memorized every track. Him worrying that another slip like that might raise too many questions. But dismissed it as he knew that he could just pass it off with a random excuse.
"Just got lucky," Lysander said with a casual shrug. "Anyway, I'm glad David and his crew aren't on the bus today."
Marco nodded, his expression turning more serious. "Yeah, I heard they have early basketball practice all week. The division competitions are coming up, and Coach Ramirez is drilling them hard."
Lysander raised an eyebrow. "They're actually committed to the team?"
"Yeah, I know, right?" Marco laughed. "But they're actually pretty good. David's the team captain, and even though he's a complete jerk in the hallways and in the bus, he's different on the court. Coach says he has 'leadership potential' or whatever." Marco added a little scoff
Lysander contemplated this information. In his first life, he'd written off bullies as simple antagonists, never considering the complexity behind their behavior. Now, with his adult perspective, he recognized that people were rarely one-dimensional.
"I guess it makes sense," Lysander mused. "Bullying often comes from wanting to feel important like to be somebody. Sports can give that same feeling, but in a more positive way."
Marco gave him a strange look. "That's... actually pretty deep, Ly. When did you get so philosophical?" as Marco started poking Lysander to tease him. Lysander rolled his eyes at him and playfully swatted Marco's hands.
Lysander realized he'd slipped again speaking more like his adult self than a ten-year-old boy. "Just something I read somewhere I think," he said quickly, trying to look as sheepishly as he could.
The bus pulled up to the school, and the children began filing out. As they walked toward the main building, Lysander noticed Ms. Gonzalez, his homeroom teacher, waving to him from the entrance.
"Lysander, could I speak with you for a moment?" she called.
"See you in class," Marco said, continuing toward the building with the others.
Ms. Gonzalez smiled warmly as Lysander approached. She was in her mid-thirties, with kind eyes and an efficient manner that Lysander had always appreciated, even in his first childhood.
"I wanted to follow up on your question about the Math Olympiad team," she said. "I've spoken with Mr. Aquino, and we think it would be beneficial to start your review sessions earlier than planned. That way, you'll have time to catch up before the regional competitions."
Lysander nodded eagerly. The Math Olympiad had been one of his few desires from his memories from childhood. In his first life, he had wanted to join in sixth grade and wished he could excel, So that he could eventually earn a scholarship that may have helped fund his university education. This time, he is gonna go for it.
"That sounds great, Ms. Gonzalez. When do we begin?"
"If you're available, we'd like you to stay after classes today. Some of the team members will be there to help you get oriented." She checked her watch. "Just come to Room 205 after the final bell."
"I'll be there," Lysander promised.
The day passed in a blur of lessons. Although the material was elementary to him, Lysander found himself enjoying the simplicity of school. Unlike the high-stakes corporate world he'd left behind, here mistakes were expected and forgiven. Learning was valued for its own sake, not just for the profit it might generate.
When the final bell rang, Lysander gathered his things and headed toward Room 205. The hallways emptied quickly as students rushed to freedom, but a few lingered at their lockers or chatted in small groups.
He pushed open the door to find Ms. Gonzalez arranging worksheets at the front desk. Jin was already seated, meticulously organizing his pencil case. To Lysander's surprise, Erica was there too, leafing through a math textbook with apparent interest.
"Ah, Lysander," Ms. Gonzalez greeted him. "Come in. The others should be joining us shortly."
Lysander slipped into a seat near Jin, who acknowledged him with a slight nod. Erica looked up from her book, her dark eyes assessing him with curiosity.
"So, what are you doing these days?" she asked abruptly, setting her book aside.
The question caught Lysander off guard. In his first childhood, Erica had barely spoken to him, focusing entirely on her studies. All he had remembered about Erica was that. She'd gone on to become incredibly known and rich in the future, if he remembered correctly.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"You know what I mean," she said, leaning forward slightly. "Taekwondo, now Math Olympiad. You're suddenly trying all these new things. It's... different."
Jin looked up from his pencil case, equally surprised by the question. They both knew Erica seldomly took interest in others unless it was academic or personal.
Erica rolled her eyes at their reactions. "Don't look so shocked. Just because I study a lot doesn't mean I don't notice what's happening around me. And you," she pointed at Lysander, "have definitely changed."
Lysander felt heat rising to his cheeks. He hadn't expected to be called out so directly, especially not by Erica. In his first life, he had always admired her from afar her discipline, her intelligence, her quiet confidence. He'd never had the courage to approach her and confess back then, and by the time he might have, they'd gone their separate ways.
"I just..." he began, then paused to find the right words. "I'm trying to figure out what I'm good at. What I enjoy. Life's too short to stick to just one thing, you know?"
The words felt strange coming from his ten-year-old mouth, yet they were sincere. His first life had taught him the cost of narrow focus success in business, failure in everything that actually mattered.
Erica studied him for a moment, then nodded slowly. "That's... actually pretty smart, Everett."
Jin agreed. "Yeah, most kids our age just do what their parents tell them to do. Or they just play around and don't think about the future at all."
Ms. Gonzalez smiled and listened at the exchange as she distributed worksheets. "That's a mature perspective, Lysander. Now, why don't we start with some practice problems while we wait for the others? These are from last year's district competition."
As Lysander accepted the worksheet, he felt a small thrill of anticipation. This was one of the experiences he wished of his past life that he was glad to pick up but this time he'll try his best. Not as an escape from an unhappy home life, not as a means to prove his worth, but as one of many experiences that would enrich his second chance.
He glanced at Erica, who had already bent over her worksheet, pencil moving with confident precision. Jin was similarly absorbed, his brow furrowed in concentration.
Lysander looked down at the problems before him. They were challenging for a fifth-grader, but trivial compared to the complex financial models he'd built as a CEO. Yet he approached them with newfound appreciation, recognizing that this moment sitting in a quiet classroom with peers who shared his interests was valuable not for where it might lead, but for what it was..