On September 10, 2004, the weather was lightly sunny.
It was still daytime, and the clock placed in the corner of the room rang softly, waking up Hoang Tuan who was sleeping peacefully on the bed.
He opened his eyes.
The ceiling was familiar yet strange.
Various items placed in the room made this small room even more cramped.
The damp wooden furniture emitted a musty smell when he breathed in...
Hoang Tuan lay on the bed for a while.
Then, he got up and walked to the table to check the calendar.
"Indeed, it's reversed. This time, time flows back so far..."
He put the calendar back on the table.
His mother's angry voice echoed in the living room.
"Hoang Tuan, you're still sleeping at this hour? Your sister has already gone to school! Get up!"
"I'm up."
Hoang Tuan replied.
He put on neat clothes and stepped out of the bedroom.
There was no one else at home, only his mother in the kitchen cleaning dishes.
A bowl of spring onion noodles was still on the stove.
But it seemed to have been there for a while, no longer warm...
After Hoang Tuan went to the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth, he looked at his reflection in the mirror, feeling a bit magical.
And he guessed it right.
Now, time had reversed back to before the National Day holiday.
He had to carry his schoolbag and wear the school uniform to become a diligent student...
Hoang Tuan had thought many times about the time after returning to school.
But he didn't expect it to be like this...
"Well, it's not too bad; at least it's not the daily routine. With this reverse flow of time, I might be able to grasp the overall content of this world sooner."
After finishing the bowl of noodles on the table, he packed his textbooks into the dark blue school bag and carried Nguyen Nam's axe on his belt. He was ready to go to school.
Speaking of which, his equipment was quite complete.
The hallway window showed faint light from the sky. Although it wasn't as dark as nighttime anymore, the old and narrow concrete staircase had lost the warmth it used to have.
An indescribable gloomy atmosphere appeared...
Hoang Tuan quickly went down the stairs, following the location of "Tran Hung Dao High School" recorded in the novel, and at the same time, looking at the signs on the way.
During that time, he also asked for directions from the food vendor at the breakfast stall.
The journey was not smooth.
Nothing went as expected.
Finally, it was just a few minutes before class time when Hoang Tuan walked to the gate of Tran Hung Dao High School.
Amidst the bustling crowd of students, Hoang Tuan looked up at the school gate...
Today's sunlight was beautiful.
White clouds covered the sky.
On the entrance gate, there was a touch of antiquity, with a thick stone tablet inscribed with the words "Tran Hung Dao High School."
The iron fence next to the guard room was a bit rusty because it hadn't been replaced for a long time. The security guard was standing at the gate, chatting with the students, wearing a smile.
"Hey! Hoang Tuan, why are you here so early?"
Hoang Tuan suddenly felt someone gently patting his shoulder. He turned around and saw a tall boy walking towards him.
He recalled the "original" fragmented memories.
He knew this guy's name.
Except for the classmates who liked to bully him, he was one of the few male students who willingly talked to him...
"Not much, Nhat Minh, you're early too." Hoang Tuan replied.
"Huh? Am I early today?" Nhat Minh looked at Hoang Tuan with some doubt.
Facing this question, Hoang Tuan thought that Nhat Minh might not consider this as early anymore, as Nhat Minh was always either stuck on the road or coming to school late.
Listening to the meaning of the question, it seemed that this male student was a disciplined and well-behaved student.
"Alright, no need to say more, Le Na is coming, I'll go ahead."
Nhat Minh waved with a loaf of bread in front of Hoang Tuan, smiled at him, and rushed into the school.
So that's how it is.
The reason why he arrived early was to bring breakfast to his girlfriend.
Or maybe, it was just a pursuit, being one of those surrounding the girl.
Hoang Tuan silently decided that he wouldn't say anything if not necessary to avoid any misunderstandings.
The content of the novel didn't write the detailed story of this classmate, and the blended memories weren't comprehensive.
Regarding the personalities and specific circumstances of the students in the class, he didn't know much...
Seeing Nhat Minh leave, Hoang Tuan exhaled and walked towards the school.
Grade 11B4.
The seats in the classroom were almost filled.
Occasionally, a few students were still arriving late.
After Hoang Tuan entered this classroom full of unfamiliar faces, he felt a complicated emotion that was difficult to express.
These relatively young faces reminded him of the days when he was still in school.
Shy and ignorant youth, often nostalgic later.
However, Hoang Tuan thought that now he was in a supernatural novel, and some terrible accidents might have happened in this class, leaving some impurities.
The nostalgia for his recent youth was also completely forgotten.
"Yourself" in his memory had a rough memory of the school, so he wasn't worried about sitting in the wrong place.
Hoang Tuan walked to the seat by the window in the back row and started to clean up his things on the desk.
To set the character of "fragile Hoang Tuan."
He was delighted that no one greeted him; otherwise, he would have to search for the name of the classmate in his memory.
However, when Hoang Tuan was cleaning the table, he saw a familiar yet unfamiliar figure.
Looking from the corner of his eye...
It was a girl in a school uniform walking towards his place, and the soft sunlight outside the window gently illuminated her face.
Hoang Tuan looked away.
She was one of the few classmates he knew well in this fictional world.
Although in his intertwined memories, she had a special part...
She was sitting to the right of Hoang Tuan.
She was Hoang Tuan's desk mate.
Hoang Tuan sent a love letter to her and passed it to the teacher—
Ho Thanh Doan.
After the female student sat down next to him, the bell rang, and footsteps were heard from the hallway. Shortly after, a middle-aged man with a teaching folder and a thermos walked into the classroom.
The middle-aged man placed the thermos on the podium.
"Students."
"Stand up!"
"We greet the teacher."
Hoang Tuan sat back in his seat, and his gaze occasionally glanced at the girl.
Facing his gaze, she seemed to feel it but only turned her head to look, without saying anything.
Although Hoang Tuan was now confused, he also knew that it was not the time to greet this classmate.
He finished the first class and said...
Hoang Tuan didn't think about it anymore, took out his notebook and began to attend the class.
Although the teaching content here was similar to reality, Hoang Tuan had learned this knowledge, but because he hadn't touched books for a long time, he couldn't comprehend what the teacher said in the classroom, and it was no different from a lullaby.
When the bell rang to signal the end of the class, Hoang Tuan finished the class in confusion.
He looked at his notebook filled with notes but couldn't understand them. He shook his head and closed the notebook.
Some students went to the restroom to smoke, some went to the canteen to buy food, some played basketball in the playground, and only a few people were still lingering in the classroom.
Ho Thanh Doan was a girl who loved studying.
At this moment, she was reviewing what the teacher had just said at her desk...
She was beautiful.
His "self" in the past had a crush on her; that was normal.
At least Hoang Tuan thought so.
But the problem is...
This Ho Thanh Doan...
Why does she look exactly like the person named "Nguyen Ha Trang" who was drawn into the story earlier?