It was a winter morning.
Goose-feather-sized snowflakes drifted down from the sky, blanketing every corner of the metropolis. Even though it was still early morning, Washington, as a world-class city, was already buzzing with activity. Students and office workers constantly weaved through the streets, which had just been cleared of snow.
Beep beep!
A local Police car slowly drove and finally stopped by the roadside of the residential area. The car door opened, and a cute blonde girl, schoolbag in hand, jumped out of the back seat.
"Gwen, slow down, your Water bottle."
From the driver's seat, Officer George, dressed in a formal Police uniform, opened the door and followed. He held a thermos in his hand, and looking at his beloved daughter, his voice couldn't help but soften with affection: "Are you really sure you don't need me to take you to school? The roads are slippery, and it's still snowing."
Gwen took the Water bottle and put it in her schoolbag, refusing crisply: "No need, I have my rain gear and I'm wearing non-slip boots."
"But..."
Officer George still wanted to say something. But just then, Gwen's eyes suddenly lit up, her cheeks flushed with joy and excitement. She hopped like a rabbit, excitedly waving her arms towards a spot: "Vincent, here! Here!"
"I knew it."
Officer George sighed inwardly, turned his head, and sure enough, saw a familiar young figure appear at the street corner.
Vincent heard the voice calling him, looked up and saw the two of them, then immediately smiled and greeted them: "Gwen, Uncle George, good morning! What a coincidence to run into you again!"
Vincent was very familiar with them.
Gwen, full name: Gwen Stacy, was a child of the same age living in a nearby residential area. They had attended the same kindergarten since childhood, gone through elementary and middle school, and now studied at the same high school. They were practically childhood sweethearts with a deep bond. As for her father, he was a Police officer with some prestige and authority, in charge of the public security of their city area, full name: George Stacy.
"Yes, what a coincidence indeed." Gwen's eyes curved, filled with an unstoppable smile.
The surrounding snow was very White and sparkling, but Officer George's face was a bit dark.
Coincidence? Not a chance!
It was clearly for this boy, deliberately timed, precisely calculated to create this 'chance' encounter.
Of course.
Officer George was too busy protecting his beloved daughter's girlish crush to expose it on the spot. Besides, he had investigated Vincent's family background ten years ago and found him to be a truly pitiful and kind child.
"Ah! Vincent, why aren't you wearing a hat or carrying an umbrella!"
Gwen exclaimed in surprise, quickly moving close to Vincent. Before he could reply, her hands were already brushing the frost and snow from his hair and eyebrows.
"I was in a hurry to leave, I forgot." Vincent smiled indifferently, temporarily setting aside his chaotic thoughts.
"Then you still need to remember to keep warm. What if you catch a cold?" Gwen pouted a little angrily, which only added a few touches of playfulness and cuteness.
She didn't think much of it, putting her own fluffy hat on Vincent and blowing warm air from her hands onto his slightly cold face. To others, this would seem like a very intimate act, but for the two who had grown up together, it was so commonplace that it held no special meaning.
"It's cold outside, I'll drive you two to school." Officer George really couldn't bear to watch anymore, he said.
Gwen didn't respond, but instead looked up at Vincent.
"School isn't very far, I still..."
Vincent originally wanted to refuse, but feeling Officer George's sharp gaze, he nodded and agreed: "Then thank you, Uncle George."
Gwen also smiled and followed: "Then please give us a ride, Dad."
"You're welcome."
Officer George puffed out his chest. For his beloved daughter, he clearly had the realization that he was becoming a tool!
A short while later, the Police car started and drove onto the main road, heading towards the high school.
Inside the warm car.
Gwen and Vincent sat together in the back seat. After getting in the car, Vincent looked at the rapidly passing winter streetscape outside the window, his face and eyes occasionally appearing dazed and lost in thought.
His hand was suddenly held by a gentle and soft hand. Vincent turned to see the girl's face filled with worry.
Gwen asked him: "Vincent, how are you today? Are you feeling unwell? You look so preoccupied."
"I..." Vincent didn't know how to begin.
What had kept him preoccupied since leaving home was naturally the photo that had been slipped into his house. Although he had later opened the door to check, the You-Know-Who who had slipped the photo in was long gone, leaving behind a pile of strange mysteries.
Was that photo really taken during World War I? Who was the woman in the photo, dressed in armor, looking exactly like his aunt?
His aunt's mother? No, World War I was almost a century ago. By generation, it would probably be his grandmother's mother.
If he asked Gwen's father for help, he should be able to find the person who slipped the photo, right?
Vincent hesitated, then said: "I'm fine, just a little cold."
"Then you won't be cold like this, will you?" Gwen changed to hugging Vincent's left arm with both hands. At this distance, they could clearly feel each other's body temperature.
Officer George, who was driving, only glanced in the rearview mirror and nearly exploded with frustration.
To personally watch his own tender and White cabbage actively offered to a pig, even if this pig was handsome and he had watched him grow up, this was probably something no father in the world could tolerate!
Wait a minute.
Officer George, as an experienced person, had a thought. Looking at the young couple through the rearview mirror, anyone with eyes could see his beloved daughter's intentions, but this boy didn't seem to have the same idea!
Hmm, as a father, this was even more painful... The Police car stopped on the road in front of the middle school. When Gwen and Vincent got out of the car, they immediately attracted the attention of many students.
Only then did Vincent notice something extra.
Today, Gwen was wearing a new beige down jacket, with a fitted handmade sweater underneath. Her long legs were tightly encased in White jeans, and she wore a pair of black over-the-knee boots that made her appear even taller. The sixteen-year-old girl's body exuded youthful vigor, coupled with a bright and sassy short blonde hair and a delicate small face, to others she was simply — awesome!
Having grown up together, Vincent was used to it.
He now saw the envious, jealous, and hateful reactions of other students, and only then suddenly realized that Gwen's popularity at school seemed to be quite high.
"Gwen, you should let go of my hand," Vincent said.
"No, it's warmer this way."
Gwen hummed, hugging him even more forcefully, so much so that Vincent's right arm was completely enveloped in warmth.
Compared to the extreme softness of a marshmallow, there was also an indescribable resilience?
Vincent himself naturally didn't have this thought.
However, the students nearby had red eyes, roaring internally: "Damn it, let go of him!!!"
"If you don't let go, I'm going to be killed by their gazes." Vincent gave a wry smile. If looks could kill, he would have died countless times already.
"You, who dared to threaten a knife-wielding bandit with your bare hands in elementary school, are you afraid now?" Gwen covered her mouth and let out a bell-like laugh, finally letting go of Vincent's arm. Her small face then belatedly flushed considerably.
"Don't always bring up my embarrassing past." Vincent awkwardly rubbed the tip of his nose. At that time, being a bit chuunibyou, he had just visited the Captain America memorial museum and always thought he had the potential to be a Superhero.
At that time, if the Police hadn't arrived in time, he would have probably already reincarnated for the third time.
Having lived as an ordinary person for sixteen years, Vincent, a reincarnated person without a system cheat, had completely come to terms with it.
How many Superheroes with extraordinary talents are there? Out of the current global population of five to six billion, only a handful of true Superheroes have stepped onto the stage of history: Captain America, Iron Man, Batman, and Superman!
Among them, Superman was also an alien (Kryptonian).
"It's not that I'm afraid of trouble."
Vincent ignored the angry students and walked into the relatively warm hallway of the teaching building, looking at the girl beside him and teasingly saying: "I don't care, but I just think—this isn't good for you. Aren't you very popular? I heard you're almost running for the NO.1 here."
"Where did you hear that?!" Gwen couldn't help but spit.
However, at this moment.
Gwen suddenly realized that being childhood sweethearts wasn't always a good thing.
Sometimes, once a relationship has been established for a long time, it's very difficult to subtly change it.
Just as Vincent and Gwen walked through the hallway of the teaching building, in a classroom for tenth graders, a bespectacled girl in the last row by the corner of the seat looked outside in a daze, her gaze subtly following Vincent in the hallway as he moved away.
"Kara, what are you looking at?"
A female classmate leaned close to the desk and asked curiously.
"Nothing." Kara quickly withdrew her gaze.
"Really?" The female classmate was half-skeptical. She followed the direction of Kara's gaze, but could only see a wall with artistic graffiti.
The thick wall blocked the outdoor hallway, making it impossible to see anything passing outside.