"I should also start doing some physical activity for the classes that require movement. It's a shame that my knowledge is currently focused on building my company. I could easily develop serums to enhance my physical condition, but that's not my field of expertise," Jimmy thought as he let time pass in the classroom.
He was so deep in thought that he didn't even notice Principal Tom Peterson had entered the classroom.
"There are absurd rumors going around that a student is doing homework for hundreds of others. We really don't have all the time in the world, so I ask everyone to stop sending reports to my office unless you have solid evidence."
The classroom was noisy as usual. Everyone was talking about it. Many of those who had gone to Jimmy in the library were nervous, but of course, none of them said a word, hoping it would all blow over unnoticed.
"Are you sure they haven't found anything strange in the students' assignments lately?" George, in the back of the class, was confused. He had heard that Jimmy was making a lot of money from this, which caught his interest, and once he learned he could earn money himself, he started distributing those assignments and making a profit.
"That's impossible. Didn't you hear there's no evidence?"
"Exactly. I mean, if the assignments were being done by just one person, they should all have the same handwriting. Let's be real—whoever is bothering Principal Tom, I'll beat them up."
Jimmy couldn't stand such a noisy environment, so he walked toward the door.
"Jimmy, where are you going?" Tom asked, fixing a friendly gaze on quiet Jimmy, who miraculously hadn't caused any trouble.
"To take a dump."
The classroom fell into an awkward silence.
Tom's smile vanished. He looked speechless at the students, who also didn't know how to continue the conversation, so he said, "What I meant to say is, it doesn't matter if someone else does your homework—remember it won't help when you get to college."
Sheldon, who still didn't understand how Jimmy hadn't been caught, said, "Fun fact: students who copy homework often perform worse academically in the long run, as they don't develop critical learning skills and may rely on dishonest strategies instead of studying and understanding the material. This can affect their confidence and preparation for future exams. That's why I don't recommend it long-term."
"Excellent observation, Sheldon…" Tom just wanted to leave the classroom as quickly as possible.
But then Sheldon added, "I recommend that future assignments be oral so we can end all doubts."
"Better stay quiet," said Professor Givens, supporting Tom, who was his boss.
Sheldon still felt like he had something to say, so he raised his hand high and, without waiting for permission to speak, continued, "Yes, but I think if we implement those measures, student performance could improve on a real scale."
"Yes, we'll take it into consideration."
George, in the back, couldn't take it anymore. Seeing the entire class sinking into a deep state of boredom, he shouted while clapping, "We'll take it into account, Principal!"
The half-asleep students were startled and applauded wildly—some even whistled.
Principal Tom and Professor Givens wiped the sweat from their foreheads.
Meanwhile, Jimmy began sending messages to the students who had asked him for help with their homework, cutting off the unimportant ones and keeping only the valuable clients.
"I never thought someone might rat me out…" Jimmy, who had barely heard what was said, realized the rumors had gone too far—even the teachers had caught wind of it.
This was a scandal, but after reviewing the core assignments submitted by the students, the teachers concluded that while there had been improvements, nothing was too suspicious.
Jimmy was thankful he had paid attention to the handwriting detail. "Nice. I'll have some ice cream today."
The grades had been left in the lockers of the students who had paid for his services—not all of them, of course, but the less profitable ones had been discarded.
Then he walked back to the library, but on the way, he noticed the football team was having training outside. He became interested in watching the practice, so he left the school building and headed to the field.
The guys here were very strong, big in many ways, and obviously, no one cared about the safety of their bodies when crashing into each other.
If he remembered correctly, Sheldon's father was the football coach, Mr. George, who seemed to be motivating his players at that moment.
"I guess I could find ways to improve my physical condition…" Jimmy muttered, clearly disappointed with his own body, and then he thought he could exploit his genetics to enhance his strength.
If he studied it well, the side effects would likely be nonexistent. Still, he would have to study a lot in the fields of medicine and human metabolism to avoid making mistakes.
To be strong, to be big—Jimmy wanted to feel stronger, but not show it off.
At the very least, he wanted to be athletic like the popular guys at school, though in the end, that didn't really matter to him. What he wanted was to stay in shape in case he ever needed his strength.
Right now, with his current body, it would even be difficult to defend himself. But if he could harness his body's potential through genetics, maybe he could increase his strength by a reasonable amount.
Well, these were his thoughts as he watched people play football.
Unlike Sheldon, Jimmy was someone capable of falling in love, who chased after many of the dreams of those around him and who had once worked hard to improve people's quality of life.
But that way of being had unfortunately brought him to Texas, far from his friends and from the person he once had feelings for—his first love, or whatever it was.
The past didn't really matter anymore, especially since his strange friends had probably already forgotten about him.
"Who am I kidding? It's not so bad sharing happy moments with someone else." Jimmy smiled, but inside, his emotions were mixed.
He had tried to become friends with Sheldon by force, who responded with hostility.
In that regard, Jimmy was more mature and believed it was a defense mechanism in Sheldon's brain, feeling overwhelmed by Jimmy's superior intelligence, charisma, and talent.
Jimmy had dealt with guys like this in his previous school, and he had surpassed them all with ease. But here, trying to be different, he was trying to be better—hoping others would do the same with him.
But he knew that even after moving from hostility to casual conversation, he still didn't really have any friends—or at least, he didn't feel like he did.
"Oh, right—my journal…" Jimmy pulled out his notebook where he had briefly written ideas for his future inventions, without going into details.
It was the same notebook Sheldon had read before and the only copy that listed all the inventions Jimmy could recall from memory.
After that, he began planning new inventions that might help ease the troubles of lonely people.
"A virtual assistant…" Jimmy was clearly ahead of his time—some people didn't even have a TV yet.
…
"Come on, one more lap and we'll start the simulated drills."
"Let's go!"
"Don't fall behind!"
George smiled as he watched his students give it their all. Then he looked at his coworker, Coach Wayne Wilkins, and asked, "Did you watch the game?"
"No, I didn't have time, but I recorded it and will watch it later." Wayne shook his head, but his eyes were fixed on Jimmy in the distance, so he asked, "George, are we just going to let that kid skip class?"
George's distant gaze focused on where Wayne was pointing, and he shook his head. "I'm not getting involved. I think the teachers wouldn't mind a genius skipping a class."
"He's the new kid, right? Tell me—who's smarter, him or your son?"
"I don't know. Jimmy seems more mature."
"Should we test them? I think the teachers would bet a lot of money."
George thought it over carefully, but then remembered his wife and shook his head. "Forget it. My wife would kill me."