After finishing breakfast, Noah headed to the library to meet up with Aiden. When they saw each other, they exchanged the usual greetings and a light joke or two before settling down at a table.
"So, what's the trouble with science today, Aiden?" Noah asked, leaning back in his chair.
Aiden sighed dramatically. "Bro, how is anyone supposed to remember all this? It's like science was invented just to mess with me."
Noah chuckled. "Well, you know, science was invented exactly to mess with you personally. The universe revolves around making your life difficult."
Aiden laughed. "Yeah, I knew it! I'm being personally victimized by physics."
"Alright, let's see what's up. Which part is causing your brain to short-circuit this time?" Noah asked, pulling out a textbook.
"All of it?" Aiden shrugged but then pointed to a section on energy conversions. "This part, especially."
Noah smirked. "Ah, the classic confusion between kinetic and potential energy. Let me simplify it for you—kinetic energy is like when you see someone running at you with a plate of fries. Potential energy is you sitting there, waiting to intercept that plate with maximum efficiency."
Aiden's eyes lit up with understanding. "Oh man, now it makes sense! Food examples. Why don't they teach like that in school?"
"Because they don't have my advanced teaching methods," Noah said, with mock seriousness. "Now, on to thermal dynamics. Imagine you're trying to reheat pizza, but the oven isn't cooperating. That's entropy at its finest."
Just as Aiden was about to respond, a group of classmates passed by their table, whispering and pointing.
One of them, a boy with messy hair, leaned toward his friends. "Hey, do you think he'd help us study too? We're not that close to him, though."
A girl with a ponytail nudged him. "Why not give it a shot? He might help us out."
Suddenly...
[Ding! The Ultimate Choice System has been activated!]
Option 1: Politely tell everyone to go away and focus only on helping Aiden.
[Reward: $50,000, Basic Teaching Skill]
Option 2: Organise an impromptu study group and teach them all.
[Reward: Intermediate Teaching Skill, 51% shares in Camebridge University, +5 charm]
Option 3: Shoo them away like bugs and be rude.
[Reward: $100,000, -10 charm]
With a smirk and a glint in his eye, he turned to Aiden. "Looks like our study session just got a bit more interesting."
Option 2," muttered Noah under his breath, his eyes flicking toward the girl with the ponytail approaching their table. Aiden raised an eyebrow but said nothing, watching the situation unfold.
[Ding! Intermediate Teaching Skill rewarded!]
[Ding! 51% shares of CameBridge University rewarded! The host will find the documents in his bedroom]
[Ding! +5 Charm rewarded!]
Feeling the influx of knowledge being injected into his brain, Noah felt like he could even teach his little sister calculus.
The girl, with a slight blush on her cheeks, hesitated for a moment before stepping closer to Noah. "Um, excuse me," she started, trying to keep her composure despite her racing heart.
Up close, Noah's sharp features and confident aura seemed even more intimidating—yet undeniably attractive. His piercing eyes met hers, and for a brief second, she felt like time had stopped.
"Wow, he's even more handsome up close..." she thought, feeling a little dizzy. Quickly shaking off the feeling, she pressed on.
"Would you mind if we joined you? Some of us are struggling with science too, and it looks like you're really good at explaining things."
Noah smiled—an easy, friendly smile that made her heart skip a beat. "Sure, why not? The more, the merrier. Pull up a chair."
Her face brightened immediately, the tension in her shoulders relaxing as she flashed a grateful smile. "Thank you!" She quickly gestured to her friends. "Come on, guys!"
In moments, the once empty study session turned into a mini-gathering. Aiden looked around, half-amused and half-confused as the seats around them filled up. The girl with the ponytail took the spot next to Noah, still trying to control her flustered heart rate, while the others settled around the table, whispering excitedly.
Noah leaned back casually, taking in the scene with an easy confidence. "Alright, so who's ready to learn about energy conversions, or should we start with something else?"
One of the guys across from him scratched his head. "Man, this is insane. To think we are getting tutored from Noah."
The girl with the ponytail looked at Noah with wide eyes. "I've heard people say you've suddenly become good at this, but I didn't realize you were this good." She fidgeted with her pen, still amazed by his calm demeanor.
Noah waved a hand, smiling. "Let's not overhype it. It's just science. Once you understand the basics, it's like riding a bike. Except the bike is on fire, and the ground is lava."
Aiden burst out laughing. "Yeah, science isn't trying to kill us or anything. It's just a casual threat."
One of the boys in the group groaned. "Oh man, I wish you were our teacher. Our science class is a total snooze fest."
Noah shrugged. "Well, I'll try my best to make it less like a nap and more like...an adrenaline rush. So let's dive into it."
For the next hour, Noah's explanations were peppered with humor and clever analogies that made even the most complicated topics seem easy. The students couldn't stop laughing as he explained kinetic energy with jokes about roller coasters and potential energy with the classic example of someone holding their breath before diving into a pool.
"So, potential energy is like when you're waiting in line for pizza, knowing the moment you get it, you'll devour it in five seconds flat," Noah said, drawing laughter from the group.
"And kinetic energy is when you're actually running to the pizza place because they're about to close," Aiden added, grinning.
The girl with the ponytail looked at him in awe. "You make everything sound so simple. Why can't our teacher explain it like this?"
Noah chuckled. "Well, maybe your teacher doesn't know how to harness the power of pizza analogies."
The boy who had asked earlier about getting help shook his head in disbelief. "No way, you're actually way better than the teachers. You should, like, run a tutoring empire or something."
"An empire, huh?" Noah laughed, leaning forward. "Maybe someday."
The girl with the ponytail couldn't take her eyes off Noah. She had been nervous about approaching him, but now, sitting so close, hearing his jokes and seeing how kind he was, her heart fluttered with admiration.
As the lesson went on, the laughter grew louder. Aiden couldn't resist throwing in sarcastic jabs, and Noah was quick to fire back with witty comebacks.
As Noah was explaining how thermal energy worked, one of the students squinted, clearly confused.
"Wait, hold on," he said. "Thermal energy... that's just, like, heat moving around, right? Why does it feel like I'm trying to understand some alien language?"
Noah chuckled, leaning back. "Alright, think of it like this: You know how when Aiden tells a joke—"
Aiden cut in, "Hey!"
"—and it's really, really bad?" Noah continued, ignoring him with a grin. "But you have to hold in your laugh anyway, just out of politeness?"
The group erupted in laughter, immediately thinking of all the times Aiden's jokes had fallen flat.
"That's thermal energy," Noah added, eyes twinkling. "It's like the awkward heat that builds up when you're holding back that fake laugh. Eventually, you can't contain it, and it escapes. Just like heat. No stopping it."
Aiden threw his hands up dramatically. "Oh, come on! My jokes aren't that bad."
One of the girls chimed in, giggling, "Actually, they kind of are."
Another round of laughter spread through the group, and even Aiden had to crack a smile.
"See?" Noah smirked. "Thermal energy—totally relatable."
One of the quieter students finally spoke up, shaking his head in disbelief. "Dude, you're actually better than any teacher I've had. How do you do it?"
Noah flashed a casual grin. "I dunno, maybe I just like showing off how much of a nerd I am."
The group chuckled, and Noah leaned forward. "But seriously, once you get the hang of this stuff, it's like unlocking cheat codes for how the world works. And who doesn't love cheat codes?"
By the end, everyone had not only learned a lot but also had way more fun than they expected. As they packed up, the students thanked Noah, clearly impressed. The girl with the ponytail hung back for a second, clearly wanting to say something.
"Thanks again, Noah. You really... you know, know your stuff," she said, a little shy.
Noah smiled, giving her a nod. "No problem. Anytime you need a crash course in science, hit me up."
She smiled, her cheeks a bit pink, before turning to join her friends. As she walked away, Aiden shook his head, a grin plastered on his face.
"Dude, you're basically a walking science hotline now," Aiden teased. "What's next, setting up a booth outside the cafeteria?"
Noah shrugged, smirking. "Hey, I charge by the question. Gotta fund my snack habit somehow."
Aiden laughed, rolling his eyes. "You'd make a fortune."
Noah leaned back, stretching his arms above his head. "I'll be rich by lunch. Save the world? Maybe tomorrow. Right now? I'm saving your grades."
Aiden groaned, "Fair point."