Chapter 63 — Calming Amanda & Searching for Carter
Truth be told, Franklin was a very common name among Black men.
No wonder William couldn't place it immediately.
(Not worth burning brain cells over it.)
Once Franklin's truck finally rolled out of the parking lot, Amanda exhaled sharply, knees weak.
"Holy crap—William! I thought we were dead!"
Still shaken, she threw herself into his arms, clinging to him as if she were drowning.
She wasn't white, but she was raised in a quiet, upper-middle-class neighborhood on the North Side.
Even without deep-rooted racial prejudice, everyone knows that South Side + late night + unknown armed Black men = danger.
Seeing her crying into his chest, William didn't blame her.
Her reaction was perfectly normal.
He simply held her quietly, patting her back in slow, steady motions.
After a while—once her breathing calmed—William spoke again, picking up the conversation they'd abandoned in the car.
"Hey… now that you're calmer, can we finish the talk we didn't get to earlier?"
Amanda lifted her tear-stained face, staring into his eyes.
Since she didn't speak, William continued:
"Listen, Amanda. I really like you.
I don't mind being your boyfriend on campus."
Her expression changed instantly.
"So what—does that mean you have other girlfriends outside campus?"
Strongest personality of all the women he'd met so far.
Half upbringing, half temperament.
Being honest at the wrong time?
Absolutely fatal.
"Well… no. I don't."
Technically true.
Bianca believed he was her boyfriend, but William had never actually confirmed it.
Hearing that answer, the cold suspicion on Amanda's face dissolved like snow under the sun.
"Then why…?"
William explained calmly:
"Look, Amanda. People like the guys we ran into earlier—
I deal with that type pretty often.
If I publicly date you off-campus, you might end up on someone's radar.
That's not something I want."
Of course, William himself wasn't afraid at all.
This was simply a convenient excuse to prevent Amanda from shadowing him outside school.
As for campus…
Based on the original storyline, Amanda only spiraled out of control when Lip ignored her emotionally.
So the key was simple:
He can sleep around as long as Amanda doesn't feel neglected.
William thought it over.
…Seems manageable.
Amanda, however, heard something completely different—
a man genuinely concerned for her safety.
The moment William shielded her earlier flashed across her mind again.
Her heart softened instantly.
"I'm sorry… I misunderstood you, William."
She lowered her eyes, looking for all the world like a guilty child.
---
The night before, William and Amanda did not stay together.
After sending her back to the campus dorm under the cover of darkness, William slipped away quietly.
---
Morning — William's Dorm
When dawn broke, William woke up in his own dorm room.
It was the first time he had slept here since regaining his memories.
His roommate belonged to a fraternity, which meant the guy practically lived in the frat house instead of the dorm.
(American universities give fraternities ridiculous amounts of autonomy—some even own their own buildings.)
William never joined Greek life.
Maybe it was instinct, something carved into his bones even before transmigration.
As a result, he now had a single room all to himself—
rare real estate on an American campus.
Of course, even without joining any frat, his clean-cut Anglo-Saxon good looks and tall frame made him a campus heartthrob among incoming freshmen.
---
09:01 AM — No Classes Yet
Students were still milling about; nobody had gone to class yet.
William's objective today was simple:
Find Carter.
Carter — the male lead of Happy Death Day.
William couldn't remember his last name, but "Carter" was enough.
If he wanted to get his hands on the Sisyphus Quantum Cooling Reactor, the fastest route was through the protagonist.
---
Coming downstairs, William ran into the dorm RA.
American RAs weren't teachers or aunties like in other countries —
they were broke students working for free housing.
Just like Lip in Shameless.
"Hey, do you know which dorm Carter lives in?"
The RA blinked.
"Carter? Which one?"
"Uh… kinda looks like a nerd?"
The only description William had was from half-forgotten memories of the movie.
"Ah! That Carter. Carter Davis. His room's over there. You can try knocking, see if he's awake."
After thanking him, William headed to the indicated door.
He raised his hand—ready to knock—
and then paused when he spotted someone approaching.
A half-asleep Asian guy with bleached blond hair shuffled toward him.
"Hey, bro. You're standing in front of my door."
Ryan scratched his head and motioned for William to step aside.
Just then, the door opened from the inside—
And Theresa stepped out, dressed in a full party-girl outfit.
She froze.
Then:
"Whoa—William? Why are you here?!"
Her heart skipped a beat.
If word got out that she spent the night in Carter-the-nerd's room… her image would implode.
William stared at her, expression complicated.
"Theresa, this is the men's dorm."
A textbook American college girl —
wild, impulsive, into taboo relationships, loves attention, excessively "woke," and makes terrible decisions with confidence.
"Yeah… I know. Look, I'm in a hurry. Can you please keep this a secret? It's really important!"
She pleaded with him.
Ryan watched this with envy so intense he looked ready to cry.
Inside the room, Carter also stared at the scene, feeling a strange discomfort tightening in his chest.
At that moment—
Ding!
Mission detected: Save Theresa from the time-loop death cycle. Ensure she survives today.
Reward: 1× Sisyphus Module Activation (usable only after acquiring the Quantum Cooling Reactor).
Great. Exactly what I needed — another death-loop heroine to babysit.
He remembered only fragments of Happy Death Day.
Theresa dies repeatedly today until she breaks the loop and ends up dating Carter.
The killer?
…He had absolutely no memory.
He watched the movie while scrolling on his phone in his previous life — zero plot retention.
Still, William smiled.
"Cool. Fine by me."
Theresa's eyes lit up.
She suddenly hugged him tightly and planted a kiss on his cheek.
"Thank you! You seriously saved my life! I owe you one—totally buying you a drink later! Thanks!!"
Then she hurried off.
Ryan stared after her.
"Bro… you're… unbelievably lucky."
Unlike Ryan, Carter felt a spike of irritation that he couldn't explain.
Carter stepped toward them.
"Uh… hey. Why are you two standing outside my room?"