Chapter 23: Invisibility Formula
Jake was already quite practiced at dealing with shy girls.
After spending twenty minutes, he successfully got to know the main character, Cleo, but it seemed they were still far from being actual friends.
She was a withdrawn girl, unlike Mia, who craved attention but was naturally outgoing. Cleo, while also wanting recognition, was deeply insecure, always feeling inferior compared to her sister.
If Jake were willing to invest the time, he might be able to develop his relationship with Cleo further, but how could he possibly do that? His relationship with Mia wasn't even fully established yet, and now there was young Mathilda
(note - no this fanfic not promote minor age girl if you watch leon the professional you knows that they have family like bond so our mc will not be into minor girl just clarifying things )
he didn't want to complicate things with another person.
At least, he didn't feel that kind of connection with this character.
"Maybe we could hang out sometime?" he suggested to Cleo, who was sitting quietly with her head down beside him.
"No, you must have been dared by those guys to come mess with me, right?" she said, her tone somewhat defensive, pointing to several boys not far away who were laughing obnoxiously.
"That's definitely not it..." This insecure girl was probably being overly sensitive again.
Cleo turned and ran toward the school building, leaving Jake standing there.
Watching her retreat, Jake sighed. Although their conversation had failed, at least he'd made an impression on both the main character and her sister, giving him a legitimate reason to visit their house later.
If Cleo hadn't yet accidentally created the invisibility formula, Jake might have had to resort to more aggressive methods to obtain it. For now, all he could do was try to maintain the original plot.
School would be out in the afternoon, and Jake didn't want to waste the whole day. Just then, the main character's sister, Molly, approached. "Don't worry about her, she's just always been a little..." She frowned, seemingly unable to think of the right word.
Finally, after a few seconds, she realized she couldn't find an appropriate adjective and changed the subject. "Want to come watch us practice? The Eagles?"
Jake followed her gaze and saw several girls waving enthusiastically in their direction.
Well, teenage girls, but hanging out with a group of students was better than going back to the real world and sleeping all day.
"Why not?" He nodded.
It turned out that watching a group of girls play lacrosse was much more entertaining than watching grown men. Being in their athletic prime and playing regularly, they were energetic and skilled.
This high school culture was different from what he'd grown up with; it really emphasized extracurriculars, with students having half the day for athletics and activities, and the other half for academics.
Different regions needed different approaches and educational systems; these were results of cultural development. Simply copying another country's system without understanding its context would ultimately cause problems.
Therefore, although Jake appreciated certain aspects of education, he understood every system had its own logic.
Everything exists for a reason, right?
These were just passing thoughts. After the girls finished practicing, Jake generously ordered delivery from a local burger place: sodas, burgers, and fries. This earned him plenty of positive attention, and he even received several friendly hugs from the team.
He could only think, "High schoolers are so expressive."
Of course, he also successfully received an invitation from Cleo's older sister, which was a pleasant surprise.
That afternoon after school, Jake felt like he was part of the community, experiencing the daily routine with the group. The faculty didn't seem to mind having an extra person observing; everything seemed very relaxed.
"Hey man, want to come to a party tonight?" It was Molly's boyfriend, George, who had an energetic, almost comedic presence. His enthusiasm reminded Jake of various teen movie protagonists.
"I've already got an invite from Molly," he said, feeling like he was reliving high school.
This was the appeal of the movie worlds. Jake never wanted to be just a scavenger; if possible, he wanted to experience completely different lives.
In The Day After Tomorrow world, he'd been a survivor; in Léon: The Professional world, he'd been a student of the craft; here, he was a newcomer eager to fit in.
Perhaps he wasn't always perfect in his roleplay, but he enjoyed the process.
Each world was a new story.
That night,
colorful lights flickered with vibrant energy, illuminating the dancing young crowd. There were no inappropriate elements, only the exuberance of youth.
This was perhaps the genius of Disney; they wouldn't include any content beyond what families could watch, nor would they push boundaries.
This place was full of members of the Eagles team from earlier, along with their boyfriends or friends of friends—basically, a huge social gathering.
Jake stood at the door, staring at the two-story house, taking it all in.
"Hey!" Molly greeted him. "I thought you might not show."
"Hope I'm not crashing," Jake shrugged.
"Of course not," Molly smiled, tucking her long, wavy hair behind her ear, looking confident and welcoming.
Jake recognized this as a habitual gesture of hers and didn't read into it. Instead, he asked, "This is my first time at something like this. I'm a little nervous, actually. Do you have any ginger ale? I could use some."
"Sure!"
Molly led the way, and Jake followed. Along the route, people kept greeting Jake, clearly remembering him from the lunch he'd bought earlier.
"Actually, I like to drink this when I'm anxious," Molly opened a small cabinet, took out a packet, and handed it to Jake.
"I've got water here, want some?"
"Yeah," Jake nodded, but his attention was entirely focused on the packet.
He'd dealt with dangerous situations and witnessed catastrophes; this was just a gathering of teenagers. How could he possibly be scared? However, in the original plot, these ginger tablets were also a crucial element.
The acidity of the ginger would interact with the invisibility formula, and to reverse the invisibility, one had to drink the antidote containing this ginger.
Jake had no intention of being invisible permanently.
So he needed a reason to obtain the tablets, and sharing the same experience as Molly would make it easier.
He poured himself a glass of water, took out the tablet, tore open the packaging, and dropped it in.
Second by second, time passed, and the tablet at the bottom of the glass kept producing tiny bubbles, one after another.
After the tablet completely dissolved, Jake picked it up and took a sip. The strong tangy taste rushed from his mouth to his sinuses, making him involuntarily grimace, but he still drank it all.
He memorized the brand of the tablet and knew he needed to buy some the next day.
However, the ginger drink did have its benefits; his stomach felt much better after drinking it.
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