"Mike, my dear son. If something is bothering you, tell dear old Dad all about it—" In a luxurious villa, the rich second generation Ned saw his friend collapse onto the sofa the moment he returned, and chuckled as he moved closer.
It was a typical move from a mischievous friend.
To be honest, Ned was quite envious that his friend could return to youth; even now, he still felt it was a bit unreal.
They were both middle-aged men, so why could his friend go back to school to make up for his regrets, while he had nothing but money?
"I am Mike O'Donnell, not Mike, and not your son… Forget it, do as you please!" Mike, who had something on his mind, was too tired to correct his mischievous friend again, so he just let him have his way.
Ned Gold, a super-rich second generation, had money and leisure, and there was a reason why he hadn't settled down in middle age under these circumstances.
With expensive Batman, Flash, and other life-sized models, as well as Star Wars gear scattered everywhere in the villa, Ned was actually a severe case of chuunibyou.
"No rivals on our path forward!" Noticing his friend's bad mood, Ned picked up a lightsaber, struck a cool pose, and shouted, "Who bullied you? Tell your father, and your father will help you get revenge—"
Looking at his mischievous friend's antics, Mike helplessly said, "No one bullied me. But someone seems to have discovered my identity."
To be honest, Mike was truly startled at the moment his identity was called out at school earlier.
"That shouldn't be the case..." Ned was also surprised and said, "I personally handled your new identity, and you've changed so much now that even acquaintances might not recognize you."
"I hope so!" Mike felt a faint unease in his heart whenever he thought about his previous interactions with Mike.
There was a reason why the middle-aged Mike, who was unhappy with his job and often complained about his wife, had made a mess of his life.
In college, as a star player on the school basketball team, he was supposed to embark on a career as a professional basketball player, with a bright future ahead of him.
But before a crucial basketball game, his girlfriend, who is now his wife, told him she was pregnant.
It was this news that made Mike, who was in the middle of the game, abandon the match and choose to start a family with his wife.
Thus, he began living a mediocre and "cowardly" ordinary life.
Eighteen years passed in a flash.
The disparity in life made the middle-aged Mike as unhappy as he was regretful of the choices he had made during his college years.
Therefore, he developed a habit of complaining to God, often expressing his wish for another chance to start over.
And then, the turning point appeared.
God seemed to have heard his plea.
On a rainy day, Mike encountered a "homeless man" in a supermarket who couldn't pay for his groceries.
Life's misfortunes had not dulled the man's inner kindness.
So, out of good intentions, Mike paid for the homeless man's groceries.
Then, turning around, the homeless man, after leaving the supermarket, pulled out a dagger and robbed Mike, repaying kindness with enmity.
Although surprised, seeing the homeless man's equally down-and-out appearance, Mike still took out all the money he had on him.
At the same time, he kindly advised the other party to get on the right path.
"You're a good person, now please state your wish." The homeless man suddenly turned back and asked eerily before leaving.
"I want to return to college to make up for my regrets, can you help me?" Influenced by the atmosphere, Mike answered as if by a ghost.
Then, he himself laughed.
"Very good, I hope you won't regret it."
Just then, the homeless man snapped his fingers, Mike's vision went black, and he elegantly fainted in the heavy rain.
And when Mike woke up again, he found himself looking seventeen years old.
God had truly given him another chance.
This time, Mike reaffirmed his goal and returned to the path of professional basketball.
However, after changing to a new identity and going to Columbia University, Mike discovered that his daughter, who acted like a lady at home, was actually a "love-struck idiot" at school.
She was completely infatuated with the handsome Mike.
And his son, Alex O'Donnell, who was tall and big, was actually a "punching bag" on the college campus, the kind everyone could bully.
Yes, Mike's pair of children inherited his good genes and both got into Columbia University.
But seeing his children's "unpromising" behavior on campus, Mike, as an old father, was also heartbroken.
"Ned, I've decided." Mike, who had been struggling for a long time, suddenly said seriously, "While I achieve my basketball dream, I also want to take good care of Maggie and Alex. At least I want them to get rid of their bad habits."
Indeed, no father can stand by and watch his children fall without doing anything.
Evidently, Mike made a concession on the important matter concerning his children's future.
"Are you sure? You know, the issue of your identity hasn't been resolved yet." Ned spoke up to remind his friend.
Once Mike chose to approach his children, the risk of his identity being exposed would only increase.
"It's okay, you said it yourself, in this state, no one will believe I'm Mike O'Donnell." For his children, Mike was willing to go all out.
"Alright, what do you plan to do?" Ned said loyally, "I'll try my best to cooperate with you."
"First is Maggie, I want to help her re-establish a correct view on choosing a partner. At the same time, I want her to understand that men who are too handsome are not necessarily good matches. She simply can't handle them…" Mike, finding an opportunity, did not forget to subtly criticize Mike while talking about his plan.
Then, he continued, "And Alex, his personality is really too soft. I want him to join the school basketball team and get some good exercise."
"Very good, the plan is perfect. But it seems there's nothing for me to do." Ned pondered for a moment, wanting to feel involved. Then, he said grandly, "How about this, I can provide financial support for your plan."
It must be said, the thought process of a chuunibyou rich second generation is indeed very unique.
On the other side, Mike, who had also returned to his villa, had already enjoyed dinner served by his little maid.
Carly, who had taken some time to enroll in a temporary chef training class, had shown significant improvement in her cooking skills recently.
"Mike, I've also learned some massage techniques recently, would you like to try?" Carly, after tidying up the dinnerware, returned to the living room.
"Of course!" Mike comfortably lay down on the sofa, very satisfied with his little maid's "ambition."
Then, Lisa and Jessie, unwilling to be left out, also gathered around, ready to observe and learn.
On the other side, the little girl Paige pouted and silently returned to her room.
On the sofa, Mike, who was enjoying the massage with his eyes closed, interacted with the girls with both hands while silently chanting in his heart, integrating [Blessing: Return to Youth (Trait)] into his body.
He had never encountered such a strange trait before.
As a wave of refreshing sensation spread, Mike felt as if all the cells in his body had come alive, and he felt like he was seventeen again.
He possessed endless energy.
What? Mike is seventeen now? Oh, never mind then.
Mike, who had integrated [Blessing: Return to Youth (Trait)], also understood its purpose. The effect seemed somewhat similar to the Eternal Youth trait in Demon Body, but this [Blessing] trait was more like a buff.
It continuously injected vitality into Mike's body cells.
An alternative "perpetual motion machine."
"Alright, let me reward you all—"
Feeling full of vitality, Mike got up and led the three girls to the floor-to-ceiling windows.
...
Under the hazy moonlight, New York's brilliant lights resembled stars scattered from the Milky Way.