7 NERF

MAY 1997, MIDDLE SCHOOL DAYS

"I don't get it," Ben mumbles in confusion, staring at the tape measure in his hand. He's at a loss for words, "I've obviously put in so much effort in working out, but there doesn't seem to be any noticeable change."

It's been months since he crossed over to Ben's body, from March to this month, May.. three months since he started working his ass in order to accelerate his growth... However, nothing seems to changed at all.

Last time he checked he was only around 4'11.3 (4 feet, 11.3 inches) four months later, he did sucessfully grow as expected, however, to his dissappontment, it was only a few milimetes, only making his height 4'11.6 (4 feet, 11.6 inches.)

"Damn... why can't I be like those protagonists in novels?" Ben sighed in frustration.

It would be fine if he were the only child, but no, he had four sisters, one of whom he always teased – Brooke. However, things were about to change; in a year or so, she would likely surpass him in height. When that time comes, she'll probably flip the tables.

"Oh well... Thankfully, not everything was pointless," Ben mutters, shaking his head. Observing his silhouette in the mirror, the earlier depression gradually fades. Despite still being short, his body isn't as thin as before.

It's mentioned in the novel that OG Ben was still 5'2" at the age of 15. Even so, he managed to date several girls (Cassidy and other non-canon girls, no sex, no kiss obviously) purely by relying on his looks, but now that he has developed some muscles, it shouldn't be hard to kiss girls.

***

SCHOOL CAFETERIA

"Yo, Ben! Join us at our table!" Isabel, Kenny's girlfriend, called out as Ben finished selecting food at the serving station.

"Eh..." Ben shook his head, rejecting the offer as he looked at the couple. "Want me to be a third wheel? No, sir."

"What third wheel? We also have others together in our table duh!" Isabel stick out her tongue, feeling funny as she stared at him.

"Oh?" Ben hesitated a bit. Looking at Kenny, who shrugged his shoulders as if he didn't really mind, he finally sighed, "Oh my, since you people begged me to join you, how can the nice me refuse?"

"Fufufu... you're really funny, Ben~." Isabel giggled as she bumped her shoulder on him before heading towards the table in the corner.

"That... The heck?" Looking at his best friend Kenny, he had a confused expression on his face, wanting to see his reaction. But the response he expected did not come at all; the guy lookk oblivious.. as if nothing happened at all.

"Why?" The guy, with a confused expression, asked in curiosity, leaving him speechless.

'Your girlfriend just flirted with me, and you're asking me why?' Ben's lips twitched at the thought, feeling pity in his heart, but in the end, he did nothing.

Why would he? He wasn't the type of guy who likes to meddle in others' relationships, and even if he were, the other party wouldn't believe him. On the contrary, it would only make their friendship awkward, and in the worst-case scenario, the other party might even resent him.

"Sigh, forget about it." Not wanting to think too much, he just shook his head and followed Isabel to their table.

"Woah, isn't it Mister Famous Guy?" Stefanie Callahan, Isabel's best friend, teased Ben as she examined him with bright eyes.

"What famous, since when?" Ben snorted, looking at the red-headed chick. He had a nonchalant expression on his face, but deep inside, he couldn't help but feel confused.

The girl used to be Ben's classmate along with Kenny and many others in primary school, so he was familiar with her. However, being familiar doesn't mean they are close enough to be considered friends.

At most, they nodded and chatted a bit about school-related matters, but that's it. She might keep a polite expression on the surface, but he was aware that she didn't want to associate herself with the likes of him.

However, now it's different.. she was literally taking the initiative to chat with him, which is weird.

"Seriously? You don't know?" The red-headed girl smirked with an intrigued expression on her face, intensifying his confusion.

"Know what?" Ben couldn't help but feel annoyed. The way she keeps saying something so vague made him confused. Coupled with that irritating smile on her face, just for once, he suddenly had an urge to smack her ass to let her know her place.

"Whoa, is he always that clueless?" She chuckled and looked at the couple, Isabel and Kenny, as if asking for confirmation.

"I know, right? Ben is always oblivious about the people around him, and I swear it's cute." Isabel giggled, throwing him another flirtatious smirk.

"..." Ben's lips twitched several times, staring at Kenny. He had an urge to scream, 'Are you for real? Watch your girlfriend, bruh!'

"Hehe, that reminds me." Kenny, as if remembering something, chuckled as he said, "I swear, Ben had a personal universe in that head of his. And mind you, being with him for years wasn't easy on my part. No, on the contrary, it's a pain in the ass."

"Hey! Can you not talk badly about me while I'm around?" Ben scolded them angrily, only to be laughed at.

"Anyway, what were you talking about before?" Feeling helpless, he asked, trying to change the subject.

"Pfft... okay, calm down... phew, fine~." Stefanie smirked. "Remember how you asked out Patricia Crawford?"

"Of course, I did," Ben nodded, suddenly pausing as realization struck. "I see, that's how."

"Yep, the way you invited her that day was very eye-catching, and the moment Crawford said 'Key~,' everyone was blown away." The red-headed chick smirked. "Do you really not know?"

"That... of course, I know; it just slipped out of my mind, hehe~" Ben chuckled, looking nonchalant on the surface. In reality, he began panicking as, for the very first time, his photographic memory failed him.

At this time, he realized that his eidetic memory wasn't as great as those fictional characters in comics and movies. It wasn't omniscient, as he initially thought.

His memory, while allowing him to remember everything in great detail, doesn't mean that he can think of everything simultaneously.

To put it in layman's terms, the speed of his memory outruns the speed of his thoughts, and the difference in speed is akin to how sound can't outrun light.

In his case, he didn't really forget how he asked Patricia out to watch a movie and how he aimed to boost his reputation with it.. In fact, he remembers them from time to time.

However, due to random triggers – things that remind him of past events – he can't process those memories as quickly as his mind shifts to a different subject.

In a way, his memories tend to shorten his attention span, making it challenging for him to stay focused. Perhaps, this is also the reason he frequently finds himself daydreaming out of nowhere.

***

Author's Note: I noticed that I made Ben's memory prowess a bit overpowered in the previous chapter, and being the evil author I am, I decided to nerf it a bit. I've added some limitations so as not to let the MC develop a god complex.

P.S. I'll add how many times I edited a chapter so to avoid others from getting confused about the changes in some details.

(EDITED - 7X)