(POV: Ava)
___
The cafeteria remained our usual spot after classes—good enough food, decent coffee, and most importantly, free seating. After the whole "Oh, I just casually know a billionaire CEO" revelation from Leo last time, we were still recovering.
At this point, the three of us—Ethan, Sophia, and I (Ava)—had collectively decided that Leo's life made no sense. So naturally, our new hobby had become finding out exactly how deep this nonsense went.
"Alright, Leo," Ethan started, tapping his fingers on the table. "Tell us another one."
Leo, who was peacefully drinking his coffee, gave him a blank stare. "Another what?"
"Another completely absurd story from your life that you think is normal."
Sophia leaned forward, eyes sharp. "And don't even try to say 'I don't have any.' We know you do."
Leo sighed, as if he were a tired teacher dealing with unruly kids. He set down his coffee and thought for a moment.
"…I ended up as an unofficial tour guide for a bunch of foreign diplomats once."
We all froze.
"…What."
Leo looked unimpressed with our reactions. "They were lost."
I slammed my hands on the table. "WHY IS IT ALWAYS SOMETHING LIKE THIS WITH YOU?!"
___
Leo leaned back in his chair, speaking in that calm, indifferent tone of his.
It had been a random weekday, and Leo was on his way home from a bookstore. (Classic.) He had planned to grab some coffee at a café, sit down with his book, and enjoy a peaceful afternoon. Unfortunately, peace wasn't an option.
Near one of the city's tourist hotspots, he ran into a group of very confused-looking people. Five men and women, dressed a little too formally for regular tourists, were huddled together, staring at their phones with matching expressions of frustration.
Leo, being the type who normally wouldn't get involved, was about to just keep walking—until he heard one of them mutter, "I think we're going the wrong way again."
Something about their increasingly lost expressions must have triggered some basic human decency in Leo, because he paused and—before he could stop himself—asked,
"Do you need directions?"
The group immediately turned to him, as if he were their savior.
One of the men, who looked like he was one more wrong turn away from an existential crisis, quickly approached.
"You speak English?"
Leo raised an eyebrow. "Yeah."
The man visibly relaxed. "Oh, thank God. We're supposed to be at the Grand Orchid Hotel for a meeting, but our GPS isn't working right."
Now, any normal person would have just given them directions and left.
But Leo?
Leo looked past them, down the street, then checked his watch.
"It's about a 10-minute walk from here, but if you take the next turn, it'll cut down to 7 minutes."
The group looked at each other.
"…Could you just show us?"
And somehow, that's how Leo became a temporary tour guide.
___
Leo, true to his personality, did not try to make conversation. He just walked ahead, leading the way while the group of clearly important people followed behind like ducklings.
However, as they passed by a historic district, one of the women in the group curiously asked, "Is this place famous?"
Leo glanced at the building she was pointing at and, without thinking, started explaining.
Now, what none of us knew was that Leo had an insane memory for random facts. So instead of just saying "Yeah, it's an old government building," he casually dropped a full history lesson on them.
"That's the old council building. It was built in 1892 and was originally meant to be a library, but they repurposed it before opening. The architecture was inspired by a mix of British and local styles. There's actually a hidden basement under it that was used during wartime, but it's not open to the public."
The diplomats stared at him.
"…Are you a historian?" One of them asked.
Leo blinked. "No, I just read a lot."
At this point, they fully believed he was some kind of expert. So now, instead of just being their guide, Leo ended up casually explaining random historical facts about every building they passed.
By the time they reached their hotel, one of them had actually taken out a notebook and was writing things down.
As they reached the entrance, the leader of the group turned to him with a grateful look.
"You've been a huge help today. You really know your city."
Leo, unfazed as always, simply said, "I just walk around a lot."
The man handed him a business card.
Leo, not even reading it, tucked it into his pocket and nodded. "Alright. Have a good meeting." Then he turned around and walked away.
___
We sat in silence for a few seconds.
Ethan was the first to react.
"…Leo. Did you or did you not accidentally act as a tour guide for foreign diplomats?"
Leo thought for a moment.
"…I guess so."
Sophia rubbed her temples. "You GUESS SO?!"
I held out a hand. "Wait. WAIT. Let me guess. You NEVER checked the business card, did you?"
Leo shook his head. "Nope."
"PLEASE tell me you still have it."
Leo, completely unaffected, reached into his pocket and—sure enough—pulled out a perfectly intact business card.
Sophia snatched it before he could blink. She read it, then froze.
Then she slowly turned to look at him, eyes wide.
"…Leo. This is from the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs."
Leo blinked. "Oh."
Ethan grabbed the card from her hands, read the name, and wheeze-laughed so hard he nearly choked.
"Dude. DUDE. How does this KEEP HAPPENING TO YOU?!"
Leo, looking unbothered, just sipped his coffee. "Coincidence?"
I dropped my head onto the table. "I refuse to believe this is just coincidence at this point."
Leo raised an eyebrow, as if he wasn't the most casually extraordinary person we knew.
"Well, if you don't believe in coincidence, what do you believe in?"
Sophia groaned. "Leo, I believe you're a glitch in the universe, that's what I believe."
Leo didn't argue. He just went back to drinking his coffee.
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End of Chapter 4.