(POV: Ava)
It had been a while since we'd last met up at our usual café, so today was supposed to be a completely normal day. No weird surprises. No unexpected revelations about Leo casually being involved in something absurd. Just a calm, peaceful afternoon.
Which, in hindsight, was a foolish expectation.
Sophia, Ethan, and I were already seated, waiting for Leo, when Ethan casually mentioned, "Hey, did you guys hear about that high-stakes chess match happening downtown today? Apparently, some unknown player walked in and completely swept the floor with a bunch of ranked professionals. Crazy, right?"
Sophia, who was mid-sip of her iced coffee, slowly put her drink down. "Ethan. Think about what you just said. Now think about who we know."
We both turned to look at each other for a second before coming to the same conclusion.
Ethan groaned. "Oh, come on. There's no way—"
"Hey," Leo greeted as he slid into the seat next to me, setting down his usual black coffee. "Sorry, got caught up in a game."
Silence.
I slowly leaned forward. "…What kind of game?"
"Chess."
Sophia's head hit the table. Ethan let out the deepest sigh of his life. I just blinked at Leo, who looked completely indifferent to our reactions, as always.
"Leo," I said, carefully. "Please tell me you were just watching."
"I played a bit."
"Define 'a bit.'"
Leo took a sip of coffee. "I won a few rounds."
"…Against whom?"
"Some professional, I think. They were quite good."
"Ofcourse they would be. They were Grandmasters."
"....I guess that explains."
Sophia let out a strangled noise. "I KNEW IT."
"Wait, wait, wait," Ethan interrupted. "You mean to tell me that the 'unknown player' everyone's been talking about was YOU?"
Leo looked mildly confused. "It was being talked about?"
Sophia held up her phone, already pulling up a livestream clip of the event. There he was, clear as day, sitting across from a very intense-looking older man as commentators excitedly discussed the match. The camera even zoomed in on Leo's face when he casually countered some complicated strategy with an effortless move.
I buried my face in my hands. "Leo. How does this keep happening to you?"
"I was passing by and saw the match. Someone dropped out, so I filled in."
"Why does your life sound like a movie plot?" Ethan muttered. "And why are you so calm about this?"
Leo just shrugged. "It was just a few games."
"What did they say when you won?" I asked, dreading the answer.
Leo thought about it. "They asked if I was a professional. I said no. Then they asked if I wanted to be. I also said no."
"And they just… accepted that?"
"They were a bit confused. But they let me leave."
Ethan shook his head. "I don't get it. If I were that good at chess, I'd at least try to make something of it."
Leo tilted his head slightly, as if considering it, then simply said, "I was hungry."
That was it. That was his whole reasoning.
Sophia groaned. "Of course that's the reason."
I sighed, finally accepting that we would never have a normal day when Leo was involved. "Fine. Whatever. Did you at least eat something good after?"
"Yeah. Found a nice ramen shop. The broth was amazing."
"Okay, now THAT I want details on." I leaned in, suddenly interested.
Leo, as usual, remained completely unaware that he had just become an urban legend in yet another field.
And honestly? At this point, I wasn't even surprised anymore.
___
End of Chapter 11.