(POV: Ethan)
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It all began with the kind of statement that practically begs for disaster.
"I understand Leo better than anyone else," declared Daniel Somers, a wiry, confident boy with too much time, too many spreadsheets, and clearly no concept of danger.
I nearly choked on my juice box.
Across the courtyard, Sophia and Ava froze. Like, statue-level froze. They slowly turned to Daniel, eyes narrowed like twin hawks spotting a squirrel that just insulted their mother.
"You what?" Sophia asked, her voice low and ominously polite.
Daniel smiled, adjusting his unnecessarily shiny glasses. "I've studied Leo's habits. His routines. His aura. I've compiled charts. I can predict his behavior with a 97.3% accuracy rate."
Ava blinked. Then smirked. "Oh, this is gonna be delicious."
And thus, the Leo Trivia War was born.
---
Fifteen minutes later, the entire courtyard had transformed into a full-blown, semi-serious competition zone. Someone had dragged out chairs. A freshman made popcorn. Someone else brought out a whiteboard labeled Battle of the Brains: Leo Edition.
On one side sat Sophia and Ava, Leo's closest companions and long-time chaos co-captains. On the other: Daniel, the self-proclaimed Leo Whisperer, with a suspiciously thick notebook and a look of smug certainty.
And me? I was on the bench under the tree with Leo, who had wandered in looking for shade and accidentally found a front-row seat to what was about to be the funniest disaster of the semester.
"Are they… are they arguing about you?" I asked, half in disbelief, half already preparing to laugh myself into an ab workout.
Leo nodded slowly, sipping a juice pouch. "It appears so."
"And you're not gonna stop them?"
He shrugged. "They seem committed. Would be rude to interrupt."
---
After the crowd gathered, a commentetor was needed for the enjoyment. I was gonna take the role but decided it'll be more fun to watch.
The self-appointed quizmaster, a drama club kid clearly living for this moment, boomed, "Question one: What is Leo's favorite food?"
Daniel's hand shot up. "Spicy ramen. It boosts endorphins and matches Leo's unpredictable nature."
Sophia rolled her eyes. "It's obviously sushi. Elegant, clean, mysterious. Just like him."
Leo, next to me, calmly said, "It's pancakes."
I blinked. "What?"
"Yeah," he said. "They're soft."
Both competitors were wrong before we even hit question two.
Next question: Leo's greatest fear.
Ava: "He fears nothing. He is the fear."
Daniel: "The inevitable heat death of the universe."
Leo: "Automated phone menus. They never understand me."
I almost spat my drink.I was trying so hard not to choke from laughter. "Dude. Same."
---
Round Two: Hobbies, Animals, Dreams—All Lies
By question five, it was becoming clear that nobody actually knew Leo.
Hobby?
Sophia: "Martial arts."
Daniel: "Chess and strategy."
Leo: "Stacking rocks by the river."
Favorite animal?
Ava: "Wolves. Obviously."
Daniel: "Owls. Duh."
Leo: "Capybaras. They look like retired philosophers."
Childhood dream?
Sophia: "Detective."
Daniel: "Philosopher."
Leo: "I wanted to be a Cloud."
Every answer, more ridiculous than the last. And every time, Leo just calmly corrected it like he was fact-checking a Wikipedia page on himself written by sleep-deprived conspiracy theorists.
I was living for it.
---
Somehow I was sane till the final question.
"Final question!" the quizmaster declared dramatically. "What is Leo's ultimate goal in life?"
Sophia and Ava leaned in, united. "To master every skill he touches."
Daniel smirked, smugger than ever. "To understand the core of human nature and achieve transcendence."
Leo crushed the last of his juice box and stood up.
"I just want to find the best napping spot."
Dead. Silence.
Every head turned in unison. There stood Leo—tall, serene, and utterly unbothered—as if he hadn't just turned an entire schoolyard trivia war into philosophical confetti.
Sophia looked betrayed. Ava looked personally offended. Daniel looked like a man whose religion had just been disproven by its own deity.
I, meanwhile, was wheezing."Damn. I can't ..... Hahaha." My stomach was literally hurting.
---
The crowd dispersed, murmuring like they'd just seen a ghost walk into a science fair and flip over the baking soda volcano.
Daniel collapsed onto a bench, flipping through his notes in visible horror. "This data is worthless… He's chaos incarnate…"
Sophia sat down next to me, dazed. "I thought I knew him. We've been friends for years."
Leo sat beside her. "You do know me. You just don't… understand me."
"Do you even like sushi?" she asked weakly.
Leo grinned. "Sure. But pancakes are better."
Ava flopped down in front of us and groaned. "You're a walking riddle."
Leo blinked innocently. "I thought that was obvious."
I leaned back against the tree, still catching my breath. "This was the best reality show I've ever watched."
Daniel, still spiraling, stared into the void. "He said he wanted to be a cloud…"
Sophia shook her head. "I give up. I'm never trying to guess anything about him ever again."
Leo nodded approvingly. "That's probably wise."
And just like that, the mysterious myth of Leo Arclight deepened. The Leo Whisperer era had begun—and died—within the span of a lunch break.
The legend, however?
Only grew.
___
End of Chapter 22.