Leon quickly left the hotel just as the sun began to set and the street lights flickered on. The streets were bustling with people, most fresh off work or heading out to enjoy the evening with friends. But Leon picked up his pace, running faster and faster until he reached a spacious park where he could run laps and complete his daily exercise routine.
The more he engaged in this routine, the better his body adjusted to the intense workouts. His heart rate adapted well, and he progressively increased his speed and the length of his runs.
His life had felt significantly longer since receiving the blessing of Sloth, mainly because life within the ga moved three tis faster than in real life. Surprisingly, less than two months had passed in real life since it happened. But really, had so much transpired in such a short ti?
Leon often found himself checking his calendar repeatedly to convince himself that only 1.5 months had passed in the real world. It was truly astonishing.
But in that brief span, his life had completely transford. He now lived in a top-tier environnt, enjoyed the best food, made new friends, and even had a new car! All these changes had occurred in such a short amount of ti.
His running session was over, and he took a short ti to cool down, even washing his face in a nearby public restroom. There was soone he needed to et afterward. It was Laura, his friend from senior high school who now attended the sa university.
He walked toward their eting spot and saw a woman in a cotton blazer, mini skirt, thick stockings, and a scarf, with her wavy blonde hair cascading down. She noticed Leon approaching and stood up, waving her hand with a smile on her face.
Leon approached and returned her smile.
"Hi, Leon... I saw you earlier... while you were running," she said. "And I instantly regretted offering you a cake."
Leon paused for a mont, taking in her appearance once more. She had changed
significantly from her school days. Back then, she had a more casual style, but now she was dressed in high-quality clothing. He could tell the difference even without knowing the brands—sothing he had developed an eye for while living in poverty. It reminded him of the type of outfits Freya wore.
"Hi, Laura," he replied. "No... actually, I'm not too strict with my diet, so a cake or even more is okay for ."
He then sat on a park bench with Laura, planning to try the cake right there and maybe give her so imdiate feedback, knowing she needed his opinion on it.
"So... um..." she began. "Actually, I've been learning to bake for a while now," she said. "For a hobby," she continued. "I want to know if soone tries it, whether they'll like it or not."
Laura handed the box to Leon. "Thanks," he said. "Mind if I try it right now?"
Laura nodded and smiled. "Yes, go ahead."
She helped Leon open the box, revealing a plastic spoon and a cake cutter. Together, they cut a slice, and Leon prepared to taste it.
When was the last ti Leon had a cake like this? He hadn't celebrated his birthday in so long; the thought made him smile.
"So... I think I'm not the best person to give feedback on sothing like this, Laura," he admitted.
He turned to her. "I can't compare this cake to anything because... I haven't had many like it, and I don't have much to go on. But if you want my honest opinion... I could easily finish this cake alone and not share it with anyone else."
Laura giggled at his words and replied, "But I see your life is very different now," she said. "I've seen you a few tis... in Immortal Legacy."
Leon turned to her. "In Immortal Legacy?"
Laura nodded. "I an... you've appeared on TV a few tis while playing Immortal Legacy," she continued.
Leon nodded.
"Thanks... that's enough to make happy. At least there's one person besides myself who likes the cake," she said, smiling warmly.
After a few monts of silence, they both seed to run out of topics to discuss. This left Leon feeling a bit awkward, as he was never great at carrying on conversations. "Thanks for the cake, Laura."
He stood up. "I need to go. See you." He turned to leave, but she grabbed his left hand, causing him to pause. Despite this, he didn't turn back.
"Leon..." she said softly. "Do you have just five minutes to hear what I have to say?" she asked quietly, but Leon didn't respond.
"You don't have to reply to anything I'm about to say. I just need to get this off my chest. It's been weighing on my mind, and for so reason, I feel like I must tell you, no matter what the outco is," she continued.
"I'll make it as brief as possible so it won't take up too much of your ti."
Leon hesitated for a mont, hearing her words. Laura's hands held his left hand, making him delay his departure further.
Did he really have a reason not to listen to what she had to say? At first, he had been disappointed in her for eting him because of Bob. Bob, who had caused him so much
trouble.
How could he be sure that what she was about to say had nothing to do with Bob? What if Bob was still trying to get revenge for losing a significant amount of money to him?
Leon had previously decided not to get involved with Laura anymore for anything. Simply because he didn't want to deal with such complicated matters, and for so reason, he always felt unsettled whenever he t her. Was it due to the disappointnt he felt in the past? However, he thought he had moved on from that.
But then, she kept coming to see him, and while he told himself he didn't have a reason to refuse her since her reasons were clear-discussing school subjects or trying the cakes she baked-he couldn't help but feel uneasy when the topics turned to sothing more sentintal like this. What was she trying to explain?
"Will saying this make you feel better?" he asked.
At the sa ti, Laura understood his aning. In this situation, she was more at fault for the misunderstandings between them so far. "I want to make everyone feel better. And I'm committed to that," she explained.
"Five minutes?" Leon asked again.
"Yes..." Laura replied softly.
Leon then decided to sit back down, and Laura released her grip on his hand.
They sat in silence for a few seconds before Laura took a deep breath, clearly steeling herself for whatever she was about to say.
"First about Bob," she began. "I need to explain everything that happened..." she paused.
She went on to explain how Bob had helped Laura to get back to the house where she and her father used to live, and in return, Bob asked her to et with Leon to do so negative things
toward him.
Laura took another deep breath, her words heavy as they left her lips. "But you misunderstood, Leon. Even at that ti, I told him over the phone that I had no intention of following his plans... you only heard the part where I ntioned Bob's na..." she said, her
voice trailing off.
Laura turned to him, hoping to hear his response.
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