Leo stared at the boy for a few more seconds. His eyes were calm, cold even, but deeply observant. Then his gaze shifted slowly across the room.
The whole class… was ignoring what had just happened.
No one reacted. No one turned. It was like he had fallen into some alternate world where people pretended everything was fine, even when it obviously wasn't.
Some students even hurriedly grabbed their lunchboxes and slipped out of the classroom, carefully avoiding looking in his direction—as if they couldn't leave fast enough.
Leo's frown deepened.
He stood up slowly, brushing the dust from the back of his pants, saying nothing. Without sparing another glance at the boy, he began checking through his belongings on the desk with a quiet, annoyed expression.
Then came the voice again.
"What? Looking for this?" the same boy spoke with a smug grin, his voice laced with that irritating haughty tone.
Leo turned.
The boy was holding up his student ID card, dangling it between two fingers like it was something filthy he had graciously decided not to throw away.
Leo narrowed his eyes. "Why do you have that?"
The boy gave a theatrical shake of his head, clicking his tongue. "Tsk, tsk, Leo. You really shouldn't be so careless. Imagine if it wasn't me who found it. If I weren't such a kind and loyal friend, your best buddy, I might've just tossed it out of the school grounds. You know? But lucky for you," he smirked and extended his hand, "I'm the forgiving type."
Leo looked at the ID, then at him. "Is that so..." he murmured as he reached to take it.
But just as his fingers touched the edge, the boy jerked it back, grinning.
"No, no, no. That's not how this works," the boy said mockingly, wagging his finger. "You lost it, and I had to keep it safe all night. You owe me, Leo. So, how about this—go down to the cafeteria and buy me a doughnut. And don't forget, your money, not mine. We're friends, right?
Friends help each other."
Leo blinked, then gave a short exhale and nodded slowly. "Ah... I see. So you're the guy, huh..." He didn't even need to process the situation. The one who had caused trouble all along was sitting right next to him.
No mystery there.
He nodded again to himself, calmly glancing around the room. The students were still pretending not to hear or see anything. It was like this was normal to them. As if this was just how things worked around here.
The boy's smile began to fade slightly. Leo wasn't reacting the way he usually did. There was no panic, no stammering, no forced smiles. Just... silence. Cold and unreadable.
The boy leaned in closer, annoyance flickering in his eyes. "Oi... what the hell are you waiting for? Huh? Or... do I need to teach you again what friendship really means?" His smirk returned, but it was more aggressive now, twisted with irritation.
Leo stared at him blankly.
Then he slowly shook his head and muttered under his breath, "Goodness... children these days," like he was genuinely disappointed.
And before the boy could even process that—
Slap!
A sharp sound echoed in the classroom.
Leo's hand had connected cleanly with the boy's cheek.
The entire class flinched. Heads turned all at once, shock plastered across every face. For the first time, their eyes were on Leo—really on him.
Even the boy was stunned. He raised a trembling hand to his cheek, blinking rapidly, trying to understand what had just happened.
Leo. The boy who always kept his head down. The one who never talked back, never stood up for himself... had just slapped him.
Hard.
"YO—"
"Sigh... don't shout," Leo interrupted, his voice unusually soft as he raised a single finger and placed it gently on the boy's lips. "I have sensitive ears, you know."
The room went still.
The boy's eyes widened in fury.
"YOU FUCKER!!" he shouted and launched a fist toward Leo's face.
But Leo tilted his head slightly to the side.
Slap!!!
Another clean hit. The boy's head snapped to the left, his face now burning red with the second slap.
The class gasped again, unsure if they were witnessing a dream or something far more dangerous.
The boy staggered and stood, kicking the chair violently behind him, knocking it over as he got to his feet, breathing hard with rage.
"You little—!!"
"What's going on here?" a tired voice called from the door.
The chaos froze.
Leo's homeroom teacher had arrived, standing with a stack of papers in one hand, his face etched with the kind of exhaustion that said he'd seen too much nonsense for one lifetime.
The ash-grey-haired boy clenched his teeth, his red face twitching.
"Nothing!" he spat and stormed out of the room, still fuming.
The teacher watched him go with an expression that barely changed. Then he glanced at Leo, who simply shrugged, sitting back down in his chair.
The man muttered something under his breath. 'Whatever... I'm not paid enough to deal with this shit,' he thought bitterly, before walking away without another word.
Leo remained seated, calm and silent.
He stared at the ID card resting in his hand... Yeah, stole when he slapped him!
<
Name: Leo
Class: 11 [Junior]
Section: B
DOB: 20/08/2008; Age: 17
Blood Group: O-
Parent/Guardian Name: Raphael
Home Address: 28 Ashwind Lane, Duskwatch, Arsalan Province, Gaia: 73852
>
He ran his thumb across the edge of the plastic. [Imgincmt]
Leo blinked slowly as he stared at the address printed on the ID card in his hand. His eyes moved over the words again, trying to process what he was reading.
He had never heard of this place before—Ashwind Lane, Duskwatch, Arsalan Province? That meant nothing to him. He'd never lived anywhere even remotely like that.
But what caught him even more off guard was the age listed on the ID: 17.
Wait... wasn't he just turned 18?
Even more unsettling—the photo on the ID was definitely him. Same face, same look... except he was wearing glasses in the picture.
Leo muttered under his breath, "Damn it..."
It finally made sense. No wonder everything had looked a little blurry since nightfall. He hadn't realised it because he could manage without them, but now he understood—he needed glasses. The version of him in this world wore them.
He clenched the ID card tighter, his expression unreadable now. Slowly, his gaze drifted up to the front of the classroom, to the green board where today's date was written in white chalk:
01/08/2026
Leo froze.
That wasn't right. Not even close.
If his memory was accurate, the last date he remembered was sometime around September 2026.
So... how did an entire month just vanish?
He took a deep breath, holding it for a moment before letting out a long sigh. As much as he had tried to deny it, all the signs were lining up. Everything around him—people, places, this body—none of it belonged to the life he remembered.
The truth was undeniable now.
He wasn't in his world anymore... He wasn't even in his own body.
"Fu..." Leo groaned, dragging his hand down his face in frustration. "This is so screwed up."
He leaned back for a second, feeling the weight of everything settle on his shoulders.
From his pocket, he pulled out another ID card—the one he had taken earlier from the boy who stormed out of the class. He stared at it carefully.
Kai.
So that was his name.
Leo said it in his mind without emotion. It didn't mean anything to him yet, but something about the name made him take a second glance at the ID, like his instincts were warning him not to underestimate this guy.
Soon, the next class began.
Leo didn't say a word. He didn't eat. Not because he didn't want to—but because he couldn't. He didn't have any money. Not a single coin or note. No wallet, no student meal card.
Nothing.
Kai eventually came back and sat down beside him, but he didn't speak. Neither of them did. Leo just sat still, trying to focus on the teacher's words and absorb what he could about this world.
It didn't take long for him to piece things together. This place, while different in name, was still eerily similar to Earth. The structure of society, the subjects being taught, the way people behaved—it all felt familiar. Just... with different names.
Instead of Earth, this world was called Gaia.
The city he was in was called Duskwatch, and the state or province was referred to as Arsalan.
Beyond that? Technology, development, culture—it all matched his world almost too closely. Everything felt like a mirror with only slight smudges.
By the time the final period rolled around, Leo's stomach growled.
"Argh..." he groaned, rubbing his abdomen with a wince. "I should've eaten something..."
The bell rang.
~Ding~Dong~
The moment the class was dismissed, Leo stood up. There was no point in sticking around. Staying longer wouldn't change anything, and besides, he needed to figure out what to do next.
He had learned something important today—this Leo, the one whose body he was in now, didn't have a single friend.
So bad. So sad.
But... who cares?
Just as he was about to walk out of the classroom, Kai stood up slowly and blocked his way with an unreadable look in his eyes.
"Where are you going?" Kai asked, voice calm but clearly meant to provoke.
Leo glanced sideways at him, then replied with zero expression, "Restroom. What? You want to follow me and watch me pee?"
A vein popped visibly on Kai's forehead. "Fucker..." he hissed through gritted teeth.
Leo smiled faintly, not out of joy, but from watching Kai's face twist up like a badly drawn cartoon villain. Something about it brought him mild satisfaction.
Kai shook his head. "Whatever. You haven't forgotten, have you?" he asked suddenly, now grinning.
"Huh?" Leo tilted his head.
Kai's grin widened. "We have a friendly match today. Did you really forget? Man... that's kind of sad~"
Leo shrugged. "I don't have time for this nonsense," he replied, turning away.
But the moment he opened the door—
Ten boys stood outside. Big. Bulky. Each with arms crossed, serious expressions, and eyes locked on Leo like they'd been waiting for him all day.
"Haha..." Kai laughed behind him, loud and cocky.
He then turned toward the rest of the class and said casually, "Why don't you all come out too? I want everyone to witness what happens when someone... disobeys me."
His voice dropped into a deadly tone.
The students flinched. Some hesitated, but most got up quickly and began to follow, their faces filled with nervous fear. Not one of them dared to challenge him.
Leo sighed loudly, dragging a hand through his hair.
'I just wanted to eat, damn it...'