Leon's heart, which had been soaring, suddenly felt very heavy. The Professor was right. He had given him a compliment, and then, in the same breath, given him his 'final-exam'.
Bianchi took one last, pained sip of his terrible tea. He stood up. Sofia stood too, her hand still holding Leon's.
"It was… 'illuminating'… to 'observe', Leon," Bianchi said. He didn't smile. He just… analyzed. "Show me what happens… when your 'avalanche' hits a 'wall', Leon. That… will be 'fascinating'."
He turned to his daughter, his face softening for the first time. "Sofia. You are… 'glowing'. Do not let him… 'stress-the-baby'... with his 'tactical-suicide-missions'."
"I'll try, Papa," Sofia smiled, kissing his cheek.
And with that, the 'pope of the 4-3-3' was gone, disappearing into the crowd of happy, scone-eating Apex fans.
Leon just sat there, his mind a complete, buzzing blank.
