Morning sunlight slowly crept through the curtains of the dorm room.
The facility was quiet as the day began.
Inside the room, Daniel and his roommates were still lying on their beds, stretching lazily as they woke up.
Tunde turned his head toward Daniel.
"Hey… what time did you come back last night from your walk?"
Daniel rubbed his eyes.
"I don't know. I didn't check the time."
He paused.
"But I ran into Fatima on the way."
Ayo immediately sat up halfway.
"Oh really?"
Daniel shrugged.
"Yeah. We talked for a bit and I walked her back to her dorm."
Ayo smirked.
"Ahhh… some facility romance is going on here for real."
Tunde and Chinedu burst out laughing.
Daniel shook his head, laughing as well.
"Laugh all you want. It was just a friendly chat."
Tunde suddenly stopped laughing.
His face turned unusually serious.
Daniel, Ayo, and Chinedu immediately noticed the change.
Tunde took a deep breath.
"Wait… I haven't asked you guys something important."
The room grew quiet.
Daniel raised an eyebrow.
"What question?"
Ayo leaned forward.
"Yeah bro, you look like you're about to announce a national emergency."
Tunde exhaled slowly.
Then he asked,
"What's your type of woman?"
For a second there was silence.
Then everyone started laughing.
Chinedu shook his head.
"That's the important question?"
Daniel laughed.
"Bro, for a moment I thought something serious happened."
Ayo wiped tears from his eyes.
"Alright, let's answer it."
He sat up proudly.
"If I had to choose…"
He grinned.
"My ideal type is someone like Jennifer Lopez."
Daniel blinked.
Ayo continued proudly.
"Tall girls… with a big ass."
The room exploded with laughter.
Tunde almost rolled off his bed.
"Bro!"
"That's way out of your league!"
Chinedu added,
"Your goal is way too high for your reach!"
They laughed even harder.
Daniel wiped his eyes.
"Guys, let's support him."
"Even if his goals are far above him."
The three of them burst into laughter again.
Ayo pointed at them dramatically.
"Laugh all you want!"
"But I know I can do it."
Tunde clapped his hands.
"Alright, enough about Ayo's impossible dream."
He leaned back slightly.
"My type… I guess someone athletic."
"Strong, energetic, and playful."
Ayo nodded.
"Not bad."
Chinedu agreed.
"Yeah, that's actually realistic."
Tunde smirked.
"Unlike some people."
Ayo rolled his eyes.
"Whatever."
Tunde pointed at Chinedu.
"Alright, your turn."
Chinedu coughed nervously.
Then he spoke carefully.
"My type would be someone who loves reading."
"And someone who can analyze things deeply."
"Someone with a high IQ."
The others stared at him.
Slowly, mischievous smiles appeared.
Tunde leaned forward.
"So basically…"
"You want to marry an AI or a computer?"
The room erupted again.
Even Chinedu started laughing.
"It's not like that!"
Ayo wiped his tears.
"Bro wants a walking encyclopedia."
Tunde finally pointed at Daniel.
"Alright."
"The last of us."
"The self-proclaimed main character."
"How about you, Daniel?"
Daniel thought for a moment.
Then he answered honestly.
"My type is someone who understands me."
"Someone who accepts my flaws."
"And loves me for who I am… not for what I have or what I achieve."
For a moment the room went quiet.
Then Ayo smirked.
"Damn."
"That's some Romeo and Juliet type answer."
Everyone burst out laughing again, including Daniel.
After the laughter settled, Tunde spoke again.
His tone softer now.
"You know…"
"I'm really happy I met you guys."
He looked around the room.
"This tournament… this whole competition…"
"It's mentally draining."
"But having brothers like you here makes it easier."
He smiled.
"Thank you."
Daniel nodded.
"We're in this together."
Ayo stretched his arms.
"No one survives this place alone."
Chinedu added calmly,
"First we pass the preliminary stage."
"Then we go higher."
They all nodded.
"Yeah."
"We will."
Then Ayo suddenly jumped up.
"Alright, enough emotional speeches."
"I'm starving."
"Let's go get breakfast."
Daniel laughed.
"Yeah, let's get dressed first."
The four of them started getting ready.
But none of them noticed something.
Outside their dorm room door…
Someone had been standing there the whole time.
Fiona.
She had heard almost the entire conversation.
She covered her mouth slightly, trying not to laugh.
"Boys…"
She shook her head with a small smile.
"They always have their own weird way of being funny."
Then she quietly walked away down the hallway.