CHAPTER 71: THE D-DAY!

"So, have you gotten your lunch box?"

"Yes, Mom."

"What about your mineral water?"

"Here."

"The chessboard?"

"Bagas would bring one for me."

"Good. Phone?"

"It is prohibited to bring one to the venue."

"At least leave it to Bagas during your game. You can tell me the result directly after the day is over."

"Sure, Mom."

"Don’t roll your eyes at me, Young Man!"

Sheva couldn’t help but sigh again, somehow feeling exhausted even before the tournament started. Yeah, this was the day that he had been waiting for, and yet, here he was, getting nagged by his mom while she tried to fix the imaginary mess on his collar. Honestly, while he appreciated the gesture, it was a bit too much, especially since the game itself was just a few blocks from their home.

"You don’t get it, Shev." His mom mumbled under his shirt. "I wasn’t even there during your first-ever tournament! You were in Vietnam! Do you know how worried I was?! Oh, don’t get me wrong, I am so proud of you! But if you put me in that situation, I sure as hell will knock your head hard!" She gave him a fist in a threatening manner.

Sheva winced unconsciously, not for the threat, but since he knew his mother would be worried once he started spreading his wings outside. After all, he was always the type of person who would go home directly whenever he had nothing to do and never played around like normal rebellious teenagers. Still, it couldn’t be helped, though. After all, if he wanted to improve his chess, whether it was in his career path or skill-wise, going abroad was necessary, so he just hoped that his mother would start to get used to this.

They chatted casually for a while, and Sheva had to admit that his mother’s soothing voice was enough to calm down his nervousness. Even though this wasn’t his first tournament, Sheva still felt jittery before the first game was played. Fortunately, it usually wouldn’t last long, as right when everything started running, his mind would work like a machine, completely ignoring all the feelings lying inside his stomach before.

In the end, they stopped chatting right after Bagas arrived to pick him up. After one last run to check his condition, his mother finally let him go—albeit reluctantly—wishing him the best.

"Man, Mom sure enjoys her time nagging at me." Sheva rubbed his ears after his best friend started running the motorcycle. "Anyway, you are not with Sarah?" He asked.

"She is already there, bringing my car," Bagas answered casually. Sheva was speechless, not really used to how his best friend flaunted his wealth so nonchalantly like this. Of course, he knew that Bagas wasn’t really trying to show off.

"So, why are you not with him?"

"Seriously?" Bagas had the perfect deadpan expression on his face. "Not to mention, I wouldn’t be able to pick you up, do you really think I am willing to get stuck in the traffic? While the car might be more comfortable, this bad boy offers me more convenience. This way, I could just slip through the narrow alleys and passageways to get to the venue quickly!" He said it proudly.

Sheva just grumbled lightly, acknowledging that Bagas was right. He himself was also not a person who was comfortable getting stuck in traffic, no matter how fancy the car he was in, so this was probably the best solution for them both.

True enough, Bagas sped up before turning to several narrow alleys, trying to cut his way through the venue. In the end, while the Google Map suggested that they would arrive in 35 minutes, Bagas managed to shorten the time to 22 minutes, giving Sheva more time to adjust his state.

The moment they arrived at the KONI’s office, though, a lot of people had already gathered there, either waiting for the elevator to come down or going straight to the fourth floor with the emergency stairs. Sheva also met a familiar face here. Well, not that he met, but she found him in the middle of the crowd like someone who had picked a needle in a haystack.

"Sheva! You are here!" A hijab girl shouted, smiling brightly at him. "I try to search for either Anna or you, and I didn’t expect to find you this easily!" She grinned widely, making some of the boys around fluster a little.

"Hello to you, too, Laysa." Sheva greeted her wryly. Yeah, the girl was Laysa Latifah, the person who challenged him a few days ago. He had already kept her under his radar, so Sheva knew that Laysa would be playing in this tournament for the IM section. "So, are you ready for today’s game?" He asked, trying to strike up a conversation.

"Me? Of course, I am ready." Laysa scoffed cockily. "My opponent is just an old man whose prime has already passed for a long time! If I cannot even beat him, how could I beat Anna in the future?!"

’She sure has a healthy amount of ego, huh?’ Bagas muttered lowly, which Sheva also agreed to without any question.

"What about you, though?" Laysa asked. "Even though your rating is still quite low, I know for sure that no one should be your opponent in your section. So, if someone somehow managed to beat you here, be prepared. I would laugh my ass off at you!"

Sheva had a sweatdrop on his face when he heard her crude words. Laysa sure broke all the stereotypes of a pretty girl that he knew. In his mind, she should be quiet, elegant, and polite. Yet here Laysa was, crude, never beating around the bush, loud, and abrasive. She really opened his eyes to the fact that there were a lot of different kinds of people outside, and it wasn’t good to judge them just by their looks.

"Anyway, I need to search for Anna first!" Laysa suddenly started moving again before Sheva and Bagas could say anything. "I have to go! Bye, Sheva! Good luck with your tournament!" She dashed away like lightning, leaving two dumbfounded boys standing stupidly on the first floor of the building.

"Man, she sure doesn’t know how to treat people, right? She had never acknowledged my presence, even for once here." Bagas said wryly. Indeed, Laysa was really rude here, ignoring Bagas completely. However, even if he had only met her twice, Sheva had basically grasped the girl’s simple mind. She would only acknowledge either a complete stranger or someone who earned her respect. For those whom she looked down on, let alone speaking with, the girl wouldn’t even glance at them deliberately. "Anyway, I need to meet Sarah first! I am sure she is worried that I am not there! Just like the usual, be yourself and don’t show mercy, okay?!" The fat boy grinned, offering a fist bump.

Sheva also smiled at the gesture, accepting it gracefully before saying, "Of course, I will! Who do you think I am?!"