CHAPTER 44: JOIN THE NATIONAL TOURNAMENT TECHNOLOGY

"Why?" he replied briefly.

"No reason. It’s just... usually it takes forever for you to warm up to someone new. It’s not even half a day and you’re already giving fist bumps," Kayla said, raising an eyebrow, teasing.

Abian didn’t respond right away. He took a slow breath, then answered in a low voice, almost like a murmur. "Because he’s not the type to pretend."

Kayla blinked. Her expression softened as she heard it.

"He’s honest," Abian continued, "and he doesn’t try to seek attention. But he knows how to carry himself."

His words were simple, but to Kayla. They were enough to make her feel both warm and a little confused.

Maybe, out of all the people who had ever come into Abian’s life, only Alaric had managed to break through his walls this fast.

And in that moment, as the golden light of the sunset poured over the ocean and the sand still whispered with the footprints of passing visitors... Kayla began to see something different.

Alaric wasn’t just her childhood friend.

He was someone who was now being accepted by the most guarded person in her life.

And maybe, that was a good start.

The beginning of something she couldn’t even put into words yet.

The atmosphere had calmed after the chaos of the water track game earlier. Nothing really happened to either Abian or Alaric, but somehow, they both looked like seasoned pros.

The three of them were now sitting on a long wooden bench, forming a half-circle. Kayla sat in the middle, flanked by Alaric and Donny. Abian sat a little farther off, resting his chin on one hand, his expression unreadable but his eyes never stopped watching.

No one was talking much. Each was lost in their own thoughts.

Donny suddenly pulled out his phone from his pocket and opened Instagram. He scrolled lazily, bored by food pics and dramatic updates from his friends, then switched to Twitter.

There, things got more interesting. Especially the ads and event announcements, one of which grabbed his attention in a matter of seconds. It appeared at the top of his feed, posted by one of the tech company accounts he followed.

His eyes widened, and his scrolling stopped.

A digital flyer in metallic blue and futuristic white filled the screen. The bold headline at the top immediately caught his eye:

"National Innovation Technology Tournament 2025"

Opens: July 20th, 2025 – Closes: August 20th, 2025

Total Prize: 100 Million IDR & A Chance to Join the National Institute for Technological Innovation (LRTIN)

Turn your wild idea into reality. Show your best prototype and make Indonesia proud.

Donny’s eyes widened. He quickly turned to his side. "Ric..."

Alaric turned casually. "Hm?"

Donny tilted his phone toward him, showing the glowing screen under the fading light.

"You’re into creative tech stuff, right? Check this out."

Alaric leaned in, eyes scanning line by line. The ocean breeze tousled his hair slightly, but he didn’t lose focus.

He read quickly:

"National Innovation Technology Tournament!"

"Open starting today..."

"Total prize up to 200 million."

"Chance to join LRTIN, the National Institute for Technological Innovation."

Alaric raised his eyebrows. His expression changed. Not surprised, but definitely intrigued. Very intrigued. This was a big opportunity, especially with the possibility of joining LRTIN if you won.

Who wouldn’t want that? Being part of it would mean better chances to grow, more access to research networks, funding, and exposure.

"Yeah... that prize is pretty sweet," he muttered, then glanced at Donny.

"But this is the real deal here."

He tapped the bottom part of the flyer, right on the institute’s name.

"LRTIN," Alaric said. "If you get in, you’ll have way more support for developing ideas. Research networks, funding, promotion—you name it. Especially if your idea goes viral or gets picked up for national production."

Donny nodded, even though half the terms probably went over his head. But his friend’s enthusiasm was contagious enough.

"Send me the link, will you?" Alaric said at last. "I’ll sign up. Might as well."

"Alright, hang on..." Donny sent the link over via text, then set his phone on the table. "Done. Should be there."

Kayla, who had been quietly listening all along, finally chimed in. "You can actually make stuff like that, Ric?"

Her voice was casual, but full of genuine respect and a hint of awe.

"That’s really cool. I didn’t know," she added with a small smile.

Donny laughed softly. "He’s crazy good. The media even listed him in the Top 10 Young Innovators. But yeah, he’s super low-key."

Alaric chuckled and shook his head. "Nah, not that great."

He took a breath, eyes fixed on the last sip of coconut water in his cup.

"I just started small," he said calmly. "At first, I made a simple keychain. Just regular stuff in the creative industry. Nothing high-tech yet."

"But not long after, I came up with a glowing keychain that would light up when you got near your house door—because it was paired with it. From there, I figured out how to sync it with an automated system."

"And well... that led to smart home projects, temperature sensors, even gas leak detectors. But the stuff I make isn’t just functional. They’re also designed to be unique. That’s what I mean by creative tech."

He laughed softly again. "Life’s weird, huh? You never know where it’ll take you. But when I started with that one tiny object... suddenly all these doors started opening. I found a path I never even imagined before."

Everyone went quiet for a second, like they were letting the meaning of Alaric’s story sink in. The sea breeze blew again, adding a calm note to the whole conversation.

Kayla smiled warmly. She looked at Alaric for a long moment, like she was seeing someone she thought she knew but was now rediscovering.

Alaric wasn’t just her childhood friend anymore.

He was a young man walking far with his ideas, growing into something bigger than anyone could have expected.

Abian, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke. His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried steady support.

"Hope it goes well, bro."

Alaric turned to him. Their eyes met for a brief moment, and in that look, something unspoken passed between them. He nodded and smiled.

"Thanks, bro."

The sun kept climbing, casting a sharper glow. The sea turned bluer, bolder. The salty breeze seemed to carry an air of freedom.

The warmth of that moment made time feel like it paused—until a flash of light from Alaric’s phone snapped him back to reality.

He glanced down. The screen showed the time: 1:27 PM.

"Half past one?" he muttered in disbelief, raising his brows.

He quickly dropped his phone back down, sitting up straight and brushing off the dry sand from his pants. Then he nodded slightly and exhaled.

"Hey... I’ve got work at the office, Don," he said as he stood, patting his pants clean. "Not a lot, but still gotta head back now."

Donny, who had been lounging, sat up with a small yawn and nodded. "Yeah yeah. We’ll head out first," he said to Abian and Kayla.

"Alright, take care on the road!" Abian replied with a casual wave.

Even though he was in a bit of a rush, Alaric didn’t forget to flash that usual charming smile of his as if saying: see you next time.

Kayla smiled warmly. "Don’t skip lunch, okay, Ric? You too, Don."

The two of them walked together toward the parking lot not far from the beach, crossing sand that had turned warm under the sun. In the distance, the laughter of children and the gentle rustling of palm leaves filled the air.

Alaric moved with a slight urgency, but still kept his pace relaxed. As they walked, he asked, "You heading home too, Don? No more beach time or anything?"

Donny shrugged, his hands tucked into the pockets of his shorts.

"I’m good. If you’re leaving, I’ll go too. Not much fun hanging around alone anyway."

Alaric glanced sideways, squinting slightly, trying not to laugh. "Man, you’re so dramatic."

Donny chuckled. "Of course, bro. We came here together, how lame would it be if I just chilled here alone while you left?"

Alaric gave a small laugh, shaking his head. "So where you going then?"

"Me? Home too... But—" Donny paused for a second, then looked over. "I’ll tag along to your office."

Alaric stopped for a moment, looking at Donny. Not surprised, more like yeah, figures. He didn’t reply, just raised an eyebrow and kept walking toward his car.

The parking lot still felt fresh. A few cars were neatly lined up, some already leaving. Alaric opened his car door without saying much. Donny headed to his own car, parked just a few meters away.

They’d actually come in separate cars to begin with. So Donny could’ve gone straight home if he wanted. But it seemed like he just wanted to stick around like a sticker with extra glue.

Alaric looked over once before getting in, watching Donny open his car door too. A small smile appeared on his face as he got in and started the engine.

The sound of engines mixed with the coastal wind. One by one, the wheels rolled, leaving faint tracks on the dusty sand of the lot. The two cars pulled out of the beach area. Carrying two young men with different rhythms in life, but still moving side by side.