Chapter 636: Getting in Touch with the Others
After that, Sheva had to spend the next ten minutes in silence, enduring all the nagging and scolding from Anna on the other side of the phone. Of course, he didn’t really mind about that, just nodding along with a smile on his face.
"Seriously, if you really need help, just ask! Why are you trying to force yourself like this?! You know that I am not impressed with this kind of bravado, right?" The girl’s tone was still laced with a hint of annoyance.
"Yes, yes, I know..." Sheva just answered the same thing over and over again like a broken record.
This was the important lesson that Bagas taught him about women. When they were angry, no amount of argument would bring down that feeling. No, if anything, it would make them more aggravated, and the worst-case scenario would be them—the men’s species, in this case—receiving a torturous silent treatment from their significant other.
No, that was definitely not worth the time and their mental health. The best way to solve this matter was just nod and apologize, and the storm would soon subside.
True enough, after getting tired of speaking, Anna finally changed the topic of the conversation.
"Anyway, when will you go to Biel? Will you go back home first?" Asked the girl, her tone full of concern.
This question stumped Sheva for a moment as he turned his head back at Bagas. The fat boy operated his laptop immediately, then turned it around to show it to Sheva. "The ticket said that we will arrive two days later, around 4 in the evening. What about you guys?" Sheva asked.
"Oh, good! We will be in Zurich at 1 in the afternoon, and the journey to Biel will probably be around three hours! If nothing goes wrong, we will arrive at the same time!" The girl chirped happily.
Yeah, after the Tepe Sigeman tournament was over, Sheva would head straight to Biel immediately, as the annual tournament in that beautiful village would start in the next three days. At first, Sheva didn’t really think that much, accepting two invitational tournaments with a gap of one week so nonchalantly.
’I am still young, and it is a good way to travel and experience more. What is a little bit tired compared to that?’ At least, that was what he thought in the past.
Oh, how naïve the boy was. Only after he felt burnout, Sheva knew how precious resting time was. No wonder, after a player enters an elite level, they don’t really go for so many tournaments in a row. If money weren’t the concern, who would want to exhaust their mind mindlessly?
"Anyway, we will be going together, seven people in a group! This is going to be a massive trip! In Biel, nonetheless! Oh, how I cannot wait for that!" Anna squealed when she imagined the trip she would take two days later.
Indeed, it seemed, the sponsorship for this community flew quite well in the last few months, allowing more local players to go for a tournament abroad. A few weeks ago. Sheva even heard that Medina was going to Serbia for a tournament there, which was a strange place to play since no elite tournament was really held in that country.
This time, the seven people who would go were Anna, Laysa, Claudia, Dita Karenza, and Sheva’s three disciples: Devi, Nayaka, and Duta. This was probably the biggest number that the Indonesian Chess Community had ever sent their players to an overseas tournament, and this was also a positive sign for the country’s development phase.
’Hopefully, we can at least reach half of India’s community size, allowing at least twenty to thirty players to participate in any elite open tournament in the world.’
After chatting for a while, they both finally ended the call, but not before Anna nagging him once again to keep his health. The boy just nodded silently, smart enough not to argue. After the call was over, though, he didn’t give the phone back to Bagas. No, if anything, he made another call.
"Brother Bagas, what is it?" A familiar boy’s voice rang; the curiosity in his tone was enough to make Sheva’s expression soften.
"It is me, Nayaka." He greeted the boy immediately.
"What?! Brother Sheva?! Congratulations on your win, Brother! You did an amazing job! Anyway, why haven’t you called Devi yet?! She has been worrying sick about you! You need to call her soon and ask her to stop haunting us, you know? Also—"
Sheva couldn’t help but chuckle as he was barraged by a question after another. This was definitely the Nayaka that he knew, having a loose mouth that could spew a hundred words in a minute.
They chatted for a while, with mostly Sheva asking about his preparation to go to Biel. In the end, Nayaka just patted his chest proudly—at least, that was what Sheva imagined the boy did, since he couldn’t see the boy directly—while saying, "Don’t worry, Brother! This is not the first time we have gone abroad! There will be no problem from our side!"
Sheva pondered for a few seconds before finally nodding his head. Indeed, those who departed were not newbies anymore, with all of them having experience playing in an international tournament. There was no need for Sheva to worry too much about them.
Still, he didn’t stop moving here. The boy kept making one call after another, getting in touch with all the players who were about to go to Biel.
’At least, if I didn’t really play, I need to make myself useful here.’ Sheva thought.
After a while, though, the boy finally realized that seven people were a lot. It was hard to keep up with one of them, especially since their personalities were different. It was definitely easier to talk to Laysa, who was nonchalant about everything, compared to Dita Karenza, who was so formal. However, Sheva didn’t really mind it, enjoying chatting with them and helping ease his mind.
’Anyway, with seven of them playing together, I can at least get a 7 percent boost in my stats from the National Resonance title, right?’ A thought suddenly flashed in his head as he felt pity for not playing in this tournament.
However, in the next second, the boy shook his head strongly, banishing that idea as far away from his rebellious mind.
’No, this is the best decision for me.’ Sheva clenched his fist unconsciously. ’This time, I am not going to be the main protagonist. My task is to work behind the scenes and push everyone to reach a new height. It is not an easy task, but I have to do this!’
