The first-ever official tournament.
Sheva knew that this was going to happen. Hell, even though he was gutted after only getting second place in the last internal tournament, there was a little spark inside his heart from realizing that he had already won one ticket abroad from Master Irfan. What he didn't expect, though, was the fact that it would come so soon.
He was frozen on the spot for a moment, blanking and not knowing what to think. Bagas who saw his current dazed state couldn't help but ask, "What is going on, Shev?" While also peeking at his phone curiously. When he read the news, though, the fat boy was taken aback, having a somewhat exaggerated reaction. "What?! How could you have the Ice Queen's contact?!" He cried dramatically.
Sheva had the corner of his mouth twitching annoyedly, not expecting that his best friend would drift away from the main focus here and catch something unimportant here. "Isn't it quite normal for chess players to exchange contact with each other after playing in the same tournament?" He retorted.
"Well, yeah, but not in this case!" Bagas suddenly got excited, smelling some sort of drama here. "You've been gutted after your defeat against her, and you always stared at her sourly as if she killed your fucking hamster, Bro! Hell, you didn't even bat your eyes at her, so how could it be possible for you two to exchange contact like this?!"
Sheva was deadpanned here, not expecting his best friend to be this dramatic. In hindsight, though, he should've already expected this kind of reaction. After all, he even found that it was strange to exchange contact with the girl he tried so hard to ignore. However, the reality was far simpler than Bagas thought. After the end of the tournament, Anna stopped him before he could get out of the building, asking to exchange contact before walking away as if it was nothing. Hell, in the process, Sheva was too dumbfounded by the sudden request that he didn't even remember how he did that or what did he say to the girl. The last thing he knew was that Anna Marisa's contact was already on his phone.
"Well, it doesn't really matter how we exchanged contact, right?" Sheva still tried his best to change the topic here. "Also, Ice Queen? Really? What kind of shitty nickname is that?" He shook his head disapprovingly.
"You cannot blame me here. You see how she was." Bagas shrugged innocently. "Always cold, never smiling at the others, and everyone besides her sister is afraid of her. I think Ice Cold really fits her well."
Sheva's lips twitched once again, not knowing how to answer that. In the end, he decided to ignore it, focusing on the main focus of this chat. "So, what do you think I have to ask here?" He asked his best friend. He didn't expect that he would get the 'Are you stupid' look from his best friend.
"Of course, it is the general information!" The fat boy chided him. "This is going to be your first official tournament, right? Ask where it would be, when it would begin, and what kind of rules you should pay attention to? Also, this is going to be your first experience going abroad, right? Do you even have a passport? Also, how much would Master Irfan cover for your expenses? Would it be just the tournament-related matter, or would he also cover your travel and accommodation? Those are all the essential things you should've known before going, you dolt!"
Sheva was stunned, not expecting that there would be so many things that he needed to know here. Fortunately, it was still far away from the rush hour, so there were not a lot of customers coming here today. Sheva could use most of his time trying to get information about this. After all, Bagas was right; he still needed a lot of information before going to the battlefield.
You: When will the tournament begin? Where will it be held? Also, is there any special thing I need to prepare first?
In the end, Sheva didn't hesitate to answer the chat from Anna Marisa. After all, even though the girl was younger, she was at least the more experienced one compared to him. The boy also tried his best to ignore the teasing gaze from his best friend, knowing that the fat boy would never let him forget about this matter once Sheva showed a flustered reaction or something like that. He would never give Bagas the right ammunition to tease him in the future.
*Ping!*
Anna Marisa: I don't know exactly when or where, but this is the time that the annual tournament in Hanoi, Vietnam, will be held. There is a big chance that we will go there with the other veteran players.
Anna Marisa: As for time, well, it is usually the second week of February.
Anna Marisa: Also, if this is going to be your first time going abroad, I will send you the list of all the scanned documents that you need. You will need to prepare those things to make a passport and register yourself with the FIDE organization as another official chess player.
Anna Marisa: Don't worry, you don't need anything else.
Sheva didn't know how to feel about this one. On one hand, he was touched by Anna Marisa's thoughtfulness. However, on the other hand, he somehow felt insulted that the girl would assume he didn't know anything about travelling abroad. It wasn't like she was wrong here, but Sheva had Bagas as his best friend, a second-generation wealthy man who went abroad for a holiday once in a few months.
Still, he didn't hesitate to show his gratitude for all of those instructions above.
You: Thx.
Anna Marisa: Nvm.
Sheva blinked a few more times as he read the message over and over again. Inwardly, though, his mind started wandering far. Hell, he couldn't even put his focus in the right place, making a little bit of a mess during the rush hour, where most of the customers came. Fortunately, all the people who came were old customers who knew him pretty well, so that not a single one of them scolded him for the mistakes he had made today, while Bagas had just laughed his ass off over his dazed state.
In the end, though, his focus was finally back to earth once Sheva heard the notification tone on his phone.
*PING!*
Irfan Aditya: Meet me at my house tomorrow. Let's talk about your prize for winning second place in the last tournament.