Road to be the Best Chess Player in the World!

Chapter 150: Should I Try to Win the Tournament?


"Shev! Sheva!" A voice suddenly called him from afar, and as Sheva's consciousness was back, the voice was already getting close to him, mixing with all the background noises from the surroundings. When his mind was finally back, the boy found out Claudia was standing in front of him, her hands on her hips as she clicked her tongue in annoyance. "What are you doing here? Daydreaming in the middle of broad daylight! You look like a stupid person, standing in the hallway with nothing to do while the others just ignore you completely! What is going on?!"

Even though her tone was harsh, the concern behind it couldn't escape from Sheva's ears, and honestly, it touched his heart that the girl whom he had only met three months ago grew so close to him to the point that she cared this much about his well-being. Not wanting to make her more worried, he finally explained, "Just… Realizing that I am so close to the top of the standing…" He tried to set his words carefully so that he didn't sound too cocky.

At his confession, Claudia just blinked her eyes, staring at the boy for a moment with the 'Are you stupid' kind of look, enough to make Sheva squirm and feel uncomfortable. "What?!" The man said, trying to defend himself.

In the end, Claudia just let out a deep sigh, rubbing her forehead as if she was exhausted with his stupidity. Her cold reaction, coupled with the chill weather of Reykjavik, was enough to send a shiver down Sheva's spine.

"Okay, it seems that you are too tired to think straight right now." The girl finally made a judgment. "Let's go to the usual restaurant and have lunch first. You can tell me why you're suddenly saying that, okay?" She encircled her arm on Sheva's, dragging the boy with her to the Chinese restaurant where they usually went for dinner.

"Wait, what about the others?!" Sheva asked. Well, the mouth asked, but the foot didn't make any resistance, just following where the girl would lead him to. "I mean, should we ask Bagas and Sister Irene first?"

"Don't worry about them. Sister Irene is meeting with her acquaintance, and they are trying to catch up with each other first. She told me to go to you, and she will follow later." Claudia said without stopping her walk. "As for Bagas… Well, we also met before I left the venue, and he said that he wanted to ask one or two things of the senior journalist there. He also said that he would meet us in the usual restaurant, so that we could go there first."

Now that Sheva knew the other's situation, he didn't have any excuse to refuse Claudia's invitation.

It was already noon, but the air still felt cold and crisp. They both tightened their jacket, and their teeth started to crackle once the wind pierced their bones. Despite the chill, though, the quiet streets gave them a soothing feeling, as if they were really at peace. The quietness of the city was different from the busy streets of Jakarta, and it gave them a special, soothing feeling they hadn't experienced back home.

As soon as they arrived at the Chinese restaurant, the warm, cozy atmosphere wrapped around them like a soft blanket. The heat, the familiar smells, the crowds, and even the shout of the cooks from the kitchen somehow triggered a smile on their faces. Even though it wasn't exactly like being back home in Jakarta, the Asian ambiance inside the restaurant made them feel a little closer to what they missed, easing their homesickness just a bit.

"Aunty, please, give Sheva and me the usual!" Claudia ordered quickly, having been familiar with the owner of this restaurant. Sheva just followed around, taking a seat on the chair next to the window. He took off his jacket immediately, letting the heater warm his dry skin.

"Ah! Little Claudia and Sheva! What a pleasure!" The aunty, who was also the wife of the cook, greeted them warmly. "Come here and take a seat! Have a warm drink first! It is too cold outside! Anyway, where are the other two?" She couldn't help but ask.

"They are still not done with their business, so we are coming here first," Claudia answered nonchalantly, following Sheva's action by taking off her jacket too. The moment the weight of the heavy jacket was relieved from her tiny body, the girl sighed one more time, letting her shoulder slump a few inches down. "Ah! Thank you, Aunty! Sorry to bother you!" Claudia said when the aunt brought them two glasses of warm water.

"Oh, don't worry about it! Just enjoy your little break here!" The older woman chuckled before leaving them alone.

"So, what is bothering you?" After the auntie left, Claudia finally asked, wanting to continue their conversation from a moment ago. "I mean, I am sure that you realizing you are close to the top of the standings didn't come out of nowhere, right?" She added.

"Yeah… Um…" Sheva paused, trying to think of how to answer the question. "It is just… Mister Sagar reminded me that I have a chance to compete for the first place, and he also asked me whether I would try to go for it or not…" He finally decided to be blunt.

"Mister Sagar?" Claudia frowned, clearly not recognizing the name immediately. However, a second later, her eyes widened in realization. "You mean Sagar Shah from the Chessbase India?" At Sheva's nod of confirmation, only one word escaped her mouth. "Wow… You even attract his attention… That is quite a feat to accomplish, you know?" Sheva just grunted, not really answering that rhetorical question.

Even though she was just 12, Claudia was a bright and sensitive girl by nature. She caught Sheva's current state and noticed something was wrong here, and after recalling what the boy said before she dragged him here, the dots were connected inside her brain.

"Ah, so, you are still getting overwhelmed by the prospect of winning the tournament, right?" She said knowingly. "What? Do you think I wouldn't notice that?" She smiled knowingly as the girl noticed Sheva's embarrassment.

"Oh, well… Yeah… I wouldn't say that it bothers me… But…" Sheva scratched the back of his head, not knowing how to say it. "It is just…"

"You have come this far, and it would be a pity not to win this tournament. However, you have already achieved your target here, and the pressure that should've been gone from your shoulder is back as you expect yourself to push more. Am I right?" Claudia stated the unspoken words that stuck in Sheva's throat as if she could read his mind. At the boy's surprised expression, the girl smiled, knowing that she was spot on. "Well, I tell you what, how about you throw the idea of winning this tournament as far away as possible first?"

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