"Um? A game against you?!" Sheva was taken aback by the sudden request from Anna. Not just him, but even Bagas and Claudia stared at the older girl as if she had just committed something criminal here. "Well, not that I am opposed to it, but can I at least ask why?" He couldn't help but ask.

"Urgh… I just want to see how much I improve during your time in Reykjavik…" Anna answered weakly, her voice getting quieter. "I am sorry if this is weird! Please, just forget about it!" She felt embarrassed all of a sudden, especially under the others' gazes.

"Oh, no! Just like I said, I am not opposed to playing against you!" Sheva shook his head quickly. "In fact, how about we do it now? Let me open my chess.com account, wait a moment."

Even though Sheva found the excuse confusing, just like he said, he wouldn't reject the sparring game that Anna offered, especially not after the mission he just received from the system. In fact, just a moment ago, he thought about what kind of excuse he could throw to make her play against him. Now, at least, he didn't have to do that, as Anna had already rolled out the red carpet for him.

Meanwhile, Claudia, who sat next to Anna, could only stare at her older sister with a complicated gaze. In fact, she could imagine how her big sis felt right now. Sheva's leap was too fast, too high, making all of them get overwhelmed by his bright talent. Claudia didn't know about Anna, but she herself had already faced this kind of doubt more than enough during her time in Reykjavik, and she was already at the acceptance stage, knowing that Sheva's pure talent was indeed higher than even her and Anna's combined.

'Still… If somehow, Big Sis lost against him, it would be a big blow for her, right?' The girl couldn't help but feel worried. 'Sheva, please, don't beat her too badly! Have mercy on my Big Sis!' She begged at Sheva silently.

Yeah, Claudia didn't know since when or how, but inside her heart, the girl had already recognized Sheva as a stronger player than Anna and her. If she said so a few months ago—hell, even if it was a few weeks ago—she would've laughed her ass off, thinking that she would need to slap herself hard. However, after playing in three tournaments together with him, Claudia thought she had a basic understanding of Sheva's talent, and it was ridiculous for someone to be that blessed.

"Okay, wait a second." Bagas suddenly raised his hand to stop them first before rushing to the counter and talking with the waiter. An awkward silence fell for a moment as they all waited for the fat boy to come back. A moment later, the boy walked back to the table with a little grin, sitting back before explaining, "Shev, we have been here for almost an hour! It would be rude if you started playing without even ordering anything else. So, I just asked for four cones of ice cream, enough for us to get one each. What do you think?" He wiggled his eyebrows playfully.

Well… Indeed, what they were doing was a little bit rude. It was okay if the café itself didn't have that many customers. However, it was almost the rest time for most of the workers nearby, so once the crowds started to come, there was a chance that they would've been chased out. However, it was a different matter if they ordered something, as their status rose once again as a customer, not just someone who sat there and did nothing.

"Thank you, Brother Bagas. It is so thoughtful of you." Claudia smiled at him. Anna also did the same, realizing that this thought really slipped out of her mind.

"Don't praise him like that, okay? This is definitely just an excuse for him to order more ice cream." Sheva exposed his best friend mercilessly. "Also, really, Ia? I am Sheva, but he is Brother Bagas? What an injustice…" He sulked sourly.

"Well, maybe, if you are not a spoilsport, she would start treating you as a big brother, you know?" Bagas grinned smugly, knowing that he just touched Sheva's nerves.

"Oh, shut up, will you!" Sheva grumbled. "Just don't let Sarah see you snacking like this again! She would be livid if you gained some weight and went back to your original state!"

Anna and Claudia snickered at how those two threw banter at each other. Honestly, Claudia had been looking at them both as a brother for a long time. Well, it was understandable, since they always took care of her and even Anna sometimes. The feeling intensified during their time in Reykjavik, as since she was the youngest of the group, everyone always treated her like a princess.

However, Claudia thought Sheva's reaction was funny whenever she called him by his name directly. That was why the girl didn't call him brother, just as he wanted, not like how she treated Bagas a moment ago.

"Anyway, Anna, are you ready or not?" Sheva asked, trying to put the topic back on track. "What format do you want to play? A rapid or a blitz?"

"Ah! A rapid one will do!" Anna answered, taking her phone out of her pocket and started accessing it. "Wait a second." It didn't take too long for her to access the apps, and in a second, they both were ready to play against each other.

Bagas and Claudia, who weren't playing, were also curious, wanting to get a better look at the screen. The fat boy leaned toward his best friend, while the girl did the same to her big sister. Tension rose immediately as they waited for the game to begin. In the end, wanting to treat this game as a formal one, Claudia offered to shake hands first, as if they were in the middle of a tournament.

"Let's have a good game." She said.

"Sure, let's have one," Sheva answered.

Right after that, the screen of their phones changed immediately, with Sheva having the black piece. Without even letting the boy adapt to his situation first, the girl marched forward, initiating the first move. Anna pushed her D pawn two squares forward, and as the clock started ticking, she raised her head, staring at Sheva's eyes deeply.

"Come on, Sheva! Show me how genius you are!"

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