Chapter 55: Interview (II)
"Hello, guys, and welcome back to the Black Rook Channel! Here we are, in the Hanoi Old Quarter Culture Exchange Center for the Hanoi GM Chess Tournament. I am Septian Bagaskara, and here, with me, three talented players from our lovely country: Adrian Sheva, the winner of the U2000 section, Claudia Marisa, the one with the biggest probability to get the second place, and our guest star today, our newest WGM, Anna Marisa! Give them your warmest round of applause!"
Sheva just stood still while also waving his hand awkwardly, while Anna and Claudia gave a short nod to acknowledge Bagas’s introduction, handling everything like professionals. It was clear by now that this wasn’t the siblings’ first rodeo in front of the camera, and they were trained to it already. Unfortunately, the audience seemed to notice the dynamic here, as laughter broke out in the chat box.
Si_Putih: Hahaha! Look at him, not knowing what to do!
Bajikari234: Yeah! He looks so stupid between the girls! It would be better to get him off quickly!
Ding! Bajikari234 has been blocked by the moderator.
Hilda99: Oh! Good job, Mister Mod! You should’ve done it a long time ago!
AangKataraUwU: Yeah! Those haters are getting ridiculous! It is not the boy’s fault for being awkward in front of the camera!
RonaldOSIu: Well, let’s ignore them and focus on the players here.
Jiraiya106: Yeah. For once, I want to hear what Anna would say. *hehe.
Ding! Jiraiya106 has been blocked by the moderator.
Hilda99: Nice, Mister Mod! Block all the pervs here who are leering at the girls!
Bagas himself didn’t know what happened in the chat box. After all, since he was the interviewer, the boy let Master Irfan handle the crowd. It seemed that the man had zero tolerance for haters, as he didn’t even hesitate to block those who spouted nonsense about Sheva and the girls. Not that Bagas would mind, of course, since he had already had that thought a long time ago.
"Okay, first of all, let’s ask our winner today, Adrian Sheva." Bagas smiled. Right after that, the camera pointed straight at Sheva, who was still having a shaky smile due to his nervousness. "So, this is your first ever tournament, and you somehow managed to win it all in your first try. You basically came, you saw, and you conquered. How do you feel about that?"
MessitheGOAT: Damn, that quote is so cold!
RonaldOSIu: Yeah! He came, he saw, he conquered! What a champ quote! I need to save that one for later!
Hilda99: Come on, Sheva!
"Ah... How should I say it... To be honest, it hasn’t registered in my mind yet." Sheva scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I mean, sure, I know that I have just won the tournament, and I would be ecstatic after the day is over. But for now? I am pretty much numb here, not even knowing how to react."
"Understandable." Bagas nodded, changing the topic quickly before the audience could make any comment. "Then, Miss Claudia, as the only player who managed to steal half a point from Sheva, what do you think? What is your impression of him?"
Claudia pouted slightly when she heard the question. However, she didn’t mind answering it, giving Sheva the flower that he deserved. "Well, I don’t understand how his mind is working." She joked around to ease the tension. "I mean, one moment he goes for 100 kmph, then when I was ready to anticipate him, that scoundrel hit the brake hard and turned around, leaving me speechless! His style is unpredictable, making it hard to anticipate beforehand."
Hilda99: Oh, yeah, I could see that now.
AangKataraUwU: Claudia is so cute, though! The way she wrinkled her nose... Oh, gosh! I want to pinch her!
Hilda99: Don’t be a perv!
AangKataraUwU: I am a girl!
Then, how did you manage to save the game against him?" Bagas asked once again.
"Oh, that is easy." Claudia smiled confidently. "Before this tournament began, we had been training with each other for a while, so I had already expected his unpredictable style! You can say I outsmarted him in the preparation stage!" She smiled smugly as Sheva just shrugged helplessly at her antics.
AangKataraUwU: Oh, gosh! She is so adorable!
RonaldOSIu: Yeah, yeah, she is cute and that... Can we focus back on the topic, please?
As time went by, Sheva’s uneasiness grew more as he kept fidgeting with the fabric of his pants nervously. Fortunately, Bagas knew his situation and directed almost all the questions to Claudia. Then, after a while, he finally went straight to the topic that everyone had been waiting for.
"So, we have already covered the U2000 tournament, but there is still one player who doesn’t belong to that category here." The boy smiled. "So, let’s welcome our new women grandmaster, the youngest that Indonesia has ever produced, give a warm applause for Anna Marisa, everyone!"
MessitheGOAT: Yeah! Come on, Anna!
RonaldOSIu: This is it! We have been waiting for a while!
IreneKS: Congratulations, Anna!
Hilda99: Wait, is the person above me Master Irene?
AangKataraUwu: Oh dear oh dear! The legend is here with us! Come on!
As commotion broke out in the chat box, Anna walked calmly to steal the spotlight from everyone. A warm smile radiated from her face, enough to make everyone blush from her beauty. Bagas even had to cough twice to keep his composure here, which was a rarity since the boy had a high immunity toward cute things like this.
"Uh... First of all, congratulations!" Bagas finally spoke, breaking the awkward silence here. "15 years and 123 days old! You have officially broken Master Irene’s record as the youngest Indonesian player to get the WGM title! Tell us how you feel about this."
"Um... Thank you..." Anna nodded, still wearing her ’official’ smile. "As for my feelings right now, I have been hearing about this expectation for a long time, so to finally reach this goal, it is basically a huge burden being released off my shoulders."
Bagas nodded, appreciating the good answer from the girl. He glanced sideways at the chat box on the screen and asked another question. "Coincidentally enough, Master Irene, whose record was just beaten by you, is also here on the broadcast. Is there any word you want to say?"
"Oh, Hi, Master Irene!" Anna waved at the camera quickly. "Sorry, but the record is mine now!"
IreneKS: :’)
Zigmari03: Damn, Master Irene is here!
MessitheGOAT: Where have you been, brother?
Hilda99: But the answer is really cold here! She apologizes for breaking Master Irene’s record!
RonaldOSIu: Her future will be limitless!
Both Bagas and Anna chatted with each other for a while with a pretty wide range of topics, from chess, hobbies, to her daily life. In the end, he saw Irfan sent a signal that they should end the live broadcast, so to close it out, he delivered the last question. "After getting the WGM title, what is your next target?"
"Oh, that is another easy question." A confident smile suddenly formed on Anna’s face. "I want to get my IM title as quickly as possible, go for more prestigious tournaments in the world, and become the first woman world champion from Indonesia!"