Chapter 39

As I walked into the cafeteria, I felt the bustling hub of energy and chatter. A couple of students gather not just to eat but to study, socialize, and take a breather between classes. The space is large and airy, with high ceilings and wide windows that allow natural light to stream in.

The aroma of food wafts through the air, an enticing blend of the day's offerings. There are various food stations, each serving a different type of cuisine. Pizza with plenty of toppings to choose from, sandwich bar with an array of fresh ingredients, salad for those trying to eat healthily, and many other different types of food.

The tables and chairs are scattered throughout the space, some in clusters for groups of friends. Others are tucked away in corners for those who prefer a quiet meal or a place to study. The chatter of students fills the room, their conversations a mix of class discussions, weekend plans, or the latest campus news.

There's a sense of camaraderie in the cafeteria, a shared experience among the students. It's a place that feels alive, vibrant, and full of the youthful energy that is so characteristic of college life... sadly, youthful and energetic college life is just not for me.

I bought my own lunch and was supposed to eat alone at the school park or somewhere a hundred times quieter, but a message from Liz prevented me from doing that. I wanted to decline as I loathe eating in the cafeteria, but she enunciated that she had something important to tell me. I didn't know if it was true or a ruse just to not let me escape, but knowing Liz, she never was the sly type.

As I tried to find where Liz was in the relatively large school cafeteria with a sea of people, a voice suddenly called out to me.

"Miss Katherine, over here!"

It was Raynolds. He was seated with Romel, Benny, Rena, and Liz. Basically, the whole gang is here. I hang out with them sometimes as they are the very few friends I have made since starting college, but not always. I periodically like to have some time alone to myself or with only Liz and Rena. Speaking of the two girls, they both waved me over when I saw them.

"Pleasant afternoon to you, Miss Katherine," Ray greeted me suddenly as I arrived near them.

"Cut it out already with the front, Ray."

"What do you mean? I am always like this as a sign of respect to the ladies."

"Really? You never act towards me like that."

"Maybe because you're not a proper lady." Ray blurted out.

"What does that even supposed to mean?" Lena said as her lips formed an incredibly sickly-sweet smile.

"N-nothing, milady." Ray acquiesced.

As I looked over the whole group, I noticed the others were solemn, a bit sad even.

"Did something happen?" I asked.

"Oh, nothing much, just Romel's team losing the first day of the qualifier match and losing our bet," Liz quipped.

"None of it was my fault! We only lost because my team sucks. Beny died again too quickly, and Ray lost the battle for the top orb. Lary is the only one who did something good, but we two cannot carry the whole team behind our backs!"

"S-sorry, it was my first time in a tournament, and I was so very nervous I couldn't play well..." Benny reasoned.

"I am not entirely to blame for losing the top orb to their ace. That guy was just too good. And it's not like you beat him either."

"I only lost because my HP was low when I faced him. If I had full health, I could've taken him on solo."

"It doesn't matter who messed up. It is a team game, after all, so you guys either lose as a team or win as one. Right, Kat?" Liz winked at me.

"I agree. Please don't fight over what has already happened. Just learn from your past mistakes and move on and use those experiences to improve the next time."

"Hmph, fine, whatever. You guys can only say that because your first day went well." Romel sulked.

"Yeah, I saw the matches! 'Went well' is a huge understatement. Liz made it look so easy, winning one match after another! She was on fire the whole day!" Lena praised.

"I couldn't have done it without Kat encouraging me in the first match. It made me play all the qualifiers without any worries!" she beamed at me.

"I agree. That was a good speech, Miss Katherine. Didn't know you were that good at encouraging people."

"Wait, you saw that?"

"Yes, of course, I watched the whole game! The whole qualifier is broadcast on the main site. All you have to do is search for the team you want to watch. It's good publicity, and it also prevents underhanded deals and mismanagement of GMs. It also promotes transparency of the matches because everybody can view them. It removes the option of influential people bribing the GMs, not that they could be bribed anyways."

Huh, I did remember the GM saying that, but I didn't expect someone to actually watch us when we were just in the first round of the qualifiers.

I just hope no one else except Ray will hear those cheesy lines that I spewed back then.

"I saw that too! That was some profound wisdom, Kat!" Lena chimed in.

No one else except Ray and Lena.

"I admit that was a good fight. Liz moved better after your encouragement. She beat that motherfucking prick 1v2. It was a treat to see that bastard get humbled!" Romel stated.

No one else except Ray, Lena, and Romel.

"Y-yeah, I saw it too. Your speech was inspiring!" Benny said with twinkling eyes as he looked at me with awe and idolization.

No one else except the whole gang.

"Hehehe, I know, right? All my stream followers were incredibly touched by what Kat said to me! It made me play at my best!" Liz bragged.

For Pete's sake! How many people have already watched that match?! I'm dying of embarrassment right now! It's a good thing I mastered the art of poker face, or I would be yelling at the world's unfairness at this very moment.

They bantered for a while, with Liz reminding Romel of their bet on who gets eliminated first.

As they continued to chat amongst themselves, the topic went on to why Liz called me out here.

"I already told Liz about this, but I don't know if you already know. You guys will face our school's e-sports club in this weekend's qualifiers if both of you make it far enough," Raynolds helpfully explained.

"How did you know about it?"

"We are teamed with Light, remember? He is in our own school's e-sports club. They're pretty good players, to be honest, and will probably give you guys a hard time, but I doubt you guys will lose," Ray gave his insights.

The e-sports club, huh? Since e-sports have become extremely popular over the past few years, they are now comparable to sports clubs, even exceeding them. Schools use e-sports clubs as a means to promote their own as many students will want to get into an e-sports club with good facilities and reputation. Winning in popular e-sports tournaments also garners a lot of attention to the school, creating a win-win situation.

"Kat, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Liz asked with a conspiratorial smirk.

I nodded, a sly smile forming on my lips.

"Yes, we should probably sabotage one of their teammates to ensure our win," I let my inner thoughts slip.

As Tactical says, the fight starts even before the battle begins.

The group stared at me apprehensively, making me realize what I had just blurted out instinctively.

"I-I was just kidding, guys," I redacted.

"Ahem... I meant we should do some spying, espionage, or intelligence gathering, whatever you call it. Oh! I know! Let's go right now to their club, Kat!"

I see. That's fine, too, but there is one big problem: I'm running out of social energy.

"Sorry, not today. I have a class to go to after lunch," I lied to dodge further societal interactions.

"Whaaaat! I know that you don't have any classes until 1 p.m. today. Come on, pleaseeee! Just this one time," she pouted cutely.

"Urkkk..." I hesitated.

There she goes again, capitalizing on my weakness in cute things. Looks like I won't be able to get out of this situation as easily as I anticipated.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I was right with my earlier assessment. I was brought to her pace yet again, and now in front of me is the door to our college e-sports club, which is robust and utilitarian, designed to accommodate a large volume of students while ensuring security and functionality.

It's a double-door system made of sturdy, soundproof material to minimize noise disturbances from the bustling college corridors. The wide and tall doors allow easy access for students carrying bags and laptops.

Embellished with the college emblem or a digital display showcasing the room's schedule or announcements, the door serves as a focal point in the hallway.

"Let's go inside!" Liz proclaimed and went in without reservations.

As Liz led the charge to the enemy base, she pulled me along to enter inside with her in an ironclad grip to prevent my masterful plan of walking away to escape.

The main room is huge and well-lit, combining natural light from large windows and energy-efficient LED fixtures. The room is divided into two zones, one for the desktop PC gaming zone and the other for the VR zone.

Both of the zones currently have few students using it, which is to be expected as it is still a bit after the lunch break as many student members of the club have their own classes to go to.

As we entered, a normal-looking student greeted us. He seems to be our senior judging by his easygoing attitude and calm disposition.

"Can I help ya?" he queried in a calm and friendly voice.

"Oh, we heard that our school e-sport team got through the first day of the qualifiers for the u20 CoA tournament. We just want to know more about them," Liz replied amicably.

I let her take over the conversation. She is good at getting people to loosen their guard on her.

"Ya, we sure are! Hmmm," he stared at Liz before snapping his finger animatedly. "Oh, I know about you! You're the Captain of Team Paradigm, right?

"You know about us?"

"Jin told us about you guys."

"Jin?"

"Ya know, the EMO assassin wanna be. Light is his in-game name. He is busy playing over there," he pointed to a nearby occupied VR pod."

"He also told us that we might fight you guys and that your team is incredibly skilled and has two rankers!" he added.

"He hehe, I know, right? My teammates are the best anyone can hope for!" Liz reveled in the praise.

"Well, I can't argue with that. Definitely better than my team, haha," he joked, and after a short pause, he continued. "Anyways, are you guys here to find out our weakness or sumthin'?" he smiled jovially.

"Oh, looks, we got caught," Liz smiled sheepishly.

"Hahahaha, not gonna deny it, ain't ya. Well, at least you're upfront, better than one of those backstabber sly types, I guess. Go on, ask away.

A guy who has been listening to our conversation for a while chimed in.

He is a bit short, shorter than me, at least. He has the appearance of the kind of guy you might easily pass by in a crowd without a second glance, with a build that's neither too lean nor too muscular, just comfortably in between. His hair, a shade of brown that doesn't particularly stand out, is neatly trimmed in a simple style that doesn't draw much attention.

His face is friendly and approachable, with warm brown eyes that hold a spark of curiosity. His features are pleasant but not striking— a straight nose, a forced nervous smile plays at the corners of his lips, and a sprinkle of freckles across his cheeks that add a touch of character.

"C-captain, I don't think we should be telling our possible enemies our info," he stuttered.

"It's fine, it's fine. They can easily find it on the CoA website and watch our matches anyway since they already know our team name. Besides, we will only get to fight them if we both win five of our matches on the second day of the quals. I doubt we would make it that far since we were barely winning before, hahaha," he laughed at his own joke.

His clubmate sighed.

"Let me introduce our team first."

"I'm Benedict, the captain of Team Summit Peak, our school name as it is required for the advertisement of the school."

"Nice to meet you," Liz nodded at him.

"This guy here is Ron, the ace of our team. Don't let his meek demeanor fool you. He is a hardcore gamer through and through. He gets incredibly focused on the game so much that his shyness disappears completely, and you get to see a different side of him!"

"C-captain!" Ron complained.

I can relate to that when I played in the Andartha's Cup. I was so focused on winning that I didn't register the millions of people watching me play. I guess I finally found a comrade in arms, huh?

"The other two members of our team are not here, but you can learn more about them if you watch our matches if you're curious."

Yeah, that is what we should've done in the first place.

"Nice to meet you two!" Liz beamed at them with her usually cheerful smile before continuing to introduce us both. "You might already know about me, but I'm Elizabeth, and this is Katherine, the best support anyone could have!"

I nodded politely as she introduced me while ignoring the embarrassing praise.

"Oh, so she's the supportive girl! That was some nice speech by her."

The heck! Not these guys, too!

"I know, right!" Liz beamed as if she was the one being complimented.

"Yeah, I can see why you chose her to be your support. Even if she doesn't do much to support in the battles, she does give some good supportive encouragement."

I don't know if I'm supposed to be pleased or offended by that. Maybe both?

Both of them immediately hit off. Before I knew it, they were conversing about mundane topics like the pro scene of CoA and other CoA-related stuff. I guess Liz completely forgot why we came here in the first place.

I didn't interrupt her and let her have fun. I can just research their playstyle later, as they already have videos of their fight for me to analyze.

Their conversation continued, and we eventually parted ways due to me having a class without us gaining any substantial information.