Chapter 77

Time passed.

The shooting went on, and as expected, the addition of new people made the production unstable at first, but as everyone became accustomed to the situations, they soon found their rhythm, and surprisingly, certain aspects even went more easily than usual.

The filming ended at six thirty in the afternoon, with the sky bathed with an orangish tint. The group packed up their belongings and, as usual, went to a nearby eatery for their meal.

"How was your first filming experience?" Edward asked, interested and wanting to gauge their impressions.

"It's tiring, but there's an undeniable thrill,"

"Same; it's fun."

"Me too... I usually don't do much at home. I either watch TV or laze around. Having something to do is definitely better than nothing."

"Hehe~ that's because you haven't experienced enough," Angela chuckled, said to them with a knowing look. "I felt the same at first, but after getting used to it, it actually felt a bit bland."

"You mean, it's boring?"

"No, not boring. Filming skits is never boring because we do different scripts every time. What I'm saying is that it's kind of tiring. But don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't like it, I love it actually. Also, if you look at it from another angle, it's a bit of a stress reliever. I mean, at least it can make us forget the pressure from the monotonous school tasks."

"Oh, that's why!" The three nodded in understanding, feeling that it's not that bad.

They didn't dwell on Angela's comment about it being 'tiring'. For them, the fact that it could help them forget the problematic and stressful schoolwork was what mattered.

"I feel the same way," Danica added with a tired expression. "I like filming skits, but damn, it's really exhausting."

"Oh, I'm kind of different. I think making scripts is the hardest, and filming is the easiest..."

The group then went to exchanged their experienced until the subject changed from one to another.

"By the way, are you guys coming tomorrow? Remember that we're hosting a feast?" Edward asked, remembering tommorow's event, a spark of anticipation in his eyes, looking forward to the upcoming event.

"I'm free, I can come... By the way is it possible to pack up some food? I wanted to bring some home for my siblings."

"Sure, usually, others are not allowed to pack up, but members are exempted from such rules. Just don't show it to others, lest they follow suit; that would be problematic," Edward explained, a hint of caution in his tone, understanding the delicate balance of rules within their group dynamics.

"How about you two? Are you coming?" Turning his eye to others and asked.

"I'm free.. but, I'm only allowed until 2:00 in the afternoon. I'm going attend my cousin birthday party."

"That is fine, too," Edward said with an understanding smile and then turned to look at Kaycee. "How about you?"

"I'm free too, I'm already an adult after all, as long as I don't arrived until 10:00 in the evening, mom won't scold me."

"That is good..." Edward nodded carefully, thinking about the details and the comfort of the arrangements. After thinking about it for a few seconds he suggested, "I usually go back to my apartment unit at around seven or eight in the evening... if you want, we could go back together since your heading at the same direction.. what do you think?"

"I, I think that is fine," Kaycee exclaimed, her heart pounding at the thought of accompanying her idol back. Her cheeks were flushed with joy and excitement.

"Damn, that was smooth..." Angela suddenly commented, with a naughty grin on her lips. "Is that you are new modus operandi? Asking you are fan girl to go with you at the guised of being at the same direction when in reality, you just wanted to score?"

"..." Edward came to a halt, his brows rose in surprise as what he had just heard, then turned his head to face the loli in front of him.

The unexpected accusation stunned him, but he quickly denied it, his voice surprised and defensive. "What are you saying? Do not talk nonsense."

"Hehe? I can see right through you," the loli said, a mischievous gleam in her eyes adding to her enthusiasm.

"Tsk, whatever."

A while later, as the group wrapped up their meal, they bid their farewells to each other and set off on their separate paths. Edward took a moment to chat with Kaycee and the two, making sure to give them enough fare for their transportation, before finally saying goodbye and heading back to his parents place.

...

The next Day.

After finishing his regular morning routine, Edward didnt immediately headed back home to take a shower since his sweat didn't have a stench.

Instead, he made his way towards the familiar internet cafe where the gang would edit the footage they had shot yesterday.

As he approached the location, he noticed Alfred and two others. Surprised that there's only them, he couldn't help but glance at his wrist watch, and seeing that it's not even seven, he found it reasonable.

As he came to the place, he immediately spotted Alfred and two others. Seeing that there were only four of them, he couldn't help but glance at the time, and upon seeing that there were only seven, he found it reasonable.

"You guys want to play some games while we wait for others to arrive?" Edward asked, feeling the early hour and a tinge of boredom nudging him. He decided to invite them to pass the time.

"What game?"

"I don't know, what games do you want?"

"How about Dota?"

"Cool, let's just do that."

The four swiftly made their decision, entering the internet cafe and renting their own PCs. Claiming their respective spots, they wasted no time launching Dota.

Dota was a MOBA game based on the RTS video game Warcraft III. MOBA stands for Multiplayer Online Battle Arena, a team-based strategy game where each player controls a unique hero, aiming to destroy the enemy's main structure.

Players gained power by defeating enemies and leveling up, and teamwork was crucial to secure victory.

"Should we play online? Or LAN?"

"No, online takes too much time. Let's stick to LAN."

"Yeah, online lags like crazy."

"Then it's settled, LAN 5v5. How about inviting some others to join?"

"Sure."

With their choice made, the quartet ventured to solicit more players from the bustling internet cafe. The venue was immense, boasting an array of over eighty PCs. Nearly half of them were currently occupied by fervent Dota gamers, so it didn't take long to round up additional teammates.

In the first game, Edward assumed the role of the Roaming Support Hero, Pudge. As the game started, everyone played together harmoniously.

However, as the match progressed, heated team fights also began, everyone's emotions ran high, and the friendly banter morphed into trashtalking and heated exchanges.

"F*ck! Is that all you've got? Is that your best?"

"Seriously? You only got me because you only knew how to hide!"

"Pfft! Hiding is a strategy, stupid!"

"What kind of strategy is that? Come face me head-on. What? Why are you running away?"

"Run back to your mom! You're clearly outmatched!"

"Hahaha, you fool! Go run and crawl back to your mom's womb, and now you're dead!"

"I'm lagging! Clearly!"

"Lag, your mom! What's your excuse now?"

The game started off well, but as time progressed, the enemy team gained an upper hand, and in the end, Edward's team lost.

Unconvinced, they requested a rematch, and the enemy team agreed, but they had to pay 100... Thinking that it wasn't too much, Edward agreed, and the rematch soon began.

This time, Edward took on the role of the jungler. The early game was good, with their KDA surpassing that of the enemy team.

However, like the previous match, as the game went on, the enemy team slowly gained an upper hand, and in the end, they lost once more.

"Pfft, lost again. What, wanna play once more?"

"Come on, let's play again, just give us another 100!"

"Losers, Hahaha!"

The enemy teased, reveling in their victories. Edward and his teammates wore somewhat helpless expressions at the taunting, exchanging glances and silent communication.

"Should we ask for a rematch?"

"No... anyway, some of the group members have already arrived. We should start editing first."

"Okay..."

After shrugging off the taunts for a rematch, Edward turned his attention to the group members who were now present, and greeted each of them warmly.

"You lost to kids?" Angela teased, a playful smirk dancing on her lips as she leaned against a nearby PC.

"Don't call them kids; they're 14 or 15, not much younger than us." Edward retorted, crossing his arms in mock defense.

"But 2 to 3 years is a lot younger than us, so they are kids... and you lost to them," Angela prodded, her tone laced with playful disbelief, enjoying Edward's reaction.

"..."