Chapter 193 - Playfully Poking Fun With One Another

"Oh? This apartment is extending such convenience to their tenants? I'm jealous!" Jing Jing expressed with a wishful expression on her face after the document was sent via email.

"Yeah, only this apartment has the kind service. The owners are wise. They can collect money for the rental fee from their building and they also have a sideline income since students would really ask for them to print or photocopy school papers almost every day," Sofia stated.

This was indeed a smart approach from the perspective of business. To multiply the source of income despite using the same location of the establishment was a clever move.  And this would also be adapted to the Chronos establishment soon.

"What time are you going out for the rehearsal, Sof?" Joey inquired while wondering if they could still continue to play. Their in-game characters were still stuck in the lobby as they were caught in the middle of chitchat.

"After we sign the agreement, I'll go. When I came back, I'll join playing with you guys tonight," Sofia responded..

"My parents will be here tonight, Sof. I can't play," Claire stated while her eyes were still on the phone. "They just sent a text message that they will come over to check on me," she added and extended her arm to show Sofia the message.

"Ohh... are you two already on the stage of meeting each parent? That's impressive progress, eh?" Joey teased while grinning at Clark and Claire.

As Clark caught Joey's statement, he looked confused. His face resembled that of an innocent child who does not have any idea what's happening. After few seconds, he leaned forward and whispered to Claire's ear, "Are you going to introduce me to your parents?" 

"No, they always visit me if I can't visit them," Claire slightly smiled.

"Ohh... but, I wouldn't mind if you introduce me to them later," Clark smirked and gave her a suggestive look.

"Haha, then, you stay here. Do you guys want to stay too?" Claire asked the rest of the group.

"Nahh, I think I'll go to Stephen's place. It had been a while since I last visited this friend!" Joey responded.

"What a lie. You just visited me few days ago," Stephen shook his head. Surely, Joey and him were buddies even before they meet the other members of the Chronos squad. So, they usually hang out.

"Oh, right. Then, you guys have some rest or study. Let's play and practice tomorrow," Sofia told them.

"By the way, guys, are you nervous about the regional tournament?" Clark suddenly opened up another topic before they could respond to Sofia.

"Well, there is no official list of participants that are announced yet. So, I haven't really felt the pressure," Joey shrugged.

"I heard that there will be several modifications on the map during the next tournament. Maybe it's a new theme? AHHH... It would be very exciting to play," Claire also answered.

"Ahh, Claire, that's because you are good!" Clark commended her.

"Ahah! Clark, you're just biased because you like Claire! We are good too! Come on, praise us, bro!" Joey muttered to tease him. Poor Clark, he only grunted and turned away.

Just then, a glint of a sly smile appeared on Claire's face. She slowly stood from her seat and raised her hands in the air. She faced Joey's direction and started waving her hand as if it was some sort of a gesture from an ancient ceremonial dance. 

"Here are your praises... god of support and god of fighter... HAHAHA, Here are your praises... god of support and god of fighter... HAHAHA."

Clark joined her and their waves of laughter were too addicting that Jing Jing and the rest of their friends were giggling in their seats. Their voices already reached even from the outside of Claire's place. If it was nighttime, for sure, Claire would receive dozens of complaints from her neighbors. Luckily, most of the tenants were out and had not yet come back.

On the other hand, only Joey had a dark expression on his face. It would seem that his plan of teasing Clark had backfired.

"Stop, stop, stop," Joey gestured them to stop. "The two of you are really destined to be together. Even this kind of thing... ahh!"

"That's the sign," Stephen suddenly commented.

"What sign?" Joey asked him and had sensed that this man would also have his way of poking fun at him.

"Hehehe... it's a sign that you have to find your girl so you'll have someone to defend you in this kind of battle," Stephen chuckled.

"Psh! I don't need a girl to defend me," Joey frowned.

"That's not the kind of defense that I am talking about," Stephen crossed his arms on his chest and gave his friend a challenging look.

"Aiyaa... okay, let's stop now. Anyway, all of you are good. I am still below average..." Clark quickly said. Then, he looked at Sofia in the eye and asked, "How about you, Sof?"

"Nah... Sofia? Nervous? That word would never be associated with her," Claire proudly announced as she returned to her seat. She was still trying to catch her breath after the brief execution that she made, but her words were full of certainty.

"Right, right. This is our squad leader that you are asking. Getting nervous is not part of her vocabulary," Joey quickly joined.

"Eh, just wait a moment. I am here in front of you. Stop exaggerating your praises otherwise, my liver will explode from it," Sofia stated.

"I also agree that you are very confident, Sof. But what are your personal thoughts of this regional tournament?" Clark murmured.

"Your skill is not below average, Clark. There is no benchmark of what is average and what's above it or below because you will play with us. We are a team. As long as you coordinate and cooperate during the battle, we can maximize our input and snatch the victory," Sofia said in a serious tone.

Clark's statement of comparison may have been just a casual remark but Sofia would not allow them to dismiss it or ignored his views. Otherwise, it might develop and cause him to gain insecurity of their squad.

"Yes, I will do my best to practice and coordinate with you, guys," Clark agreed.

"We have a direct invite from the organizers of the tournament. So, we will be able to skip the elimination round during the first two days of the tournament. I think by the time that we got to play our first match, we already adjusted with other gamers," Sofia told them.

"I wonder which district the regional tournament will be held in," Claire mumbled.

"There is no official venue yet. It's actually odd that they had not told us the details. In pc matches, all pieces of information are already ready once the registration starts," Joey responded.

The plan of the upcoming regional tournament was surprisingly an extensive battle that would last for one week more or less. But only the registration period was decided for those squad who had not received a direct invite. It would end on the 27th of the month. 

As for the exact venue of the regional esport tournament and the actual date it would commence, there were no official announcements from the organizers yet. 

Unbeknownst to them, the reason was not as simple as the organizer had not yet decided this matter. But, it was because the district election was fast approaching and it's less than 3 months away. 

Mayors in every district had offered to host this tournament to boost their names to the public. Various politicians had expressed their interest to make donations for the game. It was indeed a good way to make their names appear good to the citizens. 

This made the organizers felt very troubled since they did not want to involve politics in gaming. Hence, they had not responded to the offers, making the official venue of the competition as well as its date still unknown to the public.

While the group was immersed in talking, the front desk on the ground floor contacted Sofia and told her that the files were ready for pick up.

"Okay, I'll just get our documents real quick," Sofia said and sprinted out of the door.

After Sofia left, the topic of discussion had changed once more. This time, it returned to Claire's parents and Clark meeting them.

"What should I buy for your parents, Claire? Give me some idea," he anxiously asked. 

"You don't need to give anything to them. It is even better if they won't know your family background," Claire stated.

"Why is it? Are you ashamed of my family background?" Clark asked. Ah, but that would be the most ridiculous idea if Claire would be ashamed of his family background. Didn't parents want their daughters to be with a better man?

"Nah, my parents would eat your money. They are my parents and I love them. But trust me, they might act nicely but sometimes, their request is out of line. So, just don't mention anything about your fortunes and wealth. I don't want that matter to be the reason for our future conflict," Claire explained.

"It won't be a problem," Clark debated.