Vicinity of the Local Gymnasium, Downtown Area
"Captain... Captain! There is a presence of a modern Greek god over there. Look at the tree on your left side. That man is great scenery of its own," Nate whispered to his companion. His tone was teasing and there was a small curl that appeared on his lips. Excitement flashed in his eyes and it did not leave in the direction of the man that he called 'modern Greek god' for a few more seconds.
Under the scorching day, Nate adjusted his black cap. He subconsciously licked the side of his upper lips and gulped before he gave a glance at his captain.
These two men were walking side by side on the pavement going towards the entrance of their local gymnasium. They were wearing dark red athletic jackets with the golden fabric used in the side pockets. The color completely accentuated their fair smooth skin, making them more charming and attractive in a casual way.
At the back of the jacket was the scorpion skeleton symbol embroidered in golden thread. The tail of the scorpion was raised and the tip of it had a blazing silver flame.
It was the gaming logo of their club: The Lethal Game Masters Club. And the flame in the scorpion's tail was the distinctive symbol of their squad: Silver Flame.
Despite Nate's words and tempting tone of voice, there was not a single trace of interest in his companion's beautiful face. He looked serious but there was a friendly aura around him. Such a unique bearing.
In fact, this companion was also a sight to behold. His long eyelashes covered almost his deep raven eyes, giving an allure of danger once he made eye contact.
His perfectly shaped lips, sharp jaw, and full-bridged nose highlighted his entire facial feature.
And if the face was not enough, this man is also 6'3 tall.
The man possessed an image of a male deity and dominant height. His looks would demand anyone to stare at him longer than necessary.
Such an appearance is the epitome of a man in every girl's dream and lady's fantasy. Unfortunately, he is only interested in a certain male...
"Captain, you are missing something appetizing!" Nate urged the man to look, but the captain just continued walking without giving a glance in the direction. Nate could only pout his lips childishly. He then scratched his head and released a long sigh.
"Captain, what a loss if you don't look at him," Nate persisted and shrugged his shoulder. He then gave one last glance in the direction of the 'modern Greek god' before he looked straight in the direction of the gymnasium entrance.
As they walked, some girl gamers who were strolling the other way could not help but look in Nate's direction. They had dreamy expressions on their faces while watching the two men sauntered cozily until they reached the entrance area of the gymnasium.
"OMG! That is the captain and vice-captain of the Silver Flame squad! How handsome!" one of the girl gamers exclaimed in excitement. Her face turned red while looking at the two men.
"They are... the good vitamins for our eyes! So handsome! Let's hurry!" the other girl gamer squirmed and hastily walked to follow the two men.
The girls hasten their pace. With their quick footsteps, they also arrived at the entrance area. But before they could approach closer to the two men, there were three bodyguards who suddenly appeared to stop them.
These men were but the personal guards for the captain and vice-captain that were hired by Lethal Master Club. All the squad that was connected to the club had their own personal guards to keep them safe. The gaming logo of the Silver Flame squad was also patched on the chest area of their red suit uniforms.
The girls glared at them coldly. Obviously, they were not happy with their actions. But the bodyguards maintained a formal expression on their faces.
"Ladies, please be mindful of personal space. We asked that you keep a distance away from our boss or we will have no choice but to take matters to the organizers of this tournament," the leader spoke icily. His voice was firm and resolute. It made the girl gamers completely scared that they did not speak a word and just left right away.
The bodyguards slightly bowed at the two men before they also pretended as if they were also audiences of the tournament.
"Captain, permission to go out alone! I want to talk with that man and get to know him! Hehe," Nate chuckled after they were settled on their booths. "In a few hours from now, the tournament will start. I won't be able to focus on my gameplay if I can't talk to him!" he dramatically added.
The captain blinked his eyes and clasped his hands together. A small frown finally appeared on his forehead as he spoke mildly, "Do whatever you want, Nate. How old are you to ask permission of me? I don't control your feet, am I?"
"Hehehe, then, I'll be right back! I won't be long," Nate spoke and quickly went to the exit door.
After Nate walked further enough, the captain raised his hand. Then, he simply signaled the bodyguards to follow Nate's movement.
Without any word, the three figures of their bodyguards secretly moved their way towards the exit too.
For a moment, he sat in their both and scanned the area. The audience location was still empty as the organizers did not allow any of them to enter the gymnasium yet.
His eyes continued to look around and landed on a particular booth with the squad name plastered on the side: BAD GAMERS SQUAD.
There were four players occupying the booth but none of them was the one that he wanted to see. He sighed and momentarily closed his eyes. Both his hands were on the pockets of his jacket.
"Captain Calix? May I interrupt for a while?" A female's voice made him open his eyes. The woman stood just a few feet away from him.
"Hello, we are from the RE Press Media. I'm Mimi. Is it okay to have a brief interview of you about your Silver Flame team before the tournament starts?" a female reporter quickly introduced after seeing that captain Calix had opened his eyes. There were two crew members following Mimi on her side, carrying a camera and other pieces of equipment.
"Go ahead," he responded in a formal tone. The man tilted his head and looked up before he also nodded his head for the camera to focus on him. Media interview was normal for club captains to handle during gaming tournament. It was not the first time he participated in media interviews.
"So, the audience really wanted to know this first. They had demanded me to ask you these personal questions," Mimi started in a cautious tone.
"Personal questions?" Calix repeated. His eyes were on the camera instead of the interviewer making it look like he was asking the audience directly.
"Well, yeah... You see, our audience... your fans wanted to know about the last statement that you have updated on your social media account. Do you remember your post, captain?" Mimi questioned with an expectant expression on her face.
"The said statement was still very fresh in my memory. I posted it last night," Calix answered right away.
At that time, there was a female fan who asked him a question when he was doing a live stream. The question was rather bold: "Captain Calix, will you be my boyfriend?"
In response, he posted the statement directly to the fan. "Probably, if the BGS captain asked me, I'd agree."
BGS - Bad Gamers Squad. Contrary to its squad name, the members of this squad were the standing champion of the last E-Sports Tournament.
Speaking of BGS captain, most of the time, the captain is mistakenly called Theo due to his in-game name. But, in fact, it was actually "The0" and should be spoken as "The Zero."
Yet, the people had continued to call him Theo. In the end, the man somehow just accepted this name and blended it into his identity.
He was the man that Calix meant. If Theo would ask him, he would say yes.
Such a straightforward confession stirred the entire gaming community. Up until now, they were waiting for captain Theo's response. However, this man had never gone online!
Seeing the calm expression on Calix's face, the reporter Mimi felt a boost of confidence to get some more details of his post.
"So, Captain Calix, many female gamers wanted to know about it. Was it just a pure admiration from the champion squad of the last tournament? I heard that the squad will watch today's matches. How do you feel about the possibility of meeting their squad captain? Is there something that we have somehow misunderstood?"
Calix paused for a few seconds. Mimi had fired him several questions in a row. He could not help but raise his eyebrows and finally glance at her. He then responded, "Captain Theo is admirable. I would be very honored if I meet Theo today. There is no misunderstanding. If he asks me out, I would say yes."
Just like that, the fantasies of most female gamers instantly shattered.
With just a simple response, even Mimi looked as if she was lost in words. There was a cloud of confusion on her expression while gazing at the captain's handsome face. Perhaps, she also did not expect to hear such a direct response from the man.
"Hahaha... Cool! Now, everything is clear! Thank you for your time, Captain Calix," Mimi abruptly stopped her interview in fear that she might offend the man.
"You're welcome!" Calix curtly said and watched as the female reporter walked around and tried to find another gamer to interview.