Road to be the Best Chess Player in the World!

Truth to be told, Sheva didn't really expect to find any good place for a date in this city, especially after the high bar that Biel set last week. In his mind, that quiet town in Switzerland was definitely one of the best places in the world for a date. It had beautiful nature, peaceful ambience, good public transportation, and far fewer people living there, making it quite easy to create a romantic atmosphere. Unfortunately, Chennai was almost the exact opposite of it.

This city was crowded, noisy, and one thing that he noticed the most was the dirt. In fact, Sheva found out that this city was the third dirtiest city in India, and that was definitely something considering this country didn't have a really good reputation for its cleanliness.

Hell, if anything, Chennai really resembled Jakarta in a bad way, and although Sheva enjoyed the city where he was born and lived, that didn't mean it was a good place to have a date. Most people might even put Jakarta at the bottom of the list of where they would want to invite their crush for a date.

However, just like any other city in the world, there would always be a gem or two hidden that was worth visiting, and right now, after scrolling for the entire night about any good place in Chennai, Sheva realized that it seemed he was a bit too prejudiced about this city.

'Who would've thought that Chennai has so many places for an outdoor activity?' He mused, reading the names of places he listed on his phone. 'Beach is a no-go. Even though it would be good to enjoy, it is summer time right now, and there is definitely no way it wouldn't be full of people. I also need to pick up a good place that wouldn't exhaust me too much. No, I cannot make a fool of myself like our date in Biel.'

This was probably the first time he planned a date, and honestly, Sheva didn't expect that there would be a lot of things that he had to consider. The boy needed to make sure that there would be some sort of café or restaurant near the place that they chose so that they could take a break for lunch. Not only that, it had to be accessible by public transport and not too far from the hotel. Also, since it was July, they had to be careful with the weather here, as rain could definitely come out of nowhere without being invited.

In the end, though, he found a great place that met all of his requirements.

"Semmozhi Poonga, huh?" Sheva muttered to himself. "It is a botanical garden, and the review said that it is fresh and clean, something that is rare in Chennai. The ambience is good in the morning and evening, but once it is noon, the sun is going to be too hot to make the experience enjoyable. Perfect!"

At this point, the boy had already forgotten all of the things that had happened in the Olympiad. Hell, he didn't even glance at the chessboard and the website that had just gotten an update, revealing the pairing for the matchup. In his mind, since he wouldn't play anyway, why bother thinking about it too much?

Not that he abandoned the tournament completely, of course. The boy himself also made a promise to Bagas that he and Anna would be back before noon, as the boy would need an expert to join the commentary. Still, the plan didn't change here, as he himself had already thought that the date would last for about three or four hours before they had to go back to the venue.

So, yeah, he was not worried about the game that happened at the venue. No, if anything, the boy put more thought into his date, as right now, in a pretty early morning, he had already rummaged through his luggage to find a decent pair of clothes to wear today. In the end, since the theme of the date was still the same as the first one in Biel, Nature, the boy chose to wear something simple here.

A crisp white T-shirt formed the base of his outfit, its simplicity balanced by the navy blazer draped neatly over it. His light beige trousers fell in clean, straight lines, and with the white sneakers that he wore, the boy couldn't help but admire himself. He worked hard pulling this shit out after searching for a hundred combinations of attire for a date, and as a result, he was pretty satisfied with his own look. This was probably the finest look he had ever had in his life; not too fancy, but fresh and clean, suitable for a summer date.

It was still pretty early in the morning, around 8:30. However, the street was bustling with the workers already, walking around to their offices since today was still Wednesday. Once again, Sheva felt quite grateful for the system inside his head, as it allowed him to get a decent amount of money with a flexible schedule.

"Hey~! I am sorry for making you wait a little bit too long!" The voice snapped Sheva from his own thought. When he turned around, though, his eyes widened slightly, and for a moment, he even forgot to breathe.

From inside the hotel, Anna came with her hair tied in a high ponytail while also wearing a soft beige matching set, consisting of loose shorts with a drawstring waist and a matching short-sleeved button-up shirt worn open. Underneath, she had a simple white top, which added a clean, bright contrast to the neutral tones of the outer pieces.

Somehow, even though they didn't make any promises, both Sheva and Anna wore the same theme here: the earthy outfit. This really made them stand out as a couple, and while they didn't say anything, both teenagers were pleased with this coincidence.

"So… Where do you plan to bring me today?"