The opening day of the NATIONAL STUDENT TOURNAMENT was finally only a matter of days away. Athletes from every school headed to their respective lodgings, including the athletes from BOURGIS OLYPI. Noa was at the school, waiting for the bus to take them to the accommodations. He was assigned to Bus 4.
When the bus arrived, they all prayed together, asking for safety and good results. Once the prayer was concluded, they entered the assigned buses. Noa boarded Bus 4 and began looking for his seat. Was he truly searching, or was it just a performance?
Noa found his seat, and it turned out his seatmate was Song. A coincidence. Song was visibly startled by this. Evelyn immediately filed an appeal with the bus supervisor, but it was rejected. Noa politely gestured for Song to enter first since her seat was by the window. Once Song was inside, Noa took his seat.
Song felt a mix of nervousness and panic. However, Noa fell asleep the moment he sat down. Song tried to relax her body to calm her panic. Yet, she felt as if she was being watched. Song glanced at Noa, but he was truly asleep.
Throughout the journey, the bus was incredibly noisy, filled with either chatter or music. Song began to enjoy the trip, and her body finally relaxed. Suddenly, Noa woke up, startling her.
"Is something wrong?" Noa asked.
"Oh... no. It is nothing. Just go back to sleep," Song replied nervously.
Evelyn, sitting behind them, kept a sharp eye on Noa, fearing he might do something inappropriate to Song. Noa opened his gadget.
--
"Okay"
"Don't leak it"
"Take it easy..."
--
Noa closed his gadget again and relaxed his body. His face turned toward Song, causing her to panic slightly.
"Not sleeping?" Noa asked.
"Oh... no. I am not sleepy."
"But the journey is still long. What if you get tired?"
"Hm... it is okay."
A throat-clearing sound came from the back seat, causing Noa to end the conversation. As he closed his eyes, he flashed a cunning smile, and Song saw it. Song trembled even more seeing that. For some reason, Noa seemed stranger the more she observed him. Song brushed the feeling aside and began to close her eyes as well.
Finally, after a seven-hour journey, they arrived at the lodging. They got off the bus one by one. Noa intentionally took his time. Song waited for Noa to leave first, but he was very slow. She was afraid of being left alone with him. Eventually, Noa stepped out, and they were the last ones to leave the bus.
Outside, Evelyn was waiting for Song.
"Hush... go on ahead," Evelyn muttered.
Noa headed to the lodging and hurried to his room. It turned out he shared a room with his class president, Chorny.
"Hey Noa... are you playing later?" Chorny asked.
"Hm... I think so... but not from the start. I just recovered from an injury."
"Oh... who do you think will win the basketball game?"
"Our school, of course," Noa said.
"Alright... I am going out for a bit."
Noa nodded. Once Chorny closed the door, Noa laughed wickedly. He knew that Licventhen Urbta would win. Why? Because Luca was there.
Noa stood in front of the mirror.
"Yes... you must wear a mask in this world. Especially to deal with idiots."
As Noa was about to continue his monologue, Chorny opened the door.
"What are you doing?" Chorny asked curiously.
"Oh... I was just worried about getting a pimple," Noa answered kindly.
"I left my wallet behind... haha."
Noa laughed along. When Chorny left again, Noa lay down on his bed and finally fell into a deep sleep. Later, Noa's body was shaken awake.
"Hey... dinner time," Chorny said.
"Oh... go ahead first," Noa replied, still groggy.
Chorny went to the dining hall first. Noa got up from his bed and washed his face. When he opened the door, his eyes met Song's. Evelyn, seeing this, quickly pushed Song toward the dining hall. Noa walked calmly toward the hall.
It was crowded, and the menu was very healthy, from protein to fiber. Noa took a plate and gathered the side dishes and vegetables he wanted. They ate together, and afterward, they prayed again for the tournament's success. After the prayer, everyone was told to clean up and sleep early to stay fit for the next day. After showering, Noa went straight back to sleep.
The night passed, and morning arrived. The opening of the NATIONAL STUDENT TOURNAMENT was held today. The athletes walked toward the Basketball Court for the opening ceremony. they lined up according to their schools for the parade. BOURGIS OLYPI entered the court first, followed by LICVENTHEN URBTA.
After the parade, the athletes were told to go to the stands because the opening game—basketball—was about to begin.
BOURGIS OLYPI VS LICVENTHEN URBTA.
That was the text on the scoreboard. Who would win? All players entered the court. Song and Evelyn were shocked. Luca, the man who was their nightmare, was actually a basketball player from LU. Noa only smiled from his seat, unmoving, merely waiting for something.
The game began. LU controlled the ball, and Luca immediately charged forward. Score for LU: 0 - 2. The game resumed, and the cycle continued.
Quarter 1: 0 - 27
Luca dribbled the ball as if there were no obstacles.
Quarter 2: 0 - 43
Luca's movements were unpredictable to anyone, even his own teammates.
Quarter 3: 5 - 67
Quarter 4: 7 - 82
The match was won by LU. The BO players sat with heads bowed, unable to believe what had happened. No one expected the team to be slaughtered by such a margin. Song trembled even more, especially as Luca stared toward her and Evelyn. Evelyn looked down dejectedly, not just because of her school's defeat, but because of Luca's sheer dominance.
As the BO players returned to the stands, their morale was shattered.
"How can one person score more than 80 points?"
"This is a dream, right?"
"This must be a dream."
They were still in denial. Meanwhile, Noa approached Song and whispered.
"You must not let yourself get down."