Road to be the Best Chess Player in the World!-Chapter 442: Home Again

’Welcome Home, Adrian Sheva! Indonesia’s New Grandmaster!’

Sheva could feel the edge of his lips twitching when he saw that banner. It was just a second after he stepped outside the plane, yet somehow, some people were able to make him speechless already.

’I don’t know anything about this, yet they seem to praise me. Can it really be said as the second-hand embarrassment?’ He couldn’t help but think.

Claudia, who peeked from behind, choked, trying her best to hold back her laughter. However, Laysa didn’t have any reservations about doing that. "So, our hero, what do you think? Is the welcoming ceremony grand enough to your liking?" The girl asked playfully, her cheeks red from stifling her laughter.

"Is that really necessary?" Sheva sighed helplessly. To make it worse, the others also reacted the same, with Anna, the calmest one among them, having her shoulder shaking with a stiffened giggle getting carried through the air.

"Ah! Here are our heroes!" Suddenly, someone approached them with an overly friendly tone, making some of the girls jump in shock and wary. When they turned around, they were startled to see that Master Utut, the legend himself, and also the federation’s president, was the one who greeted them. The man didn’t even wait, hugging Sheva while also patting his shoulder fondly. "Ah! Young man, you really surprise us all here! No one has ever expected that your rise would be this quick! As expected of the genius!"

"A—Ah! Thank you, Sir!" Sheva replied awkwardly, still trying to comprehend the overall situation.

If anything, this small gesture only put Sheva in a more embarrassing situation, as it was clear that Utut only had his concern for Sheva. Even though the others didn’t really have a great performance, to blatantly ignore them like this was a bit too much. Also, it wasn’t like their overall result was that bad. Hell, Claudia even completed her final norm, getting her WGM title as well from that tournament.

Fortunately, Utut was a legendary figure in this country, so no one really joked or teased Sheva about it. If anything, that man’s presence seemed to be the cold water that got dumped in everyone’s head, killing all of their enthusiasm.

"Anyway, let’s not just stay here for too long!" The man finally realized that they were still in front of the plane, not even entering the airport building yet. The other passengers had already left, and the only people still remaining there besides them were the stewardesses and crews. "You all must be starving, right? Let’s go!"

Everyone looked at each other confusedly, leaving Utut walking alone at the front. In the end, a collective shrug was there, and Medina didn’t hesitate to push Sheva to accompany that man while the others followed from behind. Since Utut had already shown clearly that he was only here for Sheva, then, it was the boy’s task to handle him.

Sheva just sighed, yet he still did what Medina asked for. They walked for a while, entering the section that Sheva had never known existed. However, based on Bagas and Sarah’s reaction, it seemed that those two were not strangers to the room.

"Ah! Here we go!" Utut suddenly pushed one of the doors open, and right after that, a mouth-watering smell spread, hitting their nostril hard. "I know that you all should be exhausted! I mean, it is lunchtime right now, so just relax a little bit! I have already reserved this VIP room for us!" Utut smiled smugly, clearly satisfied with his guests’ reaction.

Well, they didn’t need to be told twice. At least, that was for Bagas. While the others were still hesitant, the boy had already walked into the room like it was his backyard, picking a plate before filling it with anything he wanted to eat. Sheva was taken aback for a second, but since his best friend had already done so, he had no reason to refuse the invitation. Soon, everyone followed, and within a second, all the people there were holding a plate full of food already.

"Hahaha! Just enjoy this small banquet!" Utut laughed. "Sheva, especially you! How could a boy be this thin?! Add more meat! Here, take the biggest piece of chicken on the table! Grow bigger and stronger, young man!" He slapped Sheva’s shoulder hard, making the boy cough.

Laysa and Claudia whispered at each other with a low giggle, clearly enjoying Sheva’s stiff smile. Anna herself was also amused at the scene, not having any intention to help her... Boyfriend?

Fortunately, unlike after the Olympiad, the celebration banquet this time was quite modest, with only one camera and no formality in it. That way, Sheva himself didn’t have to pretend too much, only for Utut in front of him. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

This celebration lasted for a while before Utut finally noticed the time and said, "Unfortunately, I have to go now. However, you can be happy knowing where I would be within an hour." He grinned mysteriously.

"Oh? Master Utut, are you going to another high-level meeting?" Claudia asked with a fake curiosity.

"Exactly! Smart, Claudia!" The man nodded in approval. "I will have to go and report your achievement to the minister, so you can expect more bonuses from the government! Aren’t you all happy?!"

"OH! NICE!" Claudia clapped happily, and Sheva also nodded in appreciation. It was clear that he and that girl would be the ones who received the bonus here since they got the title. Hell, Sheva even won the whole tournament, which should raise his status more. However, since Utut only mentioned his title, the boy didn’t bring up his win as well.

After exchanging more formal pleasantry, that man finally left, and that was when all the exhaustion hit back everyone in the room. Medina even let out a loud groan, starting to massage her own neck. It was clear, based on her puffy eyes, that the woman didn’t have a pleasant sleep back on the plane.

Seeing this, Bagas just shook his head and asked, "Well... This should be the time for us to go back home, right?"

-0-

Author’s note: Hey, everyone! I just write a new novel as an entry to the WSA 2026 competition, with the title of ’I Am the God of Football in the Fantasy World’. Please, help me support this new novel by adding it to the library and leave your comment in it. Thank you!