From Villain to Virtual Sweetheart: The Fake Heir's Grand Scheme(BL)-Chapter 206: Friday at the Auditorium (part 1)

Friday morning came faster than Micah expected. He sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the small stack of sketches in his lap. His fingers brushed over the top one, a sketch of Darcy’s necklace. He had planned to give him the birthday present last night. But things hadn’t gone as he expected. Uncle Graham had called, apologising for the delay.

Micah sighed, his shoulders slumping as he put away the sketches. Just then, his phone buzzed. It was a message from his uncle.

"Sorry again Micah. I’ll bring the wrapped gift to the banquet tonight. See you then."

He stared at the screen for a moment, then slipped the phone into his pocket, grabbed his bag, and headed out the door.

The morning was bright, but Micah’s steps were slow as he made his way toward the auditorium building. He was supposed to meet Darcy there. They needed to register their gaming account for the tournament, but Micah’s mind was still stuck on the sketches he had left behind. Could he get it on time? Would Darcy like his gift?

When he reached the building, the place was buzzing with crowds. Loud chatter and laughter echoed off the walls. A line had already formed at the registration table. Students clustered in small groups, talking excitedly. A few were already in matching team jerseys.

Micah blinked, a little overwhelmed. He had never thought it would be this popular.

His mind suddenly flashed back to that dumb match a few days ago, the embarrassing bet between the two, Archie and Darcy.

Micah turned red. Please let no one here know, he silently begged.

He tugged his cap lower and adjusted the black mask covering his face. No way he could walk in casually. His skin was not that thick.

"Micah?" A tap on his shoulder made him jolt. He turned around, only to find Russell grinning at him. Standing beside him was a guy Micah vaguely recognised, Flinn, and a girl with bright eyes and a curious smile.

Micah nodded at Russell, his face half hidden behind a mask. "Hey."

"Why are you covering your face like that?" Russell asked.

"I’ve got a cold. That’s it," Micah mumbled, glancing sideways.

"Hope you get better soon." Russell’s grin widened. "Are you waiting for my big brother?"

Micah shook his head. "No. I’m meeting Darcy here." Micah’s gaze flickered to the girl as he leaned in slightly. "You... uh...Is she the one you have a crush on..."

"Shhh!" Russell hissed, kicking him lightly in the shin.

"Ow! What was that for?" Micah stepped back, rubbing his leg with a scowl. "I thought you grew a spine after calling out that creep in your club. Didn’t you confess?" He whispered.

"No," Russell muttered, looking away. "After Elly found out about Ashley’s whole mess, she almost quit the club. I had to talk her out of it. So my confession was postponed."

"Hmm." Micah raised a brow, glancing at the girl again, who was now watching them closely.

"Hey, what are you two whispering about?" Flinn asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

Russell laughed nervously. "Nothing. Nothing. You remember Micah, right?"

Flinn flinched. "Yeah." He totally remembered the guy from the training field and how he roasted them. "Oh, Uh...I see my roommate," he blurted and backed away fast.

"Man, you really scared him last time," Russell mumbled, watching Flinn’s retreating back.

"Huh? Really?" Micah shrugged.

The girl stepped forward. "Oh, so you are Micah."

Micah was stunned. "You know me?"

Elly laughed, cheerful and friendly. "Yeah, first from the forum post, and then from Russell. He talks about you all the time."

Micah’s head snapped to Russell. "What have you exactly been blabbering about me?"

Russell scratched his cheek and laughed awkwardly. "Just stuff... You know how you changed my big brother."

"Huh?"

"Don’t worry. It was all good stuff," Elly cut in smoothly. "Anyway, so you’re a support player?"

Micah nodded slowly, still eyeing Russell with suspicion.

"Me too! What’s your favourite champion? I bet it’s Nami, right? Especially after two guys competing for her to be their support..."Elly said with a gleam in her eyes.

Micah froze. His expression darkened under that cap and glasses. Russell noticed and immediately took a step back. "It wasn’t me!" Russell squeaked. "Archie probably told her!"

Micah’s eyes narrowed. "So you all know about that stupid bet?"

"No. It’s me and Elly, maybe." Russell said quickly, holding up his hands in defence.

"What about him?" Micah jerked his chin toward Flinn, who was chatting with someone nearby.

"Nope," Russell shook his head. "I didn’t tell him."

"Well," Elly chimed in, scratching her cheek. "From what I heard, the whole server kinda knows."

"Elly! Don’t!" Russell shouted, a step too late to stop Elly.

"Ah, I shouldn’t have told him? Oops!" Elly said awkwardly.

"What?!" Micah’s jaw dropped.

"Sorry man..." Russell patted his shoulder with a sheepish smile. "I was trying not to ruin your mood before the match..."

Micah ground his teeth. "I knew it."

"The good news is no one is saying anything bad about you," Russell said. "Didn’t you want people to forget about the forum post? If you play today, that might just happen."

Micah glared at him from behind the glasses. "I wanted them not to label me as a campus flower anymore, not this way! I bet they’ll say I’m some white lotus ruining entire kingdoms with my beauty."

Elly chuckled. "Oh, my God. You are so funny."

Micah’s lips twitched, but he looked away, embarrassed.

Just then Darcy appeared behind the crowd, spotting Micah even with a disguise right away. "Hey."

Micah’s eyes softened with relief before he masked it with mock outrage. He walked over and casually hooked an arm around Darcy’s shoulder. With a devilish grin, he tugged on Darcy’s ear. "You rascal!" he hissed, his voice low but teasing. "Look what you’ve done to me! I’m in the spotlight now!"

Darcy blinked, startled, then relaxed under the touch. His ear stung a little, but he didn’t move. He liked the contact more than he wanted to admit. The warmth of Micah’s fingers lingered even after he let go.

"You better make it up to me," Micah added, crossing his arms.

Darcy rubbed his ear, looking down to hide the way his face was heating up. He swallowed hard. "What’s going on?"

"I assume you are DarkLegend?" Elly asked with a knowing grin.

Darcy’s gaze flicked between Micah’s puffed cheeks and the group’s amused expression. His shoulders dropped as he realised what had happened.

"The bet spread that fast?"

Russell nodded. "Yeah. One of your teammates spilled while you were in the middle of the match."

Darcy sighed. "Figures."

He turned toward him, rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry, Micah."

Micah nudged him with an elbow. "It’s fine. It’s not your fault. It was Archie."

"Double-standard." Russell coughed.

Micah shot him a death stare.

Read 𝓁at𝙚st chapters at (f)re𝒆we(b)novel.com Only