Divine Celebrity 101

The first step to handling the meeting, was the way I dressed. Chess events required a respectful, somber way of dressing, to fit the aura of respect and sophistication the sport had generated. 

So, naturally, I had picked a black, ripped shirt and pair of dirty jeans, completed with a pair of combat boots. 

This time the reason wasn’t about unsettling my opponent to gain some advantage — not that it was my habit to surrender any advantage, but the tournament was explicitly for classical chess, and split-second distraction was hardly a great advantage in a game that lasted ninety minutes. 

This time, it was purely about making a spectacle. First, it was rather disrespectful to the event itself, exactly the thing I needed to create some buzz with the intended local media presence.  

It was disrespectful to the opponent, which was the clear second benefit. I was hardly in the mood to let them get away comfortably after they decided to join the mess. 

And, the biggest benefit, a student acting so disrespectfully would annoy both the sports director and the dean. Under normal circumstances, angering people that could kick me out was not a  reasonable strategy, but at this point, the only thing that prevented them from doing so was the buzz around my name. 

The angrier they were, the better. 

I drove, leaving the top open despite the freezing cold, my smile growing as I felt the Intent slowly feeding. I didn’t need to check social media to realize that the event was starting to get much more attention than just the school. 

The sudden interest wasn’t surprising. People might not know much about chess, but a spectacle was always interesting between rival colleges. Combine that with the fact that it was just a few days before the big match, and Megan pumping social media about the horrible conspiracy of keeping their player-coach away from training… 

No wonder the intent was already flowing wildly to feed the System. 

And, as a nice benefit, my Guide didn’t have that desperate pull, allowing me to channel most to the System, and she only received some flickers. 

A happy reversal. 

I drove slowly, a bunch of stones between my fingers, trying to resist the flood of Intent as I tried to focus on different aspects. Some, like Perception, did absolutely nothing, while others had worked much more satisfactorily. 

Lauren was waiting for me outside, wearing a thick coat. “You’re here —“ she started, only to gasp as she saw me. “Where are your clothes,” she gasped.  

“On me,” I answered, then looked at her, bringing Seduction to the surface. “Don’t tell me that I don’t look handsome.” 

“You do, but that’s not the point—“ she spat out, only to freeze as she realized what she had just admitted, her blush exploding. 

I chuckled as I hooked my arm around her waist, leading her to the meeting room. It was cute that she was still shy after the repeated strip-chess sessions she had experienced — which she had a winning streak, but never dared to push to actually make me remove my boxers. 

She said nothing until we arrived at the meeting room and she sat down, which was barely enough for her blush to disappear. “Don’t tell me that you plan to go to the event dressed like that. Professor Argus will be there! It’ll be too disrespectful.” 

“Who is he?” I said as I looked at her. 

“W-who is he?” she stammered in shock. “He’s only one of the greatest chess minds of the century, and one of the top ten players of the world, and everyone says he would have been the world champion if he started playing earlier!” she gasped. “His meteoric rise over the last two years is the biggest story of the chess world. There was never a player who started playing after his forties yet showed such great ability.” 

“Is he going to play with me?” I said. 

“No, of course not. He’s just here to teach his student, and decided to accompany him,” she explained. 

I remembered Megan mentioning something about a guest player. “And let me guess, his student is this guest player who decided to jump into the tournament.” 

“Of course,” she said, looking at me in surprise. “Didn’t you already check the news?” 

“Nope, had more important things to do.” 

“More important things than the most publicized college chess event of the year, maybe even decade,”  she said in shock. 

“Hey, cut me some slack, I’m also trying to put together a team in three days rather than a year, one that wouldn’t get humiliated. That’s nothing in comparison.” 

She took a deep breath. “Still, you should take it more seriously. Go change, and we can arrive early, maybe we can talk with Professor Argus.” 

“No, that’s how I’ll go,” I said. 

“You can’t!” she gasped, scandalized. 

“How about a quick game to determine. The usual rules, each win gives the winner one chance. Win three times, and I’ll dress as you want. Lose, and you follow mine.” 

“A-alright,” she stammered, blushing under my gaze, and we started playing a blitz game. I was tempted to reveal an even greater part of my abilities, but then I hit a snag.  

She made a colossal blunder, and lost the game before the move ten. 

“Oops,” I said with a smirk. “What an amazing change.” 

“S-shut up,” she muttered, blushing cutely. “I’m just distracted by the event.” 

I shrugged. “A loss is a loss,” I said, and she reached toward her shoe. “Oh, don’t forget. We’re playing differently today. You just committed to one piece of clothing of my choice. Hmm, what should I choose, a miniskirt, or maybe stockings?” 

“Y-you wouldn’t,” she gasped. 

“Really, have you met me?” I answered with a crooked smirk, one that I knew worked on her very effectively. 

Her blush got even thicker. “T-today is too important,” she said. “A-and it was just a fluke.”

“How about double or nothing, then,” I said. “If you win, we’ll erase your loss and you’ll gain a point. If I win, it’s game over.” 

“Bring it on,” she said, trying to sound confident, but I could hear the flickers in her tone. The possibility of being dressed by my preferences really rattled her. 

Unfortunately, she only lost it more spectacularly, showing our strip-chess sessions weren’t as useful against her nerves. Facing against the pressure, she folded, barely lasting until move fifteen. 

“I … lost,” she whispered. 

“You did, but you’re lucky that I’m a nice man,” I said with a chuckle. “I’m open to … adjusting our deal.” 

“How?” she asked rather than accepting, showing that she was getting to know me more. 

“A delay, and a condition,” I said. 

“What’s the condition,” she asked. 

“I’m going to make a little mess during the event. I don’t want you to join directly, just don’t try to stop me.” 

“How big of a mess?” she asked. 

“Very big of a mess, ideally enough to get rid of that tournament nonsense and let me focus on the upcoming game,” I said. 

“Unacceptable —“ she started, only to fall silent as I pressed my hand on her lips. 

“You realize that they’ll kick me out if I lose that game, right?” I told her, reminding the stakes. 

“I’m sure that they won’t go that far—“ she tried to say. 

I interrupted again. “No, they certainly will not,” I said, my voice sharp. She looked thoughtful, but ultimately, she nodded. I waited for her to say something else, but she didn’t ask. “Aren’t you asking about the delay?” I reminded her. 

“R-right?” she stammered, her blush spreading. “What will that be?” 

“Simple, I pick what you wear for the celebration tonight,” I said, my suggestive tone leaving no doubt about what I had meant. 

I watched as her color and expression flickered beautifully between several samples until they settled on a shy smile, and beautiful rosy blush. “A-alright,” she whispered, surprising me. Not by her display of attraction — as regular strip chess was hardly a usual training tool — but by her sudden determination.  

“If there’s something to celebrate,” she added after a moment, her lips quirking slightly. 

Good, she was learning. 

“Excellent, then let’s seal the deal,” I said. 

“How—“ she started, only to get silenced by a searing kiss, cutting off her breath, one that danced hot but fast, disappearing as quickly as it arrived. It was just an appetizer.

“That’s how,” I said, ignoring the temptation to stay here and experiment on more common expression of sealing the deal. 

We had an event to ruin.