The Architecture (Batchelor Series #1)

4

In the vacant lot behind the school, I sat with Edcel and John, fingers flicking across the screen of my new phone—Kuya Drakon's gift. We were gearing up for a game of Mobile Legends, but the wait was starting to annoy me.

“Sino pa ba ang hinihintay natin sa lobby? Ang tagal naman,” I said, trying to keep my impatience in check.

“Wait lang, Manuel. Matatapos na siya, 28 minutes na ‘yung game. Malakas ‘yun, we’ll be carried for sure,” John said, clearly unfazed by the wait.

I rolled my eyes. “Oo na. Pero bilisan na niya. Two games lang ako, malapit na mag-end ang break.”

As I waited, I scrolled through my profile, setting a new avatar—side profile, jawline on display. Maybe it would catch some attention. Joke lang. Actually, I just wanted to match with Edcel and John’s avatars.

I wasn’t some gaming prodigy, just an average player. But I was on the verge of hitting Mythic rank—Legend 1, four stars, just two games away from the next tier.

“Ayan na, tapos na siya,” John said, inviting his friend into the lobby.

When the player finally joined, I checked his profile out of curiosity. Immortal rank with over 250 stars, a clean account, no avatar, but insane win rates on his heroes. My 70% win rate suddenly felt embarrassing next to his 95%.

Game time. I banned Helcurt, my most hated hero, and listened as John suggested, "Pre, open mic tayo para may comms."

I didn’t bother opening mine at first, but curiosity got the better of me. I turned on my speaker and mic, just in time to hear the new guy speak.

"I'll play Ling, show me," came the calm, confident voice. The guy selected Ling.

“I only know how to play core,” I said, a little irritated that I’d been forced into an unfamiliar role.

A soft laugh came through the mic. “Not versatile, huh? Play Angela. She pairs well with Ling. Just stick to me, we’ll wipe the enemy out,” the voice commanded. Baltazar. Of course, it was him.

I hesitated. Zero win rate with Angela and I was just two games away from Mythic. "I don't know how to play Angela," I muttered.

“You’ll be fine. Just use your ultimate on me. Let’s get you to Mythic,” Baltazar said, too casually.

I locked in Angela, begrudgingly. John and Edcel snickered beside me. "Tiklop ka na kay Baltazar, Manuel," they teased.

The game loaded, and as expected, Baltazar was already showing off. His Ling darted across the map, taking out enemies with ease.

[Use your ultimate on me, baby.] Baltazar's voice cut through the game.

I ignored him at first, focusing on my own gameplay. "Nag try ako ng hero, gago ka ba, Baltazar. Look, I've got 12 assists, 2 kills, and zero deaths. Perfect support," I boasted, though inside I was feeling the pressure.

Baltazar laughed again. “Carry me? I’ve been saving your ass all game. Maybe you should stick to healing,” he shot back, not missing a beat.

The back-and-forth banter continued, though neither of us let it affect our gameplay. We were winning, after all. As the match neared its end, Baltazar's tone shifted again.

“If we win this, dinner’s on me,” he teased, obviously enjoying himself.

My face flushed. "Shut up, Baltazar! Focus on the game," I snapped, fumbling my ultimate in the process.

Baltazar laughed again, sending a quick "hehe" in the chat. He had gotten under my skin, and he knew it.

When we finally secured the victory, he couldn’t resist another jab. “See? We’re a good team. Maybe we should start a YouTube channel together.”

“Mama mo, YouTube channel,” I shot back. “Focus ka nga. Isang game nalang, Mythic na ako.”

But Baltazar wasn’t done. “What should we call it? ‘Science Bros’?”

I was about to log off when I noticed Baltazar had followed me in-game. His avatar now mirrored mine—side profile, jawline sharp. Gaya-gaya.

Baby, accept my follow request. I like your Angela. A chat popped up from Baltazar.

"Ayaw ko nga. Manigas ka diyan," I replied, annoyed.

“He’s like that every day, guys,” Baltazar said to Edcel and John. “Nagpapa-hard-to-get lang.”

"Hayaan mo na, pre," John chimed in, laughing. "Nagtatampo siguro 'yan. Di mo kasi binigay 'yung purple buff."

The teasing continued until the next game started. Baltazar’s relentless. "Baby, accept mo na follow ko. Promise, I'll give you all the buffs next game."

In the end, I accepted his follow, just to shut him up. But as soon as I hit Mythic, I planned to unfriend him immediately.

As the next match began, I saw another notification—Baltazar sent you a follow request on Instagram.

Stalker much? Tangina, di na ako pinapatahimik.

--
super short (update)