Chapter 248: It’s Raining Hail!

"Come on, let me introduce you to everyone."

As soon as they stepped into the training room, Erikson clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention.

The room immediately fell silent.

One after another, the players turned toward the entrance.

Or rather...

Their attention wasn’t on Luca at all.

It was fixed squarely on the two young women standing beside him.

The reason was obvious.

Two stunning girls had just walked into a room that was usually filled with nothing but men.

Who could stay calm?

Trish was tall, fair-skinned, and strikingly beautiful, with long legs that made her look every bit the campus goddess.

Rachel, on the other hand, wasn’t especially tall, but her delicate features more than made up for it. At around 1.6 meters, her petite frame only added to her sweet, adorable charm.

For a moment, every player, and even the coaching staff, exchanged excited looks.

Their department was practically a monk’s monastery.

Only a handful of the club’s other divisions had female players, and they had been the envy of everyone else for years.

Could it be...

Their Lunar Edge team was finally getting female members?

And not just any members.

Two beauties.

The thought alone was enough to lift everyone’s spirits.

From today onward, the balance of power within the club was finally going to change.

As for the handsome guy standing between them...

Nobody paid him any attention.

Who cared if he was handsome?

They weren’t interested in men.

Watching the hungry expressions on their faces, Manager Erikson almost burst out laughing.

’Looks like I’m about to crush a lot of dreams.’

He cleared his throat and spoke with a straight face.

"Allow me to introduce everyone. This is Mr. Luca Hale, the owner of Capital City Gaming Center."

He gestured toward Rachel and Trish.

"And these two are General Manager Hale’s younger sisters. They’re visiting today to observe the team’s training. Let’s give them a warm welcome."

The room immediately erupted in applause.

Everyone clapped enthusiastically.

But beneath all those smiling faces...

Erikson clearly saw the light disappear from his players’ eyes.

So...

The two beauties weren’t joining the team after all.

Their dream of escaping the title of "the celibate department" had been shattered before it even began.

They would continue being mocked by the other divisions.

Just thinking about it made them want to cry.

Luca naturally noticed the dramatic change in everyone’s expressions, but he simply smiled as though nothing had happened.

After exchanging greetings with the team, he gently patted Rachel’s head.

"Go ahead. Trish and I will wait over there."

The training room was spacious, divided into an esports area, a lounge, and a meeting section.

Under Manager Erikson’s guidance, Luca and Trish settled onto a sofa in the lounge.

Not long afterward, one of the staff members brought over a plate of freshly cut fruit and placed it on the coffee table.

Rachel, meanwhile, was already chatting happily with the players.

Within minutes, she was sitting in front of an empty gaming station.

The moment the computer booted up, everyone invited her into a match.

Whether people admitted it or not...

The atmosphere changed completely whenever there was a girl in the room.

Her arrival instantly energized the entire team.

At first, they assumed she would just be another casual player.

To their surprise...

She was actually pretty good.

She was nowhere near professional level, but among regular players, her mechanics and game sense were impressive.

One of the players laughed.

"Why aren’t you playing with them?"

Luca glanced toward a handsome blond young man who looked to be about twenty.

According to Erikson, he was Michael, the team captain.

The team’s core player.

Both his mechanics and leadership were among the best in the league.

Michael casually picked up a potato chip before answering.

"They already have three pros carrying them."

He nodded toward the gaming area.

"I’d just be stealing someone else’s fun."

The game required four players per team.

With three professional players already teamed up with Rachel, their lineup was ridiculously strong.

Even against many popular streamer squads, they would have the advantage.

Suddenly, Rachel’s surprised voice rang across the room.

"Wow! That ID... isn’t that Streamer Pookiemoné?"

The moment they heard the name, the other three players straightened in their chairs.

Everyone in esports knew who she was.

Although she wasn’t a professional player, multiple organizations had tried recruiting her over the years.

She was widely recognized as one of the strongest content creators in the scene.

Normally, facing someone like her would simply make for an interesting match.

Winning would be satisfying.

Losing wouldn’t be embarrassing.

Today, however...

Things were different.

Rachel was watching.

There was no way they could afford to lose in front of her.

Otherwise, wouldn’t she think professional players weren’t any better than streamers?

The three exchanged determined looks.

’No matter what...’

’We’re winning this one.’

Michael watched their sudden burst of competitive spirit and couldn’t help shaking his head.

’Where was this enthusiasm during official matches?’

Trish stared curiously at the large projector displaying the game.

Although she barely understood what was happening, the colorful effects, nonstop action, and constant chatter between Rachel and the players made everything feel incredibly lively.

Her eyes curved into a smile.

"The atmosphere here is really nice."

Manager Erikson and the coach exchanged awkward smiles.

Only Michael silently sighed.

’They’re only this lively because there’s a girl here.’

On any normal day, one mistake in-game would immediately lead to someone insulting another person’s parents.

The peaceful atmosphere today was... unusual.

Before anyone realized it, lunchtime had arrived.

Rachel finally removed her headset and stretched lazily.

Her face was glowing with excitement.

Walking over to Luca, she beamed.

"That was so much fun!"

One of the players laughed.

"Raining Hail, you’ve really got talent. You improved so much after just a little coaching."

"Raining Hail?"

Trish blinked in confusion.

Another player smiled.

"That’s Miss Kennedy’s in-game name. That’s what we’ve been calling her."

"Oh..."

Trish nodded thoughtfully.

"That’s actually a pretty nice username."

She paused before casually glancing at Luca beside her.

"...Although it sounds strangely familiar."

Luca simply smiled.

Truthfully, she didn’t need to point it out.

He had already noticed Rachel’s username the moment it appeared on the projector.

He just chose not to mention it.

After spending so much time together, how could he not understand what the girl was feeling?

His gaze drifted toward Rachel.

Their eyes met for just a second.

Her cheeks instantly turned bright red before she hurriedly looked away.

’She’s grown a lot...’

He smiled faintly.

"Let’s grab lunch."

His calm voice immediately pulled Rachel back to reality.

She quietly let out the breath she’d been holding.

At the same time...

A tiny knot formed in her chest.

She hadn’t expected her username to be revealed so casually.

Luca must have figured it out by now...

Yet...

He hadn’t said anything.

Did that mean he simply hadn’t noticed?

Or...

Had he noticed everything and just didn’t feel the same way?

The more she thought about it, the more conflicted she became.

By the time they left the training room, her heart was a tangled mess of hope, embarrassment, and uncertainty.