Chapter 275 - Illusion Of Superiority
Chapter 275 – Illusion Of Superiority
"Claire, did that media group hurt you? That reporter is quite aggressive and was clearly desperate for views. Maybe she thinks we can easily be bullied by her," Sofia furrowed her brows slightly and examined Claire's left and right arm. The two of them sat on the same bench while their other three companions stood on the side.
For a while, Claire remained silent and looked absentminded. Sofia waved her hand right in Claire's face and asked again, "Are you hurt, Claire?"
"N-no, they just surrounded me. Ahh… I did not expect them to come and ask questions," Claire whispered. She glance behind to see Clark who was playing with her hair. Then, she snatched his wrist and held it firmly. Clark only chuckled. He adjusted her fingers and easily interlocked their hands. He remained silent while gazing at Claire.
"Okay. I'm relieved. What happened was not your fault, Claire," Sofia stated and gently tapped her shoulder to comfort her.
"Mmn. I don't know why… I temporarily lost my composure! During our last subject, my seatmate asked me the same question as the reporter. And I confidently answered that we have an exclusive press that will handle it. But, when the reporter asked me the same thing, it was gone. I have forgotten to speak the same excuse to her!" Claire sighed in frustration. Partly, she had indeed blamed herself for the incident. If she could have been as insightful as Sofia, the reporter would probably not bother them. Probably.
"You were caught off guard. Or maybe… you are intimidated by their numbers? It's like 1 vs 4?… Hehe, if you are okay, then, what happened was not a big deal," Sofia maintain her smile and checked the time again. "My class is about to start."
"Hmmn… That time, I panicked when they came to my direction. It was so hard to stay calm. I almost cried, guys! What the— hahaha… geez!" Claire admitted feeling like her reaction was something unexpected. Now, as she replayed the scenes of her reaction, she really could not help but felt pathetic.
"I saw your face turned pale, Claire. For a moment, I thought you'll faint!" Clark expressed, massaging the back of her hand. Claire only tugged his hand and pouted her lips.
"This Gallant Gamer Squad, you've met them, Sof?" Stephen suddenly questioned. In his mind, the source of the incident was the squad's provocation. Thinking of them, his hand clenched in anger.
"Yes. I went to the bureau with sister Jing. It happened that the academia building is in the location. So, we kind of bump into them. And they told me that the academia is sponsoring them in the tournament," Sofia narrated. Then, her eyes landed on the clenched fist of Stephen. One after another, she moved his finger and open his palm. "Steph, only in the tournament, we can teach them a lesson. I don't approve of any physical violence."
"Hhhmn… your encounter… it does not sound a hostile encounter, Sof. Why is their leader calling you unnecessary comments during their interview? I've seen that video but not the entire clip. Still, it's offensive," Joey wondered.
"Ahh… never mind that. Joey, I am more concerned that you are encouraging Stephen to throw a punch! If I did not arrive earlier, what kind of mess would I see? A brawl?!" Sofia looked straight on Joey's face.
"Did I encourage you to punch, bro? I did not say anything! Sof, you have misunderstood me. I said nothing about punching," Joey nudged Stephen's shoulder.
"You did, Joey. Though, it was not a direct encouragement. But your words were more than enough to give Stephen a hint to proceed a blow. No matter how indirect, your words can still incite anger. I can repeat what you said back there if you have doubts?" Sofia offered.
"No need. I now remember what I said. I am not mindful at that time and just speak casually. It won't happen again, Sof," Joey replied after realizing what Sofia meant.
"Be mindful," Sofia eyed him and Joey repeatedly nodded his head.
"Those gallant gamer squad… we have never encountered them during the last tournament. Why do they call you out in their interview, Sof?" Claire curiously expressed.
"It's not about the previous tournament. Sometimes, a single achievement can make someone create an illusion of superiority," Sofia subconsciously replied.
"Huh? An illusion of superiority? What's that mean?" Joey and Clark gave her a confused look.
"Oh…well, it's just them. Because their squad got the sponsorship of the academia, they probably felt that they had the privilege to trash talk me in their interview," Sofia clarified.
"Ahh… but, there are so many squads that have more accomplishment than us. Why are they particularly targeting us? To think that we are in the same school but they are attacking us, it's really hard to understand their action. They can just trash talk other opponents, right?" Claire exhaled and felt frustrated.
"I'm not bothered by it. Trash talking is nothing. Guys, we should focus our attention on our endorsement project. Tomorrow, let's do our best! It will be a super busy day. Make sure you rest properly. We will meet at the intersection street as early as 5 AM. Bring your school uniforms," Sofia diverted the subject of their conversation while looking at Stephen and Joey.
"5 AM! Why so early? Sof, can't we go at 7 AM?" Joey asked.
"No, it has to be 5 AM. We will examine and make sure that everything is set, Joey. It's not early. Sister Jing is counting all the headcounts of our customers for tomorrow by their reservation. She will coordinate with the kitchen staff from the Double Sigma fraternity to estimate the needed ingredients for our menu. Guys, tomorrow is really a busy day. I'm not exaggerating this. So tonight, be sure to gather as much energy as you can, okay?" Sofia spoke with a serious expression on her face.
"Okay. But, what about you? Last night, you barely rest. Tonight, what about skipping your class, Sof? You also need to rest," Claire suggested.
"No need. I don't feel tired with this. I'm excited for tomorrow," Sofia smiled. Then, she took a small piece of paper from her pocket and hand it to Clark. "This is the receipt of our uniforms. Clark, please meet with Danny. He is already in that tailoring shop to pick up the shirts."
"I will go with you," Claire presented.
"Me too," Joey and Stephen joined.
"The four of you then. Go and get our uniforms. I'll chat the contact number of Danny," Sofia giggled. "I have to attend class now. Bye-bye!"
The four members waved their hands.. "Bye, Sof. See you!"