Chapter 106 - Possessed By A Rich Ghost?

After the host finished announcing all the sponsors of the event, a slender female joined him in the middle stage. This female held a striking beauty and a face that demands attention.

Seeing her face on the stage, the audience below almost opened their mouth and forgot to close them.

Sofia's team was just waiting behind listening to the announcements and looked at the female.

"Woahh, that's a great beauty! Who could she be?" Joey whispered to Stephen.

"All females in your eyes are great beauty!" Stephen chuckled.

"Hello, good evening district 7!" the slender female greeted in the mic.

"Good evening..." The crowd simultaneously hummed their response to her.

Everyone looking at her could guess that she is in her middle twenties. The female was wearing a beige A-line skirt dress and a pair of black heels. This outfit complimented with her blonde hair that Sofia could not help but looked at the female with an approval gaze. There was a brooch clipped on her clothing located on the side of her chest with a scribbled name, "MIKA".

"Her fashion sense is on top!" Sofia told her companions.

Claire gave her a strange look after she heard Sofia's compliment. "Since when did you have some interest in fashion, Sof? You have never cared about dresses before!"

"It's actually really a nice dress. That's maybe a signature outfit," Clark joined them.

"Yes. Hehe, I am complimenting the dress. She looked like a character of the game I used to play. It looks nice!" Sofia quickly devised an alibi. Of course, there was no real in-game character reference for the outfit of the lady. But, this was the only thing that she had thought to respond to Claire's strange look. 

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Sofia slightly giggled when Claire continued to stare at her. 

She inwardly made a facepalm for this slip of the tongue. The original owner of her body only appreciated the game and nothing more. If there was an outfit that the original owner of her body appreciated, it was the skins of some gaming characters.

"Well, I have never seen you comprehend fashion before. Then, you actually admired the lady. She is pretty but I just did not expect for you to be so thorough about her outfit," Claire shrugged.

"Hahaha, Even I have also felt my change of interest," Sofia casually answered.

"Yeah? It is not only your interest that changed, Sof!" Claire murmured.

"Huh? What else then? I don't think I've changed," Sofia feigned ignorance. There was no way for her to reveal that she was only a soul transmigrated in a body of a teenager. That would be out of the context of a real-life situation!

"Maybe, you don't see that changes. Or, you don't realize it. But, almost everything actually changed!" Claire insisted.

"Everything?" Sofia tilted her head and pretended to be in deep thought.

"Yes, everything! It felt like sometimes you are possessed by a ghost. You are acting differently. But not in a bad way! In fact, it is quite admirable!" Claire confessed. Because the two of them were the only close friends, it was easy for her to determine that this lady was really acting differently.

"Do you believe in ghosts?" Sofia suddenly asked smirking at her friend. She was confident that Claire does not believe in supernatural elements. This was her perfect rebuttal for her friend. 

"I don't! But, now that you have acted differently..." Claire paused looked at her friend from head to her feet. "You know what, you are like possessed with a rich ghost! Your way of speaking and the way you move or walk, that is not how the Sofia I know would act! You are so refined, Sof!"

"Ohh, that, I'll take that as a compliment. But, this is still me," Sofia smiled. She slightly felt guilty for the teenage girl in front of her, but there was no better way to explain her situation. 

If she would tell the girl that her soul came from the future, it would be a mess! Her friend may accuse her of becoming delusional because of the futuristic online games that the original owner of her body had played before.

"Yeah, that's some kind of compliment because your changes are really great! Not long ago, we are just planning to join a squad to participate. But on the last day of submitting our application, you decided to create a squad. And now, who would have thought? We really made it and become a champion of the tournament!" Claire recounted their achievements.

"That's right! We have a long way to go! This is just the start!" Sofia casually said.

"Ahh! look at you now! The Sofia I knew would never speak like that!" Claire emphasized.

"I think I am starting to mature now... We are a teenager and it is normal to develop and improve our self-awareness," Sofia stated.

"Yes, you are really talking like a mature person, Sof!" Claire finished.

"You will become mature soon when the right time. For now, just enjoy playing!" Sofia smiled at the teenager.

Claire nodded and then looked at the slender female standing beside the host. 

"Good evening, once again! I am Mika, an organizer of this event. So, it is time for us to recognize our champions and give them awards. Most of our participants who had played outstanding gameplays, good game well played!" the slender female began her speech. 

~

Meanwhile, Mr. Greg Washington, the man who congratulated Sofia's team earlier, stayed in the room located at the backstage of the gym where the only authorized person had access to the room.

The man was already in the virtual meeting with the other boss of the company.

"So, Greg! How's the district 7?" a voice echoed out from his phone.

"I say... I've met an interesting gamer. But, she is young, still, she had an interesting character." Greg responded with a dry laugh.

"Did I hear you correctly? Are you actually smiling?" the other line sounded with suspicion as if he was teasing the man.

"Hehe, that Chronos squad, do we have arrangements with their sponsorships and brand deals?" Greg suddenly asked not minding the teasing tone of the man that he was speaking with.

"There should be. It's part of the payment for them to have this opportunity to promote a brand product. But there was no specific information from the sales department yet," the man on the other line sounded serious as he answered.

"Hmmn," Greg did not speak further. He only hummed in recognition.

"So, tell me... what kind of interesting character have you met in that small district?" the man continued to ask after he heard nothing from Greg.

"That squad leader of the Chronos squad. I swear, I could see your eyes in her. It was crazy but I am not kidding!" Greg easily replied.

"What kind of eyes? The dullness and lifeless one? Hehe, that's what happened when they play too much of the online game!" the man chuckled feeling a little guilty of his bad habit of playing the game also.

"No, it's not that gaze. It's different! The one that I have recognized as unconquerable gaze in your eyes. That one determined look you have when you are planning big!" Greg stated.

"Ohoho, could it be that you have missed me already?" the man quipped as a joke.

"Oh my... no! It's real! We have seen each other this morning, why would I miss work?" Greg frowned The person he was calling seemed to be messing up with him.

"You sound really serious. Now, I want to hear your observation," the man on the other line answered.

"You don't actually believe me? Hmph! I'll tell you, I have seen that scheming expression you have when your plan is almost achieved. This is the expression the Chronos squad leader gave me after I congratulated them!" Greg said sternly.

"Scheming expression? I don't have that!" the man denied.

"Ahh, whatever you say!" Greg leaned his body on the wall and yawned.

"Hahaha, so technically, this sly expression that you call is the expression of intelligence! Anyway, you should fly back here tonight. You have a date with that sweet lady you have met last week!" 

"Nah, I don't think I'll be in the best condition to dine with her tonight. The air traffic of this district was horrible!" Greg shook his head in disapproval.

"Oh, so you won't come back in the company? What are your plans then?"

"Sleep? I'll tell my secretary to book me a hotel for tonight," Greg released another yawn in between his words.

"Okay! Well, with the profit that we are having today, there is no problem if you don't come back to work for this week!" the man chuckled.

"Damn right! I never thought that using a tournament to boost our game will give this effect! Now, I'll take my rest!" Greg smiled and then started to walk towards the audience area.

"Then, I'll see you when you come back. The ban mode is ready for release. We will proceed to update the new version of the game tomorrow!"

"Yes, go for that! See ya!" the man finally ended the conversation.

When he locked his phone, the screen reflected the information of the identity of the man that he was talking with - CEO Ray +*********2314.