Chapter 129 - Harassed (1)

"Sister Jing, I think I have seen enough. I'll head to my school now," Sofia murmured after another hour of them strolling from one place to another. Their last stop happened to be an eyewear shop where the corridor was completely empty. 

"Alright. I'll drop you at your school before I head to my office. Don't hesitate to chat with me if you need anything," Jing Jing politely offered while giving her a friendly smile. She did not expect that she would enjoy her time strolling around, yet, she did. Sofia was assertive and continued to maintain their conversation all throughout the time.

"Yes, I will do that. I'm also planning on opening a bank account for our squad. Can I ask you a favor to process this matter, Sister Jing?" Sofia nodded her head.

"Sure! I'll check the requirements first to the bank," Jing Jing quickly responded. She did not know why but for some reason, she felt honored to be able to help the young lady. She felt also strange that she had extended her miles to help Sofia this far.

"Thank you, sister Jing. I will give you the necessary documents right away once you have the free time to process our bank account. Just a joint account with a passbook will do," Sofia answered.

"Don't thank me yet! I have not yet done your request, hehe..." Jing Jing slightly laughed. For the first time, she could sense a slight feeling of pressure with Sofia's gratitude.

"I mean, thank you for agreeing to my request, Sister Jing. It is more convenient for that you to be willing to assist me in this matter," Sofia admitted.

"Ahh, don't flatter me! Anyway, about this game, when I watched the videos of the tournament, it really looks fun. I used to play in pc, but, that was just for a brief moment when my cousin had a vacation at my house before," Jing Jing suddenly commented while they head back to her car. She had played the game but, she was not too dedicated to it. So, she only plays online games when her cousin is around.

"The pc game is great and this online mobile game is also fun, Sister Jing! Try downloading the game and you can play with me and the group too," Sofia.

"I'm thinking of doing that. But, I'm too old to play games now," Jing Jing chuckled. She should have better things to focus on. Apart from her career, she should think of her relationship status too!

"Too old? No way! I bet, nobody will judge you if you play the mobile game, sister Jing. And even if there will be people complaining about your choice to have fun in the game, other opinions do not really matter," Sofia advised her.

Their career in gaming was fleeting but it does not mean that playing the online game and having fun with it is also passing. 

Pro gamers normally take their retirement in the pro scene at the age of mid twenties or earlier. Some would also consider retiring in their early thirties. 

Yet, the retirement in the pro scene would never be an indication that they would need to stop playing the game.

"You are right. I will see if I will also enjoy the game," Jing Jing supported. She then took her phone and downloaded the game.

"You will enjoy it for sure!" Sofia grinned.

While Sofia and Jing Jing drove to the busy freeway of district 7, Claire and Clark also strode on the school hallway. Their fellow students gave them side glances from time to time. But, no one had dared to approach them.

These fellow students were also participants of the tournament yesterday. And since they were defeated, they somehow felt bitter at Claire and Clark's presence.

At some point, Claire felt a burning sensation from an intense gaze directed at her back. She could sense that someone was glaring at her. But, instead of stopping in her tracks, she decided to ignore the malicious stare.

"Hey! You!"

"Hey! Are you that assassin user?" someone continuously yelled from their behind.

Claire turned around and saw several students. She had easily identified the person who stared at her back. 

"Do you need something?" she softly asked.

There were six male students following them. Just by looking at their appearance, she could tell that they were not up for good.

"Heh! Fight me, assassin vs assassin!" the male demanded right away.

Upon hearing the words from the fellow student, Clark could not help but closed the distance between him and Claire. He rubbed his hands and stared at the man. "Brothers, we are in school. We do not play in the school grounds," Clark stated.

It was one rule that Sofia had told them before. Once they are in school, they must stop thinking about the game and just focus on their study to balance their mind.

"Cheh! That's lame," the male scowled with a mocking tone.

"Yes, that's so lame!" one of his companions repeated while smirking at the two.

Then, the rest of them started to laugh at Clark's response.

"What's lame?" another voice could be heard from a few feet away from them, joining their conversation. It was stern, completely interrupting their laughter. The tone was like that of a teacher reprimanding the students for bad behavior.

The six male students stiffened. But as they turned around, they heaved a sigh of relief. They really thought that it was a teacher! It turned out that it was just a fellow student too.

Despite her distance, Claire and Clark did not need to see who had spoken just now. They instantly knew that it was Sofia. They smiled brightly and waved their hands at her.

"Sof, this boy is challenging me," Claire reported while pointing at the male student.

"No challenges in school grounds," Sofia firmly said.

"And who are you? I am not interested in fighting a tank user. I want to fight your assassin user!" the male student sought while crossing his arms in his chest.

"I am their leader. What I say is for the benefit of my member," Sofia emphasized. 

"B-benefit? You want to benefit? How about let's have a bet of who will win so that you can benefit? Name the amount!" the male student suggested.

"Right now, we have a lot of catching up to do with our studies. And school is not a good venue to initiate gambling," Sofia siad. She shook her head and looked at the six males with a disappointed eyes.

"Ohh, what a lame thing to say!" the male student criticized.

"Yeah, I thought that the Chronos squad is the victory of the tournament. But they are actually this lame!" another male student expressed.

"We are not lame!" Clark said in annoyance. His fist was clenched tightly as anger started to buble in his chest.

"Don't mind them, Clark," Sofia told her teammate first before she returned to stare at the male student.

"Ohh, the champions are scared to fight against me! They are scared!" the male student announced loudly in hopes of gathering many audiences of their dispute.

"Are you provoking me, boy? Hehe, too bad! We won't be playing online games on the school grounds starting today," Sofia finished and lead her two friends towards their school library.

The six men did not falter and walked ahead of them only to block their path.

"Who told you to turn your back on me?" the male student asked arrogantly.

"Move away, boys! Otherwise, I will sue all of you for harassing us. There is a time to play and there is a time for our study. You can approach us after school and let's see what kind of skills you have," Sofia stated.

"You don't scare us!" the male student said in a tone that was bluntly challenging Sofia.

"Heh! Naturally, with my face, I don't think you'll get scared. If there is something else, it would be you boys crushing on my beauty," Sofia smirked.

"What a joke!" the male student stated but Sofia did not respond to him anymore. She just shoved her way out of the crazy teens who seemed really desperate to challenge Claire for an assassin vs assassin game.

Unexpectedly, the student grabbed her shoulder forcefully.

Sofia winced in pain and glared at the boy for a long time.

"Sof, are you okay? Let's go to the clinic," Claire suggested worriedly as she saw the red marks in Sofia's skin.

The male student became flustered too as he realized what he had done. "I--- I'm sorry!" he stuttered an apology. His companions also stood frozen when they saw the action of their friend.

"I have warned you," Sofia calmly said before the three of them walked away.

The six male students stared at the three retreating figures of the Chronos squad.

"Ash, what have you done!?" one of his companions asked after he recovered from the initial shock.

"Tsk! I don't care!" the male student coldly said. His face turned dark while thinking of a good alibi to tell just in case Sofia would report his action to their guidance office.