The Female Leads Truly Loves You - Chapter 151

Chapter 151: I want to win
Sam’s sudden arrival was like a boulder thrown into a pond, causing not mere ripples but waves like those from a fountain.

His real presence surprised everyone at the moment, unexpected even to Alice, who had begun to believe Sam wouldn’t arrive. Yet, here he was, making an entrance…

Sam positioned himself between Sophie and Thalia, seemingly oblivious to the peculiar atmosphere, only to catch a different look in Sophie’s eyes.

The surrounding crowd, after a brief moment of shocked silence, burst into intense discussion again.

“Sam came at this time?”

“Damn… what’s this? It’s like a hero saving the beauty! Can this even happen, or was it planned in advance?”

“But Sam really wasn’t here during the day… he must have had something urgent, right? He’s really lucky!”

“Shouldn’t Sophie be the lucky one? Sam is handsome!”

Neither Sam nor Sophie cared about these comments.

Sophie seemed to be at a loss for words, struggling to control her emotions at this moment.

How should it be said?

Every time Sophie is in a bind, seemingly in need of help but unable to ask for it, Sam just happens to show up.

She didn’t know how to interpret all this anymore; it felt almost like… fate.

Yet, Sophie was someone who refused to believe in destiny…

Thalia was even less able to manage her emotions. Everything had been going according to plan, a rare opportunity to deeply hurt the detestable Sophie slipping away because of this boy’s arrival.

Sam, oblivious to the odd emotions swirling around him, approached Alice.

“There should be a badge for me, right?”

Alice nodded, handing over the badge to Sam while saying, “Coming back at this time, did you calculate this in advance?” Her tone carried a hint of dissatisfaction.

Sam’s smile was tinged with helplessness.

“Couldn’t help it, Ms Alice. I intended to return earlier, but who knew it’d be so hard to catch a taxi here… Sorry, it won’t happen again.”

Holding the badge, Sam was about to return to Sophie’s side when Thalia couldn’t help but address him.

“Now that Sam has returned, should we reconsider the selection? It seems unfair to just leave you with the only choice left…”

She clung to her last hope, now her turn to await a miracle.

She wished for Sam to make a different choice; if he chose her as a partner, that would be perfect.

But what Thalia didn’t expect was Sam’s easygoing glance back, devoid of any scheming, yet his smile was disarmingly charming.

“Why would we need to choose again? If I had been here from the start, I would have chosen Sophie anyway.”

“…”

That statement was the final blow.

No further efforts could change the outcome, nor was there any room for reversal.

Thalia stood frozen, speechless.

And Sophie, unprepared for such a declaration, blushed unexpectedly.

She looked at Sam, her eyes conveying a complexity that no words could unravel.

Why would he say something like that?

Did he realize how easily his words could be misconstrued?

To the uninformed, it might seem like a confession!

He must be out of his mind!!

Yet, why didn’t Sophie express any displeasure? Normally, she would consider such remarks to be frivolous…

But at this moment, Sophie found herself at a loss for words, even her gaze towards him softened.

Alice intervened to prevent the situation from escalating further, swiftly directing everyone’s focus toward the game’s commencement.

“Alright, now that everyone is here, let’s get started. You have five minutes to find a hiding place. Whether you form alliances or hide is up to your strategy.

But remember, you must stay within the designated area on the mountaintop. Keep safety in mind; leaving the area will result in disqualification. Teachers will supervise the entire event. Let’s begin!”

Before more discussions could erupt, the impending thrill of the contest seemed to energize the crowd.

Carrying her dissatisfaction and regret, Thalia and Teacher Cyrus headed off to find a strategic spot.

Suddenly, Thalia posed a challenge to Cyrus. “You’re a teacher, aren’t you?”

Cyrus, slightly taken aback, confirmed, “Yes… what about it?”

Thalia’s look became complex, fixating on him. “So, you shouldn’t lose to a student, right?”

Caught off guard, Cyrus hesitated, “Well, that’s…”

“After all, it wouldn’t seem right for a teacher to lose to a student. Going easy would be disrespectful to the game…

Besides, I really want that badge. You can have the telescope, Teacher Cyrus. After all, you have a five-year-old son who would probably love it, right?”

…

“Why did you come back at this time?” Sophie naturally wouldn’t refuse to team up with Sam.

Despite her often aloof and unique demeanor, she wasn’t ignorant or arrogant. Moreover, she couldn’t quite determine if she still disliked Sam.

As Sam calmly helped Sophie affix the badge on her back, he answered, “Why not come back at this time? It’s the perfect timing.”

Sophie felt an indescribable oddness.

She wondered whether to blame Sam for his late arrival. If he had arrived earlier, none of this would have happened.

Yet, he did show up and made such a statement, leaving her unable to voice her thoughts, only to harbor this strange feeling internally.

“Do you just like making such dramatic entrances at events like this?” Sophie pondered before asking him in a subtly veiled manner.

Sam chuckled and then patted her back with force, intending to make the badge stick more firmly, but almost knocked Sophie over with the strength he used.

“You’re trying to kill me!” Sophie retorted, her face flushed with annoyance.

Sam looked at her with a smile. “I never get to choose how I make an entrance. You know, it seems like you’re pretty helpless without me.”

“Get lost!” Sophie snapped back, her face reddening even more.

Of course, she wouldn’t admit it, but how could she argue against it this time? Without Sam, how much more awkward could her situation have been?

No one likes to lose, nor does anyone want to be left in an embarrassing state.

Sam turned to Sophie. “Have you thought of any strategy? It’s the Badge Battle… you won’t get torn apart, will you? You don’t seem very popular.”

Seeing his almost gleeful expression, Sophie couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

Indeed, she should be thankful that Sam was here to help, not to make things worse. Otherwise, she might have literally exploded with rage on the spot.

But thinking back to the stares from everyone and Thalia’s mocking challenge…

She was an 18-year-old girl, too, with all the rebellious spirit of youth.

So her expression instantly became serious.

“I want to win.”

That was all she said.

Sam, still smiling, suggested, “It looks like we’re easy targets. Should we ally with others, or think of some strategy?”

However, Sophie looked directly at Sam, her gaze intense, her voice dropping colder.

“What strategy do we need? We have only one choice, one strategy. That is to overpower them, to kill them all.”

Faced with Sophie’s menacing look and her imposing aura, Sam couldn’t help but swallow hard.

“Um… Sophie, just a reminder, the game is Badge Battle, not actual killing.”

Sophie lifted her head, her eyes twinkling with a unique glow Sam had never seen before.

“What’s the difference? Tearing off their badges is, in my heart, the same as killing them entirely.”

“…You really are something.”

Sam was now sure of one thing: Sophie was among the female leads in this game world.

Her gaze, her personality, her undeniable sincerity.

It all made Sam envision what it would be like if one day this woman decided to “kill” him. What a sight that would be.

But a game is a game, and Sam didn’t believe he would lose such a challenge.

Not for any specific reason, nor to impress Sophie.

Simply because he was Sam, competitive by nature, unwilling to lose to his peers.

Sam nodded. “Alright, even so, let’s try not to get caught in a situation where we’re overwhelmed. Our strategy will be this: I’ll appear first to distract and control the opponent.

Your task is to seize the moment to remove one’s badge first. With one person down, the other will be much easier to handle. I can count on you, right?”

Sophie smile coldly, exuding the confidence of someone like Angel, the kind that suggests complete control over everything.

“Don’t worry. I won’t lose to anyone, absolutely not.”

“Good, I admire your spirit at this moment. Come on, I’ll count down from three, and let’s get pumped!”

Sam, inspired by the opponent’s spirit, reached out to perform a cheer gesture commonly seen in anime.

But Sophie looked at Sam with disdain.

“How old are you, still into this sort of thing? Hurry up and get ready, the slaughter is about to begin!”

Sam glanced at Sophie’s departing figure, which carried a casual elegance, and reluctantly lowered his hand.

Indeed, their team’s cohesion was lacking, a difficult trait to change.

The five minutes of preparation time swiftly passed.

With a conspicuous whistle blowing in the central area, everyone understood that the game had officially started.

Despite the limited area, the mountain top’s bushes, trees, and rocks provided ample hiding spots.

So, initially, everyone was out of sight of each other.

Following Sam’s strategy, Sophie hid behind Sam.

Sam appeared much more relaxed, wandering aimlessly as if he had no specific purpose, letting fate take its course.

Unnoticed, as they passed a large tree, two pairs of eyes stealthily watched them.

“Whoosh!”

Suddenly, without any warning, an attacker appeared behind them.

Targeting Sophie, who seemed easy to tackle!

But Sophie, as if she had eyes on the back of her head, instantly sped up, darting behind Sam.

And Sam turned around just in time.

Yes, they had already noticed the sneaky presence of the other but chose not to expose them, waiting instead for their attacker to think they had found a flaw and reveal themselves.

The surprise momentarily halted their movements.

Sam extended his hands, not to grab the boy’s hands in front of him but to grab one arm of the boy and the other arm of the girl next to him.

“Quick!”

His action caught both off guard. Although each still had a free hand, Sam, facing both, grabbed the far side arm of each, using his broad shoulders to block their heads, making it awkward for them to use their free hands to remove the badge on Sam’s back.

This maneuver effectively subdued two people at once, leaving them no chance to fight back.

Sophie had anticipated Sam’s agility to be extraordinary.

But witnessing this… he seemed almost superhuman…

Wasn’t this too exaggerated?

Only Sam felt it was a pity.

If only the rules allowed breaking arms, the game would have been more interesting…