CHAPTER 67: A NEW CHARACTER - LAYSA LATIFAH!

"Um?!" Sheva snapped his head instantly when he heard the unfamiliar voice. Not just him, everyone also did so, just to be stunned to see a gorgeous girl smiling politely at them all. Even though she wore a hijab, it wasn’t enough to hide her perfectly proportioned face. The dimple in the corner of her mouth when she smiled was enough to make all the boys around her fall in love immediately. Fortunately, Sheva was a shy boy by nature, so he didn’t dare to stare at her for too long. "Uh... Miss... Is there anything I can help you with?" He coughed a little, trying to get rid of the awkwardness in the air.

Even though he couldn’t see Bagas’s presence from his spot, Sheva could still hear the exaggerated gasp coming from his boyfriend, and he couldn’t help but roll his eyes. The boy knew Bagas was mocking him. After all, besides Anna and Claudia, he had never spoken to any beautiful girl before, and those two were special cases since they had to fight at the same table at any time. Although he had never mentioned it, Sheva knew his reputation in the school as the pure male virgin there.

"You are Adrian Sheva, right? The unrated player who somehow miraculously won the entire thing in his first-ever official tournament in Hanoi?" To his surprise, it seemed that the girl knew about him, too. "Then, care for a game against me?" She asked, silently waving her hand to chase Anna away from her chair.

Sheva frowned immediately, not liking how rude the girl was here. However, before he could utter any single word here, Claudia exploded already, her head was red due to the anger boiling inside it.

"YOU STREET BIMBO! HOW DARE YOU COME HERE AGAIN!" Her voice was thunderous, making Sheva wince on the spot. "IT IS NOT ENOUGH FOR YOU TO COME HERE, BUT YOU ARE ALSO TRYING TO CHASE AWAY BIG SIS FROM HER CHAIR?! KNOW YOUR PLACE, YOU HARPY!"

’Urgh... Ia sure knows how to shout, huh?’ Sheva winced unconsciously, feeling his eardrum ringing. He wasn’t the only one here, as almost everyone reacted the same. ’Still, this girl is able to get under Ia’s skin? Wow, she sure is going to be annoying as hell.’

"Oh, little sis, you are here too?" The new girl acted surprised when she saw Claudia. "Anyway, what did I hear about your last tournament in Hanoi? What? You only get the second place behind a nobody player who just played his first ever tournament? Are you sure you are as talented as people are talking about?"

’Ouch! That burns.’ Sheva winced again, this time for the girl’s insult. ’She sure knows how to get Ia’s reaction, huh?’

True enough, Claudia’s face turned red as the little girl was trying her best to hold back her fury. It was clear that she was about to snap here. Fortunately, before her little sister exploded again, Anna finally interrupted, albeit with a helpless tone.

"Laysa, how many times do I need to tell you not to tease my sister like that?" She asked. "You know that she is a sensitive girl, right?"

’An understatement of the century.’ Sheva snorted. ’So, her name is Laysa, and she is a... Friend? An acquaintance? Of both Anna and Claudia, huh? Man, this would be interesting...’

"Anna! My good friend, it is good to see you again!" The new girl, Laysa, smiled widely as she hugged Anna tightly. "Girl, I don’t expect that you will be the first one to get the WGM title first! I heard the Governor rewards you beautifully, right? Can you spill a little bit of it?" She smiled conspiratorially.

"Oh, get off, girl! You know you are heavy!" Anna just shoved the hijab girl playfully. "Also, if you really want to know, get the title too! I am sure that the Governor will do the same!"

Unexpectedly, though, Laysa turned to be a quite chatty girl. It was different from the first impression that Sheva had of her. In his mind, a pretty girl like her should be quiet and elegant, not loud and abrasive like this one. Still, he couldn’t deny that it gave her a ’different’ character here, making her look more special than any other ordinary girl.

"So... Care to tell me who she is?" Sheva finally asked, realizing that besides the name Laysa itself, he didn’t know who the girl was and why she was here. "Also, why are you looking at her like you owe her money?" He added a question after noticing most of the members here froze on the spot, looking at the new girl nervously.

"Oh, don’t worry about them. It is not really a big deal." Johan, the most veteran member of the club, chuckled richly, finding this situation to be amusing. "Her name is Laysa Latifah, and you can say that she is Anna’s rival in chess."

"Um?!" Sheva was taken aback for a moment. "Rival? Is it an opponent that Anna often meets with and has a tight score between those two?" He asked for confirmation.

"Yeah. They have been rivals since they were... I don’t remember, 10, I guess? If I am not wrong, they were the winner and runner-up of the National Chess Championship for girls U12 four years ago, for girls U14 two years ago, and they would fight again later in November for the girls U16 category. SO, yeah, you can tell that they are rivals here."

’Well, this is new...’ Sheva hummed, slightly interested in this drama. "So, who has the better record?" He asked.

"Of course, it’s me!" Laysa suddenly chimed in with a proud face. "I beat Anna in the girls’ U14 category two years ago, and after that, I also beat her in the Jakarta High School Chess Championship too!" She stated proudly. Claudia had quite a scary face here, as if the little girl was ready to pounce on Laysa alive.

"Don’t forget, Laysa, that I also beat you in the U12 category four years ago. Then, do I need to state all of my wins against you, too?" Anna smiled dangerously while Laysa froze instantly when she heard that. "Well, let me list them all. JAPFA Chess Festival last year, I was in first place... ASEAN Games last year, I was in third place, while you were in sixth... At the Asian Junior Championship two months ago, I was in eighth place, and you were far at 27th place... Do I need to tell you more?"

"Ah! Enough! Enough!" Laysa covered her ears dramatically, causing everyone to have a sweat drop on their faces. "Fine, you are still better than me, but only by a tiny margin!" She put both her thumb and her index finger so close to each other to emphasize the ’tiny’ part. "Don’t be cocky, though! Just wait, I will get you soon!"

"Then, try to get the WGM title first!" Anna smiled sharply, a hint of mockery flashing in her eyes.

Sheva himself had his jaw dropped when he saw their interaction. Honestly, this was the first time he saw Anna lashing out like this, using her sharp tongue to bully another person. After all, she was always the perfect girl, calm, elegant, and polite toward everyone. Now, she was just like any normal teenager, showing that she and this girl, Laysa, were really friends with each other.

"Anyway!" Laysa suddenly widened her eyes, realizing something. Then, she turned back her attention to Sheva, sending a shiver down the boy’s spine. Without giving him any chance to get away, the girl spoke again, "You are Adrian Sheva, right? Come on, let’s play a game against me! Let me see the ability of someone who is recognized by Anna as a genius player! Don’t disappoint me, okay?!"