Game Of Life: Volume 3

8. First lost

|| Sage||

Shit . . . I lost?

That caught me off guard. I didn't underestimate him, I overestimated myself.

"Wah!!! Good job, Goya!" Isang malakas na paghampas sa balikat ang natanggap ni Goya kay Arriety.

Lalampa-lampa itong napausog na para bang sobrang bigat ng kamay ng humampas sa kaniya. He didn't look like he just beat me in an arm wrestling, someone thrice of his size.

"That's a fair fight, right? Don't make excuses." Gild's words caught my attention.

Ininat-inat ko ang balikat ko. "Yes, I lost," sagot ko. I'm not someone who'll make excuses. I know when I win a game and lose . . . which is rare.

"Heh!" Arriety looked at me with a cocky face. "Full of talks! Loser!"

I didn't satisfy her with a reaction, which of course, changed her expression to an irritated one.

That's my first lost. Kailangan kong ipanalo ang dalawang susunod para manalo sa challenge. Tinignan ko sila. Pero hindi ko alam kung ano ang susunod na challenge, kung mas lamang ba 'ko o hindi.

"I'm next!" Arriety stepped forward, crossing her arms and smirking. "I'll show you your place, kid!"

She's energetic, and Goya who's next to her is shyly supporting her.

Tsk. "So? What's your challenge?"

She looks so proud. "Tic tac toe!"

Napaangat ang dalawang kilay ko, napaisip pa 'ko kung tama ba ang pagkakarinig ko sa kaniya sa una. Tic tac toe?

She scoffed. "But it's not about taking turns, for you to have your turn, you must answer the trivia first! The one who answers first will be the one to make a move in tic tac toe!"

Hmm.

Taas noo niya 'kong tinigna, nasa beywang pa ang dalawang kamay. "Good luck though, if you ever manage to answer one before I do. Hmp! I'm the smartest in our clan! I'm a genius!" 

Goya nodded proudly, still bashful. "S-She is!"

Pasimple akong umiwas ng tingin. A genius, huh?

"Okay, let's do your challenge," walang ganang sagot ko.

Ang troso na pinaglaruan namin ni Goya ay umangat nang onti. Carved lines slowly showed on the log. It is ready for our tic tac toe.

"To make sure we aren't biased with the questions," ani Gild. "The game will decide the questions."

As soon as he said that, a blue screen appeared at the top of us. "The questions will appear there," Gild added.

"Okay, I'm ready," sagot ko.

Arietty and I stood in front of the screen, waiting for the game to start. A countdown appeared before the questions.

3. 2. 1.

𝖶𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗂𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗅𝖺𝗋𝗀𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝗂𝗌𝗅𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖬𝖾𝖽𝗂𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗋𝖺𝗇𝖾𝖺𝗇 𝖲𝖾𝖺?

What is the-

"Sicily!" My opponent cheerfully. 

My eyes widened. I didn't finish reading the question, and I'm sure I'm not slow in reading it. Goya cheered Arriety as she got the answer correct, I still couldn't believe how fast she answered it. A green circle light appeared where she stood for a couple of seconds. Maybe signaling that she's right.