Chapter 100
The bottles scattered across the ground, glinning like free gold. Everyone surged forward, grabbing as many as they could. It was over in less than a manute, the bottles were split, and both sides bags were filled to the top.
“Looks like time’s up. Let’s head back,” Stella said, eyring the bags on both sides. They appeared neck–and–neck, and it was impossible to tell by sight which side had more. In this final round, the Dance Club had played dirty, probably picking up as many bottles as they had
On the way back. Eliana noticed that Cameron and Adam were missing She approached Thomas and asked. “Hey,
V, where are Cameron and Adam”
Thomas hadn’t noticed Cameron slipping away in the rush to grab bottles earlier. If it hadn’t been for Eliana’s reminder, he would have forgotten entirely about the two of them. Glancing behind him, he realized they were nowhere in sight.
“Are they missing? I’m not sure. Maybe we should try calling them. Thomas suggested.
Landon said, “They left a little while ago without saying where they were going. No worries; lers head back to the game area and start counting the bottles. They’ll probably show up soon
Soon, everyone gathered back at the game area. By then, most of the items at the trading stalls had already been swapped or claimed. The Dance Club and Tennis Club arrived in full force, drawing all eyes to them as a crowd gathered around
A student council member checked the time and said. “Time’s up! The game is officially over
Stella and Ebir hefted two bags of water bottles onto the table. Two more people stepped forward from the Dance Club, placing their towering bags beside them. Gasps and murmurs spread through the crowd:
Wow, look at how much they gathered“”
“At a glance, it’s hard to tell who has more–they both gathered a ton”
“Incredible” They managed to collect that many bottles?”
They must’ve broken the record”
The student counal members glanced at the bags and affixed labels to each. Meanwhile, other participants trickled in, holding just a few battles each, ready to exchange them for keychains and mini stuffed toys. Once everyone else’s boules had been counted, it was time to tally them collected by the Dance Club and Tennis Club.
However, before the count began, Wendy broke the silence
“T’d like to report a rule violation,” she declared.
“Oh” one of the council members responded.
“When they registered, only four people were on their team, including Eliana. Now, there’s an entire crowd helping them. If this isn’t against the rules, what is?”
Willow chimed in. “Exactly! They started with four, but now they’ve brought many people along. How is this not a clear violation?”
Yulila crossed her arms, smirking. They’ve been exploiting loopholes the whole time, and now their numbers have more than doubled. If this – doesn’t count as cheating, we might as well throw out the rulebook entirely.”
Their accusations stirred murmurs among the crowd.
fo
“She’s got a point–I saw their registration, and it was just four names. Where did all these people come from?”
“This seems
seems like a rule violation.
“If they broke the rules, they should be disqualified.”
The crowd grew more vocal, their complaints directed at the student council members, who exchanged helpless glances before turning to Eliana.
“Eliana, do you have anything to say about this?”
Eliana shook her head calmly. “If the registration was for four people and the team doesn’t match that, it would be a violation. There’s no argument
there.”
Yulila laughed triumphantly, her voice ringing with satisfaction. “Well, no excuses this time, huh! Looks like you’ve got nothing left to say!“
1/2
105 PM
Chapter 100
“Exactly, you broke the rules!” Willow added with a smug look. Honestly. Eliana, didn’t you read the rules before competing! Next time, you’d better pay closer attention. It’s a shame to collect so many bottles only to waste your efforts. Such a pity.”
Bui Eliana smiled suddenly, ber expression calm. ” said such a situation would be against the rules–I didn’t say we were breaking them”
“What?” Wendy snapped. “Are you still alenying you cheated!”
Ignoring her. Eliana turned to the student council. “Why don’t you pull up
you pull up our registration form? That should clear everything up.”
The council members shuffled through their files, pulling out the registration forms. As they scanned the document, their eyes widened in realization
“They didn’t break the rules. This registration form lists not just
st four
imes but all the members of the Tennis Club”
“Are you serious?” The crowd gasped.
The council held up the form for everyone to see. “It’s all here. Eliana registered the entire Tennis Club when they signed up.”
The revelation hit like a thunderclap. The crowd was stunned, their disbelief palpalle
Yulla thought. Eliana had planned for this all along?
Yulila stared at Eliana, her eyes wide with disbelief. You expect me to believe thist There’s no way you remembered all those names?”
Eliana clasped her hands behind her back and smiled faintly. “I may not excel at everything, but I have a good memory. If you doubt me, feel free
In cross–check the list
It all came back to the registration day. While everyone else was chatting and laughing. Eliana had been focused, quietly filling out the form with every name from the Tennis Club. Now, that foresight was paying off.
The Tennis Club members erupted in Exughter, and Stella couldn’t resist taking a shot. “What’s wrong. Yulila! You can rally your entire Dance Club to help you, but we can’t get support from the Tennis Club. Talk about being small–minded Guess it’s true–petty hearts never prosper!”
Yulila’s face flushed with anger, leaving her momentarily speechless. Wendy’s expression also darkened, clearly frustrated at being outplayed by Eliana yet again.
“Well then, since there’s no rule violation, let’s proceed with counting the bottles.
The student council began pouring the bottles onto the table, carefully counting thent in full view of the crowd. About ten minutes later, the final numbers were announced
“Yulila’s team collected 124 bottles, while Elsie’s team collected 131 bottles!”
Elsie, of course, was the senior’s name.
Upon hearing i
results, Stella and her team burst into excited cheers. “Yes! We did it! We collected more bottles than they did?”
the t
“Wait a second!” Willow suddenly interjected. Willow suddenly interrupted. She pulled ten small bottles out of her bag. “I still have these they weren’t counted yet!”
The crowd gaped as Willow placed the boules on the table.
“What is this supposed to mean someone demanded. “You’re just bringing more bottles out now!
“These were collected earlier,” Willow replied coolly. “I simply forgot to take them out before. Why shouldn’t they count! After all, I’m a participant
“Adding these ten bottles brings our total to 134–three more than yours!” Willow declared with a triumphant smile. “So it’s clear–we’re the
winners!
