"I am so sorry, Taher, but you are not going to play today." Master Susanto informed with a solemn tone.

It was the morning before the sixth round of the Olympiad began, and all the Indonesian players gathered first to listen to how Master Susanto and Irene would determine the team for the day. The atmosphere was pretty awkward, especially since Novendra still had the grumpiness that made him seem unapproachable this morning.

Hearing that he was not going to play, Taher was surprised, but not too much. He and the others had already thought about so many possibilities for today's lineup, and his being put aside for a rest day was one that everyone thought was the most likely to happen. Still, the man was curious about the reason, so he asked, "Can you at least explain the reason?"

Master Susanto just let out a deep sigh, and he seemed to grow far older just in one night. "I know that this is unfair to you, and that is why I apologize, but this is the best arrangement that I could make today." He started explaining. "After the disastrous result yesterday, Sheva has to be back on the squad. It is not a question about whether I want him to be there or not, but the higher-ups have already put pressure on me, so I don't have any choice here."

Right after that, all the eyes suddenly turned to Bagas and Sarah simultaneously. The quiet gasp, which contained the horror as everyone thought that those two just pulled some strings to make this happen, was deafening, and the couple made it worse by simply smiling silently without clarifying each other's wild guesses. The only one who didn't have any exaggerated reaction was Sheva, and that was because he knew that those two wouldn't really do anything behind his back like this, and it was just everyone's imagination playing a huge role in deceiving their mind.

'Yeah, still… After what they said about this possibility yesterday, I cannot blame the others for their reaction.' Sheva chuckled inwardly. 'I wonder how they would react if they knew that Bagas and Sarah's parents also hold some power to force some things to happen…'

Indeed, Sheva didn't just have one backer here. The boy still had Bagas's father, the veteran soldier with vast connections, to support him, and if necessary, Sarah, who also had quite a strong background, would also be willing to help. After all, they had been friends with each other since they were in high school, and Sheva, as one of the smartest students there, hadhelped the girl a lot in the past.

"Um… Is there anything wrong with what I am saying?" Master Susanto broke the awkward silence here with a question. A frown could be seen on his face, clearly noticing that almost everyone had their gazes on Bagas.

"No, no, nothing wrong with what you are saying, Master Susanto, don't worry about it." The fat boy answered the question immediately, which only made the man more suspicious. "It is just about our discussion last night, but it is not related to chess at all, so you don't have to worry about it. Right, guys?" He smiled at the others.

Indeed, Bagas didn't really lie in this case. They only talked about Sheva's backer last night and didn't really touch on any topic related to chess. The innocent smile on his face was also enough for Master Susanto to believe him, so the man finally put that matter aside with a single nod.

However, for the others, that smile was like a threat, as if the boy said, 'If you mentioned anything about my words, you will have a terrible day!' Or something like that. At this time, Bagas really looked like a school bully, and everyone could only nod to cover his ass from getting busted by the teachers.

"Anyway, since Sheva is on the board, one of us is going to have a rest today." Master Susanto continued. "Normally, you will not be one, since your performance is the second-best in this team. However, our opponent next is relatively weaker than us, and we really need to have a moral boost right now. So…"

Even with Master Susanto trailing his words behind, everyone could understand the subtle meaning of his words here. The man wanted him, Novendra, and Arfan to have a confidence boost from winning a game, and the next opponent, the Latvian team, was definitely the best target for this. Even though it wasn't really clear whether they would win their game or not, at least, those three had confidence that they could beat their opponent in this round, so this was an opportunity that Master Susanto had been waiting for to overturn the situation here.

"As for the women's team, sorry, Laysa, but you have to be out for this round." Irene smiled apologetically. "You might not notice this, but you have been playing for all rounds since the tournament began, so it is a good idea to have a day off today. What do you think?"

"Sure." The girl nodded nonchalantly, as if expecting something like that to happen.

Fortunately, despite her chaotic personality, Laysa was not a fussy person, and she accepted the arrangement immediately. It would be a headache if the girl decided to make a fuss about it, and once the people on the Internet smelt the conflict on the team, everything would be revealed instantly, and it would be Irene who would be affected the most. After all, Laysa's performance up until now was one of the best on the team, and not putting her on the board with no reason was enough for her to gain a lot of hate instantly.

"Then, me, Novendra, Arfan, and Sheva will play for the men's team today, okay?" Master Susanto concluded the meeting.

"As for us, it would be me, Medina, Anna, and Claudia," Irene added.

"Then, we have a complete squad right now." Master Susanto nodded. "We both have just defeated yesterday, and our opponent today should be pretty much weaker. So, let's just lock in and win our game, okay? The mission today is simple, and that is to bounce back higher than ever! Do you understand?!"

"Yes, Sir!"

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