The gymnasium, which was already being used by other grades on the opposite side of the space, became even more crowded. The audience grew packed as more students from other grades filled the empty seats. Even faculty members and administrative staff could now be seen gathering around — all because of one class.

The class whose competitive spirit had skyrocketed so high that word spread throughout the school.

The intense atmosphere between the groups was already entertaining enough, but the real highlight — the reason everyone had gathered here — was one question:

How would the Blue Team find a way to win this time?

The sack race was one thing, but the next events were entirely different.

There were several games involving both parents and children: the Three-Legged Race, Red vs. Blue Trivia Race, Egg and Spoon Race, and Tug-of-War.

And so far?

The Red Team kept losing because the Blue Team approached the games differently.

The Red Team tried improvising and even attempted to copy their strategies. However, they couldn’t pull it off because the Blue Team had already discussed everything beforehand and had been properly briefed before each game even started.

"Cheaters! How could you — hey, is this still allowed!?" Raka’s voice echoed every now and then, only to earn apologetic looks from the staff and smug expressions from the opposing parents.

"Wow." Rum leaned back, chugging his drink as he watched the current game — a battle of brains instead of brawn.

The mechanics were simple. A question would be asked, and participants had to press the buzzer to answer. Whoever pressed first earned the right to answer. Only if they answered incorrectly could the other team respond.

But nowhere in the rules did it say that everyone had to answer individually.

So what did the Blue Team do?

Standing directly in front of the buzzer was Ashley.

Why her?

Because she could hit the button impossibly fast.

As for the answers, she would simply glance back at Primo. And if the answer was too complicated, her only job was to slam the buzzer and let someone else answer through the microphone.

"Ugh!!" Raka screamed in frustration, nearly pulling his own hair out. "Just press the button faster! Can’t you beat her at that!?"

Demoralized, the other parents on his team looked at him with exhausted faces. They weren’t just tired anymore — they were spiritually defeated.

Yet somehow, their children were having fun despite all the losing. The kids kept giggling because the other team looked ridiculous, and honestly, it was entertaining to watch.

BUZZ!

Once again, Ashley slammed the buzzer barely a millisecond after the question was asked. She wiggled her brows at the opposing parent before turning back toward Primo.

Primo signed the answer to her, and Ashley lazily leaned toward the microphone.

"Yellow."

"Yellow... is correct!" the host announced with a forced smile, looking increasingly concerned about the Red Team’s morale.

But when the host shifted his gaze toward the Blue Team, his expression twitched.

Why is the Pink Team over there now?

The audience shook their heads in disbelief. At this point, some students had even started timing Ashley just to see how absurdly fast she could press the button.

"It’s over," Gin hummed, rocking his head as he studied the situation. "The other team’s already too demoralized to continue."

"After that losing streak, I’d be demoralized too," Vodka agreed. "Isn’t this a little too much?"

"Too much?" Red snorted. "Those guys had no problem winning and bragging about it earlier."

His voice carried loudly enough that even nearby people nodded in agreement.

"Anyway, why does this gymnasium suddenly feel so hot?" Warriyo wondered aloud, looking around with a pained expression. "Since when did this place get so packed?"

At his question, everyone else glanced around and shrugged.

"For today’s round, the Blue Team wins!" the host announced — though by now it wasn’t even surprising anymore. The Red Team hadn’t gotten a single chance to answer. "Congratulations!"

"Yey~!" Team Pink cheered happily. "Go, Blue Team! Go~!"

"Nice!" Ashley chuckled, raising a hand. Lucian immediately high-fived her.

The other parents slapped hands and exchanged celebratory high-fives as well. Even the children cheered excitedly.

"Mommy! We’re winning~!"

"This is so fun~!"

"Let’s play more!"

Beyond simply winning, the parents’ greatest achievement was enjoying these games together with their children.

As for the Red Team, they watched the celebration bitterly.

"Tch!" Raka clicked his tongue, glaring daggers at Lucian. "That madman..."

At this point, he already knew Lucian was the mastermind behind all of it. After all, Lucian was the one coaching the team, organizing strategies, and even arguing with the staff like some terrifying lawyer — making his side sound perfectly logical while turning the Red Team into paranoid complainers.

"Papa!" Sammy, Raka’s son, tugged on his father’s hand.

When Raka looked down, his brows rose at the bright grin on his son’s face.

"This is fun," Sammy said with a soft giggle. "Let’s do better in the next game!"

Hearing that, the anger weighing heavily on Raka’s chest loosened slightly.

His gaze drifted toward the other children, who were comfortably resting beside their parents during the trivia game as though simply being together was all they wanted.

Some parents who had been crushed by the Blue Team’s overwhelming spirit also looked toward their children in surprise.

None of them had realized it until now.

Even though they kept losing, their children were still smiling and laughing.

It took them a moment to understand why.

The children were enjoying the games not because they were winning, but because, above all else, their parents were fully present with them.

Raka nearly choked on the realization before a defeated smile slowly spread across his face.

"Of course," he muttered, ruffling his son’s hair. "Let’s do better next time."

Then he turned toward his team, the irritation that had consumed him earlier now gone. His eyes blazed with renewed determination.

"Guys!" he shouted at his teammates, making even the Blue Team turn toward him. "Let’s not give up! There are still a few games left!"

The Blue Team raised their brows in mild surprise before exchanging looks. When they glanced back at the Red Team, they could feel the sudden shift in atmosphere.

This time, the air around them felt completely different from before.

The members of Team Pink blinked before smiling brightly. Then, in unison, they began cheering:

"Go, Red Team~!"

Everyone on the Blue Team turned toward Team Pink. Ashley’s face immediately twisted.

"You guys are so fickle."

***** 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

[Black Dragon Corporation]

"Doctor Wesley?"

Gustav stopped in his tracks the moment he spotted Doctor Wesley leaning against the reception desk on the top floor.

Doctor Wesley turned his head toward him.

The moment their eyes met, Gustav furrowed his brows at the doctor’s pale and exhausted appearance.

"What are you doing here? Are you alright?"

Doctor Wesley forced a smile. "Yes, I’m alright. I was just looking for the Master — there are some things I’d like to discuss with him."

"He’s not here today," Gustav answered immediately. "And he won’t be back for a while."

"Ah..." Doctor Wesley nodded slowly. "I see."

He cleared his throat and pushed himself away from the desk.

"Then I’ll go."

With that, Doctor Wesley turned to leave in a hurry.

But before he could take more than a few steps, Gustav’s voice stopped him.

"What’s wrong?" Gustav asked, closing the distance between them. "Doctor Wesley."

He waited until the doctor turned to face him again.

This time, Gustav was certain of one thing. Doctor Wesley wouldn’t have come here personally unless it was an emergency.

Gustav’s expression darkened.

"Doctor Wesley..." His voice lowered. "What’s wrong?"