Minutes ago at the school event...

Both teams glared fiercely at one another, their grips tightening around the rope as heavy breaths escaped them.

The audience found themselves holding their breath as well, time seeming to still for a moment as everyone braced themselves for the final game of the day.

Another round of tug-of-war.

Then, the sharp sound of a whistle echoed throughout the gymnasium, followed by the fierce huff from the players.

"Pull! Pull! Pull!"

Both sides shouted as they yanked at the rope with all their might. Even the audience could not help but roar along with them.

"Pull it! Pull!!"

Nolan rose to his feet, his neck stretched forward, and his hands clasped tightly together.

Everyone’s eyes were fixed on the red handkerchief tied at the center of the rope. It shifted left and right until it crossed deeper into the Red Team’s line.

"Pull!" Julius roared, followed immediately by Ashley shouting, "Come on!"

Then, children and parents alike yelled, "Give it your all!"

At the same time, Raka bellowed, "Pull!" followed by his team’s determined cries.

"Pull it!!"

"Go, Blue Team — B.L.U.E Blue, go!" the Pink Team cheered from the sidelines, waving their pompoms wildly.

The other half of the Pink Team sang, "Red Team, you can do it~! Red! Red! Red!"

The staff, teachers, and students rooted for their teams with just as much intensity.

For a moment, everyone had forgotten everything else, as if this game were the most important thing in the world. Even the audience stands had grown more crowded than before as more and more people returned just to witness the deciding match.

"Pull, Blue Team!" a group in the audience roared.

On the opposite side, others shouted back, "Red Team, don’t let them win this!"

Hearing that, the opposing groups in the audience turned toward each other. Invisible sparks seemed to crackle between them, prompting everyone to cheer even harder.

It was just a silly game, yet somehow, everyone was taking it personally.

Raka ground his teeth as he shouted commands while pulling with all his strength. His eyes lit up as the red handkerchief slowly inched closer to their side.

"Keep pulling!" he shouted. "We’re almost there!"

Those on the Red Team roared, "Pull!"

They maintained their momentum, pulling harder in sync. The more the handkerchief moved toward their side, the higher their morale climbed. Even the children gave everything they had to help.

Meanwhile, the Blue Team refused to give up, even when the handkerchief had already crossed the opposing line.

"Keep pulling!" Julius roared as he glanced back. "Pull!"

At his command, everyone pulled harder. Knowing he was the anchor of the team, Julius twisted the rope around his arm before yanking it with all his strength.

One powerful tug.

It was enough to make the handkerchief hover back over the line once more.

Seeing this, the Blue Team’s morale surged. Together, they synchronized their movements and yanked the rope again, dragging the handkerchief back over to their side.

"One more!" Ashley’s roar echoed throughout the gymnasium once more. Her voice deepened and shook as if someone had possessed her.

Stomping one foot forward, she leaned her body backward. At her command, every parent and child behind her mirrored the same movement.

Behind Ashley was Lucian, pulling the rope with equal intensity.

If Lucian had a pair of scissors, he probably would have cut the rope just to make it easier for them to win by snapping the other side loose.

Meanwhile, Raka gasped as he realized the handkerchief was moving toward the Blue Team once again.

"Don’t let them— ack!"

The rope suddenly jerked so hard it nearly dragged him forward.

He tried to regain his footing, but exhaustion had already begun setting in for him and the others. Little by little, the handkerchief continued moving deeper into the Blue Team’s territory.

"No! Pull!" he shouted desperately, and the entire Red Team obeyed.

For a brief second, the handkerchief shifted back toward them. Their morale nearly soared again.

But then Ashley roared once more.

"NOW!"

For a moment, Raka froze as his eyes widened at the sight before him.

The Blue Team looked engulfed in invisible flames. Their eyes burned like wolves lurking in the woods at midnight.

Everyone on the Red Team felt the overwhelming intensity of the Blue Team’s unity.

And in that instant, the Blue Team looked like giants towering before them.

With one final, powerful pull, the handkerchief crossed completely into the Blue Team’s territory—along with the Red Team itself.

"Ack!"

Raka lost his footing and fell face-first onto the floor.

One after another, the other members of the Red Team tumbled down with him.

Meanwhile, the Blue Team collapsed onto their buttocks from the force of the pull.

The rope dropped heavily onto the floor between them with a quiet sound.

For a moment, the entire gymnasium fell into pin-drop silence.

All eyes remained fixed on the players sprawled across the ground. Mouths hung open, eyes widened, and breaths were held for a single suspended moment.

Then, everyone’s gaze slowly drifted toward the rope.

Specifically, the red handkerchief tied to it.

It rested entirely within the Blue Team’s territory.

WHISTLE!

The sharp sound cut through the silence. Yet even then, the entire gymnasium remained frozen for another second.

And then, the audience erupted.

Cheers thundered through the gymnasium with such force that even the walls and floors seemed to shake.

"Blue Team!! Yeah!!!"

"Nice game, Red Team! You’re still the best!"

Then, the announcer’s booming voice echoed through the speakers.

"For today’s event, the Blue Team wins!"

Another wave of deafening cheers followed, with some people even whistling loudly. The crowd’s excitement quickly drowned out the announcer’s voice.

As for the players, both children and parents panted heavily as they slowly looked around.

Everyone in the audience was already on their feet—throwing their hands in the air, clapping, cheering, and whistling.

"Good job, Blue!"

"Blue all the way!"

"Let’s go, Blue Team!"

But the Blue Team wasn’t the only one receiving cheers. The Red Team was being cheered for as well.

"Good game, Red Team!"

"You did your best, Red Team!"

"You’re winners to us!"

Raka furrowed his brows, tuning out the cheers for the Blue Team and focusing instead on the people cheering for them.

Not just him, but the parents and students on his side looked confused as well.

Didn’t they lose?

Then why were people still cheering for them?

For the first time in his life, Raka experienced someone cheering for him despite losing. All his life, he had believed nothing was more important than winning. That belief was exactly what he had been teaching his son.

"Daddy." Sammy, Raka’s son, stood beside him.

Raka turned and saw his son’s flushed cheeks. Sammy was drenched in sweat, yet he was smiling so brightly his eyes had nearly disappeared into crescents.

Raka stared at his son for a long moment before suddenly laughing and reaching out to ruffle his hair.

When he looked around, he noticed the other parents on his team chuckling as well. Maybe they were laughing at how seriously they had taken the game. Or maybe they realized the game had taught them something far more important than winning.

In the end, the Red Team laughed together while the Blue Team celebrated their victory.