As the whistle for the first match blew, cheers erupted across the field. Serena raised her colorful cheer pom-poms high with a face full of fighting spirit, her eyes locking onto her brother, Arthur, who stood at the front of the rope with a focused and tense expression.
"Go, Arthur!!!" Serena shouted toward the field, her voice crisp and loud. A dramatic support banner that read "Arthur is the strongest!!" hung around her neck, and the colorful pom-poms sparkled dazzlingly in the sunlight as she cheered with all her might.
Beside her, Aiden also held a cheering stick, but was clearly overshadowed by Serena's energy. He could only wave awkwardly and mutter under his breath, "Serena is way too intense…"
The whistle blew again.
The match had begun!
Arthur's team clashed fiercely with the opposing side. The red ribbon tied in the center of the rope swayed back and forth as both teams gritted their teeth, feet firmly planted on the ground. The sound of rope pulling and shouting merged into a chaotic chorus.
In the first round, Arthur's team won by maintaining a synchronized rhythm. In the second round, their opponents adjusted their strategy and managed to tie the score.
By the third round, the atmosphere reached a peak of tension.
Serena stood at the sidelines, fists clenched tightly at her chest, her eyes never leaving her brother on the field.
"Hold it… just a bit more… almost there—!"
Just as the rope was pulled past the center line, the referee raised the flag and declared, "Class A6 wins!!!"
The crowd exploded into thunderous applause and cheers.
"We won!! My brother won the first match!!" Serena practically jumped into the air, raising her pom-poms and waving them with all her might. She was like a firework bursting into light, shining brilliantly among the crowd. "Arthur is the best—!!!"
In that moment, all eyes that had been focused on the match seemed to be drawn by her fiery enthusiasm, unconsciously turning toward the excited girl.
She became a radiant spotlight, the center of everyone's attention.
On the field, Arthur caught sight of his sister's beaming face and couldn't help but smile. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, his eyes glinted with determination—
For that smile, he could not afford to lose.
With the first victory, Arthur's team was riding high on morale and quickly began preparations for the next round. He and his teammates huddled together to discuss strategies while the teacher gave directions on positioning.
Meanwhile, Serena was full of excitement, waving her pom-poms and preparing for an even grander round of cheering.
Suddenly, from the corner of her eye, she spotted a familiar figure not far away.
"Huh? Isn't that Lucien?" Serena nudged Aiden with her elbow. "Let's go get him to cheer with us!"
"Sure, gogo!!"
——
Lucien was leaning against a tree, arms crossed, looking at the noisy field with an uninterested expression. When he spotted the two approaching, he immediately frowned.
"Luuucien!" Serena waved enthusiastically and pulled out a cheer stick with odd colors and sparkly bunny ears on top. "Come on, let's cheer for Arthur together!"
Lucien glanced at her blankly, then at the ridiculously gaudy cheer stick, and said flatly, "You actually expect me to hold something that weird?"
"Take it, take it~ It's suuuper cute!" Serena grinned and tried to shove the stick into his hands.
Lucien dodged. "I'd rather put a garbage bag over my head."
"I think it's kind of cute too." Aiden chimed in with a laugh, even making bunny ears with his hands over Lucien's head.
As the three of them goofed around, the second round of tug-of-war was about to start. Serena snapped back to attention and turned toward the field, excited. "Alright, alright! It's starting again, let's get ready—"
"Alright, alright! It's starting again, let's get ready—"
But the next moment, her expression froze, and she stood there stunned.
"…Huh?" She slowly lifted a trembling hand, pointing toward the field. "Aiden, Lucien, look over there…"
Aiden leaned forward to see, and Lucien followed her gaze.
They saw the team's formation had shifted slightly. Standing directly behind Arthur now was none other than Crown Prince Orthe. And inexplicably, he was right up against Arthur.
Orthe's hands even seemed to be resting naturally behind Arthur's waist, and Arthur himself didn't appear to notice anything unusual, still listening seriously to what Orthe was saying.
"Lucien…" Serena turned to him in a daze, her voice dreamy with disbelief. "Does tug-of-war… normally require people to stand that close?"
Lucien was silent for two seconds, then said calmly, "No."
"…"
Serena's eyes suddenly flared with fire. "Then that means there's definitely something fishy going on, right?! I knew that prince was up to something—!!!"
Furious, Serena stomped her foot. The pom-pom in her hand smacked the ground with a loud "whap" as she marched forward, eyes locked on Orthe, fully prepared to storm the field.
"Calm down," Lucien grabbed her. "Don't turn the match into a war."
"Too late," Serena gritted her teeth. "I'm gonna rip that creep away from my sweet, lovely brother!!!"
Then she stared at Orthe again—and suddenly gasped, her eyes widening like saucers.
"Look! Look! That guy—" Her voice cracked, "Aaaaahh he's grabbing my brother's hand now!!!"
Lucien was clearly struggling to hold her back. Luckily, Aiden quickly stepped in and hugged her waist to help. "Calm down! You're shouting too loud!"
"How can I calm down?! That's my brother!!" Serena was practically going berserk, flailing like a windmill. Lucien had no choice but to let go.
"I'm going over right now to rip that mangy royal off him!!"
"No no no, you'll get in trouble with the school!!" Aiden cried.
Lucien, swift as ever, grabbed her by the collar. "You want to publicly embarrass your brother?"
"He's the one being clung to and you're worried I'm the embarrassment?! I'm going to end that damn prince!!!"
——
On the field, the tug-of-war match was still ongoing.
Arthur, focused entirely on pulling the rope, suddenly caught sight of a frantic figure flailing wildly in the stands.
He blinked, then smiled.
—It was Serena.
He assumed she was cheering enthusiastically for him again. His lips curled into a grin as he turned back toward the match.
That's when someone leaned in close.
It was Crown Prince Orthe, so close their shoulders touched. His breath brushed against Arthur's ear as he whispered:
"Don't lose focus. We're about to win."
Arthur blinked, then his eyes sharpened. He tightened his grip on the rope and pulled with all his strength.
The whistle blew—
Arthur's class claimed victory in the second match.
The crowd erupted again.
But the one person who didn't smile at all… was Serena.
She stood frozen, pom-poms forgotten, glaring coldly toward the field.
"We won…" Aiden let go of her and beamed. "Your brother won again! Aren't you happy—?"
Before he could finish, he met her icy expression.
"Uh… what's wrong?"
Serena said nothing, but her glare looked like it could strip someone alive. Her lips were pressed tight, brows furrowed like they could crush a mosquito. She looked like a bomb about to go off.
"You still have to ask?" Her voice was colder than winter. "Unless I'm hallucinating, he even nuzzled his head over!!! My precious baby!!"
Aiden: "…Maybe it was just the angle?"
"Angle my foot!!" Serena growled, "That was a deliberate lean!! You do know that's my brother, right?! He's too nice to even notice it, but I saw it clear as day!!"
Lucien sighed, speaking calmly, "Doesn't matter what you saw. If you storm in now, you'll just interrupt the match and get yourself disciplined."
Aiden tried to soothe her too. "Come on, you wanted your brother to win, right? Just wait until after and ask him about it."
"Ask him? Like he'd know!!" Serena glared at Arthur's back. "He smiles at anyone who gets near him! He doesn't even realize when someone's clinging to him!!"
Lucien finally let out a sigh. "Then what do you want to do? Storm the field and assault a royal?"
"…" Serena fell silent. She knew assaulting royalty was a serious crime. She clenched her fists, her glare just as fierce and unforgiving.
Aiden rubbed his temple. "…Should we get her a cold drink or something?"
"Good idea," Lucien agreed.
"…"
Serena said nothing, still glaring murderously toward the field, as if she could peel Orthe off her brother with sheer willpower.
Meanwhile, on the field, Arthur waved at them with a happy smile—mistaking her intensity for excitement over his win.
Serena's expression only darkened.
She covered her face and muttered with despair:
"My brother is such an idiot…"