As Sakura clapped and cheered for Michael and the rest of the participants, Darcy placed her on an empty seat beside Daddy James, before heading over to the bar.

James turned his attention to her then. He took the opportunity and pulled her into his arms as he kissed her forehead.

“Afternoon, sweetheart,” he said. “Heard you were unwell last night. Are you feeling better?”

Sakura nodded. “Yes. Much better.” She grinned brightly to tell him he needn’t worry about her.

Once she was out of James’s arms again, Michael ran up to her. He asked excitedly, “Did you see me, Sakura? I won the race. Was I awesome?”

Sakura couldn’t help but chuckle with delight at the boy’s enthusiasm. “Yes. I saw. You were very awesome, Michael. Now then, what’s the next game? I’ll be cheering you on again.”

Michael cocked his head to one side as he said, “I think it’s a three-legged race.”

“That sounds fun,” she said. “Is Nicolas going to be your partner for that game, too?”

She wondered how the two were going to manage, because of their height and body size difference. Michael was a slim boy with a head that barely reached to Nicolas’s chest, while Nicolas himself was above six feet, with a muscular build. Surely, if they were to be in a three-legged race, Nicolas would just be dragging little Michael about.

Michael nodded in the affirmative. “Yep. And you know what? We’re going to win again. We’ve won every game so far.” He boasted, even puffing out his chest to indicate how proud he was of himself and Nicolas.

It was then that a loud throat-clearing noise came from behind the little boy. Sakura raised her eyes to see the Princeton brothers. Hayden, the one who did the throat clearing to gain her attention, was standing right behind Michael. Beside Hayden, to the left, was Logan. To Hayden’s right were Sebastian and Conrad, and behind were Nicolas and Tristan.

Hayden chuckled heartily as he pulled little Michael into his arms and tousled the boy’s hair roughly. “What did you say, you little rascal? You and that strict guardian prince have won every race so far? Really?”

Michael went bright red. He stammered defensively, “I said almost.”

Sakura chuckled. It seemed Michael wanted to brag to her how awesome he was by claiming he won almost every game but omitting the almost part.

When Hayden finally let the boy go, it was Conrad’s turn to teach the boy a little lesson. He hooked his arm over Michael’s small shoulder and said, “It’s uncool to lie, Michael. And Sakura doesn’t like men who lie.” He turned his attention to her and asked, “Isn’t that right, Sakura?”

Sakura, noting Michael was very red in the face because of the teasing, decided to comfort the boy by saying, “But Michael didn’t lie, did he?”

Akira and Jane appeared behind Sakura’s seat then.

Akira said, “That’s right. He just forgot to add in the word almost.”

Jane nodded in agreement. “Also, winning almost all the games is almost the same as winning all the games, right?”

At Jane’s conclusion, everyone decided to agree on that one and let Michael off the hook.

Michael turned to Conrad and said, “See, I didn’t say or do anything wrong.”

Conrad chuckled. “I got it.”

“All right, everyone.” Mr. Tachibana’s loud voice drew everyone’s attention to him. “I hope you all are having a good time.”

At everyone’s confirmative nods, he continued. “Now, it’s a fifteen-minute break. After that, it’s a three-legged race, our last game of the day, and then it’ll be another barbeque party this evening, which will be followed by a disco right here in the garden. Tonight, there will be guests joining us, so, you Princeton brothers, do behave yourselves.” He looked pointedly at both Tristan and Logan.

The two brothers, of course, took the warning in stride and hooted loudly.

“Yeah, disco!” Tristan exclaimed.

Logan asked, “By guests, you mean super-hot models?”

Mr. Tachibana shook his head. “Important hotel guests and my staff.” He reiterated. “Please behave yourselves, Princeton brothers.”

At that, everyone started laughing because they all knew both Tristan and Logan would never behave at a party. Indeed, they’d be stirring things up to make it even more entertaining, preferably to their liking.

Then it was Miss Ruka’s turn to speak. “Everyone, please don’t forget to rehydrate yourself before the next game. We don’t want anyone to collapse on us. It’s extremely hot today, too.”

At that, the crowd dissipated, with some heading to the bar area where various cool drinks and snacks were offered.

Meanwhile, Sebastian came up to Sakura and took the seat James had just vacated. Sakura grinned as Sebastian leaned toward her and placed the back of his hand on her forehead. “Hmm... still a little feverish.”

When he moved his hand back, Sakura touched her own forehead, frowning. “That’s because it’s hot out here,” she said.

“Then maybe it’s best if you stay inside?” He was smiling.

She pulled a face. “I’ll be fine, thank you very much. I’m not a five-year-old.”

Sebastian chuckled. “No, you’re not. But I’ll be damned if I let you fall ill again. You know your health isn’t great.”

“I know.” She wished she were sturdier, like Akira or Jane, health wise.

Suddenly, Sebastian pulled her into his arms and embraced her tightly.

Sakura was surprised at first, but then smiled as he moved his face toward hers.

She asked, “What are you doing? We’re in the middle of a crowded place and everyone—and I mean everyone—can see us.”

He chuckled in amusement. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to do anything that will embarrass you.” He moved his lips to her forehead and gave her a little peck there.

Sakura noted it was the exact spot Darcy had kissed her earlier, before they came down.

When he moved back, she noted that everyone was watching them, including Darcy, and she groaned in despair.

Glaring at the handsome man before her, she said, “You said you wouldn’t do anything that’d embarrass me. Now look. Everyone is watching.”

His azure eyes twinkled as he said, “A perfect opportunity, don’t you think? To show the world what you are to me and how much you mean to me.”

Sakura could only stare. Once again, Sebastian Princeton had managed to turn something so mundane into point scoring and scaring away his competitors. There was no denying the fact that this man was too smart and ingenious for his own good.

It wasn’t long before the fifteen-minute break was over, and everyone started gathering for the last game, the three-legged race. On cue, the spectators returned to their seats along the sidelines. It seemed none of them wanted to miss out on all the fun. Meanwhile, the participants assembled around Mr. Tachibana and Miss Ruka.

“Wahoo! The last game!” Tristan shouted.

“Tachibana-sensei,” Hayden called out. “Since it’s the last game, why don’t we make it more exciting?”

“That’s right,” Logan chimed in. “Let’s make it more interesting. Let’s change a three-legged race to a four-legged race.”

Sosuke said. “That sounds hard.”

“And fun,” Conrad added.

Mr. Tachibana thought about the suggestion for a moment and then nodded in agreement. “All right, everyone. That sounds like it’ll be a fun game, this four-legged race. And I’ve come up with a solution to make our last game even more exciting.”

He smiled with glee, and his dark eyes twinkled mischievously as he continued. “First off, it will be a four-legged race, as suggested by Logan. That means there will be five teams of three per team. And Miss Ruka will be joining the game, too, to even out the team members.”

Miss Ruka clasped her hands together in anticipation.

At this point, Michael took the opportunity and eyed all the participants that surrounded him.

Sakura, who was watching from behind, noticed, and had no doubt the boy was gauging which person to pick to join his and Nicolas’s team to make them even stronger. How crafty of him indeed, she thought with a smile.

Mr. Tachibana said, “The members of each team will be picked randomly by placing names in a hat.”

Michael didn’t quite contain his disappointment at this announcement and shouted, “What? No way!”

Everyone laughed at his reaction, while Sebastian said, “Sounds fair enough.”

Hayden chuckled and said, “After all, we can’t let only certain people win the games, can we now, Michael?” He was teasing the boy, of course.

Michael replied by poking out his tongue at the man, which caused everyone to chuckle.

Mr. Tachibana continued. “Okay. Let us start picking team members.”

A moment later, Miss Ruka presented Mr. Tachibana a hat that contained the participants’ names. Then it began.

“Team one,” Mr. Tachibana said as he dipped his hand into the hat. “The first name is... Tristan.”

“Yeah. All right,” Tristan said, all pumped up and ready for some action. “Let’s see who my teammates are.”

“Joining Tristan in team one is... Logan,” Mr. Tachibana announced.

Tristan and Logan high-fived as they said, “Score,” in unison.

“And the third member to join team one is... Miss Ruka!”

Upon hearing her name, Miss Ruka clapped excitedly. She obviously couldn’t believe she’d be teaming up with two of her most favorite Princeton brothers. Thus, she rushed over to them as she giggled like a schoolgirl.

“What?” Tristan shouted, obviously in disbelief.

“No way!” Logan exclaimed, obviously disappointed.

“Now,” Mr. Tachibana said, “team two. The first member for this team is... Sebastian.”

Sitting on the sidelines, Sakura waited patiently to see who Sebastian’s team was going to be. Somehow, she had a hunch it was going to be Darcy, which was odd, and she had no idea why she instinctively felt that way.

“The second member for team two is... Nicolas,” Mr. Tachibana said.

At this, Sakura thought to herself that maybe she was wrong after all.

“Who will be the last member to join team two?” Mr. Tachibana asked the crowd to trigger some reactions.

On cue, Michael went, “Me! Me!” as he jumped up and down with his hand up in the air to get Mr. Tachibana’s attention. “Pick me!”

Everyone laughed. Michael was just too cute and amusing.

“And the last member to join team two is...” Mr. Tachibana said as he slowly dipped his hand into the hat once more. “Could it be our little kawaii Michael?” And then, he pulled the small piece of paper out. He read at the name for a moment and said, “Oh my! It is... It is... Darcy!”

Holy shit! Sakura thought. Well, her instinct was right in this case.

Darcy, upon the announcement of his name, couldn’t believe he was going to be teamed up with Nicolas and Sebastian. Well, mostly Sebastian.

Michael, on the other hand, slumped his shoulders in disappointment. “Aww. I was hoping it’d be me.”

Conrad patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry, Michael. I’m sure you’ll end up on a strong team.”

At Conrad’s positive words, Michael grinned and nodded. “Yeah.” He glanced around and noted that not only Hayden, who was one of the strongest in the group, but Luke, Sosuke, his dad Jim, and Peter remained as well. Feeling better, he turned his attention to Mr. Tachibana once again.

Mr. Tachibana said, “I’m so sorry, Michael-kun. But I’m sure you’ll end up with a really good team!”

Michael nodded. “I know,” he said, grinning from ear to ear.

“All right,” Mr. Tachibana said. “Now for team three. Who will be on this team?” He pulled out a name and announced, “Ah, it is our Michael-kun.”

At the announcement of his very name, Michael tensed up as he waited in anticipation to hear who were going to be his team members.

“The person who will be joining Michael-kun is... Akira!”

Michael couldn’t hide his disappointment and said loudly, “Akira?”

At this, Akira came up behind him and pulled him into her arms. “What do you mean Akira? You sound disappointed that you got me, young man. Are you saying I’m undesirable?”

Michael blushed and quickly apologized. “Sorry, but I just want to win, see.”

“Yes, I can see that, since you’re always teaming up with Nicolas,” Akira said. “Hey, I want to win, too, you know. This game is my last chance. Say, it’s best if we work together, right? If we want to win.”

Michael sighed. “Well, I guess so.”

“Good,” Akira said. “Now, let’s see who our other team member is.”

At that moment, Mr. Tachibana said, “And the person who will join team three is... Jane!”

At this, both Akira and Michael slumped their shoulders. Akira said, “We’re definitely going to lose now.”

Behind Akira, Jane said, “Sorry, guys. But I’ll do my best so we won’t fall in last place.”

Michael said, “Shouldn’t you be aiming to win?”

Akira chuckled and nodded in agreement. “All right, Jane, stop being so negative. We have to win this game. Now, let’s wait and see what else Tachibana-sensei has up his sleeve, because I know he’s going to change the rules of the game.”

Michael asked, “How do you know that? A four-legged race is the same as a three-legged race, isn’t it?”

Akira said, “Because I know Tachibana-sensei. Trust me. He’ll change the rules. And after, we’ll plan out a strategy. Agreed?”

Jane nodded, while Michael seemed reluctant. He didn’t know there needed to be any tactic in a four-legged race. It was just a race. All you needed to do was get from one point to the other and cross the finish line to score a win.

At this point, the rest of the members for the other teams were announced. Team four was Hayden, Conrad, and Sosuke, while team five was Luke, Jim, and Peter.

“Now that the teams are sorted, it is time to decide what to name your team. Be creative, please,” Mr. Tachibana said. “You have one minute to come up with your team name.”

The members huddled together in their teams and started deciding on their names. Finally, one minute was up, and Mr. Tachibana said, “Names, please. Team one, what will yours be?”

Logan said, “We’re Team Thunder!” He even posed like a Viking about to go to war, complete with a wild roar.

“Sounds strong,” Mary shouted from the sidelines. Everyone laughed in reaction.

“Team two?” Mr. Tachibana asked.

Nicolas said, “Team Mother Earth.”

“Sounds stable,” Mary said, chuckling.

Katherine said, “Is everyone going for elemental team names?”

At this, Michael announced, “Nope. We are now officially named Team Superhero!” He even did a Superman pose with his feet apart, hands on hips, and chest puffed out.

A loud cheer erupted, and Michael beamed with delight.

Sakura decided at least Team Superhero won the crowd over in terms of team name and team spirit.

“We’re Team S.O.S.,” Conrad announced.

“And we’re Team Peter Pan,” Peter said.

At this, Mary hooted. “Go husband! Team Mary-and-son will soon join you in Neverland.” Everyone laughed at her joke.

Once the laughter died down, Mr. Tachibana said, “Now, on with the game rules.” He paused for effect and then continued. “The rule is going to be different from the typical three-legged race. This is, after all, a four-legged race, no?” He even laughed heartily.

Akira said to Michael, “See?”

Michael said, “I hope he makes it easier.”

Akira chuckled. “I doubt it.”

Mr. Tachibana said, “The rules are...” He held up an array of three colorful ribbons, which instantly drew everyone’s attention. “These, everyone, are points ribbons. Each person will get one ribbon. There are three different colors, and each color represents different points. Green is ten, yellow is twenty, and red is thirty points. Each team will get one of each color, which will add up to a total of sixty points. The rule is simple.” He paused for effect again. When he noted that everyone was waiting eagerly for him to reveal what the rule was, he smiled with glee.

He continued. “Steal as many ribbons as you can from the other teams, and the points will add up. When you think you’ve gained enough ribbons, you will have to race to the finish-line before the other teams try to steal the ribbons back. Once every member of your team crosses the finish line, you cannot be touched. You are saved, and you’ve finished the game. And once every team crosses the finish line, the game is over, and the winner is determined by how many points they obtained from the ribbons they have accumulated. Does everyone understand?”

Nodding was the collective response.

“That sounds interesting and exciting,” Tristan said, rubbing his hands together.

“And that is not all, ladies and gentlemen,” Mr. Tachibana said. “The team that wins will get prizes.” He held up a basket full of goodies. “A load of good stuff in here.”

“I want that basket,” Michael shouted.

“Me, too,” Logan said with a chuckle.

“Me, three,” Peter announced. “It’s for my baby.”

Loud cheers followed this.

“All right, everyone, please settle down,” Mr. Tachibana said. “I said prizes, did I not? So it’s not going to be just the basket. To make the game more exciting, and everyone more motivated, the winners get to...” He paused for effect as he grinned from ear to ear. “That’s right, everyone, the winners get to kiss Sakura-chan.”

Upon hearing her name, Sakura was shocked for a moment. Then she shouted in disbelief, “What? Kiss? Me?”

“That’s right,” Mr. Tachibana said. “The idea has been suggested by two of the participants, and they confirmed with me that you agreed to it, Sakura.”

Sakura couldn’t believe this, and she knew who those two participants were. Tristan and Logan. Hence, she glared at them to tell them she wasn’t pleased with their idea. God, she certainly didn’t want to be kissed, not in front of other people anyway.

“Tachibana-sensei...” Sakura began, as she tried to calm her temper. “Can we cancel that last prize?”

Michael chimed in. “Why? It sounds exciting. If Team Superhero wins, we get to kiss you. That’s the best prize ever.”

Akira said, “That’s right, Sakura. You don’t want to crush a boy’s dream, do you?” She even winked teasingly.

Jane nodded. “I won’t mind kissing you, Sakura.”

“Me, too,” Michael said. “I’ll kiss you, Sakura.”

“Me, three,” Tristan said loudly.

“Me, four,” said Logan. “Have been wanting to for ages.”

With a frown, Conrad said, “There’s no way I’ll let you two kiss her. If you want to kiss her, you have to go through me first.”

“With pleasure,” Tristan said, chuckling away merrily.

After seeing how eager Michael was, Sakura felt her temper mellow immediately. Suddenly, she started laughing. Did Team Superhero know what they were talking about? Did they think they could win the game? In everyone’s opinion, hers included, they were the weakest here. They’d be crushed in no time. It was clear the teams most likely to win this round would either be Team Mother Earth, with Nicolas, Sebastian, and Darcy, or Team S.O.S., with Hayden, Conrad, and Sosuke. Of course, Team Thunder could also win because of Tristan and Logan.

Tristan said, “I’m sorry, darling sis, but the prizes have already been announced and cannot be canceled. As you can see, we participants are all hyped for the prizes, especially the one that involves kissing you, darling.”

Logan nodded in agreement. “It’s just bad manners to cancel an already offered prize.”

Sakura wanted to strangle those two brothers. Agreed? She had done nothing of the sort, and indeed, this had been the first time she had heard about her being part of the final prize.

She sighed, seeing she had no choice but to accept. “All right. The winners get to kiss me.”

A loud cheer went up then and the game began.