Chapter 22 – A Sunday of Chaos
Morning sunlight slipped through the tall glass windows of Care's mansion, spreading warm light across the living room.
For a moment, everything was peaceful.
Then Nova ruined it.
Nova walked into the kitchen with the most suspicious smile on the planet and loudly announced,
"Well well… did everyone sleep comfortably last night?"
Joong almost choked on his water.
Daisy glared at Nova immediately.
"Shut up."
Nova only grinned wider.
Lyra entered the room right behind them, trying to act completely normal.
Alex followed a few seconds later.
Ben noticed instantly.
"Oh wow."
Kevin leaned forward.
"Oh wow indeed."
Ash folded his arms.
"Someone explain why four people look like they survived a blizzard together."
Lyra stopped walking.
"…What?"
Nova gasped dramatically.
"You don't remember?"
Lyra's eyes widened slightly.
"Remember what?"
Nova turned slowly toward Alex and Joong.
"Oh this is going to be fun."
Care was standing quietly near the counter, sipping tea, pretending not to enjoy this.
Cole leaned beside her.
"You started a war."
Care whispered back calmly,
"Worth it."
Cole chuckled.
---
The Teasing Begins
Ben clapped once loudly.
"Alright everyone."
He pointed at Joong and Daisy.
"First couple of the morning."
Daisy immediately stood up.
"WE ARE NOT A COUPLE."
Kevin nodded seriously.
"Exactly."
Then he added,
"You're the cold storage couple."
Nova fell onto the couch laughing.
Joong rubbed his face.
"This is never ending, is it?"
Ash smirked.
"Not for at least five years."
Then Ben turned dramatically toward Lyra and Alex.
"Now for the second couple."
Lyra froze.
"We are not—"
Nova interrupted instantly.
"Oh no, no."
She pointed at Alex.
"Sir literally turned into a heater last night."
Alex sighed quietly.
Kevin leaned toward him.
"Protective instincts, huh?"
Alex rubbed his forehead.
"This group is unbearable."
Cole crossed his arms.
"Not wrong."
Care added calmly,
"You two did sleep very peacefully though."
Lyra's face turned completely red.
"I'm leaving."
She tried to walk away.
Nova blocked her.
"Oh no you're not."
---
Daisy vs Everyone
Daisy stood up suddenly.
"If one more person says anything, I will personally throw them out of this mansion."
Kevin pointed at Joong.
"He held your hand."
Daisy's eyes widened.
"I DID NOT."
Joong looked equally shocked.
"…I didn't?"
Nova fell backwards laughing.
Ben wiped tears from his eyes.
"This is better than television."
Care leaned against the counter watching quietly.
Cole whispered beside her,
"You're proud of yourself."
Care smiled slightly.
"Maybe."
---
Reality Returns
After nearly thirty minutes of chaos, laughter, and threats from Daisy, the teasing slowly settled down.
Ash stretched.
"Alright."
He grabbed a sports bottle.
"Enough drama."
Everyone looked at him.
Ash continued,
"Sports Day starts tomorrow."
Instant silence filled the room.
The reality hit everyone.
Joong sighed.
"Practice."
Kevin groaned.
"I hate running."
Ben leaned back in his chair.
"You signed up for football."
Kevin pointed at him.
"You signed up for boxing."
Ben shrugged.
"Worth it."
Nova raised her hand lazily.
"I chose archery."
Ash nodded.
"Because it requires zero running."
Nova pointed proudly.
"Exactly."
---
Care's Sports
Daisy suddenly turned toward Care.
"You signed up for three sports."
Care shrugged.
"Volleyball, Kabaddi, and Tug of War."
Joong blinked.
"You're insane."
Kevin added,
"And you have asthma."
Care answered calmly,
"Exercise keeps lungs stronger."
Cole watched her carefully.
He still hadn't forgotten what the sports teacher had said.
Even with asthma…
She was still one of the best athletes.
Ben crossed his arms.
"You're hiding something."
Care raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"You're way too calm."
Nova nodded.
"That's suspicious."
Care simply smiled slightly.
"Practice first."
---
Training Begins
The mansion had a huge backyard.
Big enough for practice.
Soon everyone gathered outside.
Joong and Ben started practicing strength drills.
Kevin ran laps while complaining every thirty seconds.
Nova practiced archery against a wooden board.
Ash and Cole practiced volleyball spikes.
Daisy sat on the bench at first, stretching carefully.
Lyra timed everyone with a stopwatch.
Care quietly tied her shoelaces.
Then she stood up.
Cole noticed immediately.
"You're starting already?"
Care nodded.
"Warm up first."
She began running.
Slow at first.
Then faster.
Then faster.
The wind moved through her hair as she ran across the field.
Everyone slowly stopped what they were doing.
Ben muttered,
"She runs like a machine."
Joong nodded.
"Yeah."
Kevin stopped mid-lap.
"…Okay that's terrifying."
Care kept running.
Lap after lap.
Steady.
Controlled breathing.
Ash watched quietly.
"She trained for years."
Cole crossed his arms.
"And still does."
After twenty minutes Care slowed down and stopped.
She bent slightly, catching her breath.
Not struggling.
Just breathing deeply.
Daisy looked at her carefully.
"You sure you're okay?"
Care nodded.
"Yes."
---
Volleyball Chaos
Next came volleyball practice.
Cole tossed the ball.
"Teams."
Ben pointed.
"Me, Joong, and Ash."
Nova raised her hand.
"I refuse to jump."
Kevin grabbed her arm.
"You're playing."
Nova sighed dramatically.
Care stepped onto the court.
Cole served first.
The ball flew fast.
Care jumped.
Spike.
The ball slammed onto the ground.
Everyone stared.
Kevin whispered,
"…She's terrifying."
Ash smirked.
"Now you understand."
Cole tossed another ball.
Care jumped again.
Another spike.
Ben laughed.
"Okay she's carrying our team."
Care landed lightly and brushed dust from her hands.
Cole smiled slightly.
"Show off."
Care shrugged.
"You started it."
---
Quiet Moment
Later in the afternoon, everyone collapsed on the grass, exhausted.
The sun was starting to set.
Soft golden light filled the backyard.
Nova was half asleep.
Kevin was still complaining about running.
Ben and Joong were arguing about strategies.
Daisy was stretching carefully.
Lyra was writing schedules.
Alex was helping her organize timings.
Cole sat quietly beside Care.
For once… silence.
He looked at her.
"You really don't slow down, do you?"
Care looked toward the sky.
"No."
Cole asked quietly,
"Why?"
She didn't answer for a few seconds.
Then she said softly,
"Stopping makes people think."
Cole understood.
Thinking meant remembering.
Remembering meant pain.
So she kept moving.
Cole looked ahead.
"Tomorrow is going to be chaos."
Care nodded.
"Yes."
Nova suddenly shouted from the grass,
"IF ANYONE MENTIONS THE PANTRY AGAIN I'M MOVING OUT."
Ben immediately shouted back,
"COLD STORAGE COUPLE!"
Daisy threw a pillow at him.
Everyone burst out laughing again.
And the sun slowly set over the mansion.
Tomorrow would be the beginning of Sports Day.
But tonight…
They were just a group of friends.
Laughing.
Fighting.
And slowly becoming a family.