The trampoline room had officially descended into a scene from a cartoon. The "Big Four"
were no longer the "Big Four"-they were just four sweaty guys trying to prove who could jump the highest without hitting a ceiling light.
Keifer was still holding my hand, but his competitive side was flaring up.
He looked at Aries, who was currently attempting a backflip on the neighboring mat.
"Aries! That was weak!" Keifer shouted, his ego puffing out. "I've seen toddlers with better form!"
"Oh, really, Watson?" Aries landed perfectly, his eyes desafiant. "Then show me.
Or are you afraid your expensive sneakers will lose their grip?"
"I'm in socks, you idiot!" Keifer roared, and he launched himself into a series of massive bounces.
Elara was watching them from the edge, looking like a cat preparing to pounce. She looked at me and winked. "Watch this, Jay. I'm about to end their whole careers."
She didn't just jump; she ran. She used the vertical trampoline walls like a ninja, sprinting up the side, doing a full twist in mid-air, and landing right between Keifer and Aries.
The double-bounce sent both of them flying in opposite directions.
"ELARA!" Keifer yelled as he tumbled toward the foam pit.
"That's 'Supreme Leader' to you, Llama!" she shouted back, her laughter echoing through the hall.
Meanwhile, Yuri and Akari had found their own corner.
They weren't jumping high; they were trying to do a "synchronized bounce" while holding hands.
"One... two... three... JUMP!" Akari squealed. They jumped together, but Yuri's timing was off, and they both ended up collapsing into a pile of limbs on the bouncy mat.
"Yuri-kun! You're too heavy!" Akari giggled, her face flushed pink. "You're like a big, clumsy teddy bear!"
Yuri, the man who usually has a plan for everything, just lay there on his back, staring at the neon lights with a goofy smile.
"Calculations... were... incorrect.
Gravity wins this round, Akari."
The climax of the night
happened at the Giant Foam Pit.
Ci-N had organized a "King of the Hill" match.
He, Felix, and Mayo were already chest-deep in the colorful foam cubes, throwing them at anyone who got close.
"NO ONE CROSSES THE BORDER!" Ci-N screamed, wearing a foam cube on his head like a helmet.
"Oh, it's on," Percy declared. He handed his phone and his glowing necklaces to Honey.
"Honey, record this. This is the moment I become a legend."
Percy dived into the pit like a majestic swan, followed immediately by Edrix, who was actually yelling a battle cry for once.
Freya was on the sidelines, cheering so loud her voice was cracking. "Go, Edrix! Don't let them bury you!"
The pit became a sea of chaos.
Foam cubes were flying everywhere. I saw Keifer get hit in the face by a stray cube thrown by Rakki, and he didn't even get mad-he just grabbed two more and dived in to find her.
I was standing on the edge, laughing so hard I had to hold my stomach, when I felt someone stand beside me.
It was Elara. She was panting slightly, her "Ice Queen" aura completely shattered by the sheer fun of the night.
She looked at the pit-at Keifer trying to tackle Ci-N, at Aries laughing as he helped Mayo out of a hole, and at Yuri and Akari throwing foam at each other like kids.
"They're all idiots, aren't they?" Elara asked, but her voice was soft.
"Yeah," I replied, wiping a tear of laughter. "But they're happy."
Elara looked at me, and then her gaze drifted to Keifer, who was currently laughing so hard he couldn't stand up. She gave me that genuine, polite smile again.
"He's lucky, Jay," she whispered. "To have you. And to have... whatever this mess is."
Before I could respond, she grabbed my arm. "Enough sentimental talk! Let's go drown the Llama!"
"Wait-!"
But it was too late. Elara pulled me with her, and we both dived headfirst into the foam pit, landing right on top of Keifer.
"AMBUSH!" Keifer yelled, his voice full of pure, unadulterated joy.
As we all struggled to stand up in the shifting foam, throwing cubes and shouting insults, I realized that the "Section E" that entered this park wasn't the same one that would leave. The walls were down. The "Big Four" were just friends again. And for one night, the world was exactly as it should be.