Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

"Well, she didn't want to leave," Renren said as soon as the girls were gone.

"It seems like she really wanted Kai's merch, though," Kun chimed. "I thought she was going to throw a tantrum at that moment."
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"She nearly did," Lina said.

"Well, at least her friends felt bad for taking up so much of our time. Now, our merch is sold out!" Kun exclaimed.

He looked around and saw that the other booths still had some goodies, even the Feng Foxes, making Kun smile proudly.

"How much do those girls have?" Lina asked. "Their allowance must be infinite for them to buy all of our merch."

Renren and Kun turned to her with raised eyebrows, confusing her.

"What?" she asked.

"I think it's obvious why they have a lot of money," Renren started off. "I was even surprised to see students like them in the city."

"What do you mean?" Lina asked.

Renren chuckled and shook his head. "I bet you were upset when she asked for Kai's merch, so you didn't even recognize her uniform."

"They're from Juren High," Renren said, making Lina's eyes widen in surprise.

Then, their uniforms flashed in her mind.

"Holy hell," Lina muttered. "Those were uniforms from Juren High. What are they doing here?"

"I can't believe you failed to recognize it at first sight," Kun chuckled. "We always keep those guys in check."

"Well, they are the reigning champions of the Interhigh Nationals," Renren remarked.

"Anyway, it really is amazing that they came here just for Kai."

"They're even wearing their uniforms, too," Kun sighed. "People from totally different tax brackets sure are amusing. They skip school to catch a flight to a small city."

Lina let out a deep breath as she leaned against her chair.

"Even such people like Kai?" she asked.

Renren heard her utterance, causing him to click his tongue.

"There you go again," he said. "Don't think too hard about it."

"How can I do that when a literal rich goddess even likes him?" she exclaimed.

"Well, it's not like they'll see each other often," Renren said. "Juren High is in Beijing. Meanwhile, you're here in Jilin. Not only that, but you're our manager! I think you should feel more apprehensive about the girls in our school."

"Although, I don't think anyone in the school could beat you," Kun said, nudging her shoulder.

Hearing such encouraging words from her friends increased Lina's confidence.

"Fine," she said. "I'll try to talk to him later again."

"However, for now," she said, standing from her seat and slamming her fist on the table with a determined gaze.

"Let's beat those Foxes to the ground!"

Just then, some commotion was heard from the back entrance.

The three of them walked closer to the commotion, only to see the Feng Foxes making their way inside the court.

They wore serious and determined gazes. Even Chunlei, who was usually playful, seemed awfully serious as they made their way inside the venue.

"They're here," Kun said.

Just then, a familiar face glanced at them, making Lina freeze.

"Zeren," she muttered.

Zeren's eyebrows slightly furrowed as he made eye contact with them. However, it quickly vanished as he focused his gaze on the front.

Then, as soon as they were inside, the crowd also began to disperse.

Kun clicked his tongue as they made their way back to the booth.

"That guy didn't even smile at us," he grumbled. "Why is he acting like that when we were the ones who raised him?"

"Ah, right," Renren said. "He was part of your team before, right? He was also good."

"He was," Kun said. "It's a shame. We could have used some of his shooting power for this game."

"What was the reason why he left the team anyway?" Renren asked.

Kun and Lina turned to each other.

Then, Kun shrugged.

"I'm guessing it's because the Feng Foxes are a stronger team."

"However, aside from that, we don't know."

"In fact—no one knows."

"He left the team without saying anything like you did."

***

The arena was buzzing with excitement as the seats began to fill.

It was Friday night, so most of the spectators were students who still wore their uniforms.

Some office workers, who came from their 9-5 jobs, also decided to watch since they'd heard that this year's Interhigh Preliminaries was bound to be exciting.

Bao, who had learned how to sneak out of their house, sat with the second-string team just right above the bench of the Shizi Dogs.

Dylan looked around and covered his mouth with his hand, on the verge of tears.

Bao turned to him with concern. "Are you alright?" he asked.

Tony and Sunny shook their heads.

"Don't mind him," Tony said. "He's just being dramatic as usual."

Dylan shook his head. "You don't understand!" he exclaimed. "The venue is full of people."

"Not only that, but nearly half of the court is wearing pink," Dylan said, wiping the tears from his eyes.

"Isn't that a good thing?" Mingze remarked.

"It is," Dylan sniffed. "That's why I feel so emotional. This is such a monumental moment for our school!"

"I've been here for three years, and this is the first time I've seen such support from our school."

"Even our cheerleaders are here," he continued. "They used to hate our guts!"

"We are all united in spirit! This is what the Shizi Dogs deserve."

Dylan continued to rant, some inspiring music playing in the back of his mind.

However, he snapped back to reality with Bao's statement.

"Oh, look! Our teachers are here."

They all turned to where Bao was pointing and saw that the majority of their teachers were there to tune into the game.

Meanwhile, from the cheerleaders' bleachers, Suzy cursed under her breath.

"What is he doing here?" she muttered as she looked at where the faculty members were sitting.

"Oh, your dad is here," Yani said, pointing to Mr. Dao's seat.

"Don't remind me," Suzy said. "Just continue with the plan later, alright?"

Yani sighed and scratched the back of her head. "Are you really sure about that?"

"Yes," Suzy said without any hesitation.

"A hundred percent?" Yani confirmed.

Suzy sighed in frustration and was about to respond when Mark Li's voice rang throughout the court.

"Well, well!" he exclaimed.

"The court is filled to the brim despite it being a Friday night!"

"It must be because of the exciting game that would grace us in a few moments."

"Welcome, everyone! This has been a highly-anticipated game in the entire league!"

"Tonight, we will see who will reign—the Feng Foxes or the Shizi Dogs!"