Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

"When are you going to stop pestering me?" Kai asked, stopping in front of the entrance of the court.

Suzy clicked her tongue. "Until you speak to me properly."

Kai pursed his lips. "What is there to talk about? It's not like we were friends to begin with."

"Then, we can be friends," she said. "Is that what you want?"

Kai sighed. "Just continue treating me like you did before."

"But I didn't like you then," she deadpanned.

Kai smiled. "Exactly."

Suzy puffed her cheeks in frustration. This was the most difficult situation she had encountered in her whole life!

"You know, other people would be on their knees for a chance to be with me," she said, not being able to stop herself.

"Then, you should go with them," Kai said, raking his fingers through his hair.

Suzy narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Kai. "Which makes me think," she remarked. "Is it because my dad talked to you?"

Kai froze, causing Suzy to chuckle.

"I see!" she exclaimed. "So, it's about that?"

Kai sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose. "It's not what you're thinking about," he said.

Even if Sir Dao hadn't talked with him, he would still feel the same.

As much as Suzy was very pretty, Kai just didn't see her that way.

"Well, you don't have to worry about my dad," she smiled. "He'll come around soon. Besides, even if he's against us, I'll continue pursuing you."

"Wait," she continued, a frown gracing her face. "Why am I doing the the pursuing? It should be you!"

Kai sighed and shook his head, turning away from the pretty cheerleader and making his way to the entrance of the players.

Suzy continued ranting, not noticing that Kai had already left.

When she turned to her side, she saw that she was all alone, causing her to groan in frustration.

"I swear," she muttered. "Why are you playing so hard to get?"

Meanwhile, Kai sighed in relief as he arrived at the players' area.

He was about to enter their room when he bumped into Coach Yixing.

He stopped for a moment and bowed his head in respect. Coach Yixing merely stared at him, appearing teary-eyed.

"You alright, coach?" Kai asked, but Yixing didn't respond.

With that, Coach Yixing shook his head and walked to their holding room with a weary look.

Kai shook his head. "People are so strange nowadays," he muttered.

"No one's stranger than you," someone said behind his back.

Kai turned around and saw Yuze looking at him with amusement.

"You're early today," he remarked.

Kai scratched the back of his head. "Well, you know. It became a habit," he said.

After his mission of being early ended last week, he developed a habit of arriving early to his commitments.

[Current level: Master (167)]

It seemed to have paid off, too, as he was more than halfway through the Master level.

"Let's go in," Yuze said, snapping him out of his reverie.

Kai nodded and went inside with their team captain.

***

"Welcome again to the semi-finals! As expected, the court is filled to the brim," Mark said with a wide smile on his lips.

He was as excited as the average viewer, looking forward to commentating on the game after the playoffs ended last week.

"Today marks another important moment," he continued. "We are finally down to the semi-finals of the Interhigh Preliminaries!"

"After the National High School Basketball Committee changed this year's protocols, the team who wins the semis will automatically go to the Interhigh Nationals!"

The crowd buzzed in excitement.

"Now, let us welcome our players!" he exclaimed, causing them to burst into cheers.

The players of the Xing Stars and the Shizi Dogs made their way to the court, walking to their respective benches.

As expected, the support for both teams was blazing.

The Shizi Dogs, previously one of the most unpopular teams in the league, had established their name for the past few months.

They were now of the same caliber as that of the Xing Stars, with students from other schools even supporting them.

Sitting on the upper portion of the bleachers were the eliminated teams, also excited for the results of the semi-finals.

Chunlei looked around and frowned.

"The Yin Yang Knights didn't come?" he asked.

Yiming shrugged. "Well, you know how they are. Coach Guanyu doesn't believe in proper rest. They still train on the day of the tournament."

Kexin shook his head in disbelief. "I think it would have been better if they came here, though. Fabin kept pestering me to talk about our experience with the Shizi Dogs."

Shilei chuckled. "Ailun was the same."

"Did you tell them anything?" Bocheng asked.
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"No," Shilei and Kexin said at the same time.

"They should find out themselves," Kexin said, still feeling bitter about their loss. "We can't be the only one caught off guard."

Chunlei smirked. "I don't think Max wants to know, though."

The other boys turned to Chunlei in surprise.

"What do you mean?" Yiming asked.

Chunlei smiled as he recalled Max's face when Chunlei told him that they had lost.

"That guy's excited," he said.

"After a long while, he finally found someone he's interested in."

Then, Chunlei's gaze strayed toward Kai.

"Max doesn't want to know. Instead, he wants to find out. He's a true basketball fiend."

The other players shook their heads in disbelief.

"Well, on the other hand, those guys are thoroughly prepared," Bocheng said, nodding toward the direction of the Xing Stars.

Yiming smirked. "I heard Coach Yixing took them on another training camp over the last weekend."

"Just for their game with the Dogs?" Chunlei asked, amusement heard in his voice.

Yiming nodded.

Chunlei shook his head. "I think they've already accepted it, though," he said, observing their faces.

"What do you mean?" Kexin asked.

"Even Coach Yixing knows," Chunlei continued. "That even with all of their preparations, it would be difficult to beat the Shizi Dogs with their current line-up."

"But the chances aren't always zero, right?" Shilei asked.

Chunlei crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Just then, the buzzer was heard all around the court.

"There's only one way to find out."