Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

"What are we even doing here?" Eva asked, tapping her foot on the ground. "I can't technically invite non-student-council members here."

"We're even missing the second half of the game," she sighed.

Then, Eva softly gasped, looking at Kai's side profile. His eyes were covered by his hair, and his philtrum was filled with pubic hair-like strands, making him look older than he was. However, his tall nose was clearly seen, and that was enough to make Eva swoon.

She had seen his eyes before, and she knew what they looked like.

"Maybe," she muttered. Kai asked her to come here because he wanted to spend time with her alone!

Eva tucked her hair behind her ears as she faced Kai.

However, it seemed like his entire focus was on the computer as he didn't bother glancing at her for a second.

"It will be quick," Kai said. "You can go back if you want. I'll follow after, and I'll make sure to lock the door."

Eva's smile fell when she realized that she was just being delusional.

"What are you even doing?" Eva asked, walking closer to where he was.

"Something important," Kai responded.

Eva sighed and looked at the computer to see what Kai was furiously typing.

Then, her eyebrows raised in surprise when she saw the contents of the page. Then, she looked at Kai like he had gone crazy.

"Are you that desperate?" she asked.

Kai ignored her question and clicked on the 'print' button before standing from the computer chair to go to the printer.

Then, he turned back to Eva, who had an uneasy look on her face.

"Help me pass these out, will you?" he asked, passing her one page.

Eva awkwardly chuckled, finding herself unable to disagree with his request.

***

They finally made it back to the game, and almost all the students were on the edge of their seats, some even standing with their hands clasped together.

Kai sat on his seat before glancing at the score.

4-2.

10 minutes left.

It would be difficult for them to score three more points while suppressing the Feng Flies.

However, it wasn't impossible.

It seemed like the students of Shizi High also believed it was still possible. So, they prayed to any deity they could think of, some even chanting rituals to let their precious team win.

"It's impossible," Kai said as the clock showed that there were only 2 minutes until the end of the game.

It definitely wasn't a good thing for the Shizi Snakes, but it was a great thing for him.

This would only amplify the results of his plans!

"Please, please, please!"

"They can still shoot three goals in minutes, right? Right?"

"Girl, you're going crazy."

"Goodness, they're going against Xing Academy next if they lose this. Is the Shizi Snakes only going to play two games this season?"

"I'm going home."

If this was an anime with a very overpowered MC or a novel that defied the laws of the universe, then it would have been possible to beat the Feng Flies.

However, this was real life.

Your journey continues with empire

Kai smirked as soon as the game was finished.

The team appeared dejected; however, Justin Liang remained calm and composed as he gathered his teammates.

The Shizi High students and faculty weren't calm at all, though. Some were disappointed, some angry, and some were even crying as if they had already lost the championships.

Kai smiled to himself.

This was his chance.

He turned to Eva and patted her shoulder, ignoring the dejected look on her face.

"It's time," he said.

Eva pursed her lips and hesitated to do so. However, seeing Kai's puppy-like eyes from behind his bangs made her retract her words.

"Pass this on," Kai said to his seatmate, causing the person to glare at him. However, as soon as he saw how large and intimidating Kai was, he quickly complied and passed the paper to his seatmate.

Before he knew it, the paper started reaching a larger group of people.

The person by Eva's side did the same. However, her beauty was the reason why her seatmate started passing the stack of papers in the first place.

Kai smirked to himself and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Once he realized the students' desperation, his mind strayed back to a post he saw on social media—one that made him unable to look away.

"What the heck is this?" an avid fan of the Shizi Snakes exclaimed, looking at the piece of paper with disdain and acting as if it was the reason why his favorite team had lost.

He clicked his tongue but decided to read it in the end.

"Watch Shizi High's game against Xing Academy tomorrow, 9 AM, at Jilin City's main basketball court?" he muttered, the frown on his face deepening with every written word.

"Fuck that," he cursed. "I'm not going to a lame basketball game."

He was about to throw the piece of paper when he saw that there was something written on the other side.

His frown deepened when he saw a cartoon snake with his tongue out.

Then, below it was a statement in bold letters.

"Ignore, and the Shizi Snakes will lose on their next game?"

The boy started palpitating as he gazed at his favorite team on the field.

He glanced back and forth from the paper to the team, pursing his lips before sighing in defeat.

"Curse the person who made this!"

***

Kai prepared to leave his house and go to the basketball court, where their game with the Xing Stars was finally going to commence.

He slung his bag over his shoulder and was about to open the door when he felt that his shoe was the one that opened instead.

Kai sighed and looked down at his worn-out running shoes.

"I really need to buy new ones," he muttered.

Then, he retrieved the super glue from his bag and placed some onto the sould. He had done this plenty of times, so it wasn't new anymore.

Grandma Bingbing saw this and frowned.

"What are you doing? I thought you were going?" she asked.

Kai stood and let the glue dry for a couple of seconds. Then, he jogged in place to see if it was all good.

"Yeah," he said. "I'm heading out. I'll be back after lunch."

Grandma nodded. "I'll see you then."

Kai waved goodbye before boarding a train to go to the city's court.

As soon as he arrived, he saw people wandering around the area, but not as much during the opening of the Winter Cup.

He glanced at his watch and saw that there were still 15 minutes before the game started, so he quickly made his way inside.

The first thing he saw was his teammates huddled over at their bench, appearing to be in a serious conversation. The Xing Stars were already there, too, doing a very organized and systematic warm-up exercise.

The second thing he noticed was the large audience on the Xing Stars' side. Despite it being a weekend, students from Xing Academy wore their P.E. uniforms, appearing very prim and proper, to cheer on their school's team.

As he made his way to his teammates, he saw the looks of confusion on their faces.

"What's up?" Kai asked as he placed his bag on the bench.

Kun turned around and enjoined Kai into their circle.

"Don't you think it's strange?" Kun asked right off the bat.

Kai frowned in confusion.

"What is?"

"Our audience," Kun responded.

"Why are people from our school actually watching the game?"