Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

Indeed, a closed sign is just a sign.

It seemed like meeting these boys wasn't too bad after all. They actually helped him with something useful this time around!

They did threaten a young worker to open the store just for them, but in the end, Kai still paid for it, so it wasn't that bad of a deed, right?

Right?

Eh, it seemed like the worker was traumatized, but he would definitely get over it!

Now, the Angs were treating him to a food tent, talking about their escapades when they were in Junior Secondary School. From their stories, it seemed like Kai Guo didn't regard them as friends at all.

However, it sounded like these four were actually loyal to Kai—which was very surprising since other people made it seem like Kai was friendless.

Kai sipped the remaining soup from the paper cup and placed it on the table before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"I need to go now," he said.

As much as he still wanted to eat, he needed to go to their school so he could leave the basketball inside the gymnasium before his weekly mission came to an end.

"What?" Aang exclaimed. "But we brought a lot of food for you."

Kai shook his head. "I see that," he said. "All that tells me is that you guys actually have money. Why do you go around mugging innocent people for the money they've earned then?"

The boys looked down at the table.

"From now on, don't do that," Kai said, causing them to nod obediently like little dogs.

Kai smirked to himself. So, this was what it felt like to be a leader of something!

"Got it," Gang said. "From now on, we'll only mug people who have dirty reputations!"

Kai was about to argue, but then he shook his head.

"You guys do that, I guess," he said.

"Anyway, I need to go now. I still have something to do."

Aang stood from his seat and looked at Kai with expectant eyes. "When can we see you again?"

Kai pursed his lips. Maybe, it wouldn't be too bad inviting these boys to the games tomorrow. Maybe then, Shizi High would have more students cheering for them.

"The Winter Cup starts tomorrow," he said. "It's going to be held at the city's basketball court. If you have time, then come and watch."

Their eyes widened in delight before they enthusiastically nodded in excitement.

"We'll be there and cheer for you," Aang said.

"I'll see you guys there."

With that, Kai finally made his way to Shizi High, once again whistling a happy tune as he embarked on the journey. Fortunately, he didn't run into any more mishaps on his way there.

As he arrived, he saw that it was closed...but then again, a closed sign was just a sign.

So, he climbed over the gate and walked to the basketball court. Fortunately, there was a single open window on the side, so he threw the ball in and smiled to himself.

[Congratulations! You have accomplished your weekly mission]

[XP: +40]

[Current level: Slightly More Advanced Beginner (56)]

Kai shook his head. He still couldn't get over how his current level was called, but it still felt nice that he was improving at a steady pace.

Just then, a yawn escaped from his lips, and that was when he realized how tired he was.

All of the labor he had done in the past week caught up to him, and it felt like his body was ready to collapse at any given point. The fact that he ate a heavy snack with those crazy boys didn't help with his situation, either.

He grew even sleepier because of it!

Fortunately, their house was near Shizi High, so he didn't have to wait long before he arrived at his humble home.

He quietly made his way inside and saw a small silhouette resting on the couch.

Kai walked over to where his Grandma was, appearing to have waited for him to come home.

He shook his head with a fond smile.

"You should have slept, Grandma," he muttered.

Then, he took her blanket from inside her room and wrapped it around her body, making sure that her feet were covered, too.

"Sleep well, Grandma," he muttered before going to his room.

He brushed his teeth and washed his face before plopping down on his bed. He looked at his phone and saw that it was already past midnight.

"I need to wake up at 6 AM," he muttered, knowing that the team needed to be at the venue early since the ceremony started at 8 AM.

[Incoming New Weekly Mission!]

"Tomorrow," he muttered, already feeling his eyelids drooping.

"I'll look into it tomorrow."

Then, he finally let himself succumb to the darkness.

***

Yuze, already dressed in his basketball jersey, walked to the basketball court along with Kun, who was tightly wrapped in a puffer jacket.

"Aren't you cold?" Kun asked.

Yuze shook his head. "It's hot."

Kun shook his head in disbelief. "Goodness," he muttered. "You must be excited for the games, huh?"

Yuze didn't need to respond for Kun to know about his answer. His friend was indeed a mania for basketball!

"What are we even doing here so early in the morning?" Kun asked as Yuze opened Shizi High's basketball court.

"Our banners," Yuze said. "I forgot to take them yesterday."

"What for?" Kun muttered. "No one from our school is going to watch our game anyway."

Yuze smirked as he grabbed the banners that Lina had prepared from the table.

"Some of my admirers are going," he said.

Kun shook his head. "I'll shut up now."

Kun yawned and blew hot air into the atmosphere, creating a smoky effect. Then, he saw something from the corner of his eyes, making him tilt his head to the side in confusion.

"What's that?" Kun asked while pointing to the item.

Yuze directed his gaze to where Kun was pointing.

"It's a ball," Yuze said.

"I know," Kun said. "But it looks new."

Yuze walked over to where the ball was and picked it up. He did a quick inspection and found out that it was, indeed, new. Not only that, but it was the same model of the ball that Kai had destroyed during their practice.

Kun gasped in surprise.

"Did Kai really buy it by himself?"

Yuze smirked as he shook his head.

"Looks like he kept his promise after all."