Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

"Oh, he spelled hospital wrong," Bao muttered as he continued staring at the screen.

Rambo's friend scratched the back of his head. "He must have clicked another button by mistake."

Bao shook his head. "Nah, that isn't the case. He spelled it as H-O-S-P-E-E-T-A-L. That's definitely deliberate."

Kai couldn't help but chuckle while the others burst into full-blown laughter.

Meanwhile, Yumi massaged the bridge of her nose and sighed loudly, which dampened the atmosphere.

"The way he spells hospital doesn't matter right now! Does that mean that he won't be able to come today?"

With Yumi's question, Bao felt all of the worry hit him like a truck. Then, he started pacing back and forth once again.

"Oh crap!" he exclaimed. Then, he turned to Rambo's friend and shook his shoulders. "Will he be able to come?"

His friend clicked his tongue. "I don't think so. Actually, he's been peeing blood since yesterday, but he didn't pay much attention to it since he said it made his pee look pretty—like a sunset."

"However, he must have experienced some pain if he decided to go to the hospital."

Zeren shook his head as he placed his hand under his chin.

"Did the dodgeball incident affect him that much?"

Kai felt a bit guilty, but he reassured himself that it was Rambo who moved in the ball's direction, resulting in a direct hit.

"Goodness, what are we going to do now?" Bao asked.

His classmates murmured, discussing among themselves. Then, one of the tailors of the gown, who appeared to be disappointed, raised her hand.

"This was based on the measurements that Rambo had sent us, so it's tailor-fitted for him. I'm afraid it would be too big for all the other boys in our class."

"Yeah, it is pretty big," Zeren said. "It looks like it's for someone who has developed muscles."

Just then, the murmurs stopped—as if they all had a collective thought.

Bao's eyes also brightened.

Kai, on the other hand, felt his heart drop to his stomach as his classmates slowly and creepily turned around to look at him.

He was currently standing in the middle, just in front of the dress, which placed him in a vulnerable position.

Before his classmates could answer, Kai decided to bring out the big guns and show his furious yet somewhat calm expression.

"No," he deeply said.

However, it seemed like everybody's desperation masked their fears as they all flocked to where Kai was standing.

"Come on!" Bao exclaimed. "You're probably the only one who can fit that dress."

Kai sighed. "I didn't sign up for this! Besides, the basketball team also has a booth," he said as an excuse.

"We only start operating this afternoon," Zeren said in a matter-of-fact tone, making Kai sigh even more loudly.

"So, you're free!" his classmates exclaimed.

Then, like the seagulls in the movie where the fish has daddy issues and gets lost, they continued pestering Kai until his ears started to hurt.

"I'm not going to do it," Kai sighed. "Just have Bao do it. He has the same body built as Rambo."

"But I'm short!" Bao said. "You're really the only one who can fit the dress—like how Cinderella was the only one who fit the glass slippers in an entire population despite her shoe size being a common one."

Kai massaged his temples.

"Besides," Zeren added. "You're the reason why Bao is in the hospital right now. You made his balls bleed, dude."

The others nodded in agreement, now deadset on making Kai feel guilty so he would be forced to take Rambo's place.

Kai raked his fingers through his hair in frustration.

"He was the one who moved to the ball!" he said.

Zeren clicked his tongue and shook his head. "You have no mercy for Rambo's balls."

The others chimed in once again, and Kai felt himself increasingly getting convinced. The red sparkly dress was also illuminated by the sunlight from outside of their classroom, making it reflect on June's face.

"You can win the prize," Bao suddenly said, making everyone halt.

Kai raised both eyebrows. "My mom was generous enough to donate a thousand yuan for the cash prize. 500 was used for all the preparations, while the other 500 will be the cash prize of the ultimate winner—the crowd's favorite."

Kai froze since he didn't know the prize money was that big.

"You can buy a lot of things with 500 yuan."

"Dang, should I join too?"

"Hmm, what would I be able to buy with 500 yuan?"

Just then, one image appeared in Kai's mind, and he found himself unable to turn down Bao's offer.

Basketball shoes.

With that, he finally faced his anticipating classmates before sighing in defeat.

"I'll do it."

***

"I can't believe we came all the way here. We should have gone to Feng Arts instead. They're also having their Cultural Festival," Fabin said as he entered the gates of Shizi High.

It was his first time there, and he pursed his lips when he saw the mediocre interior.

"Their gate is rusting!" Ailun exclaimed. "There are a lot of broken windows too. Are we sure that this is a school?"

Max clicked his tongue before glaring at his teammates, who also happened to be his friends (unfortunately).

"Just enjoy it," Max said. "We rarely have the time to go the South because of our training. This is our only day off, so let's make the most of it.

"Exactly!" Ailun said. "It's our day off, so we should rest instead...or we could have gone to Feng Arts and played in their court instead. I heard they have a heater since it's getting cold."

Max clicked his tongue. "We have a heater too."

Ailun shrugged. "I just don't want to be here!"

However, he quickly swallowed his words when Suzy and Lina, who bumped into each other and started having a casual conversation, stood before them.

The three of them froze as they looked at the two pretty ladies.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"On second thought, I take back my words. I actually want to go here," Ailun said, his gaze still lingering on the two beauties who appeared to be polar opposites.

However, they were gone after a few seconds as they went back to their respective booths.

Fabin and Ailun were about to follow them when Max held onto their collars.

"No. Behave," he said like he was training two stray dogs.

"Aww, come on," Fabin said. "She's my type! Why won't you remove your mask so we could capture their attention, huh?"

Fabin reached out to remove Max's mask, but the latter held onto it tightly.

"No," Max said. "I don't want to be mobbed here."

Ailun shook his head in amusement. "I almost forgot that we love a local celebrity as a friend." Fabin chuckled alongside him and started teasing Max.

"Why did you even want to come here in the first place?" Ailun couldn't help but ask.

Max continued walking, unable to give an answer right away.

Why did he come here?

There was no definitive reason.

He just felt like he needed to go to Shizi High despite being uninterested in their school last year.

"No reason," Max finally said.

Just then, as they arrived at the garden, they heard an intriguing announcement that they couldn't miss.

"In a few minutes, Shizi High's cross-dressing competition will finally commence!"