Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

"Good morning, class!" Sir Muchen greeted with a wide smile. "It's been a while!"

The class exclaimed in surprise as soon as they saw their teacher in a fresh, new cut.

Muchen was surprised as he was showered with compliments.

"Looking good, Sir Muchen!" Rambo exclaimed.

"You suit the haircut really well," Yumi, the vice president of the class, said while giving him a thumbs up.

Muchen shook his head in amusement.

"You guys are flattering too much," he said.

Then, he looked around the room to look for any missing people.

His eyebrows furrowed when he saw the empty window seat where Kai usually sat.

He then glanced at his watch before clicking his tongue.

"Is Kai late again?" he asked.

The room burst into chuckles.

"You should already get used to it, sir," Yumi said. "He's always late."

Meanwhile, Bao couldn't find himself to chuckle along with his classmates.

Usually, Kai would text him that he was on his way. However, he didn't receive anything just yet.

"Did he oversleep?" he muttered to himself.

Usually, that would be the case.

However, after hanging around the second-string team and finding out that there was a possibility that Kai was going to transfer to another school, Bao couldn't help but feel apprehensive.

"Bao," Sir Muchen said, causing him to snap back to reality.

"Yes, sir?" he asked.

"Tell Kai to come quickly, okay?"

Bao pursed his lips and hesitantly nodded.

"Okay," he muttered.

"Alright," Sir Muchen said. "We can't wait for him any longer, so let me check if we're complete."

"Sir!" one student raised his hand. "Zeren isn't here, too!"

***

Kun couldn't stop shaking his legs as he stared at the door, waiting for Yuze to come in.

Four minutes.

There were four minutes left until the first class officially started.

Yuze had never been late in his entire life. He hated latecomers with a burning passion, so in the event that he was late, it could only mean two things.

1. He had gotten in a serious accident, or he had a serious emergency.

2. He's not going to school anymore.

Two minutes.

Kun felt like he was in a basketball game, counting down on the seconds in the last quarter.

"Yuze, where are you?" he muttered, feeling cold sweat form on his butt.

He was sure that it would leave a mark on the chair as he stood, but that was the least of his worries.

One minute.

Just then, their teacher entered, making Kun even more concerned.

Ten seconds.

"Alright, class. Let's check attendance," their teacher said, making Kun hold his breath.

Five seconds.

Then, just when all hope was lost, Yuze entered through the doors, making Kun release the breath that he was holding.

Their teacher turned to the doorway in surprise.

"Yuze," she said. "Fancy seeing you at this time."

Yuze pursed his lips. "Sorry, ma'am. My little brother didn't want to go back to school just yet."

Their kind teacher chuckled and let him in.

"No worries," she said. "You've always been early, and you're not even late. Go to your seat and settle down."

Yuze nodded and sat next to Kun, who was looking at him with wide, bright eyes.
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He placed his backpack behind him and paid attention to the board.

However, that seemed nearly impossible, with Kun drilling holes in the side of his face.

"What?" Yuze asked with a small frown.

Kun sighed in relief and rested his head against Yuze's shoulder.

The latter clicked his tongue and pushed him away.

"I thought you weren't going to arrive!" he whisper-shouted, making Yuze's frown deeper.

Yuze shook his head as he paid attention to the board once more.

"Where else would I go?" he muttered.

"Shizi High is where I belong."

Kun smiled, and it seemed like the sweat on his butt just magically disappeared.

"Right?" he chuckled. "This is where we belong!"

Yuze, despite his attention focused on the front, nodded in agreement.

Just then, his conversation with his dad flashed in the back of his mind.

"I think it's best if you transfer back to Yin Yang High..."

"...and join the Yin Yang Knights."

"Your future will be better through that way."

Yuze would be lying if he said he didn't think about joining the Yin Yang Knights.

The very reason why he joined Shizi High in the first place was because of them.

When he was younger, his dad was his greatest idol. He practically inherited everything from his dad—well, except for his good looks since his mom was the one who contributed to that.

However, from his strength to his height and his body build, and even his love for his basketball—it all came from his dad.

Yet, Yuze always knew that his dad was different from the rest. After incurring an ankle injury at the peak of his career, he retired to become the coach of his alma mater instead.

Since then, it seemed like he made it a pact to have Yuze follow in his footsteps.

Yuze wouldn't have minded. He loved basketball, after all.

However, what his father failed to notice was that Yuze wasn't as skilled as him...wasn't as fast as him.

He had a lot to learn as a player.

So, although Yuze played well among his peers, he was given a much colder, harsher treatment just because his father expected more from him.

With that, he felt like he had never been truly acknowledged by his dad...only pressured.

It came to the point when he felt like he couldn't enjoy basketball anymore.

So, wanting to prove a point—that he could make a legacy of his own without his father's help—Yuze transferred to Shizi High with the help of his mom and became the captain of the team.

In the past two years, although he had proven himself to be a competent individual, his father never fully acknowledged him because his team never even made it to the semi-finals.

For a moment, Yuze had to admit that he was swayed. He knew that it would be an easier route to just join the Yin Yang Knights and possibly reconcile with his father.

However, Yuze knew that it was not what he truly wanted.

Because, aside from his height, his build, and his love for basketball, Yuze got one more thing from his father.

His stubbornness.

And with that, Yuze decided to stay with the Shizi Dogs.

"This is where I belong," he muttered.