Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

It's when you mistake overeating for butterflies in your stomach. When everyone tries to impress each other, but in reality, all are too preoccupied with their own self-image to even care about others. When you fill your brand new bag to the brim with things you don't even need because you want to have a 'fresh and new beginning.'

Kaiden had never experienced having a new bag after his mother died. Most of his items were hand-me-downs from his cousin, Rui, so he was quite excited about the prospect of a new bag.

"Grandma, where's my bag?" he asked, looking around the living room.

Grandma frowned. "Bag? You've never owned a bag since middle school."

"I haven't?" Kai asked, confused.

What kind of student didn't carry a bag to school?

Grandma's frown deepened, even taking a break from peeling the onions she was going to sell to the next town.

"Right, I don't!" Kai quickly said to avoid suspicion. "Just my pen and notebook are enough."

Grandma Bingbing shook her head. "I'd be lucky if you even brought a pen and a notebook."

She then glanced at the clock and pushed his lunch onto him.

"Here," she said. "Make sure not to throw it away this time, okay? I made it really well for your first day."

Kai nodded and held onto the duck-shaped lunch box before leaving their small house.

He felt excited as he trudged down the streets, ignoring the nasty stares his neighbors were throwing toward his way.

"There's that troublemaker kid again."

"He's going to Shizi? Such luck. My son goes there, too."

"I feel bad for Grandma Bingbing every time I see him."

"Yeah, she should have abandoned him when her son died."

Kai pretended not to hear what they were talking about and continued whistling as he walked through the streets. His right hand was inside his pocket while the other clutched onto his duck-shaped lunch box.

Honestly, he just couldn't wait to arrive at his new school to see what it looked like.

He could still remember his first day as a freshman at Huolan High and how surreal it felt.

From the classroom to the facilities and even the garden—all of it was magical.

Was his new school going to be like that, too?

Kai's imaginations were shattered when he saw the normal-looking infrastructure before him.

Maybe he had too many expectations. It wasn't too bad. It just wasn't on the level of the high-performing schools in Beijing.

On the red gate, the words 'Shizi High' were embossed in bold writing. The students walking inside excitedly chatted with each other, some even squealing as they reunited with their friends.

Kai sighed and tightened his hold on his lunchbox before going inside.

As he walked, he could feel other people's stares once again. They whispered among each other and evaded his gaze whenever he lifted his head.

Kai quietly sighed.

Was Kai Guo well-known in this place?

He continued to walk around but quickly halted when he saw the booths arranged in the garden.

"Come join the baseball team! We've got a very pretty manager!"

"Join the swimming team where you'll see glistening abs all day long. All genders are welcome!"

"The volleyball team will make your high school life as dramatic as possible!"

"Join us at the film club, where we can make any kind of film."

"We don't kink-shame in the furry club!"

Shizi High had a relatively small population since it was located in the far northern part of Jilin City. So, with the arrival of the freshmen, the clubs all fought for new recruits.

Most of the booths were filled with varying students.

However, one of the booths was strangely empty.

"Why isn't anyone going near us?" Shang, the ever-passionate sophomore of Shizi's basketball team, whined.

"Maybe because we don't have a pretty manager," Kun joked, causing the girl next to him to scoff.

"Go and find a new manager then," Lina snapped.

Kun raised his hands in surrender. "I'm kidding. We have the prettiest manager out of all the clubs."

A small smile appeared on Lina's face.

"But it doesn't even matter," Jet sighed. "We have five applicants—and all of them don't even look serious."

"I mean—we are the worst performing sports team in the school," Shang said. "If people wanted to play basketball seriously, then they'd go to Feng Arts High."

"Let's not lose hope," Kun encouraged his juniors. "Maybe we'll get more applicants after the freshman orientation."

"Yeah," Lina chimed, also appearing optimistic. "I think we'll also be able to recruit new members once Yuze comes."

"Speaking of—where's Yuze?" Jet asked.

"I think he sent his little brother to school. It's his first day in junior secondary school," Kun answered.

Their conversation was cut short when a short and lanky guy approached them with a wide smile.

"Basketball team?" he giddily asked, but his eyes were focused on Lina.

The three present members sighed. It looked like another unserious applicant.

"Here," Shang said. "Come meet us at the tryouts on Wednesday!"

"Will you be there?" the guy asked, still looking at Lina.

Lina pursed her lips and nodded.

"Sweet!" he exclaimed. "I'll be there then!"

"At this point, we won't even fill a full team of five. I already miss our graduated seniors," Kun said, almost sobbing.

Just then, the sun was blocked, and the four of them were engulfed in the shade.

"Basketball team?" a deep voice asked.

They simultaneously lifted their heads to gaze at the towering figure before them.