Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

The gym burst into laughter after Rambo said those words.

It was an iconic moment for the class when Rambo was hit by Kai in the balls, and although the two of them had become good friends during the cultural week, Rambo still held a grudge against him because of the incident.

Kai and Rambo faced each other, and although the atmosphere was filled with tension, there was also a slight humor between them.

Both boys wore determined expressions, their eyes locked in a competitive stare-down.

Rambo made the first move, throwing the ball with all his strength. Kai caught it cleanly, his reflexes honed due to his basketball training. Read new chapters at My Virtual Library Empire

Without hesitation, he threw it back, aiming straight for Rambo. But before the ball could reach him, Kim, Rambo's partner, pulled him to the side. The ball sailed past them harmlessly.

"Kim's good," Bao said.

"I actually think she's better than Rambo! Rambo throws well, though."

"Look at that! Kim is carrying Rambo in this game!" one of their classmates teased, prompting laughter from the spectators.

Rambo scowled but didn't let it distract him. He quickly retrieved the ball and aimed at Suzy. She had strayed a few meters away from Kai, leaving her exposed.

Rambo smirked and threw it toward her.

Without a second thought, Kai sprinted towards Suzy, covering her with his back.

The ball hit him with a loud thud, the sound echoing in the gym.

"Oof, that gotta hurt!" Bao exclaimed.

Suzy's heart skipped a beat, her eyes widening in concern.

"Are you okay, Kai?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly. However, it wasn't because of fear. It was because of her heart beating irregularly in her chest!

Kai winced and clicked her tongue. "I'm fine. Just stay close."

Meanwhile, Lina, who had been feeling weak in the knees due to the intensity of the game with the addition of her prosthetic leg, stumbled and fell as Kai abruptly let go of her.

She landed on the floor, a look of surprise on her face. Rambo smirked, seeing an opportunity. He picked up the ball that had rolled toward him.

Suzy glanced to the side and saw Lina on the ground and Rambo getting ready to throw.

With that, she held onto Kai's arm, trying to keep him steady, but his gaze was already straying towards Lina.

He saw Rambo setting up for a powerful throw with an aggressive posture. The ball rocketed towards Lina, who closed her eyes, bracing for the impact.

Suzy held on tighter, but it was no use.

In a split second, Kai shook off Suzy's grip and sprinted towards Lina. He reached her just in time, covering her with his body. Their faces were unusually close, their breaths mingling.

Kai caught the ball from behind, the impact shaking through his arms.

Lina's eyes fluttered open, finding herself leaning closer to Kai, but he moved away before she could process the moment.

Kai stood up, a murderous look in his eyes. He threw the ball back at Rambo with such speed that Rambo barely had time to react. He dodged to the side, but Kim, trying to follow Rambo's movements, got hit on the shoulder. The impact wasn't strong enough to hurt her, but it was enough to eliminate her from the game.

"Rambo!" Kim exclaimed as Miss Cherry blew the whistle.

Rambo raised his hands in surrender.

"Sorry," he chimed. "I've already got bloody balls. I don't want to risk bloody nipples!"

The gym burst into laughter as Rambo and Kim joined the spectators.

Meanwhile, Kai, Suzy, and Lina stood in the middle of the court, catching their breaths.

Although they had triumphed, there was also awkwardness in the air.

The two girls felt a little bit of disappointment in their hearts.

Lina, when Kai let go of her to cover Suzy.

Suzy, on the other hand, was disappointed when Kai abruptly let go of her hands to tend to Lina!

Miss Cherry smiled as he approached them.

"That was a very fun game," she said. "At times, I even felt like it was a teenage drama!"

The class laughed and agreed with their P.E. teacher.

"Well, anyway," she said, bringing something out from her pocket—bracelets of some sort.

"I stumbled upon this during the weekend and thought it was a pretty good prize for a dodgeball match," she smiled.

"So, aside from having plus points in your upcoming quiz," she started off.

The others murmured in envy.

"Kai doesn't even need the plus points," Rambo muttered, making Kim turn to him with bright eyes.

"He's a good student?" she excitedly asked.

"Yeah," Rambo said, clicking his tongue.

Kim's eyes became even brighter.

"So, he's tall, handsome, muscular in all the right places, good in school, athletic, and brave? He's the whole package!"

"I'm all of those, too," Rambo muttered, making Kim turn to him with one eyebrow raised.

"Maybe not the 'good in school' part," Rambo said. "But everything else checks out," he smirked.

Kim shook her head in disbelief.

Miss Cherry held out the bracelets in front of the winners.

"These are for the winning team," she said with a smile.

"But there's only two since I didn't expect a group of three to win," she chuckled. "So you'll have to decide who gets them."

Lina and Suzy exchanged glances, both clearly wanting one of the bracelets.

Just the thought of getting matching bracelets with Kai was already heart-fluttering!

Suzy and Lina glanced at each other, and the two of them knew that they weren't going to let the other win.

Kai stood in the middle awkwardly, also sensing the tension between them.

He was hella confused.

"Is this how girls usually are?" he muttered.

"So, who wants them?" Miss Cherry asked. "Who's going to be the dodgeball couple?"

"Me!"

"Me!"

Suzy and Lina said at the same time.

The others were taken aback, and they also found the situation amusing.

Kim sighed and slumped in her seat.

"But if those two are fighting over him, then what chance do I have?" she dramatically asked while sniffing.

Rambo rolled his eyes. "Why are you even looking at other people anyway?"

Kim turned to him, unable to hear his statement.

"Hmm?" she asked. "What did you just say?"

Rambo cleared his throat and straightened his posture.

"I said—that's right," he said with a smug smirk. "You don't have a chance with Kai!"

Meanwhile, Suzy and Lina appeared like they were speaking intensely with their eyes.

"Umm, so who do you want the other bracelet to go to, Kai?" Miss Cherry asked.

They all turned to Kai, waiting for his answer.

Then, he let out a deep breath.

"They can have them. I don't like bracelets that much."