Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

Kai's eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Woah, she does look the part," Bao chuckled. "She's still very pretty, though."

In no time, Lina arrived where they were, a little bit breathless but still looking determined.

"Kai, can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked.

Kai immediately stood. "Yeah, of course," he said.

A small smile appeared on Lina's face, her breathlessness subsiding.

Then, she looked at Kai's friends, who appeared even more curious than him.

She cleared her throat and played with her fingers behind her back.

"Alone, please?" she asked.

Kai's friends sighed in disappointment when Kai nodded enthusiastically.

"Let's go?" he said, scratching the back of his neck.

"Yeah," Lina muttered.

"Call me and bring my bag once the bell rings," Kai said to his friends.

They nodded, so the two left the table.

Kai and Lina went next to a tree, where only a few people were seen walking around. Some students turned to them with curious gazes, but they didn't pay them any attention.

It was as if they were stuck in their own little world.

A few feet away from them, behind a dumpster, were the three third-year players of the Shizi Dogs.

"I can't believe you guys dragged me here," Yuze complained, covering his nose with a handkerchief.

Kun threw his head back in laughter. "Imagine the prestigious captain of the Shizi Dogs hiding behind a dumpster."

"Well, we can't just leave Lina behind," Yuze muttered.

Renren chuckled despite the awful smell. "Yeah, but I think she's nervous for nothing. Look at the way they look at each other."

Kun tilted his head to the side as he observed the two of them.

"I don't see anything special, though. They just look like two friends talking with each other."

Yuze and Renren turned to him with a subtle glare.

"Do you like Lina or something?" Yuze asked.

Kun scoffed. "Of course not!" he exclaimed. "I'm just stating my observations."

Renren clicked his tongue. "Well, this will show us. I hope the confession goes well for Lina."

Yuze nodded in agreement while Kun kept his gaze on the two of them.

"You wanted to talk?" Kai asked, finally breaking the silence between them.

"Umm, yeah," Lina said, suddenly feeling nervous.

She had gathered up all her courage and was sure she would be able to do it without any problem. However, having Kai in front of her was another story.

Kai smiled at her, making Lina's heart race even faster.

"I'm all ears," he said.

Lina nodded and let out a deep breath, closing her eyes to prepare herself for the awaited confession.

It was the first time she had liked someone like this, so she was still unsure of how to relay her feelings.

"I know that it hasn't been that long since we met," she started off. "But, I just feel comfortable around you."

Kai nodded, feeling the same way.

"This might come as a surprise, and I'm actually not sure how to really say this to you."

"But," she said, letting out a deep breath.

"I li—"

"I like you!"

Lina's eyes widened as she looked up at Kai.

Those three words.

They didn't come out of her mouth.

Kai and Lina turned to the petite girl next to Kai.

She had red cheeks as she handed a nicely decorated letter to Kai. Lina looked at it with longing, wondering if she should have done something like it, too.

"Oh no," Renren said, his posture straightening.

The girl looked at Kai and Lina and bowed her head once more.

"I'm sorry if I interrupted your conversation about basketball," she said, taking Lina aback.

She placed her hand over her chest and leaned back. Was that how it looked from a stranger's perspective?

Kai scratched the back of his neck as he looked at the letter.

Lina also looked at it, knowing that Kai rejected all the letters he received last week (according to her three advisors).

A small smile tugged on her lips as Kai appeared hesitant.

However, her smile quickly dropped when Kai accepted the letter and even bowed to the petite girl.

"Ah, thank you," he said, causing the girl to beam.

"Please read it well," she said. "Thank you so much."

Kai nodded and watched as she went on her way,

[+1 XP, love letter received]

Lina's shoulders slumped as Kai placed the letter in his pocket.

"Wait—" Yuze said, even going as far as removing his handkerchief from his nose.

"Did he just accept the letter?" he exclaimed.

Renren sighed, placing his hand under his chin.

"Were we mistaken?" he muttered.

"Umm, sorry for that," Kai said. "What was it that you were going to say?"

Lina pursed her lips and wondered if she should continue her confession.

Thinking how she had gathered up the courage to do it, she decided to continue.

Besides, it was only one letter!

With that, she let out a deep breath once more.

"As I was saying," Lina said, going back to the topic.

"I feel really comfortable around you, and I hope you feel that way, too."

Kai nodded, assuring Lina that he was also comfortable with her presence.

"With that being said, I want to get this off my chest."

"I—"

Just then, the bell rang, signaling the end of their break.

Lina let out a frustrated sigh.

"Can you tell me later?" he asked. "You'll be late for class."

Lina clicked her tongue and held onto his wrist, determined to air out her feelings.

"I like—"

"Yo, Kai!" Alen exclaimed. "It's time for us to head back."

Kai lifted his head and saw his friends with his bag.
Enjoy new stories from My Virtual Library Empire

"Sir Dao's our next class!" Bao said. "We don't want to be late."

Lina felt like she was going to explode.

Then, Mingze threw Kai's bag toward his way. However, the weak boy only managed to throw it near them—right in front of Lina, to be exact. To make matters worse, his bag wasn't fully closed, so the contents spilled out on the grass.

Kai sighed. "You could have just handed it to me!" he exclaimed, about to fix his things that had scattered all over.

However, he paused when Lina's hold on his arm became tighter.

He looked at the contents on the ground and saw the love letters and numbers he received since morning.

He froze and looked at Lina, who had an unreadable look on her face.

"Ah, what did you want to say again?" Kai asked, trying to break the tension between them.

Lina pursed her lips and slowly removed her hold from his arm.

Then, she looked into his eyes with a small smile.

"Oh, it was nothing," she said.

"Nothing at all."