n

n

n

nI would have never thought a middle school basketball match could be so intense.

nI was resting on a folding chair during halftime and it felt like my legs were filled with lead.

nI was panting heavily as my throat burned like it was on fire. It didn’t help at all even when I drank the sports drinks the class leader passed out.

nThe difference in skill isn’t something that could be overcome in a short period of time.

nClass 2-2, was really strong with the combination of Shen ShaoYi and Liu HuaiShui, as expected of the reigning champions.

nThey already came with the mindsets that they would win when they came to defend their crown. Plus, Shen ShaoYi was under the assumption I NTR him, so he wanted to destroy us. Class 2-2 was like an insurmountable mountain in front of us.

nIt was 25:15, it was lower compared to the half time scores of our previous matches.

nWe might only be behind by ten points, but if you were here, you would know how difficult it was to even score one point.

nShen ShaoYi could only be described as a god, it was like he was being possessed by Rukawa Kaede and Hisashi Mitsui at the same time. He would instantly take the shot every time he had a chance. Currently, he had an astonishing 100% score rate for his three pointers.

nI was in charge of guarding Shen ShaoYi as I was familiar with his play style.

nBut Shen ShaoYi’s footwork today changed a lot and it was complex. It was like he learned some sort of martial arts footwork making him impossible to guard.

nThe scariest was his eyes.

nAs the school basketball team’s top scorer, Shen ShaoYi’s mental state didn’t reach the standards. The captain, Guo SongTao, had already pointed it out before and told him to work on it.

nBut today was different. Shen ShaoYi was fanatical yet also calm like the eye of a tornado. It showed he wasn’t someone who would be easily swayed.

nShen ShaoYi didn’t make any mistakes in the first half of the match.

nOut of the 25 points scored by class 2-2, Shen ShaoYi scored 14 points. He got 4 three pointers and the remaining points was from free throws when I fouled him.

nDespite Eunuch Cao’s rotten idea of suddenly lifting up Gong CaiCai’s skirt to cause a distraction, it was like Shen ShaoYi had reached enlightenment and it didn’t affect him in the slightest.

nBut Xiong YaoYue and Loud Mouth came over to help Gong CaiCai and gave Eunuch Cao a good beating in the name of justice. They didn’t go easy on him even when he yelled ‘I did it for our class!’.

nUnexpectedly, Xiao Qin had finally stopped writing on the board and began cheering for me with her voice.

nHer reason was: “The class leader was able to do something as embarrassing as wear an eye patch to look cute, so I can’t lose. I want Ye Lin classmate to be able to score the most individual points with my loving cheers.”

nI felt Xiao Qin worded it that way because she only wanted me to score enough points so I didn’t have to drink Fu Yan Jie, but she didn’t want class 2-3 to win.

nIt’s because I could get free food from the class leader’s place if our class won, and that’s what Xiao Qin didn’t want to see.

nEven though she was determined to cheer me on, Xiao Qin’s voice was always so quiet due to her androphobia and the words she said were also strange.

n“Pass the ball to Ye Lin classmate you dummies. It;s fine if Ye Lin classmate is the only one who scores.”

n“You actually fouled Ye Lin classmate? I hope your hand falls off!”

nLuckily, her voice wasn’t really loud, so you couldn’t hear her unless you listened attentively or it would be way too embarrassing.

n

n

nWhat caught other people’s attention even more, was class 2-3’s single-eyed class leader.

nIt was the finals of the basketball tournament. The most handsome boy in school, Shen ShaoYi, and the ‘School’s Boss’ (me) was also here, so there were quite a few spectators.

nAlmost everyone had opinions about Shu Sha wearing an eye patch, but there were two opposing view points:

nThe first one was: Shu Sha wearing an eye patch seemed more frail, so she was more feminine than usual.

nThe opposing view was: Shu Sha wearing an eye patch seemed more like a soldier. If she could change her eye patch to black and wear a pair of long boots, then it would be perfect.

nI even heard later on that Zuo Xiong, the one who tried to steal the class leader’s bike seat, was running around hoping to get the class leader’s eye patch after she changed it.

nWhat a fetishist, it seems Zuo Xiong is even worse than Director Cao who loves panties.

nThe class leader, who was at the center of all the attention, seemed to find her eye patch uncomfortable as she tried to adjust its position several times.

nIt probably wasn’t because her eye was itchy, but because of her OCD. It would have been best if she could have worn one eye patch on each eye, but then she can’t watch the game.

nOut of our team’s 15 point total, I scored 8 points and the others scored 7 points.

nThe basketball team’s rearguard, Liu HuaiShui (real name Liu Ming), is great at defending especially against people who aren’t used to his movements.

nPi ZeGuang, who was only good at midway shots couldn’t really do anything today. If it wasn’t getting a pass interrupted by Liu HuaiShui, it was giving away rebounds to the opponents.

nThe situation didn’t get any better when we switched Pi ZeGuang for Sun Yu. Although Sun Yu wanted to show off in front of the girls, he was always going to the school doctor recently. Not even seven minutes after playing, he twisted his anchor in a regular fight over the ball and was willingly sent to the infirmary.

nThere was only one more substitute left. It was the local Buddhist resident of class 2-3, Mu ZhongMing.

nI ordered Mu ZhongMing to guard Shen ShaoYi along with me and it was surprisingly effective. Shen ShaoYi wasn’t able to score a single point five minutes before the first half ended.

nBut Shen ShaoYi used his remarkable judgment to pass the ball to Liu HuaiShui. Liu HuaiShui was able to do a feint to get past Niu ShiLi and score with a layup.

nI can’t really blame Niu ShiLi since Liu HuaiShui’s erratic behavior also got past me a lot too.

nSo when Niu ShiLi got scored on and grimaced in defeat, I could only try and encourage him as the nominal captain.

n“Don’t worry about it, Liu HuaiShui can’t use those movements a lot as it’s taxing on his ankles. As long as you stay firm under the net, you can guard against him.”

nNiu ShiLi neither denied or approved, he only thought about it seriously and focused his attention on our opponent’s basket.

nI remember in a certain fantasy novel that earth was undergoing world war 3, but the fighting stopped and every country formed an alliance when aliens invaded.

nIt’s the same between Niu ShiLi and me. We both want to win for our class, and we have a common enemy that’s stronger than us.

nNiu ShiLi, who didn’t want his hell training to go to waste, probably only had the word victory in his mind like me.

nBut winning is easier said than done.

nEven if I used Hua Jin to conserve as much energy as possible, both Niu ShiLi and I were drenched with sweat and panting like dogs by the end of the first half.

nDuring half time, Xiong YaoYue who came to distribute drinks, quietly whispered to me:

n“Are they too strong? Are you guys confident you can win?”

nI smiled bitterly and said, “No, Shen ShaoYi is playing like crazy, I can only do my best.”

n“Are we going to lose to class 2-2 again this year? How about I sacrifice myself and distract Shen ShaoYi?”

n“What are you going to do?”

n“I could yell that if he loses, I’ll go on a date with him.”

nHow can you straight out ask him to lose on purpose? And it goes against the school rules of dating.

nBut it’s true Xiong YaoYue is the only one who would be able to distract him.

n

n

nBut I shook my head.

nIt’s not the right way to win and the class leader will despise it.

nPlus Xiong YaoYue had already told me before she doesn’t really have any feelings for Shen ShaoYi. She might even hate him a bit because he destroyed our class really badly in last year’s match.

n“It would be troublesome becoming a couple with a popular guy like him. If he doesn’t mind, he could be one of my bros like you.”

nIf you don’t like him, don’t give him hope there might still be a chance or you would hurt him a second time.

nBecause of those various reasons, I rejected Xiong YaoYue’s suggestion. It might have been our class’ only way of winning, but as a Spartan, Shen ShaoYi’s friend, and basketball opponent, I wouldn’t use those sneaky methods to win.

nIt wouldn’t be embarrassing even if we lose. It’s better losing and trying your best than by winning by using tricks.

nIt was my style to fight face to face against anyone who fights me fairly.

nI also wanted to know if I had the potential to go beyond my limits after being pushed to this point by Shen ShaoYi.

nSo when the whistle signaled the start of the second half, I walked onto the court prepared to die.

nBy die, I was referring to drinking an entire bottle of Fu Yan Jie.

nEven the temptation of getting food from the class leader wasn’t important anymore.

nOnly one thought was left in my mind: victory. No matter what, I wanted to bring my team to victory.

nI was able to calm down after accepting the worst possible result of my bet with Niu ShiLi.

nI had to pass the ball if there was a good opportunity and also score if there was a good opportunity. It didn’t even matter if I had to pass to Niu ShiLi.

nA lot of students from class 2-3 initially came to watch because they wanted to join the crowd or to laugh at me. But there was no way they wouldn’t be moved when they saw me fight for our class to win. Someone of them even began to cheer for us under the class leader’s guidance.

n“Let’s go class 2-3!”

n“There’s a 9 point difference, let’s hurry and catch up!”

n“Boss Ye Lin, do your best!”

nOther than the one strange cheer calling me boss, I was gratified to hear my classmate’s cheers.

nBut at the same time, my stamina exertion had reached the maximum and it was like I could hear my muscles creaking under the strain.

nDuring a setup, my eyes met up with Niu ShiLi by chance. He was also exhausted, but the determination in his eyes never wavered.

nBefore almost having the ball stolen by Liu HuaiShui, Niu ShiLi passed the ball to me.

nIt was the first time he consciously passed the ball to me. It meant his goal changed to the same as mines.

nI broke through with force and was able to score two points.

nThe pain from my knees kept sending signals to my brain telling me to give up.

nBut I actually felt refreshed in my mind.

nBecause it had turned into a great game.

nLet’s have a good battle in the last 15 minutes.

n

n