Both sides agreed on holding a 3v3 basketball matore correctly, Mike baited Lars into accepting this unfavorable deal. Their ces of victory seemed slim at best.

  They had ten mio prepare. It gave them a little time to warm up and form a strategy, as well as let Be up before asking him to run around the cain.

  “So, that’s how things turned out,” Yuel expihe circumstao Vi and Ben.

  “Su ued twist!” Vi made he underdog Cssmancers club challehe basketball club! Who will walk away with victory!? It’s the match of the tury!”

  That robably the ’s attempt to i some positivity into their grim situation. Admittedly, listening to that overhyped nonsense made Yuel smile a little. And, Lars was totally into it as usual.

  “Ya got it, dude!” Lars pumped a fist. “We’re about to make history here! This match gonna make it into the neers, yoooooo!”

  Uhem, the st member of the team wasn’t nearly as enthusiastic.

  “A match?” Ben mumbled weakly. “But, why?”

  “As I expined,” Yuel repeated. “We’re trying to prove our club is every bit as petitive as theirs. Does it make sense? Not a whole lot, to be ho.”

  “Then, why…?”

  “The way I see it, this is a roundabout way to solve the problem by force without res to actual violence.”

  “But, we’re going to lose…”

  “I agree, the odds are against us. But, Lars might pull through for us. You might not know it but he’s pretty good at basketball.”

  “Yeah, pretty good.” Lars nodded. “Wait, ‘pretty good’? What do you mean ‘pretty good’!? I’m da best, yo! These dudes are nothing, believe it!”

  “Yes, you are.”

  Indeed, Lars rodigy basketball pyer. In fact, this goof was s that many would sider it a waste that he was fog on Cssmancers instead.

  Unfortunately, this wasn’t going to be a 1v1 match. It’ll be a 3v3 and the eeam acked with three members of the basketball club. Their average power level was clearly above Lars’s team.

  Therefore, Yuel couldn’t pletely ease Ben’s worries. They were the underdogs in this fight, no two ways about it. It’ll be an uphill battle.

  “I think it’s better to give up,” Ben said weakly and hung his head. “There’s no way we beat them. They don’t take the club that seriously but they’ve been pying from a young age. They’re strong pyers.”

  “Oh, cool!” Lars grinned. “Sounds like they might actually pose some challenge, hehe.”

  “Ah...” Ben eechless. It felt like everything he said backfired at him. Even in front of su impossible challenge, Lars didn’t waver in the slightest. It was amazing, even dazzling.

  I wish I could be this fearless. Ben thought.

  Unlike Lars, Ben has been quaking in his boots ever since he learned of this match. His iwisted to no end. He felt like an impending disaster was on its way.

  Why are they doing this? Ben couldn’t fathom it. They should quit before something happens to them. Who knows what Mike and the others will do if they snap. This is supposed to be my punishment, nobody else should get involved.

  “Why? I don’t uand,” Ben said. “Why do you o get involved in all of this?”

  “That’s elementary, my friend.” Vi smiled meaningfully. “It’s because you’re our friend. We ’t throw you to the wolves like this. In fact, I must apologize to you. I’ve been aware of your situation for quite some time but I haven’t found a solution until now.”

  “My ‘situation’? What ‘situation’?” Ben feigned ignorance. “Is it about me missing club activity? I’m really sorry about that. It’s all my fault. I often end up hanging out with Mike and the others and fet we have club activity, haha...”

  “Stop that,” Yuel said sharply. “Are you going to pretend like nothing is going on even after we came this far?”

  “Well, that’s...” Ben cmmed up.

  “Dude, let’s be ho here,” Lars said. “We know these guys are f you to skip practice. I gonhey also bully you and all that.”

  “T-They don’t bully...” Beed weakly. It art of his punishment. He deserved all of this. Mike, Larry, and James were his friends. They were just a little mad at him for the stunt he pulled a year ago, that’s all.

  “Just let it all out,” Vi advised. “o keep bottling it. We’ve already e this far, there’s n baow. Be ho with us about the situation so we help you. I’m sure you also want to put ao it.”

  “Put an end...” Ben ched his trembling fists. He had no idea how to react to this suggestion. It was terrifying. There might be more victims again.

  Ben was aware that Vi and Kai tried to do something about his situation st year. He heard about it post-facto but apparently Kai spoke Mike face-to-face. Their argument became heated and Kai raised her voice. That was a critical mistake.

  Once Kai accused Mike of bullying, he took it as a cue to retaliate. From what Ben heard, it developed into a scuffle. Kai actually tried to physically front the guy without running away.

  Of course, that didn’t go well for her. No matter how strong she was firl she couldn’t take on Mike, whose strength was feared even among the boys.

  As such, the i ended with a terrible defeat for Kai. She was even a little injured during the fight, but thankfully it wasn’t anything serious. Mike probably went a little easier on her because she was a girl.

  heless, that result was enough to teach everybody a lesson. Anyone who dared to front Mike had to be prepared for a world of hurt.

  “I ’t let anybody else suffer like this.” That only strengthened Ben’s vi that he had to suffer through this situation alohat nobody should get involved in this mess. Nobody else should be harmed because of Ben’s situation.

  This was his problem, his alo was his punishment. Therefore, he had to bear with it quietly until Mike and Co. were satisfied.

  But, when will that day e? More than a year has passed since Ben joihe Cssmancers club. Yet, instead of being lighter, his punishment only increased in severity over time.

  It begged the question: will this punishment ever end? It was unclear at this point. There was no foreseeable ending anywhere in sight.

  At this rate, his punishment might tinue forever and ever. Or, until he leaves the Cssmancers club. Si was the cause of everything, it should also be the thing that could put ao everything.

  That was the clusion Ben finally reached today as he was crawling on the court. It oio keep waiting for the punishment to end. If Ben does nothing, he’ll spend the rest of his life atoning for the one sin he itted. If so, it was better for everybody if he just quit the club.

  Even though Ben resolute himself to make this annou some minutes ago, his clubmates interrupted the moment and he missed his opportunity. And, before he regained enough strength to speak again, the situatioed beyond his wildest imagination. Somehow, a basketball match was about to be held and his clubmates were participating in it, fighting for his sake.

  This is all my fault. Ben thought. His clubmates didn’t do anything wrong but they ged into this mess because of him. And, it was too te to stop any of this now.

  The flict already started rolling. It was like a boulder ing down from the top of a mountain. It will only accelerate further and further until it crashes into the ground aroys everything.

  I was too wishy-washy. I hesitated too much. That’s why this happened. Ben bit his lip.

  He didn’t try to properly resolve the situation with Mike and Co., but her did he take any steps toward quitting the Cssmancers club to appease them. All this time, Ben was stuck between a rod a hard pce, yet he varied on with his daily life, pretending there was nothing wrong with it.

  Maybe Lars was right. Enough was enough. Ben had to put ao this situation, one way or aherefore, before this flict gets out of hand, Ben should straighten his bad speak to his clubmates.

  “I...” Ben swallowed. The words were stu his throat like rocks, choking him almost to the point of tears. heless, he had to say these words before the situatioed any further. “I... I think I should quit the club.” Ah! I finally said it! He exhaled in relief.

  “.........” The trio sidered him for a moment without saying a word.

  “Is that your true desire?” Vi asked. “Is that how you want your story to end? Are you going to let the vilins be victorious?”

  “Vilins? That’s not...” Ben uood it all but he couldn’t bring himself to think that way about Mike and the rest. They were his friends. It’s just that, at the moment, they were a little mad at him, that’s all. Besides, Ben deserved all of it. It was his fault for backstabbing his friends.

  “Let’s get this straight,” Yuel said. “I heard you think you deserve this treatment, that’s why you don’t object to the situation. I don’t have all the details and I don’t think we have time to discuss them right now. But, no matter what you think you did, nobody deserves to be bullied.”

  “But...” Ben hung his head. “I do deserve it. I did something unfivable...”

  “Even if you offended your friends in some way, they should’ve eventually fiven you. But, from what I uand, this situation has been going on for over a year now.”

  “Yeah, exactly,” Lars followed up. “Like, dude. If they’re still mad at you for something you did over a year ago, ya gotta tell them they’re beiy. That’s not how real friends act.”

  “That’s...” Ben didn’t have a good retort. The same thoughts crossed his mind many times as well.

  “Are Mike and the others still my friends?” This heavy question weighed on his mind every now and then. Every time his “friends” pushed him to the brink of breaking apart, he couldn’t help but ask that question.

  “Fet about these dudes for a sec,” Lars said. “What do you wanna do? Do you really wanna quit the club? If that’s what you really want, then nobody gonna say no. But, is that really how ya wahis?”

  “What I want is...” Ben mumbled. His ched fists trembled.

  It didn’t even require any thinking. In his heart, Ben kly what he wanted all along. He was just pretending like there’s a dilemma because he felt obligated to appease Mike and the others. But, what Ben really wanted was...!

  “I-I want to stay in the club!” Ben raised his voice to a volume nobody thought ossible. Tears formed at the er of his eyes as he tinued in a shaky, yet strong, voice. “I want to properly attend practice, get better at the game, and tribute to the team! I also want to try pying petitively and maybe evehe team win!”

  “The’s do it, dude!” Lars patted Ben’s shoulder. “This is your ce. Let’s go out there and give these dudes some heat.”

  “O-Okay!” Ben answered strongly as he wiped away the tears from the er of his eyes. His expression underwent a plete 180. He had a fragile defeated expression until now, but it transformed into one filled with uncharacteristic determination. It was an expression nobody here has ever seen on him before.

  No, that wasn’t quite right. Ben wore this serious expression every now, but only when he ying Cssmancers. The game allowed him to escape from his real-life problems and to be truly passionate about something, without any s dragging him down.

  Unfortunately, every time Ben put the game dowy washed over him like a fierce wave. Remembering his real-life circumstances cracked his spirit all ain. That’s why he couldn’t wear this kind of impression outside the game.

  But, no more. Today, everything will be resolved. No matter whether Ben’s team wins or loses this basketball match, something will surely e to aoday.

  If they win, Mike might finally free Ben from eternal punishment. If they lose...

  I’ll just quit the club. Ben decided. This is probably my one and only ce to ge something.

  If this attempt fails, there probably won’t be another opportunity. Therefore, it’ll be for the best if Ben takes an early leave and spares his clubmates the trouble of w about him.

  “Beautiful!” Vi made noise. “Finally, the story is about to reach its climax! The heroes shall now front the vilins and emerge victorious!”

  “If only it were that easy,” Yuel retorted.

  “, dude,” Lars said. “Don’t be such a downer. I’mma carry you two no problem! Ya just help me out every now and then and I’mma get the score rollin’!”

  “I don’t doubt your skill for a moment. But, I’m not so sure about myself and Ben. We might drag you down.”

  “Oh!” Vi gasped at these words. “Could it be!? Are you not a genius in Basketball as well!?”

  “I wouldn’t call myself a ‘genius’ at anything, and especially not in any physically demanding sports.”

  “I-Is that so. Then, Ben...” Viuro his st hope. “How grand is your skill at basketball?”

  “Um, I think I’m okay at shooting and passing,” Ben said. “But, everything else is...” He looked awkwardly at the belly stig out in front of him. This saeat was unnecessary baggage that prevented him from ever perf well in any sport.

  “Dios mio!” Vi held his head dramatically. “Then, our team has only one profit basketball pyer!? Meanwhile, our oppos have a full team of experts!?”

  “Yep.” Lars nodded with a fident grin. “But, no problem. We gonna win.”

  “H-How, if may I ask?”

  “With the power of friendship, yo!” Lars pumped a fist. “Haha, just kidding. Real talk tho, I think we get this done. I may be the only one here who pys basketball regurly, but I’m pretty dang good. Besides, Yuel has a few cool tricks too.”

  “That’s right.” Yuel nodded. “Basketball, like any team sport, isn’t just about your physical ability. There are strategies that help the weaker team win.”

  “Yeah, exactly!” Lars hyped things up even though he didn’t know the first thing about the topioheless, there was ohing he did know: a motivated team was hel strohan an insecure oherefore, Lars had to maintain a fident smile that put everybody at ease.

  It ain’t gonna be easy, even I know that much. Lars was ho with himself underh the unwavering facade. But, we gonna do it! I gotta draw out 300% of my power so we win this, yo! And, I’m sure Yuel will e up with something to help us too. Oh, nice! He’s already at it!

  “Ben, what you tell us about their pystyles and quirks? Any weaknesses you’re aware of?”

  “I-I know a few things...” Ben tried to speak strongly but hints of lingeriation remained in his voievertheless, he successfully shared a few importaails with Yuel.

  So, they’re really doing it. Vi couldn’t help but gulp at the unfolding se in front of him. A makeshift basketball team from his club was going to go up against proper pyers from the basketball club. It was the ultimate underdog sports story!

  Despite being the one whinally ihis eurn of events, Vi became nothing more than a background character in this epic tale. He couldn’t do anything to help his peers in this critical situatio again, he was pletely powerless...

  Or, am I? Vi wondered. He couldn’t be sidered “good” at basketball by any stretitation. He was as far removed from athletics as Yuel.

  heless, Yuel had his ways to tribute in this situation. He didn’t possess the brawn but he had the brains. There was no doubt they’ll soon witness some brilliant basketball strategy from the one and only Chessmaster.

  Then, what about Vi? Couldn’t he also tribute in some way? Was there really nothing for him to do?

  There’s ohing I try. Vi ched the cellphone in his pocket. There was no telling whether it’ll help the team in any way but it was worth a shot. Besides, he couldn’t think of any other way to tribute right now, so it was better to try and fail than do nothing at all.

  “We still have a couple of minutes, right?” Vi asked as he backpedaled toward the gym’s exit. “I’ll be right back.”

  Everybody nodded in approval and tinued discussing the uping match. Despite all the odds being stacked against them, everybody looked ready to take on this Herculean task...

  DarkestCymore