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

They had ten minutes to prepare. It gave them a little time to warm up and form a strategy, as well as let Ben rest up before asking him to run around the court again.

“So, that’s how things turned out,” Yuel explained the circumstances to Vincent and Ben.

“Such an unexpected twist!” Vincent made noise. “The underdog Classmancers club challenges the basketball club! Who will walk away with victory!? It’s the match of the century!”

That was probably the clown’s attempt to inject 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 newspapers, yoooooo!”

Unlike them, the last member of the team wasn’t nearly as enthusiastic.

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

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

“Then, why…?”

“The way I see it, this is a roundabout way to solve the problem by force without resorting 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 was a prodigy basketball player. In fact, this goof was so strong that many would consider it a waste that he was focusing on Classmancers instead.

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

Therefore, Yuel couldn’t completely 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 can beat them. They don’t take the club that seriously but they’ve been playing from a young age. They’re strong players.”

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

“Ah...” Ben was speechless. It felt like everything he said backfired at him. Even in front of such an 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 insides twisted 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 understand,” Ben said. “Why do you need to get involved in all of this?”

“That’s elementary, my friend.” Vincent smiled meaningfully. “It’s because you’re our friend. We can’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 forget 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 clammed up.

“Dude, let’s be honest here,” Lars said. “We know these guys are forcing you to skip practice. I gonna bet they also bully you and all that.”

“T-They don’t bully...” Ben resisted weakly. It was all part 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,” Vincent advised. “No need to keep bottling it. We’ve already come this far, there’s no turning back now. Be honest with us about the situation so we can help you. I’m sure you also want to put an end to it.”

“Put an end...” Ben clenched 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 Vincent and Kai tried to do something about his situation last 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 confront the guy without running away.

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

As such, the incident 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.

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

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

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

But, when will that day come? More than a year has passed since Ben joined the Classmancers club. Yet, instead of becoming 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 continue forever and ever. Or, until he leaves the Classmancers club. Since it was the cause of everything, it should also be the thing that could put an end to everything.

That was the conclusion Ben finally reached today as he was crawling on the court. It was pointless to 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 committed. If so, it was better for everybody if he just quit the club.

Even though Ben resolute himself to make this announcement some minutes ago, his clubmates interrupted the moment and he missed his opportunity. And, before he regained enough strength to speak again, the situation escalated 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 got dragged into this mess because of him. And, it was too late to stop any of this now.

The conflict already started rolling. It was like a boulder coming down from the top of a mountain. It will only accelerate further and further until it crashes into the ground and destroys 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 neither did he take any steps toward quitting the Classmancers club to appease them. All this time, Ben was stuck between a rock and a hard place, 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 an end to this situation, one way or another. Therefore, before this conflict gets out of hand, Ben should straighten his back and speak to his clubmates.

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

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

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

“Villains? That’s not...” Ben understood 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 unforgivable...”

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

“Yeah, exactly,” Lars followed up. “Like, c’mon dude. If they’re still mad at you for something you did over a year ago, ya gotta tell them they’re being petty. 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.

“Forget 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 wanna end this?”

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

It didn’t even require any thinking. In his heart, Ben knew exactly 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 was possible. Tears formed at the corner of his eyes as he continued in a shaky, yet strong, voice. “I want to properly attend practice, get better at the game, and contribute to the team! I also want to try playing competitively and maybe even help the team win!”

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

“O-Okay!” Ben answered strongly as he wiped away the tears from the corner of his eyes. His expression underwent a complete 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 was playing Classmancers. The game allowed him to escape from his real-life problems and to be truly passionate about something, without any chains dragging him down.

Unfortunately, every time Ben put the game down, reality washed over him like a fierce wave. Remembering his real-life circumstances cracked his spirit all over again. 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 come to an end today.

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 chance to change 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 worrying about him.

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

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

“C’mon, 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!” Vincent 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...” Vincent turned to his last 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 sticking out in front of him. This sack of meat was unnecessary baggage that prevented him from ever performing well in any sport.

“Dios mio!” Vincent held his head dramatically. “Then, our team has only one proficient basketball player!? Meanwhile, our opponents have a full team of experts!?”

“Yep.” Lars nodded with a confident 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 can get this done. I may be the only one here who plays basketball regularly, 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 can help the weaker team win.”

“Yeah, exactly!” Lars hyped things up even though he didn’t know the first thing about the topic. Nonetheless, there was one thing he did know: a motivated team was hella stronger than an insecure one. Therefore, Lars had to maintain a confident smile that put everybody at ease.

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

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

“I-I know a few things...” Ben tried to speak strongly but hints of lingering hesitation remained in his voice. Nevertheless, he successfully shared a few important details with Yuel.

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

Despite being the one who originally incited this entire turn of events, Vincent became nothing more than a background character in this epic tale. He couldn’t do anything to help his peers in this critical situation. Yet again, he was completely powerless...

Or, am I? Vincent wondered. He couldn’t be considered “good” at basketball by any stretch of imitation. He was as far removed from athletics as Yuel.

Nonetheless, Yuel had his ways to contribute 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 Vincent? Couldn’t he also contribute in some way? Was there really nothing for him to do?

There’s one thing I can try. Vincent clenched 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 contribute right now, so it was better to try and fail than do nothing at all.

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

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