Ben was determined to put an end to the vicious cycle he was imprisoned in. And, the path to freedom lied with winning this basketball game!

Unfortunately, his performance was mediocre at best. He mostly passed the ball to others and occasionally stole the ball from those he marked, but that’s all. He hasn’t scored a single point the entire game.

I have to get at least one shot in. At least one. Ben was determined. He had to show Mike how serious he was about playing competitively.

While Ben was busy working on his courage, the game had already reached a critical point. The score turned 20-20. Both sides were one point away from victory!

Things developed this way thanks to the rule Mike enforced at the last second. By removing 2-pointers from the game, everybody had to crowd around the basket. It shifted the game toward being more close contact.

Under these conditions, Mike’s group evened the odds with their teamplay. They played lots of basketball together, so they knew how to efficiently maneuver around the small area while cooperating.

“Okay!” Lars received the ball and got ready to shoot. Alas, Mike was already there, jumping right in front of him!

You’re not getting this shot! Mike proclaimed strongly with his intense glare from above.

Dang it! Lars was sure he had this one in the bag, but Mike was blocking the basket from view. In that case, I’mma just go around ya!

Lars canceled the throw and drove the ball to the side. But, another enemy was already waiting for him there!

SMACK! Larry stole the ball and ran away with it.

“Gotcha, bitch!” Larry drove the ball away from the three-pointer line to create some distance from Lars.

“Okay, safe.” Larry sighed in relief once he stepped out of the danger zone. He couldn’t score from here, which sucked ass, but it also meant nobody was going to be too gung-ho about stealing the ball from him all the way out here.

That’s how chaotic this game had become. Nobody had even a moment to relax. It was necessary to step out of the battlefield to get any breather at all.

Alright, I need to pass now. Larry scanned the area for good targets. But, the enemy had no intention of giving him much time to do so.

She’s already here!? Larry cursed. The enemy chick caught up to him while he was dribbling! Even beyond the three-pointer line, there was no rest for anybody!

You’re not getting anywhere with that ball. Kai went for the attack.

Shit! Larry backpedaled while dribbling. I don’t have time to deal with her. I need to get the ball to somebody who can score...!

“Larry! Behind you!”

“Ah!?” Larry’s back hit against a wall! At least, it was something as big and as immovable as a wall!

A screen!? Larry grit his teeth. His back crashed into none other than Lars, who followed up from behind to block Larry’s retreat path.

It was a perfect pincer. Lars was blocking the retreat path, while the girl was assaulting Larry from the front. He stood no chance.

“James! Try to get this one!!” Larry tossed the ball aside. He didn’t have the luxury to ascertain James’s exact location, so he simply threw the ball in the general direction.

It was a lame play but there was no other choice. If he didn’t get rid of the ball somehow, the two attackers would’ve stolen it from him. It was better to send the ball to the unknown than let Lars or Kai get their hands on it.

“Whoa!” James exclaimed as he chased the ball. “Phew. Somehow got that shit. Man, that pass sucked.”

“Oh, zip it.” Larry breathed in relief. One way or another, the pass got across. The match wasn’t over it. It was still anybody’s game here.

If anything, the odds strongly favored their side now. With the ball in James’s possession, this was a great chance to initiate a strong attack!

That guy was a clumsy goof in everything except for passing. But, at the same time, he was godlike in that one area. So, if he skillfully gets the ball across to somebody in a good position, it might end the game right there!

Man, what a stuffy situation. James’s eyes shifted from side to side. With everybody packed so tightly around the basket, it was hard to get a proper pass across.

C’mon. James urged his friends with his eyes. Shake off your marks already. Make my life a little easier here.

James lazily dribbled the ball as he searched for a good pass route. This was a critical play so he couldn’t do anything stupid.

I won’t hear the end of it if I mess up here. James gulped. He could already imagine himself becoming the new punchbag of the group instead of Ben. Mike can be scary like that sometimes. I gotta be careful.

The weight of this responsibility was pressuring his shoulders. It’s like he was carrying a boulder on his back.

Man, this ain’t funny. Can we end this already? James shook his head. Dang, their marking is too tight. Speaking of which, where did Ben go- ack!

SMACK! Ben stole the ball from his distracted opponent!

“W-Whoa!” James jumped backward in surprise and slipped. “Fuuuuu!” He landed on his bottom.

Crap! Not like this! James shouted internally. In the most critical moment, he ended up looking like the biggest clown of all time! Nuuuuuu!

B-But, it’s only Ben. It’s alright. He can’t score. James tried to convince himself as he hurried to get on his feet. He’s probably just going to pass anyway. The others can handle it.

But, contrary to his expectations, Ben was running forward with the ball. It almost looked like he was driving it toward victory...!

I have to get it in. Ben ignored the screams of his aching muscles and drove the ball forward. No matter how exhausted he was from all the activity today or how hard his legs threatened to buckle over, he had to help his team win!

Ben has been passive about his problems for a long time now. Enough was enough. Nothing will be resolved as long as he keeps averting his eyes from the problems. As scary as it was, he had to face his problems head-on and do something about them!

Ben drove the ball past the three-pointer line and found a nice shooting position. From here, he could deliver the winning shot!

“BEN!” Larry roared as he jumped in to block. “YOU PIECE OF SHIT! DON’T YOU EVEN DARE!”

“A-Ah!” Ben flinched. His legs froze in place. As always, these roars shook him to the core.

The loud curses were pregnant with malice. They blamed Ben for the sin he committed against his friends.

But, it was an old sin. Hasn’t Ben already repented enough!?

“S-Shut up!” Ben shouted in response. His raspy voice wasn’t even half as intimidating as Larry’s but his soul was roaring like lion. He can’t block in time! I can get the shot in!

Ben erased Larry’s loud existence from his mind. There was only Ben and the basket there. No need to worry about anything else.

Ben raised the ball and released it in an arc. It was the cleanest shot he had fired today. His normally shaky arms were surprisingly stable during the shot.

He had many opportunities to get the ball into the basket today but he failed every time. Whenever he had a golden opportunity, Larry’s curses assaulted him and threw him off.

But, not this time. Ben was confident in his own convictions. I’ve served my sentence. It’s time to end this!

The ball approached the basket and... didn’t get in. But, it didn’t bounce away either. It landed on the rim and rolled around and around.

Everybody was anxious. This could very well be the decisive shot of the game.

Ignorant to that tension, the ball was taking its sweet time to decide where it was going to land. It circled along the rim again and again, without getting in and without falling off. It was stuck in a neverending purgatory.

Get in! Ben prayed. Stop stalling and finish it already!

As if heeding Ben’s orders, the ball finally made its call. It received Ben’s passionate spirit and decided to answer the boy’s determination.

“One point,” Yuel announced. “We won.”

It was over. It was really finally over.

“Ah...” Ben collapsed on his knees. His leg muscles hurt. Breathing was painful. But, he finally did it. He nailed the shot! The team won! At long last, he broke away from the miserable cycle!

“YOU DAMN MEATBALL!” Larry stomped toward Ben with clenched fists.

“Ah...” Ben understood the incoming danger but he was too exhausted to respond. Hit me all you want. If that’s what really going to make you feel better, then go for it. I’ll accept it, as long as it’ll finally put an end to this.

“Hey, dude. Chill.” Lars stood between them.

“Shut up!” Larry waved an angry fist. “You wanna eat this shit in his stead!?”

“Nah, can’t say I’m into getting punched, haha.” Lars laughed it off. His confident smile didn’t show a single hint of concern. Naturally, that only further served to ignite the enemy’s fury.

“You piece of shit-!” Larry shot a punch! Or, at least he tried to. His arm refused to jump forward for some reason.

“Give it a rest.” Mike grabbed Larry’s trembling arm.

“Watcha stopping me for!?” Larry roared. “What, did you already forgive that damn Meatball or something!?”

“It’s not that,” Mike said. “It’s bad sportsmanship to fight after a match, don’t you think?”

“Heh, since when do you care about ‘sportsmanship’?”

“Right, I don’t,” Mike admitted. “I’m stopping you for your own sake.” He threw a cautious glance at Lars. “Look at us, then look at this guy. Do you see a difference?”

“Huh? What?” Larry cocked his head. “Are you talking about how he’s smiling like an idiot?”

“No, it’s about the sweat,” Mike whispered. ”Look at us, all drenched like greenhorns without stamina. Meanwhile, this guy looks perfectly fine. It’s almost like all of this was just a warm-up for him.”

“Huh, you’re right...” Larry swallowed his spit.

Even though Lars was the one who terrorized the court the most, the guy looked completely unfazed by everything that transpired. This intense game was nothing but a child’s play for him, or at least that’s how it looked.

“To be honest,” Mike whispered. “I’d gladly gang up on him and beat him to a pulp. But, with how tired we are and how fine that dumbass looks, we might actually lose.”

“You gotta be shitting me.” Larry couldn’t believe that Mike, of all people, would say something like that. Out of the entire gang, the leader was the most adept at fights. He wouldn’t wuss out against some random dumbass.

“It’s just a gut feeling,” Mike said. “The guy acts all friendly, but I see the glint in his eyes. If you go up against him for real, he’ll not hold anything back. He’ll trash you fully, smiling while doing it.”

Lars was like a beast wearing human cloth. Most of the time, he was acting like a friendly harmless goof. However, if something makes the beast come up to the surface - it’ll ravage everything in sight. At least, that’s what Mike’s gut was telling him.

“Just drop it,” Mike said as he stepped forward. “I’ll handle the rest from here. They might’ve won, but so what? We didn’t promise them anything anyway.”

“Heh, that’s true.” Larry nodded with a snicker. With a last desperate card up his sleeve, Mike was going to try to gain an advantage in this situation once again.

But, wasn’t that just the most cliche of developments? A villain who had lost the fight but stubbornly refused to accept defeat until the very last moment. Somebody like that was bound to pull one last trick at the very end.

Thankfully, it was such a predictable development that somebody already prepared a line of play against it...