It was definitely not yogurt-flavored.
Nonetheless, the guy, whose name was Alen, as Kai had heard, drank the milk deliciously like it hadn't gone bad in 2012.
"Ah, that was good," Alen said. "What brand is this again?"
The guy beside him nudged his shoulder and shook his head. "Stop drinking. We're already the next players. You might slow down if you get too full."
"I'm fine," Alen boasted. "This will be my source of power!"
'Source of diarrhea, you mean,' Kai thought.
The whistle sounded, and the players from the second set finally made their way back to the bleachers.
There was a confident smirk on Jinping's lips as he sat down, feeling satisfied with his performance.
Meanwhile, the varsity team players went to the side of their bench to take a short rest and rehydrate.
Playing two sets without rest had definitely taken its toll. The second set of applicants were also
undoubtedly more difficult to play with, so they asked Yuze for a very short break. Fortunately, their team captain agreed.
Kun stood from his seat and walked over to the varsity players.
"Are you tired after only two sets? With how much you're sweating, I would think you're playing in a real tournament." he teased.
Jet shook his head as he downed some water.
"You know we'd destroy the team if Yuze joins," he chimed.
"And that's exactly why he's not joining. You better win this game. Yuze's expecting a lot from you," Kun advised.
The members nodded, looking more determined than ever.
Meanwhile, those at the newbie's bench sighed deeply when they realized that there was still a sizable gap between the two teams.
50-32.
It wasn't impossible to catch up to it, but it was definitely going to be tough.
Xiu, a guy from the first set, dropped his towel to the ground before releasing a heavy breath.
"I'm sorry, guys," he muttered. "I should have done better during the first set. Maybe then, we'd have the chance to win."
"Yeah," Lucas, another player from the first set, nodded in agreement. "We really tried our best, but those guys are just too good," he said, tilting his head to the bench of the varsity players.
Just then, someone from the third set stood, stretching confidently.
"Good? If those guys were good, then they wouldn't have placed last in the Winter tournament or the Interhigh Preliminaries last year," he said.
"They're not good at all. Just say you guys sucked," he smirked, hiking his shorts up so his toned lanky thighs became more visible.
Kai's eyebrows furrowed as he looked at the cocky newbie. He didn't know much about the school's basketball record, but why would this guy even try out for a team he found weak?
The side of the varsity became silent. In reality, they had heard what the cocky newbie had said, making Shang clench his fists in anger.
Kun raised his eyebrows and smirked before placing his hand on Shang's shoulder.
"Down," he said with a smile.
Shang scoffed, shaking his head as he sat down. "They're looking down at us."
"You're not going to beat anyone up on my watch," Kun said.
"Not even a little bit?" Jet sheepishly asked. "That kid looks like he knows nothing about basketball, but he's yapping his mouth like an awful rapper."
"Why don't you just show them on the court?" Kun asked.
The five players turned to each other with determined looks, their tiredness suddenly vanishing.
Shang stood, followed by Jet, their steps heavy and daring as they walked back to the court.
"Ready?" Yuze asked, aware of what was happening between the two teams.
"More than ever," Shang smirked.
Yuze turned back to the newbie team, a subtle glare in his eyes. "Prepare," he briefly said.
The five applicants also made their way to the middle, sizing up the varsity players. The guy who insulted them, named Roy, stood at the center. He was the tallest among the members in this particular set, but he was still shorter than Jinping and Zeren. Nonetheless, it seemed like his ego was just as large as Jinping's, if not even bigger.
To make matters worse, it seemed like Roy was actually friends with the two other players in the set, boosting his ego even more.
Yuze blew the whistle, and the last set finally started.
As expected, empty cans made the most noise.
Not even two minutes into the game, the team had already committed three fouls—one for Roy and each of his friends.
Kai pursed his lips and glanced at the timer, seeing that four minutes had already passed. He then glanced back at Alen and saw him still playing with a relaxed look. At this point, Kai wouldn't even get to play!
Was his stomach made with metal lining or something? Why was he still fine after drinking the spoiled milk?
However, it seemed like Kai spoke too soon.
Seconds later, Alen started appearing paler. Then, he collapsed to the ground, catching the players' and the onlookers' attention.
Yuze and Kun quickly ran to the court to determine what had happened. They thought the first-year student had become injured, making Kun internally panic.
"Hey, are you okay?" Yuze calmly asked.
Alen lifted his head, his face pale and his temples dripping with sweat. A gust of wind passed by at that moment, making him bite his lip in pain.
"It's going to come out!" he exclaimed.
The players glanced at each other, confused. Meanwhile, Kun placed his cold hand on his shoulder to assist him, but Alen quickly slapped it away when he felt the contents of his stomach travel south further.
Without a word, Alen stood from the floor, clenching his butt like his life depended on it, and ran out of the gymnasium.
For a moment, the people inside the court became silent, wondering what just happened.
However, Kai broke the silence as his cheap shoes made a large squeaking sound, making the majority turn to him. The other newbies, still not used to his tall height, gawked at him.
Kai turned to Yuze, a small smirk playing on his lips.
"Is it my turn now?"