CHAPTER 12

Donnie scanned the area again but still couldn't find the so-called Phantom Sixth Man. However, he did find a folded piece of paper on the ground.

He bent down and picked it up. He wasn't intentionally trying to pry into someone's privacy, but the paper was only simply folded, and as he picked it up, it naturally unfolded, revealing its contents to Donnie and his live stream viewers.

'Have you picked a club yet?'

'Of course, I picked the basketball club!'

'Let's both work hard so we can meet on the court soon and fulfill our promise!'

A few simple sentences, along with a small basketball doodle on the back of the paper, sketched out the sunny personality of the letter's writer.

Just then, Donnie suddenly felt the light dim, as if the sunlight was being blocked by something.

As the shadow grew larger, it gradually formed the outline of a person.

Donnie turned around. The moment he saw the newcomer, only one thought crossed his mind…

So tall!

Almost 6'3"!

Was this a height a first-year middle schooler could even reach?

Purple hair…

It was the Generation of Miracles' center.

The guy was chewing on something, and as he chewed, he looked down at the letter in Donnie's hand.

Donnie was certain this letter had been dropped by the Phantom Sixth Man he'd just bumped into. He instinctively folded the letter shut.

"Huh?"

"Stingy."

"I saw it just now, you know…"

"It was weird, though. I only saw a little bit of blue…"

"The shorty who dropped his stuff went towards the school gate, by the way."

Not only did the tall guy have a lazy demeanor, but his tone of voice was the same, dragging out his words, sounding completely unenergetic. The 'Volleyball Club' members who had been chasing him finally caught up and were still tirelessly trying to persuade him to join, even bringing their club captain, seemingly convinced he was a rare talent in volleyball.

"Whoa!"

"You're so tall!"

"Amazing! Come play volleyball! Join the volleyball club!"

The tall guy scratched his head. "Hmm… what to do… this is such a pain."

The chat chimed in:

[The Generation of Miracles' center is actually a total airhead.]

[And the green-haired guy has to check his horoscope every morning.]

[Still, for a kid just starting middle school, being almost 6'3" is way too tall…]

[Feeling the disparity in the world again. I graduated college and still haven't broken 5'11".]

[Kids these days really are growing taller.]

[We have some young players on a pro basketball team near me who are actually that ridiculously tall.]

Donnie looked at the tall guy surrounded by recruiters and, very pragmatically, decided to sell him out, quietly making his way towards the school gate.

On the way, he saw the 'Blondie,' who was almost as much of a hot commodity for club recruitment as the tall guy.

However, this one seemed to attract a different kind of attention…

"Look, that guy is so handsome!"

"Seriously, so hot~"

"Please, you absolutely have to join our club~"

With a quick glance, Donnie only saw a back view and a head of conspicuous blond hair, confirming it was someone he'd seen in the CG and on the cover art.

[Dark-skinned guy and pink-haired girl up ahead!]

[Ah, it's Aomine and the pretty girl~]

[Aomine can get lost! Give me the girl!]

[So nice, childhood friends…]

[Donnie, can you play the role of the homewrecker here?]

Donnie spotted the two figures who stood out from the crowd from a distance.

One because he was noticeably dark-skinned, the other because her looks were off the charts.

"Hey, Dai, have you decided which club to join yet?" Satsuki asked.

"What? Do you even need to ask such an obvious question at this point?" Aomine replied.

"Of course, it's the basketball club!"

"I heard the level here is really high. I'm looking forward to it!"

"Is that so? Then how about I become the manager? I can even make you lunch boxes," Satsuki offered.

"Forget it. If I eat your cooking, will I even be able to play in a match?" Aomine retorted.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!" Satsuki exclaimed.

Thump!

A passing figure bumped into Aomine.

Donnie watched from not too far away. This scene gave him a strong sense of déjà vu.

But even observing from a third-person perspective this time, he still couldn't get a full view of the Phantom Sixth Man, only confirming it was him by the blue hair.

Moreover, Aomine's reaction was exactly the same as his own earlier, proving that his inability to see the Phantom Sixth Man before was definitely not a game bug.

"Excuse me," an apologetic voice sounded near Aomine.

Aomine instinctively turned his head.

"Sorry."

"Huh…?"

"Eh?"

Satsuki, beside Aomine, asked curiously, "What's wrong?"

"Hmm…" Aomine mumbled.

"Nothing."

"Never mind…"

The chat was confused:

[?]

[WTF! Aomine can't see him either?!]

[What does that mean?]

[Is he invisible?]

[What's the science behind this?]

Donnie followed the flash of blue, quickening his pace to catch up.

Aomine and Satsuki looked at Ethan Woods (Donnie's character) running towards them, both stunned. Neither had expected this person to also enroll in Teiko.

Satsuki spoke first. "Ethan, long time no see."

Donnie hadn't met Satsuki before, but he recognized Aomine. So, this pretty girl must be the one the chat had been talking about earlier, the one who had been watching his streetball duel with Aomine from a distance.

He had carefully read the chat logs later and seen the information summarized by the viewers.

Donnie nodded at Satsuki.

"Long time no see. I have something to do, so I'll get going."

Watching Donnie's retreating figure, Satsuki excitedly shook Aomine's arm.

"You guys can play basketball together from now on, Dai!"

"He's still got a long way to go!" Aomine scoffed.