UCLA

Greenfield School's campus is huge—it takes about an hour to walk around it.

"Arjun, what do you want to do in the future?"

"Like Satnam Singh, I want to play in the NBA and become a star."

"Yeah, I believe you can make it."

"What about you?"

"I want to be a teacher, share knowledge, and guide the future of kids. It's always been my dream."

"That's a great idea, it really suits you. By the way, will you come back home after studying abroad?"

"Of course, I will. I'm an only child, and I want to be there for my parents."

"You're really thoughtful."

"What about you?"

"I'll come back too, after I retire from the NBA."

"You're really confident."

"Just don't think I'm being arrogant."

"By the way, what do your parents do?"

"One's a PE teacher, the other's a language teacher."

"Oh, no wonder you're so good academically too. That's awesome."

"It's okay. What about your parents?"

"They run a small business."

Although Sunita answered modestly, the experienced Arjun could tell that her family was not struggling.

...

Before she really got to know Arjun, Sunita had already heard a lot about him. He was great at both studies and basketball, tall and handsome—a real heartthrob in her eyes.

After getting to know him, Sunita felt even closer to Arjun.

He was becoming more and more like the kind of guy she had always liked.

Arjun was worldly and knowledgeable, not like other eighteen-year-olds. Talking to him was comfortable and enlightening.

At first, Arjun treated Sunita like a little sister, but soon, he found himself falling for her.

Sunita had a sweet voice, and although young, she was well-traveled and well-mannered thanks to her parents, making her very polite and emotionally intelligent.

Talking to her didn't feel like there was a gap in their mental ages.

They were both very comfortable with each other.

As time went on, their budding feelings for each other grew.

If Sunita hadn't been a naive student, perhaps Arjun would have made a move that night.

Sunita was very attentive and knew a lot about him, probably having had a crush on Arjun for a long time.

Arjun didn't want to ruin the pure and beautiful campus relationship too hastily.

...

Seeing it was about time, Arjun walked Sunita back to the girls' dorm.

"By the way, Arjun, which university in the US accepted you?" Sunita asked as they were about to part ways.

"UCLA, the University of California, Los Angeles. Why do you ask?" Arjun replied.

"I'll tell you some other time." Sunita turned and waved goodbye, leaving Arjun with her silhouette.

That figure...

Arjun was moved too.

...

After that night, Arjun's relationship with Sunita—and Priya—progressed quickly.

He became closer with both girls.

In the following days, the trio often went out shopping together.

At first, Priya would create opportunities for Sunita to be alone with Arjun, but eventually, she stopped leaving, and the three of them often hung out together.

Of course, Arjun's high school days ended quickly because the Board Exams were coming up again.

Arjun didn't need to take the Board Exams, and if he did now, his scores might be embarrassingly low.

After the holidays.

Arjun spent some time at home with his parents.

Although both of Arjun's parents supported his decision to study abroad, they weren't wealthy. As two regular teachers, their income was limited. If Arjun hadn't secured a full scholarship, they really couldn't have afforded his education in the U.S.

Now, Arjun understood his parents' struggles more deeply and didn't complain. He also wasn't as reckless with money as he had been in his past life.

When he went out on dates with Sunita and Priya, he was the type to save where he could, even when picking up the tab.

Arjun was a time-traveler, but he didn't have the immediate ability to make money. He planned to improve his family's financial situation, but it would take time.

Until then, he was okay with being supported a bit by others.

After all, both Sunita and Priya were quite well-off.

...

By the end of August.

California said goodbye to the scorching summer and welcomed the coolness of early fall.

Los Angeles.

A city where angels and demons coexist.

Here, you find financial tycoons, Hollywood stars, and also slums and homeless people...

It's a globally renowned city, a major hub for both the economy and entertainment.

Speaking of basketball in Los Angeles.

Fans almost instantly think of the Lakers, think of Kobe.

Kobe was at the peak of his career during the just-ended NBA 05-06 season. After a few seasons of lows, he was thrilling fans with his staggering stats.

2006 was a turning point in Kobe's basketball career.

Despite previous disagreements, the "Zen Master" Phil Jackson chose to return to coach the Lakers.

Kobe supported this move, and their second collaboration proved successful, leading the Lakers back to the playoffs that season.

The 05-06 season was Kobe's best in terms of personal scoring.

On December 20, 2005, in a game against the Dallas Mavericks, Kobe scored 62 points in just three quarters (he didn't play in the fourth), outscoring the entire Mavericks team, who had 61 points when he left the game. Kobe was the first player to do this since the introduction of the 24-second shot clock.

On January 22, 2006, against the Toronto Raptors, Kobe scored a career-high 81 points. His 81 points in a single game are the second-highest in NBA history, only behind Wilt Chamberlain's 100 points in 1962.

That same month, Kobe also became the first player since 1964 to score 45 points or more in four consecutive games, joining Chamberlain and Baylor as the only players to achieve this.

In January alone, Kobe averaged 43.4 points per game, ranking eighth in NBA history for average points per month and the highest individual monthly average excluding Chamberlain.

At the end of the 2005-06 season, Kobe set Lakers franchise records for most 40+ point games in a season (27) and the most points in a season (2832).

Kobe earned his first scoring title with an average of 35.4 points per game.

He ranked fourth in the 2006 NBA MVP voting but received 22 first-place votes, second only to the eventual winner, Steve Nash.

Kobe was the face of Los Angeles basketball at that time!

At this moment, Arjun had just arrived in Los Angeles, standing at the gates of UCLA.

UCLA, a traditional powerhouse in college basketball, had produced superstars like Kareem, Reggie Miller, and Bill Walton.

In recent years, under Coach Ben Howland, UCLA had achieved notable success.

Although the UCLA Bruins had a good record, they were still some distance from an NCAA championship, having not won since 1995.

For the 06-07 NCAA season, Ben Howland was preparing to lead the Bruins to a comeback.

To strengthen the team's perimeter game, Howland had been accumulating talented guards in recent years.

In selecting potential players, he also focused on guards.

Currently, UCLA boasted players like Afflalo and Darren Collison, who had the potential to be NBA first-round picks.

But Ben Howland was still not satisfied...