17

"Hello senior, can I have your signature?"

"Hello, we are the freshmen. Would you like to sign my book?"

"How many rounds should we do, senior?"

The rest area of the BBA building is flooded by freshmen who have been hunting for their seniors' signatures since the morning. Whoever holds the lucky star will successfully retrieve those signs in a breeze.

But still, some are not lucky.

Well... Some are even too lucky!

"Hello senior, my name is Han. Can I have your signature?" Han politely bows at a group of female seniors who hanging around the area. They whisper to each other, giggle, and snicker in front of him. He feels awkward, but this is the chance that he wouldn't miss!

"How many signs do you want, freshie?" asks one of them. Han frowns. He counts silently the number of seniors who are in front of him.

"I think... All of you?"

"He's cute!!" they shriek like a bunch of fangirls. One of them stands up. She fixes Han's collar and stares at him.

"We can give you the sign. But, you have to do something for us..." she whispers to his ear. Han feels uncomfortable by her gesture. Yet, he stands there with no objections.

"There's a party tonight. I want you to be there.." she slips a card into his pocket. Han blinks his eyes repeatedly.

"A party?" he asks.

"Yes. A birthday party,"

"Okay. But can I have the sign now? Cause it will be a hassle to bring a book to the party," he says. "I might lose it," he glares at the girl. She smirks as she takes the book from Han, scribbles her signature and softly places her lips on the paper. There is a lip stamp on the surface.

Han stares at her with a smile on his face. Quickly, he passes the book to others before he leaves the spot and meets Yara at the other side of the rest area.

"I swear to God, girls are getting weirder every day..." he says while leaning his body against the supporting pole of the shady awning on the sidewalk that connects the building with the cafe.

"I am a girl, and I am normal..."

"Hah, I'm laughing my ass off!"

"Don't curse in front of me!"

"Fine, MOM!" Han emphasizes the word mom. Yara glares at him and playfully smacks his shoulder.

"How many did you get?"

Yara passes the book to Han. He flips the pages.

"Wow, you got plenty!" Han feels impressed.

"I asked Senior Lau for help..."

"You sneaky brat! Using connection! Nepo!"

"She's willing to help. Besides, she's my mentor!" Yara grins. She makes a mocking face to Han. The boy scrunches his nose, looking green with envy.

"I wonder how's Pan doing?" suddenly Han feels worried about her.

"I think she's doing fabulous. Judging by her answers yesterday, she must be a 5-star freshman by now," says Yara.

"As much as you gain fans, you'll gain the haters as well..." Han kicks some little pebbles under his black shoes. He sighs as he looks uneasy and concerned.

"You look concerned.." Yara glares at Han. She slowly glares at him, giving a teasing smile as her pointy finger makes a circler in front of his face.

"You like Pandora!"

"Is it wrong if I like her?"

"No... I mean... Why don't you tell her!?"

Han smirks. He shakes his head in tiny.

"Come. Let's find Pan..."

"Now you dodge my question!"

"I don't have to dodge. I can just stomp on it. It's small, just like you!"

"Oi, how dare you body shame me!" Yara smacks his back. Han whines in pain.

"Ai hia! What's with the slam!"

He gets the second one. Aftershock.

"Curse at me again, Imma choke you to death!"

"Like you can reach my neck, shortie!"

"I can jump..." Yara tries to jump and almost reaches Han's ears. He quickly runs for his life with Yara chases him from behind.

"Han! You crazy frog!"

***

Pan passes by the other side of the BBA building after successfully retrieving some signatures from seniors at the library. Good for her that some of the seniors give her a good corporation. She smiles, looking at the sign book.

It's a good start on day one.

"Oi freshie, pass me the ball, will ya?"

Someone yells at Pan. She watches a big orange ball rolling toward her at such a high speed. She slams her palm on it and grabs the ball with her left hand.

"Thanks!" the boy, in blue-black slack but shirtless grabs the ball from her hand. Sweats drip from his face as he frowns, fighting against the sun ray.

"Excuse me, senior... Are you a BBA?" Pan bravely asks him. The boy turns around and looks at her with his sharp eyes.

"Yes. Second year. Why?"

Pan smiles. She takes out her pen.

"'I'm Pan, the freshman. Can I get your sign, senior?" she asks him politely.

"Tsk, this motherfucking sign again...!"

Obviously, the boy is upset. Pan winces her face. Maybe some too many freshmen ask for his sign, and he had enough of giving away some.

"It's fine. Just forget it..."

"Steal this ball, and I'll sign your book..." the boy spins the ball on his finger for a moment. Then he stops the ball and slams it between his two giant palms.

"Here?" Pan asks. The area is quite small and dangerous as it is near the main road.

"Follow me..." the boy flicks his finger, asking Pan to follow him.

"This better be good..." she murmurs silently.

***

"Look what we got here..."

A bunch of boys hang out at the court. All of them, mostly losing their shirts. It's a normal view for Pan. She doesn't feel awkward at all.

"New victim, Aye?" asks one of them.

"Hmm..." he answers blandly while glaring at Pan.

"Freshies from your faculty are so damn hot, Aye!" he snickers while listening to his friend. His hands are busy dribbling the ball.

"Hot but dumb..."

"At least they look nice!"

"Cut it off, Top! You know Aye. It's not easy for him to compliment people," says the other boy.

"Hi!" Top greets Pan with a huge grin. Pan lifts her hand a bit and smiles.

"I'm Top. Engineering. That's Aye Yi,"

"No need for introduction, Top! Let's get down to business," says Aye. He holds the ball, standing firm in front of Pan.

"Three chances. If you manage to steal the ball from me, I'll give you my sign."

Aye lifts the ball high. Then, he brings the ball to the front with one hand. At one glance, it looks unstable. So wobble, like if a cat scratches it in a wack, the ball will fall onto the floor.

"Come on! Don't you want it?" Aye keep challenging Pan. The girl only watches him mocking her with an innocent face.

Pan swings her hand to the front and tries to wack the ball away from Aye's hand. The man dodges the move, turns the ball upside down, and dribbles it a few times. Then, he grabs the ball with both of his palms.

This boy has a skill.

"That's an easy ball, you know..." Aye laughs while glaring at Pan. The girl looks flustered a bit. Her cheek turns red.

"Come on, show me your effort..." he dribbles the ball, making a circle around Pan. She's getting more and more annoyed.

"Do you want my signature, freshie?" he whispers to her ears. With a hand showing the ball in front of her. Pan quickly swats her hand.

But Aye is even faster than her.

"Fine then..."

Pan drops her bag on the ground. She musters her hair in a grip and ties them in a high bun. She takes off her student ID, and unbuttons her shirt, revealing a high-quality cotton-white camisole. She takes off her watch and her ring. Then she tosses them away.

Silently, she charges forward and makes a turn around Aye.

After that, all they can hear is the sound of a ball passing through the loop.

"That's one..."

Everyone stands up from their seats in shock. Pan throws the ball back to Aye. The man nods and smirks a bit.

This girl... She's...

He dribbles again the ball, running past Pan who guards the area. He dodges the girl, however, she manages to challenge him and almost block him.

Fortunately, Aye manages to surpass Pan and dunk a nice shot. He grabs the ball and moves backward, facing Pan.

"Don't sleep yet..."

"I'm not..." Pan replies to him, catching her breath in between.

Aye is charging forward. Dribble the ball with super speed. Pan manages to catch him up. They run towards the D area. Aye struggles a bit there and tries to make a shot but the ball tilts to the left and rebounds. Pan quickly jumps and scoops the ball, and slams it into the loop.

It's a nice clean slam dunk.

Aye feels like he almost loses his balance. Quickly, he grabs what's near to him. By chance, the only thing that is near to him is...

Pan's waist.

Within a second, they might slam together on the court. However, Pan realizes that the man is latching on her, so she carefully drops her body on the ground so Aye can land safely on his foot. They are stuck in a hug for a mere second before pushing each other's body away.

"Oi, what a sight!" Top teases them. Aye flashes his middle finger at his friend.

"Kidding bro, kidding..."

Aye glares at Pan. The girl keeps her composure tight. She looks tired, but she manages to cope with his move. Pan's skill is almost as good as his...

The varsity basketball player.

Aye didn't wait for long. He keeps the game on. Last chance for him. If he loses the game, he might get a slap of reality on his face that he has to bow to the seniors' power. This seniority status is all about dignity.

Although his opponent is a freshman who knows nothing about him or anything about the duel between him and the final year seniors. He feels like if his mark is on the book, he will be considered as supporting the event organized by them.

Not a chance!

Aye probably using his brain too much. He didn't realize that Pan was marching towards him with gusto. He tries to dodge her, but somehow he is losing his balance. The ball loops up and he almost falls onto his face...

Looks like it's the end game.