"Adrian, one copy of 'The Stranger' and one copy of 'The Seattle Times,' please."

"OK, Bennett, congratulations on your high school graduation. Today's newspapers are on me."

"Adrian is so generous today? Then I'll gladly accept them."

Today, Yes officially graduated from Garfield High School.

Garfield High School uses a credit system—once you've earned enough credits, you can graduate.

He had actually earned enough credits long ago and could have graduated earlier.

However, he had always been waiting for a perfect graduation ceremony.

What is the perfect high school graduation ceremony?

Yes looked at the 'Seattle Times' in his hand.

"Rodney Stuckey graduates high school perfectly: Thankful for fate that helped me grow. National championship, here I come!"

The Seattle Times is the largest newspaper in Washington State, and today's front-page headline is the news of Stuckey leading Kentwood High School to defeat Foss High School and win the Washington State championship.

"Four years ago, when I came to Kentwood High School, I never imagined I could end my high school career this way. Thank you, fate, thank you, God, for letting me grow from an insignificant nobody to a Washington State champion in these four years. Now, I can proudly say, NCAA, here I come! National championship, here I come!"

How impressive.

Looking at Stuckey's interview in the newspaper, and the photo of him holding the championship trophy high, Yes couldn't help but admire him in his heart.

Although Stuckey was his archrival, he had to admit that Stuckey truly deserved to be this bold now.

Stuckey had been his greatest rival and enemy during his four years at Garfield High School.

They played the same position, both started their high school basketball careers with the aura of a prodigy.

Yes was a natural-born prodigy, shocking all of Washington State as soon as he debuted, and together with Roy and the others, created the legend of the strongest Five Tigers in Washington State.

Stuckey, on the other hand, was a late bloomer. At first, he was crushed by Yes, but not long ago, he turned the tables. Over these four years, Stuckey's progress was simply unbelievable.

"Thankful for fate, huh? I never thought I'd become part of someone else's fate one day."

Maybe, in Stuckey's mind, he was no longer worthy of being his rival—he was just a passerby in Stuckey's destiny.

Stuckey leading Kentwood High School to be crowned Washington State champions was the biggest news in Washington State today.

But for Seattle, Kentwood High winning the championship? What does that have to do with them?

Today, Seattle's biggest local newspaper, 'The Stranger,' had its most important front-page headline about Yes.

"Yes officially joins the University of Washington. The Garfield Five Tigers reunite. The unfinished dream from four years ago is about to continue. Seattle's glory sets sail again!"

Seattle's glory...

Looking at the photo that took up almost half a page in The Stranger, Yes smiled wryly and shook his head.

It was a photo from four years ago, when they swept through Washington State.

A yellowed old photo.

Also a photo you could see anywhere in Seattle—restaurants, libraries, coffee shops.

He had a copy of this photo in his dorm room too, but he put it away last year.

This photo carried the hopes and dreams of so many people...

Putting away the newspaper, Yes took a deep breath, and his stirred emotions gradually calmed down.

"Bennett, let me tell you a secret. Today in Seattle, The Stranger's sales will be more than ten times that of The New York Times."

The Stranger's sales are more than ten times that of The New York Times?

That sounded familiar...

"Adrian, you said that to me four years ago."

Yes waved his hand, getting ready to jog away from this place that always reminded him of the past.

"Old man, thanks."

That old man, so annoying...

Yes realized that after he decided to join the University of Washington, everything around him seemed to have changed today.

He didn't know if it was just his imagination, but he felt that when he went running, the people who greeted him seemed even more enthusiastic than before.

There were more smiles on their faces too.

Yes had never imagined that one day he would have this kind of influence.

But...

Aren't you all afraid of being disappointed again?

After running back to his dorm, Yes was about to take a shower when the dorm door was knocked on.

When he opened the door, four familiar faces were standing there, all smiling.

"Yes!"

"Yes?"

Hearing this familiar yet distant nickname or greeting, Yes smiled and shook his head.

"Come on in, all of you."

Chapter 0008: The Former Garfield Five Tigers

Brandon Roy, Will Conroy, Anthony Washington, and Dean Simmons were Yes's seniors at Garfield High School.

They were the other four members of the legendary Five Tigers who once swept through all of Washington State.

Now, all four were students at the University of Washington, and also players on the University of Washington basketball team.

Among them, Brandon Roy and Will Conroy were starters for the University of Washington.

Anthony Washington and Dean Simmons were now substitutes.

Of the once-invincible Five Tigers, four had not continued their dominance after entering college.