Nate Robinson’s personality was flamboyant, and later he wanted to be the boss. Roy didn’t even hesitate to let him have it.

Why was that? Of course, Roy knew very well in his heart.

And the result of his concession was that Nate Robinson took the achievements they had supported him with and ran off.

“FUCK, we can’t get into the NBA. If we could get into the NBA, every time we saw him, we’d beat him up! Damn bastard!”

Dean’s words were still harsh, but this time, Roy didn’t stop him.

“Bennett, during the time we’ve been sitting here, a total of fifty-five fans have come over to ask for our autographs. Of those, fifty recognized you first, and after recognizing you, thirty-five didn’t recognize me at all.”

“You asked me out today just to tell me this?”

Yes looked at Webster and said coldly.

“To you, this might be insignificant, but to me, it really matters. Bennett, you should know what my dream is.”

“And you think you’re worthy of talking about that ridiculous dream of yours now? Bringing a national championship to Seattle? Couldn’t do it in high school, couldn’t do it in college, so you think going to the NBA early will do it? Ha, what a joke. An NBA championship is a world championship, not a national one!”

“I know all that. I know my dream is ridiculous. But, Bennett, do you know what’s even sadder than a ridiculous dream?”

Webster looked out at the beautiful Seattle sea in front of him, his eyes full of endless longing: “I’m like a dog constantly licking the toes of its mistress, longing for her favor. But in her eyes, there’s only the injured cat in her arms.”

Dog? Cat?

Yes frowned in confusion, but Webster continued speaking.

“You know, the day you decided to join the University of Washington, I already started thinking about entering this year’s NBA draft.”

“?!”

“Surprised?”

Webster gave a bitter smile and went on: “Actually, I was surprised too, because what I wanted most was to be your teammate, but what I feared most was also being your teammate. Three years ago, I broke my promise to you for the first time, and it was for this reason.”

“Three years ago, you didn’t transfer to Garfield High because of this?”

“Yeah, isn’t it ridiculous? I really am a selfish, insecure, and gloomy person, always caring about those trivial things without even realizing it.”

“After every game, I’d idly compare the number of spectators on the sidelines at Garfield High to those at the prep school. Every time Bennett didn’t play well, I’d get excited and look forward to buying the ‘Stranger’ newspaper the next day. When Bennett and Garfield High got their butts kicked by Stuckey, I cried, because I knew that was Bennett’s last chance to bring a championship to Seattle in high school. But later, I laughed.”

“But no matter how you played, you always had more fans around you than I did, and the Stranger newspaper was always encouraging and comforting you. As for me, even when I won MVP at the Nike Basketball Summit, the Stranger newspaper still treated me like a stranger.”

“The day after you decided to join the University of Washington, I saw the Stranger’s front-page headline, and I made up my mind to enter the NBA draft.”

“I used to think Seattle wanted a national championship, so my dream was to bring a championship to Seattle. As long as I could do that, I could replace you as Seattle’s son. But it wasn’t until that day that I realized how ridiculous my dream was. What Seattle needed wasn’t a national championship. What Seattle needed was just to be with you guys from the beginning to the end.”

“It’s not even about me winning a championship. Even if the Seattle SuperSonics win a championship, it doesn’t mean that much to Seattle.”

“Now I finally understand why the SuperSonics always complain that Seattle fans are too cold-blooded. They really are cold-blooded…”

“To them, a championship is just a bonus. If it’s not you guys winning it, it doesn’t matter to them at all.”

Yes looked at Webster, who now seemed like a villain, and for a moment didn’t know what to say.

When he first came here, he was furious at Webster for breaking his promise, but now he couldn’t really feel angry anymore.

“Since you decided to enter the draft so early, why are you only signing up now? Want to be the last-minute star?”

“This is my last chance to be your teammate…”

After Webster finished speaking, the two of them sitting on the seawall fell silent.

After a while, Yes stood up behind Webster, who looked confused. Webster tried to stand up as well, but just as he got halfway up, Yes kicked him in the butt, sending him tumbling onto the sand in front of them with a thud.

“Bennett, you ambushed me again!”

“Martell, you actually dared to curse me that I wouldn’t make it to the NBA?!”

“What do you mean curse? Isn’t it the truth?! You think you’re still the Seattle son from four years ago? What do you have now to get into the NBA? The NBA won’t buy into this Seattle thing! I’m going to prove my strength to the world in the NBA. My humility in Seattle—I’ll make up for it with NBA glory!”

“Shut up, stop yelling, get back up here, and let me kick you again!”