Everyone was ready, then Nia looked at Vivi and asked,
"Should we go in order from the beginning, or just randomly?"
Vivi stood up.
"I think it's better if we go in order. Which means... I'll be the first."
She stepped into the center while everyone watched her with excitement.
Vivi began her story.
She was born into a family that loved basketball. Her grandfather was a professional basketball player who had won several international league championships. Ever since then, her family had hoped that passion for basketball would be passed down through every generation—including Vivi.
"But when I was first introduced to basketball, I rejected it. I wasn't interested in it at all... but since everyone in my family played, I didn't really have a choice but to join." Vivi explained.
From a young age, she was taught how to play basketball every now and then. Even though she didn't enjoy it, Vivi had inherited her family's natural talent and became quite skilled despite being so young.
As she grew older and entered school, she somehow became extremely popular. It wasn't just because of her athletic body, built through years of training, but also because of her beautiful face that naturally attracted everyone's attention.
"Back then, I was really happy and always cheerful. I even thought about quitting basketball so I could focus on studying... but one day, my grandfather took me to a tournament, and everything changed."
It was her grandfather's final tournament before retirement.
He smiled at Vivi and said,
"Vivi, the truth is... Grandpa has never wanted to force you to love this sport. But today, I'll show you why basketball is so beautiful to me—and to so many others. Haha... and you know? People don't call me The Maestro for nothing. So watch carefully, okay?"
After that, Vivi vividly described the match she still remembered to this day.
The entire arena echoed with cheers as her grandfather stepped onto the court. Even though he was no longer young, every step he took was filled with confidence, as if time itself had never been able to catch up to him.
The moment the whistle blew, the basketball seemed to become part of his body. His dribbles were light, fast, and perfectly rhythmic. He slipped past one defender with a smooth change of direction before delivering a perfect no-look pass straight into his teammate's hands. Every movement flowed naturally, without a single forced action.
Every decision he made was always one step ahead of his opponents. He didn't just score points—he created space, opened opportunities, and made the entire team come alive. The audience applauded not only because of the points he scored, but because of how beautifully he played the game.
That... was The Maestro.
From the stands, Vivi watched with sparkling eyes, unable to blink.
For the first time, she realized that basketball wasn't just a tiring sport.
In her grandfather's hands, basketball became a performance—a beautiful combination of speed, intelligence, teamwork, and artistry that no one could look away from.
Then, near the end of the game, her grandfather smiled at her once more.
He promised that he would show Vivi the greatest dunk of his life.
He promised...
He would do it for her.
"...But fate had other plans."
The moment Vivi said those words, everyone already understood what was about to happen.
Even Vivi herself had to relive that painful memory as she continued speaking with all the strength she had.
At first, everything went perfectly.
Until the most anticipated moment finally arrived.
Her grandfather sprinted toward the basket with a confident smile.
Everyone's eyes were on him—including Vivi's, who watched with hope shining in her eyes.
But just as he leaped into the air, his expression suddenly changed.
His hand instinctively grabbed his chest before his body lost its balance, crashing heavily onto the floor.
The roaring cheers throughout the arena instantly turned into panic.
Players and medical staff rushed toward him while Vivi could only stand there, frozen, staring helplessly at what had just happened.
A day that was supposed to become a beautiful memory instead became the beginning of a farewell she had never imagined.
A short while later, the doctor explained that her grandfather had suffered sudden cardiac arrest caused by an underlying heart condition.
For years, it had shown almost no symptoms, but the intense physical strain during the match became the trigger.
Even though the medical team responded as quickly as possible...
They couldn't save him.
"At that moment... I couldn't say anything. I just stood there and cried... I blamed myself because I was the one who wanted Grandpa to show me that dunk. But in the end, no amount of regret could change anything... so after that... I changed." Vivi said while holding back her tears.
By the time Vivi entered high school at Solis Academy, she had become much colder and more distant toward everyone except her close friends.
"Honestly... there wasn't really any special reason why I became like that."
She simply wanted to focus on basketball.
She wanted to continue what her grandfather had loved, hoping it would bring her some peace.
"But the result? I never won a single basketball tournament... I felt like a complete failure, and I gave up once again... then he appeared."
At first, everyone thought she was talking about Nic.
But she wasn't.
The only one who already knew this story was Nia.
Nia looked at Vivi in surprise.
She hadn't expected Vivi to tell everyone about this, even though she didn't have to.
Vivi explained that one day, a boy approached her, claiming he was amazing at basketball. He said he knew everything about the sport and had even won several tournaments before.
Curious about his experience, Vivi gradually grew closer to him.
"His name was Rio. Nia, Leona, and Yui should already know who he is, right? I honestly wanted to learn from his experience... but instead, he asked me to be his girlfriend. Well... I won't go into the unnecessary details. That's basically what happened."
But everything Vivi got from him was nothing but empty promises and selfish words that only fed Rio's own ego.
She gained nothing from him.
Worst of all...
During one tournament, he cheated on her with another girl.
That incident left Vivi heartbroken as she ran out into the pouring rain until she became sick.
The moment Yui heard that, she realized she had been the girl Rio cheated with back then.
She had been innocent and completely unaware of everything.
Yui immediately stood up, wanting to explain herself again.
But Vivi gently stopped her.
"Hey, it's okay, Yui. You don't have to. None of it was your fault, really." Vivi said with a smile while stopping Yui from standing.
Yui simply bit her lip as Leona gently patted her shoulder.
"And then... after all that darkness... someone I barely ever noticed suddenly appeared. You know what he did? He confessed to me right in the middle of a crowded basketball court... Of course I was shocked and confused, so I ignored him... Yeah... that was Nic."
Vivi then explained how she slowly became curious about Nic.
At first, she didn't understand why.
But little by little, she accepted those feelings...
And in the end, she never regretted it.
"He promised me that he'd win our school's basketball tournament... and he actually did it. It felt like he was doing it for me, not for himself. You all know what I mean, right? That's just how Nic has always been."
"Then one day, we went on a date and attended another basketball tournament. Nic was chosen to participate in the dunk contest... and he accomplished what my grandfather never had the chance to do. That became the most unforgettable moment of my life. And now I finally understand... sometimes, the things we never expect end up bringing us the greatest happiness."
As soon as Vivi finished her story, Leona clapped louder than anyone else, startling everyone.
"Huh? Why are you clapping so loudly?" Vivi asked in confusion.
"Huhu~ Can't your BESTie be touched by your story? I'm really impressed, you know~" Leona joked.
"Impressed by what...? Honestly, I think I'll probably be the one impressed when it's your turn to share your diary." Vivi replied before returning to her seat.
Leona could only smile awkwardly.
Then another round of applause echoed through the room.
Everyone looked around, wondering who was clapping this time.
It turned out to be Emily, who was now sitting on the sofa.
She had already woken up.
"Ah... was I being too loud? Did I wake you up?" Vivi asked.
Emily shook her head.
"Not really. I don't sleep for very long anyway. I actually heard everything from the beginning... I was just too lazy to open my eyes and get up. Oh, and I already recorded today's story in one of Nic's books."
Monica immediately recognized it.
"Oh! That's Nic's amazing book! The one that can recreate moving scenes from the stories while mixing them with imagination! It's so cool!!"
"Yep. So all of your diaries will truly be preserved here. Haha... you guys should've woken me up for something this important. If I had slept through it, it would've been such a waste of such a wonderful story." Emily said with a soft laugh.
Everyone simply laughed together before helping Emily continue recording Vivi's diary.
To be continued...