A Liar's Truth [UNDER FINAL REVISION]

Ch 39: Change

Third person's POV 

The final buzzer rang.

The sharp tang of sweat and rubber filled her lungs. The echo of sneakers squealing against polished wood and cheers ricocheting off the walls made her dizzy with it.

We did it... Ginka's breaths came shallow and fast, sweat slick on her skin like glitter after a war. The scoreboard buzzed again above them, echoing like a stadium's heartbeat. It blinked 58–53, bold and final, like the universe itself had stamped "WIN" across their underdog status.

Her fingers curled into fists—not from tension, but from that deep, electric kind of pride.

That's one step, Father. One clean, irreversible crack in the perfect little system you love so much. We're not beneath anyone. Not anymore. And I'll keep proving it—louder, bolder, until even you can't ignore it.

"AND THAT'S GAME! CLASS E TAKES THE EXHIBITION MATCH!"

For a second, the gym was quiet. And then it exploded.

"WE DID IT!" Nakamura whooped, throwing both arms up like she'd just summoned the moon.

Kataoka pulled Yada and Okano into a group hug. "That's what I call teamwork!"

Ginka dropped to her knees dramatically, arms in the air. "Victory! Sweet, MVP-certified victory!"

On the bleachers, the crowd wavered between stunned silence and gasps of disbelief.

"Wait... is that really Seiun-san?"

"I thought she always tripped over her own feet in variety shows?"

"Forget idol—did she just deep-fry the defense?!"

A camera from the school paper zoomed in just as Ginka struck a pose, blowing a kiss. She rummaged into her gym bag, then triumphantly pulled out the most random object ever: a pastel green candy pacifier, sparkling like a threat.

"Midori-nii's lucky item for Capricorns," she said proudly. "He claims—and I quote—'baby pacifier for peak psychological regression defense.'"

"Sounds like him," Yada muttered, wiping sweat off her brow.

Nakamura nearly choked laughing. "Okay no, that's so cursed it's gone full circle into divine."

"Did you... use it during halftime?" Okuda asked with the tone of someone not sure if she wanted to know.

"I have not yet reached that level of unhinged, Okuda-chan~"

Kurahashi chimes in, "Your fans would probably pay thousands for it though~" 

As they gathered their stuff and headed toward the field, the announcer's voice rang out. "—MVP honors to Asano Ginka, 18 points off the bench, including four straight threes in the fourth quarter—"