The next morning, the humid air pressed against Yuuto's skin like a physical weight. Sunlight filtered through his curtains, bright yet softened by the heat-hazy glow of summer. Even sitting on the edge of his bed, he could feel sweat forming at his hairline. The air seemed to stick in his throat, heavy and still, but his mind was sharper than ever.
Yuuto held the basketball in his hands, rolling it slowly between his palms. The leather was smooth, worn from repeated practice sessions, and yet it felt like something more than a ball it was a tether to a life that had been ripped from him just weeks ago. His knee throbbed faintly, a dull reminder of fragility, but the pain no longer intimidated him.
A soft chime sounded from the corner of his vision.
[ System Notification: Daily Quest Available]
Quest – "Precision Under Pressure"
Stretching: 20 minutes Balance Training: 15 minutes Seated Shooting Form Practice: 50 repetitions Visualization Drill: 10 minutes
Reward: +1 Shooting | +1 Stamina | Skill Unlock (Chance)
Yuuto exhaled slowly, a small grin tugging at his lips. "Shooting… finally," he murmured. The word felt like a promise, a bridge from frustration to mastery.
The rehab gym smelled faintly of disinfectant and rubber mats. Sunlight poured through the high windows, reflecting off polished floors, catching the edges of scattered basketballs and cones. Ms. Tanaka, Yuuto's therapist, leaned against a wall, clipboard in hand. Her hair was tied back in a tight bun, a few strands falling across her forehead.
"You're not cleared for standing shots yet," she said, her voice measured. "Your knee still isn't ready for weight-bearing stress."
Yuuto rolled the ball in his hands, eyes fixed on the small hoop mounted on the wall. "I don't need to stand," he replied, voice firm. "I just need to shoot."
Ms. Tanaka raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical, but she didn't stop him. "Fine. Chair shots only. And don't overdo it. I'll be watching."
He positioned a sturdy chair ten feet from the hoop, the same chair that had felt like a throne of frustration the previous week. Sitting tall, he squared his shoulders, flexed his wrists, and gripped the ball like a lifeline.
The first attempt was clumsy. The ball wobbled in midair and clanged against the rim with a harsh, metallic echo. Yuuto's chest tightened in frustration. "Too much wrist…" he muttered.
The second shot bounced off the backboard. "Too flat," he corrected himself.
Ms. Tanaka leaned in, her eyes sharp. "Focus on your elbow and wrist. Smooth release, don't force it."
By the tenth attempt, sweat dripped down his temples. His arms burned as if tiny flames ran through his muscles, yet his focus sharpened with every miss. Each correction, each minor adjustment, honed his form elbows tucked, wrist snapping just right, follow-through extended toward the ceiling.
By the twentieth attempt, the ball sailed cleanly through the hoop, a soft swish that vibrated through the quiet gym.
Ms. Tanaka blinked, clearly impressed despite herself. "...That looked real."
Yuuto's chest heaved with pride and relief. "Because it was," he said, a grin spreading across his face. The sound of that swish was more than the ball passing through a hoop it was a signal. Proof that he was reclaiming a part of himself.
He reset, bouncing the ball on his lap, visualizing the shot, feeling the motion in his muscles. By the fortieth repetition, his arms ached, and a dull throbbing traveled from his shoulder to his fingers, yet he refused to stop. Each shot carried the weight of frustration, desire, and determination.
A soft chime sounded, pulling his attention.
[System: Shooting Form Progress… 73%]
[System: Quest Progress… 86%]
Yuuto closed his eyes, imagining the ball leaving his hands, arcing high, and falling precisely through the hoop. He adjusted his grip, rotated his wrist, and focused on the gentle flick that had been elusive for so long. The ball rolled off his fingers, curving perfectly through the net, swish.
The thrill of the sound made his chest tighten. For the first time since the injury, he felt mastery, not struggle.
A golden glow appeared in front of his eyes.
[Quest Complete ]
[Reward Gained: +1 Shooting | +1 Stamina]
[New Skill Unlocked – "Fundamental Shot (Lv.1)"]
Yuuto leaned back in the chair, eyes wide, hands trembling. He stared at the golden text that hovered in front of him:
Fundamental Shot (Lv.1)
Increases shooting accuracy within 10 feet by 10% Stability bonus when under fatigue
The reality of it hit him. A tangible, measurable improvement. Something real, something he could build on. He flexed his fingers around the ball, feeling the texture, the balance, the potential.
"This… this is how I'll build myself back," he whispered. His voice was rough, but there was fire in it a quiet, simmering determination that had nothing to do with his system stats and everything to do with him.
Ms. Tanaka tilted her head slightly, noticing the way his eyes shone. "Don't get cocky," she warned, though her tone carried a hint of admiration.
Yuuto laughed softly. "I'm not. I'm just… starting."
That night, Yuuto sat on his bed, the basketball resting in his lap. He traced the seams slowly with his fingers, feeling each groove, each line, as if memorizing them. The echoes of the swishes still rang in his mind. Not the misses, not the clanging shots but the clean, perfect swish that belonged to him.
He clenched the ball to his chest, breathing slowly, deliberately. "No matter how long it takes… I'll make that sound echo in a real game again," he vowed. The words felt heavier than they sounded, each syllable a promise to himself.
Pain still lingered in his knee, a dull ache that reminded him he was not fully healed, but it no longer dominated his consciousness. For the first time, he felt control. Strength. Momentum.
He glanced at the ceiling fan slowly spinning above him, imagining himself back on the court. Every dribble, every pivot, every shot he would return to it.
A soft chime in the quiet of his room reminded him that even the system acknowledged the step he had taken.
[Hidden Progress: "Path of the Comeback" – 5%]
Yuuto closed his eyes, letting exhaustion wash over him, but unlike before, it didn't carry despair. It was satisfaction. Resolve. Progress.
He rolled over onto his side, clutching the ball, and whispered to the empty room, "I'll keep going. Every day. Every shot. Until I'm back where I belong."
And for the first time in what felt like forever, sleep came easily, carrying him toward dreams of arcs, swishes, and open courts under bright stadium lights.