"Swish!!"
The door to the gym swung open with a burst of energy, and in walked a striking young woman. She wore a short-sleeved athletic T-shirt, snug red-and-white sports shorts, and a Shohoku baseball cap tilted slightly to the side. Her long, curly hair was tied up in a neat ponytail that swayed behind her, and a small red first aid kit was slung across her body.
The moment she entered, the new members were left speechless, their faces instantly flushing red.
"Hello, everyone! I'm Ayako, a second-year student. I'm the manager of the Shohoku basketball club. Please take care of me!"
She spoke in a bright and energetic tone, flashing everyone a warm and friendly smile that lit up the entire gymnasium.
"Uh… hello…"
The new recruits stumbled over their words, caught off guard by the sudden appearance of such a pretty and confident girl. Their bashful responses barely formed coherent sentences.
"Wow, Ayako's here too? Today just keeps getting better," Oliver murmured, his eyes wide with surprise.
He stood stunned for a moment, trying to process what was happening.
As a fan of Slam Dunk in his previous life, Ayako was a name he knew all too well. She was the spirited, reliable manager who always stood by the basketball team. Energetic, assertive, and respected by everyone—from rookies to veterans—Ayako had always played an important role behind the scenes.
And now, seeing her in real life… It was overwhelming.
I didn't think I'd meet her so soon. I'm not ready for this...
"You're late again, Ayako," Akagi commented, folding his arms.
"Forgive me, Captain Akagi~" she replied with a teasing tone and a playful wink.
"Seriously…" Akagi sighed, though there was no real annoyance in his voice. He knew Ayako was always dependable, and if she was late, there had to be a good reason.
Then Ayako's eyes landed on Oliver. Her smile brightened instantly.
"Ah! Oliver! And Sakuragi Hanamichi too!?"
She pointed at the two of them, her voice filled with excitement.
"Huh? You know who we are?" Oliver asked, tilting his head in confusion. Sakuragi also looked puzzled.
"Of course I do! You two are practically famous around here!"
Ayako walked up to Oliver and looked at him with admiration in her eyes.
"I saw that match between you and Kaede Rukawa during the junior high tournament. You came in during the last ten minutes and still managed to turn the game around. That was amazing!"
"Wait, what? You beat that Rukawa kid?" Sakuragi exclaimed, his jaw nearly hitting the floor.
"Well… yeah, I guess that's how it went," Oliver said modestly, scratching his head.
He was still trying to get over the surreal feeling—an anime character from his childhood just complimented him in real life. And called him famous, no less.
It was… bizarre.
"So then," Sakuragi said eagerly, pointing at himself, "Ayako, how do you know me?"
Ayako couldn't hold back her laughter.
"Hahaha! I saw you too! I was in the stands during that hilarious match where you and the captain had that... incident."
"Incident?" Sakuragi blinked.
"Oh, you know," she said, covering her mouth as she chuckled. "When you accidentally pulled down Akagi's shorts trying to block his layup."
"That was an accident!!" Sakuragi shouted, turning beet red.
"I know, I know! But it was just too funny! The way Captain Akagi stood there... Everyone got a full view!" Ayako said between giggles.
"Ugh! Why does everyone remember that!?" Sakuragi buried his face in his hands.
"But seriously," Ayako added, giving him a reassuring smile, "keep doing your best, Sakuragi! With you around, this club will never be boring!"
"Of course! I'm a genius after all!!" he declared proudly, recovering from his embarrassment.
Ayako then turned her attention to Kaede Rukawa, who had been standing quietly by himself the whole time.
"Hey! You joined too, Kaede Rukawa?"
"Mm," Rukawa nodded with his usual cool detachment.
Ayako casually draped an arm over his shoulder. "You've changed a little since junior high. Did you grow taller again?"
"Mm."
"Still as cold as ever, huh? Can't even smile for your senpai?" she teased, nudging him playfully.
Then she turned to address everyone.
"By the way, Kaede and I both went to Fugaoka Junior High!"
"We already knew that..." muttered Akagi and the others.
Ayako just laughed and brushed it off.
—
With everyone now present, Akagi stepped forward and cleared his throat.
"Alright! I have a few words before we begin training."
Everyone straightened up.
"This year, Shohoku's goal is simple—to dominate the nation! That's right. We're aiming for the national championship. But to get there, we need to be stronger than ever. So prepare yourselves—the training will be intense."
"Dominate the country? I like the sound of that!" Oliver said with a grin.
"Let's do it!" Sakuragi added enthusiastically.
Everyone gathered in a circle and raised their hands into the middle.
"Shohoku—!"
"Let's go!!"
Akagi clapped his hands. "Alright! Warm-up time! We'll start with alternating fast and slow laps around the gym!"
The team began running laps, following Akagi's pace instructions. The echo of shoes squeaking on the wooden floor filled the air.
For Oliver, the experience felt fresh and exhilarating.
In his previous life in Daxia, high school club activities like this weren't common. Most schools focused solely on academics, and the pressure of exams meant extracurriculars were often just for show.
Back then, his daily life had been dominated by homework and tutoring, with only scraps of time left to shoot hoops by himself. But now, here he was—running alongside teammates in a real gym, training together.
This is what high school should feel like.
Though the intensity of the training was relatively light compared to what he and Sakuragi had done during the holidays, it was still meaningful. It was a start.
"System," Oliver whispered in his mind, "does this kind of training increase my stats?"
"Ding! Any exercise will help you grow stronger!" the system responded cheerfully.
"However, the effectiveness depends on the intensity. This level of training will help a little, but not much."
Figures... Oliver thought. I'll need to make time for additional training sessions after practice.
Not far ahead, Sakuragi was making a commotion again.
"Hey hey hey! Gorilla! This training's a walk in the park! We were working ten times harder over the holidays!"
"Stop bragging!" Akagi snapped. "This training is designed to suit everyone. Not everyone's a muscle-brained idiot like you!"
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING AN IDIOT, YOU GORILLA BASTARD!?"
Oliver chuckled, watching the two bicker as he ran.
Hanamichi's improved a lot. His dribbling's fine now, and his passing is passable. He won't need to start from scratch here.
He furrowed his brows slightly.
According to the original plot... We should be facing Ryonan in a practice match soon.
Ryonan—led by the formidable Akira Sendoh and Uozumi—was no joke. Even Akagi had trouble matching up against them.
If we want to make it to nationals, we'll need more than just talent. We'll need teamwork, strategy, and experience. I'll have to plan ahead…
He glanced toward Sakuragi, who was still arguing with Akagi.
Hanamichi's strong, but he's still immature. We'll need to guide him if we're going to have a real shot.
—
Meanwhile, by the window, Ayako spotted Haruko peeking in and waved her over.
"Haruko! Come inside!"
Haruko stepped in shyly. "Hello, Ayako!"
"Long time no see! You're getting prettier every day!" Ayako complimented, waving enthusiastically.
"What brings you here? Come to check on Kaede Rukawa?" she asked with a teasing grin.
"Ayako!!" Haruko gasped, rushing over to cover her mouth. "That's not it! Don't say weird things!"
"Haha, okay okay," Ayako laughed, clearly enjoying the flustered reaction.
"If not Rukawa, then maybe…" Ayako's eyes sparkled mischievously. "...you came to see Oliver? Or perhaps... Sakuragi Hanamichi?"
"Wha—!?" Haruko blushed, completely caught off guard.
Ayako simply winked. "Just kidding~ Or am I?"
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