Last time on WUAHS
Now an hour later, here I am at home. With everything getting started on the financial part of my plan. I have to start with the basketball part now. So I went to the garage and started basic dribbling.
'I'll do 30 minutes each hand for each ball. That's four hours. I have to take a break in between to cook a decent meal.
Hang on. Are there any food in the fridge??
I ran in and checked the fridge
FUCK. THERE is nothing here just a bottle of coke. Haisst guess I have to go get some grocery.. Better do it now then.
And so I made my way to the grocery still excited to get started with this life.
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MC'S ROOM – EARLY MORNING
Hanamichi wakes up in his room. Posters of idols, a trusty radio, and a stack of manga volumes. He stares at his hands. Big. Strong. He flexes.
Nothing happens....What do you expect?
He punches the air like he's in a shōnen opening.
'Okay. I'm Hanamichi Sakuragi. But I've never played real basketball. Just a few games in PE. I've got the body of a beast. I could probably punch through a vending machine. But I've never played real basketball. Just watched Slam Dunk... and even then, I skipped the technical stuff.'
'But I really want to play. ' He pulls out a notebook labeled "Basketball Stuff I Think I Know." It's mostly doodles and quotes like "Rebound King??" I wrote these last night before bed. I also bought basketball ball shoes. I really can't remember where the anime store was. So I went to a decent looking one and bought a pair instead.
After a hearty breakfast, he wore the shoes he bought and started running.
PARK – MORNING
Hanamichi jogs with ease. His stride is powerful, his breathing steady. He does a few sprints, then shadowboxes mid-run.
'Running's easy. PE class taught me that. I'm fast, I'm strong... I just don't know what to do with it on a court.' I jump to grab a tree branch. Snaps it off. Stares at it like, "Oops."
A group of old men doing tai chi glance at him. He nods respectfully, then trips over a tree root.
LOCAL GYM – MIDDAY
Hanamichi lifts weights like a pro. He's benching heavy, doing pull-ups with ease. A few guys watch in awe.
'Strength? Got it. Endurance? Working on it. Coordination? Uh... let's not talk about that.'
STREET COURT – AFTERNOON
Hanamichi practices dunks. He can jump high—really high. But his timing is off. He slams the ball against the rim. Then again. Finally, he nails one. It's loud. It's messy. It's glorious.
'I don't know how to play. But I know how to move. I've got power. I've got guts. I just need to figure out the rules.'
A group of kids cheer. Hanamichi bows dramatically, then trips over the ball.
'OK that is too much...Twice in a day???' as I pick myself up.
PARK – SUNSET
Hanamichi jumps for a dunk. Nails it. Lands with a grin. He's sweaty, but proud.
'Day one. I'm strong. I'm fast. I'm clueless. But I'm not giving up.'
He walks off into the sunset, humming the Slam Dunk ending theme like it's his victory song.
DAY 2 PARK – EARLY MORNING
Hanamichi jogs with ease. His stride is powerful. He stops under a tree, pulls out a brand-new basketball from his duffel bag. It gleams in the morning light.
'First real step. It's smooth. Feels good. I don't know what makes a ball 'official,' but this one's mine. I never had my own ball in my last life.' He starts dribbling—low, steady, confident. No wasted motion. Just rhythm and control.
LOCAL GYM – MIDDAY
Hanamichi's doing explosive squats. His form is solid. He moves to the bench press—heavy reps, no problem. Pull-ups? Easy. 'I've got power. I could probably carry Akagi on my back. But basketball's not just about muscles, right?'
STREET COURT – AFTERNOON
Hanamichi sets up soda bottles as cones. He dribbles the new ball through them. It's clean. He moves fast, feet sharp, body low.
'Anime never showed footwork drills. They just jumped, yelled, and scored. I miss that simplicity.' He tries a spin move. It's rough, but he lands it. He grins, spins the ball on his finger—fails—but laughs.
'This is really fun' He grinned as he jumps for a dunk. Nails it. Lands clean. He breathes hard, sweat dripping, eyes sharp. He spins the new ball once more. Still can't balance it. Shrugs.
Night Time
Flipping through a basketball magazine. He doesn't understand most of it, but he circles words like "pivot," "box out," and "vertical." 'I don't get the lingo. But I get the feeling. I want to be the guy who jumps higher, runs faster, fights harder. Even if I don't know the names for it yet.'
--------next day-----DAY 3
STREET COURT – MORNING
Hanamichi sets up cones as imaginary defenders. He dribbles through them, calling out fake commentary. "Sakuragi drives past Rukawa—no, wait, past imaginary Rukawa. He fakes left, spins right—he's unstoppable!"
He dribbles through cones with ease. He's faster, sharper. He stops, sets his feet, and takes a jump shot. It misses. He resets. Shoots again. Swish. 'Okay. That felt good. I don't know the form. I just copied what I saw in the anime. But it worked.' He shoots again. Rim. Again. Backboard. Again. Swish.
He's practicing shooting from different spots: baseline, elbow, top of the key. His form is rough, but improving fast. He hits three in a row. Then five. Then misses. Then hits again.
In the afternoon, after taking a rest and having lunch at home, he goes back to the court but this time people are playing. So he stood at the side to watch.
'Maybe I can join later, I want to see if my training is working or not.'
A group of older teens are playing. Hanamichi watches from the side, spinning his brand-new ball. One guy calls out: "You wanna run?"
'Oh what a coincidence.' He smile to himself," Sure" he answered as he walks to them.
3RD POV
Game Starts
Hanamichi sets a screen for his teammate. The defender tries to fight through—Hanamichi barely notices. The guy bounces off him like a rubber ball. His teammate tried shooting, but it only hits the rim. Hanamichi tracks it mid-air. He jumps—higher than anyone else. Grabs the ball with both hands. Lands like a tank.
One player mutters, "Damn." Another just stares.
He run around the elbow, with no hesitation , he jumps and took the shot. He wants to check if he has the same accuracy while training versus in-game. He hopes it's accurate enough. And he was not dissappointed, the ball arcs cleanly... and drops in.
"Yeah" He celebrate with his teammates. "Nice shot, dude." said the taller guy, while the others tap him in the back.
"Thanks!" feeling satisfied with himself, 'This is my first shot or point in this life.'
And so the game continues.
Fast break.
Hanamichi sprints ahead. His teammate lobs the ball. Hanamichi catches it mid-stride, takes two steps, and launches.
He slams the ball through the rim. The backboard shudders. The sound echoes across the court.
Everyone freezes. One guy drops his water bottle.
Final Play
Hanamichi switches on defense, blocks a shot, grabs the rebound, and outlets it with a crisp pass. His teammate scores. Game over. His team wins. The scoreboard is chalk on pavement. Hanamichi wipes sweat from his brow, breathing hard but steady.
A teammate claps him on the back. "You're a beast, man."
Even the opponents, were impressed, "Dude, let's play again next time, but you have to be in our team. Give us a chance, alright?"
"I'm Takeshi" the tall guy introduced while offering a handshake.
"Hanamichi" he coolly answered (he thinks it's cool)
And so he made new acquaintances to practice before high school starts. 'I'll try to get Yohei and the others to do basketball. Even if they don't want to do it like me, they can at least use it for maintaining fitness, especially Nozomi. That guy seriously need to lose some weight. I'm worried about his health.'
Later that day he goes home, just in time to hear the phone ringing. He reached out to pick it up. "Hello?"
"Hanamichi, it's me" Uncle's voice is on the line.
"Uncle, Hi, what's up?" he asnwered enthusiastically.
"Listen, I processed the legal guardianship. And starting today, I am your legal guardian. Your aunt and I were thinking maybe we can celebrate together." He fired straight away.
"That's great!" I exclaimed "Yes I would love to celebrate. I missed aunts cooking. I'll be there."
"I'll pick you up in an hour. I got to go now." And he just hanged up.
"This man" I let out a smile as I shake my head. 'Guess I'll go freshen up.' Just thinking about the dishes Auntie cooked last time is already making me drool.
Soon, an hour passed quietly, a car stopped in front of my house. I know it's uncle's car. So I didn't make him wait and locked the house. "Hey uncle, how's your day?"
"Almighty-mazing, come on in. Your aunt is waiting at home." He said, smiling widely. So we spend the drive talking about things on our end. It was a pleasant drive. It didn't take long until I have to get out the car to open the gate of their house.
"Hanamichi!!" Aunt Yaeko welcomed me with a tight hug. I smiled feeling her love. I hug her back too. "How are you Auntie?"
"Oh, it's an awesome day for me, dear. Especially when I got the news from your uncle. I was so happy I cooked so much." she beamed.
"Don't worry, I'm starving from my practice. So I will eat all of it."
"Hey! What do you mean you'll eat all of it? Leave some for me. It's my wife who cooked, brat." uncle cut off with a mock anger expression.
"Don't worry honey, I'll cook more if it's not enough. Let's get in and have some early dinner." Which I totally agree with.
We had a wonderful meal. A table full of delicious meal. And a company that let's me feel at home. Even though we only personally meet each other recently. I feel that I can have a family again, with them, even if we are not related by blood.
After the meal, we sat in the living room relaxing. I think it's a good time to talk about my business plan. So opened up. " Uncle, thanks for processing the guardianship as soon as possible."
"That's no big deal, desides, I want to help you with your dreams as soon as possible."
"Yes, so I am thinking of proceeding with some opening investments. I have a total of 80 million yen in the bank. I plan to use 60 percent for investments with both local and foreign, I'll focus on Nikkei 225 for the local, short terms return is humble but good enough for now, long term is very profitable. Microsoft for foreign." I let those details sink in first.
"I will touch a bit of real estate for now, not too much. since I don't have much yet. Maybe I can get 2-3 small apartment site. This will be my passive income. So I don't have to worry about expenses in short term. That is all for the 60 percent part of my money."
"Fufufufuf that is very smart dear."Auntie sounds quite impressed. " My wife is right kid. Where did you get your information?" he asked curiously.
"Well I got it from some reliable sources. And I got a feeling that things would change. I just have to follow my gut."
He look at me seriously and asked " Are you sure about this? You know this is a big risk. 60 percent of your money is gone just like that if ever."
"Yes uncle. I am sure of this. And the fact is, I am not going to use the whole 60 for investment in trade and stocks. With my money, that will be 48 million yen, 20 million for Microsoft, another 20 for Nikkei, the remaining 8 will be for 3-4 1LDK which are affordable, rentable, low maintenance. a stable income which I can also use to invest more to better the units or get more instead."
"That is brilliant. With how cheap properties are after the bubble burst. Even tho it's a failing endevour right now I also have the feeling that it's going to come up." He supported. I smiled at that, obviously he understood it too as a veteran in this field.
"Then you better help him get the best deals out of it since it can provide a stable source of income for our Hanamichi." Auntie quipped.
Grateful that they look like their with me on this, I continue " Fifteen percent or around 12 million yen to Bonds (government or corporate), they provide stability, predictable returns as I can assure there would be returns. Ten percent would be withdrawn as ready cash, Another 10 percent for potential high returns, speculative startup funds. And last but not the least, 5 percent for myself." I smiled brightly when I said the last part. 'Hehe I need if for bettering myself, books, training gear, anything to "LEVEL UP".
"FUFUFUFu that's right, never forget that you are doing all this to better yourself." Auntie seems happy with that, and I can't agree more. At the end of the day, I am not doing this for anyone else but myself. Well, at least now I don't want to dissappoint this couple in front of me.
"Alright, give me the authorization, I'll have someone from the legal team, deal with the paperworks. Also, you will be, in name will be the co-CEO in my company. it will be important to have the company be your stage to perform in this industry."
" Thanks uncle, auntie." I gave them my sincere thanks. And after more than an hour of talking, together with processesing my authorization, I am now in the car's backseat as the couple want to bring me home. When I got off the car auntie went off too and hug me again with the turning into familiar hug. "You are always welcome home whenever you feel like you want to stay with people who care for you."
I held back tears, as I felt warmth from the bottom of my heart. I nodded at them and waited for them to leave before getting in.
This is another happy day for me. And tomorrow, I'll bring those idiots to play basketball. They won't escape me. BUWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.. cough cough cough...fucking hell, I can't do the evil laugh... cough cough...
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That's it for this chapter.. I'll continue the taining montage in the next chapter...