Shohoku High School, Basketball Gym.
The gym stood in a quiet corner on the south side of campus.
Inside, the team was already immersed in their training.
As soon as Shouya stepped into the gym, his handsome face and tall figure instantly drew the attention of several female students watching from the stands.
"Wow! Look over there, that guy's so handsome! Is he part of the basketball team too?"
"I've never seen such a good-looking student before."
"Do you think his skills are as good as Rukawa Kaede's?"
—
In just a moment, after seeing Shouya's looks, several girls became instant fans.
Indeed, good looks are justice.
Hearing their chatter, Shouya gave them a polite smile.
"He actually smiled at me!"
"Kyaa!"
The girls squealed, hearts practically floating out of their eyes, hands pressed to their cheeks as if their whole bodies were melting.
Shouya was a little surprised. It seemed in this life, his looks were actually an advantage—something he could put to use.
Shifting his focus, he turned his eyes to the court.
Everyone was absorbed in their training, none of them noticing his arrival.
'…Does this count as completing the mission?'
He did a quick count. Almost the entire basketball team was present.
Right then—
[Ding!]
[Mission complete.]
[Reward: One Beginner's Gift Pack.]
[Open now?]
The system's voice echoed in his head.
Shouya nodded to himself. Just as he expected, newbie tasks were always laughably simple.
Before crossing over, he had played plenty of games. Starter missions were always easy, too easy.
His lips curled into a faint smile.
'A Beginner's Gift Pack, huh? Looks like my road to greatness is about to begin.'
His heart pounded with excitement.
Ever since childhood, he had dreamed of basketball. But in his previous life, his parents had been strict, always repeating the same words: "Study, study. Playing basketball will get you nowhere."
It had left him frustrated, but now—now that he had crossed into the world of Slam Dunk, armed with a cheat-like system, how could he not soar?
'Open it!'
With high anticipation—
[Congratulations, Host.]
[Rewards: Beginner Dribbling Skill, and Midorima Shintarō's Full-Court Shooting Skill.]
Shouya raised his eyebrows.
Beginner dribbling was just the appetizer. The second reward was the real bombshell.
He sucked in a sharp breath.
'Holy crap… that's insane.'
Images from Kuroko's Basketball flashed in his mind—Midorima Shintarō's signature full-court shots, arcing impossibly high, never missing as long as his form wasn't broken. A guaranteed 100% hit rate. The only drawback: the farther the shot, the longer the setup time.
But even with that weakness, the skill was terrifying.
As he processed it, a glowing screen appeared before his eyes, visible only to him.
[Host: Tatsuhiko Shouya]
[Height: 180 cm]
[Weight: 68 kg]
[Stamina: D]
[Speed: D+]
[Strength: C]
[Jumping: B-]
[Skills: Full-Court Unlimited Range Shooting]
[Note: D = Passable (60–69), C = Average (70–79), B = Excellent (80–89), A = Perfect (90–99)]
'…Huh? I'm this weak?'
Staring at the unimpressive stats, especially the stamina, only a measly D—Shouya was dumbfounded.
He had imagined himself as a prodigy, but reality was harsh: aside from a half-decent vertical, he was basically a scrub. It stung his pride.
Still, another window appeared, showing details about his skills.
[Beginner Dribbling: Makes the host's dribbling smoother. Dribbling stamina cost reduced to 70% of normal.]
[Full-Court Unlimited Range Shooting: The host can shoot from anywhere on the court with 100% accuracy. Stamina cost increases with distance.]
Shouya studied the descriptions carefully and nodded.
Not bad. Beginner dribbling might be basic, but smoother control and reduced stamina drain were actually a huge help, especially since stamina was his weakest stat.
As for the full-court shot… though the stamina cost rose with distance, the sheer power of a guaranteed shot from anywhere was ridiculous. In a 40-minute basketball game, how much stamina could it really drain?
Still, he needed to quickly raise his physical attributes. Imagine all stats at A-level… that would be terrifying.
His blood boiled at the thought, excitement surging through his veins.
"Tatsuhiko-kun, what brings you to the gym? shouldn't you be resting?"
A cheerful voice interrupted his daydream. Ayako, with her slightly tanned skin and wavy hair, had spotted him sitting by the court and walked over.
'Oh? Ayako?'
Shouya blinked in mild surprise at the familiar face.
"Ah, Ayako-senpai. The school doctor said I'm fine now," he replied, waving politely.
Ayako gave him a once-over. Aside from being handsome, nothing stood out too much—though at least he seemed approachable.
She grinned, clapping him on the shoulder.
"Good! Since you're here, come meet the rest of the team!"
After all, how could a basketball player not even know his teammates?
Shouya couldn't help but smile bitterly at her straightforwardness.
'Hah… just like in the original.'
Still, he smiled back at her.
"Alright. I've been looking forward to meeting everyone anyway."
•───────•°•❀•°•───────•
[T/N: In the anime Slam Dunk, a basketball game is played in two halves of 20 minutes each, totaling 40 minutes of playing time. This structure is consistent with the rules of Japanese high school basketball, which the series is based on, and differs from the more common 4x10 or 4x12 minute quarters used in many international leagues.]
Also, I just wanted to ask you guys, do you want me to keep using the -san, -kun, and senpai honorifics?