"Thud!"
During a high school basketball tryout scrimmage, a figure suddenly collapsed without warning.
"Hey! Are you okay?!"
"What's going on?"
"Cough... cough—"
The boy curled up on the floor, gasping desperately. A searing pain tore through his chest as his vision blurred and the frantic voices around him began to fade.
"Is he playing sick?"
"I-I had no idea, I swear."
"Someone get a medic! Now!"
In the final moment before everything went dark, the boy thought he heard a distant voice whisper in his ear—
"Do you like basketball?"
When Yagami Kūto opened his eyes again, the scene before him felt surreal.
Kaijō High players in white jerseys facing off against Ryonan High players in navy blue—how was this even possible?!
Unless he'd been transmigrated...
Wait. If transmigration was real, then anything was possible.
It was a lot to process, but Yagami Kūto accepted his new reality surprisingly fast.
Details could wait. What mattered most was this: he could play basketball again!
"So that's the kid from Tokyo—one of the 'Generation of Miracles,' right?" Ryonan's Coach Taoka said with a knowing smile to his Kaijō counterpart. "Looks like you're aiming high this year."
"Mm." Coach Takeuchi gave a noncommittal grunt. "I was planning to keep him under wraps until the prefectural preliminaries, but the kid was itching to test himself against Kanagawa's best."
"After thinking it through, only Maki and Sendoh in the prefecture can really give him a challenge. So here we are, imposing on your hospitality."
A vein pulsed on Coach Taoka's forehead. Young coaches—no tact whatsoever. That borderline arrogant tone...
"Ha ha, perfect timing actually. We could use the practice to shake out our new players. Should be a good game."
"Alright then! Practice match between Ryonan High and Kaijō High begins now!"
"Players, line up!"
"Let's have a good game!" both teams chorused.
Ryonan's starting five: Point guard Yagami Kūto, shooting guard Koshino Hiroaki, small forward Sendoh Akira, power forward Ikegami Ryoji, center Uozumi Jun.
Kaijō's starting five: Point guard Kasamatsu Yukio, shooting guard Nakamura Shinya, small forward Kise Ryōta, power forward Hayakawa Mitsuhiro, center Kobori Kōji.
"Tweet!"
The whistle blew and the game began.
The ref tossed up the jump ball. Uozumi used his two-meter frame to tip it toward Yagami Kūto. Ryonan's possession.
Kaijō scrambled back on defense.
The moment Yagami Kūto's hands touched the ball, a wave of familiarity washed over him.
The pebbly texture of the leather. Its perfect weight. The warmth spreading from his palm...
This was what he'd craved from that hospital bed in his past life—something no manga, no game broadcast, no video game could ever replicate.
Could he really run free on the court now?
Yagami Kūto had been called a basketball prodigy once. If only he hadn't gotten sick...
"Hey, relax. Just pass it to me."
Seeing Yagami Kūto freeze up, Sendoh figured the freshman was overwhelmed by game-day jitters. His voice was steady and reassuring as he called for the ball.
Yagami Kūto gave a slight shake of his head and began dribbling upcourt, slowly at first.
Every bounce sent a strange resonance through his fingertips.
This feeling... it was almost painful how familiar it was.
The touch felt perfect.
"What's he doing?"
The shot clock runs for 24 seconds. If the offense doesn't get a shot up in time, they lose possession.
Yagami Kūto had been dribbling near halfcourt for over ten seconds now, showing zero intent to attack.
"Probably just settling his nerves. Look, he's speeding up now—seems more comfortable."
"Shinya!" Kasamatsu barked.
With only 4 seconds left on the clock, Nakamura abandoned his man and rushed to trap Yagami Kūto.
"Oh?"
Yagami Kūto pushed the ball out to his left as his center of gravity dropped.
"He's fast!"
Gasps erupted from the sideline.
That instant burst blew past Nakamura in a single step!
"Look out!"
The warning came just as Kasamatsu stepped into his path. Nakamura had already recovered too.
Double team!
3 seconds!
Even if Yagami Kūto kept possession, if he couldn't get a shot off, Kaijō's defense would win.
"We're in trouble—he's trapped!"
Ryonan's opening possession was falling apart.
"Kūto, here!" Sendoh called out, creating separation.
It was a bail-out pass, but Sendoh was willing to take the heat.
Yagami Kūto kept his dribble alive, his right hand faking a pass toward Sendoh.
"Not happening!"
Kise instantly closed out on Sendoh, erasing any passing lane.
"Bang!"
But the ball never left Yagami Kūto's hand—it hammered into the floor instead.
A behind-the-back dribble and he slipped through the double team.
1 second!
Gather, jump, shoot!
"Swish!"
The ball traced a perfect arc through the air.
Nothing but net!
[Ryonan 3 - 0 Kaijō]
"Heh, got lucky," Yagami Kūto muttered under his breath, flashing a brilliant grin.
"This kid!" Kasamatsu growled through gritted teeth. "How did he even get that off?"
"Since when does Ryonan have a rookie this good? He's crazy strong!" Murmurs rippled through the spectators, voices tinged with confusion.
"He's so cool!"
The girls who'd come to cheer for Kise and Sendoh suddenly found their eyes drawn to this new player.
Sharp black hair with bangs that swayed with his movements. When he turned after scoring, his smile outshone the gym lights—bright, refreshing, radiating youthful energy.
"Oh my god... that smile is like pure sunshine."
"Huh? Someone's actually better looking than me?"
Kise swept his bangs back dramatically, triggering another wave of squeals.
"Kyaaa! Kise-kun!"
"How long are you gonna pose for?!" Kasamatsu aimed a flying kick at Kise. "I'll kick you, I swear!"
"You already did..."
"Kise, since they gave us such a nice gift, it'd be rude not to return the favor." Kasamatsu's expression darkened.
"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing." Kise nodded.
Kaijō inbounded from the baseline.
Kise pushed the ball upcourt. Unlike Yagami Kūto's leisurely approach, Kise moved with purpose, his speed building until he crossed halfcourt in under three seconds.
Koshino stepped up to pressure him and slow him down, but Kise accelerated right past him.
Kise drove inside the three-point line. Sendoh rotated over to meet him head-on.
"Bang!"
Instead of attacking the rim, Kise pulled the ball back behind him—a behind-the-back dribble combined with a step-back to create space.
Sendoh reacted instantly, lunging forward.
But Kise had already released his shot.
"Swish!"
Another perfect swish.
[Ryonan 3 - 2 Kaijō]
"What?!"
"Is that the Generation of Miracles? For real?"
"It's not just the bucket—he used almost the exact same moves as Kūto!"
"No wait, his were even smoother!"
"Is this guy some kind of monster?"
Kise soaked up the reactions, casually glancing over to see the shock on that other kid's face.
"Whoa, seeing it in person hits different!"
Yagami Kūto's voice rang out with pure excitement that everyone nearby could hear.
"???" Kise looked at him, puzzled.
"It's nothing." Yagami Kūto composed himself. "Just thought of something that made me happy."
"Being able to play basketball again—it's absolutely amazing!"