THUD!
On the basketball court during a college team's trial practice match, a figure collapsed without warning.
"You—what happened?!"
"What's going on?!"
"Cough, cough—"
The boy curled up on the floor, gasping for breath, his chest torn with searing pain. His vision began to blur, the chaotic sounds around him fading into the distance.
"Does he have a chronic condition?"
"S-sorry, I didn't know..."
"Medical personnel! Hurry!"
In the final moment before consciousness slipped away entirely, the boy seemed to hear a distant voice pierce through the darkness—
"Do you love basketball?"
When Yagami Kūto opened his eyes again, the sight before him filled him with an absurdly surreal feeling.
Kaijō players in white uniforms and Ryonan players in deep blue uniforms—how could they possibly be in the same place?!
Even accounting for transmigration...
Wait, if I've transmigrated, then nothing is impossible.
Though a bit reckless in his logic, Yagami Kūto quickly accepted the reality.
He didn't need to understand everything at once. All he knew was the most important thing—he could keep playing basketball!
"Is that the so-called 'Generation of Miracles' from Tokyo?" Coach Taoka Moichi from Ryonan smiled toward the Kaijō coach. "Looks like Kaijō's ambitions are pretty high this year."
with a knowing expression "Mm, well," Takeuchi Genta remained noncommittal, "I originally planned to save him for the prefectural preliminaries, but this guy really wanted to test himself against Kanagawa's elites."
"Thinking it over, only Maki Shinichi and Sendoh can really be his match in the prefecture, so we had no choice but to bother you today," he continued with a casual smile, his tone carrying unmistakable confidence.
The veins on Coach Taoka's forehead pulsed slightly. Young coaches really do lack manners—that tone was incredibly arrogant.
forcing an amicable expression "Haha, as it happens, we wanted to use this chance to adjust our newcomers' condition. Hopefully we'll have an exciting match."
"Alright then! The practice match between Ryonan High School and Kaijō High School officially begins!"
"Both teams, line up!"
"We look forward to playing with you!" both teams called out in unison.
Ryonan's starting lineup: Point Guard Yagami Kūto, Shooting Guard Koshino Hiroaki, Small Forward Sendoh Akira, Power Forward Ikegami Ryoji, Center Uozumi Jun.
Kaijō's starting lineup: Point Guard Kasamatsu Yukio, Shooting Guard Nakamura Shinya, Small Forward Kise Ryota, Power Forward Hayakawa Atsuhiro, Center Kobori Hiroshi.
WHISTLE!
As the referee's whistle sounded, the match began.
The referee tossed the ball skyward. With his 2-meter height advantage, Uozumi Jun tapped the ball in Yagami Kūto's direction. It was Ryonan's possession.
Kaijō's players quickly retreated on defense.
The instant Yagami Kūto touched the ball, an overwhelmingly familiar sensation washed over him.
The rough grain texture of the basketball's surface, its perfectly balanced weight, the warmth where his palm pressed against it...
This was the longing he'd harbored countless times on his sickbed in his past life—something no basketball manga could convey, no match he could watch, no game he could play could ever replicate. This was real.
Could he finally run freely across the court?
Yagami Kūto was a boy who had been called a basketball genius. If only he hadn't gotten sick...
looking over with concern "Don't be nervous. Pass it to me," Sendoh Akira said, noticing Yagami Kūto standing frozen, assuming this first-year had been intimidated by the match atmosphere. His tone was calm and reassuring.
shaking his head lightly, Yagami Kūto began to slowly dribble forward.
Each contact of his fingertips with the ball's surface resonated with something inexplicable.
This feeling... was so familiar it made his heart ache.
His touch was excellent.
"What's he doing?"
Each offensive possession in basketball allows 30 seconds. If the offense doesn't complete their attack within that limit, a 30-second violation occurs and possession switches.
Yagami Kūto had been dribbling near the midcourt for over ten seconds now, showing no sign of attacking.
"Probably just working through his nerves. Look—his dribbling speed is getting faster. He seems to be loosening up a bit," someone observed.
"Shinya!" Kasamatsu Yukio called out.
With just 4 seconds left on the shot clock, Nakamura Shinya abandoned his defensive position and rushed aggressively at Yagami Kūto for a steal.
raising an eyebrow, Yagami Kūto flicked the ball forward and to his left, dropping his center of gravity sharply.
"So fast!"
A gasp escaped the sidelines.
in one explosive step, Yagami Kūto burst past Nakamura Shinya!
"Watch out!"
The warning reached Yagami Kūto's ears just as Kasamatsu Yukio positioned himself directly in his path, while Nakamura Shinya had already turned around to converge.
A double team!
3 seconds remaining!
Even if Yagami Kūto could retain possession, without a shot attempt, it would still be a successful defensive stop for Kaijō.
"This is bad—I'm trapped!"
Ryonan's first offensive possession was already deadlocked.
cutting to open space, calling out loudly "Space, over here!" Sendoh Akira shouted, positioning himself as an outlet.
It was a tough pass to make, but Sendoh was willing to take the responsibility.
Yagami Kūto's dribble didn't stop. His right hand made a motion to push the ball toward Sendoh.
"How naive!"
Just then, moving with explosive speed, Kise Ryota rapidly closed on Sendoh, denying him any passing lane.
SMACK!
The basketball didn't get passed through—it bounced off the floor instead.
with a sudden transition, Yagami Kūto weaved through both defenders with a behind-the-back dribble.
1 second left!
Gather, jump, shoot!
SWISH!
The basketball traced a perfect arc through the air.
Nothing but net!
[Ryonan 3 VS 0 Kaijō]
with a radiant smile, murmuring to himself "Wow, that was lucky," Yagami Kūto said, his grin dazzling.
gritting his teeth, "What was that move just now?" Kasamatsu Yukio demanded.
whispers rippled through the sidelines "When did Ryonan recruit such a talented newcomer? He's incredible!" the observers muttered, their voices tinged with confusion.
"He's so cool!"
The girls cheering for Kise Ryota and Sendoh Akira on the sidelines suddenly found their gazes drawn to the new figure who'd captured their attention.
His jet-black hair was sharp and refined, the bangs framing his forehead swaying gently with each movement. When he turned after scoring, the smile curving his lips shone brighter than the court lights—youthful, radiant, and alive with energy.
"Oh my... does his smile have to be that sunshine-bright?" some girls whispered to each other.
casually flipping his hair back with a smirk "Wait, there's someone who outshines me in handsomeness?" Kise Ryota said, even as his gesture sparked another chorus of cheers from the sidelines.
"Kyaaaa, Kise!"
with an exaggerated kicking motion "How much longer are you planning to show off?! I'll kick you!" Kasamatsu Yukio threatened, though he already had.
"You already did..." Kise replied with a wry smile.
darkening his expression "Kise, since they've already given us such a nice gift, it'd be rude not to return the favor," Kasamatsu said pointedly.
nodding in agreement "Yeah, I think so too," Kise responded.
Kaijō inbounded from their baseline.
Kise Ryota pushed the ball up court. Unlike Yagami Kūto's leisurely pace, Kise moved with clear purpose, his speed accelerating with each step. He crossed midcourt in under three seconds.
Koshino Hiroaki immediately rushed forward to stay tight on Kise and slow his momentum, but Kise simply accelerated and breezed past him.
Kise burst inside the three-point line where Sendoh Akira rose to meet him head-on, his defensive positioning perfect.
BOOM!
Rather than driving deeper, Kise pulled the ball back behind his body, executing a behind-the-back dribble while stepping back to create space. Sendoh reacted quickly, extending his arms to contest.
Kise was already in the release.
SWISH!
Another nothing-but-net.
[Ryonan 3 VS 2 Kaijō]
"What?"
"Is this really the Generation of Miracles?"
"It's not just the score—he used almost the exact same move as Kūto!"
"No, it was even smoother than that!"
listening to the murmurs with quiet satisfaction "Ah, so this is what it feels like to witness it firsthand!" Kise mused, eager to see shock on that guy's face.
with genuine wonder in his voice, "Oh wow—amazing!" Yagami Kūto's exclamation of praise rang clear across the court, carrying obvious delight.
looking over with slight confusion "Hm?" Kise Ryota tilted his head.
waving a hand dismissively with a bright smile "It's nothing, nothing. I just thought of something happy," Yagami Kūto said.
"Being able to play basketball on the court like this... it's truly the best!"