A new day began. Yawning, Haizaki Shogo walked into the classroom and plopped into his seat.
He accepted the homework notebook and notes passed from the student in front and began copying diligently.
Soon, having quickly finished, he returned the homework notebook but then accepted a gray notebook from Shimizu Rena.
Looking at the gray notebook, Shogo felt a surge of anticipation.
Opening it, every page contained detailed descriptions of a person, two ability charts, two data tables, and a final comprehensive rating.
The two ability charts showed physical stats and basketball skills, clearly and in great detail.
The two data tables provided further explanation and reference for the charts—a very meaningful resource.
Finally, the comprehensive rating summarized everything based on the charts and tables.
Although the exact numbers weren't fully listed, the overall trends were completely clear.
Shogo returned the gray notebook and patted Rena's shoulder. Her delicate face turned toward him, and for a brief moment he was stunned—then joyfully said:
"Good job, Shimizu-chan! Amazing work!"
"Thanks, Shogo-kun! Should I modify any of my data?"
"I think it's fine for now. If you need to change anything later, you can adjust based on the problems you encounter during practice."
"Got it! I understand!"
Watching Rena walk away, admiring her perfect posture and rose-red hair, Shogo felt a sudden certainty that transferring to Fukuda Sogo Academy was the right decision.
With Fukuda Sogo's game schedule finished early, Shogo felt much lighter, without the urgency of preparing for a match. Somehow, that made him feel like his improvement was faster.
Was it an illusion? Or was it the legendary "Daoist way"—progress naturally, without force?
Shogo didn't know, but he simply focused on honing himself from the basics, steadily improving his physical abilities.
He refined fundamental basketball movements—many advanced techniques evolved from these basics. The clearest example was Kuroko's three-point shot.
Shoot enough, and at the moment the ball leaves your hands, you just know whether it will go in.
It was a skill approaching the level of art, and Shogo firmly believed in it. So he continued polishing his basketball techniques relentlessly.
Days became calm and structured again.
After basketball club practice, it was off to the fencing hall or the sanda gym. Life was simple, steady, and real.
At the sanda gym, on the ring.
Dim lights surrounded the bright ring.
This was a place Shogo rarely mentioned. For a long time, he had been the "little brother" here—getting beaten up every session.
Only recently had he grown strong enough to spar back.
"One left hook, one right hook, one person who pisses me off… is in danger…"
With fast-paced music playing, Shogo blocked a flying knee from his coach and dodged a very dangerous move.
Before the coach could even recover, Shogo countered with a straight kick, sending him backward.
"Shogo-kun, not bad. After over a year of getting beaten, you finally know how to fight back."
"Hehe, still a long way to go, coach."
"You're humble, but nowadays few people in the club can spar with you."
"Those scrubs? Afraid of getting beaten back by me!"
"Ha ha ha!! Every young fighter goes through that stage. You can treat the new students the same way!"
"Not in the mood!"
Shogo stopped sparring with his sanda coach, removed his gloves, and both headed off the ring for a big gulp of water.
"Coach, can I ask you something?"
"Spit it out, don't waste time!"
"Is there anyone in the club who can handle weapons? I want to learn—real swords, real spears."
"What? Say that again."
"I want to learn weapon handling—real swords, real spears."
"Shogo-kun, why would you want to learn that?"
"For self-defense, coach."
"Self-defense? You're already so strong in sanda. Need weapons too?"
"No, coach. I'm going to participate in a wilderness extreme survival challenge this summer. I've already signed up. I want to learn some weapon skills first—to sharpen my tools before the challenge."
"Wilderness extreme survival? Are you crazy? Do you know how dangerous that is? Your family doesn't need the prize money anyway."
Shogo took a big gulp of water and said to his sanda coach, Yamamoto Taicho:
"Coach, it's not about the prize. I want to see my limits, and maybe discover something about myself."
"Something? What exactly?"
"Like… grit, determination…"
Coach Yamamoto looked at Shogo. A year ago, when this middle schooler first came to the gym, he had thought it was just curiosity, a hobby, or showing off.
But after some time, it became clear that Shogo was serious—and his growth was astonishing. That's why Yamamoto instructed the club to keep training him hard.
Now, the young man in front of him again impressed him. Fighting ordinary fists and kicks was no longer enough.
Yamamoto thought for a moment, then said to the eager Shogo:
"I know a master, skilled not just with knives, but also with ancient spears. If you're interested, come here after school tomorrow."
"Got it! I'll be there—don't miss it!"
Satisfied, Shogo happily went to shower and change.
For the wilderness extreme survival challenge he had already signed up for, he was already preparing.
The challenge had been discovered accidentally a few days ago while drinking coffee with Shimizu-chan and Miyazaki-senpai.
When they left, Shogo took the poster—a detailed description of the challenge, with a 200,000 reward, and a 5,000 registration fee.
Of course, Shogo wasn't after the money; he craved the extreme challenge itself.
He also wanted to test a small idea in his mind. For that, the wilderness extreme survival challenge was perfect.
So he signed up, which led to today's events.
In Shogo's mind, given his learning ability and the unique [Pillage] skill, he would learn quickly.
Having fully adapted to this world, it was time to explore it.
That was all Shogo thought about—simple and straightforward.