Kanagawa Prefectural Shohoku High School.
Basketball Club — Locker Room.
[Ding! Basketball Legend Development System initializing...]
[Ding! System successfully bound. Activating system...]
[Ding! Scanning host information...]
—
A series of robotic voices echoed in Tsuda Shoichi's mind.
Character Info: Tsuda Shoichi
Height: 177 cm
Weight: 63 kg
Strength: 61
Speed: 69
Stamina: 59
Jumping Ability: 68
Note: Attribute grading — 60 is average, 70 is excellent, 80 is genius-level, 90 is professional.
A translucent screen appeared in Tsuda Shoichi's consciousness.
"Basketball Legend Development System? What the heck is this?"
"These starting stats… seriously? One's even below average!"
As Tsuda Shoichi slowly opened his eyes, he saw a beautiful girl standing in front of him.
She wore a baseball cap, her eyes bright and lively, a delicate nose, and soft cherry lips.
Her wavy hair was tied in a high ponytail, giving her a playful yet charming vibe.
[Ding! Scanning character information...]
Just as Tsuda Shoichi was observing the girl, another system notification sounded in his head.
Character Info: Ayako
Role: Shohoku Basketball Club Manager
Measurements: XX, XXX, XXX
"Tch! I'm a pure system—there's no entry for bust-waist-hip ratio!"
"Shohoku Basketball Team? So I really did transmigrate into the Slam Dunk universe!"
Upon learning the girl's identity, Tsuda Shoichi was momentarily stunned, but quickly understood what had happened.
Just then, a rush of memories flooded his mind, rapidly merging with his own.
From these memories, Tsuda Shoichi gained a clear understanding of his new identity.
His father, Tsuda Hora, had moved the family to Japan two months ago for business reasons.
For convenience, Tsuda Shoichi had enrolled at the nearby Shohoku High School.
To better fit in, he had joined the basketball club on his first day.
But due to a lack of physical training since childhood, his body was quite weak.
He had collapsed from heatstroke during practice just earlier.
After combing through the inherited memories, Tsuda Shoichi fully accepted his new identity.
Seeing him wake up, Ayako, who had been keeping watch, smiled sweetly.
『Ayako:』 "You're awake! Feeling any better?"
『Tsuda Shoichi:』 "Thanks for checking on me, Senpai. I'm much better now."
He nodded politely in response.
Just then, the locker room door opened and a bespectacled young man walked in, exuding a calm and scholarly aura.
The moment Tsuda Shoichi saw him, he recognized who he was.
Kogure Kiminobu — known as "Glasses-kun," Shohoku's top benchwarmer.
Character Info: Kogure Kiminobu
Height: 178 cm
Weight: 62 kg
Strength: 62
Speed: 66
Stamina: 67
Jumping Ability: 63
After reviewing Kogure's attributes, Tsuda Shoichi understood why he was always on the bench.
Three years of playing and still none of his stats reached the "excellent" threshold… too average.
『Kogure:』 "Ayako, Akagi asked me to check if Tsuda Shoichi is feeling any better."
Before Ayako could reply, Tsuda Shoichi gave a small smile and answered himself:
『Tsuda Shoichi:』 "Thanks for worrying, Senpai. I'm doing fine now."
『Kogure:』 "That's good to hear!"
Kogure nodded with a warm smile.
『Kogure:』 "I used to be like you, pretty weak physically. I joined the basketball club back then just to build myself up."
As Kogure spoke, Tsuda Shoichi's mind conjured up the flashbacks from the Slam Dunk anime — Kogure's motivations for joining the team.
While he was reminiscing, the system buzzed again in his head.
[Ding! System activation complete. Growth mission unlocked.]
[Ding! Main Quest: "Ball Handling" - Phase 1: Within 10 minutes, perform 100 successful dribbles. Unlock the 'Rookie on the Road' achievement and receive 1 Random Draw Card.]
"Ten minutes? That's tight. Gotta get to the court, fast!"
Not daring to delay, Tsuda Shoichi immediately got up and walked briskly toward the exit.
『Tsuda Shoichi:』 "Senpai, Senpai! I'm really fine. Let's head back to the court together, no need to keep everyone waiting!"
His sudden action startled both Ayako and Kogure, who quickly followed with concern written on their faces.
Coming up beside him, Ayako's eyes were filled with gentle worry.
『Ayako:』 "Tsuda Shoichi, training isn't something you have to rush. It's okay to wait until you've fully recovered."
Kogure nodded and chimed in.
『Kogure:』 "Ayako's right. Don't push yourself too hard."
『Tsuda Shoichi:』 "Don't worry, Senpai. I'm really okay!"
Tsuda Shoichi grinned and strode forward confidently.
He wasn't just rushing because of the system mission, he actually felt fully recovered.
And besides, the Shohoku gymnasium, so iconic in Slam Dunk, was something he'd dreamed of seeing with his own eyes.
He could hardly wait.