Chapter One: Do You Like Basketball?
THUD.
At a college basketball team's tryout scrimmage, a figure collapsed without warning.
"Hey! Are you okay?!"
"What happened?!"
"Cough—cough—"
The young man curled up on the hardwood floor, gasping for air. A tearing pain radiated from his chest as his vision blurred and the frantic voices around him faded into the distance.
"Does he have a pre-existing condition?"
"I—I didn't know anything about this!"
"Get the medical staff! Hurry!"
In the final moment before his consciousness slipped away completely, the young man heard a distant voice pierce through the darkness, echoing in his ears:
"Do you like basketball?"
---
When Yagami Sorato opened his eyes again, the scene before him felt surreal—almost absurd.
Players in white Kaijo High School uniforms stood on the same court as players wearing deep blue Ryonan High School jerseys.
How could that be possible?!
Unless he'd transmigrated...
Wait. If he'd actually transmigrated, then anything was possible.
The thought was hasty, but Yagami Sorato quickly accepted the reality before him.
He didn't need to understand everything right now. All that mattered was the most important fact—he could play basketball again!
"So that's the kid from Tokyo, one of the so-called Generation of Miracles?" Ryonan's Coach Taoka Moichi said to the Kaijo coach with a knowing smile. "Looks like Kaijo has big ambitions this year."
"Hmm." Coach Takeuchi Genta neither confirmed nor denied it. "Originally, I planned to keep him hidden until the prefectural preliminaries, but he insisted on testing himself against Kanagawa's best players."
"After thinking it over, only Maki and Sendoh in the prefecture could give him a proper challenge, so I had to trouble you today."
A vein throbbed on Coach Taoka's temple. Young coaches like this had no manners—such arrogant talk!
"Ha ha, well, we'd also like to use this opportunity to adjust our newcomers' conditioning. Let's hope for an exciting game."
"The practice match between Ryonan High School and Kaijo High School will now begin!"
"Both teams, line up!"
"Please take care of us!" the players from both sides said in unison.
Ryonan's starting lineup: Point guard Yagami Sorato, shooting guard Koshino Hiroaki, small forward Sendoh Akira, power forward Ikegami Ryoji, center Uozumi Jun.
Kaijo's starting lineup: Point guard Kasamatsu Yukio, shooting guard Nakamura Shinya, small forward Kise Ryota, power forward Hayakawa Mitsuhiro, center Kobori Koji.
TWEET!
The whistle blew and the game began.
The referee tossed the ball into the air. Uozumi Jun, with his two-meter height advantage, tipped the ball toward Yagami Sorato's position. Ryonan's ball.
Kaijo's players quickly fell back on defense.
The instant Yagami Sorato caught the ball, an overwhelmingly familiar sensation washed over him.
The rough texture of the ball's surface, its perfect weight, the warmth where his palm pressed against it... This was what he'd yearned for countless times from his hospital bed in his previous life. No amount of reading basketball manga, watching basketball games, or playing basketball video games could replicate this feeling of reality.
Could he really run freely on the court now?
Yagami Sorato was a young man who'd been called a basketball prodigy—if only he hadn't gotten sick...
"Don't be nervous. Just pass me the ball."
Seeing Yagami Sorato standing still, Sendoh Akira assumed the first-year was overwhelmed by the atmosphere of his first real game. He called out calmly, his tone steady and reassuring.
Yagami Sorato shook his head slightly and began dribbling forward slowly.
Each time his fingertips made contact with the ball's surface, a strange resonance rippled through him.
This feeling... it was so familiar it made his heart ache.
The ball felt incredible in his hands.
"What's he doing?"
The offensive team had thirty seconds per possession. If they didn't complete an attempt within the time limit, they'd commit a shot clock violation and lose possession.
Yagami Sorato had already dribbled near half court for over ten seconds with no sign of attacking.
"Probably trying to calm his nerves. Look, his dribbling is getting faster—seems like he's not relaxing much..."
"Shinya!" Kasamatsu Yukio called out.
With only four seconds left on the shot clock, Nakamura Shinya left his defensive assignment and charged aggressively toward Yagami Sorato.
"Oh?"
Yagami Sorato pushed the ball forward and to his left, dropping his center of gravity instantly.
"So fast!"
Gasps erupted from the sidelines.
In one explosive movement, Yagami Sorato blew past Nakamura Shinya!
"Watch out!"
His teammate's warning reached Yagami Sorato's ears just as he saw Kasamatsu Yukio blocking his path. Behind him, Nakamura Shinya had recovered and turned around.
A double team!
Three seconds left!
Even if Yagami Sorato could maintain possession, without getting a shot off, it would still be a successful defensive stop for Kaijo.
"Trouble! He's locked down!"
Ryonan's opening possession had fallen into a crisis.
"Sorato, over here!" Sendoh Akira created separation from his defender and shouted.
It would be a bailout pass—taking the blame for a failed possession—but Sendoh willingly took on that responsibility.
Yagami Sorato kept dribbling, his right hand moving as if to push the ball toward Sendoh.
"Too obvious!"
At that moment, Kise Ryota immediately closed in on Sendoh, eliminating any passing lane.
BANG!
Instead of passing, the ball slammed off the floor.
With a behind-the-back dribble, Yagami Sorato split the double team and burst through.
One second remaining!
Gather, jump, shoot!
SWISH!
The basketball traced a perfect arc through the air.
Nothing but net!
Ryonan 3 - 0 Kaijo
"Ah, pretty lucky," Yagami Sorato muttered to himself with a brilliant smile.
"That guy!" Kasamatsu Yukio gritted his teeth. "How did he even get that shot off?"
"When did Ryonan get such a talented newcomer? He's incredible!" Murmurs rippled through the watching players on the sidelines, their voices tinged with confusion.
"He's so cool!"
The girls who'd come to cheer for Kise Ryota and Sendoh Akira suddenly found their attention drawn to the boy who'd just burst onto their radar.
Sharp black hair with bangs that swayed with his movements, and when he turned around after scoring, his smile outshone the gymnasium lights—bright and full of youthful energy.
"Oh my god... his smile is so radiant!"
"Huh? Someone can actually compete with me in the looks department?" Kise Ryota brushed his bangs back, immediately triggering another wave of cheers from the sidelines.
"Kyaa! Kise-kun!"
"How long are you going to showboat?!" Kasamatsu kicked Kise's shin. "I'm kicking you!"
"You already did..."
"Kise, since they gave us such a generous gift, it would be rude not to return the favor." Kasamatsu's expression darkened.
"Yeah, I agree," Kise nodded.
Kaijo inbounded from the baseline.
Kise Ryota advanced with the ball. Unlike Yagami Sorato's leisurely pace, Kise had a clear objective and accelerated steadily, crossing half court in less than three seconds.
Koshino Hiroaki rushed up, trying to pressure Kise and slow him down, but a single burst of speed left him in the dust.
Kise drove inside the three-point line. Sendoh Akira rotated over to meet him head-on.
BANG!
Instead of penetrating to the free-throw line, Kise pulled the ball back behind his body—a behind-the-back dribble combined with a step-back to create separation.
Sendoh reacted quickly and lunged forward.
But Kise had already released his shot.
SWISH!
Another perfect swish.
Ryonan 3 - 2 Kaijo
"What?!"
"That's the Generation of Miracles? No way..."
"He didn't just score—he used almost the exact same moves as Sorato!"
"No, wait—it was even smoother!"
"Is this guy a monster?"
Kise Ryota soaked in the murmurs around him, casually glancing over to see the shocked expression on that other player's face.
"Whoa, so that's what it looks like in person!"
Yagami Sorato's voice rang out with genuine admiration that everyone nearby could hear his excitement.
"???" Kise Ryota looked at him with slight confusion.
"It's nothing." Yagami Sorato reined in his emotions. "Just thought of something that made me happy."
"Being able to play basketball on the court is absolutely amazing!"
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