Our training week kicked off in full force.
Each day was a mix of drills, strategy sessions, and basic offense-defense routines. We weren't aiming for complexity—at least, not yet. So of us were total newbies, and cramming too much into our heads would only backfire. Simple and solid—that was our motto.
Of course, that didn't an training was easy. Coach Tsugawa—our so-called "General Ran"—turned out to be a training devil. He may have shown up with a noodle strainer once, but on the court? He cooked us alive. His drills started light, but the intensity escalated until it felt like we were digging through the layers of hell itself.
And surprisingly, one of the MVPs of the week wasn't a player. It was Sayaka.
She turned out to be a basketball nerd in the best way possible. Not only did she understand the flow of the ga, but she also had a knack for explaining it. Whether it was spacing, defensive rotations, or the logic behind certain plays, Sayaka broke it all down with the patience of a seasoned teacher. Even Coach Tsugawa gave her nods of approval.
Thanks to her, I managed to absorb more strategy in a week than I ever had in my past life.
Then there was the system—Echo. Based on its recomndation, I decided to use a Training Booster during one of our sessions.
The result? My Physical attribute jumped from C to C .
I could feel it imdiately—my movents were sharper, my stamina recovery better. It was like my body had been unlocked just a bit more. Naturally, I wanted to pop another booster right away, but Echo warned :
[ Caution: Overusing boosters in short intervals reduces their effectiveness. Current spike due to accumulated training. ]
I clicked my tongue. Fair enough. Still, the difference was insane. If this was just a C , I couldn't even imagine what A or S-tier Physical felt like.
Two days before our match, Coach Tsugawa gathered us in the gym.
"In two days, we're heading to Toyonaka High School," he announced. "Tomorrow is a rest day—don't slack off, just recover. Now, good news—our uniforms are done. And this is the roster for the ga."
He grabbed a Chalk and wrote on the board:
Starting Five
PG: Dirgantara Renji
SG: Rei Hoshino
SF: Aizawa Haruto
PF: Taiga Okabe
C: Rikuya Asano
Bench
Hiroki Andou
Kaito Nishida
All of us nodded in agreent. It was the best lineup we had for now. Kaito still struggled with his heart condition, and Hiroki's confidence wasn't quite ga-ready. Coach made it clear, though:
"For the bench, be ready—you'll be playing too."
Just then, the gym doors slid open. Sayaka and Takeshi walked in carrying boxes.
"Excuse us," Sayaka said with a grin. "Uniform delivery."
One by one, she handed them out.
I got number 8—my old number from my past life. I always loved it. A never-ending loop. A symbol of infinity. Fitting.
Rei took 3. Aizawa picked 21. Taiga, naturally, took 23—Jordan's number. Rikuya wore 4, an on number in Japan. Hiroki ended up with 33, and Kaito, our captain, got 10. It suited him perfectly.
The uniforms themselves? Sleek. Black and crimson with a swirling void design. Sayaka explained it was inspired by our school na—Horizon. Like the event horizon of a black hole. The ssage was clear:
Get too close, and we'll pull you in.
"Alright, go get changed," Takeshi-sensei said.
"Ehh? We're not playing today though," Rei muttered.
Still, we obeyed.
A few minutes later, we erged one by one in full gear. Coach Tsugawa, Sayaka, and even Takeshi were all wearing matching team shirts.
That's when I noticed sothing else—Takeshi was setting up a cara.
A proper camcorder. 2009's best.
But to ? It looked ancient. Bulky. Heavy. Analog.
That's what happens when you've lived in the future. From my perspective, it was a fossil. But for this tiline? It was top-tier tech.
"Is that thing even working?" I whispered.
"Of course," Takeshi said proudly. "This baby's state-of-the-art. I'm docunting everything—photos, videos, even ga footage. I taught Sayaka how to use it too, just in case I can't co along."
Sayaka gave a thumbs up, holding the cara like a pro.
"Alright, gather up!" Takeshi shouted. "Ti for a team photo."
We shuffled into formation.
"First one's formal—vintage style. Just like the old sports teams."
Taiga and Aizawa imdiately started bickering over who stood where.
"Move left."
"No, you move left. You're too wide."
"Shut up!"
Rikuya stepped between them silently and fixed the arrangent with one hand. Crisis averted.
"Okay! Everyone ready? Three, two, one—say cheese!"
"Cheeeese!"
Click.
"Alright, now one with free poses!" Takeshi called out.
We exploded into chaos—peace signs, goofy gestures, exaggerated flexes. Even I got caught up in the excitent. I wasn't about to be outdone by these high schoolers, even if I was technically older than everyone here in my soul.
"We win!!" soone shouted.
"Winnnn!!" we all echoed, arms in the air.
That was the mont. Our first official team photo.
Reviews
All reviews (0)