Shohoku Basketball Club, Locker Room
Ring... Ring... Ring... Ring...
Kazuto's cell phone rang in his gym bag just as he was changing out of his sweaty practice clothes.
He pulled it out and saw his adoptive father's caller ID.
"Kazuto, have you had dinner yet?" Kazama's voice came through the receiver, sounding tired but professional.
"Not yet," Kazuto replied, pulling his shirt over his head. "Team practice just ended. I'm about to head home."
"Playing basketball is good for exercise, but don't push yourself too hard," Kazama said, showing a rare moment of parental concern. However, he quickly got straight back to the point.
"Your mother and I are returning to Japan for about ten days to handle some business. Take good care of yourself while we're gone."
"I see."
"I'll transfer some money to your account later. Keep an eye out for it. They're calling for boarding now, so I won't keep you. Just remember to take care of yourself."
Click.
After hearing the dial tone, Kazuto let out a heavy sigh, feeling a wave of familiar frustration.
He didn't know what to say.
'These parents of mine are always so busy with their international syndicate. It's almost impossible to even see them in person.'
"Well, it's not so bad. Being completely alone in a massive mansion has its freedoms," Kazuto consoled himself, pushing the gloomy thought aside and finishing dressing.
After grabbing his bag, Kazuto said goodbye to Kogure and the others still in the locker room and stepped out into the hallway.
As he emerged, he saw Ayako standing near the gym entrance, waving at him with a sweet smile.
Seeing her waiting for him warmed Kazuto's heart, and he hurried over.
"Senpai, besides that sushi place we went to yesterday, are there any other good places to eat around here?" Kazuto cut straight to the chase.
"Or, could you tell me where I can buy groceries nearby? I could just cook for myself if necessary."
Hearing Kazuto's question, Ayako's eyes widened in surprise.
"Your parents aren't home again? You have no one to cook for you?"
"Exactly," Kazuto nodded glumly.
Learning that Kazuto was without a hot meal again, Ayako's maternal instincts kicked in, her expression softening.
She couldn't help but feel sorry for the freshman—his obscenely wealthy parents seemed utterly neglectful of his actual well-being.
Ayako looked at him with genuine concern. "Eating out at restaurants all the time isn't very healthy, and the nutrition isn't balanced for an athlete. If you know how to cook, I could take you to the local market to buy some fresh groceries for you to prepare yourself."
Just as they were talking, Kazuto's phone buzzed with a text message.
It was a banking alert confirming a massive international transfer.
Kazuto casually opened the message.
The transfer amount and his total bank balance were clearly displayed on the bright screen.
Ayako, standing close by, accidentally glanced at the screen.
Her eyes widened to comical proportions, trembling slightly as she counted the zeros.
"Over two million yen?! Is... is that your allowance?!"
"Sort of," Kazuto replied calmly with a nod, putting the phone away.
Hearing his casual confirmation, Ayako swallowed hard, asking weakly, "For... for the whole year, right?"
"For about ten days, I think," Kazuto replied truthfully, not seeing any reason to hide it.
Ayako rolled her eyes, utterly at a loss for words.
'I can't afford to mess with this rich guy!'
"It's getting late. Let's hurry to the market before all the good produce is gone," she said, quickly changing the subject to avoid discussing his absurd wealth, grabbing Kazuto's sleeve and pulling him along.
"We should probably stop at the ATM to withdraw some cash first," Kazuto suggested. "The market stalls might not take cards."
...
Together, they stopped by the bank, where Kazuto withdrew 200,000 yen.
As Kazuto exited the bank, the System chimed with a pleasant notification.
[Ding! Random Mission Triggered: Share a home-cooked meal with Ayako. Reward: +3 Stamina Attribute Points.]
'Even this triggers a mission? The System is truly perceptive,' Kazuto mused, slightly surprised but quickly regaining his composure.
'I keep triggering random attribute missions whenever I interact with Ayako-senpai. Is she like a walking buff-spawner? Am I farming stats off my manager?'
About an hour later, with Ayako's expert haggling help, Kazuto had gathered all the necessary fresh ingredients from the market and carried the heavy bags back up the mountain to his villa.
"You start cooking. I'll organize these pantry staples," Ayako instructed, making herself entirely at home in Kazuto's massive, spotless kitchen.
Kazuto selected a fresh fish, a few ripe tomatoes, two cuts of pork ribs, and some baby cabbages before rolling up his sleeves.
He began washing, chopping, and preparing the rice, working with practiced, rhythmic efficiency.
While Kazuto cooked, Ayako helped him organize his newly bought groceries and even offered to start a load of his sweaty practice laundry.
Working together in comfortable domestic harmony, an hour passed quickly.
During that time, Ayako used the villa's landline to call her own home, letting her family know she wouldn't be back for dinner again.
After an hour of hard work, Kazuto finally finished preparing the meal, setting the steaming plates on the grand mahogany dining table.
As soon as the dishes were set down, the System's notification arrived confirming the quest completion, but Kazuto was far too focused on satisfying his roaring hunger to pay attention to the exact rewards right now.
"I never knew you were such a skilled cook," Ayako said, her eyes wide with pleasant surprise as she gazed at the vibrant, aromatic dishes.
"I might have to come over more often!" Her beautiful eyes sparkled with anticipation as she picked up her chopsticks.
"I didn't have much time, so I could only make these few simple dishes," Kazuto replied with a faint smile, serving her a bowl of fluffy white rice.
"I hope they suit your taste, Senpai."
As they ate, Kazuto and Ayako chatted and laughed, the massive, empty dining hall filled with genuine warmth and sweetness.
Before he knew it, ten days had passed in a blur of routine.
During those ten days, Kazuto's life had been remarkably structured, exhausting, and fulfilling.
He would jog with Ayako in the mornings, then they would walk to school together.
After grueling team practices under Akagi's watchful eye, they would often return to his villa together. Whenever Ayako had free time, she would eagerly come over for dinner, totally addicted to his cooking.
Kogure, Miyagi, and the other sophomores even visited once, hosting a simple team-bonding gathering.
They were all suitably shocked and impressed by the sheer extravagance of Kazuto's estate.
Through these ten days of shared experiences, Kazuto's relationships with the team—especially Ayako—had grown significantly closer.
Of course, during this intense period, he had also triggered numerous minor system quests.
Kazuto roughly calculated that he triggered about two random quests per day just by interacting with the team and participating in drills, earning nearly thirty free Attribute Points in total.
Furthermore, through his diligent, agonizing solo efforts after practice, he had finally completed all the grueling Shooting quests.
Now, all of Kazuto's base attributes had been greatly enhanced.
[Character Information: Kiriyama Kazuto]
Height: 177.6 cm
Weight: 65 kg
Strength: 68
Speed: 77
Stamina: 72
Vertical Jump: 80
Active Buff: Eye of Deception
Passive Buffs: Precognition, Perfect Posture, Fluid Movement
Basketball Skills: C-Turn Dribble, V-Drag Dribble, Jump Shot (Top-Tier), Switch-Hand Layup, One-Handed Dunk.
Main Quest: Complete a spectacular official debut game against Ryonan (Score at least 10 points, secure 1 rebound, 1 steal, and 1 assist).
Quest Completion Rewards: 5 Attribute Points, 1 Lottery Ticket, 1 Pair of System-Generated Custom Basketball Shoes.
...
Present Day.
Inside the Shohoku High School Basketball Gym.
'Except for my physical strength, all my other base attributes have finally reached the 'Excellent' or 'Genius' levels,' Kazuto thought, a highly satisfied smile spreading across his face as he examined his glowing attribute panel.
'These past ten days have been absolute torture, but the rewards have been immense. With my buffs active, my current functional stats are now comparable to those of professional players.'
'The upcoming quest rewards even include physical items now. I wonder what makes these system-generated basketball shoes different from ordinary ones?'
As Kazuto muttered to himself on the sidelines, he mentally clicked on his newly upgraded Jump Shot skill, analyzing its current properties.
[Jump Shot (Top-Tier)] The first jump shot of each half is guaranteed to go in. Base Accuracy: 33% (Guarantees one successful shot every three attempts).
Note: This does not mean only one out of three random shots will go in based on chance. Rather, it means that if you attempt three consecutive shots within a single offensive rhythm, the third one will always, universally be successful, regardless of defense.
"Gather around!" Akagi's booming voice interrupted Kazuto's reading.
The team quickly assembled in a line, waiting for Akagi to assign the daily cleaning duties so they could go home.
To everyone's surprise, the gym doors opened, and Coach Anzai suddenly waddled in.
"I've come to tell you something important," Coach Anzai said, his gentle gaze sweeping over the sweaty team.
A warm smile spread across his plump face.
"Go home and rest well today. Tomorrow, we are heading to Ryonan High School."
Hearing this, the team erupted in excited cheers, their faces glowing with nervous anticipation.
"We're finally playing one of the top four teams in the prefecture! I can't wait!" Yasuda cheered.
"I wonder what kind of amazing performance Kazuto and Rukawa will put on against real competition," Shiozaki muttered.
"Kazuto hasn't even been practicing the main plays with us lately. He's just been standing in the corner focusing on shooting drills. He seems to have improved a lot, though."
"Kazuto mentioned to the Captain that our team desperately lacks outside shooters to space the floor, and he wants to fill that gap."
"I roughly counted his shots over the past ten days during his solo sessions. He must have taken at least thirty thousand."
"Thirty thousand shots in ten days?! That's incredible!"
As soon as they heard the Ryonan game was officially tomorrow, the role players began whispering about Kazuto's insane work ethic, their voices filled with awe.
Kazuto was equally excited.
'Perfect timing,' he thought, cracking his knuckles.
'Just when I was getting bored of grinding solo drills, the Ryonan game arrives. The System's main quest rewards are going to be huge.'
Amidst the hushed chatter, Ayako emerged from the equipment room carrying a stack of pristine red and black jerseys.
"Captain, the official uniforms are ready," she announced.
Seeing the freshly laundered jerseys, Coach Anzai smiled warmly.
"Before we head home to prepare for Ryonan, let's distribute the uniforms. Come forward one by one when your name is called to collect yours."
Ayako read from the clipboard. "Takenori Akagi, number 4. Kiminobu Kogure, number 5. Yasuharu Yasuda, number 6. Ryota Miyagi, number 7. Tetsushi Shiozaki, number 8. Satoru Kakuta, number 9. Sakuragi Hanamichi, number 10. Rukawa Kaede, number 11. Kiriyama Kazuto, number 12. Kentaro Ishii, number 13. Tomochika Sasaoka, number 14. Toki Kuwata, number 15."
'Hahaha! Rukawa and Kazuto's numbers are both after mine!' Sakuragi thought smugly, puffing out his chest as he grabbed his jersey.
'Looks like this genius is officially the top freshman!'
Sakuragi, seeing his number was technically ahead of all the other first-years, immediately began boasting loudly to the annoyed sophomores.
Kazuto simply smiled, accepting his number 12 jersey, totally unbothered by Sakuragi's childish attitude, while Rukawa rolled his eyes, choosing not to argue with an idiot.
Once the jerseys were distributed, Coach Anzai added, "Tomorrow morning at eight o'clock sharp, everyone will gather at the school gates. We will take the train together."
After Coach Anzai left, Kazuto and the others quickly cleaned up the gym before departing, their hearts racing with excitement for the trial ahead.
As they exited the gym gates, Ayako approached Kazuto.
"Kouhai," she said, "we'll need to travel a fair bit for the match against Ryonan tomorrow. Do you need to prepare anything tonight?"
"I might need to buy some fresh grip tape and athletic tape," Kazuto replied after a moment's thought.
"Senpai, is there anything you need? We could go to the supermarket together."
"Sure!" Ayako nodded enthusiastically.
And so, Kazuto and Ayako headed toward the local supermarket to buy their pre-game necessities.