Inside the supermarket, Ayako quickly helped Kazuto gather his toiletries and some high-energy snacks for the trip.
As they were about to head to the checkout, Ayako suddenly stopped and pointed down an aisle.
"Kouhai, there's a sports equipment section over there. I noticed during practice that you don't wear any wrist or elbow guards. Let's go pick some out."
"Sure," Kazuto readily agreed.
With official competitions beginning and the intensity of his system-driven training increasing, wearing wrist and elbow guards would provide necessary compression and protection for his joints.
Even if he didn't need them right away, having them in his gym bag would be a good idea.
The variety of compression gear on the shelves was overwhelming, but Ayako, intimately familiar with sports equipment as a manager, expertly helped him narrow down the choices.
"This wrist guard and this padded elbow sleeve use excellent, breathable materials. Plus, the red and black colorway matches our Shohoku team uniform perfectly," Ayako said, handing them to Kazuto to inspect.
Kazuto took the guards and stretched them. The elasticity was excellent, and the moisture-wicking fabric felt soft and comfortable against his skin.
Ayako's eye for quality was evident; she had chosen a top-tier set for him.
With the guards selected and tossed into the basket, Kazuto glanced at the rack of basketballs nearby.
"The basketball I practice with at home has been deflating badly. I need to get a new one."
After a moment's thought, he picked out a premium, genuine leather indoor basketball and added it to the cart.
"Alright, Kouhai, let's go pay."
Seeing that Kazuto had finished his sports shopping, Ayako led him out of the equipment section toward the registers.
As they passed through the small accessories and cosmetics aisle near the front, Kazuto noticed a variety of delicate trinkets and hair accessories.
[Ding! Random Mission Triggered: Give Ayako a small, thoughtful gift to surprise her. Reward: 1 Lottery Ticket.]
'A mission for this too?'
Kazuto was initially taken aback by the System's notification playing matchmaker, but he quickly accepted the arrangement.
'Senpai has helped me so much lately with training, shopping, and navigating school life. I should definitely get her something to show my gratitude anyway, he thought.'
With the mission activated, Kazuto stopped and turned to Ayako.
"Senpai, wait a moment."
"What is it? Did you forget something?" Ayako asked, looking at him with a puzzled expression.
Kazuto shook his head. "You've been incredibly helpful to me lately, especially today. To show my appreciation, I want to get you a small gift. These accessories look quite nice. Pick out something you like."
Hearing this, Ayako's heart fluttered with unexpected joy, but her trademark sassy side immediately showed.
She put her hands on her hips, feigning displeasure.
"Giving a girl a gift but making her pick it out herself? That seems rather insincere, Kouhai."
Kazuto's expression froze slightly, realizing she had a very valid point.
He then walked over to the accessories shelf, his brow furrowed in concentration as he began carefully scanning the items, searching for something genuinely suitable for Ayako.
Watching Kazuto earnestly stressing over choosing a gift for her, Ayako pouted playfully, though she couldn't hide the warm smile widening on her face.
But when she saw what he finally grabbed from the shelf, her beautiful eyes widened in shock, and she froze in place.
Kazuto hadn't picked just one item.
He had taken down every single pack of heavy-duty, curly-hair-friendly elastic hair ties from the display hooks.
Under Ayako's utterly astonished gaze, Kazuto walked back up to her and dropped the massive pile of hair ties into the shopping basket.
"I've noticed you always tie your hair up during our morning runs and team training," he explained earnestly.
"With all that running, you must go through hair ties constantly, or they snap. So, I thought I'd stock you up as a practical gift."
Kazuto's deeply observant, highly practical explanation warmed Ayako's heart, her gaze softening immensely.
'He really pays attention to the little details,' she thought.
But when she looked down at the sheer volume of elastic bands in the basket, Ayako couldn't help but laugh, her shoulders shaking.
"Kazuto... there are hundreds here. How long do you think it will take me to use them all?!"
"You can use a fresh one every day, or double them up for extra hold," Kazuto replied casually, completely dismissing her concern.
Hearing his blunt, practical logic, Ayako smiled sweetly, her eyes crinkling.
She didn't refuse. "Thank you, Kouhai. I love them."
After paying for their haul, Kazuto and Ayako stopped by a nearby ramen stand for a quick, casual dinner before finally heading their separate ways for the night.
When Kazuto returned to his villa, he noticed the lights in the main hall were blazing.
His parents must have returned from their business trip early.
As Kazuto stepped inside the grand foyer and took off his shoes, he heard his parents' voices coming from the living room.
"Kazuto's home! Has school been tough lately?"
"Oh! You've gotten quite tanned, but you look much more energetic and muscular! Exercise really does you good."
"Have you had dinner yet? If not, the chef can heat up some food for you."
Hearing their sudden barrage of concern, Kazuto smiled politely and replied.
"Practice wasn't too tiring. I already had dinner with a senior from the team. I'm going to take a shower now. We can talk later."
After responding, Kazuto carried his bags upstairs, grabbed a change of clothes, and headed straight to his en-suite bathroom.
His parents nodded, paying little attention to his quick exit, and immediately resumed their intense business discussion regarding overseas shipping routes.
After a hot, relaxing shower, Kazuto remembered the upcoming away match and walked back downstairs to the living room.
"Dad, Mom, the school basketball team is traveling for a friendly match tomorrow. We're staying overnight. I won't be back until Sunday."
"An away basketball match? How far is it? Will a teacher be going with you?"
"Should your dad have the driver take you? Do you need to pack anything else?"
Upon learning Kazuto would be staying out overnight with the team, his father and mother immediately stopped reviewing their documents, their faces filling with genuine parental concern.
Touched by their immediate reaction, Kazuto smiled reassuringly.
"It's not too far—just Ryonan High School, still within Kanagawa prefecture. The head coach will be traveling with us on a chartered bus, and I've already packed all my gear."
He stifled a yawn. "It's getting late, and I have to be at school early. I'm going to bed now."
Without waiting for further interrogations, Kazuto retreated to his room to rest.
....
'I wonder what kind of reward this new lottery ticket will give me?'
Sitting on his bed, Kazuto's anticipation built as he mentally opened his inventory and activated the newly acquired lottery ticket from Ayako's gift quest.
As the ticket was consumed, the holographic pointer on the glowing lottery wheel began to spin rapidly.
Moments later, the pointer ticked to a stop, landing squarely on a shimmering gold section.
[Ding! Congratulations, Master! You have obtained a 'Skill Fusion Card'.]
[Fusion Card] Combine multiple compatible basketball skills to gain a powerful, unified buff and additional attribute bonuses. Example: Jump Shot + Fadeaway + Floater + Limitless Range = 'Sharpshooter' Buff (Doubles overall shooting effectiveness and unlocks new shot creations).
"This is amazing!" Kazuto exclaimed softly after reading the Fusion Card's description.
"Just as I suspected during the scrimmage, combining various basketball techniques can create entirely new, game-breaking results."
'But I wonder what kind of specific attribute bonuses this Fusion Card's buff will actually provide?'
The thought sparked a massive surge of anticipation in Kazuto, deeply tempting him to try a fusion immediately.
However, a quick review of his current skill list instantly dashed that idea.
Based on his understanding of the system's mechanics, successfully fusing a high-tier buff required at least four or five distinct, max-leveled basketball techniques within the same category (like shooting or dribbling).
He simply didn't have enough pieces yet.
"The System's got quite the variety—now we're even doing gacha card collecting!" Kazuto quipped with a dry chuckle, his mind flashing back to his childhood days of collecting trading cards.
Lost in his musings and planning out his future skill tree, Kazuto gradually drifted off to a deep sleep.
...
Beep-beep-beep!
At the harsh sound of the alarm, Kazuto rose from bed at 5:45 AM and, as he had for the past ten days, went for his morning run with Ayako around the mountain trails.
By the time Kazuto returned home, showered, and came downstairs, both of his parents were already up and having coffee in the dining room.
After a quick, nutritious breakfast prepared by the staff, Kazuto grabbed his duffel bag and headed out.
When Kazuto and Ayako arrived at the Shohoku High School gates, the rest of the team was already gathered around a chartered minibus.
Well, almost everyone. Sakuragi, Rukawa, and Miyagi were notably absent.
"Good, we're not late," Kazuto thought, glancing at his watch.
Ten minutes remained until the official meeting time.
He felt a slight sense of relief; he was a punctual person and deeply disliked making others wait.
"Is everyone here yet?" Coach Anzai asked, waddling up to the group with his signature gentle smile.
Hearing the coach's question, Akagi's face darkened, and he replied with a heavy hint of embarrassment.
"Sakuragi, Rukawa, and Miyagi haven't arrived yet, Coach. They're... probably on their way."
"Ho ho... since some students are still missing, we'll wait a bit longer," Coach Anzai said casually, unbothered.
He looked at Akagi and the freshmen. "The bus ride to Ryonan will take some time. If anyone hasn't eaten a proper breakfast yet, you have time to go grab something from the convenience store across the street."
Kuwata, Ishii, and Sasaoka immediately took the coach up on his offer and dashed across the street to buy onigiri.
About fifteen minutes past the meeting time, a figure pedaled furiously up the street.
"I'm here! I'm here!"
Miyagi finally arrived, skidding his bicycle to a halt.
Seeing the entire team, the captain, and the coach waiting for him, Miyagi bowed deeply, giving a highly embarrassed explanation.
"I was too excited about playing a top-four team to sleep last night, so I completely overslept my alarm! I'm really, really sorry for keeping you all waiting!"
Akagi's thunderous expression softened slightly at Miyagi's genuine, flustered apology.
"Get your bag on the bus," he grumbled. "Those other two idiots, though... what the hell are they up to? They still haven't shown up."
Another fifteen minutes passed. Akagi's patience was wearing razor-thin.
Just when the captain was about to explode and order the bus to leave without them, Rukawa finally appeared.
He was groggily pedaling his bicycle up the road, his eyes half-closed, with large headphones clamped over his ears.
Before Akagi could even step forward to scream at him, the sleep-deprived Rukawa slowly veered off the path and crashed his bicycle headfirst into a brick planter box.
He tumbled over the handlebars, landing in the dirt, still clearly fast asleep.
Seeing the sheer absurdity of his state, Akagi was so dumbfounded he surprisingly refrained from lecturing the rookie, opting instead to just drag Rukawa and his bike toward the bus.
Just as Akagi finished loading the unconscious Rukawa into a seat, a loud, panicked yelling echoed down the street.
Sakuragi burst onto the scene, his uniform wrinkled and his hair a mess, looking utterly disheveled from a mad, cross-town dash.
Seeing Sakuragi sprinting toward them, Akagi didn't even give him a chance to open his mouth to explain.
WHAM!
Akagi landed a devastating punch directly on the top of Sakuragi's head.
"You idiot! Do you realize how long you've kept everyone waiting?!"
Coach Anzai, however, showed no anger at the chaotic lateness of his key players.
He slowly stepped onto the minibus and said cheerfully.
"Now that everyone's finally here, let's get going to Ryonan."
With Coach Anzai leading the way, the chaotic Shohoku team boarded the chartered bus and began their journey.
...
After nearly two hours of driving across the prefecture, the bus finally pulled through the imposing iron gates of Ryonan High School.
"Coach Anzai, welcome! It is an honor. We look forward to your guidance today."
"Coach Taoka, thank you for having us. We apologize for any inconvenience our visit has caused."
Coach Moichi Taoka of Ryonan immediately stepped forward to greet Coach Anzai as he disembarked, the two veteran coaches exchanging polite, respectful bows and pleasantries.
After formally greeting Coach Anzai, Coach Taoka turned his sharp, hawk-like gaze to the group of Shohoku players filing off the bus.
He scanned the faces before asking loudly, "Which one of you is Kiriyama Kazuto?"
Hearing Coach Taoka's sudden specific question, Akagi, Kogure, and the rest of the Shohoku team exchanged highly surprised glances, all turning to look at Kazuto.
'Is Kazuto really that famous already?! Ryonan's notoriously strict head coach specifically asked for a total beginner by name?!'
"I am Kazuto. Please give me your guidance today, Coach Taoka," Kazuto said calmly, stepping forward from the group and bowing respectfully.
Seeing Kazuto step forward, Coach Taoka's eyes narrowed as he sized the boy up with intense curiosity.
'He looks incredibly average,' Taoka thought.
"You're really only 177 centimeters tall? With that height and build, can you actually dunk in a game?"
"Yes," Kazuto nodded confidently, meeting the coach's intense gaze without flinching.
Hearing Kazuto's unwavering answer, Coach Taoka's curiosity and competitive spirit intensified immensely.
'Hikoichi wasn't exaggerating.'
'This kid has that kind of aura.'
Considering they were still standing in the parking lot, Coach Taoka refrained from further questioning.
"I've already arranged your locker room accommodations inside. Please, follow me."
Under Coach Taoka's guidance, the Shohoku group stowed their luggage in the guest locker room, had a light, pre-game meal provided by the host school, and then marched down the hallway toward the roaring atmosphere of the Ryonan basketball gym.