Sunday morning.
Game day.
Shohoku versus Ryonan—the friendly scrimmage that would test everything Kogure had built over the past week.
He pulled up his status panel one final time before the team arrived:
SYSTEM: Hard Work Pays Off (Highschool Basketball Version)
Name: Kogure Kiminobu
Age: 15
Height: 174cm | Wingspan: 181cm | Weight: 60kg
Physical Attributes:
Strength: 58 | Speed: 69 | Stamina: 70 | Flexibility: 78
Reaction: MAX | Injury Resistance: MAX
Explosive Power: 65 | Bounce: 57
Offensive Skills:
Ball Handling: 72 | Passing: 60 | Layup: 78 | Close Range: 64
Mid-Range: 69 | Three-Point: 71 | Free Throw: 74
Driving: 65 | Playmaking: 52
Defensive Skills:
Steals: 56 | Perimeter Defense: 59 | Defensive Rebounding: 53
Skills:
Crossover: LV6 (700/5000)
Pull-Up Jump Shot: LV5 (1700/2000)
Eurostep: LV4 (50/1000)
Status: Excellent
Overall Rating: Strong Team Starter
The past week had been consumed by drilling the Eurostep.
The skill had rocketed to Level 4, while his other abilities continued climbing passively.
The crossover even hit Level 6, though further breakthroughs would require exponentially more work.
Most importantly: his overall evaluation had jumped again.
From strong team sixth man to strong team starter.
Real contributor level.
Not elite, but legitimate.
Eight AM sharp, Coach Anzai waddled into the gym.
Ryonan would arrive soon—Coach Taoka himself leading the team out of respect for Anzai’s reputation.
Then three girls walked through the entrance.
The Shohoku players’ heads swiveled in unison.
“Whoa, cute girls!”
“They came to watch us?
I’m touched.”
Given Shohoku’s perpetual losing record, spectators were rare.
Female spectators?
Unheard of.
The lead girl was petite, pure-featured, radiating youthful energy and approachability.
Akagi Haruko—here to support her older brother.
Compared to her future self, this Haruko looked even younger.
Probably under 150cm tall, maximum.
Her two companions were clearly friends.
The girl with short hair and a shy demeanor was Fujii.
The other, sharing Akagi’s distinctive lip shape, was Matsui.
All three attended No. The source of this chapter is g.com.
4 Middle School currently.
Two more years before they’d enroll at Shohoku High.
Kogure had met Haruko several times through his friendship with Akagi.
He walked over to greet them.
Matsui immediately grabbed Haruko’s sleeve, excitement bubbling over.
“Haruko, is that your brother?
He’s so handsome!”
Without the glasses obscuring his face, Kogure’s features were among the best in the entire Slam Dunk cast.
Combined with his calm, approachable demeanor and the physical improvements from a week of intense training—the overall effect was striking.
Haruko blinked in surprise, then shook her head quickly.
“No, that’s Kogure-senpai.
He’s my brother’s friend.
I didn’t realize he’d be so handsome without glasses!”
Kogure stopped in front of them, smile polite.
“Haruko, what brings you here?”
“We came to cheer for Shohoku, Kogure-senpai!
Good luck today!” Her enthusiasm was infectious.
“Where’s my brother?”
“Still in the locker room.
Here—” Kogure grabbed three plastic stools from the equipment room.
“Sit and get comfortable.”
“Thank you!” Haruko introduced her friends quickly.
Fujii was quiet, almost whispering her greeting.
Matsui was the opposite—loud, confident, completely at ease.
“Matsui, tell your father I said hello.”
Matsui’s eyes widened.
“You know my dad?”
“We played pickup together a few days ago.
He mentioned his daughter was in second year at No.
4 Middle School.” The resemblance between Matsui and her father Koji was unmistakable—same face structure, same mannerisms.
“Anyway, I should get ready.
Enjoy the game.”
He turned back toward the court.
Immediately, teammates swarmed him.
Okamoto pointed at Haruko, grinning.
“Kogure, you never mentioned you had such a cute sister!
I’m officially declaring us best friends now.”
“She’s not my sister.
She’s Akagi’s.”
Silence.
Complete, stunned silence.
“WA..WA…WHAT?”
“No way!”
“Are they…
The players stared between petite, adorable Haruko and the mental image of gorilla-faced Akagi.
The genetic disparity seemed impossible.
Kogure suppressed a laugh.
Genes were truly mysterious.
Speaking of Akagi—the big man emerged from the locker room at that moment.
Kogure noticed immediately.
Akagi’s posture was stiff, movements mechanical.
Nerves.
Again.
Before important games, Akagi’s anxiety spiked.
Three straight years of junior high losses had demolished his confidence in high-pressure moments.
At least his mental game was stronger now than it would be in the original timeline.
A few wins would help him adjust.
“Akagi,” Kogure called.
“Haruko came to watch.”
Akagi spotted his sister and nodded curtly in acknowledgment.
Haruko, meanwhile, pointed proudly at her brother.
“The tallest one—that’s him!”
Fujii and Matsui looked at Akagi, then at Haruko, then back at Akagi.
“That’s your brother?”
After Haruko confirmed it, her friends exchanged bewildered glances.
Matsui tried to salvage the awkward moment.
“Well, he’s super tall, Haruko.
Almost as tall as my dad!” She studied Akagi more closely, noting similarities—the towering build, thick lips, crew cut, features that suggested…
ancestral genetics.
Footsteps echoed from the entrance.
A group entered the gym—jerseys green and white.
The Ryonan team.
Leading them was a middle-aged man in a green tracksuit.
Coach Shigekazu Taoka.
Beyond coaching Ryonan, Taoka served as the series’ ace commentator and occasional comic relief.
His tactical mind couldn’t match Coach Anzai’s genius, but he had dreams, ambition, and genuine dedication.
He worked harder than any coach in the prefecture.
The most responsible coach.
No question.
Unfortunately, his coaching career had been frustrating.
Ten full years at Ryonan before finally discovering Uozumi—a player who was basically a blank slate.
No skills, just height.
But even that limited Uozumi represented the most talented player Taoka had encountered in a decade.
Next year, Taoka would recruit a true genius from Tokyo: Sendoh Akira, the “Fisherman.”
Though Sendoh’s reasons for choosing Ryonan seemed…
unconventional.
First, the school was near the ocean.
Second, the Uozumi family ran a restaurant famous for its seafood.
Basketball might not have been the primary motivation.
Kogure pushed the speculation aside.
The Ryonan team was here.
Time to see where Shohoku really stood.