Huh? What was going on?
Shirasawa bolted upright in bed and looked around in bewilderment.
The room was rather shabby and completely unfamiliar. He was sure this was not his home.
As he sat there at a loss, a flood of fragmented memories suddenly poured into his mind, so much information that his head felt ready to burst. Once the dizziness passed, Shirasawa finally understood his situation.
"...I transmigrated."
"And of all places..."
He had originally been a video platform content creator who got by on his looks, specializing in anime commentary. Just moments ago, he had been discussing the national tournament arc of Slam Dunk on his livestream.
Who would have thought that, in the blink of an eye, he would find himself inside the world of Slam Dunk!
The original owner of this body had shared his name and been handsome too. Unfortunately, he had been nothing special at basketball, though he had quite a reputation in other areas.
Shirasawa, a third-year student at Yokota Junior High School in Kanagawa Prefecture, was a delinquent known far and wide.
Still, there was no faulting the original owner's physique. He stood 188 centimeters tall and weighed ninety kilograms, solidly built and well-proportioned, with exceptionally good flexibility and coordination.
Using that elite physical ability in fights was practically bullying.
He and the five guys from Wako Junior High School were collectively known as Kanagawa's most vicious rising forces.
Interestingly enough, though, the two groups had never faced off.
He did have something in common with the Sakuragi Gang: despite being labeled delinquents, they never casually picked on decent people or got involved with gangs outside school.
As for basketball, the original owner genuinely had no interest in it. Although his name was on the Yokota Junior High School basketball club's roster, he had never played a single game or even shown up for practice.
He had joined the basketball club purely to hold a nominal position.
Yokota Middle School had made something of a name for itself in junior high basketball over the past few years, and its basketball coach, Kazuharu Takizawa, had set his sights on Shirasawa long ago.
But Shirasawa had wanted nothing to do with it. After several unsuccessful attempts, an opportunity had finally arisen in his third year-Shirasawa had accumulated so many black marks that he was about to be expelled.
Taking that opportunity, Coach Takizawa had negotiated a deal with him: join the basketball club and bring the school some glory.
Over nearly a year since then, Shirasawa's only contribution to the basketball team had been enforcing discipline.
Whenever he was around, none of the players even dared breathe too loudly.
Basketball? He had never so much as touched one.
Once, after drinking too much, Coach Takizawa had lamented that he had been lucky enough to encounter a true genius, but unfortunately lacked the ability to bring out his talent.
As Shirasawa slowly sorted through those memories, he could not help giving a thumbs-up. "Well played!"
Today was the day of the Kanagawa junior high basketball tournament final.
Yokota Middle School had fought its way into the final through its overall strength, and its opponent instantly piqued Shirasawa's interest.
It was Tomigaoka Middle School, led by Kaede Rukawa!
Shirasawa had skipped every previous round. But Coach Takizawa had repeatedly stressed that he had to attend this final-he was about to graduate, so he ought to at least make a show of supporting the school.
To be fair, Takizawa was a genuinely decent man. Despite having no personal ties to Shirasawa, he had looked after him quite well.
I wonder if his daughter's name is Lola...
Knock, knock, knock-
After several urgent knocks, a voice came from outside the door. It sounded like that of a mature woman, cool and clear, yet quite pleasant.
"Time to get up, Xiao Bai."
Shirasawa came back to his senses, casually pulled on a pair of pants, and walked over to open the door.
As sunlight gradually spilled inside, the person standing in the doorway made him pause.
She was a rather striking young woman, with long brown hair, a delicately tapered face, large, bright eyes, and lips like rose petals.
At first glance, she even looked a little mixed-race.
Seeing Shirasawa bare-chested did not embarrass her. Her lips curved slightly, and she reached out a slender finger to tap his forehead. A faint scent of perfume drifted over.
"Honestly, didn't you say you were going to the game today? Look at the time, and you're still sleeping."
With that, she walked straight into the room, swept the curtains open, and began tidying up with brisk efficiency.
Shirasawa turned around and smiled at the beauty.
Of course he knew her.
Sanae Nakagawa, a reporter for Basketball Weekly.
It had been quite a lovely chance encounter a year ago...
At the time, several drunken thugs had cornered Sanae and were making filthy remarks when Shirasawa happened upon them.
It had not really been a case of a hero saving a beauty. He simply could not stand their behavior.
And so, under Sanae's frightened gaze, Shirasawa had made short work of the thugs.
That raw, masculine wildness of his had been on full display.
From then on, the tall, handsome boy who had stood up for her had found a place in Sanae's heart.
Shirasawa had no family or close connections here either, and as they spent more time together, their relationship had become what it was now-closer than friends, but still a little short of lovers...
A few minutes later, Shirasawa had finished washing up, and Sanae had cleaned the room until it was spotless.
She was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, studying Shirasawa with interest.
Her figure was particularly eye-catching, with an elegance few other women possessed.
"So, sporty boy, planning to bring home a championship today?"
That question really did give Shirasawa a bit of a headache. Basketball might reign supreme in this world, and he had been something of a basketball fan in his previous life, but all his knowledge had been purely theoretical. This body's physical gifts were beyond question, and it was excellent at fighting, but it had genuinely never played basketball... He had absolutely no idea where to go from here.
"Whether we win the championship doesn't have much to do with me." Shirasawa shrugged. "Coach Takizawa would never put me on the court."
Sanae was taken aback. She had become a basketball reporter purely out of love for the sport, a love that ran bone-deep. Anyone with eyes could tell that Shirasawa's physique made him a promising prospect. But he simply refused, proving through his actions every time: give up on that idea already.
But what he just said... did that mean he was starting to budge?
Seeing her staring blankly, Shirasawa casually tossed his towel over. "What are you spacing out for? Come on, let's get to the court first."
The towel landed in her lap, and Sanae's eyes suddenly lit up, her lips curving with them. "All right, let's go!"
The car pulled onto the street. Shirasawa leaned back in the passenger seat as the scenery streamed past the window. With a beautiful driver beside him and a faint fragrance in the air, this was quite a comfortable little life. As for the upcoming game, he had not really given it much thought. Judging by past experience, if Coach Takizawa was willing to put him on the court, he must have gotten his head caught in the door on his way out that morning. Even if he actually played, Shirasawa did not think he would be much use.
Sanae understood that too. The only reason she had insisted on dragging him along today was to help him graduate without a hitch. Still, the young man's attitude today had genuinely surprised her a little.
"Xiao Bai," Sanae said, holding the steering wheel and glancing sideways at him, "you'll be graduating after the final. Have you decided which high school you want to attend?"
Once the final ended, third-year student Shirasawa would be leaving school, and everyone at Yokota Middle School would probably want to set off firecrackers to see this troublesome big shot off. Ordinarily, junior high basketball players had no trouble finding a high school, with plenty of schools in Kanagawa scouting players in advance. Yet Shirasawa had not received a single invitation so far. He really did not have many decent options.
When Shirasawa said nothing, Sanae was not annoyed. Instead, a hint of anticipation entered her eyes. "How about... considering Tsukubu? I know their basketball coach. The school's actually pretty decent."
Tsukubu, huh. Of course Shirasawa knew it. The blond biker Koichiro Nango went there, along with Takenori Akagi's old classmate, Tomokazu Godai. But he really could not muster any interest right now. The most important thing was to first figure out whether he was actually cut out for basketball. If he was not, why bother with all this? He might as well go to Takezono High School and enjoy the eye candy...
"We'll see," Shirasawa said indifferently. "It's not time to decide yet."
Sanae had expected that answer. The person concerned was never as anxious as the people worrying about him. She was used to it and merely smiled. In truth, she did not particularly care where Shirasawa went to school, or even whether he went at all.
Kanagawa Prefectural Gymnasium.
This year's junior high league final was being held here as usual. In high school basketball, Kainan High School had held Kanagawa's top spot for sixteen straight years. Over the past two years, however, several powerhouse schools led by Shoyo High School had gradually begun showing signs of catching up. They were all determined to break Kainan's sixteen-year monopoly.
As a result, the junior high league had also drawn particular attention over the past two years. Many high schools hoped to discover promising prospects here and give their own teams a boost. And in this year's final, one player stood out in particular-Kaede Rukawa.
Word of Kaede Rukawa's ability had long since spread through Kanagawa's high school basketball circles. Scoring was effortless for him. If he wanted to, putting up forty or fifty points was no problem. Of course, the kid's weakness was equally obvious: he had absolutely no concept of teamwork. But to high school coaches, that was no major flaw. What truly capable player did not have a bit of an attitude? They could coach him out of it over time.
There was still half an hour until tip-off, but the stands were already full. Quite a few high school basketball players and coaches were scattered among the crowd.
"Coach, that Kaede Rukawa is this year's hottest prospect, right? I just saw Coach Taoka from Ryonan, and people from Takezato and Tsukubu are here too..." In the stands, a bespectacled, scholarly-looking young man spoke somewhat dejectedly. "Our Shohoku... probably can't compete with them for him."
Beside him sat an old man as round as a ball, with a full head of white hair and an exceptionally kindly smile. "Ho ho ho~ Kogure, we didn't come specifically to recruit Kaede Rukawa. We're here to see the standard of today's junior high players. Perhaps we'll find someone suited to our team."
Indeed, this plump old man was none other than the White-Haired Devil-Coach Anzai.
Kogure gazed at the court and sighed softly. Shohoku's results over the past two years had been frighteningly "consistent," always hovering near the bottom. Apart from their captain, Takenori Akagi, there was not a single capable player on the team, including himself, the vice-captain. This year, Shohoku had once again been knocked out early without any suspense. Next year would be his and Akagi's final year of high school. Given their current situation, unless some strong new players joined, next year's outcome was almost foreseeable. No matter how strong Takenori Akagi was, Shohoku could not go far-just as their opponents often said: double-team Akagi, and Shohoku had nothing left.