Back to the present.
At this moment, Oliver was lying in bed, feeling like a wrung-out towel—completely drained, his limbs sore and heavy, and no strength left in his body. After fainting the previous night, he had woken up in the hospital.
Following some tests, the doctor had explained that his fever was the result of extreme overwork. His entire body was suffering from various degrees of muscle strain, and he was advised to rest as much as possible.
Lying there, Oliver stared blankly at his system panel. The personal status indicator had shifted from "Healthy" to "Injured," and it kept flickering. It was clear he had really overexerted himself during the match against Akagi.
Sighing, Oliver opened up the personal attributes panel out of habit.
---
Character Name: Oliver
Age: 15
Height: 167 cm
Weight: 62 kg
Strength: Normal – 30 + 3 = 33
Endurance: Excellent – 70 + 2 = 72
Speed: Good – 45 + 2 = 47
Shooting Accuracy: Excellent – 76 + 0 = 76
Hit Rate: Good – 55 + 1 = 56
Vertical Jump: Perfect – 86 + 0 = 86
Legendary Skill Equipped: Turnaround Fadeaway Jump Shot
Skills Equipped: Sonic Dash, Accurate Shooter, Quick Recovery, Bull Charge
Unequipped Skill: Magic Pass
---
"Well," Oliver muttered to himself, "at least the battle with Akagi helped boost my stats. It wasn't a total loss."
But he made a mental note: no more reckless use of stacked skills. That match had taken a huge toll on his body, and overusing abilities like that could have serious consequences.
Bored out of his mind, Oliver opened the skill menu to pass the time.
---
Skill Name: Sonic Dash
Grade: Ordinary
Description: Execute a sprint beyond physical limits. Greatly increases speed at the cost of rapid stamina depletion.
Cooldown: None
Proficiency: ★★★★★★ (6 Stars)
---
"Whoa, I didn't realize Sonic Dash hit 6 stars already," Oliver said, slightly surprised. "One more step and it'll evolve."
The thought of skill evolution excited him. He couldn't wait to see what it might become.
Curious, he scanned through the rest of his skills.
Accurate Shooter: ★★★★
Magic Pass: ★★★
Quick Recovery: ★★
Bull Charge: ★★★
"Bull Charge already has 3 stars?" he mumbled. "Didn't I just get that skill recently?"
Just then, the system popped up with a prompt.
Ding! A skill's proficiency increases based on the effectiveness and results achieved each time it is used.
"No wonder," Oliver thought. "Every time I used Bull Charge in the past couple of games, it had a huge impact. So the skill leveled up faster because of how effective it was."
Chuckling, he closed the menu.
"Well, enough of that. Time to really rest…"
He let out a long yawn and stretched lazily under the covers.
Thinking back, he realized that since arriving in this world, he hadn't taken a single proper break. Every day was the same—go to school, do homework, train. And even during holidays, he trained with Sakuragi non-stop.
Sakuragi was truly a physical monster. No matter how intense the training, he never seemed to tire. His boundless energy left Oliver in awe—and envy.
"If I had Sakuragi's stamina," he sighed, "I'd have already taken over the court and defied fate in this Slam Dunk world!"
He flopped over with a groan.
"Ugh, comparing yourself to others is so depressing…"
Ding Dong~
The doorbell rang.
"Huh?"
He turned his head, a bit confused.
"Hello? Is anyone home?"
Ding Dong~
The bell rang again, followed by a familiar-sounding girl's voice.
"Who could that be?" Oliver wondered. "One of Chika's friends?"
He didn't recall anyone saying they'd stop by.
"Hold on a second… I'm coming…"
Oliver grumbled as he forced himself out of bed, every movement slow and stiff. He shuffled toward the front door like a zombie.
"Who is it?" he called groggily as he opened the door.
To his surprise, Haruko stood there in her school uniform, smiling brightly.
"There you are! I was starting to think I had the wrong apartment. I rang a few times and nobody answered."
She gave a cheerful wave, her eyes lighting up like crescent moons.
"H-Haruko-san? What are you doing here?"
Oliver blinked in disbelief.
"Hehe~" Haruko lifted the small bag in her hand. "I came to visit you, of course! And I brought a few gifts!"
Still trying to process what was happening, Oliver quickly stepped aside.
"Well, don't just stand out there. Come in, come in."
He pointed toward the entrance.
"Ah, just leave your shoes over there."
Haruko bent down to remove her shoes, and Oliver handed her a pair of fluffy pink bunny-ear slippers.
"Sorry," he said with a sheepish smile. "Didn't expect any visitors today, so… these are Chika's. Hope you don't mind."
"Not at all! These are adorable," Haruko replied cheerfully as she slipped them on
---
"Alright, have a seat in the living room. I'll go make some tea."
"Okay~" Haruko responded as she wandered in and sat down politely.
Oliver made his way slowly into the kitchen, his body still sore with every step.
Meanwhile, Haruko looked around the apartment curiously.
"So this is Oliver's place…" she murmured. "It's a little different from what I imagined…"
She paused mid-thought.
Wait.
Wasn't she here to visit a sick person?
Why was the sick person making tea?
"…Oliver-kun!!"
Startled, Oliver turned around just in time to see Haruko rushing toward him.
"W-What's wrong?" he asked, nearly dropping the teacup.
"You're supposed to be resting, not making tea! Go lie down, now!"
"But the tea's already—"
"No excuses! You're sick!"
She half-pushed, half-dragged him back into bed, tucked the blanket over him, then stood with her hands on her waist, pouting in frustration.
"Seriously! What kind of patient entertains their guests? You need to stay in bed and get better!"
"…Alright, alright," Oliver said, slightly embarrassed but secretly touched by her concern.
Truthfully, he felt so weak that getting back under the blanket was a relief.
"…So, um, Haruko-san… why did you really come today?" he asked, turning his head toward her.
"I told you—I came to visit you."
Haruko pulled a small stool next to the bed and sat down.
"Actually… I felt kind of guilty," she admitted quietly. "It was my idea to have Sakuragi prove himself."
She twirled her fingers nervously.
"If I hadn't said that… maybe you wouldn't have pushed yourself so hard and gotten sick…"
Oliver smiled gently and shook his head.
"No need to blame yourself. Even if you hadn't said anything, Hanamichi still would've done it. It was his only chance to prove he belonged on the team."
He looked up at the ceiling as he continued, "Besides, this is part of his growth. Just like in the original story, Sakuragi didn't get accepted right away. He had to earn it."
He turned his gaze back to her.
"Honestly, this whole thing is just part of his journey."
Haruko looked relieved as she exhaled deeply.
"Oliver-kun… you're really mature."
She smiled warmly, her voice full of gratitude.
"I'm glad you're okay."
As she opened the bag she had brought, she pulled out a few small items—some fresh fruit, a cute thermos, and a handmade card that had a cartoon drawing of Oliver dunking a basketball on the front.
"I didn't know what to bring, so… I hope these help you feel a little better."
Oliver chuckled.
"They already have. Thanks, Haruko-san."
As the sunlight streamed through the window and warmth filled the room, Oliver felt the stress and exhaustion begin to fade.
Despite the aching in his body, something about this quiet moment made everything feel... a little easier to bear.
patreon(Jutsu_143)