"Oh yeah! I heard you joined Shohoku High School?"
Hikoichi rushed over, clutching a notebook, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
"I also heard that this year's super rookie, Kaede Rukawa, has joined Shohoku. Add in the top center, Akagi Takenori, and this year's Shohoku team can't be underestimated!"
"But why did you choose to join Shohoku? It's not exactly a prestigious school. With your skills, you could've joined a stronger team, right?"
Yayoi, standing nearby, bombarded Oliver with questions, her voice full of curiosity and confusion.
"For example, Ryonan—it's not far from Shohoku. If you were eligible for Shohoku, surely you could have gotten into Ryonan too."
"Hahaha, the school doesn't really matter to me," Oliver said with a smile, trying to dodge the question gracefully.
She's sharp like a reporter, but it's a bit much to be asked so many questions during our first meeting, he thought.
At that moment, both Hikoichi and Yayoi noticed the girl standing quietly behind Oliver.
"Who's that?"
"Oh, this is my sister, Chika. She came with me today. Come on, say hello."
"Hello, I'm Chika Furukawa. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Chika bowed politely, her demeanor graceful and composed.
"What a lovely girl! I didn't expect you to have such a cute sister, Oliver!"
Yayoi suddenly realized she hadn't introduced herself yet and quickly corrected her oversight.
"Hi Chika-chan, I'm Aida Yayoi. And this goofball next to me is my brother, Aida Hikoichi."
"Hey! What do you mean 'goofball'? Can't you introduce me properly?" Hikoichi protested, clearly offended.
Yayoi ignored him. "But what brings you here? Shohoku's a bit far from this area."
"We came to the big mall here to shop for a few things," Oliver replied, scratching his head as he looked toward the basketball court. "Then we saw a court nearby and thought it might be fun to play a little."
He glanced at the intense match taking place. "But it looks like there's no room for me to play…"
"You want to play!?"
Yayoi and her brother lit up instantly.
"That's easy! Hey—Asayama-kun!!"
Yayoi cupped her hands around her mouth like a megaphone and shouted across the court. A boy with a shaved head turned his head toward her. Seeing her wave, he called a timeout, and the players on the court took the opportunity to catch their breath.
"What's up, Sister Yayoi?" asked the boy, jogging over to her.
"You guys look exhausted. Why don't you take a break and let my friend play for a bit? What do you say?"
"Uh… well…"
Asayama looked hesitant. Sensing this, Oliver quickly waved his hands.
"No, no, it's fine! You don't have to step down. I'll just watch."
"It's okay," Yayoi insisted. "We're really close to Asayama-kun. I want to see Oliver play! Pretty please, Asayama-kun?"
She pressed her hands together and made an exaggerated pleading gesture.
"Ugh… well, I guess I am a bit tired…"
Reluctantly, Asayama nodded. Oliver looked sheepish as he patted his shoulder.
"Sorry, man… I took your spot."
"No worries. I really was running out of steam," Asayama said with a tired smile. Then he added, "Hey, just be careful out there. These guys aren't your average opponents—they're part of the Inado University basketball team. They're not elite, but their skill level is miles above high school players."
"I'll be fine."
Oliver flashed a confident smile, nodded in thanks to Yayoi, and stepped onto the court.
---
Ding! Random mission triggered: Defeat the Inado University basketball team!
As soon as Oliver set foot on the court, the electronic voice of the system rang in his ears.
He grinned. So, I triggered another random mission. Looks like the more games I join, the more chances I'll get to improve.
---
"Hey! You the guy taking Asayama's place?"
The opposing team eyed Oliver curiously.
"You're pretty short, huh? What are you, a guard?"
The streetball players didn't seem overly concerned. Streetball is casual by nature—even when they noticed Oliver's relatively small frame, no one seemed to take him seriously. They turned back toward the game, unfazed.
"Hey, give it your all out there."
A friendly voice came from the side. A boy with calm eyes extended his hand.
"I'm Sendoh."
Oliver shook it firmly. "Oliver, from Shohoku High School."
"Shohoku?"
Sendoh looked surprised. "Interesting… Our school has a practice match against Shohoku tomorrow. Are you playing?"
"I think so," Oliver replied casually.
"Haha, cool. Take it easy on us then."
Sendoh chuckled. Calm and charismatic, Akira Sendoh was considered one of the most talented players in the Slam Dunk universe. Unlike Akagi or Uozumi, who were driven by dreams of national dominance, Sendoh had a more relaxed, almost Buddhist attitude.
But it was that calm strength and down-to-earth nature that made him such a popular player.
"Heh… who knows?"
Oliver smiled, rubbing the back of his head.
---
"System, scan character attributes."
Ding! Scan complete.
Akira Sendoh's profile popped up in Oliver's mind.
---
Character: Akira Sendoh
Age: 17
Height: 190cm
Weight: 79kg
Strength: Excellent - 75
Endurance: Excellent - 80
Speed: Perfect - 86
Skills: Excellent - 73
Accuracy: Excellent - 72
Jump: Excellent - 80
Special Trait: Unyielding Will
Effect: All stats +2 during clutch moments. Immune to panic, despair, fear, etc.
---
"Damn… he's no joke," Oliver muttered to himself.
Rukawa's stats were already impressive, but Sendoh's were on par—or possibly even better. And that was just based on numbers. Basketball isn't purely stats. Experience, court awareness, tactical knowledge—all these invisible factors matter too.
One thing was certain: Akira Sendoh was a formidable opponent.
This was the perfect chance to measure himself against one of the best.
Taking a deep breath, Oliver walked to center court, surrounded by his temporary teammates.
"Ding! Do you want to switch your current skill configuration?"
The familiar voice of the system echoed again.
Oliver narrowed his eyes.
It's time to get serious.
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