Chapter 005: Practice Enough… Hmm… When the Feeling Comes, You Can Shoot Extremely Accurately!
The cheers in the gymnasium finally let Seiei Middle School learn the name of that number 12.
Second-year student from Ōdai Middle School...
Hoshiumi Mirai!
"Ōdai actually has an ace like this hidden, just like us?!"
"No..."
"This guy Hoshiumi was just an ordinary basketball enthusiast before—average athletic ability, mediocre skills. At least that's how he was last year."
"Huh? How do you know, senpai?"
"I just heard it from the Ōdai guys..."
"I heard he could only do basic training in Ōdai's basketball club during his first year."
At Seiei Middle School's bench, the opposing players erupted in excited discussion, their voices filled with shock and deep apprehension toward the sudden offensive explosion they had just witnessed on court.
This unexpected development completely disrupted their expectations for this practice match.
...
Meanwhile, on the other side, Mirai was welcomed back to the bench like a hero. The surrounding starters, substitutes, and non-regular club members grew even more animated upon his return.
The air was thick with excitement and disbelief.
"Hoshiumi! Your three-pointers are amazing!"
"Yeah, did you see that super long three? He was practically at half-court! Any further back and he'd have crossed the midline!"
"But speaking of which... before the break, wasn't Hoshiumi's mid-range shooting still... well... pretty ordinary?" A doubtful voice came from a second-year player who often trained with Mirai.
"Could it be... that I remembered wrong?"
He added uncertainly.
"Um..."
"Probably not mistaken, right?"
The more he recalled, the more confused his tone became.
Facing the second-years' doubts, the third-year regulars were equally puzzled. As for the team coach Nakamatsu Akira, the shooting storm Mirai had displayed in those five minutes had shocked and impacted him far more than any other player.
Therefore.
After welcoming Mirai back, he couldn't help but secretly pump his fist in excitement nearby.
Coach Akira: "...!"
He could say with complete certainty that beneath Mirai's forward-like physique lay the capabilities of a top-tier shooter—a super level far exceeding middle school standards!
Whether it was the rhythm adjustment when catching the ball, the nearly textbook-perfect form when jumping, the incredibly soft touch when flicking the ball with his fingertips, the sharp awareness to find openings during off-ball movement, or even his unbelievable quick adjustment ability when facing fierce defensive challenges and losing balance...
Coach Akira's mind rapidly replayed scenes from the previous match...
In one-on-one situations, given just a moment of defensive lapse, Mirai could immediately seize the opportunity with a three-pointer—the balance of his shoulders and neck, his gaze, shooting strength, and angle never wavered in the slightest!
So fluid that one could only silently admire it as 'beautiful.'
Absolutely exceptional shooting touch and talent!
Coach Akira gazed intently at Mirai, suppressing the excitement in his heart as his thoughts surged like tidal waves.
"Shooting ability..."
Forget today's results—just the progress made over this short holiday alone... it was practically a Generation of Miracles-level leap!
Who would have thought...
Their Ōdai Basketball Club, a public school never considered top-tier in Tokyo, could produce this level of genius.
Last year's Generation of Miracles during the National Middle School tournament, plus the sudden emergence of Mirai... perhaps there really was some magic in their grade.
Speaking of which...
Coach Akira: "..."
Damn it!
The entire last year!
As a coach, how could he have completely missed this child's talent?!
While Coach Akira was mostly shocked by Mirai's abrupt transformation in the new school year, he wasn't particularly surprised. After witnessing first-year prodigies like last year's Generation of Miracles in middle school basketball, he considered such inexplicable phenomena rather commonplace.
Unlike the coach who was secretly pumping his fist nearby, Captain Imatsu Shinshu broke from his usual silence. Waiting until their teammates had dispersed somewhat after crowding around Mirai, he excitedly approached and patted Mirai's shoulder, suddenly becoming more talkative.
"Hoshiumi! What's going on? How did your three-pointers suddenly become so accurate?"
Hearing this.
Mirai was momentarily at a loss for words.
Those past five minutes truly were the most miraculous experience he'd ever had since starting basketball.
But how to explain it...
Even if he bluntly said a system called the Effort and Sweat System had suddenly appeared in his mind, he couldn't properly explain it now since he hadn't fully figured out how the system worked.
"Well..."
"I practiced a bit harder during the break..." Mirai thought for a moment, his mind flashing to the 'Advance On-Demand' feature of the Effort and Sweat System. Though he didn't understand the specific connections and circumstances yet, he felt it best to lean in that direction. Choosing his words carefully with a slightly uncertain tone, he said:
"Recently I've found that as long as I practice three-pointers desperately, enough that... well... when the feeling comes, I can shoot particularly accurately. It's kind of... like finding the trick?"
Hearing this.
Imatsu nodded.
Although the three-point exhibition just now was indeed incredible, compared to the obviously strengthened Generation of Miracles from last semester's National Middle School championship, it wasn't particularly strange. After all, just looking at physique, Mirai seemed quite similar to those same-aged Generation of Miracles members.
...
The practice match officially concluded. After friendly handshakes with the Seiei Middle School players and seeing them off from the gymnasium.
When it came to rigorous physical training, Coach Akira—whose strictness rivaled even that of Shirogane Kōzō from Teikō—immediately unleashed his signature, penetrating Ear-piercing Magic Sound:
"Everyone listen up! Including those who just finished the practice match! Today's physical training must be fully completed before it's truly over! No slacking off for anyone!"
His gaze swept over the group before settling on the captain: "Captain Imatsu, you're in charge of supervision."
"Yes, Coach!" Imatsu immediately straightened his posture and responded, then turned to face the team members behind him—who were already grimacing and quietly groaning—with a resigned yet knowing wry smile.
"Alright, everyone, no dawdling. Get moving! The last ones to finish... you know the rules... will have extra training..."
"Yesss..."
The team members dragged out their response, more out of habitual resignation than enthusiasm.
As everyone began moving, Coach Akira's gaze remained fixed on Mirai's running figure, his mind fully immersed in thought.
After Mirai's earlier explanation, once the initial euphoria and excitement faded and he calmed down, Coach Akira understood clearly: that level of shooting accuracy was far from normal.
It was more likely a sudden burst of brilliance resulting from dedicating the entire break to specialized training.
But even so...
If they could maintain even half of today's firepower in future matches...
It would be enough!
Having witnessed Mirai's innate talent firsthand, Coach Akira realized that all the goals he had set for the team in the new academic year would likely need to be completely overhauled.
A new, bolder vision rapidly took shape in his mind.
Perhaps...
This year, they truly had hope of making a run for the national stage!
That once-distant threshold now seemed to let in a sliver of exhilarating light—all because of that number 12 jersey sprinting across the court!