Please retrieve your brain from other brainless, feel-good novels first!
Then... throw it here!
If you find anything unreasonable in the book, you can claim a Dragon-Slaying Saber by leaving a comment here!
Then... chop off my dick.
If I frown even once, you're my dad!
Dear readers, please give me some food to eat; I'm kowtowing to you here first!
On the pathway of Wako Junior High School in Kanagawa Prefecture, the summer cicadas chirped loudly.
Shimamura Yoko's fingers, clutching her bento bag, were slightly white as she faced the red-faced Oda Tatsumasa. She took a deep breath: "I'm sorry, Oda-kun, but I like Gu Jin from the basketball club. And, I'm already his girlfriend."
"Gu Jin? Why him? Why? He's not even Japanese!" Oda Tatsumasa's voice carried suppressed anger, his sneakers grinding against pebbles with a harsh sound.
"Does liking someone depend on nationality? Didn't you once pursue a Thai exchange student?"
Shimamura Yoko's apricot eyes widened slightly, recalling that school gossip—the "Thai girl" Oda had passionately pursued turned out to be a man.
That was one of Wako Junior High School's running jokes.
"I... but we didn't end up together!"
"That's only because he wasn't a girl at all!" Shimamura Yoko clutched her bento bag and took a half-step back. "I've made myself clear. I still need to buy lunch for Gu Jin, so I'm leaving first." Without waiting for a reply, she turned and ran towards the convenience store at the school gate, the sound of her canvas shoes on the ground gradually fading.
At the same time, the sound of basketballs bouncing in the gymnasium abruptly stopped.
"Gu Jin, the coach is looking for you."
"Alright, I'll be right there."
Gu Jin wiped the sweat from his forehead, accurately tossed the basketball into the hoop, and walked towards the coach's office.
He knocked three times, and the moment he pushed the door open, the cool air conditioning mixed with a faint smell of tobacco wafted towards him.
Coach Oonoki adjusted his glasses. On the sofa sat a middle-aged man in a suit—it was Coach Taoka Moichi of Ryonan High School.
"Gu Jin, this is Coach Taoka," Oonoki introduced.
"Hello, Coach Taoka, I'm Gu Jin. Nice to meet you, please guide me." The young man bowed slightly, his 190-centimeter height making his movements appear particularly tall and straight.
Taoka Moichi's gaze was sharp as he scrutinized the young man before him from head to toe.
His lean yet explosive physique, the thin calluses on his knuckles from long-term practice, and the uncontainable passion for basketball hidden in his clear eyes.
He recalled the game against Shoyo Affiliated Junior High School last week. Although Ryonan lost the game, Gu Jin single-handedly scored 36 points, 17 rebounds, and 14 assists, and even narrowed the score difference to just 1 point with a super-long three-pointer.
In that instant, even he, who was accustomed to seeing geniuses, couldn't help but stand up in the stands.
"I'll get straight to the point." Taoka Moichi rubbed the cuff of his suit. "Gu Jin, I intend to recruit you to the Ryonan High School Basketball Team. What do you think?"
Gu Jin's eyelashes trembled slightly, and his Adam's apple bobbed.
This invitation was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, causing ripples while also stirring up the bitterness in his heart.
He lowered his gaze to his faded sneakers: "Coach Taoka, thank you for your kindness, but I... I'm afraid I can't go to Ryonan High School."
The air in the office suddenly solidified.
Taoka Moichi's smile froze on his face, and his temples throbbed.
Was he doomed to repeat the past?
"Why? Ryonan is a famous basketball school, and this year we definitely have a chance to enter the National Tournament! Or do you think I, Taoka Moichi, am incapable of coaching you?" His voice unconsciously rose.
"Coach Taoka, you misunderstand!" Gu Jin suddenly looked up, his gaze sincere. "I know you are the best coach in the high school circuit. And, I really like Ryonan High School!"
These words greatly pleased Taoka Moichi, and he looked at Gu Jin with increasing approval.
In his opinion, playing basketball well was one thing, but what was even rarer was Gu Jin's discerning eye.
"Since that's the case, the doors of Ryonan are open to you, so why do you refuse?" Taoka Moichi looked puzzled.
Oonoki also persuaded: "Gu Jin! Do you have some difficulty? Don't be shy, just say it. Coach Taoka and I are old acquaintances and very good friends. I also think going to Ryonan is the best choice for you."
"Because Ryonan is a private school, I can't afford it..." The young man gave a bitter smile, his thumb unconsciously rubbing the corner of his school uniform. "Coach Oonoki knows that my junior high school tuition was earned by working at the convenience store after school."
Taoka Moichi's tense shoulders suddenly relaxed, and he couldn't help but laugh aloud: "Is that all?"
He pulled a document bag from his briefcase. "Before coming, I already communicated with Chairman Shenmu. For you, the school has specially approved a full tuition waiver for all three years of high school, and there are also training subsidies for every official game. If you have financial difficulties, I can also help you apply for a scholarship—if that's still not enough, I, Taoka, will pay out of my own pocket!"
Gu Jin's pupils constricted, and his throat tightened.
He took a deep breath and bowed ninety degrees: "Coach Taoka, if that's the case, I am willing to join the Ryonan Basketball Team!"
"Excellent!" Taoka Moichi's voice trembled with excitement.
It had been so many years since he had successfully recruited a player he truly desired.
Two years ago, he failed to recruit Mitsui Hisashi, and a year ago, he couldn't sign Miyagi Ryota. Especially a few days ago, Rukawa Kaede even rejected him on the grounds that Shohoku was closer to home.
But today, receiving Gu Jin's answer, the past gloom was swept away.
In Taoka Moichi's mind, if one were to use shogi to describe it, Rukawa Kaede was the Jade, then Gu Jin was the General, a leader-level player who could change Ryonan's landscape.
After filling out the enrollment application, Coach Taoka held the form with satisfaction, his eyes full of anticipation: "Gu Jin, see you at Ryonan Gymnasium in three months!" With that, he quickly departed, the sound of his leather shoes on the ground gradually disappearing at the end of the corridor.
Gu Jin watched Coach Taoka's receding figure, then looked down at the application form in his hand that read "Ryonan High School," a smile unconsciously curving his lips.
Ryonan was indeed his most desired team. In his previous life, while watching Slam Dunk, he particularly liked Ryonan and Coach Taoka.
In his previous life, he was a key player in the CBA, although he didn't have a system after transmigrating.
However, with the continuously optimized basketball skills from later generations and his basketball literacy from his previous life, the Japanese high school basketball scene was simply easy for him to handle.
He carefully folded the form and put it in his pocket, walking towards the stone bench on the Wako Junior High School pathway.
The summer sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled shadows. As Gu Jin walked onto the tree-lined path, he saw a familiar figure.
Shimamura Yoko sat on the stone bench, holding two bento boxes, her high ponytail gently swaying in the afternoon breeze.
With skin as white as snow, she wore a navy blue sailor-collar school uniform, with a thin white trim winding along the collar. Her deep navy pleated short skirt fell neatly to mid-thigh.
As she moved, it spread slightly, and the hem of the skirt, embroidered with a light gold school emblem, shimmered in the sunlight.
Her pristine white calves extended from beneath the skirt, clad in half-length white cotton socks, tucked into white low-top canvas shoes, tapping gently with her swaying toes, like dancing musical notes.
Absolutely adorable!!!