On the way.
Haruka and Nao Yorihime talked and laughed. Yuuto would occasionally say a few words.
Nao Yorihime acted like a big sister, caring very much about Yuuto.
The problem is.
Yuuto's real age is already thirty-something, close to forty.
Although he has been hanging out with kids since transmigration and had few opportunities to contact society, his life experience is at least level twenty-something.
A little girl acting like a big sister, is she afraid that she can't marry Haruka immediately, now, quickly?
"Too precocious!"
"Yuuto, what did you say?"
"Nothing, let's separate here. Jaa na (See ya)."
Yuuto waved his hand and left, really unable to stand this pair of men and women who completed the unlock at a few years old.
....
During the day.
Yuuto spent most of his time sleeping.
As soon as the dismissal bell rang, he stretched, left the classroom, and walked towards the basketball club.
He came relatively early; at this time, only the geezer coach was in the basketball club.
"Ota, why are you here so early today?" The geezer coach didn't even lift his head.
Ota is the captain of the Homi Basketball Club, a third-year student playing center, and also one of the Four Great Centers of Tochigi Prefecture.
Although the Four Great Centers of Tochigi Prefecture would appear ordinary if placed in the National Tournament, they at least touched the floor of the national level.
After a while.
Not hearing the usual reply, the coach looked up and found it was Yuuto, whom he hadn't seen for a long time.
"Yuuto?!"
"Long time no see, Coach!"
"Y-You, why did you come? Could it be..."
"I'm back!" Yuuto pulled an English phrase with great Jordan style, then added, "I plan to continue playing. Do I need to apply for club membership again?"
"What silly talk. Here with me, you have never left."
Are you kidding?
There are only two team carries; he never agreed that Yuuto could leave.
Over the past year, he tried to persuade Yuuto to return to play many times.
"That's good. Is my locker still that one?"
"Of course. No one has ever moved your locker. Everyone believed you would return."
Tsk!
Watching too much anime does this; even talking has a 2D flavor.
Yuuto complained in his heart, exchanged a few pleasantries, and went to the locker room to change into a set of clothes.
Before long.
The door of the basketball club was opened one after another.
After the members walked in, they all subconsciously repeated one action.
They rubbed their eyes in disbelief.
What did they see?
That Yuuto, who announced his retirement on the spot after finishing last year's National Tournament, actually came back!
And he was wearing training clothes practicing ahead of everyone else.
"Yuuto? You're back?"
"Long time no see, Ota."
Yuuto's return boosted the morale of the basketball club.
After all, this is one of the team's carries. Homi Academy making it to the National Tournament last year was inseparable from Yuuto's outstanding contribution.
Now that he is back, everyone is full of confidence for the upcoming National Tournament.
The only thing not so good is that Yuuto has been away from the court for a while, and no one knows how his condition has recovered.
Hearing their concerns, Yuuto suggested, "Wouldn't we know if we played a game?"
"But is your body really ready?"
Returning to the court is not something that happens overnight.
Even when the mighty Jordan returned back then, he got beaten up.
In 1995, Jordan announced his return to the outside world with a simple yet very classic sentence, "I'm Back!"
At that time, he didn't choose to wear his No. 23 jersey but played wearing the No. 45 jersey.
Because he knew that returning was not something that happened overnight.
In fact.
He only played 17 regular-season games that season and was eliminated early in the playoffs.
Subsequently, he trained frantically for a summer to restore his condition, welcoming his second dynasty and being crowned the GOAT!
So.
The coach and teammates were skeptical about Yuuto's condition.
"Don't have any worries."
"Life has no rehearsals; every second is a live broadcast."
"Just bring it on."
Yuuto was brimming with confidence.
He really came back.
That arrogant and confident pressure monster really came back.
The 20-minute practice match started soon.
The geezer coach, intending to see how much of his condition Yuuto had retained, let him lead the substitutes against the starters.
Yuuto had no objection, turning his head to point at the mushroom head, Sakurai Ryō, in the crowd.
"Give me this mushroom head."
"Are you sure? Do you know how he plays?"
Of course, the coach knew Sakurai Ryō.
A transfer student who came this year, with excellent shooting ability.
However, there were some things about Sakurai Ryō that he couldn't accept.
His shot selection was too outrageous, throwing it out almost without aiming. This was simply messing around.
There aren't that many opportunities to waste in a game.
You know, before becoming the coach of Homi Academy, he was also a professional player, even if only a substitute.
No, precisely because he was only a substitute, he understood that opportunities were hard to come by. No coach could tolerate a substitute shooting wildly and wasting opportunities.
And this guy always looks like a bottom (submissive/timid), looking like a soft egg at first glance.
Look at Yuuto again?
As soon as he came back, he started pointing fingers, not even putting the coach in his eyes much. Too bossy, looking exactly like those franchise stars in the team when he was playing.
This is a real basketball talent.
"His hairstyle looks like he knows how to play ball. No problem, leave him to me."
"Fine, I want to see how you can play with him. Ryō, you go to Yuuto's team."
Hearing the coach, Sakurai Ryō walked over apprehensively.
"Yuuto-classmate..."
"You are very good at shooting three-pointers?"
"It's, it's, it's okay."
"That's good. Where is your 'winning hand' position (sweet spot)?"
Winning hand position is easy to understand; it's the position where the player has relatively high shooting assurance and the highest shooting percentage.
Sakurai Ryō swallowed and said, "Near the 45-degree angle on both sides of the three-point line."
"That's good. When we attack later, you wait at those two positions. Shoot without hesitation as soon as my pass arrives. Can you do it?"
"I... I can!"
Sakurai Ryō also longed to show his ability more.
Last year, Homi Academy broke into the National Tournament for the first time, which surprised the geezer coach greatly, making him trust the starting lineup very much.
A year has passed, the members are more tacit, and their strength is stronger. He won't change the starting lineup easily.
Actually, it's not just Sakurai Ryō who wants to prove himself; the geezer coach also wants to prove his coaching ability.
He had enough of his wife attacking him viciously every time they quarreled, saying, "Who do you think you are? Just a useless, balding middle-aged basketball coach who can't even manage a junior high team clearly."
He wants to let that fat woman in his house know how powerful he is!
He wants to lead Homi Academy to the National Tournament for two consecutive years, or even three years.
He also wants to try being the overlord of Tochigi Prefecture!