Score: 84-89
"Let's end this match on a good note!" Sora called out to his teammates, his voice hoarse but determined. "One more basket! Let's show them we never quit!"
Chiba heard him and smiled despite himself. "You heard him, team! Don't let Kurumatani score! Not one more basket!"
The respect between the two was evident—this wasn't trash talk anymore. This was competitors pushing each other to their limits.
Tokiwa brought the ball up, his movements more deliberate now. Chiaki's defense had been suffocating, reading every tendency.
Time to change it up, Tokiwa thought.
He executed a sharp crossover, his footwork perfect. For just a moment, he created separation from Chiaki—
And drove past him.
"Got you!" Tokiwa thought triumphantly.
But Chiaki's hand shot out from behind, stripping the ball cleanly without fouling.
"Nice try," Chiaki said with a grin. "But you're still too predictable."
The loose ball bounced toward Nabe, who grabbed it awkwardly.
"CHIAKI!" Nabe shouted, trying to pass to the older Hanazono.
But the pass was terrible—too high, too much spin. It sailed over Chiaki's outstretched hand and directly into Kento Sawa's waiting arms.
"Thank you!" Sawa said sarcastically, already in perfect position to score.
He went up for the layup—
The ball hit the rim, rattling around.
Chiba immediately positioned himself for the rebound, his instincts and experience on full display. He timed his jump perfectly.
Momoharu watched in admiration. His positioning is incredible. Even his rebound timing is elite-level.
But Momoharu had something Chiba didn't—pure athletic explosion.
He jumped even higher than Chiba, his vertical leap on full display. At the peak of his jump, he snatched the ball with both hands, ripping it away from Chiba's grasp.
"YEAH!" Momoharu roared.
Sora was already sprinting up court, his legs screaming in protest but his mind focused. Momoharu will get the rebound. I need to be ready.
He took three steps—
His right calf seized up completely.
The cramp was instantaneous and excruciating. Sora went down hard, collapsing to the floor as his muscle spasmed violently.
"SORA!" Momoharu's shout carried across the court.
TWEET!
The referee immediately called a stoppage.
The entire Kuzuryu bench rushed onto the court. Madoka was there first, the trainer right behind her.
"Don't move!" the trainer instructed, already working on Sora's cramping calf. "Your muscle is in complete spasm."
Tears streamed down Sora's face—not from pain, but from frustration. His body had finally, completely given out.
"I can... I can still play," Sora gasped through gritted teeth.
"No," the trainer said firmly. "You physically can't. Your leg won't respond even if you try."
Momoharu knelt beside him. "Sora, you gave everything. It's okay—"
"It's not okay! We're only down five! We can still—"
Another spasm wracked his calf. Sora cried out in pain.
The referee approached. "Can the player continue?"
The trainer shook his head. "No. He needs to be substituted immediately."
Sora looked at the scoreboard through blurry eyes: 84-89, with 3:47 remaining.
So close. They'd been so close.
"Sub me in," Chiaki said quietly to Momoharu. "I'll finish what he started."
But even as Sora was helped off the court—his debut game ending not with glory but with his body's complete failure—he'd already proven everything he needed to prove.
Without Sora, Kuzuryu's offense sputtered. Chiaki did his best, running the point brilliantly and finding open teammates, but the shooting just wasn't there.
Yasuhara missed two open threes.
Nabe missed a wide-open layup.
Even Momoharu, exhausted from guarding Chiba for forty minutes, couldn't convert inside.
Meanwhile, Shinmaruko executed perfectly, their experience and depth showing. They extended the lead methodically.
[FINAL SCORE: 84-96, Shinmaruko High Wins]
Sora sat on the bench, his cramped leg wrapped in ice, watching his teammates line up to thank Shinmaruko for the game.
Chiba approached him directly, extending his hand.
"Kurumatani," the captain said with genuine respect. "Thank you for making us give 100 percent. We didn't hold back, and neither did you."
Sora took his hand, wincing as another minor spasm ran through his calf. "Thank you, Chiba-senpai. Your team... taught us what real basketball looks like."
Chiba smiled. "You know, I was a short player in middle school too. About 165 cm. I experienced similar problems—coaches who wouldn't play me, teammates who doubted me, people who said height was everything."
"Really?" Sora's eyes widened.
"Really. I know exactly what you went through. Being told you can't play because of your size, watching from the bench while less skilled players got your minutes." Chiba's expression was earnest. "But your performance today... you've proven that shorter players can positively impact basketball. You've shown everyone watching that heart and skill can compete with size."
Sora managed a weak smile. "Chiba-senpai... what did you eat to get so tall? I need to know."
Chiba burst out laughing. "Meat! Lots and lots of meat! And vegetables. And sleep. Basically, I took care of my body during my growth spurt years."
The Shinmaruko coach approached, his expression thoughtful.
"Kurumatani," he said seriously. "I've coached basketball for twenty years. I've seen hundreds of talented players. What you showed today—that offensive arsenal, that court awareness, that refusal to quit—I've rarely seen anything like it."
He paused, choosing his words carefully.
"Offensively, you might compete for the number one guard spot in all of Japan. Your shooting, your fakes, your ability to create—it's elite level. Work on your defense, get stronger, and you could play for any school in the country."
Sora's eyes widened. "Really?"
"Really. You're special, kid. Don't ever let anyone tell you different."
----
The Kuzuryu team sat in exhausted silence. Despite the loss, there was no sense of defeat—only pride in having fought to their absolute limits.
Sora lay on a bench, his leg finally recovering from the cramps. The trainer had wrapped it in ice, helping the muscle relax.
Momoharu broke the silence. "We lost. But damn, what a fight."
"Fifty-four points," Yasuhara said in awe. "Kurumatani scored fifty-four points before he cramped."
"On ridiculous efficiency," Nabe added, looking at the stat sheet Madoka had brought.
Chiaki nodded. "Kid barely missed. That's the craziest shooting performance I've ever seen."
Madoka entered the locker room, carrying the official stat sheet. Her eyes were still red from crying.
"I thought you'd want to see this," she said, handing it to Sora.
Sora stared at the numbers. seventy-four points on 71.4% shooting from the field. 62.5% from three-point range.
In a loss.
In his first real game ever.
"You scored more than half our points," Momoharu said quietly. "On insane efficiency. Against the number five team in the prefecture."
"And still lost," Sora said bitterly.
"No." Madoka's voice was firm. "You showed everyone that Kuzuryu High basketball is alive. That we can compete. That we deserve respect."
She was right. As the team filed out of the locker room, other players from different schools were waiting in the hallway, watching them with new eyes.
This wasn't the team of delinquents anymore.
This was a team with a monster offensive player.
---
That Night - Sora's Apartment
Sora lay in his futon, his body aching everywhere. But he couldn't sleep—his mind was racing.
The system interface appeared.
[Game Complete: Shinmaruko Practice Match]
[Final Stats:] [Points: 74] [Field Goal %: 71.4%] [Three-Point %: 62.5%]
[Quest Complete: Make a Statement]
[Objective: Score 40+ points - ACHIEVED (74 points)]
[Reward: Skill Enhancement Module (Random) - OBTAINED]
[Bonus Quest: Win the Shinmaruko Match - FAILED]
[Bonus Reward: Forfeited]
[Additional Rewards Available:]
[Newbie Package: 10 Attribute Points - UNCLAIMED]
[Newbie Package: Skill Training Scroll (Basic) x3 - UNCLAIMED]
[Team Building Quest: Normal Tier Draw Ticket x1 - UNCLAIMED]
Sora sat up, wincing at the pain. "I completely forgot about these rewards..."
He'd been so focused on the game that he'd forgotten to use the resources from his initial package.
First, he used the three Basic Skill Training Scrolls.
[Use Skill Training Scroll (Basic)?] [Select Skill to Train]
"Perfect Fakes," Sora decided.
[Training Scroll Applied: Perfect Fakes]
[Skill Proficiency Increased]
He used the second scroll.
"Barrier Jumper."
[Training Scroll Applied: Barrier Jumper]
[Skill Proficiency Increased]
And the third.
"Mirage Shot."
[Training Scroll Applied: Mirage Shot]
[Skill Proficiency Increased]
"Now for the attribute points..."
He thought about the game—how he'd been targeted on defense, how his body had failed him in the crucial moments, how his stamina had run out.
[Current Attributes (After Himuro/Hyūga Integration):]
Physical Attributes:
Speed: 83
Stamina: 88
Strength: 50
Jumping: 79
Running: 90
He made his decision.
[Allocating Attribute Points:]
[Stamina: +5 (88 → 93)]
[Strength: +5 (50 → 55)]
[Confirmation Required]
"Confirm," Sora said.
Immediately, he felt warmth spreading through his body. His muscles, which had been screaming in agony, felt slightly less damaged. His core felt more solid, more capable of absorbing contact.
"Now for the draw ticket..."
He activated the Normal Tier Draw.
The wheel appeared, spinning rapidly. Players from Slam Dunk and Kuroko no Basket flashed by.
The wheel slowed.
CLICK.
[Congratulations!]
[You have obtained: Normal Tier Player - Shinji Koganei]
[From: Seirin High School (Kuroko no Basket)]
[Position: Small Forward]
[Specialty: Three-Point Shooting, Team Defense]
[Player Profile: Shinji Koganei]
[Role: Reliable role player, defensive specialist]
[Known for: Corner three-point shooting, help defense, team communication]
[Abilities Available:]
Primary Physical Enhancements:
Stamina: +12 Strength: +8 Speed: +5
Skills:
Corner Specialist (Elite corner three-point shooting)
Help Defense Positioning
Offensive Rebounding Instincts
Quick Hands (Improved steal ability)
Additional Attributes:
Three-Pointer: +3
Steal: +4
Offensive Rebound: +6
Defensive Positioning: +7
[SPECIAL BONUS DETECTED]
[Effect: Improved Growth Potential]
[Height Growth Ceiling: 155 cm → 170 cm]
[Integrate immediately?]
Sora's eyes widened as he read the last line. "My height... can reach 170 cm?!"
He'd always been told he'd max out around 155-160 cm. But 170 cm? That was... that was normal height for a guard!
"YES! INTEGRATE!" Sora shouted, jumping up from his futon despite his exhausted body.
He immediately regretted it as his cramped leg protested, but the pain didn't matter.
170 CM!
He could grow to 170 cm!
The knowledge flooded in—Koganei's training methods, his dedication to building a strong core and maintaining excellent conditioning. Years of proper nutrition, proper rest, proper training that maximized growth potential.
And more importantly, the physical changes:
[Integration Complete: Shinji Koganei - 100%]
[Updated Physical Attributes:]
[Stamina: 93 + 12 = 105]
[Strength: 55 + 8 = 63]
[Speed: 83 + 5 = 88]
[Three-Pointer: 118 + 3 = 121]
[Steal: 93 + 4 = 97]
[HEIGHT GROWTH POTENTIAL UNLOCKED]
[Current Height: 149 cm]
[New Maximum Potential: 170 cm]
[Note: Growth requires proper nutrition, rest, and training]
Sora was jumping up and down now, ignoring the pain completely.
"170 CM! 170 CM! I CAN BE 170 CM!"
His teammates probably thought he was insane, but he didn't care.
All his life, people had told him he'd always be too short. That he'd never grow tall enough to compete.
But now? Now he had a chance.
Twenty-one more centimeters. Over the next few years, with the right training, the right nutrition—he could grow to a normal height!