Chapter 006: Effort and Sweat Mission: "Try Not to Miss"!
Something's off.
Nine out of ten things feel wrong.
As Mirai sprinted across the court, his body instinctively followed the players ahead while his mind remained fixated on the moment after the practice match when they shook hands with their opponents.
Could someone please tell him...
That buzz-cut ace from Seiei Middle School who scored as effortlessly as slicing vegetables before being substituted?
True, when they shook hands, the guy did look somewhat familiar. Once they exchanged names, it suddenly clicked—if that buzz-cut were to grow out proportionally into spiked hair, it would be a perfect match!
Sendoh Akira!
What the hell?
Where exactly has he ended up?!
Mirai: "..."
Now, based on current information...
Sendoh Akira is in his second year of middle school, just like me. If we extrapolate from this, might Sawakita Eiji also be in second year? And could Maki and Fujima be in third year...?
Moreover, Sawakita Eiji—whose basketball skills far surpass his peers and who defeated his father, the slam dunk world's top power, right after entering middle school—if memory serves, wasn't he also from Tokyo during his middle school years?
Thinking it through carefully, Sawakita's basketball talent was only discovered by the reigning high school basketball champions, Akita's "Sannoh Industry," when he was about to enter high school. We can speculate about his origins based on the fact that he played against Sendoh in middle school, and that Ryonan's coach, Taoka Moichi, mentioned bringing Sendoh from Tokyo to Kanagawa.
This might not be entirely accurate, but the probability is high.
Furthermore, the fact that his "talent was only discovered in high school" suggests that Sawakita's middle school team probably wasn't nationally renowned. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had to wait until nearly entering high school to be noticed.
The reason for this lack of fame was likely because his basketball skills had already far exceeded his peers. So much so that when he first entered middle school, he got beaten up for looking down on seniors whose skills were inferior to his. For similar reasons, there's Kagami Taiga—whom many Kuroko's Basketball fans overlook—who made a cameo in Kuroko's Teiko flashback arc. He actually returned to Japan in his third year of middle school but didn't participate in basketball that final year because he similarly looked down on the team's level.
But this is Kuroko's Basketball we're talking about...
Unlike Kagami, who returned from abroad and knew nothing about middle school basketball levels, Sawakita is native-born. As a basketball fanatic, he probably wouldn't be unaware of the Generation of Miracles' significance like Kagami was.
Chaotic...
So chaotic.
But regardless...
Due to the era of his creation, Sawakita Eiji—Slam Dunk's world number one—with his 90s old-school style, would probably have to take a backseat here for that reason alone.
One thing is certain...
He's not the primary target.
Talent.
In Kuroko's Basketball, it's like an unbridgeable chasm.
Those with strangely colored hair are the most formidable.
Just like my own white hair!
Take Himuro Tatsuya for example—with his gorgeous and exquisite techniques, his skills have reached levels close to the Generation of Miracles. However, limited by innate talent, he remains merely at the level of a prodigy, unable to enter the ZONE, forever incapable of surpassing mortal limits.
Because here, it's all about the special abilities!
...
Returning home in the evening and finishing a simple dinner, Mirai lay down on his bed. Only then did he calm his mind and carefully study the "Effort and Sweat System" in his thoughts.
'Introduce yourself?'
'...'
The prolonged silence made Mirai scratch his head awkwardly.
'System?'
Bzz~!
It seemed only these two words could elicit a response from the system panel, forcing Mirai to explore the interface on his own.
First...
The video-style panel in the center, featuring the "Almost Never Airballs" video material, had changed since his first encounter. The cover had transformed from "text" to "visuals," depicting himself wearing the number 12 jersey during today's match. Simultaneously, the three small characters "Pending Playback" in the bottom right corner had changed to "Played."
He clicked to play.
The content was a highlight reel from his performance in today's match, with no reappearance of the "Advance On-Demand" prompt. Clenching his fist, he noticed none of the physical changes he had experienced during the game. He had anticipated this, as the system had previously indicated that "Advance On-Demand" was limited to the "first five minutes of the initial playback."
In other words...
This thing was a one-time use.
Seeing this, Mirai frowned slightly.
Although it was initially triggered by the system detecting "confirmation of official match participation," the frequency of activation remained entirely uncertain...
If there was no "on-demand" feature in the next match, wouldn't he revert to being ordinary?
As if reading Mirai's thoughts...
Bzz~!
[Effort and Sweat Mission]
[Strive to Avoid Airballs: In the future, through dedication and hard work, you have become an exceptional three-point shooter. But for now, you remain merely skilled at airballs. Follow the "Played" video material and practice diligently to soon become a better version of yourself.]
[Make 1,000 Video Standard Three-Pointers]
[Expected Effort and Sweat Outcome: Average game three-point shooting accuracy of 45%]
Mirai: "..."
From "Almost Never Airballs" to "Strive to Avoid Airballs"...
So that's how it is...
This is what "Advance On-Demand" means.