Daily Life

Class wasn't that difficult given that Akira graduated from a university just before he died. The only part he struggled a bit with were Japanese and Japanese History. Rinko taught him a bit and Akira did his own studying in his free time, but transitioning from English to Japanese was going to take some getting used to.

Although he prioritized his athletics more than his studies, his chosen career was still to become a teacher so he couldn't neglect them.

Akira: 'Although getting 80+ marks should be enough to get me there, there's no point you don't go for 100.'

And so the rest of the school day went by with Akira diligently studying. He even studied while he ate his lunch which kind of made it hard for his classmates to approach him. Only Rei approached him and talked to him during this time.

When it was time for club activities did Akira finally put down his notes and textbook to go to practice. After arriving at the locker rooms and changing did he go to the first string gym, this time with his weights on, but less heavier to reduce the strain it would take on his body. Although Healthy Body gave him incredible recovery, he couldn't abuse it.

Once the time was 3:30, training drills started. For 45 minutes, the first string members ran, crawled, endured, shot balls, performed layups, passed, and ran some more. Some even looked like they were going to barf, but held it in.

Akira, who was panting hard 15 minutes in, was a bit surprised by the other members. Of course he knew that these drills would be grueling since that's what it would take for a team to stand above the others, but what surprised him was the way everyone else was behaving. It looked like they were all beasts out for blood and only looked towards their prey, not caring about their own wellbeing.

Since everyone would start off serious, he thought that he would be able to see which players played like it was just a club at the end of the drills since pain usually revealed the truth. However, he was shocked to see any change at the end. They all hadn't changed one bit going through the harsh drills.

Akira: 'Could I be losing my touch? No. That's impossible after looking at them with Perfect Vision. Then that would mean...'

He looked up to see all the others members were giving him stares that could kill and it was at this time that Akira understood... the reason for the first strings member's behavior.

Before yesterday, the first string consisted of only second-years and third-years and any first-years making it to that level was unheard of. The first string members all thought that it was impossible, and for one to appear during their time was a major wake-up call. What matters in the club isn't seniority, only winning. As long as a person could help their school win, all bets were off.

When they thought that this rookie could potentially take their spot in the group, they all had chills. They all had the same thought when they felt this.

First-String Members: 'Like hell we're going to let a first-year rookie beat us!'

Akira could only smile at their determination.

Akira: 'A challenge huh? ...Bring it on!'

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After the drills came the practice matches and even if Akira didn't get their attentions during the drills, he definitely would have found out during these games. In four quarter-long matches with random teammates that spanned over an hour, everyone was playing their hardest, especially when they were up against or on the same team as Akira.

However, that didn't stop his momentum and he would deal with every situation he encountered on the court with relative ease. On offense, he would choose the optimal route to lead to an easy score, on defense, he would calmly and quickly react to his opponent while being aware of his surroundings, and if he needed, he would adjust when he the situation called for it. Although he might have less experience as some of the other players, his physique and ability to remain calm under pressure made him stand out.

[A/N: "Akira is actually an all-rounder, but his preferred position is Point Guard as stated in an earlier chapter."]

When matches were finally done, it was free practice time and Akira moved out of the way for the other's still practicing and sit down on the side. With the extra weigh on him, he needed a moment to recover.

???: "Are you done for today?"

Akira looked to his right to see coach Shirogane standing right beside him.

Akira: "...Of course not. I just needed to catch my breath for a second. It's also a good time to get an outside perspective of the other players"

Shirogane: "Is that so."

The both of them took a moment while watching the other practice.

Shirogane: "...I've been thinking about what you said yesterday and I think I have to apologize."

Akira: "Eh?"

Shirogane: "I have no right to tell you how you should live out your life. You are free to play your style of basketball."

Akira tilted his head since he didn't know how to respond.

Akira: "...Thank you?"

Shirogane: "However, there is only one thing that truly matters and something I will not let slide."

He pointed towards the Teiko basketball club's banner that carried the team's motto. It literally meant '100 battles, 100 victories'.

[A/N: "The official translation is 'Ever-Victorious', but I prefer the literal translation instead."]

Shirogane: "And that is victory. As long as the team wins, I have no complaints to the reason why or how you play. Everything else is secondary."

This is the reason why Teiko was such a strong school. Shirogane didn't care if you were a first-year or a third-year, if you were a team player or a solo player. As long as you could be used to bring in win after win and were more helpful in achieving that than your other teammates, you could play in games and behave however you like.

Akira didn't find this surprising at all. He also believed that all teams should prioritize winning over all else and that a certain standard was required. The only people who should play and represent their school are those that can best help achieve victory. Sympathy for the older members should not be a factor is the coach's decisions.

However, there were exceptions to every rule. Akira believed that players who did not treat the game seriously should never be allowed to play in competitions no matter how good they were. Although victory was important, it was not more important than the respect the sport deserved.

Akira: "You don't have to worry about that with me. Although I don't exactly agree with your way of coaching, it doesn't mean that I won't do everything I can for victory. Don't underestimate how serious I can get coach."

Shirogane: "...Is that so."

Another moment of silence between them ensued.

Akira: "...Well. It's time for me to get back to practice. Can't have the others think that I'm already out of gas."

Shirogane just stared as he watched Akira go back to his practice. He was contemplating something in his mind, a gamble, and he was wondering whether or not he should take it.

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Akira's days of school and practice didn't change much from that day forward. Every week day, he would wake up early in the morning for a morning jog before going home, taking a bath, cooking breakfast, and then going to school.

During school time he would spend most of his time studying while occasionally talking with Rei and answering her questions regarding the class lectures. However because of that, he basically became that guy in class where everyone would ask for answers to their school work. He didn't mind helping others, but didn't condone cheating. So he would always refuse requests to copy his assignments.

When it was time for club practice, Akira would start 'competing' with his peers during the training drills and friendly matches, use this time to increase his skills as a point guard and increase his basketball sense. Only during free practice when he was practicing alone would he have some time to himself.

Akira's way of practicing looked very simple at first glance. From an outside's perspective, they would see him dribbling and stutter many times at the 3-point line. From there he would occasionally run up, maybe make some quick maneuvers, and perform different kinds of layups or sometimes just shoot 3-pointers and then dashing for a rebound in case he missed.

However, Akira was actually 'shadow-playing' against an image created by in his mind. Although extremely difficult to actually achieve, he did it after playing numerous tennis matches against Nanjiro. Now he was able to play against Nanjiro when he wasn't available and even use this skill in other sports like basketball.

Referencing some of the players he faced off against in America, he was able to conjure up scenes where he would be against a stronger opponent, be doubled-teamed, or even triple-teamed and setting a time limit for himself to break away and score. He always created difficult, sometimes impossible scenarios for himself, but he was more than used to fighting against an unbeatable opponent.

When it was time to go home, Rei would usually meet him at the school gate and he would walk her home, sometimes taking a detour when she wanted to go somewhere out of the blue and dragging him along.

On the weekends, Akira would usually spend one day to go out to restock on groceries, going into town, play tennis, etc. and spend the other day staying home, taking a break, and calling Rinko since she wanted an update every week. Once in a while Aiko would drop by to check up on him, sometimes with Nanako, and he would do his best to entertain them and reassure them that he was doing fine.

Although his life here was more louder compared to his life in America, Akira felt like he had a nice balance.

---------- A few weeks into the school year ----------

The time for basketball games has finally arrived and everyone was getting a little excited for the practice match tomorrow. After do drills practices matches, the members were told to gather around by coach Shirogane.

Shirogane: "The time has come once again for practice games with the other schools to start. Everyone will have a chance to play in the upcoming matches and your results in these games will affect whether or not you are chosen as a starter for this year's junior nationals. Any questions?"

Everyone straightened their backs when they heard that.

First-String Members: "No Sir!"

Shirogane nodded.

Shirogane: "The following players will come straight after classes to prepare for the game."

He then lifted the clipboard in his hand and began announcing the names.