Ramen

"Both teams, come to the middle," Takeshi called out, stepping into the court's center like a seasoned referee.

Even with pain seeping through every muscle fiber, Dirga limped to the middle with his teammates. His legs were shaking, his calves stiff and sore, but he refused to show it. A part of him wanted to collapse, but pride wouldn't allow it.

Across from him stood Toyonaka's starting five. They were bruised but proud. The handshake line was quiet. No gloating. No bitterness.

As Dirga reached Masaki King, their hands met. For a second, the gym vanished. Only the two of them existed—two monsters in the making, staring each other down.

"Good game," Masaki said, voice calm but weighty. "I won't lose again from here on out."

"Then bring everything you've got," Dirga replied.

Their rivalry had been reborn.

In his previous life, Masaki was his teammate—a powerhouse who carried Toyonaka through thick and thin. But here and now, they stood on opposite sides of the court, bound by fate but separated by ambition.

Dirga knew exactly why Horizon had won. He'd picked apart Toyonaka's predictable defense. After all, he was once part of it. Their rigid formation, their over-reliance on man-to-man coverage, their weak help rotations—they were all exposed.

"You've got a hell of a guard," Reina said, approaching Coach Tsugawa with a firm nod.

"You've got a monster in the paint," Tsugawa answered, glancing at Masaki.

A brief moment of mutual respect passed between them. Then they parted ways, already planning rematches in their heads.

—

Back in Toyonaka's locker room, silence fell like a thick fog.

"I'm sorry," Yuto point guard, said, bowing his head. "I should've called better plays. I was too easy to read."

"No, it's on me," Haruto Senda, the towering center the captain, muttered. "Their center bullied me down low. I couldn't stop him."

"I couldn't hold their point guard," Daichi added, his voice quiet. "He cut through me like I wasn't there."

The blame bounced around the room, no one wanting to let the others carry it alone.

Then Masaki stepped forward.

"It's fine," he said simply, voice low but filled with quiet conviction. "We'll win next time."

His words weren't loud. But they hit hard. There was fire in his eyes, a determination that hadn't been there at the start of the game. Masaki had awakened.

Even Reina the coach blinked, surprised. The new guy had more fire than most of the regulars.

"…Is that so?" she muttered, folding her arms. "Then double punishment drills tomorrow. You all better start matching his energy."

"Yes, coach!"

Their voices rang out, stronger than before.

—

Meanwhile, the Horizon team trudged toward Tsugawa's car, all looking like survivors of a warzone.

"Dirga, are you okay?" Saya asked gently, noticing his awkward gait.

"Yeah," Dirga grinned weakly. "Just… some cramps."

That was a lie. His entire body was on fire. Every inch hurt.

[System Alert: Host advised to use Injury Reducer]

[Use item? Confirm?]

[Confirmed.]

A surge of cold ran through his veins as the system-administered dose spread across his muscles. The pain dulled, like ice on fire. Not gone, but manageable.

[Warning: Continued overuse of "Flow" during peak performance moments will result in long-term injury. Caution advised.]

Dirga sighed. The system was right. He had overused Flow. Again. But how could he not? Losing wasn't an option.

The inside of Tsugawa's car smelled like the aftermath of a sauna. Rei was face-down against the window. Haruto was drooling on Taiga's shoulder, who didn't even notice because he was dead asleep. Even Rikuya looked like someone who had just completed military boot camp.

"Okay, guys! We're here. Wake up!" Saya said, turning around from the passenger seat.

"Raaaameeeennn!" Taiga shot up like a possessed demon craving salvation.

"Food…" Rikuya groaned with zombie-like focus.

They all shuffled out, blinking under the fluorescent streetlights. In front of them stood a small but stylish ramen shop.

The sign?

"YEAHHHH!!! RAMENNN!!!"

"What kind of name is that?" Dirga blinked.

Then, the shop's doors burst open.

"Yo," Tsugawa grinned, already in a ramen chef uniform. "Welcome to my domain."

The place was shockingly clean and modern—sleek black walls, neon lights, and open kitchen counters. A small screen above the counter displayed order numbers in green digital text. Very un-2009.

"You guys ordering or what?"

"Miso butter, large!"

"Shoyu with extra egg!"

"Same but extra noodles!"

Tsugawa's eye twitched with every new request.

"You little freeloaders are gonna bankrupt me."

Dirga chuckled. The team wasn't shy anymore.

One by one, hot steaming bowls of ramen came out. Golden broth, thick chashu slices, soft-boiled eggs with golden yolks—it was heaven in a bowl.

"Itadakimasuuuu!"

They dug in like starving beasts.

Dirga tasted his first sip of broth. Instant bliss. The fatigue, the soreness, the doubts—they melted away.

"You made this?" Rei asked, mouth still half-full.

Tsugawa scoffed. "What, you think I run a fake shop for aesthetic?"

Even Hiroki, normally silent, gave a quiet "Sugoi…" under his breath.

"Just eat. Don't expect free meals every time," Tsugawa added, arms crossed.

"Awwwwww…"

A chorus of pitiful groans echoed through the shop.

"…But if you make it to the quarterfinals in the tournament, I'll treat you again."

"LET'S GOOOOO!!!"

You could feel morale skyrocket. Their spirit gauges hit 100%.

As bowls emptied, Sayaka cleared her throat and brought everyone back to reality.

"There are three major high school tournaments in Japan. Our next target is the Spring Tournament."

She laid it out:

Spring Tournament (Haruko Cup): The most prestigious, with nationwide attention.

Autumn Tournament: More of a training ground. Less intense, only regional.

Winter Cup: The final battleground for third-years. Many skip it to focus on entrance exams.

"All three begin with prefectural qualifiers. For us, that's Osaka."

She glanced around. Everyone was still eating but listening.

"The Spring Tournament begins in a month. We've already registered. Now, we wait for brackets."

"Starting the day after tomorrow," Tsugawa said, "we go full throttle. Practice, training matches, everything."

"Tomorrow's a rest day, though, right?" Rei asked, hopeful.

"Yes. Rest well," Tsugawa said. "Because hell's coming the day after."

"Understood!"

They said it with mouths full of noodles.

As the others joked and bantered, Dirga leaned back, letting the warmth from the ramen spread through him—then froze.

[Quest Complete!]

Main Objective: Win the Game – COMPLETE

Rewards Unlocked:

Choose 1 Rare Skill or 2 Common Skills +2 Attribute Points

Dirga narrowed his eyes.

"Let's see what you've got for me this time."

[Skill Selection – Host Preference: Physical/Endurance Focus Detected]

Common Skills:

– Body Control: Enhances balance, driving control, and landing stability.

– High Motor: Passive stamina regeneration (approx. 10%).

Rare Skill:

– Endless Drive: Burst stamina regen for 4–6 minutes. Reduced stamina cost for actions. After effect: severe fatigue, delayed recovery.

"Tempting…"

But Dirga shook his head. Endless Drive sounded like a double-edged sword, especially with "Flow" already taxing him hard. He needed consistency—not more burnouts.

[Selected: Body Control + High Motor]

[Skill Integration in Progress…]

Next, the stat bonus.

[Choose: +1 to two attributes of your choice, +1 to two random attributes, or +2 to one random]

"Let's gamble again."

[+1 to Defense, +1 to Physical]

"Nice," Dirga muttered, nodding.

He was slowly climbing the ladder. Just a few more steps, and he'd be a beast again.

…

Name : Dirgantara renji

Age : 15

Height : 172 cm

Weigh : 70 KG

System level : High School

Quest : -

Item : Training bosster x 1

Skill :

Flow ( rare) :

Enter a "flow state" where physical attributes increase by 50% to 200% depending on game pressure. Duration and intensity scale with stress.

Body Control ( common) :

Helps with balance and coordination when driving, landing, or absorbing contact.

High motor ( common) :

Slight stamina regeneration during gameplay

Attributes :

Inside Scoring : C -

Shooting : C+

Playmaking : B

Defense : D

Physical : C +

Mentality : A

…

Dirga looked around the ramen shop—his team laughing, bickering, and already talking about bracket predictions.

One match down.

A hundred more battles to go.