"Hi? Yeah, coach Takeuchi told me to come here… Oh, I wait at the door? Got it."
Early that morning, Kota didn't head to Kaijo's gym like usual. Instead, following Takeuchi's instructions, he arrived at a new place:
Shark Gym
And surprisingly… the voice on the phone was a woman. A very nice voice, too.
Leaning against the gym's entrance, Kota stared off in boredom, letting his thoughts wander.
Ever since winning the SInterhigh, his system had simply said: [Mission Complete] …and then nothing.
It still showed his talent panel, sure — but it was dead silent otherwise. He couldn't help but wonder if it had crashed. What if there were no more rewards for beating the Generation of Miracles?
Just as Kota began to spiral into system-related despair, the gym doors opened.
He straightened up, planning to give a polite bow and introduction — Only to freeze on the spot.
"Araki Masako?! What the hell is she doing here? That can't be a coincidence…"
"You're the one Takeuchi mentioned, right? We met briefly during the game. Let me reintroduce myself — Araki Masako."
Araki looked nothing like she did during the tournament. She wore sleek yoga pants and a zip-up jacket — unzipped to reveal a tight training top. Her cool, sharp vibe made her look incredibly put-together and athletic.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Kota. Please take care of me."
He kept it formal, still trying to process the shock.
"It's windy. Come in."
She waved him in and stepped inside first. Kota followed behind her into the facility.
It was early, so the gym was nearly empty — just a few people jogging on treadmills.
Araki led him over to a couch and gestured for him to sit down. She walked over to the water station and poured two cups.
Kota glanced around, still wrapping his head around the fact that Araki was going to be training him.
She returned quickly and set a cup in front of him, then sat down and took a sip.
"Takeuchi said you want to join the national team. Is that right?"
Kota nodded.
"I agreed to help, but I'm going to be straight with you — your static athleticism is terrible. If you want to catch up to the others, it'll take relentless effort.In other words, my training's going to be hell. You better be ready."
Still, Kota nodded firmly.
Araki gave a small approving nod. She stood up.
"Alright. We'll start now. Go change — locker rooms are over there. Oh, one more thing: why do you want to join the national team? Do you love basketball that much?"
Kota hesitated.
Did he love basketball? Of course.
But that wasn't why he wanted to join the national team.
He could stay at Kaijo, enjoy the game, win more titles. He could graduate, find a job, treat basketball like a hobby. He could brag to his coworkers someday:
"Back in high school? Yeah, I was a national champ."
And that would've been fine… But—
He had a system. He got isekai'd into the world he loved. If he didn't do something huge, then what was the point?
"I love it, yeah. But I guess… part of it's just teenage ego."
He smiled faintly, his eyes distant.
They'd beaten Rakuzan in the finals. Beaten the Youth Team in a scrimmage. And still, they picked Akashi?
Because Kaijo had Kise, so the win wasn't his?
What kind of logic was that?
Araki blinked at his answer, studying his face.
Then, without another word, she turned and walked away—leaving only a parting line:
"Change, and meet me in the weight room."
Luckily, in his past life, Kota had done his fair share of working out.
He wouldn't embarrass himself by asking, "Where's the weight room?"
When they met again, Araki had taken off her jacket, revealing her toned frame. But what came out of her mouth… was anything but gentle.
"Squats. Sixty seconds. Go."
Before he could even react, she blew her whistle.
Kota scrambled into position and began his squats.
Araki jotted something down in her notebook as she watched.
60 seconds: 35 squats.
Good for a normal person. But for a competitive basketball player? Average at best. Below standard, honestly.
Before he could even catch his breath, Araki pointed to the bench press.
"Uh… can I rest a bit first?"
Araki didn't even blink.
"Squats and bench press use different muscle groups. You don't need a break. Get on."
No room for negotiation.
With a sigh, Kota lay back on the bench.
"Have you done bench before? What's your max weight?"
He remembered his past-life stats…But decided to re-test everything.
"Never done it."
"Weight?"
"70 kg."
"Too light. Start bulking. For now, we'll begin with 85kg."
"…Excuse me?? Shouldn't we start with my bodyweight?"
Before he could object, Araki had already set up the barbell.
Whistle.
No choice now…
He inhaled sharply, gripped the bar, and lifted.
As the bar came off the rack, the weight hit him like a wall.
He lowered it to his chest, held his breath, then pushed with everything he had.
"…Uh. Miss Masako? Little help here?"
With her assistance, Kota escaped the bench alive.
She scribbled his numbers into the notebook, frowning slightly.
His squat and bench numbers were far below average for a national-level athlete.
No wonder the Youth Team passed on him. His physical foundation was weak.
She didn't put him through more tests after that.
After a short break, she had him start actual training: Weighted squats. Light bench sets.
One hour later, Kota was collapsed on the floor.
Not just tired—ruined.
Araki was still calmly taking notes.
She nudged his leg with her foot.
"Come on. Time to stretch."
Stretch?
Kota perked up. Finally, something easy!
Excited, he scrambled to his feet.Time to stretch, relax, and wrap this hellish day up.
Or so he thought.
"…Miss Masako? Could you explain something to me?"
"Why the hell are we doing stretches on a basketball court?"
"And WHY does this gym have a basketball court?!"