The day of the club recruitment festival finally arrived. According to Kaito-senpai, this was a big event at our school—like a mini festival. Classes ended early, students roamed freely, and every club set up flashy booths to attract new members.
"Dirga!" a familiar voice called.
I turned around. There he was—Buddha himself.
"Ah, Rikuya-senpai! You've already set up the booth?" I asked as I jogged over.
Our basketball club's booth was simple, but thanks to Rikuya-senpai's help, it looked lively—banners, flyers, and even a makeshift mini-hoop for free throws. The school park, where all the booths were gathered, wasn't large, but it had charm with its trimmed grass and sakura trees lining the path.
"You two got here early?" Kaito asked, panting and sweating like he'd just sprinted across the school.
"I just arrived," I said. "This is all thanks to Rikuya-senpai."
"Thank you, Senpai," Kaito added with a bow.
"It's nothing. I'm just doing my job as a teammate," Rikuya replied calmly.
Man, he really shines. I half expected to see golden light glowing behind his bald head. Every time he spoke, it felt like I should bow and offer incense. Is this what meeting a deity feels like?
As the three of us made final adjustments to the booth, I opened a mental window.
[System, do you have a name? Calling you "System" feels weird.]
[Host may call me "Echo."]
Nice. That was way cooler.
[Echo, how many times can I use Inspect per day? Can I use it on anyone?]
[You may use Inspect five times per day. Outside of official games, it will only show the overall rating.]
Good to know. I needed to save those scans for potential star players.
One of my side quests was to recruit a player with at least a B rating and also find a manager. That part made me nervous. Most sports club managers were girls, and, well...
In my past life, I died a virgin. No kisses. No hand-holding. Not even a forehead touch. The idea of asking a girl to join our club made my soul want to self-destruct.
I accidentally screamed.
"What happened?!" Kaito jumped, and Rikuya looked at me like I was a ghost floating above my own corpse.
"Ah—sorry, senpai," I muttered, cheeks burning.
To save face, I grabbed some flyers and club application forms. "I'll go promote around the booths!" I said, bowing quickly before power-walking away.
So embarrassing. So, so embarrassing.
"Embarrassed about what?" a calm female voice asked from beside me.
I jumped like I'd been caught committing a crime.
The girl blinked, confused. She wore glasses and had a serious, mature face—the kind of woman who looked like she read legal documents for fun. Definitely an upperclassman. She gave off major class rep or student council vibes.
"Are you okay?" she asked again.
"I-I'm fine. Uh... would you like to join our basketball club?" I thrust a flyer and application form at her like I was surrendering in war.
She raised an eyebrow. "Is there a girls' team?"
"Ah, n-no. But we're looking for a manager. I'm Dirgantara Renji, first-year."
"Hm. You assumed I was a senpai. Do I really look that old?"
Oh no. That was the wrong answer.
She smirked. "I'm Ayaka Minazuki. And for the record, I am a second-year. But still... ouch."
"Sorry!" I said, bowing so fast my head nearly snapped off.
"Well, take care, Dirga. I'm part of the student council. Just doing my patrol." She gave a small wave. "See you around."
I nodded, frozen in place. Why was talking to women so hard in this body? I didn't remember being this awkward before puberty hit me like a truck.
After I managed to calm down, I walked around the event, handing out flyers and scanning the crowd for potential players. My past experience playing in Europe had trained my eye. I could spot raw talent by the way someone moved—the way they carried themselves.
Ten minutes later, I saw a boy who caught my attention. He didn't look flashy, but there was something in his posture. He walked like he had rhythm, balance, and control.
Before I could approach him, he turned to me.
"Hi! I'm Taiga Okabe. Can I get an application form for the basketball club?"
Oh? This was too easy.
"Of course! Want to follow me back to the booth?"
As we walked, I scanned him.
Nice! He fit the quest requirement. Solid base stats too.
"Yeah, let's head over."
When we reached the booth, I introduced him.
"Senpai, this is Taiga. He wants to join."
"Welcome!" Kaito grinned.
Taiga's eyes widened as he looked up at Rikuya.
"Whoaaaa... he's HUGE! What do I gotta do to get that big?!"
Rikuya paused and gave his usual monk-like answer. "Train."
Just one word. So stoic. So powerful.
"I'm in. I'm training with Buddha-senpai."