After days of testing, combined with his stellar math skills from scoring a perfect 100 in second grade, Zack quickly calculated the activation probability of the **[I Am Sakuragi Hanamichi]** badge when grabbing offensive rebounds.
A number that, to Zack, was absolutely *baku-hatsu* (explosive)!
You’re saying 20% doesn’t sound all that impressive?
As someone who’s pulled five SSRs in a row in a certain gacha game, opened three butterfly knives in just 100 CS:GO crates for his buddies, and walks the earth as a living *ō-royalty* (European luck god), let me tell you something you might not believe:
Zack doesn’t even know how to spell "bad luck"!
There can’t *really* be people out there who hit the pity cap every pull or burn through their wallets without a single jackpot, right? Those *hijū* (non-lucky plebs) must be myths!
"On paper, it looks like I’ve only got a 20% chance to trigger this badge," Zack thought humbly to himself. "But with my *jinpin* (character/luck), in a real game, that’s gotta be 99%, easy."
Gotta stay low-key, you know.
Otherwise, in his heart of hearts, Zack was dead certain his odds of triggering the **[I Am Sakuragi Hanamichi]** badge in a real match were 100%. *Zettai* (absolutely)!
New badge acquired, superpower unlocked!
While Zack kept grinding away at his weight loss with *netsu* (burning passion), he also got some great news recently.
The school team’s coaching staff had heard about his *kishikaisei* (comeback from the brink) moment. The head coach of the Demon Deacons, Coach Prosser, called him up right away for a heart-to-heart.
"Kid, listen up. I’m genuinely thrilled for you," Prosser said over the phone. "You might not be a full-scholarship player, but you know me—I treat everyone the same. Keep pushing hard! When the break’s over, I *better* see you hustling in the gym!"
But Zack didn’t take those words at face value.
He knew full well that an NCAA full scholarship was like an NBA max contract—it wasn’t just extra cash; it was a symbol of your status on the team. Generally, scholarship players got more opportunities than walk-ons like him.
Zack figured Prosser was calling him today for one reason: with last year’s seniors graduating, the Demon Deacons were facing a frontcourt crisis heading into the new season.
Right now, the team had only three players over 200 cm tall besides Zack. And of those three? One was "Beast," one was Beast’s backup from last season, Crickster, and the last guy... well, in Zack’s memory, that dude was only *slightly* better than the original owner of this body.
So, whether or not Zack had really dominated Beast in the River Valley Cup like the reports claimed, as long as he was ready to turn over a new leaf, Prosser would treat him like a treasure. After all, college basketball isn’t the NBA—you can’t just trade for reinforcements mid-season. For a college team, if you can’t recruit battle-ready freshmen in the summer, your only option is to dig deep within the roster.
"If I remember right," Zack mused, "the Demon Deacons make it to March Madness the next two years, mostly thanks to Paul, not their frontcourt."
Everyone knows that with a top-tier point guard like Paul on the court, the team’s floor is guaranteed. There’s even a future NBA saying: "With CP3, you don’t choke unless something *really* goes wrong."
Of course, that also applies when Paul *does* choke.
After wrapping up the call with Prosser and analyzing the upcoming season, Zack couldn’t help but feel his future was looking *daikichi* (super auspicious).
"Oh, by the way, Coach," Zack said before hanging up, ever the eager student. "I want to work on my post-up game during the rest of the break. Any tips?"
Prosser chuckled over the phone. "I’ll send you Chris Ellis’s contact info. Knowing you, you probably don’t have ’Beast’s’ number, you shy kid."
Zack nodded silently, taking the blame for "Zack’s" lack of social skills.
"Beast was one of the ACC’s best interior defenders last season," Prosser continued. "I’ll talk to him and make sure he trains with you over the break. He’ll be the perfect test for you. And once I’m done with my schedule, I’ll swing by to coach you in person."
In that moment, Zack finally felt the *makoto* (sincerity) from this legendary college coach. Forget all the empty promises from before—this was the real deal!
What’s the definition of *freaking sincerity*?
Right then and there, Zack made up his mind: when Prosser showed up to coach him, he’d squeeze out a few tears, look him dead in the eye, and drop the ultimate *Slam Dunk* line: "Coach, I want to play basketball!"
Why? Because if he could build a solid relationship with Prosser, the guidance he’d get would save him *decades* of trial and error. *Tōzen da* (obviously)!
But after that day, the former Wake Forest "Beast" fell into a deep depression.
You know how they say smiles don’t disappear—they just transfer?
On the outdoor court, Ellis, who’d been handpicked by Coach Prosser to be Zack’s punching bag, was at a loss. Just a few weeks ago, he was daydreaming about his college career. How did it come to *this*?
Being Zack’s training partner was one thing, but what Ellis *couldn’t* wrap his head around was this: when Coach Prosser made time to check on their training, his eyes... his eyes were only on *that fatty* Zack!
That nimble, infuriating, cunning, and downright *tricky* fatty!
"It’s only been two months, kid, and you’re already giving me *this* many surprises?" Prosser said, beaming with pride after watching Zack’s intense hour-long training session.
Zack, quick on the uptake, squeezed out a couple of tears and gazed at Prosser with heartfelt emotion. "Coach, every time I think about how you never gave up on me, I wanna slap myself for slacking off. I wasted so much time before. But now, all I want to say is... *Coach, I want to play basketball!*"
Absolutely *perfect*!
Who says manga tropes are outdated? This move was straight-up *saikō* (the best)! Chapters fırst released on NoveIꜰire.net
On the court, Prosser looked at Zack with a fatherly smile, clearly moved by this honest, upright young man. "Alright, kid. From now on, I’ll tailor your training to fix your weaknesses. So, what do you say—got enough gas in the tank for another hour?"
Seizing the moment, Zack didn’t hesitate. "I could train all day, Coach!"