[KNB] Chapter : 13

Logically, Han knew this whole situation didn’t make any sense.

But emotionally?
It felt perfectly reasonable.

Especially when, after his shift, he picked up a bundle of wooden sticks and casually practiced sword strikes—only to find that his technique was, well… ridiculously cool.

“If I ever go broke,” he muttered to himself, “I’m marching straight over to challenge a master swordsman again!”

Yep. This system was seriously busted.
And he was loving every second of it.

While Han was still lost in his delusional daydreams, across the screen, Pan and his viewers were still recovering from the bombshell that was the first episode.

“Yo, this is kinda strength, huh?”
“Which part?”
“Kuroko looks way too average next to these flashy characters.”
“Wasn’t he supposed to have some stealth ability or something?”

Pan noticed the growing chatter in the live comments and jumped in.

“Honestly, it’s not that far off from classic sports anime. Remember how Slam Dunk started? Sakuragi was basically a delinquent idiot who broke the school record for fastest ejection.”

“Kuroko’s role won’t be useless—he’ll probably find a way to blend in and shine on the court later.”

But for now?

The entire game had turned into a Han solo highlight reel.

Not only did he crush the opponent’s ace, but he also rallied his team to victory.

Having Kuroko as a teammate gave him plenty of clean looks, and he took advantage of every one.

At the end, Shirogane recapped the match from a coaching perspective, even name-dropping future monsters like Aomine—but even then, the audience couldn’t get over just how absurd the player stats were.

"Bro, they dropped this kind of heat in just ten minutes?"
"Insane. Just... insane."

As the episode closed, the tone shifted.

We see Kuroko walking home alone under the streetlights, head bowed, his mind replaying the plays of the prodigies he had just witnessed.

His eyes burned with quiet longing.

Just before the ED started, the figures of Han and Akashi Seijuro appeared before him, towering like giants.

A clear signal:
One day, Kuroko would face them—not as a teammate, but as a rival.

A subtle but powerful bit of foreshadowing.

Of course, the audience wasn’t reading too deeply into it yet. After all, it was just the first episode. Kuroko was still in Teiko, and the real story—the second year arc—hadn’t even started.

—

Back at his apartment, Han was in high spirits.

“Let’s check how popular I am right now.”

The Usagi—his lazy system assistant—snapped its paw. A glowing counter appeared in mid-air.

Current popularity: 56,871!

“Whoa... over fifty thousand? Is that a lot?”

To be honest, Han had no clue.
This was his first time in this kind of “protagonist” situation.

"First-time isekai experience, first-time virgin after marriage," he muttered.

“Hey, I must’ve gained a lot just from leeching Kuroko’s screen time!”

With a wave of his hand, the numbers vanished.

He stared up at the ceiling.

“Alright then. Time to draw a prize.”

In this world, popularity wasn’t just vanity—it was currency.
You could use it to unlock abilities, or spend it on lottery draws for bonuses and power-ups.

The next major ability needed 100,000 popularity.
He wasn’t there yet—but since the unlock was based on total accumulated points, he could spend the current 50k freely without delaying his progression.

“How many rolls should I do?”

“All in.”

“Now that’s the spirit,” the Usagi grinned.

It suddenly remembered a meme from when the World Cup began—
That viral clip where some guy yelled, “I’m betting 30 million on Germany!”
Someone replied, “Alright, mad respect!”
Then... the dude jumped off a rooftop.

“Legendary levels of brain damage.”

“Can you not bring up trauma memes during my power-up session?” Han grumbled.

With a roll of his eyes, he launched his first lottery pull.

No rarity system.
No pity counter.
No guarantees.
Worse than the worst gacha scam imaginable.

“Draw complete. Rewards received—”

• Mid-range shooting +1

• Three-point shooting +1

• One bottle of… Energy drink?

Han’s system wasn’t just flashy—it had depth.

Just like in a full-fledged sports RPG, he had a detailed attribute panel.

Everything was there:
Layups, mid-range shots, three-pointers, ball handling, passing, post moves, rebounds, steals, blocks—you name it.

And that wasn’t all.

He also had a separate panel for physical attributes—speed, strength, stamina, focus, vertical jump... even height and wingspan could be improved by spending points.

It was thorough. Almost frighteningly so.

Still, Han didn’t exactly feel a rush of godly power.
After all, a measly +1 to mid-range and three-point shooting didn’t do much—no divine awakening, no NBA highlight reel unlocked.

He casually tossed aside the tonic bottle he’d drawn earlier.

That’s when something else caught his eye—a card glowing faintly gold.

"Golden Character card"

Curious, he tapped on it. A description popped up:

“Behind every leading actor is a gold-medal supporting role who silently elevates the show. Don’t you want your own entourage? (Duration: 1.5 years)”

Entourage...?

“…Wait. You’re saying this card lets me summon a supporting character to act alongside me?”

“Exactly,” the Usagi yawned. “Used properly, it should boost your popularity considerably.”

“But I don’t even know who I’d pick.”

Han’s mind wandered through anime's most iconic supporting stars—Yagami Light, Aizen with the perfect hair, and other S-tier Hollywood-level side characters.

All of them elite. All of them, scene stealers.

Usagi gave him a flat look.

“You think you get to choose? This isn’t a gacha buffet—it’s random.”

“...Alright, alright,” Han sighed.

“So? You gonna use it?”

“Yeah, let’s go for it. I’ve only got a year and a half to shine anyway.”

Without hesitation, Han crushed the card between his fingers.

In the next instant, a blinding golden light erupted in the center of his living room. Even with his sunglasses on, he had to squint through the glow.

Then—
A figure descended slowly through the light…
A woman.

Floating down with eyes closed, like something out of a divine cutscene.

Wait, a woman? Falling from the sky??

Han blinked, disoriented.
Their eyes met.

Then she opened hers—widening with instant recognition.

“Gojo!”

Before he could react, she lunged at him and locked him in a tight, bone-cracking hug.

W-Wait—what the hell?!

System, are you kidding me?! I wanted a co-actor, not a clingy ex-girlfriend!

Why is she already on top of me?!

Struggling to peel her off, Han managed to explain the situation. After a long pause, realization finally dawned on her.

“…So… you’re not Satoru Gojo?”

“Obviously not!”

She eyed him suspiciously.

“No way. That smirk, that lazy face… you look exactly like him. There can’t be two people this punchable.”

Han’s face twitched.

I feel like I’ve just been insulted. And I have witnesses.

But by now, he knew who she was.

Tenriko Riko.

The Star Plasma Vessel from the Jujutsu Kaisen universe.

A girl with a tragic fate—and now, apparently, his sidekick for the next 18 months.