Kuroko no Basket: Honored One

As a fellow Uncrowned King, Hanamiya Makoto didn't like the other four in the group one bit.

Nebuya Eikichi?

A musclehead whose brain was basically filled with crap.

Hayama Kotarō?

A beast who only knew how to press the forward key—no reverse.

Reo Mibuchi?

A flashy diva even more feminine than actual women.

Kiyoshi Teppei?

Hah. Even more useless than the other three. A fake optimist in Hanamiya's eyes.

Toward all four of them, Hanamiya felt nothing but contempt or disdain.

And yet—he had to admit it:

These so-called "colleagues" of his were all top-tier players on a national level.

Getting people that prideful to willingly submit and follow orders?

Not easy.

It was the same with Kirisaki Daiichi—after Tendou had crushed them in every way, they fell in line.

And Akashi? On top of his strength, he had the title of Generation of Miracles to lean on.

Anyone who said he was "just average" was clearly missing a few brain cells.

"So what you're saying is, his seemingly ordinary body hides immense power? That's what you mean, right?"

Furuhashi Kōjirō seemed particularly interested in Akashi.

Even though they didn't share a position, Furuhashi's eyes kept drifting to him uncontrollably.

What could he do?

That kind of aura was impossible to ignore.

"Tendou, what kind of person is Akashi?" asked Yamazaki Hiroshi, unable to hold back his curiosity.

So far, besides Kise Ryōta and Murasakibara Atsushi, most of the other Generation of Miracles had already crossed paths with the Kirisaki Daiichi boys.

But even someone as strong as Aomine hadn't given them the same kind of chill that Akashi just had.

The Kirisaki Daiichi guys could sense it:

Akashi, in some ways, was very close to Tendou.

Not in terms of raw ability, but in commanding presence.

That same oppressive aura… that same natural dominance.

More than anything, Akashi gave off an air of mystery that none of the others had.

"He's the kind of person who's nearly flawless across the board," Tendou replied with respect.

After all, Akashi was the heir to the Akashi Zaibatsu—trained from birth to be elite.

Whether in sports or academics, he had ranked #1 all three years of middle school.

A true embodiment of both brains and brawn.

Under his leadership, Rakuzan had become the most suffocating team in the entire tournament.

Even though he was the shortest member of the Generation of Miracles, it didn't matter.

Akashi, seemingly sensing the attention, glanced Tendou's way as he stepped off the court—and gave him a small, knowing smile.

Tendou didn't react.

But the teammates around him did. Visibly.

"Felt like we were being watched by a lion."

"Well, what can you expect? He's a born ruler. C'mon, let's go eat."

As the game ended, Tendou didn't stick around.

He led his team straight to dinner.

...

Afternoon.

It was Kaijō's turn.

Their opponent was Tokyo's third seed, Izumigamine.

But luck didn't favor the once-powerful squad.

To the gasps of the audience, Kaijō built a 20-point lead by halftime.

Kise Ryōta put on a show: 28 points, 7 rebounds, 10 assists, and 3 steals in just one half.

His all-around brilliance left no weaknesses on display.

His talent—being able to instantly copy what he saw—had fans calling him a once-in-a-generation prodigy.

When he left the court, just like Akashi before him, his eyes found Tendou's.

Because in the Round of 16, Kaijō would face Kirisaki Daiichi.

Unless Kirisaki lost in the first round—something neither Kise nor Kaijō believed was even remotely possible.

As soon as their game ended, they started preparing in earnest for the showdown.

From across the gym, Kise silently mouthed something.

Tendou read his lips perfectly:

"This time, I'm going to beat you."

Confidence?

Overflowing.

Tendou's eyes narrowed slightly.

According to the original anime, Kise's Perfect Copy only began after his match against Tōō Academy.

But now?

Tendou wasn't sure anymore.

His presence in this world might be accelerating the evolution of certain characters.

Day Two of Nationals.

Teams from all over the country began making their appearances.

Kirisaki Daiichi also had a game today.

Tendou only played the first half—scoring 30 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, and 6 steals before subbing out.

Even more complete than Kise's stat line the day before.

"He's just like Kise—flawless in every area."

"Like Kise? You've got it backwards. Kise's the one imitating Tendou."

...

Back at Shūtoku, training for the Winter Cup hadn't stopped.

But they weren't going to miss a single game involving the Generation of Miracles.

"Why so focused on this one?" Takao asked. "Is it just because it's Tendou?"

"That's only part of it," Midorima answered calmly, expression as stern as ever. "Kise and Tendou both play small forward."

"That's kept him in Tendou's shadow… ever since the beginning."

"Huh? In his shadow? What do you mean?"

"Kise's not just a player or a student—you know he's a model too, right?"

"Yeah, I've heard of that. Some girls at our school are crazy about him."

"Tendou's a model too."

"…What?"

That caught Takao completely off guard.

"Not surprising you didn't know. Tendou doesn't take modeling seriously. Only shoots when he's in the mood."

"Even so, he's more popular than Kise. Back at Teikō, in the school's popularity ranking—Tendou was #1. Kise was #2."

"…There was a popularity ranking?!"

Now the Shūtoku guys got it.

This wasn't just about getting outplayed in a match.

This was complete suppression—socially, athletically, even stylistically.

To some, Kise almost seemed like a copy of Tendou Kageyoshi.

"He doesn't talk about it, but everyone knows Kise's always wanted to beat Tendou."

Midorima thought back on everything he'd witnessed.

The road to challenging Tendou had shaped Kise's growth.

And it never stopped.

...

BZZZT—

The final buzzer sounded.

Kirisaki Daiichi's opponent hadn't caused them any trouble.

Tendou played the first half to stay warm, then shifted back into his role as young head coach, guiding the team to a clean win in the second half.

"Thanks for the match!"

Players exchanged bows on the court, and off to the side, Tendou shook hands with the opposing coach.

From point guard to coach, Tendou Kageyoshi had now officially taken control of every role on a championship team.