Kuroko no Basket: Honored One

Soon, Tendou and Momoi arrived at the shoot location with his agent.

Why was Momoi there?

Because it was summer break and she was bored.

Her childhood friend had finally gotten serious after that big loss, and he didn't need her fussing over him anymore.

So, left with nothing better to do, Momoi decided to go hang out with Tendou.

When she heard he was going to a commercial shoot, curiosity got the better of her, and she tagged along.

"Is shooting hard?" she asked.

"Depends," Tendou replied casually. "Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't. Depends on me."

He smugly adjusted his signature starlight shades.

He wasn't an actor—he just modeled.

Most of the work involved posing for photos or short videos.

As long as he struck the right expressions, the camera loved him, and the job went smoothly.

"Oh…" Momoi nodded, half understanding.

But she felt validated—clearly, following Tendou around today had been the right choice. This was already interesting.

Soon, they pulled up to a plaza and got out of the car.

The commercial director immediately rushed over.

"Tendou-kun, please sign this for me!"

He handed over a Teikō jersey.

"Our school doesn't sell official merchandise," Tendou noted.

"Heh, this one's custom-made."

Indeed, neither Teikō nor Kirisaki Daiichi sold jerseys, but the director had his own plan in mind.

He fully believed Tendou would become a basketball superstar one day.

And when that happened, this autographed jersey? It'd be worth a fortune.

So what if the schools never sold official kits?

He could just say it was one of Tendou's game-worn jerseys. Who could prove otherwise?

As long as the signature was real, that was all that mattered.

After all, a 1998 Michael Jordan jersey had once sold for over 10 million dollars.

The director didn't expect that kind of insane profit, but if Tendou eventually made it to the NBA—or even just became a national team player—this piece would definitely become valuable.

He was confident. Fans were too.

Everyone believed Tendou had a bright future ahead.

Tendou saw right through the man's intentions, but didn't mind.

With a flourish, he signed it.

He didn't bother writing any inspirational message, but the director was thrilled anyway and carefully stored the jersey away.

Then he started explaining the commercial concept.

"It's nothing complicated. You and the female lead are a couple, sitting at home watching TV. You keep fighting over the remote, until eventually you give up and use the split-screen function."

"…There's a female lead?"

"Yep! Because of how photogenic you are, we even found a professional model to pair with you. Don't worry, it's easy."

Tendou shrugged. Whatever.

They chatted for a bit longer.

Meanwhile, the crew tried to contact the actress.

Unfortunately, bad news arrived: she'd been injured on her way to the shoot and was still in the hospital. She definitely couldn't film today.

"So… reschedule?" Tendou asked.

"No can do," the director replied with a scowl.

"This commercial is on a tight deadline. It has to be finished today—we're airing it next week."

Even if it was just a short 30-second spot, post-production still took time.

They needed to finish filming ASAP so they could deliver it to the sponsor for approval.

And if the client wasn't happy?

More revisions. More headaches.

He was about to find someone else to stand in—

When his eyes landed on Momoi, who was curiously glancing around and chatting closely with Tendou.

He walked straight up to her.

"Young lady, ever tried acting?"

"Huh?" Momoi froze. "W-What do you mean?"

"A commercial! Our actress can't make it today. Want to give it a try? It's super simple!"

He launched into a pitch, trying to sell her on the idea.

After all, she looked great—and best of all, the pay would be dirt cheap.

The sponsor had already paid.

The injured model wouldn't be coming, which meant they didn't have to pay her fee.

Momoi was a total rookie—but she had the looks.

So if he paid her 3,000 yen per hour, it'd be a steal. The original model's rate was 10,000 per hour. That's a 3x savings.

Tendou chimed in too.

"Didn't you say you wanted to try something new?"

"…Alright, I'll try it," Momoi said, after a moment of hesitation.

With that, she was quickly whisked away for makeup and contract signing.

"Director, should we change her clothes?"

"Clothes? No need. What she's wearing is perfect—I want authenticity."

The director was clearly pleased with Momoi's youthful glow and adorable style.

This was exactly the type that otaku guys loved.

No costume needed. Just shoot her as she is.

...

The filming began.

A living room set.

Tendou and Momoi sat side by side on a couch, watching a TV mounted on the wall, which was playing a romantic drama.

Tendou reached out and grabbed the remote.

"Cut! Tendou-kun, be more gentle. Don't be so aggressive with girls—be softer."

Tendou nodded. Got it.

Take two.

This time, he cautiously reached over and tried to gently take the remote.

Momoi giggled at the sight—something about it made her feel strange inside.

Then—

"Cut! Momoi-san, your eyes—make them a little sharper."

"Huh? Why does he get to be gentle while I have to be aggressive?"

"Because women are irrational creatures. Trust me, it'll work."

"Excuse me?!"

Momoi was offended—but muttered, "Fine, whatever," under her breath.

She'd do it.

Take three.

This time, she puffed up her cheeks like a hamster with food in its mouth, glaring fiercely at Tendou.

Oddly enough… the director loved it.

"Perfect! That cute-aggressive vibe—exactly what we need!"

They kept filming.

Tendou switched the channel to basketball.

Momoi, annoyed, changed it back.

Tendou changed it again.

Momoi followed suit.

Faster and faster they went—click, click, click—the screen flickering rapidly between channels.

Finally, Momoi's eyes lit up.

She found the split-screen button and pressed it.

The screen split. Both shows played side by side.

The two turned and exchanged a smile.

…All this, just to show off a split-screen feature? What a joke.

"Cut!"

The director clapped again.

"You're supposed to be in love—put some affection into your eyes. Again!"

"Cut! Tendou-kun, stop looking at her like she's your rival. Think of her as your girlfriend. Right now, you look like you're about to send her flying with a dunk."

"Cut, cut, cut, cut—"

They retook the shot over a dozen times.

Tendou was on the verge of collapsing.

"Why the hell is this dumb ad so hard?!"

He couldn't figure out how to look lovingly at someone.

Finally, he gave up.

With a decisive move, he pulled Momoi into his arms, flashing a calm, professional smile toward the camera.

Momoi's heart skipped a beat.

The sudden move startled her—then her body relaxed entirely as she leaned against his shoulder.

She didn't resist.

After all, Tendou had "body-checked" her so many times on the court, her instincts had no resistance left.

What started as a cheesy rom-com scene… suddenly felt genuinely romantic.

Her eyes were smiling.

Her cheeks turned a soft pink.

The director smacked his thigh and shouted,

"Perfect! That's a wrap!"