Kuroko no Basket: Honored One

One week later, the commercial featuring Tendou and Momoi aired on Tokyo TV right on schedule.

That evening, Kise was heading out for a practice session, spinning a basketball on one finger as he passed through the living room—

Then stopped dead in his tracks and stepped backward.

Wait…

Wasn't that… Tendou and Momoi?

Sure enough, there they were, on TV, acting all lovey-dovey—bickering playfully, then smiling sweetly at each other.

"…Don't tell me they actually got together?"

He instinctively reached for his phone to call Tendou—

Only to discover his number was out of service.

At that moment, Tendou was thousands of miles away—

Watching the 2012 NBA Finals unfold live in Miami.

...

That year's Finals were packed with drama.

The most iconic moment, of course, was Ray Allen's legendary, timeline-defying three-pointer—the shot that saved the Miami Heat's Big Three.

But there was also the image of the ever-steady Tim Duncan finally losing his cool on the bench, slamming the floor in visible frustration.

It was a Finals to remember.

Tendou didn't recall the exact score of every game—

But he did remember that in Game 1, the Spurs had made a powerful statement on the road.

So he went to a betting house and went all-in on the Spurs winning Game 1.

Sure enough, with Tony Parker's last-second spin and finish over LeBron James, the Spurs secured the win on enemy turf.

Tendou left the arena completely satisfied.

And he didn't stop there.

He stayed in the U.S. long enough to bet on Game 6 as well—this time putting everything on the Heat to even the series.

Once the job was done, he boarded a plane and flew back to Japan.

No reason to overplay his hand—he'd made his move and cashed in.

...

Back in Japan, Tendou wasted no time.

He rallied the team and began training in preparation for the Winter Cup.

Even Haizaki was called in.

And from the moment he arrived, things exploded.

Kirisaki Daiichi, known as the "Bad Boy Corps," was already full of strong personalities.

Haizaki, who hadn't even bowed to Akashi before quitting Teikō, was practically a walking confrontation.

Put them all together?

Something was bound to happen.

"You know, we were already national champs before you even got here."

"…What did you just say?"

The second Haizaki heard Hanamiya say that, he was instantly pissed.

If Tendou hadn't personally invited him, there was no way he would've ever joined a place like this.

And now you're giving me attitude on my first day?

A so-called Uncrowned King?

Please.

Without another word, Haizaki rolled up his sleeves and charged right at Hanamiya.

Naturally, the "Evil Child" wasn't going to win a straight-up fight—

But Hanamiya wasn't planning on playing fair either.

As Haizaki made his move, Hanamiya stuck out a leg—

Trip.

Thud!

Haizaki crashed to the floor, hard.

He'd heard about Kirisaki Daiichi's brutal style, but damn—this guy had guts, going after him like that.

And instead of calming down, Haizaki felt the opposite—

He was fired up.

New team, new stage?

Might as well establish dominance.

Their one-on-one quickly devolved into an all-out brawl.

...

"Shouldn't we stop them?" Yamasaki Hiroshi muttered, deadpan.

This was the second time this year that a new recruit had been welcomed with fists.

"Let them be," Tendou said with a grin, watching the chaos unfold.

"Nothing builds camaraderie faster than a good fight between men."

Hara, Furuhashi, Seto—all nodded in agreement.

After all, they had all been beaten into the team by Tendou himself.

In the end, the stronger fighter—Haizaki—came out on top.

Hanamiya was left with a bruised face and a wobbly tooth.

Not that Haizaki got off easy.

Hanamiya's specialty was playing dirty—

Haizaki had dodged a nutshot but couldn't avoid the kick to the ribs.

His chest still burned from it.

...

"Alright, welcome ceremony's over," Tendou said cheerfully.

"You've got ten minutes to rest. Then we start training."

Only when the fight was settled did Tendou finally intervene.

Haizaki pointed at the shoe print on his chest—size 42, no doubt Hanamiya's.

"This is your idea of a welcome ceremony?"

"That's how we do things here," Tendou replied.

"If you're scared, there's still time to quit."

Of course, Haizaki knew Tendou was provoking him—

And he liked it that way.

"I'll make that bastard fall in line," he snarled.

In Haizaki's mind, only two people were worth respecting:

The first was Nijimura Shūzō.

The second… was Tendou.

Everyone else? Not worth mentioning.

...

Training began.

But the tension between Haizaki and Hanamiya didn't cool off.

After only a brief break, during the team scrimmage, the two were at each other's throats again.

"You wanna die, huh? Uncrowned loser!"

Haizaki had been tripped again and shot to his feet, grabbing Hanamiya by the collar.

"Your brain must be underdeveloped," Hanamiya sneered.

"You didn't see the giant trophy we just brought home?"

"I'm Hanamiya Makoto, national champion and starting point guard—

Who's the real loser here?"

And then—

"Oh, and if you're gonna fall that easily, are you even a man?"

"…I'm gonna beat the hell out of you!"

Haizaki was fuming.

He'd never lost an insult battle this badly before.

So, if words didn't work?

He went straight back to fists.

Another brawl broke out.

"This summer's not going to be boring."

"You said it."

"Nice shot! Get his legs, Hanamiya!"

The rest of Kirisaki Daiichi gathered around and cheered as if they were watching a show.

No one tried to break them up.

Their team captain wasn't worried, so why should they be?

These were just the No. 2 and No. 3 guys on the team letting off steam.

Whatever happened, it wouldn't affect the team's overall strength.

For the next half-month, the fighting didn't stop.

Haizaki practically forgot why he'd even come to Kirisaki Daiichi.

Every day he showed up to basketball club just to brawl with Hanamiya.

He couldn't figure out what Tendou's goal was.

It had already been two weeks—

And he hadn't had the chance to showcase anything beyond his fighting skills.

One day, after warmups, Tendou announced another intrasquad scrimmage.

Hara Kazuya immediately opened betting odds.

"Wanna place a bet? Who wins—Hanamiya or Haizaki?

Haizaki pays 0.9 to 1.

Hanamiya pays 3 to 1."

Everyone crowded around, pulling out their wallets and laughing.

But then—

Tendou made a surprise move.

He put Hanamiya and Haizaki on the same team.

"We're doing something special today," Tendou said with a smirk.

"The losing team has to wash the winners' practice clothes for a whole week—yes, including socks."

Of course, "clothes" referred to sweaty practice gear.

"…Wait, what?!"