For the first time in his life—
Haizaki's unstoppable "Pillage" failed.
Yes, even at this early stage, he could still steal from the Generation of Miracles—though the difficulty was higher, and the effect much weaker.
But Tendou?
Not even a single ability.
Even if he did manage to plunder a molecule of Tendou's skills, it still wouldn't help him score.
Why?
Because Tendou's "Cleave" could dismantle any offense.
And that made the game a lot more complicated.
...
Possession: Tendou's team.
Tendou caught the pass, eyeing Haizaki with amusement.
He'd only just confirmed it:
His "Cleave" was at least a Generation of Miracles–level ability.
The reason Haizaki earned the title of "strongest below the Miracles" was precisely because his Pillage ability couldn't steal from them.
If he could, he would've beaten Kise to a pulp long ago.
"What the hell are you grinning at, you bastard?!"
Tendou didn't answer, just smiled wider.
His features were so perfect it was infuriating.
Looking at that flawless face, Haizaki clenched his teeth hard enough to hurt his liver.
How can there be someone in this world who counters me this hard?!
As Haizaki fumed, Tendou turned around and went into another post-up.
His footwork wasn't quite as elegant as Jordan's, but with his steadily growing stats, his turnaround fadeaway was now incredibly stable.
Swish!
The ball dropped through the net once again with ease.
Having watched the NBA since the early 2000s, Tendou had memorized the move sets of the "Four Great Shooting Guards."
Fadeaways, pull-up threes, crossover footwork—all moves he'd mimicked at some point.
As for Vince Carter?
Sorry. Tendou may not be a total scrub, but at his peak, even with shoes, he only stood 180 cm. Dunking like Carter just wasn't happening.
"This kid's offense is already mature, and his one-on-one defense is among the best in the country. If he weren't on Teikō but on some other team, we'd be in trouble."
Coach Shirogane said nothing.
He already acknowledged Haizaki's talent—but in the end, Tendou was still a step above.
"I've been overthinking it…"
Being surrounded by these ridiculously talented first-years every day, even Shirogane had started thinking that Tendou-level prodigies were a dime a dozen.
He forgot that just a year ago, when he discovered Nijimura Shūzō, he was over the moon and couldn't sleep all night.
...
The 20-minute scrimmage ended quickly.
As expected, Tendou's side won.
I mean, look at his teammates: Murasakibara, Aomine, Midorima—the best of the best at every position.
If Tendou still lost with that squad, he might as well quit basketball and enter showbiz. He'd easily earn tens of millions a year, marry a beautiful actress, and coast through life.
Haizaki was still bitter, though.
He chose to stay at Teikō—for the sole reason of getting his revenge on Tendou.
...
Nighttime.
In the apartment, a DVD was playing on the TV.
Tendou and Riko sat together—he munched on chips, she sipped soda—as they watched the show with great interest.
Every so often, Riko would lean over, and Tendou would offer her soda. When he opened his mouth, Riko stuffed in a chip.
Don't ask why they were so practiced at this—it was just a habit.
"People still watch DVDs these days?" Tendou mused.
He honestly couldn't remember.
Technology had advanced so fast. In his past life, his family had been average, and his parents pretty strict.
He remembered how he used to sneak out to internet cafés—three bucks an hour, ten for an all-nighter.
At home, the computer had a Level-10 password lock from his dad. Tendou, desperate to break it, tried birthdays, phone numbers, everything he could think of.
Years later, his dad got drunk and let it slip:
The password was his first love's home phone number.
Legend.
Tendou was blown away. If he'd actually figured that out, he might've gone into detective work instead of sports.
The next day, still salty, he told his mom.
What happened next? Tendou wasn't sure.
All he remembered was his dad calling him nonstop for a whole day—and Tendou not going home for a month afterward.
...
Back to the present.
♪ "You are the wind~ I am the sand~" ♪
As the cheesy drama theme started playing, Tendou was pulled back to reality.
They were watching My Fair Princess, a 90s megahit.
He still didn't know what was wrong with Riko's brain, but somehow she got really into Chiung Yao–style dramas.
To be fair, watching it again after all these years was kinda fun.
Especially Er Kang—who had become a meme machine in the future. Every time a new reaction meme appeared, Tendou would burst into squealing laughter.
Riko always rolled her eyes. She never got what was so funny.
...
Then—out of nowhere—Short-Tail Cat lifted her head, pulled a remote out of her belly, and pressed it.
"Ding!"
Tendou jolted like a tiger being startled.
"What the hell, you stupid cat?! Why are you making that noise?!"
"You told me to! You said to notify you when the system had activity. This is the correct way to activate the system."
Traditional virtues—don't ding when you shouldn't, and ding when you must.
Thank God it didn't happen while he was watching something else...
"So what is it?" Tendou rubbed his forehead.
"Your popularity points reached the threshold. You've unlocked the next tier of attributes."
Wait—unlocked already?
Tendou sat upright.
He remembered clearly: the next level required 500,000 popularity points. He hadn't expected to hit it so soon.
He opened Bilibili—and sure enough, a lot had happened.
Maybe because there weren't many good shows this month, the platform went all-in pushing Generation of Miracles.
Every major creator in the anime section had released at least one video about the show.
This wave of promotion brought massive exposure.
Basically, if you used Bilibili, even if you hadn't seen the anime—you definitely heard of it.
They even launched a character popularity poll this week.
First place: Kuroko Tetsuya, the protagonist.
With his vision-stealth technique nearly complete, viewers were hyped to see him finally step onto the stage.
Second place: Tendou Kageyoshi.
No surprise there. His good looks, sharp tongue, overwhelming power, and entertaining personality made him the most popular character behind the MC.
Even Riko cracked the top ten—landing in seventh place, outranking Momoi Satsuki.
Beneath her name was a strange tag:
"Protective Wifey!"
"Why does my vote tag say 'Protective Wifey'? Isn't that a typo for 'Skincare Queen' or something?" Riko leaned over—she could see the system, though she couldn't interact with it. "What does that even mean?"
"Exactly what it says."
"Exactly...? Protect... wifey...?" Riko froze—then her cheeks lit up like fire. "W-W-Who's protecting you?! These fans must be idiots!!"
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