Chapter 120 - 121: What?

『Classic B-King』 『That was hardcore—he knocked them all flat!』 『LOL, dying here. Tendou makes everything entertaining no matter where he goes.』 『That's it? That's all? Can't we get a little more?!』 The first episode ended with a scene of Tendou asserting his dominance in Kirisaki Daiichi. Seeing the serious expressions on Aida Riko and the others' faces, the audience expected some real tough guys. But this? Tendou wiped the floor with them! This successfully hooked viewers' interest in Tendou's daily life at Kirisaki Daiichi. Compared to Seirin's tension-filled atmosphere, the vibe at Kirisaki was... still full of snacks and music. Hara Kazuya had pulled out a music player from who knows where and was blasting the latest pop hits while munching on meat—living his best life. Momoi started getting a feel for the kind of basketball club this was. This wasn't a normal club at all. It was chaos and indulgence in every direction. Even at Tōō Academy, their basketball club only allowed practice—none of this "5-3-7 extracurricular chaos." As she looked at the bubbling hotpot in front of her, Momoi grinned and grabbed a piece of beef. "Whatever~ As long as my Tendou is fine!" After the meal, Tendou used the excuse of walking Momoi out to dump the cleanup duty on Hanamiya Makoto and the others. "Make sure you clean thoroughly. The smell could affect team training." If you're so concerned about the smell, why not eat somewhere else?! Everyone silently grumbled in their hearts. They were now sure—their basketball club hadn't just recruited a Generation of Miracles member... They'd recruited a tyrant. By the time Tendou came back, the club was mostly clean, though the smell still lingered. They had to leave the doors open to ventilate. Yamazaki Hiroshi approached him, holding the folder that Momoi had brought. "Do you want me to print a copy of this for you too?" "No need," Tendou replied casually. "Those materials—she prepared them for you all." He also warned them not to take the intel too seriously. "Why not?" "Because that girl will use your reactions to create new inferences... and then hand a second version of these materials directly to Tōō." "Eh?!" Yamazaki was stunned. That adorable girl really was sweet on the outside, black-hearted on the inside. Who said bimbos are dumb? Momoi's clearly got layers. "Then... shouldn't we avoid reading them?" "Eh, no harm in glancing," Tendou said. "But make no mistake—that packet was meant for me." He didn't elaborate further. If the players followed the "script" in Momoi's intel too closely, the match would evolve exactly as she predicted. Tōō would then use updated tactics to counter them even more efficiently. In the end, Tendou would have to personally break the flow of the game and throw off Tōō's entire game plan. So yes, the materials were for the other Kirisaki players... But they were really for him, so he could anticipate Tōō's stratagems in advance. Momoi knew he didn't like to read intel. So she wrapped it as "team strategy" and handed it off this way—just to make sure he'd absorb it. "Damn..." Yamazaki sucked in a breath. He never imagined that sweet girl was so calculating underneath. ... "With this, Tendou and Aomine should be fired up soon, right?" Elsewhere, Momoi was already planning her next move on her way back. She knew Tendou and Aomine would eventually have to face off—there was no team in Tokyo that could beat both of them. Her reason for all this meddling? To get those two idiot boys motivated. "I feel like a mom, always worrying about them..." "Maybe I should drop by and see Kise next time too... It's been a while." ... While Seirin was facing off against Kaijō in their practice match, Kirisaki Daiichi also lined up a warm-up game. But it wasn't against any elite team. No respectable school wanted to play them. As soon as they heard "Kirisaki Daiichi," everyone scrambled to cancel. The Bad Boys Army had such a notorious reputation that even arranging a practice match was a challenge. Their opponent today? A third-rate team called Shinkyō Academy. Last year, they didn't even make it to the round-robin. But this year, things were a little different. They imported a foreign exchange student—a 2-meter-tall center from Senegal. Rumor had it that in a recent scrimmage, Shinkyō Academy crushed their opponents by double the score. ... BAM! The makeshift locker room of Kirisaki Daiichi suddenly shook from a loud thud. The players turned and saw a giant of a man rubbing his head, having slammed into the doorframe. "Tch, why are Japanese doors so damn short?" The black center clutched his head and grumbled. He had to bend down awkwardly just to squeeze through the locker room. Papa Mbaye Siki, the foreign recruit for Shinkyō Academy. While other schools were busy chasing the Generation of Miracles, this team's coach took a different route—he went international. He saw this year as his opportunity to rise to fame. Thanks to the Generation of Miracles, high school basketball had become red-hot. He wasn't planning to play by Japan's rules. He wanted to crush the Miracles using a towering foreign center and claim the throne. When he first heard about Kirisaki Daiichi, he too hesitated—worried about injuries. But then he found out Tendou Kageyoshi was on the team. The Teikō captain. A golden opportunity to strike the first blow against the Miracles. His game plan? Start with Tendou—and take down the rest one by one. ... Warmups finished, the two teams stood at center court. The towering Papa Mbaye Siki looked down at Tendou with a mocking grin. "So you're one of those 'Miracle Generation' kids? Better bring your A-game—I'd hate to beat you by double digits too easily." He clearly looked down on him. In fact, it wasn't uncommon. Many in Europe and Africa shared a belief that Asians weren't suited for basketball or soccer. Tendou's teammates shivered slightly. After spending so much time with him, they had a solid understanding of Tendou's strength and temperament. This guy might be big—but he's so dead. "Damn, this guy's got guts." "Yeah, super brave." "Should we give him a little... welcoming gift?" "Absolutely. If we let Tendou handle it, this guy might not survive." The Bad Boys of Kirisaki Daiichi were already itching to teach this big guy a lesson. Meanwhile, Shinkyō Academy had no idea what kind of nightmare they had just walked into. The game began. Shinkyō Academy got the first possession. The ball landed in the hands of their captain, Tanimura Yūsuke. Tendou watched their setup unfold—it was a classic inside-out offense. You drive in, pass it out. Swing the ball, re-enter the paint. Classic basketball fundamentals. The idea? Let the center pull in defenders, opening up perimeter shots. For the first play, Tanimura dumped the ball into the post. Papa caught it. Didn't hesitate. Went up strong. And immediately— WHACK. He ran right into a wall of flying elbows. "What?!" Papa froze. He was completely stunned. First play of the game, and they were already playing this dirty?!