Chapter 38: Turning Up the Heat

On one side, Aomine was seething with jealousy. On the other, Tendou Kageyoshi had already begun his first day as a model. Modeling wasn't complicated—pose a little, get photographed, and wait for people to fawn over you. But while it sounded easy, it wasn't all that relaxing either. Early that morning, Tendou was taken away by the agency he'd signed with, and makeup alone took over an hour. Then came the outdoor shoots—changing outfit after outfit, shooting at location after location, until nearly the entire day had passed. His stamina was excellent—as a basketball player, how could it not be? And yet, even he found himself tired. "How's the first day of shooting feel?" "Not great. Kinda tiring. Worse than playing basketball—my face is stiff from smiling." As he rested, Tendou rubbed his cheeks. Keeping up a fake smile for hours really wore you out. "Haha, you'll get used to it soon." "Come on, eat something and refuel. We've still got work this afternoon." "There's more this afternoon?" "Of course! You're just getting started. You've got to put in extra effort." Turns out, unless you're your own boss, no job is actually easy. Even modeling. Though it didn't require physical exertion, it was still exhausting. It felt like shooting wedding photos—indoor, outdoor, changing clothes nonstop, going place after place. But the pay was decent. ... "You're back late." When Tendou returned home, it was already nighttime. Amanai Riko was sitting on the couch, hugging a pillow and watching a drama. "Dreams Behind a Curtain"! Tendou had introduced her to it himself— The legendary series where someone says, "All you lost was a leg. He lost love." Riko was completely absorbed in it. "Don't ask me—I don't know why a single photo shoot takes an entire day." Tendou slumped onto the couch next to her, grabbing her glass of water and downing it. "So, how was it? Was being a model fun?" Riko asked curiously. "I was working, not playing," Tendou rolled his eyes. "Though I admit, it was a fresh experience. Never tried it before." "Oh? Then how much did you make today?" "About 30,000 yen." That was over 1,000 yuan—a decent amount compared to working at a café. "Wait, why are you asking all of a sudden?" "I want to buy some of Chiung Yao-sensei's novels. I'm broke." She sounded so justified in her poverty. Tendou got up and headed for his room. "When did you go insane?" ... The Next Day. No modeling work today. Tendou's primary focus was still basketball. Modeling was just a way to expand his persona and earn popularity points. He wanted the viewers to know that Tendou Kageyoshi wasn't just good—he was handsome and good at basketball. Back at the basketball club, everyone was just as curious as Riko about his modeling work. For these students, models were still a rare breed—seen only in magazines or photobooks. Tendou shared a few details, satisfying their gossip cravings. Then, almost absentmindedly, he let it slip in front of Aomine. The gravure model Aomine liked—Maai-chan—was actually signed to the same agency as him. They even shook hands yesterday. Aomine instantly looked like his soul had left his body. For fun, Tendou then asked Aomine to help him retrieve balls during his shooting practice. Of course, Aomine refused. "I'm not your ball boy. Get them yourself!" He turned and walked away without hesitation. Tendou calmly reached into his backpack and held aloft a pristine, glossy photo book. He lifted it high, solemn as a priest with holy scripture. Aomine caught it in his peripheral vision and froze. Pupil quake. Instant paralysis. "Is that—!" "That's right. It's your beloved Maai-chan," Tendou said gravely. "Special internal release. Not even available for sale yet." Aomine visibly trembled, hesitated, wrestled with himself internally... Then he snatched the photo book like lightning. With deep sincerity, he turned to Tendou and said: "Let's work hard together." 『PFFT!』 『So that's who you really are, Aomine!』 『Aomine: I'd never be your ball boy. Tendou: Here's a Maai photobook. Aomine: Father!』 『Why are they discussing this nonsense like it's a sacred rite?!』 『Last time it was washing socks, now it's chasing balls—he's got Aomine perfectly in the palm of his hand.』 Viewers were loving the antics. This was what made them relatable. On the court, they were monsters. Off the court, they were just like everyone else. Tendou quietly enjoyed the steady stream of "+1 popularity" notifications flashing across his vision. "Alright, enough clowning around. Time to train. Everyone, regroup." "Yes, Captain." With his popularity secured, Tendou obediently joined the team's drills. Today's training focused on maintaining form. Nothing too intense. With a tight schedule, middle schoolers couldn't handle high-volume workloads. Shirogane Kōzō knew that well. ... Then came their next tough opponent. This time, it was Musashi Middle School— The team May had rated half a star higher than Kaisei. A squad of pure workhorses. These types of teams were always the toughest— Relentless, disciplined, cohesive. A nightmare to break. And in just five minutes, Teikō realized—this team wasn't like any they'd faced so far. In those few minutes, the court was filled with fouls and physical contact. Musashi didn't care about style or what the crowd wanted. They had only one goal: win. First in their crosshairs? Murasakibara. Musashi didn't have the height advantage. Their center was only 185cm tall—far shorter than Murasakibara. So naturally, Teikō's strategy was to pound the ball inside. The result? The moment Murasakibara touched the ball, he was ruthlessly hacked. Before he could even raise it, Musashi's center came down hard on his arm—like he was trying to break it. Angry, Murasakibara shoved the guy away—and he got hit with a technical foul. --- Vote with some power stones in this story. By using them on this book, you guarantee bonus chapters weekly.