Chapter 70: Such Grace

This was the first time Tendou played with Kuroko on the court. And the results made Shirogane Kōzō overjoyed. Thanks to his outstanding basketball IQ and off-ball movement, Tendou constantly found himself in ideal scoring positions. Kuroko, now assigned a clear role by the coach, kept his eyes on Teikō's new ace, Tendou Kageyoshi. A crisp "smack" echoed as Akashi tried to pass the ball inside to Murasakibara, but Kuroko suddenly intercepted it mid-route, slapping it hard toward the cutting Tendou on the opposite side. At that moment, all eyes from Kamizaki were focused on Murasakibara and Akashi—they couldn't react in time to this bizarre pass. "No wonder they call him the best support in Kuroko no Basket. That assist was on a silver platter." Tendou took two dribbles, rose into the air, and slammed it in like a blazing meteor, bringing his personal tally to 16 points. Overpowered. It wasn't just the other teams feeling it—Tendou himself knew it too. Letting Kuroko transcend early and awaken had elevated Teikō's strength far beyond any team in the country. "Nice shot, Tendou-kun," said Kuroko, his eyes filled with quiet satisfaction. After successfully pulling off a visual misdirection, he had only one goal now: To deliver beautiful, unexpected assists to Tendou. And today, he finally did it. Kuroko offered a fist bump, hoping to celebrate. Tendou didn't bump back. The last person who fist-bumped Kuroko was Aomine Daiki, and look how he turned out—a full-blown basketball lunatic. Kuroko's fist bumps had the same mysterious aura as Duncan's head pats—they changed people. So under Kuroko's hopeful gaze, Tendou high-fived him instead. Kuroko tilted his head, confused. He thought this was fine too. Aomine always liked fist bumps... But still... He finally made that perfect pass to Tendou. Looking at his hand where the high five had landed, Kuroko smiled softly. ... In the audience— Shirogane Eiji had personally come to scout today's match. With Nationals being hosted in Kyoto, it only took a half-hour drive from Rakuzan for him to get there. Curious, he blended into the crowd to observe Teikō's players himself. Even though his assistant coach's scouting report had heaped praise on this "Tendou" kid, he wanted to see it with his own eyes. The first time he saw Tendou hit a jump shot, he muttered: "That kid's shooting form is solid... just like the report said." Pull-up jumpers require excellent balance and body control. Everything happens in a split-second. A slight misalignment throws off your timing, makes your release predictable. Then Tendou immediately returned to defense and ripped the ball from Kasamatsu in a way that stunned even Shirogane. Now he understood those 8.8 steals per game. He'd never seen anything like it. Shirogane had coached for years—and no player had ever pulled off steals this clean, this surgical. It was like watching the sharpest blade slice through tofu. There was a kind of elegance to it—beauty, even. He kept watching, heart pounding harder. His assistant hadn't lied—this kid, Tendou... "There's nothing I can even teach him." He was so well-rounded, Shirogane couldn't help but think of one word: Perfect. "If we can get him..." Rakuzan would easily win two more national titles. Because aside from Tendou, Shirogane had three more targets in mind: Reo Mibuchi Eikichi Nebuya Kotarō Hayama The future "Three Kings" of Rakuzan. He had already reached out to them, and they were all eager to join Rakuzan. As for Tendou and Hayama both being small forwards? Not a problem. Tendou could easily switch to point guard. So what if he was ball-dominant? They'd give him the ball every play. And if that didn't work, Hayama could switch positions instead. A player with a brain like Tendou's wouldn't clash with any system. He'd make it work. When Shirogane looked up again— Good God. Teikō was now up by 22 points! Since Tendou came back in—with Kuroko assisting him—Kamizaki couldn't contain him at all. Meanwhile, Kamizaki's own offense had collapsed, going 1 for 6, and the point gap had exploded. Tendou? In just a few minutes, he had 6 more points, 2 assists, and 2 steals—bringing his first-half total over 20. Same as during qualifiers. Which meant— Even in Nationals, this level of competition didn't faze him. No pressure = Full power. Tendou would be a nationwide sensation by the end of this tournament. ... In the second half, Kamizaki still had no answers. Then Aomine entered full scoring mode, and the game's outcome was decided 10 minutes early. Teikō had brought their Tokyo dominance to Nationals. Final score: 114–80. Teikō crushed Kamizaki by 34 points. Kasamatsu Yukio shot 3 for 11, only scoring 6 points. He had been completely shut down by Tendou's defense. By the end, he was so afraid of getting picked, he'd pass the ball instantly whenever Tendou got near. He was traumatized. And if your team's floor general is this shaken, the team's done for. Kamizaki had no chance but to accept the loss. Kasamatsu was overwhelmed with guilt and frustration—not just over the loss, but over the fear he'd shown in the end. "You're pretty good." After the game, Tendou approached him and offered a handshake. Despite the rage in his eyes, Kasamatsu returned the handshake, maintaining grace and composure. Tendou was genuinely impressed—he couldn't have done it. If he'd just been crushed like that, no way he'd shake hands. He'd storm off. But this—this was Kasamatsu Yukio's true character. As Kaijō's future captain, he had never done anything to shame the team's reputation. After losing to Tōō Academy, he asked teammates to clean up their bench area—so other teams wouldn't have to. Then he went to the locker room and cried alone. Even in the theatrical movie, after getting destroyed as a member of the college All-Star team, he was the first to shake hands with the opponents. Despite the short temper and tendency to kick Kise around, Kasamatsu was always a true sportsman. "Congrats. You guys deserved the win." Kasamatsu couldn't bring himself to say more. He turned around and returned to the bench. "Clean everything up. Don't make trouble for the other teams." Truly... such grace. --- Vote with some power stones in this story. By using them on this book, you guarantee bonus chapters weekly.