Meeting

She's a young girl from an all-girls' private school that teaches high-level education, manners, morals and discipline, independence and how to be proper ladies. Its run by a feminist alumni that comprised its school board and all employees are female thus many families send their daughters here and has some wealthy sponsors, and many girls from rich families come here too. This school has a history of forty years, and both a dorm and commute school. Their school uniform is a dress shirt with a ribbon or necktie the school doesn't care which as long as its school-issued ones, a double-breasted blazer, a black miniskirt with a white layered silk petticoat, thigh high long tights and a pair of inch-heeled ankle boots.

Being an all-girls' school, no distractions(boys and all the drama that came with co-eds) were there. Only studies and their clubs. The only things they were allowed to bring, are their school things. Cell phones must be turned silent inside school premises during class hours. Objects not related to school are confiscated unless its in the student dorms. Jewelry is not allowed as the school doesn't wish to be liable for stolen objects. They were allowed to wear make-up but they were all taught how to properly wear make-up, and use beauty products. They were all taught to be a Yamato Nadeshiko.

A wildflower.

But for ideal Japanese Females, a wildflower is to be beautiful but strong and capable.

The girls who come out of this school are strong, independent, responsible, sensible and intelligent. The school motto was 'True Beauty Comes From Wit And Ability'. Meaning, the school has a high level of education, and the school has clubs designed for girls to have as many options as possible and students who commute are encouraged to have two clubs. For those who live in dorms its compulsory as school is open until 7 pm and they are all obliged to change clubs every year to learn as much as possible. They can't stay in a club longer than a year. School is Monday to Friday unlike most schools who go for until Saturday.

Getting in Nadeshiko Shiritsu Joshi Gakuen is therefore, NOT easy. Girls who go to this school must have a GA of at least 88% overall. Lower than that is not accepted, no exceptions.

Such is the life of one Kuroko Tetsuna who graduated from elementary with a 90% average.

And living in a dorm instead of her own house that was just a block away to save up on bills until High School. But as she has the house keys, she comes once every two months to do house cleaning. Being raised in such a school, she learned many things.

Plenty of things.

Due to the two clubs compulsory rule for all students living in dorms, Tetsuna has been in school for two and a half years now. Thus she has had four clubs. Aerobics, Dance, Basketball and Cooking.

The reason she took it was because of her childhood friend whom she played together with, who had gone to Meiko and is playing for the Interschool Playoffs. But she wasn't strong enough as her body was weak, so she waited patiently and started slow. Aerobics and Dance got her into shape, raising her stamina up for the intensive training of Basketball, and cooling down by Cooking Club at night.

One day, while going out on the weekend...she wanted to go to Streetball as on weekends, the school facilities are closed save for the cafeteria that's only open for mealtimes.

But on that day, she met a blonde boy shooting by himself in the court.

He also looked...unhappy?

And his uniform is also from also an elite school, Teiko. A school whose sports clubs are elite, always winning. Their motto was 100 Battles, 100 Victories.

'Playing alone isn't fun isn't it?' she asked, startling the be-jabbers out of him.

'Waaah!' the blonde yelped the second she started speaking and turned to see a blue-haired girl with matching eyes, and very pale skin. She also looks frail but pretty tall too, with her hair styled in low, loose pigtails secured with hair tubes. Her face void of any expression. Even her voice has no emotion at all!

'Wanna play with me?' she asked. The blonde looked skeptical.

'Do you even know how to play?'

'I'm in the basketball club in my school too.' said Kuroko. 'I'm Kuroko Tetsuna. You?' the blonde looked nervous at this.

'Erm, just call me 'blondie' for now.' said the blonde nervously. 'I-I got a good reason for that, so please!' he pleaded.

'OK.' Kuroko shrugged in a 'what-can-I-do?' sort of way. 'Although I don't understand. Your uniform is from Teiko and your school is open on Saturdays, right?'

'Yeah...I'm from the Basketball Club too...but the thing is, I need a mentor.' said the blonde. 'I surpassed the training for 3rd and 2nd String Gyms but everyone at 1st String is too busy to teach me how to play and the Captain, Akashi told me to find a mentor but I can't find anyone.' he pouted. 'Its a big competition for who gets to play, you know? Everyone there is rivals with each other, too busy trying to outdo the other so yeah, why teach a future rival, right?' he sighed. Kuroko frowned. It a very small frown the blonde had to mentally squint to see it.

'That's not really nice.' she said disapprovingly. 'What about the senpais?'

'Just as busy.'

'Then should I teach you?' Kuroko offered. 'My school is only Monday-to-Friday unlike most schools in Japan so we're very free on weekends. We meet here every weekends after school for you and instead of going to club, come here or I go there perhaps?'

'Er...we go there.' said the blonde shakily. 'There's a fourth unused gym there, we can use that.'

'OK. But today we play here since whatever happened today probably got you all gloomy.' Kuroko suggested as she looked at their area. 'Let's start with what you already know.'

'Eto, I learned about the Rules and Drills, while putting up with stamina, endurance and muscular workouts...all I need now are skills.' said the blonde.

'Yosh, I'll teach you Ball Handling, Dribbling, Passing, Shooting, Rebounding, and Defense before you can think of Offense in that order. And each category has a long list of techniques and I'll be as strict as our club coach.' Kuroko smiled. Again, blondie had to squint hard.

'What school are you from?'

'Nadeshiko Shiritsu Joshi Gakuen.' said Kuroko. 'For dorm students like me we're obliged to have two clubs unlike commuter students who go home. Well, shall we start with Ball Handling?'

xxx

Kise Ryouta soon hated modeling given the trouble it brought him.

And to think he thought its both fun, money and free clothes as his sisters told him.

Since the start, girls liked him and flocked to him for his good looks.

It got worse since becoming a model.

Literally no privacy at all. Honestly. Money and free clothes seem to be poor compensation.

So he became a master of fake smiles because he has to please his fans too to sell well.

Inside, he HATED putting up with girls...

Then he meets Kuroko who doesn't even know him nor care who he is. On weekends, they would meet and train together in Teiko's Fourth Gym but during weekdays as her school lets out at 7 pm, he is to polish the individual skills she taught him before she could teach him Team Play.

When he finally told her his name...

She did not go fangirl on him like other girls.

She still treated him like a normal person and 'just her student'...that he appreciated that VERY MUCH and finally enjoyed a girl's company if that girl was Kuroko Tetsuna.

And he learned that not all girls are like his annoying fans.

The girls where Kurokocchi was from were nothing like the girls he puts up with.

He learned a lot about his only friend. Given the nature of her school, she would be the LAST person among his associates to be an annoying fangirl or to be a type of girl he hates. Kuroko is mature, kind, attentive and very considerate of his feelings, and understood him, thus she treated him normally as a normal person would. She is also very blunt and straight-forward, always keeping calm as it keeps her rational. Before Basketball Club in her Sophomore year, she took Aerobics and Dance to improve her stamina and physical ability as she is physically weak, and soon capable of taking in Basketball Club as it what tied her to her only childhood friend who had gone to Meiko and they still keep in touch by phone. Her friend Ogiwara Shigehiro was the one who got her started on Basketball.

But really, she always has this deadpan, emotionless way of talking with a blank expressionless face to match. If she ever smiles, it would be a very, very small one. Due to her lack of presence, she also has a tendency to peek-a-boo him even without meaning to.

One day...

'Kurokocchi!' Kise told her one day on sunday. 'I-I need a really huge favor from you!' he choked out.

'A favor?' Kuroko blinked as Kise warily looked around, before saying,

'Pretend to be my girlfriend!'