The Teiko Junior High basketball club, an incredibly strong team with over one hundred members and three consecutive champion wins. Amongst their brilliant record, the generation of five prodigies was known as the 'Generation of Miracles.' There was also a group which consisted of five people who played a huge role in the victories of the 'Generation of Miracles'. They were known as the other part of the 'Generation of Miracles.' However, there was a strange rumor concerning them. Despite being relatively unknown, and lacking a game record, there was one more member recognized by the five prodigies, a phantom sixth man. But, there is another rumor. Despite being sighted in every game of the 'Generation of Miracles', there was a person who's abilities were unknown. It wasn't known that that person's abilities had played a role in the victories of the 'Generation of Miracles'. Those abilities were acknowledged by the 'Generation of Miracles', and only they have seen it it in action…
Kuroko no Basket: NEW!
Chapter 1: I am Kuroko
It was the start of high school. The sakura trees were in bloom and the petals fluttered to the ground as the wind blew softly. The roads were literally painted pink, and the scene showed that spring was here. There was a girl who was walking through the road that was littered with sakura petals. A bag was slung over her shoulder, and her shoulder length black hair swayed in the breeze. Her ruby red eyes glanced up at her new school, Seirin High.
She stopped in front of the school building. Students were going in, and she followed them. She heard many different people advertizing for their clubs. None of the clubs particularly interested her, until she heard the word, 'Basketball'
She stopped and turned around to see where the voice came from. It came from three guys holding flyers, and was giving them out.
"Basketball! Basketball! Basketball club! How would you like to join the basketball club?" One of them shouted.
"Koganei, you can't be serious." One of the guys said to the boy.
"How else am I supposed to say it?" The boy who was shouting asked.
She lost interest in their conversation after that and continued walking.
'Basketball club… Maybe I'll go check it out.' She thought as she walked. Soon she stepped in front of a board that showed where the clubs were. She searched for the word 'Basketball' and when she found it; she smiled a barely visible smile.
She walked around until she found the registration stand for the club. She saw a girl with short brown hair talking to a black haired boy wearing glasses. She stopped in front of them and spoke up,
"Excuse me, but may I join the basketball club?"
"Huh?" The girl turned to her. She stared at her for a while before saying, "I'm sorry, but this is a club for boys' basketball, not girls. So I'm afraid we can't accept-"
"What about a manager?" She cut her off. "I wanted to join as a manager, not a player."
The short haired girl stared at her. Then she broke into a smile, "Sure! You can join! Just write your name here, and your reason."
The ruby eyed girl nodded and she wrote her name and reason down. A few seconds later, she put down her pencil and bowed. "I look forward to joining."
And with that, she left.
Riko smiled. 'She seems like a nice girl. We could use someone like that.' She quickly glanced at the paper in her hands before her eyes widened.
Name: Sanada Mayumi
Love for basketball, former manager of Teiko Junior High's basketball club
"T-Teiko?!" She exclaimed, and Hyuuga turned to her.
"What's wrong?"
"This girl!" Riko thrust the paper out to Hyuuga. "She's the former manager for Teiko!"
"Teiko?" Hyuuga questioned. "The famous school?"
"Yes!" She almost shouted. "Where the Generation of Miracles are from! And if she was the manager for them… Do you know how much we can improve?!" Riko was getting excited.
"A guy who learned basketball from America, a player from the Generation of Miracles, and a manager for them!" She counted. "And they're all first-years! This year's first years will be ridiculous!"
…
Mayumi took a deep breath. She was standing in front of the school's gym, and she was going to meet Seirin's basketball club. She slowly opened the doors to the gym.
To her surprise, there was only the girl and the boy she met when she was registering there. Maybe she came too early. She stepped into the big gym and saw that the two were busily talking. It looks like they haven't noticed her yet.
She slowly and lightly walked towards them. They still didn't notice her. Softly, she tapped her finger on the girl's shoulder, which caused her to turn in surprise and yelp.
"Y-You!" She pointed at Mayumi. "When did you get here?"
"A few minutes ago." She replied, her eyes blank. The girl stared at her.
'I can't believe I didn't notice her…' Riko thought. Sighing, she nodded her head.
"Okay. Let's start by introducing ourselves shall we? I'm Aida Riko, the coach for Seirin's basketball team. And this is Hyuuga Junpei, the captain." Riko pointed to the boy. Mayumi bowed.
"I'm Sanada Mayumi. Nice to meet you, Aida -senpai and Hyuuga-senpai." Riko laughed.
"You don't have to be so formal. Just call me coach like everyone else does." Mayumi slowly nodded.
"Okay coach. So, what do I have to do?" Riko took a moment to think.
"Well there's nothing for you to do until all the first years are here so you can wait over there." Riko said, pointing at the bench in the gym. Mayumi nodded and made her way towards the bench.
Hyuuga inspected the black haired girl. A little shorter than most girls, shoulder length hair, she didn't seem to stand out most from other people. However, it wasn't until he saw her ruby red eyes than he knew she was different. They were blank with a hint of gentleness. He felt like he was being watched by those blank eyes with every step he took.
Meanwhile, Mayumi sat on the bench and looked at the captain and coach carefully. She never really had anytime to properly inspect them properly. Hyuuga Junpei was a guy with average height, short spiky black hair and was wearing glasses. Aida Riko had short brown hair and was taller than her. Her eyes sharpened slightly.
Hyuuga Junpei. He seemed to be an average guy, but there was something that made him special. Something that Mayumi couldn't figure out, yet.
Aida Riko. She radiated of power, the true aura of a great leader.
Both were special, she could at least tell that much. If the entire Seirin team was like that, then… Mayumi's mind started to act on its own, creating scenes of them fighting against other schools, battling for the Winter Cup…
No, calm down. It's still too fast to think about that.
Soon, there were many people inside the gym. All the first years were assembled along with the second years. . Mayumi took her time analyzing them carefully.
They were pretty normal, except for one guy that sort of stood out. He was the tallest member, with crimson red hair and equally red eyes. His face was serious, and he gave off a dangerous aura, similar to a wild tiger. From what Mayumi could see, he had strong legs, and powerful arms. He could easily make a dunk, she thought. Maybe those legs could be used for something too. Other than him, she didn't find anybody else who gave off such a powerful aura like the crimson haired boy.
Mayumi looked around. There was supposed to be one more member, but she couldn't seem to find him…
"Mayumi-chan!" She heard Riko call to her. She faced the short haired girl and Riko said, "Come over here!"
She complied. She walked towards Riko. Instead of Hyuuga, an elderly man was next to her. Riko smiled at her.
"Mayumi-chan, this is Takeda sensei, he's our advisor."
Mayumi nodded politely and bowed. "It is nice to meet you Takeda sensei. I am Sanada Mayumi."
The elderly man nodded softly at her. Riko then put her hands on Mayumi's shoulders and turned her around to face the first years.
"This is Sanada Mayumi. She is registering to be the club's manager, so treat her nicely!" Mayumi bowed deeply. She heard two of the first years whispering,
"She's going to our manager? She looks too delicate to be in the basketball club though."
"Yeah, I figured someone like her were to join a culture club, not a sports club."
Her eyes darkened slightly. People often underestimated her in basketball because she looked too weak. She hated that, but she came to expect it every time she told someone she was in the basketball club. They were right, she wasn't good at sports but that didn't mean she was worthless. She'd show them, she'd show them that she can do something…
Riko cleared her throat. Mayumi straightened and walked to the side, facing Riko after that.
"Now that you're acquainted with Takeda sensei and Mayumi-chan, you guys..." She paused before talking again in a louder voice, "Take off your shirts!"
It went silent. Mayumi swore she could hear a pin drop for a second.
"Huh?"
And here come surprise.
"What! Why!" All the first years said, surprised. Riko only smirked.
Soon, all the first years were lined up with their shirts off. Riko walked in front of one of them, inspecting him for a second before saying,
"Your ability to move instantaneously is a little weak. I bet you do 50 side jumps in 20 seconds don't you? You'll need to do a little better for the basketball club."
The guy stuttered. "O-okay."
Just like that, she looked over all the first years and started to list off all their weakness. The first years were all surprised, and even Mayumi was a little shocked.
'She could tell their weakness just by looking at their body? Wow…' She thought just as Hyuuga began speaking.
"Her father's a sport's trainer." He stated. "He was always recording data in order to make training menus. She gained the skill after spending so much time at his workplace and observing bodies and data. By looking at a person's body," He glanced at her. "Her eyes see all its abilities and stats in numbers."
'So that's her ability…' Mayumi hid a smile. Interesting.
"Well, that's not the only reason why she's coach though."
She watched Riko list off all the weakness of each player, until she stopped at one. Mayumi realized it was the super tall guy that stood out from the others. She saw Riko's eyes widened, and Mayumi took a look at him too. Almost instantly, her eyes widened a little, before reverting back to normal. Even without Riko's power, anyone could tell that he was a lot stronger than any player in the team. Power, speed, flexibility… He exiled in them all.
Any normal person would be shocked.
But not her, for she had already seen too many monsters like him before.
Her daze was cut off by the captain. "Coach, how long are you both going to daydream?" Riko's dazed eyes returned to normal, and she apologized.
"So-Sorry! So uh…"
"You saw everyone right? That guy was the last one." Hyuuga told her. Riko nodded.
"Oh, really?"
Something clicked in Mayumi. She had a feeling somebody was missing… Wait, what about-
"Was Kuroko-kun here?" Riko asked. Hyuuga eyes widened in realization.
"Ah! That's right, the guy from Teiko Middle school!"
"Eh?"
"Teiko? You mean that Teiko?!"
Shocked voices were heard.
"Kuroko? Is Kuroko here?!"
Some became to look around for him. Mayumi frowned. This was odd. He should be here, somewhere… Quickly scanning the environment, she spotted somebody with light blue hair. He was right next to the coach, and nobody noticed.
Except for her. She smiled softly.
'There you are… And I thought you weren't here….'
Riko scratched the back of her head. "I guess he's taking the day off today. Well then, let's start practice!"
At that moment, the boy with light blue hair spoke up along with Mayumi.
"Erm, excuse me…"
"Eh?" Riko seemed confused for a second, until she registered that somebody was standing in front of her. Somebody she never saw before…
"I am Kuroko."
It took a moment. Then, her eyes widened.
"KYAAA!"
"Wha-What?!" A second year seemed to not notice Kuroko for a moment. Then his eyes focused on the light blue haired boy in front of Riko. "EHH?! Since when were you there?!"
Kuroko blinked. "I was there since the beginning."
"Seriously?!"
Mayumi stifled a chuckle.
'He never changes… Does he?' She smiled as she saw the other members fret.
"Eh? That means that this guy is from the 'Generation of Miracles'?"
"Does that mean he's a regular?"
"He can't be, right Kuroko-kun?" Mayumi frowned at that. They were judging him on appearance… Like every other people.
"…? I have played in matches before though." Kuroko answered.
"See, just what… Eh?"
"Eh, eh?"
"EHHHHHH?!"
Unbelievable cries echoed through the gym.
Taking that moment, she decided to talk to him, the person she's been waiting to see. She tapped his shoulder lightly. He turned around, only for his light blue eyes to meet with her ruby red ones. He blinked in confusion.
"Ma…Mayumi-chan?" He said, almost hesitantly. She smiled and nodded.
"Hey, Tetsuya-kun." He seemed to get over his confusion, and smiled, almost unnoticeably, back at her.
"Hello to you too."
Riko stared at them in confusion. Then she remembered that Mayumi was part of Teiko's basketball club too. So of course, she should have known him, but then why…?
"Mayumi-chan?"
"Yes?" She gave the female coach a questioning look.
"If you were in the same school as him before, why didn't you notice him?" She asked. Mayumi blinked softly, before taking a moment to think. A few seconds later, she answered,
"It's hard to find him when he's not usually able to find very easily. Even though I knew him for a few years, sometimes I can't get used to it still. But," She glanced at Kuroko. "I did notice him faster than all everybody else did, coach."
Riko sighed. "Okay. Now-" She looked at Kuroko. "Take off your shirt!"
Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw the tall red head stare at Kuroko with a frown on his face.
Mayumi frowned softly as she saw the female coach's reaction to seeing Kuroko's body. It was one of shock and pure disbelief. This will be an interesting year…
…
After practice, she caught up to Kuroko was ready to leave.
"Tetsuya-kun!" He turned around to see her running towards him.
"Mayumi-chan." He nodded in acknowledgement. She smiled softly at him.
"Want to go back together?" She offered. Kuroko smiled softly.
"Sure."
Together, they walked home together. Mayumi was staring at the sky slowly turning orange, and Kuroko just looked straight ahead. Her hands were tucked behind her back, and his was at his sides. It was silent, a comfortable silence, and only the sound of passing cars were heard between the two of them. Mayumi broke the silence by saying,
"It's nice to be able to walk home together again." Kuroko was a little surprised at her sudden sentence, but he nodded.
"Yes, it really has been a while hasn't it?" Mayumi smiled.
"I missed it you know, Tetsuya-kun."
Kuroko smiled gently. "Me too, Mayumi-chan."
They continued walking, they sky turning dark. It wasn't until they both heard the sound of a basketball nearby. They looked at where the sound was coming from, and it came from a tall red-headed boy who was playing at a nearby court.
"Is that…"
"Kagami-kun." He nodded, confirming. Mayumi tilted her head to the side softly. What was he doing so late?
Suddenly, without warning, he started to walk in Kagami's direction. Mayumi looked at him questionably, but followed him anyway.
They both walked into the court without Kagami noticing. He was too focused on playing. Kuroko gestured for Mayumi to stay at the side, and she nodded sitting on the bench nearby. He then walked next to the hoop and stopped. At first, Kagami didn't notice him. But a second later, he saw him when he was about to shoot, and faltered slightly, but shot anyway. His shot didn't make it in, and the ball bounced off the hoop and into Kuroko's hands.
"You… Since when…"
"Hello."
"Hello Kagami-san." He turned to the side to meet Mayumi's eyes staring at him. He almost did a double-take.
"You too?!" He scowled slightly. "What the hell are you doing here?"
Kuroko kept his blank look. "What are you doing here by yourself?" he threw the ball back to Kagami.
He caught it. "Nothing. I'm not doing anything."
"Is that so?"
"It didn't seem like nothing to me." Mayumi said. Kagami scowled again.
It was silent for a brief second until he spoke up again, "I was in America until my second year of middle school." Mayumi looked at him in interest.
He continued, "I've been appalled ever since I came back by how low the levels are here. I'm not looking to play basketball for fun." His look darkened slightly. "I want to play in a match that gets my blood boiling at full strength."
A wind blew softly, ruffling Mayumi's skirt as he talked. "I heard all about you. I heard all about the supposedly strong 'Generation of Miracles' from our year. You were on that team, weren't you?"
Mayumi eyes narrowed slightly. What was he trying to…?
"I have a pretty good sense of how good others are." He spun the ball on his finger. "Strong guys have a peculiar smell about them." He threw the ball to Kuroko, who caught it. "But you're strange."
"The weak should smell weak but you…" He paused for a moment, before continuing,
"You don't smell like anything, and your strength has no scent."
Mayumi hid a smile. So that's how he sees Kuroko…
'Interesting.'
"Let me see. Show me just how good your 'Generation of Miracles' really is." Kuroko was silent, and Mayumi observed him carefully.
"… What a coincidence." Her eyes widened slightly. Was he actually thinking of playing against him?
"I've also been hoping to play against you too." He took off his jersey. "One on one."
Kagami smirked. "Want to go?"
…
Mayumi sat on the bench at the sidelines, Kuroko's jersey folded neatly on her lap as she observed them carefully. As she expected, Kuroko was easily outmatched by Kagami. Seeing as he had a disbelieving look on his face the whole time he's been playing, she knew that he thought Kuroko was nothing special at all. Her eyes darkened slightly. She hated when people did that to him, because she was the same too.
"You got to be kidding me." Kagami said as Kuroko came back to him after getting the ball which was rolling away. "Have you been listening?" He was starting to raise his voice in anger. "How much do you have to overestimate your own abilities to think you can beat me?!" He pointed a finger at Kuroko. "I can't believe how arrogantly you challenged me!"
Kuroko kept his monotone expression. "Of course not." He blinked. "It's obvious that you're stronger than me. I knew that before we started."
Mayumi swore she saw a vein pop on Kagami's head. He grabbed the front of Kuroko's shirt, bringing him up to his eyes level. "Are you trying to pick a fight? What the hell do you think were you doing?" Mayumi tensed. What was he going to do?
"I wanted to see how good you were for myself." Kuroko stated.
"Ha?" To her relief, he let go off Kuroko's shirt and sighed, putting his hand on his forehead in exasperation. Mayumi frowned softly at his expression.
"Um…?" Kuroko held up the ball in question.
"Huh? Oh, enough. I'm not interested in the weak." He started to walk to the bench and grab his things.
"Let me tell you one more thing."
He glanced at Mayumi before returning his attention to Kuroko. "You should quit basketball." Mayumi's fists clenched tightly.
"However much you try to cover it up with nice words like effort, raw talent is a fact of life. You've got no talent for basketball." He started to walk away, but Mayumi stood up. That was it. She walked to him, her blank expression cleverly hiding her rage. She stood right in front of him.
"Kagami."
"Huh?" He focused on her. "What do you want?"
"I don't like it when you insult my friends. " She stated, her gaze narrowing. "No matter what you think, Tetsuya is not weak. He's not even close to weak." He scowled.
"Are you kidding me?! He didn't even stand a chance against me!" She scowled quietly, a rare action that even surprised Kuroko. "That's because his abilities lies somewhere else."
"Huh?" He sent a questioning glance to the black haired girl who started to walk to Kuroko, handing him his jersey. She glanced at him. "His powers aren't the offensive type, meaning that he's completely different from you. I'll admit that you're strong, but Tetsuya's strong too. I know that he loves basketball more than anyone else, so don't look down on him and say stupid things like that, because I really hate it when people do."
Kuroko was a little surprised at her sudden anger towards Kagami, but then he saw her clenched fists that she tried to hide under the long sleeves of her sweater. His eyes softened a little, but resumed to their blank look once again.
"Che, whatever." Kagami turned, but was interrupted by Kuroko.
"Kagami-kun."
"Huh?" He turned around.
"My answer to your previous statement is, I don't want to." He said bluntly. Kagami stared at him in disbelief and confusion.
"What?"
"First of all, I love basketball, and I don't share your opinion. I don't care who's strong or who's weak. "
"What did you say?"
"Like Mayumi-chan said, I'm not like you." He paused for a moment before speaking up again.
"I'm a shadow."
…
After their encounter with Kagami, they both resumed walking back home. Along the way, the stopped at Maji burger to buy a drink, and then they continued again.
"Tetsuya-kun." Mayumi spoke up as she drank her strawberry milkshake. Kuroko stopped and glanced at her, sipping his vanilla milkshake.
"Are you going to reveal your abilities tomorrow?" She asked quietly. Kuroko didn't answer. He just drank his milkshake. When they stopped in front of her house, he answered,
"You will see, Mayumi-chan. But, please be looking forward to when I do." He smiled at her softly, surprising her a little. She felt a small smile tug at her lips too.
"Okay then. I'll take your word for it." His eyes softened before she waved goodbye as he walked to his house, which was just right across the street. Her eyes softened as she stared at his retreating back. Smiling softly, she opened the door and entered her house to meet her mother's smiling expression.
"Mayumi."
"Yes, mom?"
"Was that Kuroko-kun?" Mayumi blinked softly, before smiling up at her. "Yes, it was."
"I'm glad that you two can walk home together again." Her mother said. She patted the top of her head before walking into the kitchen.
"Hurry up! Dinner's waiting!" Mayumi chuckled gently before following her mother.
After dinner, shower and doing her homework, she picked up a small blue diary cleverly hidden in a hidden drawer and started to write in it.
2009/4/1 Wednesday
Dear diary,
Today was fun. I joined the basketball club. Here are the players:
2nd Years
Coach: Aida Riko
Captain: Hyuuga Junpei
Izuki Shun
Mitobe Rinnosuke
Koganei Shinji
Tsuchida Satoshi
1st years
Kuroko Tetsuya
Kagami Taiga
Furihata Kouki
Kawahara Kouichi
Fukuda Hiroshi
That's all. I met Tetsuya-kun too. He was the same as ever, monotone and blank. But, it's good to know some things haven't changed.
There is another player that catches my interest though. Kagami Taiga. Red hair and equally red eyes, though his eyes are a shade darker than mine, he is really tall with powerful arms and equally powerful legs. His eyebrows are kind of weird though.
I'm sure he will be a great asset to the team.
Leaving that aside, the downside is that his personality is similar to Daiki's. I'm afraid that he'll end up like him. I don't want… I don't want a repeat of what happened during Teiko. Not again, I don't want to go through the same thing ever again.
…Sorry about that. Just… Just forget it.
But, anyway, the coach, Aida Riko is amazing too. She can see a player's physical abilities in numbers.
After practice, I managed to walk home with Tetsuya-kun, which was comforting. We also met Kagami at a court near a park where Tetsuya-kun challenged him. I kind of got angry after the match because he told Tetsuya-kun that he should quit basketball because e has no talent for it.
Thinking about it gets me angry. That's not good, I can't sleep for tomorrow.
After the encounter, we just walked home, bought a strawberry milkshake for me and a vanilla milkshake for him (He never changes, does he?) and we parted ways after reaching to my house.
It was an eventful day.
I wonder how tomorrow will turn out.
10:30 Sanada Mayumi
After writing, she closed the book and hid it again. Turning off the lights, she crawled into the bed. Staring at the starry sky one more time, she closed her eyes and fell into a peaceful slumber.
The next day, it was raining hard. Riko decided that the 1st years and the 2nd years will play a minigame against each other. Mayumi sat on the bench, observing them. She heard that when the 2nd years were in their 1st year, they made it to the final league. Mayumi was honestly quite surprised when she found out. Soon, she heard a whistle blow, signaling the start of the game.
She observed their every move. Kagami was amazing, she admitted. He was powerful, and like she suspected, was able to dunk like it was no problem. For him, it probably wasn't. But the other 1st years weren't doing so much. Kagami was the only one scoring points, and she hoped that they will not be too reliant on him only, for it could cause problems in the future. Her gaze flitted to Kuroko.
He wasn't doing so well, she noted. He kept getting the ball stolen, and the other 1st years had slightly agitated looks on their faces. She frowned slightly and looked down at her slightly clenched fists.
'Just when are you going to show them… Tetsuya?'
All of a sudden, Mayumi felt something in the air change. She immediately looked up again and her eyes widened slightly. Three 2nd years were blocking Kagami. Her eyes narrowed. They were trying to stop him from scoring, and by the looks of it, it was working. Kagami gritted his teeth in irritation.
Even when Kagami wasn't holding the ball, two of them were teaming up against him. They really didn't want him to even touch the ball, did they? Mayumi let out a soft smirk. This would be interesting…
Soon, the tables were turning. The 2nd years were ahead of the 1st years. The score was 15:31
All the 1st years were sweating and panting. Just then, one of them said something that Mayumi couldn't hear. But as soon as he said it, Kagami grabbed the front of his shirt and brought him up to eye level. He was starting to shout. Mayumi moved the same time Kuroko did.
Mayumi reached him the same time Kuroko did too. He hit the back of Kagami's knees, and she jabbed her fingers into his side. Letting out a small gasp, he let go off the guy.
"Please calm down." Kuroko told him.
"It's not good to get worked up so easily." Mayumi continued. Kagami twitched.
"You two…" He turned around, a dark aura enveloping him. The other 1st years wore horrified looks on their faces.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" He started to shout. Mayumi and Kuroko both wore the same blank looks as they received Kagami's rage. She could keep a good poker face if she tried, though she didn't like it that he was yelling at her like that. The other 1st years were trying to calm him down but were failing. Mayumi frowned, clenching her fists,
"Kagami."
"What?!" He yelled, pissed.
"Getting worked up like that will do nothing." She said bluntly, which caused him to pause for a second. "Keep your head cool. Tetsuya," She turned to him. "I think it's about time."
He nodded. "I was planning to."
She nodded in return. She then averted her gaze to the first years. "I need all of you to stay calm. I have something to tell all of you."
The 1st years shot questioning looks to her. She continued, "During the match, there may be incoming passes that might surprise you, but you can't falter, understand? Receive that pass no matter what, and try to score. Don't let the 2nd years intimidate you just because they're older. I can't say much anymore, but if you just follow what I say, I assure you everything will turn out fine in the end." Finishing, she swiftly turned and walked towards the bench again. She could everyone's gaze on her, but she ignored them. If she had waited for a second, she would have seen Kuroko smile faintly at her.
'She's completely into it… And she just tried to help in her own way.'
"Excuse me." Kuroko caught Fukuda's attention. "Could just pass the ball randomly to me?"
"Huh?" He sent a questioning gaze to Kuroko, but the match started before he could ask. Soon, he was in possession of the ball and a 2nd year that was trying to block him. He gritted his teeth for a second before passing the ball to Kuroko.
'Just don't try and lose it!'
All of a sudden, Mayumi saw the ball being flung in a different direction than before. It headed towards the direction Furihata was running in. He was stunned at first but then remembered Mayumi's words,
"During the match, there may be incoming passes that might surprise you, but you can't falter, understand? Receive that pass no matter what, and score."
He shook his head and looked up, determination in his eyes. He received the pass and without hesitation, he threw the ball into the hoop. The 2nd years stared unbelievably at what just happened.
"It went… Eh?" Hyuuga blinked in surprise and push up his glasses. "How did that pass go through?"
Mayumi smirked slightly at seeing Riko's shocked face. The game was just getting started.
During the match, surprising passes would come out of nowhere. The 1st years passed to Kuroko, and in a moment, the ball was headed in a different direction and into the hands of another player. Of course, people who received those passes were shocked at first, but then remembered Mayumi's words and managed to score in the end.
Meanwhile, Mayumi was smiling softly in satisfaction.
'It's been a while since I've seen him use it. His ability, 'Misdirection.'"
Misdirection. The act of drawing someone's attention from something else. That's exactly what Kuroko was doing. Most would think that he was weakening his already weak presence, but that wasn't it. He was directing his opponent's attention elsewhere, fooling their senses and then stepping in unexpectedly. The time he's holding the ball was very short, and he was quick in passing.
That was Kuroko's special ability.
The tables turned once again, this time in favor of the 1st years. Thanks to Kuroko's passes, they caught up with the 2nd years until they were a point away. (36:37)
When the ball was in possession of a 2nd year, a 1st year stole the ball, and Kuroko received it. He then started to dribble towards the hoop, eyes focused solely on one thing.
"Go, Kuroko!" Cheering was heard, and Mayumi smiled.
The 2nd years were trying to catch up to him, but it was useless. With a soft grunt, Kuroko jumped and attempted to score. But, it missed, causing some shocked looks, but it faded as quickly as it came. The reason was because of Kagami.
He grabbed the ball before it hit the ground. He scowled.
"That's why I hate the weak!" He dunked the ball in viciously. "You have to make the shot, dumbass!"A faint smile flickered over Kuroko and Mayumi's faces at his statement.
…
After the game, Kuroko and Mayumi walked home together. It was quiet between the two of them until Mayumi broke the silence,
"It was fun."
"…?"
"It was fun watching you play again." She stopped, causing him to stop as well. She looked at him straight in the eye.
"I really missed watching you play, Tetsuya-kun." He smiled gently at her statement.
"Why don't we rest a little here?" Kuroko gestured to the restaurant, Maji Burger, close by. Mayumi chuckled softly and nodded.
Together, they both entered the restaurant and bought a strawberry milkshake and a vanilla milkshake separately. They took their seats at a window, and drank in silence. Suddenly, a tall figure appeared out of nowhere and plopped into the seat in front of them with a huge pile of burgers. He opened one and bit into it, looking out the window. Mayumi stared at the huge pile of burgers.
'How much can he eat exactly…?'
He then seemed to have noticed the two of them, because he nearly choked. Swallowing the burger a little forcefully, he let out a small gasp.
"Hello." Kuroko said blankly.
"Where'd you guys come from, and what are you doing?!"
"We were sitting here first." Mayumi stated, sipping her milkshake. "You just sat in front of us."
"I like the vanilla shakes here, and Mayumi-chan took a liking to the strawberry milkshakes here too." Kuroko said.
Kagami scoffed slightly. "Go to a different place."
Together, they both said at the same time. "I don't want to."
Kagami scowled and started to look around. "If someone sees us, they'll think we're friends!"
"So?" Mayumi blinked.
"This is our usual hangout anyway." Kuroko told him. "After practice, we usually stop by here to have a drink."
Kagami stared at them for a while before sighing. He grabbed two burgers, and handed both of them each. "Here."
They caught it and looked at him questionably. He gazed outside the window.
"I don't like guys who suck at basketball." Mayumi frowned softly. After today, did he still think that Kuroko was weak?
"But," He smirked. "You earned yourselves one of those."
Kuroko stared at the burger in his hands for a moment before looking up, a miniscule smile gracing his lips. "Thank you."
Mayumi's eyes softened. She looked at him straight in the eye and smiled softly. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all…
"Thank you… Taiga."
After eating at Maji Burger, the three of them walked home together.
"Just how strong is the 'Generation of Miracles'? " Kagami asked them. "If I played against them now, how would I do?"
Mayumi answered him bluntly. "You'd be destroyed instantly." She swore she saw a vein pop.
"Do you really have to put it like that?' He asked her angrily.
"Mayumi-chan's right though." Kuroko said. "The five prodigies have each gone on to play for their own schools."
"And one of those schools will stand at the top." Mayumi said.
She heard Kagami laugh. "Hehehe…. That's great."
Kuroko and she both glanced at Kagami. "That's the kind of thing that lights a fire in me." He smirked.
"I've decided. I'll crush all of them and become Japan's best player. "
It was silent for a while until both Mayumi and Kuroko said at the same time.
"I think that's impossible." Cue vein pop from Kagami. He turned towards them. "Hey! And don't say it with such synchronization! It's creeping me out!" the crossing light turned green.
Kuroko stopped drinking his milkshake. "If you had hidden talent, I wouldn't know."
"But, from what I've seen, you wouldn't even reach their feet." Mayumi continued. They crossed the road, and reached the other side.
"You can't do it alone." Kuroko said. "I've also decided."
"Hm?" Kagami looked at him questionably. Kuroko looked down.
"I'm a shadow." He looked up at the night sky. "But the stronger the light, the darker the shadow, and the more it accentuates the brightness of the light." He focused his attention to Kagami.
"I will be shadow to your light, and make you the best player in Japan."
Kagami's eyes widened but it didn't stop there. Mayumi spoke up too, slightly surprising both of them,
"I'm not a strong enough shadow, nor am I a strong enough light. But," she faced them both. "I can be the sky that supports you both. There's light and shadow in the world, but without the sky holding the source that makes them, there won't be any. That's why," Her eyes became determined.
"I'll do whatever I can to support you two, and I will make sure that you will achieve your goal no matter what."
Kagami and Kuroko stared at her. Kagami's expression was one of shock, until it changed into a smirk.
"Ha! Nice words there. Just do what you want."
Kuroko and Mayumi both smiled.
"I'll do my best."
…
2009/4/2 Thursday
Dear diary,
I have decided to become the sky to both Taiga and Tetsuya-kun.
Taiga… he holds something special. I know it; just call it a gut feeling after seeing people like him for three years. He holds something huge, and I want to be there when he releases it.
Kagami Taiga and Kuroko Tetsuya.
I wonder how will this turn out? I hope…
I hope it won't end the same as before.
Goodnight Diary.
11:00 Sanada Mayumi
Here is my new story!
Hope you enjoy it!
~LunaricFairy12~