"Oi, Kagami~"
"Is it ready yet?"
Koganei and Hyuuga both groaned, the others remaining silent as they waited patiently. It has just been a few hours since their victory against Kaijou; since Kagami had the confusing and surprising conversation with Midorima about Akashi, the former captain of the Generation of Miracles. All of them are now staying at Kagami's huge apartment unit, all of them waiting for the food to be served.
"Ahhh, jeez! It's almost done! Shut up and have a little patience!" Kagami yelled back from the kitchen, looking irritated because they can't wait since it was just a few minutes ago that he started cooking, Riko beside him and helping him with the dinner.
"I'm huuungry~"
Riko, wearing an apron like Kagami, looked at him sheepishly, "I'm sorry for making you help out, Kagami-kun." she apologized, a mixing spoon in her hand as she stirred the contents of the pan.
"No problem. It's safer this way anyway."
"Eh?"
"Hang on, that's not right! Don't add salt there, use pepper!"
"Ah! Oops, I messed up!"
Kagami gave a sigh, "...Anyway," he paused for second, then glared at everyone by his living room, "How'd it turn out like this?!" he screamed, annoyed and surprised by the fact that they chose his apartment unit as their hang out place. "And where'd that other table come from?!" he continued, pointing at the extra, wooden table beside his original one, all of them sitting around the two tables except for the ones cooking, or Kagami and Riko, for that matter.
"Eh?"
"It seemed as though Kuroko had something serious to say, but why are you all just lounging around my house?!" he scolded them, a tick mark appearing on his forehead.
"Are you telling us to stand outside in the middle of winter and listen to a long story when our stomachs are growling?!" Hyuuga screamed back, trying to make a point.
"We'd planned to do research for the next match anyway, and you said we could use your house right?" Koganei, of course siding with their captain, also tried to reason out, eventually persuading Kagami.
The red haired male sweat dropped, hearing Koganei's, actually, reasonable reason, "Well yeah, but... I even have to provide food?"
And as if he wasn't annoyed enough, Kuroko added, "I am also getting hungry. Please hurry up, Kagami-kun." holding a spoon and a fork in each hand, he looked at Kagami with his usual stoic face, somehow adding more fuel to the fire.
A huge tick mark returned on Kagami's forehead and he glared at Kuroko with all his might, "Do you even plan to tell us anything!?" Knowing that the latter won't be answering his question until they have eaten, and since the food was ready, he served the delicious-looking dinner they were just about to eat. "Ugh, fine! Here! It's done!"
"Whoa! It looks great! Let's dig in!"
After a few minutes of eating, everyone was finally full and satisfied, "Wow! I'm full... Thanks for the meal!" Kawahara, Fukuda and Furihata stood up, holding the used dishes in their hands, wanting to help even just a bit, "Kagami, do we just put the dishes in the kitchen?"
"Yeah, that's fine. Just leave them there. I'll wash 'em later." Kagami replied, sitting on the floor with everyone else.
"...Alright, then."
Remembering that Kuroko was about to tell them his story and past, they snapped their head towards him, "We're ready! Start talking." Hyuuga insisted.
Kuroko flinched a bit, "Um... It's rather difficult to talk with this kind of atmosphere..." he muttered quietly, almost everyone not hearing it. Almost.
Riko glared at Hyuuga, "Hey! This story's relevant to our final match tomorrow. Let's be serious!" she scolded, annoyed by the fact that the others are treating the information Kuroko was about to tell, lightly. Like she had just said, it is very important to know this for their next match, to give them an advantage, or even to be the reason they could win.
Koganei just blinked and looked at the usually-quiet guy in the team, "Kuroko, did you start playing basketball in middle school?" he asked curiously, as the others we're also curious of his answer.
The said guy shook his head, "...No." he paused for a moment, before continuing, "I began playing basketball in 5th grade. I saw a match on T.V. and thought it looked interesting... There's nothing special about why I started." he replied nonchalantly.
Koganei sweatdropped, as the others do so too, "Huh... Somehow, I feel like that's more surprising." he commented, the other team members agreeing at his statement.
"There weren't any basketball club for kids in my neighborhood, so I went to park that had a court to play basketball by myself. But one day, a boy called out to me. We quickly became friends. Though we went to different schools, every day after class we would play basketball together until the sun went down. He was also better than me, so he taught me many things." Kuroko paused for a moment before continuing, "But in 6th grade, he had to move away. At that time, we made a promise that we would both join the basketball club at our middle schools, and face each other at the court someday."
"Huh, I didn't know you knew a guy like that." Izuki commented, quite absorbed at his story like everyone else is right now.
"So, what happened? He's still playing basketball right now, right?" Fukuda asked in curiosity.
It was for a moment before Kuroko answered, "...No." he whispered out, and it was like ages before he continued, the shadow from his bangs covering his eyes, "He quit."
He, again stopped for a moment, then continued, his voice sad and solemn, "It was my fault. I don't think that he will ever forgive me."
This, of course, shocked his teammates and they looked at him in uncovered surprise and disbelief, "Eh?!"
"Why...! What on earth happened...?"
He looked down, a guilty expression on his face as he somehow avoided their gazes, "That has something to do with the story I mean to tell you now." He, then, looked up at his teammates and continued, "So... I suppose... I should start at the beginning." Everyone looked at him expectantly, their faces showing seriousness and utmost concentration, gone now is the playful atmosphere a while ago. "In April, the year after I made that promise with him, I entered Teikou Middle school."
*Flashback*
It was a day of such clear, blue skies that it was hard to believe it was spring. The birds chirped happily and the wind blew gently as students, freshmen or not, walked in and out of the ever-so popular Teikou Middle school's campus.
"Whoa."
"...Pardon me."
A few meters ahead from the school gate, a dark-skinned guy with dark blue hair heading towards inside the school, accidentally bumped into a light blue haired student, or Kuroko to be precise, not realizing he was on his way. He stopped and looked back, "My bad... Wait, huh?" the taller, darker guy was about to apologize for bumping into him but stopped when he saw no one did so, seeing that everyone was like they were used to. "Ah, whatever..." He shrugged it off by running a hand across his hair, and continued walking.
Now it was back to Kuroko, as he was holding a small book containing a map of the school. Unlike the present days, Kuroko's hair was shorter and messier and he looked less mature than he is. Then, like what happened in his first year in Seirin, a random guy appeared infront of him, "Hey, do you like books? How about joining the literature club?" the guy asked, and Kuroko knowing that he was not talking to him, simply continued walking. "No, this is a phone book." a tall, green haired guy, wearing glasses, answered. "Phone books are still fine books..." the guy replied back before pausing and realizing what the green haired guy just said, "Eh?! Why are you carrying around a phone book?!"
"It's my lucky item. From Oha-asa, nanodayo."
"Eh?! Erm...?! Lucky...? 'Nanodayo'?"
As Kuroko continued walking, he passed by a group of people from the volleyball club, somehow admiring a very tall, purple haired fellow.
"Amazing!"
"Whoa, you're huge!"
"The volleyball club! You gotta join the volleyball club!"
The purple haired student looked at them boredly, "Eh~~... I dunno, maybe... But it's such a pain..." he dragged his words out, making him sound lazy.
Then, Kuroko also passed by an also tall guy, though not as tall the purple haired one, with yellow medium-long hair. He is quite good-looking and many girls surrounded, or followed, him, mostly admiring him for his good looks.
"Hey... Isn't that guy really hot?"
"Wow, he really is-!"
As if on cue, a black limousine stopped infront of the school gates, the driver walking out and opening the door for the people inside. Two figures emerged from it, one of them is a very beautiful, golden blonde haired girl with chocolate brown eyes, and the other, a taller guy with spiky and messy, crimson hair.
"Are you sure you're alright with getting off here?" the driver, who was wearing a formal suit, asked politely at the two, showing respect to the both of them.
"Yeah. Also, after today, don't fetch me to or from school anymore." the younger, crimson haired student commanded, looking at the driver with a straight face, not taking any disagreement for an answer.
"Even if you say that... I was told by your father to see you off the school gates..." the driver tried to reason out, but was met with a glare and a displeasured expression plastered on the face of the younger man, whom is considered the son of his master and boss.
"My father has nothing to do with this. Doing something like this every morning makes one stand out. People will laugh." the younger one replied, his voice almost icy, cold. He paused for a moment before he continued in a light voice, "...At least let me have my freedom at school." and walked in the school yard, calling for the blonde girl.
The blonde haired girl, though, before following him, looked at the driver, seeing a disheartened and disappointed expression on his face. Knowing that her friend had been the reason why he is unhappy, and because he spoke and replied the wrong way to the said man, she gave a small bow at the driver, "Gomen, untenshu* (*means chauffeur or driver). My friend didn't mean to be rude. He just really crave for his freedom, and seeing that his father is very strict about almost anything, he can only achieve it in school. So, please do understand his situation." she apologized, and seeing that the driver had nodded and smiled, she gave a small, polite grin of her own in return. "Oh, and please do also tell his father, to tell mine, that I also don't want to be fetched from school. Tell them that I'll mostly be walking home with him, and will be perfectly safe." she added as an afterthought, still having the small smile on her lips.
The driver nodded, "Yes, miss. I will do so. Please be safe and have fun." Then, he walked in the car and the limousine drove away.
The girl sighed before swiftly turning around, "Oi! Wait for me!" and ran inside to catch up to her friend.
Kuroko, then, after walking for a few minutes around the school and checking out all important places he might need to go to, now walked by the hall. He opened his bag and took out a small brown envelope, opening it and taking out a neatly folded paper inside. He unfolded it carefully before reading its content. "Of course, I, too, will join the basketball club." he said after reading it, a determined and confident expression appearing on his, usually, stoic face.
After several minutes, Kuroko signed up for the basketball club, and is now found inside one of the school's gym. He stood beside all of the other guys wanting to join the club. "Excuse me... Are the people here all part of the basketball club?" he suddenly asked in curiosity in his usual poker face.
The closest guy to him, flinched and looked at him in surprise, "Whoa, you surprised me!" he commented, still quite a bit startled. After calming down, he proceeded to answer his question, "Well... Yeah, they are. You didn't know? If you were in a youth basketball club, it should be common knowledge. This school's basketball club is incredibly strong and has won championship many times." the guy explained, adding a few, additional points of information to Kuroko.
"First off, achieving victory is the premise of this club. Anyone who is not serious about this should go find another club. To those of you who remain, be prepared for extremely difficult training!"
"Before we get to the self-introductions, we'll divide you off by class to test you. This will be a test of physical strength and skill. We'll use the results of the test to put you into the first through third strings. You'll only be able to play in matches as a regular after you made first string. I'll be asking newbies and those who are late and therefore absent at the moment to join the third string. You will be tested periodically, so those in the second and third strings should not give up, but practice harder with the goal of being promoted. That's all!" was the long speech of a guy wearing a suit and glasses, seemingly the coach.
"You know, apparently there's never been a freshman who made first string on their first try..."
"Seriously...?! Then, at best, it's the second string?"
"If that's the case, let's first aim to get into the second string."
"Let's do our best."
Hearing their conversation clearly enough, once again, a determined expression crossed Kuroko's face. He'll definitely do his best.
From the outside, the yellow haired man, who was always surrounded by girls since he stepped foot in the school, heard the loud noise coming from the gym. "Wow, they sure sound like they're having fun. I wonder what club that is?" he spoke to himself, his hands in his pockets. "Maybe I should join some kind of sports club too... Ah, but sis said that the modeling agency she sent my picture to called yesterday... What should I do...? Well, even if I join a club, it'll end up being easy... No matter what it is."
After several minutes of training, and observing, the coach finally decided to let the other coaches announce the results. "Now, I'll announce the results of the test." The coach, a different one from the one with the glasses, paused for a while as he took his hand-carried bulletin board and looked at it. "We'll start from the third string. Those of you who have your names called should go over there to the third string coach." He, then, announced all of the ones who will be joining the third string, and when he was about to say the last member, Kuroko closed his eyes tightly, silently praying to not be called. "And... Number thirty-one, Kuroko Tetsuya. That's all."
When Kuroko heard his name, his eyes widened in retaliation. He got in the third string and he felt a bit disheartened. He tried his best to, at least, join the second string, knowing he can't reach the first in a flash, but he realized it wasn't enough. He looked down and tried his best not to feel sad. Like the others included in the third string, he headed over to where the third string coach is. Soon after that, the same coach also announced the second string members and, they, too, walked over to the second string coach.
Everyone expected that announcements to be done, since the second and third string members was already announced, but then, they heard a very shocking news...
"Next, I'll announce the first string members."
Practically every students' eyes widened. "...Eh?"
"Did he just say 'first string'...? No way..."
"I thought there'd never been a freshman who managed to make the first string before..."
The coach, even though with everyone confuse and in total disbelief, proceeded to announce the result, "Number eight, Aomine Daiki."
"Number eleven, Midorima Shintarou."
"Number twenty-three, Murasakibara Atsushi."
"Number twenty-nine, Akashi Seijuro."
Chapter One End~