The long awaited day finally came for Seirin to meet Kiyoshi's beloved youngest daughter. Sure Kiyoshi always showed them thousands of photos and videos, but actually getting to meet the little girl was a whole other story. They were all excited. And frustrated.
Riko groaned for the umpteenth time, impatiently pacing back and forth. The team was all there at the park except for the one they were waiting for.
"Coach, you're going to leave tracks in the grass," Koganei said, looking at the flattening patch of grass under Riko's feet.
Riko let out another frustrated groan, making the others jump. "Where is he!?" she asked aloud. "I wanna meet my little niece!" she added with a huff.
"They'll be here," Izuki reassured. "I'm sure they'll be here any minute."
Or more second. Moments after Izuki's commented, Kiyoshi showed up with his two daughters.
"Hello, everyone!" Kiyoshi cheerfully greeted. "Sorry for being a little late." Seirin instantly surrounded him. Kiyoshi laughed, fully understanding why they looked so eager.
"Where is she!? Where is she!?" Koganei excitedly asked, hopping in place.
Kiyoshi looked down, seeing his youngest daughter hiding behind his legs while holding onto his eldest daughter's hand. He smiled as he patted his youngest daughter's hair. "Mariko, come out and say hi to everyone."
Mariko shook her head, tightening her grip on both her dad's pant leg and sister's hand.
"But you were excited earlier," Kiyoshi encouraged, still getting a shaking head from Mariko. "Don't be scared. Daddy and Onee-chan are right here."
Mariko finally popped her head out from behind Kiyoshi. She stared up at Seirin, who all cooed at the 4-year-old.
"Koharu," Kiyoshi started, Koharu turning up to him, "why don't you introduce Mariko to everyone?"
"Okay, Teppei," Koharu happily responded, earning some silent laughs from Seirin at how the 12-year-old addresses her dad by name.
Koharu lead Mariko forward. "You need to get down to her height though," she said to the team. "It'll make her less wary."
The adults found no problem with that.
Riko was first to introduce herself. "Hello, Mariko-chan. My name is Aida Riko. It's nice to finally meet you," she said with a kind smile.
"Riko," Mariko repeated. Her eyes began sparkling. "Like Mariko!"
Riko almost died at how Mariko compared their names.
Tsuchida popped up next. "I heard from Koharu that you loved bunnies." He then pulled out a blue bunny plush.
Mariko's eyes lit up more.
"What do we say, Mariko?" Kiyoshi asked.
Upon receiving the bunny, Mariko said, "Thank you, um…" She paused with a curious pout, unsure how to address the adults.
"Uncle Satoshi," Koharu answered.
"No," Hyuuga instantly butted in. "Uncle Tsuchida."
Koharu and Hyuuga stared each other down. They had the conversation on how to address elders before.
While the two were staring each other down, Mariko was curiously wondering what to call Tsuchida and the others. She turned to Kiyoshi for an answer. "Daddy?"
Kiyoshi smiled again, ruffling Mariko's hair. "I think Uncle Tsuchida would be best right now."
Mariko smiled as well, giving a nod. She turned back to Tsuchida. "Thank you, Uncle Tsuchi." She looked back up at Kiyoshi soon after, not noticing everyone's reactions to her own name choices. "How about everyone else?"
Kiyoshi happily began introducing everyone, glad that Mariko was no longer hesitant. "Well, this is Hyuuga, Izuki, Mitobe, Koganei, Kagami, Furihata, Kawahara, and Fukuda. And Kuroko, who's Kazu-nii's dad."
"Kiyoshi-senpai," Furihata sheepishly started, "I don't think she can memorize all that—"
"Uncle Hyuu," Mariko interrupted, pointing as she recalled everyone, "Zuzu, Tobe, Ko, Gami, Furi, Kawa, Kuda, Kuro." She smiled proudly while getting everyone's 'names' in one try. Seirin just made their own faces of shock.
"She's 4 and she got all that?" Hyuuga asked, looking back and forth between the smart child and their airheaded ex-center.
"It could help that we talk about you guys a lot," Koharu explained.
"Let's play! Let's play!" Mariko excitedly cheered, hopping in place. She then took off her backpack and pulled out another plush bunny. Seirin assumed it must be very loved when looking at its tattered and stitched up state. Though, all the plush she pulled out seemed to be fairly tattered.
Mariko began distributing what plush she had to a few of the old basketball club members. She gave one to her sister, Riko, Mitobe, Koganei, Tsuchida, and Furihata. She sadly looked to the others for a moment. "I didn't bring enough…"
"It's okay, Mariko-chan," Izuki reassured. "We can all take turns!"
Mariko smiled again, giving another quick nod. She then dragged the others off to play.
"Mariko has a lot energy, like Koharu and Kazuki," Kagami commented.
"Is it okay for her to be running around like that?" Kuroko asked Kiyoshi. "You said she had asthma."
"She'll be fine," Kiyoshi reassured everyone. "It's gotten a lot better since she started living with my in-laws in the countryside. And Koharu carries around a rescue inhaler at all times, just in case." He gave a goofy smile at how wonderful his daughters were.
"Well, she has your enthusiasm," Fukuda commented.
"But that's it, it looks like," Hyuuga added, curiously watching Mariko.
Izuki noticed as well, agreeing with Hyuuga. "Yeah, Koharu resembles you a lot more than Mariko appearance wise."
"Yeah, she takes after her papa more," Kiyoshi agreed. "Look at that smile!"
Hyuuga narrowed his eyes, Mariko's smile seeming really familiar. "It kinda reminds me of…"
"How dare you beg for mercy! Suffer for your sins and rot like the garbage you are!"
"…Hanamiya…"
"Well, she does take after him more," Kiyoshi explained.
Silence filled the air from the adults gaping at either Kiyoshi or little Mariko, who was bursting with mad laughter as she morbidly stabbed at her new plush with a sharp stick. All but Koharu and Kiyoshi were frozen.
"Aww," Kiyoshi cooed. "She loves it!"
"What'd you mean she loves it!?" Kagami yelled, horrified.
"Look at her," Kiyoshi obliviously said as if the answer was clearly on his daughter's face.
The group turned back to Mariko, seeing Koharu slowing her sister's stabs. They thought Koharu was stopping her, but instead she said, "Mariko, careful with splinters. You don't want an owie."
Mariko stopped stabbing her new plush, smiling up at Koharu. "Yes, Onee-chan! Do you think the new bun-bun suffered from splinters though?"
Koharu gave a thoughtful look. She then nodded with a smile. "I think so." She smiled more when Mariko let out a gleeful cheer.
"Kiyoshi," Hyuuga started once more, watching as his friends over with Kiyoshi's daughters helped carry a fainted Furihata back to them, "who is Mariko's and Koharu's other father?"
Kiyoshi obliviously blinked, still supporting his goofy smile. "Makoto of course."
More silence with only Mariko's mad laughter in the background.
"Hanamiya Makoto?" Izuki hesitantly asked.
"That's what I said," Kiyoshi answered. He waved them off. "You all know that."
"Eh!?" Seirin yelled their disbelief.
"When did this happen!?" Riko yelled.
"What do you mean?" Kiyoshi asked. "I'm sure I told you guys."
"No, you did not!" Hyuuga yelled.
"Really?" Kiyoshi asked once more. "Huh... Not even when I first introduced you all to Koharu?"
"No!" Kagami yelled.
"W-well I guess we never asked who the other dad was," Koganei awkwardly said with a sheepish smile as Mitobe began looking pale beside him.
"I see what Kazuki means when he says Mariko plays extremely," Kuroko said aloud, still watching the girls. Kazuki sometimes went by himself with Kiyoshi's family to visit Mariko in the countryside. He heard many stories, but never fully believed them until now.
"I see the resemblance," Tsuchida nervously said, suddenly seeing Hanamiya in Mariko. The dark hair, grayish eyes, even the venomous smile. Definitely different compared to Koharu and Kiyoshi's lighter brown hair and… unsuspicious disposition.
"Does she always play like that?" Fukuda asked, feeling queasy with how Mariko was massacring her new, 'loved' plush. And Koharu and Kiyoshi were just watching!
"Is that why her toys are full of stitches?" Kawahara asked as well.
Kiyoshi only continued to smile, which was enough to answer their questions. "As long as they're happy, healthy, and kind."
"Onee-chan! Kitty-chan worked with the new bun-bun! She must suffer, too!" Mariko shouted just then.
"How should she go?" Koharu asked.
Seirin looked uneasily at the girls, mentally questioning Kiyoshi's choices. Well, he was still a very loving father to his daughters.
I ship KiyoHana please don't judge QwQ Mariko's a little yandere! and loves her toys, she really does! why do you think they have stitches? also, Koharu is another friend of mine's kid oc! sister ocs!