A/N: Dear Fellow Writers,

Do you ever get the disgusted, 'oh-my-gawd-did-I-REALLY-write-this' feeling when you look at your past works? I just did. Lol :)

I re-read the second chapter of this fic's original version (for reference), and OMG. I could not believe myself at all. The horror!

So, before anything else, I would like to apologize to all the readers of the first Anything but Ordinary. So sorry you had to read that! I really am. And from the bottom of my heart, thank you for reading it! I promise to do better this time, for the sake of both old and new readers.

And I'm sorry I'm saying all these things when I should be proceeding with Chapter 2, but you guys, thanks! Really. I got four reviews, and I wasn't expecting any at all! \tears

To my senpai and fellow writer, Calliope Medina Erato, thank you for that review :) it reassured me a lot.

In the paper today: success story of an almost-gone-bankrupt company, a politician's critical condition in the hospital, accidents, and tragedies.

Including Ishizu Chiharu's tragedy.

It may not have been the headline of newspapers today, but it definitely was in the papers. And in the Entertainment section too.

Controversial Secret Signal:
Sendoh Akira, a notorious playboy?

Chiharu sighed as she read the title for the article about the incident yesterday. Here she was, stuck at home on a beautiful Sunday morning instead of going with her friends to look for a part-time job, all because of that thing from yesterday.

She skimmed the article. There was a picture of Sendoh with his cheesy heart pose. And there was a picture of the skimpily-dressed miss who sat in front of her. "Huh," she remarked. "I knew she had to be someone important." Left with nothing better to do, she decided to read what the article said.

"He may not look like it, but is Sendoh Akira a two-timing player? No pun intended.

After that miracle shot that brought the North Team to victory yesterday, everybody saw how he sent out his special love signal to an unknown girl in the audience. Now, everyone wants to know: Was that 

really just a mistake, knowing that his girlfriend was there, rooting for him? Or was that really just a mistake, because he had no idea that his girlfriend came to watch?

Who is that nameless girl? What is so special about her?

Chiharu decided she didn't want to read on. After finally realizing that the Audrey Hepburn wannabe miss was actually Sendoh's true girlfriend, she decided she was doomed for life.

"Just think!" she thought to herself, staring into blank space. "By the looks of that girl, she could be the type who wouldn't let off those who touch her property easily! Who knows, she might get secret agents to find my whereabouts, then come knocking at my door with a vengeful intention, and it might even be the death of me!" Another heavy sigh came out from her.

"Honey," said her mom. "Do you realize how much you've been doing that inhale-exhale thing over and over again?"

"Uh, no," she answered sarcastically.

"Why don't you just get out of the house?" her mom suggested. "I mean, come on, it's not like you're so controversial that media people would be waiting for you outside the house. And besides, you know you want to."

Chiharu had to laugh at her mom's remark. She was right.

"See?" her mom continued. "You're smiling now. Now go and do yourself a favour. Get out of the house."

\--\

Meanwhile, between Sendoh and his Audrey Hepburn wannabe girlfriend, things weren't so cheerful.

On a beautiful Sunday morning, Sendoh was all alone in his pad, still in his sleepwear, still in bed. He was staring at his cell phone, sighing every few seconds. He would flip it open, stare at it, close it, and then flip it open again, in hopes that his girlfriend Keiko would actually return his call.

As far as he could remember, he had called Keiko more than ten times, and every time he would be directed to her voice mail. He decided to call her one last time.

But this time was no different. He was still directed to her voice mail. He sighed, waiting for the beep. After it came, he repeated what he had been saying in his previous calls: "Hey Keiko. Umm, listen, 

I'm really, really, really sorry. I want to see you right now. Please let me talk to you. And, uh… call me after you get this. Please. I love you babe."

Keiko, though, was too busy to pick up her phone and listen to his countless voice messages. She was busy because she was still in bed as well. In bed with another man.

"Kei-chan, aren't you gonna pick up your phone?"said her lover.

"No," she answered, snuggling up to him. "I'm sure it's just that ass face Sendoh calling to say sorry."

"Why won't you forgive him?"

"Because!" Her voice rose a little. "How can I forgive a man who humiliates me in public? And it was televised too!"

"That's it?" her lover asked.

"And… because I love you more than him," she answered, smiling.

\--\

Days later, Chiharu was the only one left jobless among her friends. It was already summer, and having no money during summer vacation made her depressed.

"Let's see…Eri got a job at the salon, Yuki at the café… man, these jobs don't suit me," went Chiharu with her monologue. She looked at the classifieds again, and the only job opportunities she hadn't tried calling were the courier company and two memorial homes. She looked at them in disgust.

So she decided to call some more friends whom she knew were employed. In the end, she found a job at a supermarket. Her classmate Ayaka worked there part-time, and told her that someone had quit and that if Chiharu tried applying for the position she just might get it.

To cut things short, Chiharu started working the day after she got the job. Making friends at the supermarket was easy for her; no one seemed to notice that she was that girl on TV. Apparently, it seemed no one in her workplace would be the type to like basketball enough to watch the All-Star games. Most of them were older women, from their mid-twenties to late forties.

One day, she and Ayaka were pushing a cart stocked with boxes. They were going to re-stock the shelves. Ayaka excused herself, saying she needed to go to the restroom and promised to be back to help.

Not a minute later, she came back. Or so Chiharu thought.

"Whoa, Ayaka. That was fast," she remarked, not looking up from the boxes she was unpacking.

"Wait, you know Ayaka?" said the person she was talking to.

"Huh?" Chiharu, confused, looked up. What she saw was not Ayaka in their supermarket uniform, but Ayaka in casual wear, her hair tucked neatly under a baseball cap and a hoodie on. "What are you doing, wearing that?" she asked in a concerned tone, whispering. She looked around cautiously, hoping no one would see Ayaka dressed like this when she was supposed to be working.

The girl laughed. "I'm sorry miss, but I think you've got it wrong. I'm not Ayaka."

Chiharu hit her lightly on the arm, scolding her. "I swear Ayaka, if the manager finds out about this, I'm not covering for you. So hurry up and get back in your uniform." The girl tried to talk, but Chiharu started to drag her to the changing room.

"Chiharu-chan!" someone called her.

Chiharu looked back. She saw Ayaka, this time dressed in complete uniform, with her hair tied back and wearing the white bandanna all employees were supposed to be wearing. Then she looked at the person she was dragging. It was Ayaka too, but in casual wear!

"Haaaah?!" Chiharu exclaimed, confused. The girl she was dragging started to laugh really hard, and so did Ayaka.

After a few more fits of laughter, Ayaka finally managed to talk. "This girl here," she began, taking the girl by her arm, "is my twin sister, Ayako." Ayako, in return, did a little curtsy and said, "Hey there."

"Wow," Chiharu said. "You two look so alike… same curly brown hair, same face, same body type… I thought I was dragging a doppelganger with me." She couldn't help but laugh as well.

"So," Ayaka said, turning to Ayako. "What brings you here?"

"I wanted to see Keiko. I'm doing some research on Sendoh and I was wondering if she could help answer a few questions," Ayako answered.

The word Sendoh made Chiharu shiver. "By Sendoh, does he mean… that Sendoh?" she thought.

"I mean," Ayako continued, "I'm pretty sure she wouldn't do it, considering that this research can help Shohoku's performance in a really big way, especially Sakuragi's, but it's worth a try."

"Shohoku? Sakuragi? Sendoh? Haaah?!" Chiharu thought, beginning to worry. "Umm, by any chance," she began, turning to Ayako. "By any chance… are you working with the Shohoku basketball team?"

"Uh, I guess you could say that," Ayako answered, smiling. Ayaka burst out laughing. "Stop it Ayako," she blurted out. "Being humble doesn't suit you." Then, turning to Chiharu, Ayaka said, "This tomboy here is actually Shohoku's manager."



"Shohoku's manager? Then…she was definitely there on the All-Star game!" thought Chiharu, suddenly having the urge to cover her whole face with the bandanna she was wearing on her head.

"Check it out," Ayaka said. "Keiko's here." She waved at someone from the entrance, and so did Ayako. Chiharu was too busy trying to avoid being recognized to look at who they were waving at.

She didn't have to look, though, because the person they were waving at was now rushing to their place, excited. "Ayako!" the person squealed, hugging Ayako. "Oh my god! I haven't seen you in like, forever!"

"Wow, Keiko, you've gotten prettier!" Ayako remarked, hugging the person back.

Intrigued, knowing that this Keiko person had special access to Sendoh or Team Ryonan, Chiharu decided to take a look at the person.

And she saw Little Miss Audrey Hepburn Wannabe from the All-Star game.

To be continued.

A/N: So sorry that Chapter 2 took longer than expected! I was distracted because I just learned how to do vector art, and I got so amused by it that it took up all my time and before I knew it, I had neglected finishing up Chapter 2.

I hope Ayako's entering the scene didn't annoy you readers, especially those who were hoping for a SendohXOC scene in this chapter. I didn't want the pacing to be hurried. So again, please talk to me! I'm just a review button away :)